How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Google Voice is free for US and Canada numbers when calling from the US, with low per minute rates beyond.
- Viber Out and Yolla are the closest matches to the old Skype Credit model, pay as you go with no subscription.
- Rebtel suits heavy callers to one country, where its plans can beat per minute credit.
- Credit expiry rules differ sharply between services and matter more than a cent of rate difference.
- No app to app service, including Teams and WhatsApp, can dial a landline or a mobile number.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Google Voice | Free US and Canada calls, cheap rates out | Free | Yes |
 Viber Out | Pay as you go calls inside a chat app | See website | Yes |
 Rebtel | Frequent calls to one or two countries | See website | No |
 Yolla | Simple credit based calling to 190+ countries | See website | No |
 BOSS Revolution | Calling plus money transfer in one app | See website | No |
 Talk360 | Low cost calls to African numbers | See website | No |
 Microsoft Teams | Keeping Skype contacts on app to app calls | Free | Yes |
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The best Skype alternatives for international calls in 2026
#1Google Voice
Best for: Free US and Canada calls, cheap rates out4.1/5 on
G2 (167 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit voice.google.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Google Voice is the strongest free starting point for a US based caller. Calls to numbers in the United States and Canada cost nothing from inside the US, and its international rate table undercuts most rivals on popular routes, with many countries starting at $0.01 a minute. You also get a US number of your own, which helps when family abroad call you back.
The limits are geographic and structural. The personal service is designed around a US base, some destinations are missing entirely, and there is no flat rate plan for someone who talks for hours a week. Voice is a per minute bargain for light and medium callers, not a heavy caller's plan. For most former Skype users in the US, it covers the majority of calls at the lowest cost here.
What we like- Calls to US and Canadian numbers are free from inside the US, international rates start at a cent a minute for many destinations, gives you a real US number for calls and texts, works in a browser as well as the apps
Watch out for- Personal version is aimed at users based in the US, some countries and mobile networks cannot be called at all, no unlimited international plans for heavy callers, business version is a paid Workspace add on
#2
Viber Out
Best for: Pay as you go calls inside a chat app
Visit viber.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Viber Out is the Skype Credit idea living inside a chat app. Viber to Viber calls are free, and a credit balance opens Viber Out, which dials real numbers abroad at published per minute rates, starting from around two cents a minute on cheap routes. For people whose family already uses Viber, which is common across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, there is nothing new to install at either end.
Read the credit rules before topping up. Viber Out credit expires after inactivity, reported at six months, so a large balance for occasional calls can evaporate. Rates also split by destination type: the mobile rate in a country can be several times the landline rate. Used steadily rather than rarely, it is the closest like for like Skype replacement here.
What we like- Viber app itself is free with free calls between Viber users, Viber Out credit dials landlines and mobiles in most countries, optional monthly plans for frequent routes, rates published per destination before you call
Watch out for- Credit expires after a period of inactivity, app only, with no browser calling, rate tables differ sharply between landline and mobile in the same country, Viber's user base is regional, so contact coverage varies
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Rebtel is built for the caller Skype served worst: the person who rings the same country every week for an hour. Its country plans flatten that habit into a monthly price, and for heavy routes a plan usually beats any per minute balance. Where no plan fits, its credit works like the others, at rates starting around $0.01 a minute.
The comparison to make is your own minutes. Price your last three months of calls on Rebtel's plan, on its credit, and on Viber Out or Yolla credit, because the winner flips with volume. Rebtel also leans on local access numbers in some markets, which can help where data coverage is poor. For one country calling at real volume, it is the first service to price.
What we like- Country plans give flat pricing for heavy callers to one destination, also offers pay as you go credit from about a cent a minute, local access numbers can carry calls over ordinary phone lines, service has operated for many years with published rates
Watch out for- No free tier for number calling, best value depends on your country being covered by a plan, app focused, with no browser calling, credit also carries an expiry window
#4
Yolla
Best for: Simple credit based calling to 190+ countries
Visit yolla.net
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Yolla does one job and keeps the interface to that job: load credit, dial a number almost anywhere, pay the published rate. It covers over 190 countries, shows your own number as the caller ID so relatives actually pick up, and avoids the monthly plan upsell that fills rival apps. For the occasional caller, that simplicity is the appeal.
Its costs sit a little above the cheapest rivals on some routes, and its credit expiry position is not published as clearly as it should be, so small top ups are the sensible pattern. There is no browser calling, which Skype desktop users may miss. As a low fuss credit balance for a few calls a month, Yolla is hard to fault.
What we like- No subscription, top up and dial, covers more than 190 countries with published per destination rates, your real number shows as caller ID, which helps calls get answered, clean app with no chat features to wade through
Watch out for- App only, no browser version, credit expiry terms are not stated clearly on its rates pages, rates on some routes sit above rivals, the UK landline rate is around $0.06 a minute
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
BOSS Revolution serves a specific and large audience: migrants who call home and send money home, often in the same week. The app combines calling credit to real numbers with money transfer and mobile top up services, with particularly deep coverage across Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, and regular promotional rates on popular routes.
