Skip to main content

Discord, TeamSpeak, Mumble or Ventrilo: Which is the best voice system for online games?

 What are voice chat systems for games?

Voice chat clients such as Discord, TeamSpeak, Mumble or Ventrilo are programs used by video game players to communicate via VoIP with their friends or teammates on their favorite video games, this way you can maintain live voice communication while we are in full battle. Sometimes, when we play as a team, these systems allow us to have several voice chat rooms , so that each team can communicate without giving clues to the enemy.


Although many games have the ability to create a voice chat within it , most players prefer not to use these chats so as not to depend on starting the game to start talking or to continue chatting if the connection drops, this is why so we use other voice systems for online games.


Discord, TeamSpeak, Mumble or Ventrilo: Which is the best voice system for online games?

There are several programs to connect with other friends without having to play a specific game, simply to chat as if it were a call to multiple recipients . These programs are great to be able to play some games online and chat with as many users as you want, even if they are on the opposite side.


Discord, the voice system of choice par excellence

Discord has been chosen by the majority of players for their voice communications, since it has no cost for its services , it has spread throughout the community as the VoIP application par excellence when it comes to playing our favorite games while on communication with the rest of the players, whether they are from our team or with the opposing team.


Since 2015 this service has been active, which was born from the idea that some applications were not very secure and others had to be giving private IP addresses to connect, it was intended to provide a simple and uncomplicated service. Its creators have sought financing methods through optional subscriptions that provide a series of improvements both in the user's account and some benefit for the payment servers.


Voice and Text Chat on Discord

Discord offers the possibility of chatting both in text and in voice , but the ideal is to use the voice chat when we go to play some games with friends, since we can keep in touch while we play thanks to the overlap of the chat in the games , like this we can exchange game information with colleagues.


We can create our server for free and add the users that we want, on the same server we can create specific channels for text and voice chat . Normally these differ by name and by game, that is, we can create a voice chat for Call of Duty and another for PUBG, in the event that several friends are playing different games they can communicate without interrupting each other while in the same server.


When creating a voice channel we simply have to double click on it to enter , as soon as we are connected we can start talking with our friends, we only need, preferably, a suitable and comfortable set of headphones and microphone for long talks and games at our favorite game.


You have the option of leaving the microphone open, press to talk or completely silence, you can enter a voice channel to have a conversation with the people on that channel, or simply make a call to someone as with any VoIP software, in addition to that You can add friends on the same call if you want a more private environment.


Within the application settings we can configure the available options to our liking, such as the input or output devices, the volume of both and the option to press to talk, among others. Discord is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Discord has the option to apply Skin or themes with a third-party application.


Discord Nitro, an improved experience

In addition to the free chat and voice service, Discord offers the possibility of expanding these services with a small fee , this service is called Discord Nitro , and has two subscription modalities that can be paid monthly or annually, if we choose the latter we have an additional 16% discount.


Discord Nitro has a cost of its equivalent in euros at $ 9.99 per month or $ 99.99 per year  that in return offers us improvements in our profile , allows us to use custom emojis, we can add an animated avatar and a personalized label , we are gifted with 2 server upgrades and a 30% discount on additional upgrades, a badge showing your support for Discord, up to 100MB upload and high resolution video, screen sharing and original quality Go Live broadcasts .


The Discord Nitro Classic plan costs the equivalent of $ 4.99 per month or $ 49.99 per year . The plan includes the Discord Nitro improvements except for the 2 server improvements, the upload will be up to 50 MB and Go Live will broadcast in 1080p at 60fps instead of in the original quality. If you are not very interested in these options, the price to pay is half .


Discord Server Boost

If you are managing a server, there are also upgrade options for these, the pricing plans are the equivalent of $ 4.99 for each additional upgrade , requiring 2 Server Boost or server upgrades for level 1, 10 Server Boost for the level 2 and 50 server Boost for level 3. These improvements can come from users with a Discord Nitro subscription or by purchasing them directly for that server.


Included with Level 1 Server Enhancements are

  • 50 more slots for emojis
  • 128 Kbps audio quality
  • Animated server icon
  • Personalized invitations.

If we have 10 server boost for level 2 , it will include

  • All the benefits of level 1
  • 50 more slots for emojis, with a total of 150
  • 256 Kbps audio quality
  • Server banner
  • 50MB upload limit for all members

For the level 3 server with 50 boost we will have

  • All Tier 1 & 2 Perks
  • 384 Kbps audio quality
  • 100MB upload limit for all members
  • Custom url

A client with many free options that have made the favorite of players and non-players for their group talks, in addition to the support model of servers with a small optional payment, they can maintain the infrastructure in a very efficient way without requiring cost if you don't want to pay for the service.

TeamSpeak, the voice system chosen by eSport professionals

Another software to communicate with our friends during game sessions is TeamSpeak , differentiated by not needing an application server to connect with other players. TeamSpeak offers the possibility of creating your own server and not depending on third parties , either for free or by paying for the server's services. 

TeamSpeak is the one chosen by professional eSport players for their communications as it has certain key functions when playing in high-level leagues. So we have features such as military grade encryption, the ability to host your own private server, CELT, Speex, Opus encoders, low latency, excellent audio quality , in-game overlay, and a few more features.

In TeamSpeak we have the possibility to buy a virtual private server for us or download the application to create our own server , in this case it will provide us with a series of data such as the password and the key to perform the server administrator functions and configure it to our taste, you can also use public servers where anyone can enter.

TeamSpeak is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS , so that we can connect from any device wherever we are.

Mumble, simple and powerful online voice system

Mumble offers us a simple and easy- to-use interface to connect with other players or friends during game sessions, the software offers us high audio quality , low latency, overlapping in games, server permissions based on ACL and authentication based on certificates. .

