5 best Skype alternatives for international calling in 2025

After serving users for over 20 years Skype is officially shutting down on May 5, 2025, as Microsoft retires the well-known service. If you’re among the many users looking for a new way to stay in touch, don’t worry — there are plenty of great Skype alternatives to keep your conversations going.

Google Voice: A Top Skype Alternative for Free Calls and Messaging

Google Voice is one of the best alternatives to Skype for international VoIP calls. If you already use Google Workspace for business or personal needs, it integrates smoothly with Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Meet.

Google Voice has low international call rates, starting at just $0.01 per minute, and business plans begin at $10 per month. You can pay with a credit or debit card, or through your bank account. Like Skype, Google Voice has an auto-recharge feature that adds money when your balance drops below $2.

Unlike Skype, Google Voice solves common problems like slow performance & old design. It offers stronger security, blocks spam, transcribes voicemails, and lets you forward calls to multiple devices. With easy connection to Google Workspace, Google Voice is a more modern and dependable choice than Skype.

Zoom Phone: Powerful Skype Alternative with Business Features

Launched in 2019, Zoom Phone is a great alternative for Skype, particularly for companies. Zoom Phone is ideal add-on for making international calls if you currently use Zoom for video calls. Zoom Phone is primarily intended for commercial use, in contrast to Skype which can be used for both personal and professional purposes.

It includes helpful features like instant messaging with Zoom Chat, encrypted call recording, voicemail transcription, spam blocking, call queues, and easy video meetings with Zoom. Plans start at just $10 per month, making it a good choice for businesses of any size.

If you need dependable platform for international & business conversations, Zoom Phone is a best choice. It provides over 99% uptime and is designed for serious communication. Zoom Phone, however, could feel a little too sophisticated if all you need to do is make basic calls to family & friends.

Viber: A Simple and Affordable Skype Alternative for International Calls

Even while Viber isn’t as well-known as WhatsApp it has a fantastic feature: unlimited international calls to landlines and mobile devices for a little monthly fee. Viber Out Call World package is ideal for staying connected globally because it just costs $5.99 & includes 55 countries.

If you frequently make private international calls and don’t rely on Google services, Viber is a dependable and user-friendly choice. It seamlessly connects your contacts, offers location-based prepaid plans, and functions effectively across a variety of devices.

From my experience living in Asia, Viber is quite popular here, especially for business calls. I’ve had a Viber account for almost ten years but only recently tried its international calling. I was really impressed with the call quality, especially compared to Skype, which often dropped calls. I just wish I had switched to Viber earlier!

OpenPhone: A Modern Business-Friendly Skype Alternative

If you or your team often make calls and send messages for work, OpenPhone can really help you work better. It doesn’t have video calls or meetings like Zoom, but it focuses on great calling and messaging features.

When you sign up, you get a virtual phone number with unlimited calls in the US and Canada. OpenPhone also supports group calls, SMS, MMS, and group texting, which makes it easier to talk to your customers. It even works well with tools like Slack and HubSpot, making it a good alternative to Zoom Phone and Microsoft Teams.

OpenPhone is best for business use especially for managing freelance projects or handling international sales. From my experience it’s a reliable tool that could have made a big difference in my earlier businesses.

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Sonetel: Affordable International Calls for Businesses

Sonetel positions itself as a strong alternative to Skype for international calling, especially through its mobile apps. While its Premium plan costs $9.95 per month it includes free international calls to over 40 countries — making it a smart choice for frequent callers.

With features like a dedicated phone number, call transcription, follow-up emails, and call recording, Sonetel goes beyond basic calling. Though it may be more than casual users need it’s a great solution for digital nomads and professionals working remotely.

Sonetel provides a cutting-edge and dependable alternative as Slack and Zoom gain traction and Skype’s appeal wanes. Options like Google Voice or Viber may be easier for regular users who want to manage occasional calls or stay in touch with family. But Sonetel is unquestionably a viable option for business users looking for cutting-edge capabilities and worldwide reach.