The best Skype alternatives offer core features for voice, video, and chat, while introducing newer tools to meet the evolving needs of today’s digital workplace. These solutions offer extensive call handling capabilities, collaborative features, robust security measures, and application programming interfaces (APIs) for seamless integrations.
I compiled a list of the top unified communication systems in the market known for their reliable services and comprehensive feature sets. To narrow down my list, I designed a rubric scoring sheet that assesses each provider based on key criteria, such as pricing, general/advanced features, ease of use, user feedback, and customer support.
What is Skype?
Skype is a cloud communication platform offering voice, video, and messaging capabilities. Launched in 2003, it was among the pioneering voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services that quickly gained popularity for its free video calls and instant messaging features.

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 and integrated it into various services, including Xbox, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams, one of the top free VoIP services for video meetings. By 2020, Skype’s user base began to decline as more advanced video conferencing solutions emerged in the market, boasting more interactive features and sleek interfaces.
Despite the rise of more feature-rich competitors, Skype remains a default choice for one-on-one video meetings, affordable long-distance calls, and basic messaging.
What are some Skype pros & cons?
Like any platform, Skype has its strengths and weaknesses as a cloud communication service. Let’s explore its advantages and drawbacks to help you determine whether it’s the right solution for your needs.
Pros
- Unlimited local calls start for only $2.99 monthly
- Low-cost calling plans across the globe
- Free video calls with up to 100 people with no time limits
- Relatively easy to set up and navigate
Cons
- Many key features like Skype Number and SMS credits have been discontinued
- Struggles more in low-bandwidth conditions, unlike bigger competitors
- Integrations are limited to Microsoft services
What does Skype cost?
Skype to Skype calls are free, but calls to a landline or mobile require a monthly subscription. The pay-as-you-go option (Skype Credit) is no longer offered. Monthly plans vary based on the country you’re dialing. Here’s a pricing table to compare Skype’s calling plans.
Monthly Cost
Minutes
United States
$2.99
Unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in the US, Guam, and Puerto Rico (0.15¢/min applies if you use 2,000 mins per month)
North America
$6.99
Unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in eight destinations (0.35¢/min applies if you use 2000 mins per month)
India
$7.99
800 minutes to calls to landlines and mobiles (1.00¢/min)
Top Skype alternatives at a glance
Best Skype Alternatives
Monthly Starting Price
Key Features
Expert Score

Skype
$2.99
- Free audio & HD video calling
- Cheap global rates
- Private conversations
4.05 out of 5

Zoom Phone
$10/user
- Full-featured VoIP plans
- Post-call summaries
- Unlimited auto-attendants
4.93 out of 5

RingCentral
$30/user
- Advanced call handling
- Shared voicemail
- Task assignment
4.87 out of 5

GoTo Connect
$26/user
- Unlimited global calling
- Automated SMS
- Toll-free vanity numbers
4.74 out of 5

Nextiva
$25/user
- Unified user inbox
- Smart call routing
- Social media management
4.36 out of 5

Ooma
$19.95/user
- Distinctive ringtones
- Enhanced call blocking
- Find Me, Follow Me
3.88 out of 5

Phone.com
$18/user
- Conversational SMS
- Live answering service
- Call handling rules
3.85 out of 5

Vonage
$19.99/user
- Video collaboration
- Business inbox
- Virtual receptionist
3.82 out of 5

Zoom Phone: Best Overall Video-first Communications
Overall Score
4.93/5
Pricing
3.25/5
General features
4.75/5
Advanced features
5/5
Support
4.38/5
Ease of use
5/5
Expert score
5/5
Pros
- Flexible calling plan options
- Elevate calls to Zoom meetings
- Charges the cheapest monthly per-user fees
- Allows mixing of metered and unlimited calling plans
Cons
- Has limited third-party integrations as a standalone VoIP service
- Charges $25 monthly for call queue analytics
Why I chose Zoom Phone over Skype
If you’re a former Skype user who mainly uses the platform for video meetings, then you’ll find Zoom Phone to be its closest alternative. Between Zoom vs Skype, Zoom emerged as the preferred platform for remote communication due to its ease of use and feature-rich nature.
Zoom offers a cloud-based business phone system that seamlessly integrates VoIP with its industry-leading video conferencing features. It uses a video-centric approach that enables users to instantly elevate an active call into a full-featured Zoom meeting with a single click. A call-to-meeting transition enhances collaboration flexibility when there’s a need for an interactive discussion between parties (e.g., product demo or troubleshooting).
Bundled plans are available for teams who wish to integrate VoIP capabilities into their existing Zoom Workplace subscription. For as low as $21.99 per user monthly, you get unlimited local calls in the US and Canada, standard phone features, and AI-powered video meetings.
Unlimited international calling via Zoom Phone is limited to 15 countries, with a starting fee of $10 per month. If you need more coverage for making calls abroad without extra fees, check out GoTo Connect, which offers unlimited calls to over 50 countries at a fixed monthly cost.

