TeamSpeak vs Mumble vs Discord for a gaming group

• Mumble if you want free, open source voice and you're happy to host the server yourself.
• TeamSpeak if your group fits in TeamSpeak 3's free 32 slots, or will pay for more.
• Discord if you don't want to host anything. Discord runs the voice servers.
• SILOD if you want voice, chat and screen share on a Windows PC you already own, for a one-time price. It's made by the company that runs this site.

Mumble says its software is free with "no licensing hassle or cost", so you only pay for the machine it runs on. TeamSpeak 3 is free for non-commercial groups up to one virtual server and 32 slots. Past that, TeamSpeak sells a yearly license: $55 for 64 slots, $100 for 128, and so on up to $500 for 1,024. Discord sells Nitro as a paid subscription; Nitro Basic is listed at $2.99 a month. SILOD is a one-time Host license, priced by how many people can be signed in at once: $9.99 for 15, $14.99 for 25, $19.99 for no cap. It's not a subscription.

With Mumble, TeamSpeak or SILOD, voice runs through a server you choose or run yourself. With Discord, voice and video pass through Discord's own media servers. Its encryption post describes how its servers forward each call's packets.

Discord's age checks are a reason some groups are looking around, so here's what Discord itself says. In February 2026 it announced a teen-by-default experience with age assurance. It then delayed the global rollout. In September 2026 it said it would place users in age groups automatically from account signals, and that more than 90% of users won't be asked to confirm their age.

What each one claims, in its own docs:

• Mumble: communication is always encrypted, with public/private-key login by default.
• Discord: voice and video in DMs, group DMs, voice channels and Go Live streams moved to end-to-end encryption with its DAVE protocol. Text messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
• SILOD: doesn't advertise end-to-end encryption. Its claim is that chats, voice and files stay on the Host PC rather than on 2-5-2's servers, and that the license check sends only the key and a machine ID. SILOD also says every voice join contacts Google's STUN servers.
• TeamSpeak: we didn't find an encryption statement in the pages we checked, so we're not making one.

Only what each app's own privacy policy says, as checked on October 21, 2026. Where a policy doesn't cover a point, we say "Not stated".

• Mumble (privacy policy): when you connect, "the technically required data is sent to and received from the server. Please refer to the server providers privacy policy for details." The client can send "optional anonymous usage statistics" (operating system, IP address for country, Mumble version and more) and run optional update checks. Both settings are in "Settings ➡ Network ➡ Privacy". Mumble's site lists "always encrypted communication". Age or ID checks: Not stated.
• TeamSpeak (privacy policy): "In typical self-hosted voice-server use, TeamSpeak does not operate the server selected by the user and does not listen to or record voice communications." For hosted, account or cloud features it "may process account data, metadata, user content and technical data". Client and server data "may include … crash logs, diagnostic data, feature usage". On encryption it says "Some chat rooms or features may use end-to-end encryption or device-held keys"; voice encryption: Not stated. It calls itself "a general-audience service" and says it does not direct the Services to children under 13. Date of birth is collected "if requested for age or eligibility purposes". ID checks: Not stated.
• Discord (privacy policy): "We are based in the United States, and we process and store information on servers located in the United States." It also names "cloud providers like Google that host our data and our services". It says "We generally do not store the contents of video or voice calls or channels." "All information sent within our services is encrypted both in transit and at rest," and "Voice and video communications on Discord are designed to be end-to-end encrypted." It collects "log and event information related to how and when you use our services". You must give your birthday, and "In some cases, we may require additional information to verify your age." (See its age-assurance posts under Who controls the server.)
• SILOD (privacy page, made by us): "The Host operator holds member data. The Host does not send your chats, voice, or files to 2-5-2's servers." The license check "sends only your license key and this PC's machine ID (the Windows MachineGuid), never your chats, members, or calls." "Forever keys never check." Its FAQ adds: "Every voice join, your own Host and LAN included, contacts Google STUN." Telemetry: No ads, analytics or crash reporting (app). Age or ID checks: No age verification or ID checks. In SILOD's words: "In Host Settings, under Data and security, the What leaves this PC panel lists every internet service the Host contacts, what each one is for, and what stays on your PC. The SILOD app has no ads, analytics or crash reporting, and SILOD has no age verification or ID checks." Encryption: Not stated.

• Mumble: install the server or run the official Docker image, open port 64738 TCP and UDP, share the address. Mumble lists "low resource cost for hosting", so if you don't want to use a home PC you can rent a small VPS, for example from Vultr.
• TeamSpeak 3: download, extract, run ts3server, accept the license, forward UDP 9987.
• SILOD: install the Host on a Windows PC and set a join password. For friends outside your home, forward the listed ports on your router. If your ISP uses CGNAT, outside friends can't connect, so check that before buying. The Host PC must stay on while people use it, and the beta installer triggers a SmartScreen warning because it isn't code-signed yet.

Who it's for: a group where one person has an ordinary 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC that can stay on, and nobody wants to rent or run a server. That person buys a Host license. Everyone else joins free. In SILOD's words: "Joining is free: no key, no purchase."

Price: "Host 15 is $9.99 (15 people signed in at once), Host 25 is $14.99 (25 people signed in at once), and Host Unlimited is $19.99 (no signed-in cap). This is a one-time buy." It's not a subscription: "A paid Host license is a one-time buy." (SILOD separately lists a commercial license at $49.99 a year.)

Updates and support: "Early backers get every app update free for life." "Free email support for life."

Joining from a browser: "Friends can join from a web browser without installing anything." They can open the Join page and chat from a phone browser. "Voice in a browser needs Unlimited’s https link, because browsers block the microphone on the plain http link that Host 15 and Host 25 use. Otherwise, use the SILOD desktop app."

What leaves your PC: SILOD's FAQ answers "What data leaves my PC?" with: "The Host does not send your chats, voice, or files to 2-5-2's servers. The license check sends only your license key and this PC's machine ID (the Windows MachineGuid), never your chats, members, or calls." It also says: "Voice uses Google's STUN servers only (no Twilio). Every voice join, your own Host and LAN included, contacts Google STUN." On the license check: "The Host checks your license key with us when it starts, every 5 minutes while it runs, and when it stops, and also when you press Check or move the key to another PC." "Forever keys never check." SILOD also says: "In Host Settings, under Data and security, the What leaves this PC panel lists every internet service the Host contacts, what each one is for, and what stays on your PC. The SILOD app has no ads, analytics or crash reporting, and SILOD has no age verification or ID checks." SILOD privacy page

We'll be direct: 2-5-2 Technologies makes SILOD and runs this site, so weigh this section with that in mind. The limits: the Host is Windows-only (no Linux Host; Mac version coming soon), the Host PC must stay on, friends outside your home need you to forward ports, CGNAT blocks outside connections, and the beta installer shows a SmartScreen warning. See SILOD's requirements and licenses.

• You want it free and someone is comfortable running a server: Element (Element Server Suite Community on a single machine or Kubernetes) or Stoat (Docker, at least 2 vCPUs and 2 GB of memory per its guide). Both are free software (AGPLv3).
• Voice is all you need: Mumble, which is free and open source. Or TeamSpeak, which is free up to 32 slots for non-commercial use.
• You don't want to run a server, and you want voice, chat, files and screen share on an ordinary Windows PC: SILOD. Check first that the PC can stay on, that you can forward ports on your router, and that your ISP doesn't use CGNAT.

Whichever you choose, everyone needs a mic. Headsets on Amazon