Subject: Making TS6 the ultimate Discord alternative: Feedback & Suggestions

TeamSpeak 6 Client
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Hello TeamSpeak Team,

I’ve been testing the new TS6 client extensively, and I want to share some feedback. Honestly, the engine is already there: the interface is modern, screen sharing is excellent, and the audio quality remains the gold standard.

However, with the massive wave of users currently looking for a real Discord alternative, I believe TS6 needs a few specific “Quality of Life” features to truly win the battle:

  • Global Text Channels (Discord-style): This is the most requested feature. We need persistent text channels that are NOT tied to our physical presence in a voice channel. Users want to chat in a “#General” room while staying in their “Simulation” or “FPS” voice room.

  • Simplified Rank/Role Management: The current permission system is powerful but too complex for new administrators. A more visual and intuitive way to manage “Roles” (similar to Discord’s drag-and-drop) would make TS6 much more accessible.

  • Streamlined Private Messaging: DMs and contact management should be more intuitive and visible in the main UI to encourage social interaction.

  • Discord Migration Context: Many players are ready to migrate, but they are looking for the same “text-comfort” they had before. If TS6 bridges this gap, it won’t just be an alternative; it will be the superior choice.

TS6 has the performance and the look. By adding these community-driven features, you have a golden opportunity to take back the lead.

Best regards,

STAFF EDIT FOR VISIBILITY:

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Ability to text in channels without joining them - Add text channels to the server
[Plugin] BetterChat v3.4.0
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I second this, all good points here!
There’s alot of threads pointing to the same concerns as here, where the main culprit is “Seperation between voice chats and text chats“. Having to join a voice chat just to lurk/read text chats its awful. Also the issue where you ALWAYS, no matter what, has to stay in a voice channel while connected to a server.

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I’ll second this as well. As someone who could probably be considered a Discord shut-in and homelabber, I’ve spent the last week testing and self-hosting several alternatives in parallel with a few other like-minded friends. Fluxer, STOAT/Revolt, Matrix, Spacebar, Gamevox, Guilded, and even Nextcloud Talk.

Here’s the honest takeaway:

TeamSpeak is still unmatched in voice. The P2P streaming efficiency, audio quality, and overall performance are incredible. The fact that the server is a simple single-container deployment is also a massive advantage compared to the complexity of alternatives like Matrix or STOAT.

But the biggest blocker right now is chat.

Modern communities don’t separate voice and chat anymore. Persistent, global text channels are not optional. they are the backbone of how communities function. People need to be able to stay connected, read, lurk, and participate asynchronously without being tied to a voice channel.

Fluxer, for example, already understands this. It’s chat-first and feels much closer to a true Discord replacement in terms of communication flow, but it lacks the maturity, stability, and polish that TeamSpeak already has.

Right now, TeamSpeak has the superior foundation. If TS6 fully embraces persistent, Discord-style text channels and improves the chat experience to match its voice capabilities, it would immediately become the strongest and most viable Discord alternative.

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This thread needs :heart: to bump it as much as possible. I’m certain the TS team knows this but the community needs to make it loud.

I think the single thing stopping a grand migration is the chat aspect. You can go back several years and see this was a subject of discussion and it was not a focal point for the community.

As times are changing and people are looking for an alternative, Teamspeak is a household name that people would be happy to return to but the chat is a must.

There are a few ways this could be functional;

Not needing to connect to a voice channel to chat

-This could be done by allowing users to connect to the server but not be present in a voice channel.

-Once connected to the server (with the ability to afk/timeout idle connections and identify non voice active users differently) you should be able to click on channels and view chats respectively(this would include chat only channels.

-Additionally this could be supported by allowing viewing of chat history, as this is logged on the server, pushing historical chats to the client upon connection would be a simple matter.

As it currently stands, offline server chat history is nonexistant.

