I prefer teamspeak. Its free and vent is not, you may say that $4 isn't much but it adds up after awhile and that money could be spent on something else that the community may need. The way I see it is that it's an unnecessary expense, and people WILL adapt in time.
^Dis...So fucking much dis!
+1 on TS3
Well that's not actually correct. TS is only free without a licence up to 32 slots. An NPL licence wont be given to websites with ads or donate buttons. So past 32 slots we would have to pay. And a non licences TS is limited a bit.
Also Ventrilo would be paid for by a member so the factor of cost should no longer be an issue.
I just use skype now.
Skype is not a community based system. Skype is horrible. It is full of exploits and should be avoided at all cost. I only use it because I'm forced to, so I can talk to select people -_-
More info on Skypes massive security flaws:
http://www.conjointgaming.com/forum/index.php?topic=10001.msg132749#msg132749Microsoft never takes care of their bought products.