After years of connecting people and businesses for meetings and casual chats, Skype officially bid its farewell on May 5, 2025. For many, Skype was the go-to app for calls and messaging. With its retirement, users are now on the lookout for reliable, affordable, and innovative alternatives that can fill the void.
Fortunately, the digital landscape offers a plethora of Skype alternatives. These user-friendly, feature-rich options cater to a wide range of needs, whether you’re chatting with friends or hosting professional meetings. Ready to enhance your experience? Dive into the alternatives outlined below!
Here’s a look at ten best Skype alternatives that are making waves:
For those who appreciated Skype, Microsoft Teams could be your next best friend. A robust alternative to Skype for business communication, it supports video calls from any device with a camera or directly from a web browser. Teams facilitates chat, voice calls, file sharing, and meeting organization. Communities or groups can be created, with calendar integration and project management capabilities. Microsoft Teams offers both free and premium plans.
Perfect for businesses already using Google Workspace, Google Meet integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar and Gmail. Meetings can be joined via Google Slides, Docs, or Sheets, with no additional software required. Google Meet features screen sharing, high-quality audio and video calls, end-to-end encryption, and real-time captions, making it an excellent choice for secure communication.
Zoom has become a household name as a free alternative to Skype. Known for its HD video and audio calls, breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds, and meeting recording capabilities, Zoom is designed with businesses and teams in mind. It supports webinars and large group meetings, integrating with tools like Microsoft 365, Slack, and Google Workspace.
Primarily a video conferencing platform, Webex Meeting offers a suite of business-oriented features. The web version boasts an intuitive design, making it easy to send messages, schedule and host meetings, and view meeting calendars. In-meeting messaging facilitates large team collaboration without interrupting the meeting flow. Note that recording and storing meetings is available only in paid plans.
Initially crafted for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile communication platform used by communities, start-ups, and remote teams. It offers voice calls, voice channels, file sharing, text chat, and screen sharing, all organized into customizable servers. For environments that prioritize real-time communication, Discord is a top choice.
For those whose work involves numerous phone calls, especially with sales prospects or clients, Aircall is a fantastic Skype alternative. A cloud-based phone system, it offers voicemail, call recording, call routing, and detailed analytics. Aircall provides local phone numbers in up to 30 countries and integrates with tools like Zendesk and Salesforce, making it ideal for support and sales teams.
Phone.com offers innovative features like SMS messaging to virtual numbers, conference calls with up to 500 participants, and faxing capabilities. With its mobile app, you can initiate group messaging chats or make calls globally using Wi-Fi or mobile data. Track call data and forward calls to multiple numbers, whether mobile, office, or home.
Focusing on text messaging, voice calling, and conferences, RingCentral is an easy-to-use voice-focused alternative to Skype. It features team messaging, file sharing, task management, and integration with over 200 business apps, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Features like call flipping, call parking, and user addition to conference calls enhance its utility.
Renowned for its security and speed, Telegram is a favorite among professionals who need control and flexibility. Supporting file sharing, video and voice calls, group chats, and channels for content broadcasting to a limitless audience, Telegram’s multi-device support ensures seamless synchronization across platforms.
Offering a blend of unique features at an affordable price, 8x8 is a fully-featured VoIP application with mobile integration, web conferencing, and faxing capabilities. You’ll notice improved audio quality due to its advanced compression methods. With just one button, connect vendors and customers to the appropriate department or person.
Selecting the right app depends on your communication style and needs. Whether for casual chats or professional meetings, these top 10 Skype alternatives—Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, Aircall, Phone.com, Telegram, Discord, Webex Meeting, RingCentral, and 8x8—offer a variety of features to suit different preferences. Explore their capabilities to determine which best meets your business requirements.