diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply.vue
index 3766c1253258e17726da649f270e540d4a593f1d..8b747aa08dd341384c265f6693668e4085650037 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply.vue
@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 <script>
+import { GlButton } from '@gitlab/ui';
 import { mapGetters } from 'vuex';
-import ReplyPlaceholder from '~/notes/components/discussion_reply_placeholder.vue';
 import NoteSignedOutWidget from '~/notes/components/note_signed_out_widget.vue';
 
+import { START_THREAD } from '../i18n';
+
 export default {
   name: 'DiffDiscussionReply',
+  i18n: {
+    START_THREAD,
+  },
   components: {
+    GlButton,
     NoteSignedOutWidget,
-    ReplyPlaceholder,
   },
   props: {
     hasForm: {
@@ -34,11 +39,9 @@ export default {
     <template v-if="userCanReply">
       <slot v-if="hasForm" name="form"></slot>
       <template v-else-if="renderReplyPlaceholder">
-        <reply-placeholder
-          :placeholder-text="__('Start a new discussion…')"
-          :label-text="__('New discussion')"
-          @focus="$emit('showNewDiscussionForm')"
-        />
+        <gl-button @click="$emit('showNewDiscussionForm')">
+          {{ $options.i18n.START_THREAD }}
+        </gl-button>
       </template>
     </template>
     <note-signed-out-widget v-else />
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/i18n.js b/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/i18n.js
index b6978689f7f926adddfa6c3d450b7d29381d3341..0f44eb06cb3d7b7c46f5831b8d47015181e45f9e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/i18n.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/diffs/i18n.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export const DIFF_FILE = {
   autoCollapsed: __('Files with large changes are collapsed by default.'),
   expand: __('Expand file'),
 };
+export const START_THREAD = __('Start another thread');
 
 export const SETTINGS_DROPDOWN = {
   whitespace: __('Show whitespace changes'),
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index af8e1124052dd0cd34faa879ba90691ed720d3e2..a3509f9f03d7dc657a6efced278c306d5caa0523 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -27213,9 +27213,6 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "New directory"
 msgstr ""
 
-msgid "New discussion"
-msgstr ""
-
 msgid "New email address added"
 msgstr ""
 
@@ -39444,15 +39441,15 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "Start a Free Ultimate Trial"
 msgstr ""
 
-msgid "Start a new discussion…"
-msgstr ""
-
 msgid "Start a new merge request with these changes"
 msgstr ""
 
 msgid "Start a review"
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "Start another thread"
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "Start by choosing a group to start exploring the merge requests in that group. You can then proceed to filter by projects, labels, milestones and authors."
 msgstr ""
 
diff --git a/spec/frontend/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply_spec.js b/spec/frontend/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply_spec.js
index 5ccd2002462f5a2160964fc02a1626adead03a07..bf4a1a1c1f7b442ad3b2c0b7623283ffbc365290 100644
--- a/spec/frontend/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply_spec.js
+++ b/spec/frontend/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply_spec.js
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 import { shallowMount } from '@vue/test-utils';
+import { GlButton } from '@gitlab/ui';
 import Vue from 'vue';
 import Vuex from 'vuex';
 import DiffDiscussionReply from '~/diffs/components/diff_discussion_reply.vue';
-import ReplyPlaceholder from '~/notes/components/discussion_reply_placeholder.vue';
 import NoteSignedOutWidget from '~/notes/components/note_signed_out_widget.vue';
 
+import { START_THREAD } from '~/diffs/i18n';
+
 Vue.use(Vuex);
 
 describe('DiffDiscussionReply', () => {
@@ -58,14 +60,42 @@ describe('DiffDiscussionReply', () => {
       expect(wrapper.find('#test-form').exists()).toBe(true);
     });
 
-    it('should render a reply placeholder if there is no form', () => {
+    it('should render a reply placeholder button if there is no form', () => {
       createComponent({
         renderReplyPlaceholder: true,
         hasForm: false,
       });
 
-      expect(wrapper.findComponent(ReplyPlaceholder).exists()).toBe(true);
+      expect(wrapper.findComponent(GlButton).text()).toBe(START_THREAD);
     });
+
+    it.each`
+      userCanReply | hasForm  | renderReplyPlaceholder | showButton
+      ${false}     | ${false} | ${false}               | ${false}
+      ${true}      | ${false} | ${false}               | ${false}
+      ${true}      | ${true}  | ${false}               | ${false}
+      ${true}      | ${true}  | ${true}                | ${false}
+      ${true}      | ${false} | ${true}                | ${true}
+      ${false}     | ${false} | ${true}                | ${false}
+    `(
+      'reply button existence is `$showButton` when userCanReply is `$userCanReply`, hasForm is `$hasForm` and renderReplyPlaceholder is `$renderReplyPlaceholder`',
+      ({ userCanReply, hasForm, renderReplyPlaceholder, showButton }) => {
+        getters = {
+          userCanReply: () => userCanReply,
+        };
+
+        store = new Vuex.Store({
+          getters,
+        });
+
+        createComponent({
+          renderReplyPlaceholder,
+          hasForm,
+        });
+
+        expect(wrapper.findComponent(GlButton).exists()).toBe(showButton);
+      },
+    );
   });
 
   it('renders a signed out widget when user is not logged in', () => {