Best Skype Alternatives in 2026: Calls, Numbers and Video

The best Skype alternative depends on which half of Skype you used. For calls between people on the same app, WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal are free. For calling real phone numbers, and for having a number people can call you back on, you need a phone service connected to the phone network. LimePhone does both from your browser and your phone: one US, UK or Canadian number is included from $9 a month, calls to those three countries come out of your plan minutes, and international calls start at $0.032 a minute.

Skype was retired on May 5, 2025. Paid subscriptions stopped renewing on April 3, 2025, and every Skype Number subscription ended in May 2026. Microsoft no longer accepts Skype Number port-out requests, so a lapsed Skype Number cannot be moved to another provider.

Key points

Skype closed on May 5, 2025. Remaining paid users kept calling through the Skype Dial Pad, in the Skype web portal and in Teams Free, until their subscriptions ran out.
Every Skype Number subscription ended in May 2026, and port-outs are no longer possible. If people used to reach you on a Skype Number, you need a new number.
WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal are free, but only reach people on the same app. They cannot ring a landline, a bank switchboard or an office.
LimePhone gives you a real number plus calling from the browser and your phone, from $9 a month. US, Canadian and UK calls use plan minutes; Mexico, Italy, Spain and France cost under $0.04 a minute.

What actually replaced Skype for phone calls?

Skype did two jobs, and its replacements split them up.

The first job was chat, voice and video between people who both had Skype. That moved to WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams Free, and it is still free.

The second job was reaching the telephone network. Skype Credit or a calling subscription let you dial landlines and mobiles, and a Skype Number let those phones call you back. That half is a paid phone service, because every call has to be handed to a carrier. Teams Free does not support paid calling plans, so it does not replace this half at all.

Most "Skype alternative" lists mix the two jobs together, which is why they recommend a messenger to someone who needs to phone a hospital. Work out which job you still have before you compare anything.

What happened to Skype Credit and Skype Numbers

The details matter if you still had a balance or a number when Skype closed. According to Microsoft's retirement notice:

Skype Credit stayed usable for calling through the Skype Dial Pad, in the Skype web portal and inside Teams Free. Automatic top-ups ended, new credit can no longer be bought, and it cannot be transferred to another service.
Subscriptions stopped renewing on April 3, 2025. Any subscription that ran past May 1, 2026 was cancelled and converted into Skype Credit, with a refund available from Skype support instead.
Skype Numbers all ended in May 2026, and port-out requests are no longer available. Incoming calls only worked until the subscription expired.
Everything else went earlier: SMS, call forwarding, voicemail and credit gifting stopped on May 5, 2025, and caller ID was switched off on February 15, 2026.

So if your Skype Number has lapsed, no provider can give it back to you. The practical fix is a new number, published wherever the old one used to appear. With LimePhone you can pick a local US, UK or Canadian number on the number checker before you sign up.

What happened to Skype chats and contacts?

Contacts and chat history moved to Microsoft Teams Free the first time you signed in to Teams with your Skype account. Some conversations did not move, including chats with Teams work or school accounts, Skype for Business history and private conversations. Microsoft only kept history for people who were active on Skype before the shutdown and moved to Teams Free within its deadline, so if you never signed in to Teams, check Microsoft's retirement page for whether your data can still be exported.

How the main Skype alternatives compare

Service	Calls landlines and mobiles	Gives you a number	Monthly cost	The catch
WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal	No	No	Free	The other person needs the same app
Microsoft Teams Free	No	No	Free	No paid calling plans, so no landlines or mobiles
Microsoft Teams Phone	Yes	Yes	About $10 per user, plus a calling plan and a Microsoft 365 licence	Built for IT-managed offices
Google Voice	Yes	Yes	Free for personal use in the US; $10–$30 per user for business, plus Google Workspace	Personal accounts are US-only
LimePhone	Yes	Yes, a US, UK or Canadian number is included	From $9	A monthly plan rather than a prepaid balance

Five options show up in nearly every search for a Skype replacement. Only some of them reach real phone numbers, and fewer still give you a number people can call.

LimePhone prices and rates checked October 24, 2026. Competitor prices are published or widely reported list prices and change often, so check them before you buy.

Is Microsoft Teams a Skype alternative for calls?

For chat and video, yes. Sign in to Teams Free with your Skype account and your contacts and chats come with you.

For calling phone numbers, only if you pay for it. Teams Free has no calling plans. Dialing out needs Teams Phone, reported at about $10 per user per month in 2026, plus a calling plan, on top of a Microsoft 365 or Teams Essentials licence. That suits a company already standardized on Microsoft 365, with IT managing extensions and auto attendants. It is a lot of licensing to phone a supplier, a hotel or a relative abroad.

Google Voice and the other options

Google Voice is good value if you live in the US: personal accounts get a free US number and free calls to the US and Canada. Personal Google Voice is only available in the US, though, so most people outside it cannot sign up. The business version costs $10, $20 or $30 per user per month and needs a Google Workspace plan on top.

