Skype Alternatives

    Skype is described as 'is the most popular free voice-over IP and instant messaging service globally. It allows users to text, video and voice call over the internet. Users can also call landlines and mobiles at competitive rates using Skype credit, premium accounts and subscriptions' and is one of the leading apps in the Social & Communications category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Skype for a variety of platforms, including Android, iPhone, Online / Web-based, Windows and iPad. The best alternative is Discord, which is free. Other great apps like Skype are Telegram (Free), Signal (Free, Open Source), Tox (Free, Open Source) and Hangouts (Free).

    This page was last updated Jul 20, 2021

    1. Discord

      • Freemium • Proprietary
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Chrome OS
      • Android Tablet
      • BSD
      • iPad
      • Electron / Atom Shell
      • FreeBSD
      • Playstation
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      Whether you’re part of a school club, a gaming group, a worldwide art community, or just a handful of friends that want to spend time together, Discord makes it easy to talk every day and hang out more often. Create an invite-only place.
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      Discord vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Discord is a great alternative to Skype.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      At least Discord allows us to choose our username.
      Top positive comment  almost 4 years ago

      18
      Better design, better quality, not by Microsoft
      Top positive comment  over 2 years ago

      9
      Discord is more like a chat version of Reddit, it's intended for large crowds
      Top negative comment  over 1 year ago

      -2
      Crashes everytime, full of errors and bugs, serious problems related to security and privacy, bad moderation, and many other reasons.
      Negative comment • 11 months ago

      -5
      c4334544 good but i've heard they are corrupted. not sure how true this info is
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      0
      It's topical and server based, not individuals who can connect.
      Negative comment • about 2 years ago

      -7
      daynabarber38 Discord ismore convenient and less buggy
      Positive comment • over 2 years ago

      0
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      7 of 30 comments

    2. Telegram

      • Free • Proprietary
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • HUAWEI AppGallery
      • Windows Phone
      • iPad
      • Apple Watch
      • Linux Mobile
      • Android Wear
      • PortableApps.com
      • FreeBSD
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      Telegram is a messaging app created by former VK creators with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free. It is like SMS, but more powerful.
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      Telegram vs Skype opinions
      Most users think Telegram is a great alternative to Skype.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      liqube Super fast, stable, lightweight. Everything Skype is not.
      Top positive comment  almost 4 years ago

      3
      Clear voice calls, OTR encrypted. Lightest on resources. Multiplatform native client app, not like others.
      Top positive comment  almost 4 years ago

      0
      Skype needs ID for login while all these need network numbers
      Top negative comment  almost 4 years ago

      14
      joprime87 Use it day by day. Stable, has good connection, high-quality chat features. And good enough to use for video calls.
      Positive comment • 6 months ago

      0
      Allready telegram have video calls
      Positive comment • 11 months ago

      5
      Telegram does not provide video calling.
      Negative comment • about 1 year ago

      -8
      Is free software. Free as freedom
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      -2
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      7 of 14 comments
    4. Signal is a messaging app with an unexpected focus on privacy, combined with all the features expected from a modern IM app. Signal has received a lot of praise from all around the world for its security and privacy-respecting technologies.
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      Signal vs Skype opinions
      Most users think Signal is a great alternative to Skype.
      End-to-end encryption and servers do not log data.
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      10
      Free as in free beer, and fully open source !
      Top positive comment  over 2 years ago

      7
      sedeti this is like skype without the data log
      Positive comment • 5 months ago

      1
      Strong encryption, high quality sound. Uses both WiFi and Mobile Data to grant the best possible quality. Recommended by Edward Snowden. Enjoy!
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      1
      patrykmilhouse Secure, encrypted, not owned by Microsoft or Facebook, keeps your data safe.
      Positive comment • almost 4 years ago

      8
      Call people without being listened on!
      Positive comment • about 5 years ago

      6
    5. With the rise of widespread government monitoring programs, Tox is an easy to use application that allows you to connect with friends and loved ones without anyone else listening in.
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      Tox vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Tox is a great alternative to Skype.
      beatrupp It is completely decentralized, open source, you can freely choose your client (from terminal, over Windows, to iOS)
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      12
      bumba Decentralized, Secure, Open-source, fast to setup, no ads.
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      12
      free for most of the feature. But no group chat yet, and difficult to sync between multiple devices.
      Positive comment • about 3 years ago

      5
      You cannot setup your microphone properly on any of the major clients. Useless
      Negative comment • almost 4 years ago

      -21
      you cannot down load this program
      Negative comment • over 5 years ago

      -12
    6. Hangouts is a messaging app that lets you send and receive messages, photos and more, and even start free video and voice calls – one to one or with a group!
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      Hangouts vs Skype opinions
      Most users think Hangouts is a great alternative to Skype.
      Its email systems voice and screen sharing file send it really good. That's why it is better then skype
      Top positive comment  over 5 years ago

      4
      samnordberg Only needs a Google account. Great integration with Gmail/Inbox. Android and iOS apps, plus stand-alone web version. Easy integration with Google Voice, can send SMS or make phone calls for free (even from abroad). Best communications app in my opinion.
      Top positive comment  over 3 years ago

