5 Best Skype Alternatives for Windows PC (Download)

When we think about video calling, the name that comes to your mind first is Skype. It has become a synonym for Internet video calling and if you have friends and relatives who live in different parts of the world, then you will use Skype a lot to talk to them. Skype is probably the most popular and most used VoIP software and it is available for multiple platforms making it easy for people to use. You can talk to your friends or family members and you can even conduct a business meeting or an interview session using the software.

However, just like there are certain bad things with everything, Skype too has its own share of shortcomings. There have been huge number of changes done to the software and sometimes, you are not able to make video calls at all. It has also been criticized for hogging users’ Internet bandwidth and the security concerns are the worst with the software. So, in this case, many users are switching to other video calling apps and software for getting in touch with their friends. In this article, we’ll see some of the best Skype alternatives that you can use on your Windows computer to make video calls or send an instant text message.

Best Skype Alternatives for Windows PC

Google Hangouts

The number one alternative to Skype would be Google Hangouts as it is available for multiple platforms and is easy to use. You can download it on your Android or iOS smartphone or your computer.

If you are using Google Chrome browser on your computer, then you can install the Google Hangouts extension to start chatting with your friends. You can make send text messages, make video calls and also make phone calls with it. However, you need a Gmail account if you want to use Google Hangouts on any platform.

LINE

Another great Skype alternative is LINE app that allows you to make free voice and video calls. The app is available for multiple platforms including smartphones and computers.

You can download LINE app for Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, Firefox OS and also on a computer running Windows, Mac OS and an extension for Google Chrome. You can send free text messages using LINE app and also make voice calls and video calls for free.

ICQ

ICQ was first released in 1996 and it comes with a lot of features for instant messaging and if you have a fast internet connection, you can use the one-click video call feature to chat with other ICQ users.

With ICQ, your privacy is safe as you don’t have to use your email address. The tool provides you a unique identification number that can be used to contact you. Moreover, you can use the tool to send Facebook messages, Yahoo messages as well as other chat messengers like Google Talk, Jabber, etc. The interface of ICQ might not be the best but it is one of the best alternatives to Skype when it comes to video calls, instant messaging and VoIP calls.

TeamSpeak

If you play games on your PC online, then you will know about TeamSpeak chat messenger as it is the best one out there for gamers to chat with other games from around the world.

The tool comes with a number of features like microphone adjustment, echo cancellation, noise reduction and with a user-friendly interface, it provides you the best platform for a great voice chat session. TeamSpeak is free to download and is available for Windows, Mac, Linux as well as for Android and iOS.

Viber

Viber is one of the best Skype alternatives since it provides you all the features that you expect from a video chat app. It is available for multiple platforms like Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Nokia and for Windows desktop as well.

With Viber app, you can make free calls, send instant text messages to your contacts and allows you to make high quality video calls across devices. Moreover, all these is free and you just need an Internet connection.

Other Alternatives to Skype

Tox.im

If you want to protect your privacy while chatting online, then you can use Tox.im messenger tool as it provides you total control over your conversations using encryption. The tool offers you various ways to chat including text messaging, file sharing, phone calls and video calling.

WeChat

WeChat is one of the best chat apps in the world right now and though it started as a text messaging app, it now offers voice as well as video call features. You can download WeChat app for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry as well as on Windows computer and Mac. You can even use the web version of the app.

ooVoo

ooVoo is another great alternative to Skype as you can add your friends from Facebook, Twitter and Gmail to your ooVoo account and chat with them. The tool allows you to have a video call with up to 12 people at a time. You can also watch YouTube videos together with the app. You can use ooVoo on PC or mobile devices by downloading it from the website.

These were the best alternatives to Skype that you can use to send text messages or talk with your loved ones using the video calling feature.

I hope that you liked the article and if you did, then please share it with your friends so that they too know about the best Skype alternatives to use if it doesn’t work. Also, if you have any suggestions, then share it with us.