That bundle is the strength and the clutter. The app cross promotes constantly, and its headline rates lean on promotions that come and go, so the rate that matters is the one shown for your destination on the day. For its target user, though, one trusted app for the call and the remittance is worth more than a cent saved elsewhere.
What we like- Calling credit and international money transfer in one account, strong coverage of Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, frequent promotions on rates and top ups, also sells mobile top ups for relatives abroad
Watch out for- App pushes its other services hard, rates vary by destination and promotion, so checking matters, credit based like rivals, with balance rules to read, customer service reviews are mixed
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Talk360 exists because calling Africa from generalist apps is often the most expensive line in the rate table. It specialises in those routes, and its per minute prices to many African countries undercut the big chat apps' calling arms. The person receiving the call needs nothing installed, which matters where the relative at the other end has a basic phone.
Outside its specialism it has little to offer, and its rates are not the cheapest to every country even within Africa, so check your exact route against Viber Out and Rebtel before loading a large balance. For the diaspora caller whose Skype credit mostly went to Lagos, Nairobi or Accra, it is the specialist worth pricing first.
What we like- Built specifically around calling African destinations, rates to many African mobiles beat generalist rivals, the person you call needs no app, data or smartphone, pay as you go credit with no subscription
Watch out for- Focus is Africa, so it is not a general worldwide tool, app only, smaller company than the global names here, rate advantage varies by country and must be checked route by route
#7Microsoft Teams
Best for: Keeping Skype contacts on app to app calls4.4/5 on
G2 (19,330 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit microsoft.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Teams is on this list for one honest reason: it is where Microsoft sent everyone. If your Skype use was mostly free calls and chats with other Skype users, Teams free covers that, and your account already works there. Meetings, chat and app to app calling are free.
What it does not do is the subject of this article. The free version cannot ring a phone number, and the paid route to number calling is Teams Phone, a business product sold per user with calling plans, priced for companies rather than a grandmother's landline habit. Treat Teams as the home for your contacts, and pair it with one of the credit services above for the calls that actually cost money.
What we like- The official destination Microsoft moved Skype users to, free chat, meetings and app to app calls, your Microsoft account and many contacts carry over, apps on every platform including desktop
Watch out for- Free Teams cannot dial landlines or mobiles, calling real numbers needs paid Teams Phone licensing aimed at businesses, interface is built for work meetings, not family calls, no credit based casual calling model
How we chose
The test was whether a service can dial a real phone number in another country, because that is the Skype feature that disappeared. Services were judged on published per destination rates, credit expiry rules, coverage of landlines and mobiles, and whether pricing is printed before you commit money. Rate figures come from each service's own rate pages and October 2026 comparisons, and are quoted as starting points since every service prices by destination. Skype itself is the reference point and is not listed. Pure app to app messengers that cannot dial numbers were excluded, with Teams included once as the official migration path and labelled as such.
What to check before you load credit
Price your actual route, not the headline. Every service here charges differently for the exact country and number type you call, and mobile rates often run several times the landline rate in the same country. Take your three most called numbers, look each up in two or three rate tables, and multiply by your real monthly minutes. That ten minute exercise decides this category better than any review.
Then read the credit rules. Expiry windows differ, some balances die after months of inactivity, and a large top up for rare calls is how money quietly disappears. Small, regular top ups suit occasional callers; a country plan suits weekly ones. Finally, test call quality on a small balance before moving your whole habit across, because routing quality on cheap routes varies more than the rates suggest.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to my Skype Credit when Skype closed?
Skype Credit and calling plans were discontinued when Skype retired on 5 May 2025 rather than moved to Teams. Microsoft directed users to Teams for free app based communication, and paid number calling did not carry over.
Which alternative is cheapest for calling a landline abroad?
It depends on the destination. Google Voice leads for US based callers on many routes, Viber Out and Yolla compete on credit rates, and Rebtel's country plans win for heavy callers to one country. Price your own route in each table before deciding.
Can WhatsApp or FaceTime replace Skype for international calls?
Only for calls to people using the same app. Neither can dial a landline or a mobile number, so they cannot reach a bank, an office or a relative with a basic phone. That gap is what the credit services in this list fill.
Do these services show my real number to the person I call?
Most do. Yolla in particular advertises that your own number appears as caller ID, and Google Voice shows your Voice number. Calls from withheld or unknown numbers get answered far less, so this is worth checking in your test call.
Is there an unlimited international calling plan like Skype had?
Not in the same form. The closest offers are Rebtel's country plans, which flatten one destination, and optional monthly plans inside Viber Out for selected routes. Truly unlimited worldwide consumer plans have largely disappeared from the market.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.