Skype has been a voice and video conferencing platform for personal and business use around the world for some time. The platform offers users a wide selection of features, including VoIP, video calling, conference calling, group video calling, and screen sharing.
However, after Microsoft bought Skype in 2012 they started making changes, adding some features, while removing others, while also integrating it into the suite of Office software applications.
Not all users were happy with the acquisition and its changes and as competition in the service grew, a number of Skype users started migrating to something else. Indeed there are alternatives that can do everything like Skype even better than Skype. So, if you are also looking for the best Skype alternatives for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and Video calling, here are some options that you can choose from:
Skype Alternatives to Group Video Calls
1. Hangouts
While Google has confirmed that it will eventually discontinue Google Hangouts for consumers, it remains one of the best Skype alternatives for businesses. With Hangouts, you can connect with others via text, video or voice chat and the service even allows users to make voice calls/video conferences for up to 10 members simultaneously.
What makes Hangouts a good alternative to Skype is that it doesn’t require users to download a separate client, allowing users to take advantage of all of its features right from the browser window. While most of the features are free to use, calls to mobile or landline numbers outside the US and Canada will incur charges.
This service is a great solution for businesses because Google combines it with its GSuite offering. It’s also safe to say that Hangouts for businesses will be around even after Google has finally decided to discontinue it for regular consumers.
2. VSee
VSee lets you make unlimited group video calls for free. VSee started as a Tele-health app to provide medical consultation via Internet to people living in remote areas, but not limited to just that, you can also use it for your own purposes.
VSee uses 50% less bandwidth than Skype, offering easy file sharing and 720P HD video calling.
VSee’s free plan lets you do the following:
- Unlimited group videos
- Short message
- Send file
- 1 screen share per day
To increase the screen sharing limit, you have to sign up for a paid plan, starting at 49 USD per month.
3. UberConference
UberConference is not a video conferencing service but when it comes to audio conferencing, it is the most used and most trusted software. It has free and paid plans.
Here’s what this tool offers in the free plan:
- You can have unlimited conferences with up to 10 callers, (up to 100 callers in paid plans)
- Unlike all other conferences, here No PIN required for Organizer, (No PIN at all for everyone in paid plan)
- HD Audio quality and you can record or lock (for security) calls too
- Integration with LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Profiles
UberConference paid plans start at 15 USD per user per month.
4. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is another Skype alternative that you can try. The platform includes both paid and free variants, with the free variant offering unlimited meetings for up to 3 participants, including features such as screen sharing. For the paid version, you can sign up for the 14 day free trial plan and if you like it, you can proceed with the paid plan which starts from 19 USD a month.
Following are the outstanding features of this tool:
- Up to 250 members can join for video conferencing and can hold unlimited meetings
- HD video and audio quality
- Supports Mac, Windows PC, iOS or Android devices
- Offers single click screen sharing, keyboard or mouse control sharing, on-screen drawing & highlighting and many other features
Just like GoToMeeting to hold video conferences, GoToWebinar is also to hold webinars and GoToTraining to hold online training sessions.
5. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is my pick for the best Skype alternative. This messaging service has become one of the most popular in the world rapidly, so there is a good chance that you already have it installed on your smartphone or PC.
WhatsApp offers many features to rival Skype, including text messaging, voice and video calls, and group chats. It also offers web and desktop clients. Perhaps most famously, WhatsApp also provides end-to-end encryption which guarantees you a high level of privacy.
For business users, you can easily share documents and there is a WhatsApp business API as well.
Skype Alternatives for Voice and Video Calls
6. Viber
Viber started as a mobile app (available on all platforms) to communicate via text or voice calls and is now also available on Windows PC and Mac. With Viber you can make free voice calls as well as video calls worldwide but for that you have to make sure that Viber is installed on both devices.
You can also make calls from the device where Viber is installed to any mobile or landline number around the world, at a lower price. And yes, Viber is completely ad-free.
7. Jitsi
With jitsi, you can send free text messages, make video calls and can even use it for video conferencing (with screen sharing feature). It is open source software currently available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Let’s take a look at some of the features of jitsi:
- High quality low latency video calls
- WebRTC Support
- Support for advanced video routing technologies such as simul broadcast, bandwidth estimation, scalable video encoding, etc.
- Ubuntu and Debian packages for easy installation
- Cross platform support
8. FaceTime
FaceTime is again an excellent alternative to Skype, but only for Mac and iOS users. With FaceTime, you can easily make high quality video calls for free. The app is bundled with your macOS and iOS devices, so you don’t even have to rely on third-party software.
But, as previously mentioned, this app only works on macOS and iOS devices, and you won’t be able to use it if you have a Windows, Linux or Android device.
9. ICQ
ICQ is also a great alternative for Skype users which includes almost all the features you will find in Skype. With ICQ, users can make calls to landlines and mobile networks for a fee, send text messages and make group video calls. What’s really great about ICQ is that it is available on a number of platforms, including Windows macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, and ICQ also offers cross-platform support, so you can connect with people using different devices.
Moreover, the video calls made using ICQ are encrypted which means you can rest assured that whatever is said or done in the video call will only stay between the participants. ICQ is completely free to use and does not display any ads.
10. TOX
If security and privacy are top priorities for you, you can also check out TOX – a secure Skype alternative that protects all communications made through the app with end-to-end encryption. The app uses peer-to-peer technology for data transfer, which means no central server has access to all your data.
In addition to the normal functions that you would expect from a Skype alternative, including voice and video calls, instant messaging, and file sharing, TOX also features desktop sharing options. Although TOX is a great Skype alternative for video calling, it currently doesn’t have a proper interface for video conferencing which is disappointing, but you can use qTOX – a client based on TOX – for video conferencing. Being open source software, TOX is completely free to use.
Red Thread | Those were the 10 best Skype alternatives, each alternative has its own set of features that set it apart from the others and depending on your particular use case, I am sure you will find one from the list above which will suit you best.
