The Best Open Source Skype AlternativesTop Video Calling Apps & Instant Messengers like Skype

The best open source alternative to Skype is Signal. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Skype and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Skype are Tox, Element, Wire and Jami.

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Alternatives list

  1. Signal icon

    Signal

     1358 likes
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    An open-source messaging app emphasizing privacy with encrypted communication. Share texts, calls, photos, and videos without ads or trackers, available across major platforms. Developed by Signal Technology Foundation and praised globally for security measures.

    216 Signal alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    • Snapcraft
    Signal screenshot 1
     
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    117
    Comments about Signal as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    patrykmilhouse
    10

    Secure, encrypted, not owned by Microsoft or Facebook, keeps your data safe.

    Top Negative Comment
    bchpls
    0

    Signal is so privacy friendly that requires your phone number to register. A phone number which in many countries has to be registered with providing your ID. Private messenger my arse!

    matmarspace
    Positive
    0

    Great private end to end encrypted messenger!

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    3 of 8 comments
    Skype Icon
    Signal icon

    • Most users think Signal is a great Skype alternative.

    • Signal is the most popular Open Source alternative to Skype.

    • Signal is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Signal is Privacy focused and Security-focusedSkype is not according to our users
  2. Tox icon

    Tox

     558 likes
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    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.

    211 Tox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
    The Universal Tox Client. A Tox client that runs on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, FreeBSD & the web. Written in JS using React & React Native / electron.
     
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    152
    Comments about Tox as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    beatrupp
    12

    It is completely decentralized, open source, you can freely choose your client (from terminal, over Windows, to iOS)

    Guest
    Positive
    5

    free for most of the feature. But no group chat yet, and difficult to sync between multiple devices.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    -21

    You cannot setup your microphone properly on any of the major clients. Useless

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Skype Icon
    Tox icon

    • Most users think Tox is a great Skype alternative.

    • Tox is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Tox is Privacy focused and Security-focusedSkype is not according to our users
  4. Element icon

    Element

     770 likes
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    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    302 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    46
    Comments about Element as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    TheEmperorArt
    4

    Discord is like Skype but better. Element is like Discord but better.

    Guest
    Positive
    5

    FOSS, free, open source, own nodes etc.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Cross platform in terms of Apps and equally good using a browser.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 6 comments
    Skype Icon
    Element icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Element is a great Skype alternative.

    • Element is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Skype.

    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  5. Wire icon

    Wire

     312 likes
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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.

    281 Wire alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Wire screenshot 1
    Wire screenshot 2
    Wire screenshot 3
     
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    9
    90
    Comments about Wire as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    svenjost
    12

    Group audio calls with screen sharing functionality, open source, nice UI.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Truly secure and feature reach

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 9 comments
    Skype Icon
    Wire icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Wire is a great Skype alternative.

    • Wire is the most popular SaaS alternative to Skype.

    • Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Wire is Security-focused and Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  6. Jami icon

    Jami

     237 likes
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    Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement

    160 Jami alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Jami video conference OS X
     
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    66
    Comments about Jami as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    Jami is feature-rich and works peer-to-peer (without a server) and is safe as the code is open-source.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    no server's involved to store our data and no id needed to chat, a complete alternative to something like whatsapp

    only problem is the push notification makes the app non functional, so local DHT is the only option

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Peer-to-peer, end-to-end encrypted, free and open-source, distributed architecture which is better than both centralized and decentralized, works on the widest variety of operating system (macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, Android TV, iPhone, iPad)

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 9 comments
    Skype Icon
    Jami icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Jami is a great Skype alternative.

    • Jami is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jami is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  7. Mumble icon

    Mumble

     480 likes
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    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.

    50 Mumble alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Mumble 1.2.3 Release Candidate – some users in different channels
     
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    64
    Comments about Mumble as an Alternative to Skype
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    4

    Completely open source, very high quality

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    4

    Mumble requires a server to run

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Lightweight high quality audio chat. Self-hosted and encrypted, so your communications are private.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 5 comments
    Skype Icon
    Mumble icon

    • Most users think Mumble is a great Skype alternative.

    • Mumble is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mumble is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  9. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     381 likes
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    Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication, suitable for securely publishing, persisting and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.

    166 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    16
    Comments about Matrix as an Alternative to Skype
    Alexey Korepov
    Positive
    4

    Feature-full modern free opensource instant messaging server with federation.

    Skype Icon
    Matrix icon

    • Most users think Matrix is a great Skype alternative.

    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Matrix is Privacy focused and Security-focusedSkype is not according to our users
  10. Jitsi Meet icon

    Jitsi Meet

     283 likes
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    Go ahead, video chat with the whole team. In fact, invite everyone you know. Jitsi Meet is a fully encrypted, 100% open source video conferencing solution that you can use all day, every day, for free.

    148 Jitsi Meet alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple Watch
    • F-Droid
    Jitsi Meet screenshot 1
     
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    24
    Comments about Jitsi Meet as an Alternative to Skype
    Guest
    Positive
    6

    This is an excellent Skype replacement. It's free, open source, encrypted and you don't need to install anything. You simply go to the website, choose a link and email it to the person you want to speak with. Everything happens in your browser. You can password protect your session, have group conversations, share screen, chat and collaborate on text documents. Easier even than Skype and much more private.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Skype for free, with better quality and more secure.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Fast, secure and Open Source.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Skype Icon
    Jitsi Meet icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Jitsi Meet is a great Skype alternative.

    • Jitsi Meet is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jitsi Meet is Security-focused and Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  11. Linphone icon

    Linphone

     143 likes
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    Linphone is one of the most famous open source softphones in the world. It is fully SIP-based, for all calling, presence and IM features.

    82 Linphone alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    iOS Assistant
     
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    37
    Comments about Linphone as an Alternative to Skype
    vladmihaisima
    Positive
    0

    It is able to do voip calls without headaches. Sound quality seems better than skype.

    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Allows voice, video and text converstaions

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Skype Icon
    Linphone icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Linphone is a great Skype alternative.

    • Linphone is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Linphone is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  12. Mattermost icon

    Mattermost

     253 likes
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    Mattermost is a secure, open source platform for communication, collaboration, and workflow orchestration across tools and teams.

    130 Mattermost alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • JavaScript
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    Mattermost screenshot 1
     
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    12
    Comments about Mattermost as an Alternative to Skype
    MasteLrugarius
    Negative
    0

    Its oriented on enterprize

    Skype Icon
    Mattermost icon

    • Most users think Mattermost is a great Skype alternative.

    • Mattermost is the most popular commercial alternative to Skype.

    • Mattermost is Paid and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
  13. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     265 likes
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    Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip topics create a separate space for each discussion, so different conversations will never get in each other's way.

    222 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
  14. Rocket.Chat icon

    Rocket.Chat

     160 likes
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    Rocket.Chat is a Web Chat Server, developed in JavaScript, using the Meteor fullstack framework.

    142 Rocket.Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Rocket.Chat screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Comments about Rocket.Chat as an Alternative to Skype
    edlee
    Positive
    -2

    Good alternative to Slack because it is free and self-hosted.

    Skype Icon
    Rocket.Chat icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Rocket.Chat is a great Skype alternative.

    • Rocket.Chat is Freemium and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
12 of 61 Skype alternatives