Have you ever searched for Skype alternatives?
Whether you’re looking to conduct business meetings, hold online training sessions, or keep in touch with friends and family, video calling is a great way to do it.
Skype was once a go-to app for video and audio conferencing.
After that, with the development of technologies and the ever-growing number of competitors, what will be the best Skype for Business alternative?
In this blog post, for example, we’ll take a look at some of the top contenders for Skype alternatives and explore what makes them so great.
So, are you ready to dive in?
First Skype Alternative: Whoosh
In comparison with Skype, a pioneer of online communication, Whoosh is a newcomer to the sphere of online meetings.
However, what makes it different is that it brings a fresh perspective to video conferencing.
In other words, its major aim is to help users overcome video call fatigue, save time on daily meetings, and increase the impact from them.
Perfect for
- Startup and small business owners
- HR specialists
- Sales and marketing departments
- EdTech
- Nonprofits
- Home usage
Price
- A free plan is available
- Subscription starts at $14.99 user/month
Participants
- Minimum: up to 4 (Standard plan)
- Maximum: up to 500 (Enterprise plan)
Top Features
- AI-driven functionality: touch-up tools, scheduling assistant, gesture recognition.
- Weatherman-style layouts: combine slides, videos, or any streaming service with the speaker’s video feed to provide viewers with a more interactive experience.
- Photorealistic avatars: choose a realistic look to hide the original version of yourself and at the same time remain recognizable.
- Full-HD video: with Whoosh’s high-definition video quality, every online meeting feels like you’re all in the same room.
- Audio separation: by providing each participant with an individual audio stream, multiple people can speak clearly without one person having to shout over everyone else. Above all, participants can form groups to talk privately without interruptions.
- Mementos: by putting together all the highlights of an online meeting, AI creates short video mashups – Mementos – meeting recordings that help every absentee feel like they were there.
- High-end security: Whoosh provides the highest level of protection for online meetings. On top of it, the software uses multi-party encryption, global security certifications, and offers hosts extra control over every meeting participant.
Whoosh vs. Skype
| Whoosh | Skype | |
| Video conferencing | Unlimited calls with up to 500 participants | Unlimited sessions with up to 100 participants |
| AI tools | + | + |
| Cloud recordings | + (Mementos) | + |
| Integrations | + | – |
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS |
Second Skype Alternative: RingCentral MVP
RingCentral has been on the market since 1999 and remains one of the most powerful Skype alternatives.
Now the company offers a wide range of tools for remote collaboration, one of which is RingCentral MVP – “Message. Video. Phone”.
Perfect for
- Remote business teams
- Customer support
- EdTech
- Large-scale online events
Price
- 30-day free trial for up to 5 users
- Subscription starts at $19.99 user/month
Participants
- Minimum: up to 20 (Essential plan)
- Maximum: up to 200 (Ultimate plan)
Top Features
- Team messaging: keep in touch with teammates in a live chat with file sharing, task management, search by keyword, filter by mentions, internal and external links.
- Video conferencing: enjoy HD video and audio quality of every call with access to AI assistance, one-click calling, high-grade security, screen sharing, annotations, recordings, and breakout rooms.
- Business phone system: send business texts, faxes, voicemails, IVR (interactive voice responses); enable call queues and automated analytics.
- Add-ons: RingCentral Webinar (for hosting webinars and other big online events), RingCentral Rooms (for creating virtual rooms to keep remote and hybrid teams in touch).
- Integrations: popular CRMs, calendars, video chat apps, bots, marketing, and sales platforms, and others.
RingCentral MVP vs. Skype
| RingCentral MVP | Skype | |
| Video conferencing | Unlimited meetings with up to 200 participants | Unlimited sessions with up to 100 participants |
| AI tools | + | + |
| Cloud recordings | + | + |
| Integrations | + | – |
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS |
Third Skype Alternative: Cisco Webex
Webex is one of the best Skype alternatives for business use.
So such prominent companies as T-Mobile, Office Depot, and Cigna Health rely on Webex.
Above all, Webex is perfect for providing many tools to make remote and hybrid teams more productiveю
In addition, it`s fit even for working from different continents.
Perfect for
- Remote & hybrid business teams
- Education
- Finance
- Nonprofits
Price
- A free plan is available
- Subscription starts at $25 license/month
Participants
- Minimum: up to 100 (Free plan)
- Maximum: up to 200 (Business plan) + customizable (Enterprise plan)
Top Features
- Video conferencing: make HD video and audio calls with screen sharing, virtual whiteboard, personal rooms, AI-powered features (background noise removal, speech enhancement, gesture recognition, automatic transcription), and breakout rooms.
- Custom layouts: try various options – for instance, active speaker, full-screen video of just the main speaker, grid view with up to 25 people, virtual backgrounds.
- Intuitive screen sharing with more controls: one-click access, quick screenshots, share button, live chat, Word, and Powerpoint integrations.
- Messaging: one-on-one and team chats with interactive polls and Q&As, file sharing, internal and external messaging, and co-editing.
- Multiplatform support: host and join online meetings from any device you have at hand – Android, iPhone, macOS, Windows.
Webex vs. Skype
| Webex | Skype | |
| Video conferencing | Unlimited meetings with up to 200 participants | Unlimited sessions with up to 100 participants |
| AI tools | + | + |
| Cloud recordings | + | + |
| Integrations | + | – |
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS, Linux + wearable devices | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS |
Fourth Skype Alternative: Google Meet
Google Meet is a perfect Skype alternative for active Google Workspace users.
Also, it integrates with other Google platforms being quite convenient if you often have to jump between them.
Moreover, it works on every modern device, including web browsers, so you can hop on a video call within a few seconds.
Perfect for
- Quick syncs within remote teams
- Digital learning
- Small companies and startups
- Home usage
Price
- A free plan is available
- Subscription starts at $8 user/month
Participants
- Minimum: up to 100 (Free plan)
- Maximum: up to 500 (Enterprise plan)
Top Features
- Conference calls: set up your view with a video and audio preview screen before joining a call. For example, try customizable layouts with a gallery view, screen sharing, real-time captioning, recordings, and smart noise cancellation.
- Messaging: live chat, polls, Q&As.
- Integrations: with Google and Microsoft Office services.
- Meeting host controls: remove/mute/pin participants.
- Easy-to-use interface: enjoy the simplicity with intuitive minimalistic design, simple invites, and one-click access.
- High-end security: end-to-end encryption, anti-abuse features, 2-step authentication.
Meet vs. Skype
| Meet | Skype | |
| Video conferencing | Unlimited meetings with up to 500 participants | Unlimited sessions with up to 100 participants |
| AI tools | + | + |
| Cloud recordings | + | + |
| Integrations | + | – |
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS | Android, iOS, web, Windows, macOS |
Final Words
So you still don’t know what to choose?
Thus, start from the very first option in our list – Whoosh.
In short, it offers a brand-new way to meet up online being an ideal choice for teams who want to work smarter and faster.
Petr is a serial tech entrepreneur and the CEO of Apro Software, a machine learning company. Whenever he’s not blogging about technology for itechgyan.com or softwarebattle.com, Petr enjoys playing sports and going to the movies. He’s also deeply interested in mediation, Buddhism and biohacking.