@mellow Stoat (prev. Revolt) is honestly not a valid alternative at all, because the development speed is simply atrocious.

Root App is - outside of being US based - currently the by far most advanced option we have, that actually feels like a solid product, despite being in beta still.

For most people, Steam groups will likely be the best alternative however; They support text/voice chat with all the features you could need for a "Group of friends playing/talking" setting.