Best Voice Chat for Gaming: Comparison Chart

Try the 1 vs 1 comparison table further down the page.

Rich Text: Links & Images available in lobby or DM.

Top Winners Scoreboard

Price:
Low Latency:
Minimal CPU Usage:
Direct Messaging:
In-game Overlay:
Custom Hot Keys:
Individual Volume Control:
Multiple Channels:
Rich Text Chat:
Permissions:
Friends List:
Push Notifications:
Mobile App:
Codec:N/A
IP Protection:
DDoS Protection:(This really depends on the service or voice hosting provider)

Wins:  :15 :11 :11 :10 :10 :7 :6

Top Winner!

Top Losers Scoreboard

Price:
Low Latency:
Minimal CPU Usage:
Direct Messaging: N/A
In-game Overlay:
Custom Hot Keys:
Individual Volume Control:
Multiple Channels:
Rich Text Chat:
Permissions:
Friends List:
Push Notifications:
Mobile App:
Codec: N/A
IP Protection:
DDoS Protection: (This really depends on service or voice hosting provider.)

Losses: :9 :8 :5 :5 :4 :4 :0    

Biggest Loser!

I know, you’re welcome. I did quite a job, ticking boxes off on all of these features for all the programs. But you should watch these videos (at the bottom of this page) if you feel like you need more information.

 

Want to compare them 1 vs 1?

Use the chart below to drag and drop the program and compare it side-by-side to another chat client.

So there are free VoIP programs? Why would I ever use a paid option?
That’s a great question, noob! Ok for real, the reason that you would ever want to opt for a paid communications server option is if you can’t get your guild or clan or whatever to agree on the free option. For whatever reasons they have (Probably lag reasons and you will want to watch that lag showdown video embedded below). Yes, managing people is a pain in the a$$. Especially gamers, they simply want what they want, and don’t give a crap about your wants.
Anyhow, if it’s because they are stressing to you to use Teamspeak, I completely understand! It has a ton of options for admins and cool things like phonetic titles for users that can be used to tell you, who just entered the channel. The main reason is latency. The lower the latency you are able to achieve, the higher an advantage you and your team will have. Milliseconds mean everything in a first-person shooter. They could easily wipe a raid if the tank forgets to turn on a cleave or the healer falls asleep during a 1-hitter quitter.
Point is, free options like Discord and Curse are awesome if the server they provide is close to your players. But if you are not casual players, then you might want to consider going with those voice chat programs that give you a bit of advantage in VoIP transfer speed.

Why would anyone ever use Skype for gaming?
I’d love to say I have no idea but in a case where you would be just talking to one or two people while casually playing, I can see that. If it’s a clan match or a raid… -_- you got to be kidding me.