Pick Simple Voice Chat if you need Quilt, Forge past 1.21.1, or a release older than 1.16. Pick Plasmo Voice if you want sound occlusion, directional audio and its add-ons. Both need software on the server and a mod on each player's side to give voice.
Decision table
| Fact | Plasmo Voice | Simple Voice Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Creator on Modrinth | kpids | henkelmax |
| Licence file in the repository | GNU Lesser General Public License v3 | "Copyright (c) Max Henkel - All Rights Reserved", source on GitHub |
| Mod loaders | Fabric 1.16.4 to 26.3, NeoForge 1.21 to 26.3, Forge 1.16.4 to 1.21.1 | Fabric 1.16.5 to 26.3, Forge 1.12.2 to 26.3, NeoForge 1.20.1 to 26.3, Quilt 1.18.2 to 26.3 |
| Plugin and proxy software | Paper and Spigot 1.16.4 to 26.3, Folia 1.16.5 to 26.3, Velocity and BungeeCord 1.16.5 to 26.3, Purpur stopped at 1.19.2 (August 2022) | Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Purpur and Folia 1.8.8 to 26.3, Velocity, BungeeCord and Waterfall 1.8.8 to 26.3 |
| Newest build | 2.2.0-beta.2 beta (18 October 2026) on Fabric, NeoForge, Paper, Folia and the proxies; 2.1.17 release (15 September 2026) on Spigot and Forge | 2.6.24 (20 September 2026), a release for the plugin builds and labelled beta on the mod loaders; proxy builds 2.6.18 alpha (28 May 2026) |
| Side, as Modrinth labels it | Client required, server required | Client optional, server optional |
| Voice port | Set in plugins/PlasmoVoice/config.toml; the sources give no default | UDP 24454 by default, changeable in the server config |
| Modrinth downloads (20 October 2026) | 4,142,350 | 75,788,078 |
What each one is
Plasmo Voice
Plasmo Voice
Java Mod by kpids
Its Modrinth summary calls it a proximity voice chat mod with audio positioning and lots of features. It runs on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, and as a plugin on Paper, Folia and Spigot.
Simple Voice Chat
Simple Voice Chat
Java Mod by henkelmax
Its own page describes a proximity voice chat with a variety of addons, and warns that it needs special setup on the server. Its download list covers Fabric, NeoForge, Forge, Quilt, Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Velocity and BungeeCord.
Loaders and server software each supports
Simple Voice Chat has the wider spread. It lists Quilt, which Plasmo Voice does not, and its Forge builds reach 26.3 while Plasmo Voice's Forge builds end at 1.21.1. Plasmo Voice's README excerpt names only Fabric and NeoForge clients, while its Modrinth body also names Forge, so check the build for your release before planning around Forge.
On plugin servers, Simple Voice Chat lists Purpur at 1.8.8 to 26.3. Plasmo Voice's Purpur builds stopped at 1.19.2 in August 2022, so it is a Paper or Spigot choice for new releases. The newest Plasmo Voice builds are betas, apart from Spigot and Forge. For proxies, see how Velocity and BungeeCord proxies work.
What players and servers install
Plasmo Voice says players need its mod for voice, and players without it can still join and play as usual. It also lists an option to kick players who lack the mod. Simple Voice Chat's icon table includes a state for voice chat not installed. Modrinth labels it optional on both sides, yet its page says the server needs special setup. See how client-side and server-side mods differ for what those labels mean.
The player-side steps are the same as for any mod, covered in the mod install guide. A plugin on the server follows the plugin install guide.
What each adds beyond proximity voice
- Plasmo Voice, client: optional sound occlusion that muffles voices through blocks, optional directional audio, a Discord-like overlay and per-player volume by holding right mouse button and scrolling.
- Plasmo Voice, server: server-side muting by chat command, permissions, vanish support, PlaceholderAPI support, an advanced API by its own description, encrypted voice, and use in singleplayer and Open to LAN.
- Plasmo Voice add-ons: groups, sculk and warden triggers, broadcast, spectator hearing, whisper, priority voice activation and music discs. Third-party ones include Voiceless Survival, where mobs react to voice, and Simple Voice Radio. Client add-ons cover Sound Physics Remastered, ReplayMod and Flashback recording.
- Simple Voice Chat: password-protected groups, whispering, automatic voice activity detection and gain adjustment, AES encryption, audio recording with separate tracks, and many addons. Its page calls its API powerful and adds that the encryption is not a security guarantee.
Both list Opus audio, RNNoise noise suppression and OpenAL 3D sound. We give no audio quality comparison because neither source provides measurements.
How a server runs each one and how players connect
The shape is the same for both: add the mod or plugin, restart so a config file is generated, open a port for voice, put that port in the config, restart again. Simple Voice Chat uses voicechat-server.properties, with UDP 24454 as the default. The Modrinth Help Center guide has you create a new allocation, set port= to it, and look for a console line saying the voice chat server started at that port.
For Plasmo Voice, the UltraServers guide edits the port under [host] in plugins/PlasmoVoice/config.toml. That host tells users to tick its Voting/VoiceChat checkbox when creating the allocation, because its anti-DDoS can block connections on filtered ports. That is one host's rule, not a mod requirement. Players then join normally and voice connects through that port. Voice settings open with the V key in both. If it fails to connect, try the Simple Voice Chat not connected fix.
When the choice is already made
A modpack that ships one of them settles it, and mixing both on one server gives players two voice systems to configure. A Quilt server, a Forge server past 1.21.1 or a Purpur server on a current release has only one option. Plasmo Voice's add-ons are the reason to choose it on a Paper or NeoForge server. If you run a modded server, the modded server hosting guide covers the loader side.
Trade-offs
- Plasmo Voice: no Quilt builds, Forge stops at 1.21.1, Purpur stopped in 2022, and the newest builds on most platforms are betas. Both sides must install it for voice.
- Simple Voice Chat: an all-rights-reserved licence file against Plasmo Voice's LGPL, proxy builds still marked alpha, and a required open UDP port that blocks voice if closed.
We read the project pages and two host guides on 20 October 2026. We did not install, run or measure either mod, so latency, bandwidth and stability remain untested here.
