Self-Hosted Skype Alternatives

Skype is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Wire. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Skype and many of them are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to Skype are Matrix, Jitsi Meet, Mattermost and Zulip.

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Alternatives list

  1. Element icon

    Element

     790 likes

    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.

    314 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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    6
    Element vs Skype Comments
    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.
    3 of 6 comments
    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  2. Wire icon

    Wire

     319 likes

    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.

    286 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
     
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    9
    Wire vs Skype Comments
    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.
    3 of 9 comments
    • Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Wire is Security-focused and Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  4. Mumble icon

    Mumble

     484 likes

    Free, open source voice chat featuring low-latency, high quality audio, secure encrypted communication, self-hosting options, in-game overlays, positional audio, scripting support, low resource usage, and robust user permission controls for gaming and collaboration.

    57 Mumble alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Client (Mumble 1.3.0)
     
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    5
    Mumble vs Skype Comments
    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.
    3 of 5 comments
    • Mumble is Free and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mumble is Privacy focusedSkype is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     392 likes

    Open standard protocol enabling decentralized, encrypted instant messaging, VoIP signaling, IoT device connectivity, and persistent data management across federated servers without central control or single points of failure, bridging communication platforms.

    172 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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    1
    Matrix vs Skype Comments
    Alexey Korepov
    Positive
    4

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

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

    Jitsi Meet

     289 likes

    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.

    153 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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    3
    Jitsi Meet vs Skype Comments
    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.
    • 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
  8. Mattermost icon

    Mattermost

     254 likes

    Self-hosted collaboration platform featuring chat, workflow automation, voice and video calling, screen sharing, AI capabilities, broad third-party integration support, cross-platform apps, compatibility with Slack imports, and flexible deployment options for secure team communication.

    137 Mattermost alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    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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    1
    Mattermost vs Skype Comments
    MasteLrugarius
    Negative
    0

    Its oriented on enterprize

    • Mattermost is Paid and ProprietarySkype is Freemium and Proprietary
  10. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     267 likes

    Threaded group conversations combine live and asynchronous messaging, separating topics for organized collaboration, supporting open-source, cloud, and self-hosted deployments, secure communication with encryption, and multi-platform access for diverse teams.

    229 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

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

    Rocket.Chat

     159 likes

    Open-source chat server supporting real-time group, direct, and private messaging, video calls, file sharing, helpdesk chat, API integrations, desktop notifications, emojis, LDAP authentication, cross-platform apps, and customizable extensions for teams.

    146 Rocket.Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Rocket.Chat screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Rocket.Chat vs Skype Comments
    edlee
    Positive
    -2

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

    • Rocket.Chat is Freemium and Open SourceSkype is Freemium and Proprietary
  13. Nextcloud Talk icon

    Nextcloud Talk

     33 likes

    Self-hosted communication platform with secure audio, video, chat, web conferencing, screensharing, advanced encryption, and metadata privacy, running on user-controlled servers, supporting web and mobile apps, and eliminating third-party data exposure.

    111 Nextcloud Talk alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Nextcloud
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    • Chocolatey
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Homebrew
    Nextcloud Talk screenshot 1
     
  14. Briefing icon

    Briefing

     29 likes

    The preservation of privacy is the main driver for this project. Secure technologies, such as WebRTC, are used to establish a direct connection between the participants. The website that provides the web application and mediates the communication stores as little data as...

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • npm
    Briefing screenshot 1
     
12 of 34 Skype alternatives