FiveM Voice Scripts Compared 2026: pma-voice vs SaltyChat vs Mumble vs Tokovoip

Most RP-server owners spend hours debating which scripts to pick, then default to "whatever pma-voice does" for voice. That's a mistake. The voice script shapes every single RP interaction: proximity calls, radios, phone calls, megaphones, walkie-talkies. Get it wrong and players never feel immersed.

The 30-second answer

• pma-voice — the free open-source default. Works on every framework. Good baseline.
• SaltyChat — the polished commercial option, huge in DACH. Best voice quality, most RP features, paid.
• Mumble-VoIP — built-in to FiveM. Lightweight, free. Less feature-rich than alternatives.
• Tokovoip — older TeamSpeak-based option. Mostly legacy now. Avoid for new servers.

For DACH RP: SaltyChat if budget allows, pma-voice if not. For English-speaking servers: pma-voice is the default.

Why voice script choice matters more than people think

Voice affects:

• Audio quality (codec, sample rate)
• Proximity calculation (3D positional, range falloff)
• Radio handling (multiple frequencies, encryption)
• Phone call audio (1:1, group, recorded)
• Special features (megaphone, walkie-talkie, intercom, gas-mask muffle)
• Performance overhead (bandwidth + CPU on server-side)
• Cross-resource integration (radio app on lb-phone, etc.)

A bad voice script makes every RP scene feel off. A great voice script disappears into the background.

pma-voice

What it is

The open-source standard. Made by AvarianKnight. Free, MIT-licensed, on GitHub. The default for most FiveM servers worldwide.

Strengths

• Free. No license cost.
• Open source. Modify, contribute back, fork freely.
• Wide framework support. Works with ESX, QBCore, Ox Core, custom frameworks.
• Massive ecosystem. Most scripts that touch voice integrate pma-voice by default.
• Active development. Regular updates, well-maintained.
• Good baseline features. Proximity voice, radio channels, phone-call audio.
• Can run on external server — see our external pma-voice server guide.

Weaknesses

• Audio quality is acceptable, not amazing.
• Default UI is functional, not polished.
• Advanced features (megaphone, intercom) require addons.
• Configuration needs config file edits — no in-game admin panel out-of-the-box.

Who should pick pma-voice

Most servers in 2026, especially those on tight budgets, English-speaking RP servers, or any server prioritizing ecosystem compatibility over premium polish.

SaltyChat

What it is

Paid commercial voice plugin from the SaltyChat team (Germany). Uses TeamSpeak 3 as the underlying voice layer with a Lua-based FiveM bridge. Massively popular in DACH RP scene.

Strengths

• Best audio quality available. TeamSpeak's audio codec is industry-leading; voice quality is noticeably better than alternatives.
• Polished RP features. Radio with multiple frequencies, walkie-talkies, megaphone, phone calls, encryption, range adjustment, gas-mask muffle.
• Mature. Used by major DACH RP servers for years; very stable.
• German-language support. Made by German developers, full DACH-language docs.
• Built-in admin tools. Mute, voice-range adjustment, channel management from in-game.
• Performance. Well-optimized; FiveM-server resmon impact is low.

Weaknesses

• Paid license. Costs ~25-50 €/month depending on slot count.
• Requires TeamSpeak 3. Players need TS3 installed (not a Discord-style standalone). Some find this barrier annoying.
• Closed-source. Can't modify.
• Fewer non-DACH integrations. Most US/English scripts target pma-voice.

Who should pick SaltyChat

DACH RP servers willing to pay for premium voice quality. Servers with hardcore-RP focus where every immersion detail matters. Servers above 100 active players where the per-month cost amortizes well across donations.

Mumble-VoIP

What it is

Built-in voice system in FiveM, using the Mumble protocol. Doesn't require external setup. Free.

Strengths

• Built into FiveM. No external dependencies.
• Free.
• Lightweight. Smaller resource footprint than alternatives.
• Lower bandwidth. Mumble codec is efficient.

Weaknesses

• Limited features out-of-the-box. Basic proximity voice only.
• Less ecosystem support. Most third-party scripts target pma-voice, not native Mumble.
• Audio quality decent but not stellar.
• Harder to extend. Pma-voice is much more script-able.

Who should pick Mumble-VoIP

Small servers wanting minimum overhead and not needing advanced voice features. Servers where simplicity matters more than RP-polish.

Tokovoip

What it is

Older TeamSpeak-based voice plugin. Predates SaltyChat. Largely superseded but some legacy servers still use it.

Verdict

Skip for new servers. The Tokovoip era is over. SaltyChat is the natural upgrade if you want TS3-based voice; pma-voice if you want free.