RingCentral: Best for Complex, Large-scale Communications
Overall Score
4.87/5
Pricing
4.25/5
General features
4.75/5
Advanced features
4.5/5
Support
5/5
Ease of use
3.75/5
Expert score
4.38/5
Pros
- Has complete features for voice, video, and chat
- Offers AI capabilities free of charge
- Generates in-depth call analytics data
- Integrates with over 400 third-party apps
Cons
- Restricts SMS credits across plans
- Can be complex to set up and administrate
Why I chose RingCentral over Skype
RingCentral offers an enterprise-grade communication platform for companies that have outgrown the limitations of Skype in terms of its entry-level voice and video capabilities. With its multi-site support and global deployments, RingCentral delivers a comprehensive suite of unified communication solutions built for organizations with distributed offices.
Beyond a cloud phone system, RingCentral provides complete AI-powered capabilities for its video meetings, messaging, and contact center platform. While its monthly per-user fees may be higher than those of apps like Skype, it enables users to handle various tasks such as managing high call volumes, automating SMS campaigns, and creating tasks within chat conversations.
One major drawback of RingCentral is that its extensive offerings can be overwhelming for small teams with basic call needs. If you’re looking for a no-frills VoIP solution without the fancy features, give Ooma a try. This VoIP provider offers up to 50 standard features and is fairly straightforward to use.

GoTo Connect: Best for Expanding Global Reach
Overall Score
4.74/5
Pricing
4/5
General features
4.75/5
Advanced features
4/5
Support
3.75/5
Ease of use
4.38/5
Expert score
5/5
Pros
- Allows unlimited calls to up to 50 countries
- Includes 1,000 toll-free minutes shared accounts
- Works with over 180 desk phone models
- Has a user-friendly call flow designer
Cons
- Requires a Connect CX subscription for AI capabilities
- Lacks CRM integrations on the base plan
Why I chose GoTo Connect over Skype
GoTo Connect is our best alternative to Skype for companies that make frequent overseas calls to clients, partners, and remote employees. This ensures significant cost-savings as most competitors like Skype and RingCentral charge per-minute international rates, which can incur costly, unexpected fees.
All GoTo Connect plans include unmetered calls to 52 countries and over 100 professional phone features, like a visual plan editor, call queues, ring groups, and smart call routing. Its pricing structure is divided into three product tiers—phone system, customer experience, and contact center—but differ in the type of customer engagement tools supported.
As a vanity number provider, GoTo Connect lets you create a custom company number to increase brand recognition. Otherwise, if you need an international number to establish a local presence in other regions, RingCentral is a better option, offering local dialing in over 99 countries.

Nextiva: Best Digital Engagement Platform
Overall Score
4.36/5
Pricing
3.5/5
General features
4.75/5
Advanced features
2.5/5
Support
5/5
Ease of use
5/5
Expert score
4.06/5
Pros
- Supports multiple digital channels
- Has tight integrations with popular CRMs
- Offers features tailored for sales and support teams
- Merges team and client interactions in one platform
Cons
- Charges than the average monthly fee for its phone system
- Lacks vanity phone numbers
Why I chose Nextiva over Skype
Nextiva is one of our top alternatives to Skype for managing customer communications across digital platforms, including messaging apps, live chat, social media, and review sites. It goes beyond basic hosted private branch exchange (PBX) capabilities by unifying multichannel interactions in a single app, allowing you to monitor the entire customer journey.
Its flagship feature, NextivaONE, combines voice, text, chat, and video in a single work hub, along with team collaboration and client engagement tools. The app also seamlessly integrates with popular CRM systems, providing easy access to client and lead information, and reducing the need for app switching.
Nextiva’s phone system is priced higher than other competitors, while discounts are reserved for long-term contracts. If you’re looking for a cheap Skype alternative, but need the same robust features as Nextiva, consider Zoom Phone. This provider offers affordable monthly plans at only $10 per user, including access to all essential business phone features.

Ooma: Best Standalone Phone System
Overall Score
4.36/5
Pricing
2.5/5
General features
3.5/5
Advanced features
2.5/5
Support
4.38/5
Ease of use
5/5
Expert score
5/5
Pros
- Includes over 50 phone features on the base tier
- Allows unlimited calls to the US, CA, PR, and MEX
- Supports analog fax machines
- Has rich call mobility features
Cons
- Lacks SMS credits on the entry-level plan
- Restricts desktop calling on Pro and Pro Plus plans
Why I chose Ooma over Skype
Ooma is the best Skype substitute for small businesses seeking a VoIP solution without additional collaborative features. While competitors like Nextiva and Zoom Phone highlight its AI capabilities for meetings and messaging, Ooma emphasizes its high-quality business phone system.
Among the top-ranking alternatives to Skype, Ooma has built a strong reputation in the telecommunications industry since 2004. It combines the reliability of traditional phone service with feature-rich telephony features, allowing businesses to operate efficiently from home or the office.
With Ooma’s straightforward approach, distributed teams may find it restrictive due to the lack of collaborative features for video meetings and team chat. Instead, check out RingCentral, which combines all the features you need whether for hosting video meetings, managing large call volumes, or sending bulk SMS campaigns.

