9 Skype Alternatives Worth Considering
Skype has become synonymous with voice and video chat for most consumers, but there are several other services that do the same things.
Skype has become a tremendously popular service for connecting with family, friends, and colleagues for remote meetings, chats, and interviews.
So popular, in fact, it has become the vernacular for "video chat" among many. Consumers often use "Skyping" as a verb, regardless of the service they actually use to connect.
While perhaps the most common software for voice and video chats, Skype is not the only service available to people who want to connect with colleagues across the country or friends around the world.
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A growing number of companies have begun to offer services you can use to call others from your PC. These range from downloadable desktop software to Web-based services for quickly generating links for private chat rooms.
Microsoft has done a lot to improve Skype in the last year, but there are several companies that also have strong VoIP and video chat capabilities. These could serve your calling needs as well as -- if not better than -- Skype.
Here we dive into a few of these services. Would you think about making the jump from Skype to any of these options? Do you use one that didn't make this list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Google's phone service gives a single number to use across your phone, tablet, and computer. You can use it to call international or conference lines, block unwanted callers, or receive calls at home, at work, or on your mobile phone depending on who is calling and when.
If you miss a call, you can read voicemail transcriptions and add and share notes. Google Voice can be used to send text messages, to a maximum of five contacts at a time, from your browser.
Right now the service is limited to users inside the US. Those outside the US have the option to make calls using Google Hangouts on a computer or smartphone (Android or iOS). Calls within the US and Canada are free except for a few destinations, which will cost one cent per minute. Calls to the US and Canada from other countries are one cent per minute.
You'll need a Google account to set up Google Voice, along with an Internet-connected PC, compatible browser (Chrome, IE 8 and up, Firefox, Safari, and Opera), touch-tone phone and US number.
VoxOx aims to deliver communication services across desktop and mobile devices through VoIP and cloud communications software. It combines video messaging, voice calls, instant messages, SMS, fax, and the ability to include up to 20 people on a conference call.
Like Google Voice, VoxOx gives you a free US phone number that can be used to call or text you across devices. Calls between VoxOx users are free. Calls to non-users cost one cent per minute in the US, but rates vary for other countries.
Some nifty VoxOx features include a personal assistant for intelligent call routing and screening, visual voicemail, and instant language translation.
The company also offers an enterprise-friendly tool called Cloud Phone, which answers, routes, and manages calls. The virtual system is intended to give businesses the flexibility to add users, numbers and extensions as they grow.
Appear.in lets you hold calls for up to eight people in an instant-video chat room. The startup launched in Aug. 2013 and has long-term plans to become a global video communications platform.
You don't need to create an account, but you do need Chrome, Firefox, or Opera to run the web-based service. The process of creating a chat room is very straightforward. From the main page, you type a random word for your room name and share the link with anyone you want to include.
You may "claim" a chat room by entering your email. This gives you the option to change the room layout, "lock" the room to keep participants out, and banish guests who aren't welcome in the conversation.
Appear.in works across platforms, so users can video chat across laptops, desktops, and iOS and Android devices.
Talky is a free, simple video calling service. It doesn't require sign-up or installation. Simply enter a room name on the homepage to start a chat. You can copy and paste your chat room link to include more than 15 people in the group.
Participants can share their screens with the rest of the group. You can opt to add a shared key to the chat if you wish, to increase privacy. Talky also offers the option of Talky On-Premises, which enables users to run the messaging service on their private network. Talky On-Premises starts at $1,499.
Talky is available in your Web browser, or you can opt to download the mobile app for iOS.
WeChat's free messaging service offers phone calls, video calling, conference calls, instant messages, and voice and text messages. It works on the desktop or mobile phone (via WiFi or data plan).
Features include Look Around, for finding other users through geo-location; Moments, for capturing and sending photos; and Walkie Talkie, for inviting friends into a "walkie-talkie"-style group chat. The interface displays chat members. You see a red light when someone is talking.
WeChat's cross-platform support spans iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Symbian. It's available via Web browser or for download on Mac and Windows PCs. You can scan a QR Code to download the app on your smartphone. WeChat also has the ability to add other users via Shake. By shaking your phone, you can find other people who are also "shaking" and send them greetings. The app uses geo-location to find people to greet nearby.
Earlier this month, WeChat launched WeChat Out, a VoIP service that enables users to make international calls to mobile phones and landlines for low calling rates. WeChat Out is currently available in the US, Hong Kong, and India, though the company says it plans to expand this feature in the future.
You'll need only a webcam, microphone and a broadband Internet connection to use ooVoo, which can be used to hold free video chats for a maximum of 12 people.
The service collects your contacts' information from email, IM, and social media accounts. You can use it for full-screen chats, or to talk, text, and send files in real-time. Calls can be recorded and shared.
ooVoo can be used to start calls with people who don't have the service. You can start a Web-based chat with anyone by sending them a link to join your video call. It's available for desktops and smartphones running iOS, Android, or Windows.
Viber enables calls, video chats, texts, and image sharing over 3G, 4G, or WiFi connections. It also supports group calling for up to 40 participants.
The service is free between Viber users, but a fee is charged for calling domestic and international lines outside the app. Through Viber Out, which enables outbound calls, users can buy credits and call any number. Rates start at $0.013 per minute.
Viber can be used on smartphones and tablets running iOS and Android, on Windows Phone, and Windows and Mac desktops.
Mac users have the option to video chat with anyone on a Mac, iPad, Phone, or iPod Touch via WiFi connection through their FaceTime for Mac app. You can opt for a full-screen view or use picture-in-picture to continue chatting with a small window in the corner of your display.
To set up FaceTime on your Mac, you'll need an Apple ID and email address. The app works with Contacts and Address Book so when you want to call someone, you can locate his or her name in the contact list. Click the phone icon to call an iPhone, or use the email address to call an iPad, iPod Touch, or Mac.
No need to worry about missing a call. If someone is trying to reach you, you'll receive a call alert whether or not FaceTime is active.
Line is messaging software designed to support real-time voice and video calls, individual and group instant messages, and photo and video file sending. Calls between Line accounts are free, but the company also offers the Line Out service for calling mobiles and landlines outside the app for one cent per minute from the US and China, but rates vary for other countries.
You can download and use Line on smartphone platforms including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Nokia Asha. It's also available for download on desktops running Windows, Mac OS, and Chrome.
Some handy features available in Line include the ability to send voice messages and location information. You can also add official accounts of artists, brands and TV shows to access Line-exclusive news and coupons.
Like WeChat, Line lets you add friends by using the "Shake It!" function. By shaking your phone next to a friend's device, you can add their Line contact information. You can also share contact info with a QR code or by sending your Line ID.
Line is messaging software designed to support real-time voice and video calls, individual and group instant messages, and photo and video file sending. Calls between Line accounts are free, but the company also offers the Line Out service for calling mobiles and landlines outside the app for one cent per minute from the US and China, but rates vary for other countries.
You can download and use Line on smartphone platforms including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Nokia Asha. It's also available for download on desktops running Windows, Mac OS, and Chrome.
Some handy features available in Line include the ability to send voice messages and location information. You can also add official accounts of artists, brands and TV shows to access Line-exclusive news and coupons.
Like WeChat, Line lets you add friends by using the "Shake It!" function. By shaking your phone next to a friend's device, you can add their Line contact information. You can also share contact info with a QR code or by sending your Line ID.
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