I know you all remember this sound…

It’s impossible to listen to it without remembering Skype in its prime.

At the time, Skype was nothing short of revolutionary: free internet-based voice calls (VoIP) when long-distance calls were still expensive. It quickly became one of the fastest-growing software applications in history, reaching 70 million users by 2013.

But earlier this year, Microsoft announced it would shut down the app, leaving many of us searching for alternatives.

If you’re in the same situation, keep reading.

What’s Happening With Skype?

When is Skype shutting down?

Microsoft has officially retired Skype for consumers on May 5, 2025. Since then, the app no longer works, and all paid features have been discontinued. Teams Free is now Microsoft's only option for personal and professional communications. 

Why is Microsoft retiring Skype?

By 2020, when the pandemic pushed the whole world into remote work, Microsoft shifted focus from Skype to Teams.

Fast forward to today, Microsoft has doubled down, streamlining everything around Microsoft Teams (including a free version). 

In short, Skype is gone because Teams does everything it did and a lot more.

Why it’s not such bad news

Honestly, Skype might bring back some nostalgia, but let’s be real.

In its last years it was clunky, slow, and felt anything but secure. Compared to Zoom, Slack, or WhatsApp, or modern VoIP apps like Allô it was miles behind on reliability and innovation. That’s why replacing it with Teams actually feels like a step forward, not a loss.

Our Selection Methodology

When it comes to finding the best Skype alternatives, we didn’t just follow marketing pages. We tested and compared 20+ communication platforms across real-world use cases, from solo entrepreneurs making international calls to SMBs running remote teams. Only the top 7 tools made the final cut.

Here’s how we evaluated them:

Testing methods

• We ran hands-on tests: signing up, setting up numbers or accounts, making calls, hosting video meetings, and messaging teams.
• We checked both desktop and mobile apps to see how easy they were to adopt for everyday use.
• We compared actual call quality, video stability, and ease of onboarding across different internet conditions.

Evaluation criteria

• Ease of Use: How quickly can someone new set up an account and start calling or meeting without IT help?
• Pricing & Transparency: Is the pricing simple, or full of hidden fees like minutes caps, seat minimums, or “AI add-ons”?
• Integrations: Does it connect easily with CRMs, productivity tools, and workflows (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Slack, etc.)?
• Channels Supported: Beyond voice, does it also cover SMS, video meetings, team chat, or file sharing?
  Reliability: We looked at uptime, call stability, and whether users report frequent drops or lag.
• Security & Compliance: Data encryption, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR — critical for businesses handling sensitive data.
• Customer Support: How responsive and helpful is the support team when things break?
• Innovation: Skype stagnated for years, so we paid attention to which competitors are actually pushing forward with features like AI transcription, smart routing, or real-time collaboration.

Scope

• Tools reviewed: 20+
• Tools selected: 7 that clearly outperformed Skype in reliability, features, and user experience.

Now, it’s time to share our first pick: Allô.

Allô (best for businesses)

Why Is Allô a Strong Skype Alternative?

Allô is built mobile-first, which makes it a natural successor to Skype for entrepreneurs and SMBs. Instead of being tied to a desktop app or legacy VoIP setup, Allô gives you a professional business phone system directly on your smartphone.

With Allô, you can buy a business number in minutes, set up a professional IVR menu, and activate an AI receptionist that answers calls, transcribes voicemails, and even summarizes conversations. 

Unlike Skype, which stagnated for years, Allô is actively pushing AI-powered features designed for modern business owners who run everything from their phone.

Pricing

Allô keeps pricing simple and transparent:

No seat minimums. No hidden per-minute fees.

Demo

Bottom line

Pick Allô if you want an AI-powered business VoIP system with summaries, transcription, and a virtual receptionist included by default.

WhatsApp (best for personal use/free users)

Why Is WhatsApp a Good Skype Alternative?

If you use Skype mainly for free international calls and messaging, WhatsApp is the most natural replacement. It’s literally the go-to app for staying connected with friends, family, and even small community groups.

WhatsApp supports free voice and video calls, group chats, and media sharing over wifi or mobile data. Unlike Skype, it’s lightweight, mobile-first, and almost universally adopted, which means the people you want to reach are probably already on it.

It’s not a business phone system, but for personal communications and free international calling, WhatsApp leaves Skype in the past.

Pricing

• Free: WhatsApp is 100% free for personal use. All calls, texts, video, and group chats are included.
• WhatsApp Business: Also free! It's designed for small businesses to manage customer messaging with auto-replies, catalogs, and labels.

No monthly subscription. No hidden fees.

