12.06.24
Microsoft’s news that Skype will shut down on May 5, 2025, has not been welcomed by its users who are now left to either transition to Microsoft Teams or find another working alternative. While Teams is a powerful tool for professionals, it’s not the most intuitive or useful for the thousands who relied on Skype to stay in touch with friends and family, both domestic and international. So, we put together a list of the best alternatives for Skype that will keep you connected for free, with even more perks than before.
Category
Service
Best Overall Alternative
- Free local phone number.
- Free unlimited texts & calls.
- Affordable international rates starting at $0/min.
- Free international texting to select countries.
Best Alternative for Video Calls
- Messaging and calling available to anyone around the world.
- Free video calling.
- Encrypted messaging.
Best Alternative for International Calls
- International calling support with a free number.
- International credits can be easily added or even earned via ads.
Best Alternative for Security
- Messaging and calling available to anyone around the world.
- End-to-end encryption.
- Trusted contacts system that notifies you if anything about a contact's details changes.
Best Alternative for Professionals
- Comprehensive features for video conferencing: screen sharing, breakout rooms, chat, recording capabilities.
- Easily accessible.
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Best Skype Alternative Overall
TextNow
Price Free
Platform Android, iOS, desktop (Microsoft, Mac)
Our Take TextNow is the only alternative on this list that also provides you with your own local phone number (similar to Skype) that you can use to make both domestic and international calls/texts with. Acting as a real second phone number that can be accessed easily through your phone or computer, this app would make for the easiest transition from Skype for all your communication needs.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- Free local phone number.
- Free unlimited calls & texts with international support.
- Group chat support.
- Not end-to-end encrypted.
- No video calling support.
Best Skype Alternative for Video Calling
WhatsApp
Price Free
Platform Android, iOS, desktop (Microsoft, Mac)
Our Take WhatsApp is a popular app for communicating with both personal and professional contacts. Conversations are maintained within their app (both parties have to use the app), which makes for seamless audio and video calling experiences.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- End-to-end encrypted.
- Group chat support.
- Other messaging/calling features like reactions, GIFs, video and file sharing also supported.
- Need a valid mobile phone number to use.
- Can only message other existing WhatsApp accounts.
Best Skype Alternative for International Calling
TextNow
Price Free
Platform Android, iOS, desktop (Microsoft, Mac)
Our Take TextNow is the only alternative on this list that also provides you with your own local phone number (similar to Skype) that you can use to make both domestic and international calls/texts with. Acting as a real second phone number that can be accessed easily through your phone or computer, this app would make for the easiest transition from Skype for all your communication needs.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- International calling support with affordable rates (some popular destinations start at $0/min).
- Additional free international messaging support to select countries.
- Can call with a real phone number to other existing phone numbers.
- Not end-to-end encrypted.
- No video calling support.
Best Skype Alternative for Secure Communication
Viber
Price Free
Platform Android, iOS, desktop (Microsoft, Mac)
Our Take Viber is a messaging app similar to WhatsApp that allows for seamless calling (audio & video) and messaging between contacts. It's popular in international countries and is a robust app that allows for fun communication between contacts.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- End-to-end encrypted.
- Trusted contacts system.
- Easily accessible.
- Can only message other existing Viber accounts.
Best Skype Alternative for Professional Use
Zoom
Price Free (with paid/premium upgrades)
Platform Android, iOS, desktop (Microsoft, Mac)
Our Take Zoom is similar to Microsoft Teams as it offers an easy video conferencing and file sharing tool for both personal and professional or enterprise use. If you're looking to host video calls with clients that can easily support screen sharing, file sharing, screen recording, and more, you can use their free basic plan to easily host 40-minute calls.
Pros & Cons Pros:
- Lots of features to support successful video conferencing.
- Easily accessible on mobile or a desktop.
- High-quality video.
- 40-minute time limit on the free tier.
Why is Skype shutting down?
Microsoft, which acquired Skype in 2011, announced last month that it will discontinue the service on May 5, 2025. While it may not feel like it to its loyal users, Skype has been declining in popularity since 2016, losing over 80% of its monthly active users to competitors like Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Google Meet to name a few. Additionally, Microsoft has developed its own video and voice calling system, Microsoft Teams, so it makes more sense for the company to consolidate Skype users into Teams and manage one platform rather than two.
Pros & Cons of Microsoft Teams
Pros
Cons
Easily combines chat, video calls, file sharing, and collaborating tools in one place (can use both for personal and professional). More complicated to use for casual chats/video calls.
Better video and audio quality than Skype No phone number provided and no ability to call real mobile or landline numbers without upgrading to paid plan.
More secure Requires Microsoft account (not as accessible).
Do I need to export my Skype data before it shuts down?
If you transition to Microsoft Teams, your Skype contacts and basic chat history will migrate automatically. If you are looking to migrate to another alternative, however, you can manually export your Skype data, including contacts, messages, files such as voicemails and pictures/videos. That data will otherwise be lost when the service shuts down.
How to export your Skype data:
Go to Skype’s Export Page.
Sign in with your Skype account.
Choose what to download (you can also simply choose “all data”).
Submit request.
Once the data is ready (it can take up to 24 hours in some cases), you will receive a notification email. At that point, you can return to the Export page and download your data.
Who needs a Skype alternative?
If Microsoft Teams doesn’t fulfill your communication needs – notably if you used Skype as a second phone number or need to maintain the ability to call other mobile or landline numbers – then your best path forward is to find another alternative.
How to pick out the best Skype alternative
Skype was a great tool for communicating, but the one feature that made it stand out was its ability to provide a second phone number to use to contact other valid mobile or landline numbers, anywhere in the world. Not many other alternatives offer that service, which is invaluable to a lot of Skype users. While apps like Viber and WhatsApp offer seamless video and audio calling, they rely on both parties having access to the app. That’s not always feasible or accessible in other parts of the world. Having your own second phone number that offers an easy route to contacting anyone else in the world simply by dialing their phone number is what sets TextNow apart from the other alternatives. If you still need some help with deciding what works best for you, though, here is a simple checklist:
Determine your top feature requirement(s). First, determine what you need the alternative for. If it’s for contacting family and friends abroad via their landline or mobile phone number, then it’s imperative that you only look for services that provide you with your own phone number to call and/or can still contact international numbers with a VoIP workaround.
Consider how you want to use the alternative. Most alternatives will offer their services on a variety of platforms, such as a mobile app and a browser and/or desktop app as well. But it’s important to pick the alternative that works best on the platform you’re most comfortable using.
Set your budget. The great thing about Skype is that it’s free. If you’re not willing to compromise on that to get the same features, then only look for free alternatives. Beware that some services may offer a free tier, but to get the features that you actually want, you’d need to pay for an upgrade.
Is it safe to use a Skype alternative?
Yes, most alternatives will be safe to use. Services that are closed – meaning that both users have to be using the same service to have a conversation (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber) – tend to be more secure because they can offer end-to-end message encryption.
Frequently asked questions about Skype alternatives
Got questions or comments? Send us a note at [email protected]!