(chats that were sent while user was not connected to the server)

As noted in the last line of the previous segment, chats are logged on the server side already. User’s want the ability to see conversations that occurred while they were not present so they can join in on the conversation.

This is further supporting the implementation of chat channels and non voice connected chatting.

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As some who just moved from discord. I would love these features.

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me and my group are thinking of hopping from discord to teamspeak and THIS is what is one of our biggest issues with it, if they added this teamspeak would be perfect!

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Ich werde versuchen, das auch in Englisch noch hinzuzufügen.

Ich kann meinen Vorredner nur beipflichten.
Momentan fehlen 3 Elementare Dinge im TS6:

  • eine vollständige Twitch Integration
  • Chatbasierte Kanäle, die dauerhaft vorhanden sind
  • Offline Verbindungen

Auf TS6 habe ich es bis heute nicht hinbekommen, eine Server Rolle namens “Twitch Subscriber” hinzubekommen. Auf Discord brauche ich dafür nur 1 Minute. Das Rechte System scheint wohl sehr Leistungsstark zu sein, aber ich als Neuling bin gnadenlos überfordert.
Das ist nicht Benutzerfreundlich, das ist für die meisten Neulinge abstoßend und nicht wirklich nutzbar.

Und zu guter letzt: Warum soll ich mich mit einem Sprachkanal verbinden, nur weil ich ein paar Threads lesen möchte? Das macht absolut keinen Sinn.

Ich muss traurigerweise feststellen, dass das TS6 Team einfach jahrelang geschlafen hat. Entweder war das Interesse nicht groß, die Entwicklung voran zu treiben und eine gute Alternative zu Discord zu sein oder man hat die Zeichen einfach nicht erkannt und war auf dem “never change a running System” Trip. Aber dieses System ist nicht mehr running.. es ist dying, wenn nicht was passiert.

Man muss aber auch ein Lob aussprechen. Die Sprachqualität ist nach wie vor extrem gut. Da können sich viele eine Scheibe von abschneiden, aber das alleine reicht leider nicht. Es ist, wie meine Vorredner schon sagen, eine solide Basis. Aber ein Fundament alleine ist kein Fertiges Haus.. es ist einfach gar nichts.

English:
I can only agree with the previous speaker. Currently, there are three basic things missing in TS6:

  • Full Twitch integration
  • Chat-based channels that are permanently available
  • Offline connections On TS6

I have not yet managed to add a server role called “Twitch Subscriber.” On Discord, it only takes me one minute. The permissions system seems to be very powerful, but as a newcomer, I am completely overwhelmed. It is not user-friendly, it is off-putting for most newcomers, and it is not really usable. And last but not least: why should I connect to a voice channel just because I want to read a few threads? That makes absolutely no sense. Sadly, I have to conclude that the TS6 team has simply been asleep at the wheel for years. Either there was little interest in driving development forward and being a good alternative to Discord, or they simply failed to recognize the signs and were on a “never change a running system” trip. But this system is no longer running… it’s dying, unless something happens.

However, credit where credit is due. The voice quality is still extremely good. Many could learn a thing or two from that, but unfortunately, that alone is not enough. As the previous speakers have already said, it is a solid foundation. But a foundation alone is not a finished house… it is simply nothing.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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I can see the points made for “discord alternative”.
As someone who has used and hosted teamspeak for… I can’t even remember how long honestly and have used it for the same way with pretty much the same small group of people.

I don’t want a discord alternative, I didn’t use discord very often because it did not think it was necessary. I’m not interested in offline text chats. Screen sharing only used for testing because why not (Also i’m on Linux where it needs some work). For me it’s a high quality tool that let’s me in a stable and high quality way talk to the people I’m currently playing a game with.

A simpliefied preset permission system with the possibility to go advanced somewhat like it is now would be good for newcomers but not take away the massive control from someone who want’s to use it.
My biggest problem right now with permission is that I can not duplicate a existing server/channel group If i want basically the same will small changes within the TS6 client.

