We’ve Tried 5 Skype Alternatives and Here’s Our Team’s Honest Feedback

OK Skype, you’ve been with us for years.

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.

It seems like it’s finally time for Skype to be replaced with something else – something more reliable, robust and easier to use. But is there a good replacement?

When we started building Chanty, our easy-to-use and intuitive team chat app, we had to conduct quite a bit of research. 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 in 2025: Still hanging on?

Despite the rise of various alternatives, Skype still maintains its place in the communication landscape. Here are a few points on Skype’s current state in 2025:

• Skype’s Continued Popularity for Personal Use: Skype remains a popular choice for personal communication, particularly for international calls and video chats. It still has a loyal user base, particularly among those connecting with family and friends. So Skype continues to enjoy global popularity.
• Transition to Microsoft Teams for Business: Skype for Business officially transitioned to Microsoft Teams. It’s understandable because Teams offers more robust collaboration tools. Most popular among them are document sharing, task management, and seamless integration with Microsoft Office 365.
• Ongoing Updates and Evolving Features: While Skype still receives updates, the pace has slowed. Most of Skype’s updates now focus on enhancing security and improving integration with Microsoft’s ecosystem. These changes help it stay relevant, even then newer platforms emerge on the market.
• Security and Reliability: Skype is still not considered as secure or reliable for business communications as some newer apps, which offer more privacy features and better control over data.
• Ad-Free for Personal Use, But…: Skype continues to be ad-supported in its free version, which can be a nuisance for users who prefer a distraction-free experience. Business users can opt for paid versions to avoid ads, but for most casual users, the ads are still there.

So, is Skype still relevant?

Skype will continue to be used for personal, small-scale communication, but for businesses that require more robust, secure, and specialized features, alternatives like Chanty, Teams, or Zoom provide far better value. Skype’s place in the market is shrinking, but it still offers some unique benefits for users who prioritize simplicity and free international calls.

Why search for Skype alternatives?

If you’re looking for Skype for business alternatives, it’s likely because you’ve encountered one or more frustrating issues with the platform. While Skype has been a pioneering tool in video communication, many users likely face one of the following problems:

• Too many ads. Ads can be intrusive, especially during important calls.
• Slow performance. Skype often lags, especially during group calls or screen sharing.
• Spam from fake accounts. Security issues have led to frequent spam, making the platform less secure.
• Hacked accounts. Skype accounts are frequent targets for cyberattacks.
• Confusing design updates. Frequent changes to the interface can disrupt your experience.

Considering these issues, it’s clear why many businesses and individuals are actively seeking the best alternatives to Skype. Switching to a more reliable platform can significantly improve communication, enhance productivity, and provide a more user-friendly experience.

Our Skype alternatives experiment

Despite Skype being a major player in the video communication market, there are quite a few new video conferencing apps in the market nowadays. With so many options out there, it can be tough for businesses and organizations to figure out the perfect solution for their unique communication needs.

At Chanty, we decided to take a look at available alternatives to Skype and see which app is worth your time. We wanted to give you a full overview of the different options out there so you can make the best decisions for your team’s communication strategy.

Here are the top features that Skype offers at the moment:

1. One-on-one instant chat
2. Group instant chat
3. Audio and video calls
4. Screen sharing
5. The ability to call phone numbers (mobile and landline)

Since we have a basis for comparison, let’s take a look at some Skype alternatives that you can consider:

Chanty vs. Skype

Brosix vs Skype

Google Hangouts vs Skype

FaceTime vs. Skype

Viber vs. Skype

Chanty vs Skype

Lots of companies use Skype to communicate at work. If you work in a company like that, it’s time to consider a team chat app instead of Skype, because they’re that much better for communicating in the workplace.

Chanty is an easy-to-use, capable team chat app made for business applications. It’s a notification center too, which means you’ll be able to get notifications from all other apps you use in one place. This is something that Skype does not have.

How to bring all your notifications into one place?

Your team probably uses more than one app for work. This could be MailChimp, Xero, Salesforce, Zendesk or something else. Chanty lets you stay on top of things because you can get all your app notifications organized together on one platform.

Chanty is designed for team communication

At its core, Chanty is a communication app built for teams. On Skype, everyone can get in touch with you, from your aunt to your childhood friend who added you years ago. On the other hand, Chanty is a closed team chat app that is built for you and your colleagues. You won’t get distracted by anyone outside of work who wants to get in touch with you.

Company-wide, private or one-on-one discussions

You can communicate in a variety of ways with Chanty. From one-on-one chats to team messages, you can do it all. That way, you can share things publicly with your entire company, or if necessary, you can go to a private group conversation.

Let’s take a look at the current comparison of Chanty vs. Skype in this table.

Chanty vs Skype

Chanty vs Skype summary

If you’re looking for a team chat app, choose Chanty. If you need an app for personal communication, choose Skype. The major takeaways from Chanty are:

–   You can integrate it with your favorite apps and get notifications in your team chat window. Skype doesn’t allow this.

–   You can use Chanty for the public (company-wide), private (one, two or more participants) conversations as well as one-on-one chats. With Skype, you can chat one-on-one or in group conversations.

–   You can create closed team spaces in Chanty. In Skype, you can get in touch with anyone with an account.

–   Chanty has audio and video calls, just like Skype.

–   You can’t send SMS messages or make landline calls in Chanty.

–   Chanty will never serve you a single ad.

Last but not least, Chanty is constantly evolving. Our goal is to make the best team chat app out there, with only the features that individuals and companies will find useful. We are constantly adding new cool features and we’re excited for what the future brings for us and our users. If you’d like to give Chanty a try, you can sign up today or book a free demo! 😉

Rocket.Chat vs. Skype

Rocket.Chat is a sovereign and modern alternative to Skype that provides secure, real-time messaging and collaboration. Unlike Skype, which is primarily a general-purpose communication tool, Rocket.Chat is designed for teams, businesses, and enterprises that require complete control over their data and security.

