When comparing WhatsApp vs TeamSpeak 3, the Slant community recommends TeamSpeak 3 for most people. In the question“What is the best team chat software?” TeamSpeak 3 is ranked 18th while WhatsApp is ranked 54th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Straightforward interface
The interface is very simple, fast and easy to use. You can start using it as soon as the app has been downloaded - it does not require setting anything up or registering. You can communicate with anyone in your contacts list that also uses WhatsApp. Includes useful features like seeing when a contact is currently available or typing.
Pro Widely used
WhatsApp reported 1.5 billion users in 2018. Your friends are most likely already using WhatsApp, so it's easy to get setup.
Pro Effortlessly builds your contacts by using your phone number as identification
WhatsApp will automatically find all of your contacts currently using Whatsapp and add them to your contacts. This makes it really easy to setup and given that it's the most popular messaging app it's likely that a lot of your contacts are already using it.
Pro Message mirroring on web app
WhatsApp can be used from the desktop via Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers. Accessing it requires using the Android app to scan the QR code that's presented on web.whatsapp.com.
Pro Signal protocol
Whatsapp uses the state-of-the-art Signal protocol that ensure strong end-to-end encryption.
Pro One-on-one texts can be encrypted
WhatsApp has implemented end to end encryption for messages sent on it's service. Even WhatsApp has no way to read a users messages.
Pro A lot of features
Pro Fine-grained administration options
Allows for complex administrative structures, with lots of roles and many other features related to server administration.
Pro Advanced permissions
It has an advanced system to manage channel/server permissions.
Pro Works on all main PC OS platforms
Available on Windows, Linux and OS X allows for a user to choose what best OS suits them and not have to worry if their game chat software will work.
Pro Supports audio and text chat
TeamSpeak allows for both voice and text chat. this adds flexibility, and can clarify information if somebody has a very poor connection, or a very thick accent. It also allows players without a mic to communicate with the other players.
Pro Widely used
Among most MMOs (massive multiplayer online games such as Guild Wars 2, or World of Warcraft) Teamspeak is widely used so it's likely other players already use it and won't need to download a new program. There are also many knowledge and help articles available online.
Pro Voice Activation Detection while using Push-To-Talk
Pro Echo reduction
Pro Free for non-commercial use
As long as one is not using TeamSpeak for commercial services the app is free to use. This is great as most users will not be using it for commercial purposes (as long as you aren't making money off it you don't need to pay for it) such as gaming.
Pro Unlimited nesting of channels
This allows for very granular organization.
Pro Sound level tuning
You can tune everyone's sound output levels to meet your own personal preference in inbound volume. So to your ears nobody is too loud or too quiet.
Pro Supports Encryption
Under "Edit Channel" --> "Advanced" --> theres a toggle button called "Voice Data Encrypted". Everything but file transfers is encrypted.
Pro Plugin support
A wide range of plugins are available for those that want extra functionality, ranging from soundboards and overlays, to peripheral and application hooks.
Pro Private hosting
You can host your own server.
Pro TeamSpeak Sync
Signing up for a MyTeamSpeak account will allow you to synchronize your bookmarks, identities, hotkeys, whisper lists and channel subscriptions across all devices. MyTeamSpeak features will include addons synchronization, addons update management, and more.
Pro Clean theme
Pro No privacy nightmare
Cons
Con Shares meta data with Facebook
WhatsApp shares your messaging meta data with Facebook if you do not opt-out in the settings. If you use the same phone number for WhatsApp and Facebook, the profiles can easily be linked.
See https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/26000016
Con Tied to carrier phone number
WhatsApp cannot be used by people without a smart phone with an active cell plan. If your phone is lost or damaged, or if your phone number changes, you cannot get messages sent by friends without them updating your phone number. You cannot send message to them until you are able to get SMS messages at your phone number.
Con Proprietary
Not open source.
Con Hard to migrate history cross platform
Migrating your chat history from Android to iOS or the other way around is not so simple. In some cases it requires a 3rd party app and in some the only way is to migrate specific chats one by one.
Con Web interface uses message mirroring
To use your computer to send messages your phone must be on with a consistent data connection.
Con Single device
You cannot use the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices (e.g. a tablet, a PC and a cellphone). The account is tied to the device with the specific cellphone number. Chat history is deleted when you sign in to a new account, unless you have created a backup.
Con No cloud sync
Messages are not stored on WhatsApp server for privacy and security reasons.
Con Limitation on shareable file sizes
WhatsApp now allows users to share files of any type, but there is still a 16 MB size limit.
Con Mobile app costs money
TeamSpeak for mobile platforms costs $1.99 for Android devices in Google play store or $4.99 for devices that run iOS.
Con Requires to self-host, rent or use a public server
TeamSpeak cannot be used without a private server (meaning TeamSpeak themselves do not provide servers). This adds complexity to the setup and may simply be out of reach for many users. There are, however, several free public servers available, Teamspeak offers to rent one, and many games have dedicated servers available through their respective websites.
Con Outdated UI
The client itself feels really old, and even though there are custom huds, most of them don't feel modern.
Con Proprietary software
It's not free.
Con No video communication
Currently there is no video chat for the app. While not essential for in-game communication, outside of the game it would help to strengthen online relationships with your gaming pals.
Con Too easy to hack
Your server may become vulnerable if you give admin away and do not configure your server properly.
Keeping a record of backups is important, if you broke something while editing the configuration or your server has become compromised due to negligence. You will then be able to spin up a new instance.