Phone.com: Best for Light Phone Usage
Overall Score
3.85/5
Pricing
3.5/5
General features
3.5/5
Advanced features
1.5/5
Support
5/5
Ease of use
5/5
Expert score
4.38/5
Pros
- Offers a pay-per-minute option
- Provides live receptionists as an add-on service
- Includes up to 50 phone features on the base plan
- Supports all phone number types
Cons
- Charges extra fees for call recording on non-Pro accounts
- Relies on Zapier for third-party integrations
Why I chose Phone.com over Skype
While most Skype alternatives confine users to fixed monthly rate subscriptions, Phone.com offers metered plans where you only pay for the minutes you use. You can also mix and match pay-as-you-go calling and unlimited local calls in a single company account, allowing you to create a custom subscription based on each team member’s unique call volumes.
Like Ooma, Phone.com foregoes advanced collaboration features to accommodate small businesses that simply need a professional phone presence. A single subscription consists of up to 50 essential VoIP features–providing ample functionality for managing occasional business calls.
Integrating Phone.com with other apps can be a hassle since it requires a Zapier subscription to link its phone system to various apps. This may lead to additional costs, and the connections may not be as seamless as built-in integrations. For a more fully integrated VoIP solution, RingCentral offers direct compatibility with up to 400 third-party apps.

Vonage: Best API-driven Communication Solution
Overall Score
3.82/5
Pricing
3.5/5
General features
4.5/5
Advanced features
2.5/5
Support
3.75/5
Ease of use
4.38/5
Expert score
3.13/5
Pros
- Lets you pay for only the features you need
- Enables the integration of features into external apps and websites
- Offers generous discounts for multiple user accounts
- Guarantees high uptime availability
Cons
- Requires purchase of up to 99 lines to avail of the 14-day trial
- Integrates with a limited number of apps
Why I chose Vonage over Skype
Vonage is our best Skype alternative for tech-driven businesses seeking to integrate voice, video, chat, and authentication features into their applications.
Unlike VoIP providers with pre-built communication tools, Vonage’s API-driven approach grants users the flexibility to customize their communication workflows based on their exact needs. Extensive documentation and code samples are offered whether for automating SMS alerts, enabling chatbots, and verifying user identity.
As a top-ranking small business PBX system, Vonage also offers a la carte pricing for those who want to customize their unified communication subscription. However, this can be expensive as additional features add up to your monthly fees. For an all-inclusive VoIP package, Zoom Phone provides the same features across plans, avoiding unnecessary upgrade costs.
While the options above focus on voice and video communication, some businesses may benefit from a more collaboration-centric platform. Explore our Slack vs Teams guide if your team relies heavily on messaging and workflow automation.
Choosing the right alternative to Skype
Skype has long been a valuable tool for video calls, messaging, and voice communication. It’s free to use and provides cost-effective rates for international calls. However, its popularity has waned over time as it struggles to meet modern communication demands, such as advanced collaboration features, seamless integrations, and high-quality video.
Given these limitations, it’s worthwhile considering alternative solutions that fit your business needs.
- Zoom Phone is ideal for businesses that frequently hold video meetings, allowing seamless transitions between voice and visual communication.
- Enterprise-level organizations will benefit from RingCentral’s robust infrastructure, which offers advanced telephony, AI-powered meetings, and rich messaging features.
- If your business makes frequent international calls and wants to save on per-minute costs, choose GoTo Connect. Enjoy unlimited calls to 50 countries worldwide.
- Nextiva is best for sales and support teams that need to engage with customers across various digital channels.
- For solopreneurs and startups, a standalone VoIP provider like Ooma is a great option due to its simple setup and feature-rich business phone system.
- Phone.com shines with its flexible calling plans, allowing users to mix pay-as-you-go and unlimited call options—perfect for those with light phone usage.
- I recommend Vonage for companies that want to incorporate communication tools directly into their applications and workflows.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Microsoft, the owner of Skype, is replacing its business version with Microsoft Teams, a full-featured team collaboration platform.
Skype lost its popularity as Microsoft’s acquisition focused on the redesign of its platform but fell short in prioritizing its core functionality, specifically video call quality.