Also with persistent offline chats ex, in my opinion these things would be best as a modular system. For someone who hosts my own server and bascially only use the chat to send a link or etc for a current conversation that’s being held, I don’t want to be forced to have persistent and no connection to voice channel, but the option for it to be enabled for those who do want to use it.

I get it, discord has openly shown what it always was (a privacy invasive tool) and people are starting to figure that out which is great. But for me teamspeak has been the voice software that one can host and control all by themselves and was a lightweight and smooth software for the network and hardware it’s set up on.

I do not disagree with the changes presented from so many new and old people to the teamspeak community, I disagree with there being changes that forces my server to be more demanding on my hardware and network for stuff that I just do not need. I would love there to be modular ways to form the server (atleast on the self hosting side) to the way that the person who hosts the server for their group of people can shape it to how they use it.

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I think a noteworthy detail here is the fact that in self hosted scenario (which you’re saying you are in) we have a wonderful amount of control over the server.

with that being said, I think it would be a poor assumption that features such as (the most requested from the potential discord refugees) persistent chat channels or viewing chat history from when disconnected would not be a configurable feature by the host.

I too lean heavily towards the option to self host and am familiar with Teamspeak dating back to using the earlier releases of TS3. I’d be happy to full time transition back to TS as a platform however too many people are used to having simple things such as, persistent chat linked to a community/server. This has become an expectation and all competitors are ensuring that feature is included.

I think the additional users that this change would bring is undeniable, and again, I’d love to see Teamspeak back to the front as a known voice chat/community.

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I can understand where your coming from and I can see from your perspective that your happy (mostly) with the way TeamSpeak functions now.
That being said, I dont think this has to be an ultimatum type situation. As stated previously, self-hosting grants you significant control over how your setup is deployed and I think it wouldnt be too far of a stretch to think that there could be some plugin, extension, or supplementing application/container that we could deploy to provide said features (persistent chat, viewing text channels without being in voice, etc)

I dont think we need to change the face or core of TS. I think we can look at it as expanding its toolkit and customizability.

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I do agree with most points here but ever since I used Teamspeak 3 etc. I believe that the permission system is good the way it is, yes it takes some time getting used to but it just offers more than other platforms.

Maybe expand the simplified version of the permissions screen perhaps but the advanced menu is the best that I’ve seen and messed around with really.

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I, like many wayward Discord users, am also looking for an alternative, and Teamspeak is the standout. I mostly use Discord to join other people’s communities and would be happy to use TS as is for that purpose on a smaller scale/less often. However, if the TS6 stable server files were released and I could host my own server (for my D&D campaign and other similar groups), I’d be 100% comfortable using TS for everything, recommending it to everyone as The Alternative, and paying for premium features. Currently, having to pay a subscription to make my own server is my primary deterrent, and I think the TS team has a serious opportunity to tap into a market of HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of active users if self-hosting can be sorted out, or if a free, low-tier hosting option could be added.

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I have tested the other solutions, and in my opinion, they aren’t viable. Let’s be clear: any platform that doesn’t offer a self-hosted option will eventually face the same issue—legal requirements for ID verification will likely be imposed on them in the coming months or years.

Here is my assessment of the current alternatives:

  • Matrix: Lacks dedicated voice channels; it only offers video rooms.

  • Guilded: Owned by Roblox, meaning they will also be forced to comply with these identity verification laws.

  • Nextcloud: Too unstable and not designed for this. It feels more like a Skype or Zoom clone.

  • Revolt: Still very buggy and lacks essential features. The UI is unappealing, and they seem to be rushing to gain users at the expense of server stability. Additionally, their hosted servers will face the same legal hurdles, and the self-hosted setup (Stoat) is a hassle with too many Docker containers.

For me, TeamSpeak is the most promising. Given their years of reliable service and the current TeamSpeak 6, it’s incredibly easy to deploy via a single Docker container. They are very close to being the ultimate Discord alternative; the missing features aren’t overly complex to implement. It is, by far, the most serious and sustainable choice.

