FiveM Voice Chat: Mumble vs. SaltyChat vs. pma-voice - Complete 2026 Comparison
Proximity voice chat is what makes Grand Theft Auto roleplay feel real. When you can hear someone's voice fade as they walk away, roleplay dynamics fundamentally change. The three major FiveM voice solutions each implement this differently.
Built-in Mumble VoIP
FiveM ships with built-in proximity voice using Mumble. Zero configuration required - it works out of the box. Players simply join and can speak.
Pros: No setup, no external service, no cost
Cons: Limited features - no phone calls, no radio channels, no submersible voice effects
For a server that wants basic proximity voice immediately, built-in Mumble is sufficient. The moment you want phone calls affecting sound quality, police radio channels, or voice-through-walls effects, you need a plugin.
SaltyChat
SaltyChat adds a rich telephony and radio layer on top of Mumble. It requires a TeamSpeak server (the client-side component runs in TeamSpeak) and a server-side FiveM resource.
Features:
- Realistic phone call audio (compression effect)
- Radio channels (police, EMS, etc.) with radio static effect
- Megaphone/loudspeaker support
- Whistling/shouting voice range extensions
Setup complexity: High. Requires a running TeamSpeak server, SaltyChat server plugin, TS3 client for every player, and FiveM resource configuration.
Cost: TeamSpeak server licence required (~€2 - 5/month)
Despite the complexity, SaltyChat remains the most feature-rich option and is used by many of the largest serious RP servers.
pma-voice
pma-voice is a self-contained proximity voice system that works entirely within FiveM without requiring external services. It is built on WebRTC and requires no TeamSpeak.
Features:
- Proximity voice (configurable range)
- Radio/phone channels via in-game items
- Built-in spatial audio
- Simple configuration, no external accounts
Setup complexity: Low. Install resource, configure, done.
2026 recommendation: For new servers in 2026, pma-voice is the pragmatic choice. No external service dependencies, active maintenance, and it covers the vast majority of RP voice needs without the overhead of running a TeamSpeak server.
SaltyChat makes sense for established servers where players expect TeamSpeak and want maximum audio realism. pma-voice is the easier path to the same functional outcome.
