I run a Discord server that just hit 500+ members and I’m thinking about getting some bots set up. I’m pretty new to Discord and mostly just use it to send updates to my community. My moderators keep telling me we need bots but I don’t know where to start. What are the most important bots that every server should have? I want to begin with the basic ones that are really necessary before moving on to more advanced stuff. Any recommendations would be helpful.
After managing servers for years, I’ve mostly ditched traditional bots. The real problem isn’t finding the right bot - it’s how they handle your server’s data. Most bots store everything on their servers: member details, chat logs, moderation records. When they change their terms or disappear, you’re screwed. Happened to me twice with smaller bots I thought I could trust. Now I go self-hosted whenever I can. Yeah, it’s more work upfront, but you actually own your data. If you’ve got 500+ members, pick bots that let you export configs and logs regularly. Also, Discord’s built-in tools have gotten way better. Their native moderation handles most spam just fine without outside bots. Check those out first before adding more dependencies.
Everyone’s just listing bot names but missing the real issue. Multiple bots become a nightmare - they conflict with each other and updating configs across platforms sucks.
I learned this running community servers. Instead of 3-4 bots that each do one thing, I built a single workflow handling everything. Moderation alerts, welcome messages, role assignments, scheduled announcements - all centralized.
You get exactly what you need without bot limitations. Want welcome messages that assign roles based on reactions? Easy. Need moderation logs that auto-escalate to different channels by severity? Done.
You own the whole system too. No stress about bots going offline or getting axed like Groovy.
For 500+ member servers, this scales way better than juggling separate bots that don’t play nice.
Check it out: https://latenode.com
With your large member base, you’ll definitely want to focus on moderation bots first. I’ve managed several communities and always start with Carl-bot - it’s great for both moderation and role assignment. Since Groovy got shut down, I’d go with Hydra or FredBoat for music. MEE6 works well for leveling and keeping people engaged, though it can feel a bit cluttered. Grab Ticket Tool for support tickets too - makes handling user questions way easier. Add them one at a time and take your time setting each one up properly. Keeps your server clean and organized.
Start with Dyno for a server that size. I’ve run Discord communities for three years and it handles automod perfectly with minimal setup. Catches spam, filters bad content, and logs everything so your mods don’t have to babysit constantly. For announcements, grab YAGPDB - way better control over formatting and scheduling than most bots. Don’t forget a decent welcome bot either. With 500+ members you’re getting regular traffic and first impressions count. Just don’t go crazy adding tons of bots right away. Gets messy fast and they’ll start conflicting with each other.
Been running Discord servers since 2019. Biggest mistake? Picking bots without knowing what you actually need. At 500 members, manual moderation’s dead but too much automation kills the vibe. Start with two bots max - one good mod bot and one utility bot. Forget fancy feature lists that look cool but nobody uses. The best bot is whatever your mods will stick with. Always test in a private channel first. I’ve seen too many owners add bots during peak hours and wreck everything because permissions were wrong. Check uptime history and if the dev’s still active - you don’t want your bot dying mid-drama.
honestly, just grab mee6 and a solid automod bot like dyno. i went overboard with bots when i first started my server - total nightmare to manage. focus on automoderation first since that’ll save ur mods the most time with 500+ ppl. you can always add more once u see what your community actually needs.