In addition to the voice system and ease of use, Mumble has a text chat with the option to read the actions that occur and the text , whether a user writes in it, or if someone enters or we disconnect, a Very useful option if we do not want to fix our eyes on the VoIP client while we are doing another task.

Mumble offers us the possibility of connecting to public servers that it has all over the world, where we can enter to chat or write with people or our friends, but it also offers us the possibility of having our own server , we can create it on a NAS, typical of the Synology, or buy a dedicated one on its website, which depending on the available slots will have more or less cost.

On its own website we have the possibility of hiring a server for other clients such as TeamSpeak or VentriloPro , in addition to for Mumble, we simply have to go to the option to pay for a server and it will offer us, in addition to hiring a server for Mumble, for these others 2 VoIP platforms that we have discussed here.


VentriloPro, just to talk

With a very simple but not too intuitive interface , Ventrilo is presented , a VoIP software to connect with other people through voice chat, which also allows us to create our own server without depending on third parties , thus keeping our privacy and data safe. .

Personalization also includes themes that we can download from its website , with a very simple interface.

With Ventrilo, the ideal is to have your own server since it does not have public servers , but there are test ones that you can connect to to see how their services work, servers that as we have said before, being a test, anyone can access. By creating our own server we can configure the options to our liking, in addition to allowing access only to those who interest us.

Other non-gaming voice systems

There are other systems for VoIP that are not specific for games, but given their high popularity there are players who use these systems instead of some more specific for games like those mentioned above.

An example is Skype , which allows voice calls between two or up to 50 users, thus allowing several players to be in a conversation while playing, leaving the application in the background, but Skype is more oriented to calls between friends or in  many telework meetings , since it also allows screen and video sharing.

They also usually use the call systems of well-known messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram , these text chat applications also have a function for calls , in the case of WhatsApp it is now limited to 8 users , in the case of Telegram it is still worse since it has only available calls between two users. These applications would be useful if the number of players is small and we want to make the call from our mobile phone so as not to reduce bandwidth on the PC.

Some programs that were initially only available for calls on mobile devices, have finally added their client to computers to make calls between multiple platforms , such as  Viber from the well-known Rakuten brand, which allows us to call or group video calls from a mobile or from the computer, with a couple of click we can make a call. Its interface and its options are not the most suitable if we are going to call while we play a game.

Line also offers group calls and chat anywhere in the world with its application for mobile devices and computers , we can add users who already use the application or by their username, Line is also available on multiple platforms to make calls to any part of the world to any device, but like Viber, it does not have specific features for game-oriented voice clients.

Another service used for chat and calls is Hangouts with which we can make group calls of up to 10 people. The Google service is included when you log in to its website, so it is very easy to log in and chat with our contacts , like Google Duo , the service for video calls, which in addition to being able to install it on most mobile phones, It also has a web version  to be able to use the group call with up to 12 people.


These voice services are very good for talking with friends or family, for a small meeting and talking or seeing faces, but they are far from the services offered by VoIP clients for games, such as the possibility of having a private server without depending on third parties or organizing different channels through chat and voice rooms to have several users on different calls at the same time.

What is the best voice chat for games?

Each of the voice chat services have their own characteristics with their pros and cons, although with the same purpose, some are intended for a specific type of audience due to a series of extra features or functions, others will be better adapted to more casual players due to the simplicity of use in the services. Depending on the functions we are looking for, some will be better adapted to our needs.

TeamSpeak has seemed to us a VoIP client very oriented to the Gaming world , with the advantage that you can have your own server, with audio quality, low latency and some options that are more sought after in the professional field of eSports , but with little possibility for multimedia or other types of communication (emojis, gif, etc.), if you are going to meet your friends but you are going to play seriously , this is your client to chat during your games.

Mumble is a middle ground, since you can have your own server like in TeamSpeak and the possibility of voice and text chat. With many configuration options and translated into Spanish, this helps a lot to navigate through the different options. Mumble is also a light and simple client, with a fairly intuitive interface , let's say it would be ideal for a middle ground as long as you have your own server.


 

Discord

TeamSpeak

Mumble

Ventrilo

Private server

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Text and Voice

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Topics

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Server enhancements

Yes

No

No

No

Emojis and Gifs

Yes

No

No

No

Mobile app

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

 

* Mumble app for Android is from another developer.

* Discord themes are with a third party app .

Ventrilo has seemed to us a somewhat outdated software , without translation into Spanish and with an interface although modifiable, not very intuitive with the original theme. It offers the possibility of creating your own server or buying access to a private one, but removing this we have not found an attraction to choose it as our VoIP client for video games, perhaps the low cost of the servers .

Finally, the one chosen by everyone is Discord , mainly because you only have to register and start, since it does not require any private server or more configuration than selecting the preferred audio device, nor additional payments. Discord has a very friendly and attractive interface, where gifs and emojis are welcome , something that most Internet users like.

The possibility of clearly differentiating the voice and text rooms makes a client compatible with all types of games, more casual or serious. Let's not forget that Discord offers more audio quality if we hire the Server Boost , either through Discord Nitro or directly buying the extensions on the server that we are managing.

This is why Discord, in addition to being free , is the most versatile of all those analyzed , with a striking text chat system, voice chat facility, and many additional functions such as gif or emojis. Also, if you need something more professional, you can opt for the Discord Nitro subscription or the Server Boost server improvements. If you are professionally dedicated to eSports , it is more advisable to use TeamSpeak with a private server , although it has a cost, it offers some key features for these types of players that others would not notice difference. Mumble is a lightweight and elegant client that is fine for more casual uses.

Comments