Dyno vs MEE6 vs ProBot 2026: Which Free Moderation Bot Actually Wins?

For free moderation in 2026, Dyno wins on raw control, MEE6 wins on polish, and ProBot wins on simple auto-responses. But all three paywall the parts you actually need at scale, which is why a free all-in-one like PeakBot is the better default for most servers.

If you run a Discord server, you have almost certainly weighed Dyno, MEE6, and ProBot against each other. They are the three legacy moderation bots most people install first, they all have a free tier, and they all promise to keep your server clean. The catch is that "free" means very different things across the three, and the gaps only show up once your server grows past a few hundred members. This breakdown compares them on the things that matter: AutoMod, anti-spam, warnings and escalation, logging, what gets paywalled, and dashboard quality, then gives a clear verdict by server size.

The three biggest legacy moderation bots, side by side

Each of these bots earned its place. Before the head-to-head, here is the honest one-line summary of each.

• Dyno is the power-user's moderation bot. The deepest free moderation config of the three, with granular automod rules and a long-standing reputation for reliability.
• MEE6 is the most polished and beginner-friendly. Clean dashboard, the most recognizable name, and the smoothest setup, but the most aggressive about pushing premium.
• ProBot sits in the middle. Strong on welcome images and auto-responses, decent moderation, lighter on deep escalation tooling.

The real question is not which is "best" in the abstract, but which gives you working moderation without forcing an upgrade. That is where they split.

AutoMod and anti-spam features, head to head

This is the core job, so it deserves the most detail.

Dyno has the strongest free automod of the three. You get a configurable bad-word filter with wildcard support, an invite/link filter, mention spam protection, mass-caps and emoji spam filters, and per-channel ignore lists. You can tune thresholds (how many duplicate messages or mentions trigger an action) and choose the response: delete, warn, mute, kick, or ban. For a free bot, the level of control is genuinely good.

MEE6 covers the same categories: bad words, links, spam, mass mentions, caps, and zalgo text. The setup is friendlier and the dashboard explains each rule clearly. The honest downside is that MEE6 gates some automation depth and the most useful timing controls behind premium, so the free filter is more "on/off" than "finely tuned."

ProBot handles the common cases well: anti-spam, anti-link, anti-invite, bad-word filtering, and anti-raid. It is closer to Dyno than MEE6 on free breadth, but its rule editor is less granular when you want different thresholds in different channels.

The shared limitation across all three is the same: they match a fixed keyword and pattern blocklist. They cannot read intent. A user can bypass a word filter with spacing or leetspeak, and a perfectly innocent message can get nuked because it contains a banned substring. This is exactly the gap that context-aware AI moderation closes, and it is worth understanding the difference between a static filter and an intent-reading one, which we cover in Discord AutoMod vs bot moderation in 2026.

Warnings, mutes, and escalation tools

Catching a bad message is half the job. The other half is what happens next.

Dyno is the strongest here on the free tier. It tracks warnings per user, supports timed mutes, and lets you build escalation through automod actions (for example, three filter hits inside a window triggers a mute). Mod commands are complete: warn, mute, kick, ban, softban, and a clean case history you can pull up per member.

MEE6 gives you warnings, timeouts, mutes, and a tidy infractions list in the dashboard. Auto-escalation (warn becomes mute becomes ban automatically after a set number of strikes) is the part most likely to sit behind premium, so on free you often end up escalating by hand.

ProBot covers warn, mute, kick, and ban with a warning system, but its automatic escalation logic is the lightest of the three. It is fine for a small mod team that reacts manually, less ideal if you want the bot to enforce a strike system on its own.

If your moderation strategy depends on automatic strikes, read the fine print on each free tier before you commit, because this is the feature most quietly limited.

Logging and audit features

Good logs are what let you resolve disputes and spot patterns.

Dyno has comprehensive logging on free: message edits and deletes, member joins and leaves, role and nickname changes, bans, and mod-action logs, each routable to its own channel. For a free bot this is close to complete.

MEE6 offers logging, but the richer, more configurable audit logging is one of the clearest premium upsells. On free you get the basics; granular per-event channel routing is where it pushes you to upgrade.

ProBot provides solid event logging (joins, leaves, deletes, edits, mod actions) on free and is generally generous here, comparable to Dyno for everyday needs.

Full, channel-routable logging should not be a premium feature in 2026, which is one reason the "free" label on these bots deserves a closer look.

What each one paywalls in 2026

Here is the part that decides most server-owner choices. Every one of these bots is free to install, but each reserves something you will eventually want.

• MEE6 premium ($11.95/mo) is the most aggressive. Multiple custom commands, full leveling-role rewards, the better moderation automation, advanced logging, and reaction-role depth all push toward premium. It is also the most expensive of the three.
• Dyno premium ($4.99/mo) is the cheapest paid tier and the most reasonable. Free Dyno is genuinely capable; premium mainly adds queue priority, more automod slots, custom-command depth, and convenience features rather than holding core moderation hostage.
• ProBot premium unlocks higher-resolution welcome images, more embeds and auto-responses, ad removal, and extra customization. Its moderation core stays mostly free, with cosmetics and limits being the upsell.

