The following is a sponsored statement from Vylo

In the sea of new web-based voice chat apps, Vylo, a startup out of Chicago, seems to have emerged as the best for now. Launching in June, the Vylo team has created an edge for itself in the Web-based voice chat market – a market that is quickly becoming saturated as new peer-to-peer technology continues to reduce the cost of development.

Since the release of WebRTC, a technology that allows real-time communication through simple Java APIs instead of expensive server space, plenty of developers have taken a whack at Web-based VOIPs.
And this is important. Until now, voice chat programs have been huge, clunky messes that required you to download a program, buy server space, and share your info with anyone you wanted to play with. It’s been a major pain point for gamers for years, and we’re finally starting to see some good solutions.

So it’s no surprise that several new apps are trying to get in the game. Vylo, however, is the first to really develop a voice chat platform specifically for gamers that (1) works and (2) has all the bells and whistles this audience expects – all while keeping itself remarkably simple.

Here’s how it works. Say you want to play a game with a few people you met in a League of Legends lobby. You may not want to share your Skype info because, you know, you don’t know them. They may not have Mumble or Vent, and you may not want to share your server info anyway.

This is where Vylo comes in. With Vylo, all you have to do is create a room and share a URL. You can chat with other gamers 100% anonymously and 100% for free. It takes a clunky, difficult process and streamlines the experience into a neat little package that you can fire up and use in under 30 seconds. And we love that!

They also offer a Pro account, which is where their revenue comes from. And, frankly, it’s a steal at less than $5. You get a friends list, much bigger rooms, private rooms, and a few other great features. And, really, only one person in your party needs to be signed up for everyone to benefit.

Vylo also differentiates itself with its design, which is clean, professional and well-branded. That’s more important that people think, and it’s one of the things that has really allowed Vylo to become the frontrunner in this new, experimental space. It doesn’t look like it was developed in some dude’s garage. It looks good.

Overall, this is good for both casual and competitive gamers. Anytime you can make connecting and communicating with people easier, faster and more efficient, you’re going to have a major positive impact on whatever community you’re operating in.

But that’s especially true for LoL players, who now number in the tens of millions and who play with strangers every day.

Check it out here, and enjoy a Cloth5 discount (just use the promo code “CLOTH5”).