Our verdict: Mumble is the voice chat to choose if you care about low latency and want to run your own server. Audio quality is high, voice is always encrypted, and positional audio works in supported games. It is voice-first: text chat is basic and there is no video or screen sharing.
About Mumble
Mumble is a free, open-source voice chat program developed by volunteers and released under the BSD 3-Clause license. It consists of the Mumble client and a server, often called Murmur, which anyone can run on their own hardware or rent from a host.
Mumble uses the Opus codec and is designed for low latency, which makes it popular with gaming groups. Voice is encrypted, and users can authenticate with certificates instead of passwords. Positional audio makes other players' voices come from their in-game position in supported games, and an in-game overlay shows who is talking.
What it does well
- Low latency. Voice is tuned for minimal delay, using the Opus codec.
- Encrypted voice. Voice and control traffic between client and server are always encrypted.
- Positional audio. Hear teammates from their in-game position in supported games.
- Self-hosted servers. Run your own Mumble server with channels, permissions and access lists.
- In-game overlay. See who is speaking without leaving a full-screen game.
Who it is for
Good fit
Gaming clans, communities and teams that want fast voice chat on a server they control.
Look elsewhere
Users who want video calls, screen sharing or a rich text chat in the same app.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Very low latency voice
- Always-encrypted audio
- Free self-hosted servers
- Open source with no ads
Cons
- No video or screen sharing
- Basic text chat
- Dated interface compared with Discord
How to install Mumble
The button downloads the latest official 64-bit Windows client; the development snapshots on the same page are release candidates, not stable builds. If you are upgrading from Mumble 1.3 or older, uninstall the old version manually before installing. On first start, run the audio wizard to set up your microphone.
Questions about Mumble
Is Mumble free?
Yes. Mumble is free and open source under the BSD 3-Clause license, and the server software is free too.
Do I need my own server to use Mumble?
No. You can join public servers or servers run by your community, or host your own Mumble server if you want full control.
Does Mumble encrypt voice?
Yes. All voice and control traffic between the client and the server is encrypted.