      0
      Google discontinued vocal and vido calls in Hangouts.
      Top negative comment  8 months ago

      2
      More professional and easy to use than than most of the alternatives, and just like Skype, it has a strong focus on conference calls, via audio/video.
      Positive comment • over 2 years ago

      0
      alexsokol Good audio and video calls.
      Positive comment • almost 4 years ago

      0
      camck Good for texting, and video chating
      Positive comment • almost 5 years ago

      0
      Katzen_Gott Hangouts do not support Skype protocol
      Negative comment • about 5 years ago

      -1

    8. Wire

      • Free Personal • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Self-Hosted
      • Software as a Service (SaaS)
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      Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption. Why Wire?
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      Wire vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Wire is a great alternative to Skype.
       all • positive • negative      relevance • date
      svenjost Group audio calls with screen sharing functionality, open source, nice UI.
      Top positive comment  almost 5 years ago

      10
      Great security, open source, video calls, responsive developers.
      Top positive comment  over 5 years ago

      9
      Wire is free, open source and easy to use and, most importantly, PRIVATE. It transmits data only in an encrypted way that even the creators of Wire cannot see, so you can be sure your content is YOURS, and not something the likes of Microsoft (who own Skype) can read, analyze, hand on to authorities or lose to hackers.
      Positive comment • almost 2 years ago

      1
      Truly secure and feature reach
      Positive comment • over 2 years ago

      0
      someonelast It's open source, cross-platform, and free!
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      -3
      Lura Open source, encrypted, stable
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      0
      a better connection and more secure
      Positive comment • almost 4 years ago

      0
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      7 of 9 comments

    9. Element

      • Free Personal • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Self-Hosted
      • Matrix.org
      • Cloudron
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      Element is a secure collaboration and messaging app based on the Matrix protocol. It’s decentralised to deliver digital sovereignty, and based on an open standard for easy connections and interoperability. It is end-to-end encrypted by default.
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      Element vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Element is a great alternative to Skype.
      MasteLrugarius It's like Skype but has open groups like Teamspeak and it has unlimited fileupload. Thanks to a server to server structure, everyone can text everyone.
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      6
      It's arguably the premier Matrix client, which is free software that is decentralized. Riot.im gives you the option to host a Matrix server yourself and connect to it. It also offers end-to-end encryption and high quality video and audio chat. Not to mention the modern UI.
      Top positive comment  over 2 years ago

      4
      FOSS, free, open source, own nodes etc.
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      0
      Cross platform in terms of Apps and equally good using a browser.
      Positive comment • over 1 year ago

      0
      Murz Free, opensource and encrypted, with federation support and can be hosted on your servers.
      Positive comment • almost 4 years ago

      2

    10. Slack

      • Freemium • Proprietary
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Android
      • iPhone
      • Chrome OS
      • Android Tablet
      • iPad
      • Electron / Atom Shell
      • Software as a Service (SaaS)
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      Slack is a unified communication platform built with an optimized workflow to keep modern teams focused and productive. A familiar chat interface facilitates discussions while advanced features are easily exposed based on context.
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      Slack vs Skype opinions
      Most users think Slack is a great alternative to Skype.
      Ola With the new VOIP it has replaced Skype in our office.
      Positive comment • almost 5 years ago

      6
      TNovak Prefer it to Skype in a Commercial environment
      Positive comment • over 4 years ago

      2
      georgecoem Both great for separate purposes
      Positive comment • almost 5 years ago

      0
    11. Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement Open Source and cross-platform. Jami gives you a full control over your communications and an unmatched level of privacy.
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      Jami vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Jami is a great alternative to Skype.
      Not only is it free and open, they also do not record all your private conversations and use it against you. As a trial in New Zealand has shown, it also does not spy on your computer like Skype does and does not insert itself into everything.
      Top positive comment  over 3 years ago

      3
      Fast, very secure and Open Source.
      Top positive comment  over 3 years ago

      4
      Very good alternative to Skype, WhatsApp and other mainstream chat software. Decentralised, free and open source!
      Positive comment • about 1 year ago

      0
      Jami seems to be really providing the service it declares and not interested in tracking its users in a confused way as other Skype alternatives do (ie Google Hangouts).
      Positive comment • about 2 years ago

      2
      Open source, decentralized
      Positive comment • about 4 years ago

      0
      jsonoctopus Great p2p voice and text chat.
      Positive comment • over 4 years ago

      0
    12. Mumble was the first and is the most successful and wide spread free and open source software for VoIP. It was the first VoIP software to provide low-latency audio suitable for gaming, and at the same time was a pioneer in high audio quality at the same time.
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      Mumble vs Skype opinions
      Almost everyone thinks Mumble is a great alternative to Skype.
      Completely open source, very high quality
      Top positive comment  over 4 years ago

      4
      Communication more lightweight due to new opus codec when communicating
      Top positive comment  almost 6 years ago

      4
      Mumble requires a server to run
      Top negative comment  over 5 years ago

      2
      Lightweight high quality audio chat. Self-hosted and encrypted, so your communications are private.
      Positive comment • over 3 years ago

      1
      Mumble requires a server. Skype is end-to-end
      Negative comment • over 5 years ago

      -21
    Showing 10 of 302 alternatives