Demo

Bottom line

Pick WhatsApp if you want a free, reliable way to make international calls, video calls, and group chats without worrying about minutes or subscriptions.

Skip it if you need professional features like call routing, AI, or integrations. Spoiler: WhatsApp isn’t a business phone system.

Microsoft Teams (best for Microsoft users)

Why Is Microsoft Teams a Good Skype Alternative?

Microsoft has made it clear: Teams is the official replacement for Skype. If you’re already using Outlook, Office 365, or OneDrive, Teams is the most seamless option.

It combines chat, voice, video meetings, file sharing, and calendar integration all in one platform. For businesses, it’s built right into Microsoft 365, which means your documents, schedules, and communications live in the same ecosystem.

For personal users, Microsoft now offers Teams Free, which covers most of the features people once used Skype for, but in a cleaner, more modern app.

Pricing

• Free: Microsoft Teams Free includes unlimited chat, 60-minute meetings, file sharing, and video calls for up to 100 participants.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6/user/month, adds 1 TB OneDrive storage, calendar, and collaboration features.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.50/user/month, adds desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) + advanced Teams features.
  
  

Demo

Bottom line

Pick Microsoft Teams if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem (Outlook, Office, OneDrive). It’s the natural replacement for Skype, with tighter integration and more collaboration tools.

Skip it if you want a lightweight, mobile-first solution with AI-powered features. Teams can feel heavy compared to WhatsApp or Allô.

Google Meet (best for Google Workspace users)

Why Is Google Meet a Good Skype Alternative?

If you live inside Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive, then Google Meet is the natural replacement for Skype. It’s already built into your Google account with no extra downloads needed.

Meet offers video meetings, voice calls, screen sharing, and chat, also integrated with the rest of Google Workspace. Scheduling is seamless: you just create a Calendar event, and the Meet link is ready.

Spoiler: Google Meet is not a phone system. It’s a video and web meeting platform.

Pricing

For personal use, it’s free with a Google account. For businesses, it scales inside Google Workspace, making it ideal for teams that already run their operations on Google.

• Free with Google account: Up to 100 participants, 60-minute meetings, screen sharing, and captions.
• Google Workspace Starter ($7/user/month): Up to 30 GB cloud storage, 100 participants, 24-hour meetings.
• Google Workspace Standard ($14/user/month): 150 participants, 2 TB storage, meeting recordings.
• Google Workspace Plus ($22/user/month): 500 participants, 5 TB storage, advanced security and compliance.

Demo

Bottom line

Pick Google Meet if your team is already using Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive). It’s the easiest, most seamless option.

Skip it if you want advanced meeting features like deep AI tools,a dedicated phone number, or a business line; in that case, Allô or Zoom may be better.

If you want a real phone number and the ability to make/receive calls with Google, you need Google Voice (different product).

Zoom (best for conferences)

Why Is Zoom a Good Skype Alternative?

When Skype started to decline, Zoom became the default tool for online meetings and conferences. It’s reliable and works across devices with little setup.

Zoom excels at large meetings, webinars, and virtual events, supporting hundreds (and even thousands) of participants. Features like breakout rooms, webinar mode, and cloud recording make it ideal for schools, enterprises, and organizations that need scalable video conferencing.

In short: if you used Skype mainly for group video calls, Zoom is the most natural upgrade.

Pricing

• Free plan: 40-minute group meetings, up to 100 participants.
• Pro ($13.33/user/month): Group meetings up to 30 hours, 10 GB cloud storage, 100 participants.
• Business ($18.33/user/month): Up to 300 participants, branded meetings, advanced analytics, single sign-on.

Demo

Bottom Line

Pick Zoom if you need a reliable, large-scale conferencing tool for meetings, webinars, or virtual events.

It’s perfect for schools, enterprises, and remote-first organizations that depend on video calls daily.

Skip it if you need a true phone system with numbers, call routing, and SMS. Zoom is a video-first application, not a business telephony solution (though they do offer Zoom Phone as an add-on).

Viber (best for international calling)

Why Is Viber a Good Skype Alternative?

Viber is one of the strongest Skype-like apps because it combines free messaging and calls with cheap international calling to landlines and mobile numbers. If you used Skype mainly to call family or colleagues abroad, Viber is a very close replacement.

In my opinion, Viber is perfect for expats, travelers, and anyone who still needs to call international landlines or mobiles, not just app-to-app.

It offers voice and video calls, group chats, stickers, and file sharing over WiFi or mobile data. But what sets Viber apart is Viber Out, its paid feature that lets you call any phone number worldwide at low per-minute rates, just like Skype Credit used to.

