Does Mumble include a server?

Yes. Mumble includes the client and the Mumble server, formerly known as Murmur, so groups can host their own voice service.

Is Mumble only for gaming?

No. Mumble is popular with gaming groups because of its low-latency audio, but any community that needs private voice rooms can use it.

Mumble: Open Source Alternative to Discord and TeamSpeak

Proprietary voice chat tools centralize identity, moderation, telemetry, and server policy under one vendor. Gaming groups and communities that only need reliable voice often end up accepting account requirements, advertising pressure, or feature changes they did not ask for.

Running a dedicated voice server also creates a different tradeoff. You get more control over access and hosting, but you must configure the server, permissions, and client onboarding yourself.

Mumble vs Discord

Mumble and Discord both support group voice, but Mumble focuses on self-hosted voice servers while Discord provides a proprietary community app with text channels, social features, and managed infrastructure.

Mumble is the better fit when voice quality, low latency, and server ownership matter most. Discord is still the better fit when the community needs a broad social hub, mobile onboarding, bots, and no server maintenance.

The README lists clients for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and macOS. Server support depends on where the required Qt components can run.

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Mumble

Who Mumble is for#

Gaming groups hosting private voice

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Privacy-minded communities

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What it's built on#

FAQ#

Similar open-source tools#

Valour

The problem it solves#

How it solves it#

Low-latency voice chat

Client and server split

Cross-platform client support

Plugin extension path

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Trade-offs

Mumble vs alternatives#

Mumble vs Discord

Revolt

Cachet

Prose

Passbolt

MiroTalk