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Popping in to add that I love teamspeak, and used it for years before life circumstances made self-hosting a large community difficult for me. Back in the day I even paid for server licensing. I really want to return, and the only thing holding my community back from emphatically choosing teamspeak over much less developed alternatives is the lack of persistent text chat.

We have been trying several other platforms that offer self hosting and promote themselves as “Discord clones” but even then, about 30% of my community is still wanting us to return to teamspeak. Even if a persistent chat feature doesn’t ship tomorrow, just hearing the devs acknowledge the outcry for the feature, prioritize developing it, and give a very-rough timeline of it shipping would be enough for my community to feel confident to stop searching and return to teamspeak.

Teamspeak was my home for years, my friends still often say the phrase “Back in our teamspeak days” when talking about the good old days, and I really hope you are able to capitalize on discord fumbling their bag!

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Of course. my post was intended to show that all do not share the same views and configurable and modular features that affect performance as a whole for self host atleast would be that best of two world. I agree that having those features would bring alot of new users to a platform I have used and loved for a very long time and if the teamspeak team where able to make a base that’s adjustable to make mostly everyone happy, that would be awesome!

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You should check out Fluxer. In my opinion its the most promising and worth keeping an eye on. you can use it as it is, and there are plans for federated self-hosting (which is HUGE for me)

Im torn between Fluxer and Teamspeak.

If Fluxer gets federated self-hosting up and running before Teamspeak gets persistent chat, I can see ALOT of people sliding that way.

Same thing vice-versa. If TS gets their chat in order (Or rather a solution of some kind) before Fluxer gets its federated self-hosting up, Im all aboard Teamspeak.

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I am also migrating our little friend group from Discord to TeamSpeak. I came here to look for answers on how to add text-only channels to Servers, but I realise this is not an option yet. Please give us manageable text channels! On Discord I have organised a whole vacation, and although the threads helped with it, ultimately the text only channel was sufficient.
I also agree a bit on DMs with OP, albeit I think we can get used to it as is.
Permissions are intimidating to an admin who is coming from Discord, and even though I find my ways around it I feel like I spend too much time searching for an option that is there, but in a more obscured way I’d imagine it to be. I understand you are not going to be Discord in all aspects and I respect it, but a customisable emoji system worked wonders on Discord too coz we had a lot of inside jokes already. Besides these points, I am impressed with the service! We will definitely continue our community on your platform. I already think that given the security measures and audio quality it is a better alternative by a million miles.

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im very happy to see that im not the only one seeing these flaws.

now while we’re asking for a QOL update i’d like to bring up the discord “reply“ function.

for the uninitiated, you can click the “reply” on any message and when you next send a message it’ll have a box containing:

  • the name of who you’ve replied to
  • the start of the message you’ve replied to
  • a hyperlink to the message you’ve replied to
  • and it has an toggle for if you do/dont want to alert that user that you’ve just replied/quoted/referenced their earlier words

having this opens the door to multiple people sharing a single channel without interfering with each other, and generally lets you have conversational detours in a smoother way.

i am of the opinion that any QOL pass or overhaul to the way chat works absolutely needs to include this.

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There is already persistent chat & viewing chat without connecting to server. It’s called “Group Chats”

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In my own case, I host a ts6 server and we have one group chat at the moment for offline chatting etc. However I would like to see this implemented to the server side also. I like how chats are right now because of the privacy, but separate global text channels on server would be nice too.

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While Group Chats does technically provide a persistent offline chat option, it is very limited in its use case in my opinion. If I have a server with 4-5 group chats spun off it, and we have members coming and going, I dont want to constantly have to add/remove people from them, vs them just having access defined by the server when they join.

I could be missing something there, but using Group Chats as a persistent chat feature seems like a ton of work to get it to replace the discord feel.

If I have to go that route Im more liable to just use the next discord alternative.

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