Lag vs Taverns
Lag
trylag.comTaverns
tav.ggSide by side
| Figure | Lag | Taverns |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Game Voice Chat Software | 8.0 (#12) | 8.3 (#8) |
| Privacy | Lag says it does not run ads or sell user data, and its comparison page says voice data is never recorded or stored. | MEKASMITH says it does not sell personal information or share it with unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes. |
| Self-hosting | Lag offers an open-source, MIT-licensed self-hosted deployment with a bundled web UI, API, PostgreSQL, and voice server; its current voice engine is LiveKit. | The same comparison page states that Taverns cannot be self-hosted. |
| Support | Lag’s contact form accepts support, legal requests, security concerns, and self-hosting questions. | Users can open a support ticket in Settings, then Help and Support, or email [email protected] if they cannot access the app. |
Plans
In their own words
Lag
Lag is a free, voice-first communication platform for gaming, with server- and room-based voice channels plus text messaging. Rooms support messages, emoji reactions, and replies. Lag reports median round-trip latency under 50 ms and 99.2% packet recovery using redundant audio encoding. Native iOS and Android apps include voice rooms, messaging, push notifications, and background audio. The Tauri and Rust desktop app supports Windows and Linux, with system audio capture, a system tray, and global push-to-talk hotkeys; the desktop page says macOS support is coming soon. An open-source CLI supports voice chat over SSH on macOS and Linux. Lag also offers an MIT-licensed self-hosted deployment with a bundled web UI, API, PostgreSQL, and voice server, currently using LiveKit. Official Python and TypeScript SDKs cover the public REST API, but not WebSocket or voice. Lag says it does not run ads or sell user data, and that voice data is never recorded or stored. Its free plan has no per-seat pricing, tiers, or feature gates.
Taverns
Taverns is a hosted community platform for gaming and hobby groups, with text and voice halls, forums, events, roles, and moderation tools. People can join through a browser without installing anything, and the service also supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. The Free plan costs nothing and includes an account, Tavern creation, community membership, chat, voice, and community tools; optional extras use Prisma. There is no free trial. Members can upload files up to 2 GB for free, while each Tavern supports 700 custom emoji and 1,000 stickers without a subscription or boosts. Stage halls synchronize video playback for watch parties using YouTube, TikTok, X posts, Vimeo, Twitch clips, and video files. The homepage describes screen sharing at 1080p and 60 fps. Voice, video, and screen-sharing calls are end-to-end encrypted, except when a voice hall streams to or from a third party that does not support that encryption. Taverns is operated by MEKASMITH Co., Ltd., with a listed address in Tokyo, Japan.