The pattern is consistent: the install is free, but warnings automation, deeper logging, or more rule slots tend to live behind a subscription. Per-server, those costs add up fast if you run more than one community. For a wider price-and-feature view across legacy bots, see the best Discord moderation bots for 2026.

Ease of setup and dashboard quality

MEE6 has the best onboarding, full stop. The dashboard is clean, the language is plain, and a first-time owner can enable automod in a few clicks. If you have never configured a bot before, MEE6 feels the least intimidating.

Dyno's dashboard is dense and powerful. Everything is exposed, which is great once you know what you want and slightly overwhelming on day one. Power users love it; beginners need a minute.

ProBot's dashboard sits between the two, leaning toward its welcome-image and embed builders, which are genuinely nice. Moderation config is straightforward but less deep than Dyno's.

For a focused two-way look at the two biggest names, our Dyno vs MEE6 2026 comparison goes deeper on dashboards and day-to-day feel, and if you want Carl-bot in the mix too, MEE6 vs Dyno vs Carl-bot 2026 covers that three-way.

Verdict by server size

There is no single winner, because the right pick depends on how big and how active your server is.

• Small server (under 500 members): ProBot or free Dyno. ProBot if you care about pretty welcome images and simple auto-responses; Dyno if you want real moderation control without paying. MEE6 free works too, just expect upgrade nudges.
• Mid-size server (500-5,000): Free Dyno is the strongest value. Its free automod, escalation, and logging cover almost everything a growing server needs, and premium at $4.99 is a fair top-up if you outgrow it.
• Large or fast-growing server (5,000+): This is where every free tier starts to pinch. You will want automatic escalation, deep logging, anti-raid, and likely several of these jobs handled at once, which usually means stacking multiple bots and paying multiple premiums.

That last scenario is exactly the problem the next section solves.

1. PeakBot (best free all-in-one)

PeakBot is the recommendation when you want the moderation depth of Dyno, the polish of MEE6, and a lot more, without the per-feature paywall. It replaces MEE6, Carl-bot, Dyno, and TidyCord with one bot, and it currently powers 500+ Discord communities.

The moderation difference is the headline. Instead of a fixed keyword blocklist, PeakBot uses context-aware AI moderation that reads message intent and adapts per channel. That means it catches the leetspeak and spacing tricks that slip past static filters, and it stops nuking innocent messages that merely contain a banned substring. Alongside that you get full, channel-routable logging and anti-raid and anti-nuke protection on the free tier, not as a premium upsell.

Because it is genuinely all-in-one, the same free install also gives you XP and leveling (message and voice, leaderboards, role rewards), a ticket system with categories and transcripts, an analytics dashboard, welcome messages with embeds and auto-role, unlimited reaction roles, giveaways, polls, starboard, invite tracking, custom commands, and Twitch and YouTube integrations. That is 30+ features free with no time limit and no trial.

PeakBot Pro is $8.25/month (or $69/year, which works out to $5.75/mo billed yearly) per server, and it adds the AI Server Builder: describe your server in plain English and it builds the whole structure (channels, roles, categories, permissions, automations) in under 60 seconds. But the moderation, logging, and anti-raid that this article is about are all in the free tier. See the full feature list and pricing or a direct comparison against the legacy bots.

2. Dyno (best free legacy moderation)

If you specifically want a traditional, single-purpose moderation bot and you are comfortable in a dense dashboard, free Dyno is the strongest of the three. Granular automod, real escalation, comprehensive logging, and the lowest premium price ($4.99/mo) if you ever need more.

3. MEE6 (easiest to set up)

MEE6 is the right call if onboarding simplicity matters most and you are willing to accept its premium nudges. The dashboard is the friendliest in the category and the brand is the most familiar to your members. Just budget for the $11.95/mo premium if you want the full moderation automation.

4. ProBot (best welcome images and auto-responses)

ProBot earns its spot for servers that care about polished welcome cards and flexible auto-responses, with competent moderation alongside. Escalation tooling is the lightest of the four, so it suits smaller servers with a hands-on mod team.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best free moderation bot: Dyno, MEE6, or ProBot?

Among the three legacy bots, free Dyno offers the deepest moderation (granular automod, escalation, and logging without paying), MEE6 is easiest to set up, and ProBot is best for welcome images and auto-responses. For an all-in-one free option that also reads message intent instead of matching a keyword list, PeakBot is the stronger default.

Is MEE6 or Dyno cheaper for premium?

Dyno is cheaper. Dyno premium is $4.99/month versus MEE6 premium at $11.95/month. Carl-bot ($7.99/mo) sits in between, and PeakBot Pro is $8.25/month while keeping moderation, logging, and anti-raid free.

Can one bot replace Dyno, MEE6, and ProBot?

Yes. PeakBot is built as an all-in-one and replaces MEE6, Carl-bot, Dyno, and TidyCord, covering moderation, logging, leveling, tickets, welcome messages, and anti-raid in a single free install, so you do not need to stack multiple bots and pay multiple premiums.

Do I still need Discord's built-in AutoMod if I use one of these bots?

Discord's native AutoMod is a useful first layer, but it is also a static keyword and pattern filter. A bot adds escalation, logging, and (with an AI bot) intent-aware detection on top. We break down exactly where each layer helps in our Discord AutoMod vs bot moderation guide.