Side-by-side

                       pma-voice      SaltyChat      Mumble-VoIP    Tokovoip
Type                   Open-source    Paid (TS3)     Built-in       Paid (TS3)
Price                  Free           ~25-50 €/mo    Free           ~legacy
Audio quality          ★★★★           ★★★★★         ★★★            ★★★★
RP features            ★★★★           ★★★★★         ★★             ★★★
Proximity voice        Yes            Yes            Yes            Yes
Radio channels         Yes (addon)    Yes (built-in) Limited        Yes
Megaphone              Addon          Built-in       No             Addon
Phone-call audio       Yes            Yes            Yes            Yes
Performance            ★★★★           ★★★★           ★★★★★         ★★★
Bandwidth efficiency   ★★★★           ★★★★           ★★★★★         ★★★
Ecosystem support      ★★★★★         ★★★            ★★             ★★
DACH adoption          High           Very high      Low            Low
EN adoption            Very high      Medium         Low            Low
Active dev             Yes            Yes            Cfx maintained Limited
Setup complexity       ★★★            ★★             ★★★★★         ★★
Best for               Most servers   DACH premium   Lightweight    Skip

The TS3 barrier — what it actually means

SaltyChat requires TeamSpeak 3 installed on the player's machine. Critics call this a barrier; users say it's a 5-minute one-time setup. In practice:

• DACH players mostly already have TS3 installed. Barrier is essentially zero.
• US/younger players may have only used Discord. The TS3 install is annoying but doable.
• The benefit: dramatically better voice quality + features.

For DACH-focused servers, this barrier is a non-issue. For purely US/EN servers, it's worth weighing.

Running voice on a dedicated server

Whichever voice script you pick, on busy servers (above 80 active players) you should run voice on a SEPARATE VPS to offload bandwidth and CPU from the main FXServer. We have a full guide on external pma-voice server setup.

For SaltyChat: rent a TeamSpeak 3 server (often included in SaltyChat license). For pma-voice: rent a small VPS — Avoro has plans starting at ~5 €/month that work great for voice-only.

How voice integrates with other scripts

Voice doesn't exist in isolation. Common integrations:

• Phone apps — calls route through voice script
• Radio app (lb-phone, ps-dispatch) — uses voice for radio frequencies
• Megaphone for police/dispatch — voice extension
• Vehicle radio — voice gets attenuated by car interior
• Gas masks / helmets — muffle voice when worn

SaltyChat handles all of these natively. pma-voice handles most via addons. Mumble lags behind.

Audio quality test

If you can, A/B test in your own community before committing:

1. Spin up a test server with pma-voice. Have 5 testers join, do various RP scenes.
2. Repeat with SaltyChat (you can grab a trial).
3. Ask testers which felt more immersive. Most will pick SaltyChat — but you'll know how much.

Cost & ROI

Voice-script monthly costs at 100-player server scale:

• pma-voice + external VPS: ~5-10 €/month
• SaltyChat + included TS3: ~25-40 €/month
• Mumble-VoIP: 0 € (built-in)

ROI consideration: SaltyChat costs ~30 €/month more than pma-voice. If your VIP donation system brings in even 1 additional €5/month subscriber per month thanks to higher RP-quality perception, it pays for itself.

Migration considerations

Switching voice mid-server is doable but painful:

• Players have to install new voice software (TS3 ↔ no-extra-software)
• Radio scripts need reconfiguration
• Phone-app integrations need rewiring
• Megaphone / specialized voice features need re-implementing

Realistic migration time: 1-2 weeks for a small server, 1-2 months for large servers with many voice-integrated scripts.

Hosting matters here too

Voice quality is sensitive to packet loss and latency. A hoster with poor network = bad voice no matter which script. We recommend Avoro for both main FXServer and external voice-server hosting — see our FiveM hosting comparison.

What we recommend

For most servers in 2026:

• DACH RP server, budget allows: SaltyChat. The audio quality + RP features are worth the cost.
• DACH RP server, tight budget: pma-voice on external VPS.
• English-speaking server: pma-voice (default ecosystem). Consider SaltyChat only if you specifically want premium.
• Hobby/small server: Mumble-VoIP for minimal setup, or pma-voice for ecosystem support.

Bringing it together

Voice script is the difference between RP that feels alive and RP that feels like a Discord call with extra steps. Pick deliberately.

For DACH RP servers willing to invest in premium experience: SaltyChat. For everyone else: pma-voice with addons for the features you need.

Regardless of which voice script you pick, run it on solid infrastructure — Avoro for the network quality + low latency that voice needs.

Related reading

• How to set up an external pma-voice server
• Best ESX scripts 2026
• FiveM phone scripts compared
• FiveM hosting compared