PeakBot's free plan covers three things: embed welcomes, the name of whoever invited the new member, and goodbye messages. If a free welcome image card matters most, Arcane includes basic welcome images on its free tier, while PeakBot puts images and DM welcomes on its Starter plan. If you don't want a bot at all, Discord has a built-in welcome, but it posts a random line you can't edit.
Checked on each bot's own site or docs on November 3, 2026. We make PeakBot. Nobody paid to be in this post.
How we chose
We compared each bot on six things people ask about when they set up a welcome:
- Embed or plain text. Can you post a rich embed, or only a line of text?
- DM welcomes. Can the bot send the welcome privately?
- Image cards. Is there a generated image with the member's avatar?
- Who invited them. Can the welcome name the inviter?
- Goodbye messages. Does it post something when a member leaves?
- Paywall. Which of the above need a paid plan?
"Free" here means a free plan with no time limit, not a trial. Where we couldn't confirm a detail from a bot's own site, the table says "see site" instead of guessing.
The picks
1. PeakBot
PeakBot's Welcome Messages page sends a custom message when someone joins. It can be plain text or a rich embed, posted in a channel, and it can show who invited the member. Goodbye Messages works the same way when someone leaves. Both are on the free plan, which has no expiry. The Invite Tracker records who invited whom and supports invite rewards.
What costs money: sending the welcome by DM and adding a welcome image both need a paid plan. Starter is $5.75/month or $48/year per server. On the Invite Tracker, the self-updating leaderboard image and the custom join and leave embeds are paid too. PeakBot has no music or economy features, so if you want one bot for welcomes and music, look elsewhere.
Pick PeakBot if: you want embed welcomes, the inviter's name and goodbye messages for free, and can live without an image card or DM welcome (or pay for Starter later).
2. Arcane
Arcane's free tier includes a basic welcomer and basic welcome images, which makes it the most direct free route to an image card on this list. Free servers also get message XP, 15 role rewards (1 per level) and 10 reaction roles. Voice XP and custom XP need Premium. Check Arcane's site for what "basic" includes before you design a full card.
Pick Arcane if: a free welcome image is the main thing you want.
3. ProBot
ProBot has welcome images, leveling, tickets and temporary voice channels. Premium Tier 1 is $40/year per server and Tier 2 is $80/year. Check its site to see which welcome options need a tier.
Pick ProBot if: you want image welcomes plus tickets and leveling from one bot, and a yearly upgrade price suits you.
4. Vetox
Vetox's free plan includes plain-text welcomes, along with tickets (200 open per server), temporary voice, giveaways, logging and pattern automod. Basic is $4.99/month. Check its site for whether embeds or images are part of the free plan.
Pick Vetox if: a plain-text welcome is enough and you want a long free feature list in the same bot.
5. Carl-bot
Carl-bot lists leveling and level role rewards as Premium. Premium is $7.99/month for one server ($12.99 for 2, $16.99 for 3, $24.99 for 5). Its own site has the details on welcome options. If it's already in your server, our Carl-bot welcome message setup guide walks through setup and the usual fixes.
Pick Carl-bot if: it's already in your server and you'd rather not add another bot.
6. Discord's built-in welcome
No bot needed. Discord can post a random welcome line in your System Messages channel. You can't edit the text, it is English only, and it shares a channel with other system messages. Discord has no built-in goodbye message.
Pick the built-in welcome if: you only want an automatic "someone joined" notice.
Check before choosing: MEE6
MEE6's own free-vs-Premium comparison lists Welcome & Goodbye messages among its Premium items. If a free welcome is your goal, read that page first. MEE6 doesn't show Premium prices on a readable public page, so see mee6.xyz/premium.
