Running a Discord server without a moderation bot in 2026 is like leaving your front door wide open. Sure, nothing might happen. But when things go wrong—and they will—you'll wish you'd planned ahead.

Whether you're managing a gaming community of fifty friends or a public server with thousands of members, the right moderation bot can mean the difference between a thriving community and a chaotic mess. But with dozens of options available, how do you choose?

We've spent weeks testing the most popular Discord moderation bots to give you an honest breakdown of what actually works.

What Makes a Great Moderation Bot?

Before diving into specific bots, let's establish what you should actually look for. A solid moderation bot needs to nail a few key areas.

Detection capabilities matter most. Can the bot catch rule-breaking content before your members see it? This includes spam, raids, NSFW images, and malicious links. The best bots use AI to detect problems automatically rather than relying solely on keyword filters.

Speed and reliability can't be overlooked. A bot that goes offline during a raid is useless. Latency matters too—if content stays visible for 30 seconds before deletion, the damage is already done.

Customization options determine whether the bot fits your community's specific needs. Every server is different. What works for a Minecraft fan server won't work for a professional developer community.

Ease of use affects whether your mod team will actually use all those features. Complicated setups lead to half-configured bots that don't do their job.

The Top Discord Moderation Bots Compared

MEE6

MEE6 has been around since Discord's early days, and it shows. The bot has evolved from a simple leveling system into a comprehensive moderation suite.

The automod features work reliably. You can set up word filters, anti-spam protection, and link blocking with minimal effort. The dashboard is polished and beginner-friendly. For servers that want leveling, reaction roles, and moderation in one package, MEE6 delivers.

The elephant in the room? Pricing. MEE6 locks many useful features behind their premium tier, which runs €11.49/month. If you're running a nonprofit community server, that adds up fast. The free tier feels increasingly limited compared to competitors.

Dyno Bot

Dyno remains one of the most popular moderation bots, and for good reason. It's fast, reliable, and the free tier is genuinely useful.

The moderation commands are comprehensive. Timed mutes, warning systems, mass ban tools, and detailed audit logs come standard. The automod can filter links, caps, invites, and duplicates with granular channel-by-channel settings.

Where Dyno shines is custom commands. Server admins can create automated responses and actions without knowing code. This flexibility lets you build moderation workflows tailored to your community.

The web dashboard works well but hasn't seen major updates recently. It gets the job done, though newer competitors have flashier interfaces.

Carl-bot

Carl-bot carved out its niche with the best reaction roles implementation on Discord. But underneath that specialty lies a capable moderation bot.

The automod options are extensive. Anti-spam, mention limits, message content filtering, and automated raid protection work reliably. Carl-bot's logging system captures everything moderators need without overwhelming them.

What sets Carl-bot apart is the tag system. You can create complex automated responses with conditional logic, variables, and actions. It's essentially light scripting without needing to host your own bot.

Premium runs $5/month and unlocks extended logging, more reaction roles, and additional automod slots. Fair pricing for active servers.

Wick Bot

Wick focuses specifically on security and anti-nuke protection. If your server has been raided before or handles sensitive content, Wick deserves serious consideration.

The anti-nuke system monitors for mass deletions, role changes, channel modifications, and other destructive actions. When triggered, Wick can automatically quarantine the attacker and reverse changes. It's saved countless servers from disgruntled former staff or compromised accounts.

Verification systems add another layer. Wick can require new members to complete captchas, wait through holding periods, or verify their accounts before accessing the server.

The tradeoff? Wick is laser-focused on security. You'll still need another bot for leveling, reaction roles, or general automod tasks.

SfwBot

Most moderation bots treat image content as an afterthought. SfwBot takes the opposite approach, specializing in AI-powered image and content detection.

The bot scans every image posted to your server in real-time, classifying content across NSFW and violence categories. When something triggers your thresholds, SfwBot acts automatically—deleting the message, logging the incident, and optionally notifying moderators.

What makes this different from basic automod? The AI models understand context rather than just matching patterns. A photo of the Statue of David won't trigger false positives. An attempt to sneak inappropriate content through artistic framing gets caught. The system learns and improves continuously.

Server admins can configure sensitivity thresholds per channel. Keep your art channel relaxed while locking down general chat. The dashboard shows detection history, credit usage, and configuration options in one place.

The free tier includes generous monthly credits for smaller servers. Premium plans add more credits, advanced logging, and priority processing for busy communities.

Arcane Bot

Arcane positions itself as the premium alternative to MEE6's leveling system. The XP and ranking features are genuinely impressive, with beautiful rank cards and detailed leaderboards.

For moderation, Arcane covers the basics competently. Anti-spam, word filters, and logging work as expected. The bot integrates well with its leveling system—you can require minimum levels to post links or images.

Premium unlocks unlimited reaction roles and additional customization. At $5/month, it's priced competitively for servers focused on engagement.

Quick Feature Comparison

Which Bot Should You Choose?

The right choice depends on your server's specific challenges.

For general-purpose moderation, Dyno offers the best balance of features and price. The free tier handles most needs, and custom commands let you build exactly what your community requires.

For engagement-focused servers, MEE6 or Arcane bundle leveling with moderation. MEE6 has broader features; Arcane has better aesthetics.

For security-critical servers, Wick's anti-nuke protection is unmatched. Pair it with another bot for day-to-day moderation tasks.

For content-heavy communities where images are central—art servers, photography groups, gaming screenshot channels—SfwBot's AI detection catches what keyword filters miss. Combine it with Dyno or Carl-bot for complete coverage.

Setting Up Your Moderation Stack

Here's a practical starting setup for most community servers:

1. Dyno or Carl-bot for general automod, logging, and custom commands
2. SfwBot for AI-powered image scanning and content classification
3. Wick (optional) if you've experienced raids or have security concerns

This combination covers all bases without feature overlap. Each bot handles what it does best.

The Bottom Line

Discord moderation in 2026 requires more than basic keyword filters. Spammers have gotten smarter, raid tools more sophisticated, and inappropriate content harder to catch with simple rules.

The bots on this list have proven themselves reliable through years of operation. Choose based on your actual needs, not feature counts. A well-configured simple bot beats a complex tool nobody understands.

For image-heavy servers dealing with NSFW content, give SfwBot a try—setup takes about two minutes, and the AI handles the tedious scanning work automatically. Your mod team will thank you.

Whatever you choose, get something in place before you need it. The middle of a raid is the wrong time to start reading documentation.