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Launched in 2012, Skype is one of the best apps available for download for the latest services like VoIP, video calls and conferencing, etc. After the deal in which Skype was acquired by Microsoft, it has changed a lot including the 365 bundles. Even though many things have remained the same over the span of time the sign-up procedure has changed a lot and users likes to call with more complex. Also, Microsoft has been pushing upgrades on its self-owned service known as Microsoft Teams and not Skype.
It is the best time to switch on to any other service before Skype gets not support from Windows. Skype is used by both the commercial and non-commercial users so our team divided the article as top apps for personal as well as with official teams.
Note: “The mentioned list of Skype alternatives includes both free as well as paid options whose pricing is subject to change.”
Top Skype alternatives
First let us consider the apps for business use.
#1 Microsoft Teams
No doubt in the fact that Microsoft team gives a head to head competition to Skype with similar and in some aspects, a more intuitive User Interface. When the service is used with Microsoft Office apps, it crates an amazing and flawless experience as the integration is smooth. Some of the best features of this app are Video calls, online conferences, 365 integration, collaborations in real time etc. Apart form these features, a 1TB of storage from OneDrive is also offered to all the Microsoft team users.
In collaboration with Office users, a user can also have some fun-time using the service using a wide support of gifs and animated stickers. On a single call, a maximum of 10,000 users can attend.
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Linux and Windows.
1 Month free with $8 a month afterwards.
#2 Google Meet
Developed by Google, Google Meet is a great video calling software which recently came in to light due to COVID outbreak. It the safest app when it comes to privacy which is why it crossed 50 million downloads on the play store. The Meet app also integrates well with Gmail app that allows a user to join the meeting from the app only. Do use it, just create a meeting and share the code. A maximum of 250 participants can enter a single meeting.
Apart from this, google is also working on the Blur feature. The best feature of the app is the broadcasting option that allows broadcasting a message to 1,00,000 users at any given time.
Platforms: iOS, Android and Web.
1 Month free with $6 a month afterwards.
#3 Zoom
This app reached the top of Video calling while in the Lockdown only with more than a billion users worldwide. Skype was failed due to its success. It is one among the best apps to start Video-calling with minimal video and audio delay and amazing quality. This app can hold up to 500 users on a single video call conference.
Zoom is most preferred due to the ease of use, a person who has never used any video-calling app can also use the service without any hassle across devices. However, the free version can hold up to 100 people on a single call with a 40 minutes of maximum time cap after which the meeting is stopped. Any school or college meeting can be held here with ease and little knowledge in technology. One can use the Zoom app without any doubt in the scenario.
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Web.
1 Month free with $14.99 a month afterwards.
#4 Jitsi Meet
Jitsi Meet is the final app that is for professional use in the list after which all the apps are for personal users. This app caught our eyes with its open-source development. This app is very easy to use without installing any software. Just open the browser and click GO.
Some of its cool features includes chatting, screen recording, uploading the content directly to Dropbox service. The feature that is loved by all the people using it is the no spam features in which passwords are set by the hosting person so that no unusual or unknown person can join with the link. Alternate mobile apps are available on both Android and iOS to install and attend the service. A user can also integrate the service with slack while communicating with the team. Another few set of features includes a support for up to 75 users while on a group call but we would suggest you to keep the limit below 40 to get maximum benefit and low latency with minimum audio cut. Use this service as this is easy to use video-conferencing service.
Platforms: iOS, Android and Web.
It is totally free service.
Now, let’s consider some options for personal use.
This section purely focuses on the commercial users who wants to connect to family members and friends. The following apps are very famous and used by everyone which is why these are on the list.
The apps featured are easy to use without any hassle or prior knowledge. Just click the calling option after selecting the person and you are ready to connect. Our team does not prefer using these apps for professional meetings due to limited features that are limited and hold certain number of members in any single call. Features like transcript, call recording or time cap are absent in the apps because they are free to use.
#5 WhatsApp
Owned by Facebook, WhatsApp has grown a lot since its launched in 2009 with a massive 1.5 Billion monthly users. Back in 2018, the company launched its Video-calling feature to connect to family and friends with only single person on the call. As of 2019, the company has started supporting up to 4 connections on a single call whether it be video or normal VoIP.
Our team noticed lag and degraded quality of video call when all the 4 slots were filled with users.
Platforms: iOS, Android.
#6 Google Duo
Even thought Google Meet takes the professional side of the meetings, Google Duo has its own user base in the commercial use. Launched in 2016 with Google Allo, Google Duo has gained popularity after Allo got discontinued. It is one among the successful app when it comes to VoIP and video calls.
Having backed by Google, this app is the most stable app when it comes to video calls and has the best, stable connection and quality. Apart from all this, it also packs in certain cool features like night mode calling, knock nock feature, video message support, and best encryption.
Platforms: iOS, Android and Web.
#7 FaceTime
Some of the users might be well aware of the app if using macOS as known as the Apple ecosystem. For all the Apple users out there, there is no best alternative to Skype except Facetime. This app is widely available on most of the Apple products including iOS, iPadOS as well as macOS. Facetime app was introduced by Apple in the same year as iOS 12 and macOS Mojave.
Feature packed with support for up to 32 people in a single call. Apart from this, the person who is actively speaking gets the front row in the app so people can recognize the speaker in the video call.
Platforms: iOS, iPadOS and macOS.
#8 Houseparty
As the company calls this app “face-to-face social network”, the app is undoubtedly one of the best app when it comes to VoIP and video calls. Signing up is as easy as putting butter on the bread. Just sign up using the main email address after which the app will itself check for any Facebook or snapchat contacts who are using the Houseparty app and connects to theek automatically. Groups can also be created with a limit of 7 per groups which is more than sufficient for most of the users.
Also, several other features includes creating a room and locking it, one click to video call etc.
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS and Web.
#9 Facebook Messenger
As known by everyone, Facebook has messenger app that contains various famous and one of its kind features. It is the biggest social media platform since it’s release and user base is increasing every year. Due to the biggest audience, there is no doubt that most of the users will be there which makes it much easy to find and contact them in the first place.
With support of upto 50 members limit of the video calls, this again takes the game in the hands. Like FaceTime, upto 6 speakers appears in the window whereas the rest stays in the list. It has an amazing and intuitive UI that is very user friendly and easy to use.
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. and Web.
#10 Discord
It’s been half a decade since Voice and chat apps grew more exponentially than expected. The most hyped app is Discord. Revealed in 2015, it has been topping the charts for quite a while now with a whopping 250 Million users registered and approx. of 14 Million logins daily. It has all the great features that are easy to use and free of cost. It has an intuitive User Interface which helps users get used to it easily without any hassle.
There are bots available to do some tests including playing music and doing tasks. Video calling can raise place for all the members at the same time but video call can be used for upto 9 users at any time. One can also switch between video and screen sharing mode.
Platforms: iOS, Android, macOS and Windows.
1 Month free with $9.99 a month afterwards.
So, this was our list of top 10 Skype alternatives.
Still, have any queries regarding the VoIP and Video-call apps? don’t worry, just comment down below and our team will reach you as soon as possible.
