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23 Best Skype Alternatives on the Market

Smartphones have totally, and irrevocably, changed our lives. Fifteen years ago, we could not have imagined a world with video calls, but now we use Skype entirely ubiquitously. Not only that, but there was a time where Skype alternatives were very few, and not good enough.

Even though Skype is one of the most popular apps for video calls, it is far from perfect:

  • you may receive spam from hacked accounts
  • low speed
  • the latest redesign isn’t to your liking
  • it is not useful for teams and conference calls

We have collected 23 best Skype alternatives out there to let you try something new. Communicate with your friends and teams the way you want. The list also features free apps without registration to make fast video calls. Scroll down to check them out.

Whatsapp is one of the most popular chats on the planet. It counts over 1 billion active users.

Whatsapp offers you voice calls, video calls, and many other amazing features.

If you are looking for a stable solution for personal use or business, Whatsapp is definitely one of the first options to choose from.

Viber is another popular chat app on this list. It started their life as a voice calling app that works pretty well, by the way.

Now you can also make video calls using an internet connection. Other than that, you can use text chat, voice chat, or video chat.

Besides, Viber allows you to create secret conversations and keep your message history private. It’s not that popular in the USA.

Jitsi is a multi-platform video conferencing app that is suitable for business needs.

It works perfectly for two people as well as 200 people. The app is open-source that allows you to build and deploy secure video conferences.

Jitsi is a group of developers that take video conferencing on a whole new level.

Talky was initially created as a competitor to Skype. If you are searching for a free video chat app, here is the perfect option.

You can talk to up to 15 people in one conference call. The process is so easy that you don’t even need to download any plugins or software.

Just open the Talky website, create a new chat room, and share the link with anyone you want. And yes, you don’t need to sign up or create an account.

Wire is one more amazing alternative to Skype with a focus on your privacy. The app allows you to make a video call, send messages, and share files.

Directly from Wire, you can share data from other apps, such as Vimeo, Youtube, Soundcloud, and Shopify. Along with the disadvantages, Wire allows you to make video calls with only four people.

They have strict data protection regulations, so you ensure your files and messages are secure. It’s free for personal use, and the paid business version starts with 4€ per month.

Telegram is a popular, secure chat app that allows you to send not only text and audio messages, but also make video calls.

The app is cloud-based so that you can access your files on multiple devices. It has an open API for everyone. Telegram is free forever, with no ads or subscription plans.

WeChat is an instant messenger app for smartphones. They provide a conference feature that ensures that only one person talks at a time, that is very convenient.

You can send funny stickers to your friends and family in a chat. Just another Skype alternative to make video calls.

Imo is an app that is popular in third world countries because it provides video calls for 2G and 3G networks.

It requires only 6MB of space on a smartphone. Imo is available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phones.

The app provides high-quality video and voice calls despite a slow internet connection.

Zoom is a business application that allows you to make conference video calls. The platform is cloud-based which means you can hold webinars, video calls, conferences, and group messages with whiteboarding.

The basic version is free, but it also provides a paid version for advanced users. You can make HD video calls with Zoom. Besides, you can make webinars with up to 10,000 viewers.

Google Duo is an alternative to Facetime. However, unlike Facetime, you can use Google Duo on both iOS and Android devices.

It’s effortless to start using the app: download the application and verify your mobile number. It will automatically sync all your contacts and show who also uses Google Duo from your list.

Thanks to a handy “Knock-knock” feature, another user can also join a video call even before the call is started.

Webex is a trusted software for online meetings. This tool is paid, but you can give it a test drive for 14 days for free.

It’s worth its money: Webex provides you HD-quality video calls, high-quality voice calls, easy screen and file sharing, online whiteboard, and easy switching between files.

All these features make it a handy tool for businesses and teams.

The FortKnoxster platform is an end-to-end encryption system leveraging on the Blockchain technology to establish secure and trusted communication links between its users.

With this app, you can make calls, chat, and share files with other users and know that all your data is secured. Nobody can hack your video calls with FortKnoxster.

You can also share your screen just like with Skype.

Another great alternative to Skype users is ICQ. It is a Russsian app that has almost all the features of Skype.

With ICQ you can send messages and make video calls for free, but also call the landlines and mobile phones for a small fee.

The video calls you to make in ICQ and encrypted which means all you say or text will remain only between you and people you chat.

If I’m not mistaken, ICQ is even older than Skype.

Troop Messenger is a multi-utilitarian interface for team collaboration and instant messaging.

Customizable and simple to use across platforms, it provides for a highly secured exchange of data and ownership for enterprises.

Troop Messenger offers audio/video calling facility along with screen-sharing functionality. It can be also hosted on a private cloud server, thereby providing enhanced security of data for users.

Google Hangouts is a video conferencing tool aimed at enterprise communication.

Hangouts allows you to create a video call groups of up to 10 people, which can be considered a limitation. However, when it comes to group chats, you can add
up to 150 contacts.

Accessible and low-cost, Hangouts lets you connect with your employees or speak with your clients. With Hangouts, the communication possibilities are infinite.

Chanty is an easy to use team collaboration tool designed to take your productivity to the next level.

With Chanty, you can easily organize your tasks and all the content you share, create new tasks from scratch or turn any message into a task to enjoy a smarter collaboration with your deadline-driven team. Collaborate in real-time via audio calls or 4k video calls with support for up to 1000 video participants and 49 videos on screen.

What’s more, you can also trust Chanty to keep your data secure and meet your compliance requirements.

Slack is a useful, convenient app for work teams. You can create chats with different users, mention users via @ and view all team members files in one place.

You can work with numerous groups at Slack. When it comes to video calls, Slack allows you to make voice and video calls. And besides, in a case you need to show your work, you can share your screen just like on Skype.

Tox is a free and secure software that allows you to connect with your team, friends, or family.

Its features include instant messaging, voice and video communication, screen sharing, file sharing, and group chats.

Free to use, encrypted, and with zero advertising, Tox is a secure solution for online communication.

Discord is a free chat application, initially created for gamers. The platform gained popularity and is now used by different communities with different interests. It makes chatting easy even if it's mainly oriented towards video gaming.

It can be used to create servers, both public and private that allow you to chat with people via text, video, or voice. On Discord, you can find or create groups on a variety of topics, like self-improvement, productivity, cryptocurrency, and more.

Mattermost is an open-source messaging platform that enables team collaboration, without having to worry about security or data privacy.

With Mattermost you can take full control over your data, integrate your favorite tools, automate your work and even configure its design based on your needs.

Flock is more than a communication platform. Besides text, voice, and video communication, it comes with a lot of productivity-related features like to-do lists, polls, notes, reminders and filesharing.

Also, you won't have to worry about security or privacy, as it's SOC 2 Compliant and all the traffic between servers and Flock users is encrypted.

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The world's biggest online directory of resources and tools for startups and the most upvoted product on ProductHunt History.

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