Skype and Google Voice alternatives for calling real numbers
There is one question underneath all of these, and it is not which service is best. It is whether you are calling a person who will install an app, or a number that will not. Free apps handle the first perfectly. Only a calling service handles the second.
01The options
WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram, Messenger
Use these when you canFree, good quality, and the right answer whenever the person you are calling already uses the same app. They reach people, not phone numbers: both ends need the app, a smartphone and a data connection. If that describes who you are calling, stop here and use them.
Google Voice
Best if you are a US residentFree for calls to US and Canadian numbers, and genuinely the right answer for someone living in the US. Setting one up requires a US phone number to verify against, which is the step that rules it out for most people living abroad.
Skype
Closed on 5 May 2025Skype Credit was the default way to call an ordinary phone number from a computer for two decades. It was discontinued rather than migrated, and Microsoft Teams only calls phone numbers on a paid business add-on. Two of four AI assistants still recommend Skype, which is worth knowing if that is where your advice came from.
Pay-as-you-go browser calling
For reaching a number, not a personPrepaid credit, a browser tab, and a call that arrives on the ordinary phone network so the far end needs no app, no account and no internet. This is what a bank's fraud line, an embassy, an airline or a phone menu requires, because none of them will install anything to take your call. It is what Airlophone is.
02Where we lose
The cases where we are the wrong answer
Calling a friend who has WhatsApp.
Use WhatsApp. It is free and it is better for that, and no argument we could make changes it.
Receiving bank security codes.
Many institutions deliberately refuse to send two-factor codes to internet numbers, ours included. Keep an ordinary mobile for that. Why, and what to do instead.
Emergencies.
We cannot reach 911, 999, 112 or any equivalent, and cannot report your location. What to use instead.
03Guides
If it is a number you need
The calls most people actually need to place from abroad are to things that are not people: a bank’s fraud line, a consulate, an airline, a landlord, a tax office. Those are the two we have written up in full.
04Questions
Questions
What is the best Skype alternative for calling landlines?
For calling an ordinary landline or mobile, you need a pay-as-you-go calling service rather than a messaging app, because the person you are calling will not install anything. Several exist, including Airlophone, and the practical differences are whether the rates are published before you sign up, whether there is a subscription, and whether it runs in a browser or needs an app installed.
Is there a free alternative to Skype for international calls?
For calling another person who uses the same app, yes: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Messenger are all free and all fine. For calling an ordinary phone number, no. Somebody has to pay the phone network that delivers the call, so any service reaching real numbers charges for it in some form.
Do I need to download an app to call internationally?
Not necessarily. Browser-based services use WebRTC, which is already built into every modern browser, so no download or install is required. That matters most in the situation people are usually in when they need this, which is abroad, without a working local plan, and often on a borrowed device.
How much does it cost to call a phone number internationally?
It depends on the country and on whether the number is a landline, a mobile or a service line, and the gap between those is larger than most people expect. Airlophone publishes every rate for 220+ countries before you sign up, starting at $0.02 a minute, billed per minute with part of a minute counting as a full one.
05Try it
Price your own call
Whichever one you were comparing us against, the useful test is a number you actually need to reach. Type it and the exact rate appears before anything dials.
Type a number to see its exact price.
Sign up and call. First minute on us, no card details.