The TeamSpeak 6 server is still in beta. It is published as a Docker image and binaries for Linux, and it comes with a free 32 slot licence that TeamSpeak renews periodically while the beta lasts. That is enough for most gaming groups and small communities. TeamSpeak 3 licences do not carry over, and final TeamSpeak 6 pricing has not been announced yet.
TeamSpeak 3 is the stable choice if your members still use the TeamSpeak 3 client or you need a setup that will not change under you. Both run on the same small VPS. Our step by step guide covers TeamSpeak 6 with Docker Compose, from installing Docker to your first admin token.
How big a server does TeamSpeak need
A TeamSpeak server needs very little. It uses a small amount of memory and CPU even with dozens of people talking, because the audio is encoded on the clients and the server mostly forwards packets. VPS-1 with 1 vCPU and 1 GB of RAM handles a typical gaming group. VPS-2 with 2 GB is more comfortable for Docker and a bot or two.
What matters more is the network. Each speaker sends a stream that the server repeats to everyone else in the channel, so the upload side grows with the number of listeners. Our plans have an uplink of up to 1 Gbps. VPS-2 and larger include 32 TB of traffic a month, while VPS-1 includes 1 TB, which is still plenty for voice.
VPS-1: a gaming group or a small clan.
VPS-2: a community with bots and Docker overhead.
VPS-3: TeamSpeak plus a website, database or game tools.
Ports and first start
TeamSpeak uses UDP port 9987 for voice and TCP port 30033 for file transfers. If you use a firewall such as ufw, allow those two plus your SSH port and keep query ports closed unless you really need remote administration. Clients connect with the server IP address, or with a domain name if you point an A record at it.
On first start the server prints a privilege key in its logs. Copy it right away, connect with your TeamSpeak client and redeem it to become server admin. With Docker, the guide stores server data in a volume, so recreating the container for an update keeps your channels, permissions and users.
Why run your own TeamSpeak server
Rented TeamSpeak servers are usually priced per slot, and settings are limited to what the host allows. On a VPS you pay for the machine, not the slots, and you control everything: server groups, channel permissions, bans, file transfer limits and query access. You can also run bots, a website or a game server tool on the same machine.
The trade off is that updates are your job. With Docker, that means pulling a new image and recreating the container, which takes a minute. Billing is hourly from a prepaid balance with no contract, so you can set up a test server for a game night and delete it afterwards, paying only for the hours it ran.
Step by step guides
Written by our team and tested on DataPasa servers.
During the beta, the TeamSpeak 6 server includes a free 32 slot licence that is renewed periodically. You only pay for the VPS that runs it. Pricing for the final release has not been announced.
CPU and RAM are rarely the limit for TeamSpeak. A VPS-1 comfortably serves a typical community, and the practical cap is usually your licence slots rather than the server.
Open UDP 9987 for voice and TCP 30033 for file transfers. Keep query ports closed unless you use remote administration tools, and allow your SSH port so you do not lock yourself out.
There is no official migration path yet, and TeamSpeak 3 licences are not valid for TeamSpeak 6. Many communities run both side by side during the beta.
All servers are in a data center in Falkenstein, Germany, which gives low latency to players across most of Europe. More locations are planned but not available yet.
Yes. Top up from $5 with USDT, BTC, ETH, XMR, LTC and many other coins, or pay by card through Stripe. The server is billed by the hour.