Comparison table
| Bot | Embed or text | DM welcome | Image card | Shows inviter | Goodbye | What costs money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PeakBot | Both, free | Starter | Starter | Free | Free | DM, image. Starter from $48/year |
| Arcane | Basic welcomer free | See site | Basic, free | See site | See site | Voice XP, custom XP |
| ProBot | See site | See site | Yes | See site | See site | Tier 1 $40/year, Tier 2 $80/year |
| Vetox | Plain text free | See site | See site | See site | See site | Basic $4.99/month |
| Carl-bot | See site | See site | See site | See site | See site | Leveling. $7.99/month for one server |
| MEE6 | Listed as Premium | See site | See site | See site | Listed as Premium | See mee6.xyz/premium |
| Discord built-in | Random text line | No | No | No | No | Free |
Why "who invited them" is sometimes wrong
When someone joins, Discord tells bots who joined and which server. It doesn't say which invite they used (Discord gateway events). So every bot that shows an inviter has to work it out itself, usually by watching invite use counts go up. That guess can be wrong when two people join at the same moment, when a single-use or expiring invite disappears, when someone joins through a vanity URL, or when the bot was offline. Treat the inviter line as a good guess, not proof, especially if invite rewards depend on it.
Two more gateway details are worth knowing. The leave event also fires for kicks and bans, so most goodbye messages will post for banned members too. And a join event can sometimes fire for someone who is already a member, which explains the occasional duplicate welcome.
Set up Discord's built-in welcome (no bot)
You need the Manage Server permission.
- Open Server Settings.
- Find the System Messages settings. They used to be under Overview, and some guides now place them under an Engagement tab. If you can't find them, look for "System Messages" in the settings list.
- In the System Messages Channel dropdown, pick the channel for welcomes.
- Turn on Send a random welcome message when someone joins this server.
- Optionally, turn on Prompt members to reply to welcome messages with a sticker.
To turn it off, choose No System Messages. Discord's help article is New Member Messages.
Set up a free welcome in PeakBot
- Add PeakBot from peakbot.pro. You need the Manage Server permission in the server you're adding it to.
- In the dashboard sidebar, open Welcome Messages.
- Choose plain text or a rich embed, then pick the channel.
- Write the message, and include who invited the member if you want that.
- Open Goodbye Messages in the sidebar and set up the leave message the same way.
- Make sure PeakBot's role can view and send messages in both channels.
The welcome, roles and verification wiki page covers each option. If your members have DMs turned off, see how to welcome members when DMs are off. For leave messages with any bot, see goodbye and leave messages for free.
Free welcome message templates
Swap {user}, {server} and {inviter} for your bot's own placeholders. Every bot names them differently.
Welcome to {server}, {user}! Read #rules, then say hi in #general.Hey {user}, glad you're here. Grab your roles in #roles so you see the channels you care about.{user} just joined, invited by {inviter}. Make them feel at home!- Goodbye:
{user} has left {server}. Safe travels.
You'll find more in our copy-paste welcome messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a welcome bot DM new members?
Many can, but it's often a paid option. On PeakBot, DM welcomes need a paid plan. DMs also fail for anyone who has turned off messages from server members, so keep a channel welcome as well.
How do I add a welcome image with the user's avatar for free?
Arcane's free tier includes basic welcome images. ProBot also has welcome images, so check its site for which tier you need. PeakBot's welcome image needs a paid plan.
Why isn't my welcome bot sending messages?
Check that the bot's role can view and send messages (and embed links) in the welcome channel, that the welcome is switched on in the bot's settings, and that the bot is online. Channel permission overrides are the most common cause.
Can I change Discord's default welcome message?
No. Discord's built-in welcome picks a random English line, and you can't edit it. You can change which channel it posts in, or turn it off and use a bot instead.
Why did my goodbye message post for someone I banned?
Discord sends bots the same leave event for leaves, kicks and bans. Unless the bot filters these out, a banned member gets a goodbye message too.
Do I need a bot for goodbye messages?
Yes. Discord has no built-in goodbye message. PeakBot's Goodbye Messages page is on the free plan.
