No matter how old you are, you’ve probably heard of Skype. For many of us, it was the first app we would open every morning when we got to work. But as you know, no app is used forever. With 2020 well on its way, it seems like it’s finally time for Skype is not workingor to be replaced with something else – something more reliable, robust and easier to use. We wanted to analyze our competitors and see what we’re up against and one of the apps we tested was Skype. For each app we tested, we considered its pros and cons from the perspective of a customer, because we wanted to build something better. Skype is just one of the many apps we’ve tried.
Skype alternatives
This is a list of alternatives to Skype picks anyone from the given below the list:
• Viber
Viber makes it possible for users to make international calls from their desktops. This app allows users to enjoy free voice and video calls and text chats with their friends and family members using the same app. The video call sessions on Viber can accommodate up to 40 people at any one time. International and domestic calls are billed from just above $0.01 per minute. Viber can also be used to send text, documents, video messages and images via the app. The app is secured such that all messages sent through it are encrypted.
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• Talky
If you’re using Skype for business, you’ll be happy you made the switch to Talky. No software, no apps, no annoying Microsoft emails, no nothing. Just go to Talky’s website, give your chat a name, and fire it up. You can add up to 15 colleagues into one conference. Talky gives you a link and you just share. We drop it into Whatsapp or an email and we’re ready to go. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
• Jitsi
The open-source software, Jitsi, is geared towards users who are particularly concerned about the privacy of their communications. All calls (both with and without video) are encrypted. The chat function also allows users to activate encryption of the contents of their conversations. There is no official limit to the number of participants in one video conference – this primarily depends on the capabilities of the computer and the speed of the internet connection. Another unique feature of Jitsi is that users don’t need to sign up for an account in order to use the service; one can simply use the browser variant, Jitsi Meet. With this application, users just open up a conversation with a click of a mouse and add other people to the conversation by sending them a link.
• ICQ
ICQ has been around for decades, but rest assured that it’s seen an update for the modern era. It’s a simple messenger app without any fluff. The app encrypts your calls, and you can of course chat in groups. If someone sends a voice message, you can convert it into text when you can’t listen at the moment. Live chats let you talk to people about themes like travel or dating. ICQ also supports large file transfers up to 4GB. If you’ve got some friends on the service, you’ll find something to enjoy here
• WebEx
If you’re looking for the best Skype alternative for business use, then WebEx is the service to go for. Webex offers a large number of features for video conferencing, allowing employees from all over the world to work together and collaborate on projects. It can be used for training, supporting customers and much more, and for an additional fee, you can also include international voice calls. Webex also integrates with your business calendar, as well as platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack and Facebook Live.
Is Skype save to use
Skype is quite safe to use, as long as you take proper precautions against potential threats. For example, if someone suspicious tries to contact you, you can block them. You can even set it up to block all users not in your contacts list from communicating with you over Skype in any way.
The main thing to be careful of is suspicious users who may be running phishing scams. This usually involves contacting you out of the blue with a hyperlink to a suspicious website, or a computer file for you to download. Both of these things may give your computer a virus or malware program if you interact with them.
To be on the safe side, only use the software to communicate with people whom you know well or trust, particularly those whom you’ve met outside of Skype. Sometimes, this requires vigilance on your part, while at other times, certain settings can help you out. Here are five other suggestions on how to stay safe while using Skype.
Final words
There many applications that can be used to set up a video conference with more than two devices. Most of the services provide a very similar range of functions to Skype. For example, almost all the programs have an instant messaging feature (with the exception of Google Duo and Face Time), and users can also send files using many of the alternative applications.
It’s important to note that despite many of these services suffering criticism in the past for their weak data security, there are still very few applications where privacy is guaranteed. However, three of these services offer exemplary privacy policies when it comes to securing conversations, user data, video, audio, and text content.
