20 Best Skype Alternatives for International Calling

Google Voice provides a free US phone number with free calls to US and Canadian numbers. It's a solid option for domestic calling, but international rates can be higher than dedicated services, and it's only available to US-based users. Good for domestic, less ideal for international.

WhatsApp offers free voice and video calls, but only between WhatsApp users. You cannot call landlines, businesses, or anyone without the app. It's the world's most popular messaging app, making it great for staying in touch with contacts who also use WhatsApp.

Viber combines messaging with Viber Out, a service for calling real phone numbers internationally. Free Viber-to-Viber calls are included, and Viber Out offers per-minute rates to landlines and mobiles. The downside: ads throughout the app and credits that expire after 6 months.

Zoom Phone is a business cloud phone system that integrates with Zoom Meetings. At $10/month per user, it's designed for teams that already use Zoom and want to add traditional phone calling capabilities. Not intended for individual international callers.

Microsoft Teams is Skype's spiritual successor — Microsoft has been migrating Skype users toward Teams. It offers free app-to-app calls and, with a Teams Phone license, can call real phone numbers. However, it's enterprise-focused and complex for simple international calling.

Rebtel specializes in international calling with competitive rates to popular destinations. It offers both pay-per-minute and unlimited calling plans to specific countries. The app is mobile-only, credits expire after 12 months, and coverage is limited to about 60 countries.

magicJack offers unlimited US/Canada calling for about $43/year, but requires purchasing a physical device. International calling is available as an add-on with per-minute rates. It's essentially a cheap US home phone replacement, not an international calling solution.

Vonage is a well-known VoIP provider offering both residential and business phone plans. Residential plans start at $13.99/month, and business plans are even pricier. Good for businesses needing a full phone system, but expensive and overly complex for individual international callers.

Ooma provides a home phone service with free US calling after purchasing the Ooma Telo device ($99). The basic plan has no monthly fee beyond taxes. International rates are available, but coverage and pricing vary. Like magicJack, it's a home phone replacement, not an international calling solution.

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system for small businesses. It gives you a professional business number that forwards to your personal phone. Starting at $14/month, it includes extensions, voicemail, and auto-attendant. Not designed for international calling — it's a virtual number service.

Line is one of Asia's most popular messaging apps, dominant in Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan. It offers free app-to-app voice and video calls, plus Line Out for calling real phone numbers at per-minute rates. Best if your contacts are in Line's core Asian markets.

KakaoTalk is South Korea's dominant messaging platform, used by over 90% of the country's smartphone users. It offers free voice and video calls between users. If you're calling someone in South Korea, they almost certainly use KakaoTalk.

WeChat is China's super-app with over a billion users. It offers free voice and video calls, messaging, payments, and much more. If you need to reach anyone in China, WeChat is essentially mandatory — it's the primary communication platform in the country.

Signal is the gold standard for privacy-focused communication. It offers end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, with no ads, no tracking, and open-source code. However, it's app-to-app only and cannot call real phone numbers.

Telegram is a cloud-based messenger with free voice and video calls, group calls for up to 1,000 viewers, and massive file sharing capabilities. Popular globally with 800M+ users. Cannot call real phone numbers — it's purely app-to-app communication.

Discord started as a gaming platform but has grown into a general community and communication tool. It offers free voice channels, video calls, and screen sharing. Great for group voice chat, but not designed for calling phone numbers at all.

FaceTime is Apple's built-in calling solution for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. It offers excellent voice and video call quality with end-to-end encryption. The catch: both parties need Apple devices. No Android, no Windows, and no calling real phone numbers.

Google Meet is a free video conferencing tool that works directly in the browser. It's great for video meetings and screen sharing, but it's not designed for calling phone numbers. Think of it as a Zoom alternative, not a Skype replacement for phone calls.

Dialpad is an AI-powered business communication platform with voice, video, messaging, and contact center features. Starting at $15/month per user, it's designed for businesses that want intelligent call features like real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and coaching.