Pricing

• Free: App-to-app messaging, voice calls, video calls, and file sharing.
• Viber Out: Prepaid credits or monthly subscriptions for international calling (rates vary by country). For example, you can buy a $6 monthly plan for unlimited calls to landlines in specific countries.

Demo

Bottom Line

Pick Viber if you want a Skype replacement for international calling, especially to landlines and mobiles.

Skip it if you need a business phone system or enterprise collaboration tools. Viber is consumer-focused.

Slack (best for team collaboration)

Why Is Slack a Good Skype Alternative?

If you used Skype mostly for chat and team messaging, Slack is the modern upgrade. 

It became the standard for workplace communication, replacing email chains and clunky Skype chats.

Slack is focused on collaboration and productivity. It supports direct messages, group channels, file sharing, voice and video huddles, and integrations with thousands of business tools like Google Drive, Zoom, Notion, Salesforce, etc. 

Pricing

• Free: Unlimited messages (but only 90 days of history), 1:1 huddles, 10 integrations.
• Pro ($9.61/user/month, annual): Unlimited message history, group huddles, basic AI, unlimited integrations.
• Business+ ($21/user/month, annual): everything in Pro plus Advanced AI.
  
  

Demo

Bottom Line

Pick Slack if you want a team collaboration hub where chat, files, and workflows all live together.

Skip it if you’re looking for a phone system or international calling. Slack is about workplace messaging, not telephony.

How to Switch From Skype (2025)

Microsoft officially retired Skype for consumers on May 5, 2025. If you were using Skype for calls, contacts, or paid features like Skype Numbers, you needed to move your data and find an alternative. Here's how you should have done it

Export your Skype data

Microsoft lets you download your data before the shutdown.

1. Go to the Skype export page with your Microsoft account.
   
   
2. Choose what you want to download:
   
   
   • Conversations and chat history
     
     
   • Files and shared media
     
     
3. Click Submit request.
   
   
4. When your data is ready, you’ll receive a link to download it in a .tar file (which you can open with apps like 7-Zip).
   
   

⚠️ Important: Once Skype is gone, you won’t be able to request or access this data anymore.

Update September 2025

What still works

The migration to Teams still works. You just need to Just log into Microsoft Teams Free with your old Skype or Microsoft account and your contacts and chats should be there, because Microsoft moved them automatically. 

And don’t worry, your Microsoft account is still yours, so everything tied to Outlook, OneDrive, and other services is untouched.

What no longer works

• Skype app → The desktop and mobile apps have been shut down. You cannot sign in or use Skype itself anymore.
• Export tool → Microsoft’s Skype export page was only available before retirement. By September 2025, the option to download your chat history and shared files manually is gone.
• Skype Numbers → If you didn’t port your Skype Number to another provider before May 2025, it’s been released and you’ve lost ownership.
• Skype Credit → Any unused credit is no longer usable (Microsoft announced no refunds after shutdown).
  
  

Consequences if you waited until now

• Data: You cannot export your conversations or media anymore unless they were already migrated to Teams.
• Numbers: If you had a Skype Number and didn’t port it, it’s gone.
• Subscriptions: They were automatically canceled, so no ongoing charges — but also no calling features.

Cancel any active subscriptions

If you were paying for:

• Skype Credit
• Skype Numbers
• Subscriptions (like unlimited calling plans)

Make sure to log into your Microsoft account and cancel these, otherwise they may continue billing until the service is fully sunset.

Frequently Asked Questions About Skype Alternatives

What is the best replacement for Skype?

It depends on how you used it:

• For personal calls → WhatsApp is free, reliable, and everyone already uses it.
• For business phone systems → Allô is AI-powered, mobile-first, great for SMBs.
• For team collaboration → Slack is organized by channels, and has integrations.
• For video meetings → Zoom is the best for conferences and webinars.

What’s going to replace Skype?

Officially, Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025 and now directs all personal and business users to Microsoft Teams Free. It includes chat, calls, meetings, and file sharing, everything Skype had, plus more.

Why is Skype being shut down?

Microsoft decided to consolidate its communication tools around Teams. Skype had lost ground to WhatsApp, Zoom, and Slack, and was seen as slow and outdated. Teams is more modern, integrates tightly with Microsoft 365, and already has hundreds of millions of users, making Skype redundant.

What is safer than Skype?

Pretty much all of its main competitors. WhatsApp, Allô, and Microsoft Teams offer end-to-end encryption or enterprise-grade security standards like SOC 2, ISO, and GDPR compliance. Skype, on the other hand, was often criticized in its later years for being clunky, less secure, and not keeping up with modern privacy expectations.