Calling apps such as Viber Out and Rebtel dial real numbers from a prepaid balance. They work, but they live inside a messenger or an app you have to install, and they do not give you a business number customers can call back.

LimePhone covers the half of Skype that a messenger cannot: a real number that rings in your browser and on your phone, texts on the same number, voicemail with transcription, and international calling when you need it. If all you ever make is the odd call home, a prepaid calling app may cost you less. If people need to reach you, the number matters more than the per-minute rate.

Skype alternatives for video calls and group chat

If what you miss is Skype's video calls and group chats rather than its phone calls, these are the usual replacements. None of them calls landlines or mobiles.

Microsoft Teams Free: the least disruptive move, because your Skype contacts come with you. Chat, group video and screen sharing.
Zoom: the easiest for meeting people outside your organisation, who join from a link. Calling phone numbers is a separate product, Zoom Phone.
Google Meet: browser meetings started from Google Calendar, with nothing for guests to install. Phone numbers are a separate product, Google Voice.
Slack: team chat organised by channel, with quick audio huddles. The free plan only keeps 90 days of message history.
Discord: always-open voice channels that feel closest to a casual Skype group call. Built for communities rather than clients.

Many people end up with two tools: one of these for video and chat, and a phone service such as LimePhone for calling real numbers and having a number people can reach.

What calls cost on LimePhone

Destination	Per minute
United States	Included in plan minutes
Canada	Included in plan minutes
United Kingdom	Included in plan minutes
Mexico (landline)	$0.032
Italy (landline)	$0.0336
Spain (landline)	$0.0356
France (landline)	$0.0374
Australia (landline)	$0.0504
Germany (landline)	$0.0566
India (mobile)	$0.0992
Bangladesh (landline)	$0.12
Brazil (landline)	$0.124
Pakistan (landline)	$0.31
Philippines (landline)	$0.4132
Nigeria (landline)	$0.4606

Calls to the US, Canada and the UK come out of the outbound minutes in your plan: 2,000 a month on Lite, 5,000 on Starter and 10,000 on Growth. Calls anywhere else are charged per minute at the destination rate.

Every destination is listed on the rates page, and plan details are on pricing.

How to pick a Skype alternative

Calling family and friends who already use WhatsApp or FaceTime: stay there. It is free.
Calling landlines, mobiles, banks, hotels or offices now and then: any service that reaches the phone network will do. Compare the per-minute rate for the countries you call most.
People used to reach you on a Skype Number: you need a new number. Every LimePhone plan includes one US, UK or Canadian number that rings in your browser and on your phone.
Your company already runs on Microsoft 365 and needs IT-managed extensions: Teams Phone is the natural fit, and the most expensive.

What to do now

If you still hold Skype Credit, check whether it works in the Skype Dial Pad. It cannot be moved to another provider.
List everywhere your old Skype Number was published: email signature, website, invoices, directory listings.
Pick a replacement number on the number checker.
Start a free trial and make a test call from your browser.
Replace the old number everywhere on your list, starting with the places customers look first.

How we checked

LimePhone prices and per-minute rates in this article come from the live LimePhone rate table and plan list, checked on October 24, 2026. Rates change; the current figures are always on the rates page and pricing.

Sources for the Skype dates and policies:

Frequently asked questions

When did Skype shut down?

Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025 and moved users to Microsoft Teams Free. Paid calling subscriptions stopped renewing on April 3, 2025, and the last Skype Number subscriptions ended in May 2026.

Can I still use my Skype Credit?

Microsoft kept Skype Credit usable for calling through the Skype Dial Pad, in the Skype web portal and in Teams Free. You can no longer buy or top up credit, and a balance cannot be transferred to another calling service.

Can I port my Skype Number to another provider?

No. All Skype Number subscriptions ended in May 2026, and Microsoft no longer accepts Skype Number port-out requests. You will need a new number.

What is the closest Skype alternative for calling landlines and mobiles?

Any service that connects to the public phone network. LimePhone does it from your browser or your phone, with US, Canadian and UK calls included in your plan minutes and international calls from $0.032 a minute.

What happened to my Skype chats and contacts?

They moved to Microsoft Teams Free when you first signed in to Teams with your Skype account. Some chats, such as those with work or school Teams accounts, did not transfer.

Is there a free Skype alternative?

For calls between people on the same app, yes: WhatsApp, FaceTime and Signal are free over data or Wi-Fi. Calls to landlines and mobiles always cost something, because a carrier has to connect them.

Does Teams Free replace Skype for phone calls?

No. Teams Free handles chat and video but does not support paid calling plans, so it cannot ring landlines or mobiles. For that you need Teams Phone with a calling plan.

Do I need to download anything to use LimePhone?

No. You can make and answer calls in your browser, and take the same number with you on your phone when you are away from your desk.

How much does LimePhone cost?

Plans start at $9 a month for one user, with one US, UK or Canadian number, unlimited incoming calls and texts, and 2,000 outbound minutes. There is a free trial, so you can try it before you pay.

About the author

Vincent Hawley writes LimePhone's guides to business phone numbers, international calling and calling over the internet.