With self-hosting capabilities, full encryption, and advanced integrations, Rocket.Chat eliminates the risks of relying on third-party services for business communication. Whether your organization needs team chat, voice/video calls, file sharing, or integration with essential business tools, Rocket.Chat is a secure and highly customizable solution.

Rocket.Chat vs. Skype: Feature Comparison

Rocket.Chat vs. Skype: Key Takeaways

• Purpose-built for Regulated Industries – While Skype is a general-purpose chat app, Rocket.Chat is built for team communication and business collaboration.
• Advanced Security & Compliance – Rocket.Chat ensures data protection with end-to-end encryption, self-hosting, and compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.
• More Control Over Communication – Unlike Skype, which stores data on Microsoft’s servers, Rocket.Chat gives businesses full control over their communication and data sovereignty.
• Integrations & Customization – Rocket.Chat seamlessly integrates with business tools like Jira, Google Workspace, GitHub, and Zapier, while Skype has limited third-party integrations.
• No Vendor Lock-In – Rocket.Chat is open-source, meaning organizations can customize and extend its capabilities without being restricted to a single provider.

For businesses and enterprises that prioritize security, privacy, and customization, Rocket.Chat is the ideal alternative to Skype.

Brosix IM vs. Skype

Brosix IM is a strong option among Skype for business alternatives. It offers many features similar to Skype, including audio and video calls, instant messaging, and screen sharing. What makes Brosix different is the focus on internal team communication through private team networks.

Brosix also pays particular attention to security, with fully encrypted security channels and a range of administrative features designed to keep team communication safe. 

Private Team Networks for Enterprise Customers

Outside of its IM app, Brosix specializes in private team communication networks. These networks are fully administrable. Brosix allows administrators to control which features are accessible to users, which users can join the network, and who can communicate with whom. 

Skype for Business also provides enterprise IM services, although this is set to be phased out in favor of Microsoft Teams in the coming months. 

Security

Both Brosix and Skype use AES 256-bit encryption, one of the strongest algorithms on the market. Customers using Brosix private network have direct control over which users can access the network. On the other hand, Skype’s free public app allows strangers to reach out and contact users. There are privacy settings for this, but the standard setting allows unknown contacts to send messages and call users.

Brosix IM vs. Skype summary

Brosix IM and Skype have many features in common, particularly when Brosix is compared with Skype for Business. The uncertain future of Skype’s enterprise services leaves an opening for other competitors however. Brosix IM could fill this role with its focus on private team networks that provide a relatively simple-to-use features package, much like Skype. 

Google Chat vs Skype

When it comes to their communication features, these two tools are pretty similar. You can use both to chat, make audio and video calls and call mobile and landline numbers. If you’re interested, we have a detailed comparison of Hangouts vs. Skype for you to check out how the two fare against each other. When it comes to features, this is what the situation looks like:

Google Hangouts vs Skype

Google Chat’s unfamiliar interface vs. Skype’s redesign

Google Chat looks and feels different – not like a standard chat application. Every chat that you open is a new window, which means that more than 10 open chats at once create mayhem on your screen. Overall, the Hangouts interface leaves much to be desired.

Although, the professional photos in the background of the app are very nice. However, you cannot change them on your own.

Skype has changed many design iterations throughout the years, with the biggest one happening in 2017. While it was initially met with a lot of negativity, its slightly altered version is alive and well today and we have all gotten used to it.

Notifications

Your can turn on/ off the notifications in Google Chat.

In Skype, video and audio call push notifications pop up right in front of you. On the other hand, Hangouts won’t notify you about an incoming call. However, you will receive an email in your Gmail inbox that someone’s calling you. Don’t want to miss any calls? Well, better check your emails regularly

The integration with Google is great

There is one thing that’s awesome about Google Chat – it plays well with the rest of Google’s products. Google Chat is integrated with everything in Google’s arsenal, including Gmail. The moment you open your inbox, a Google chat box will be waiting for you. If you spend a lot of time on Gmail, this is pretty convenient.

Video/audio calls and screen sharing work pretty well

The number one reason why people use Google is the video calling feature. We gave it a go and tested both apps to find the winner. Our team video call was just fine in both apps and there were no issues with screen sharing either. Therefore, if video calls are your primary requirement, you can choose either app, they’re equally good.

Google Chat vs. Skype – summary

–   Video/ audio calls and screen sharing work equally well in both apps

–   File sharing on Google Chat is limited – you can only send images

–   You can easily miss calls because notifications are not great on Google Chat

–   Combine Hangout with other Google apps and it’s a great tool

–   There is no desktop app for Google Chat

–   Skype lets you send a larger variety of files

–   Landline and mobile calls are cheaper in Hangouts

FaceTime vs Skype

Launched in 2010, FaceTime is one of the most popular communication apps out there. It is primarily focused on Apple devices: MacBooks, iPhones, iPods, iPads and iWatches. Good news for Apple users but it also means that Android users won’t be able to use the app. Also, you cannot use FaceTime on Windows either. As of recently, FaceTime has the ability to have up to 32 people join a video call, which is a huge improvement from one-on-ones as it was before. FaceTime doesn’t support instant text chat either – you have to use iMessage for this feature, although this shouldn’t be an issue for Apple users.

Let’s take a closer look at FaceTime and Skype features in this table.

FaceTime vs Skype

FaceTime vs Skype summary

It would be a stretch to call FaceTime a competitor to Skype. The only feature that they have in common is video calls. Just like all other Apple apps, FaceTime requires iOS, and it’s only sufficiently good paired with iMessage. All of this doesn’t make it ideal for work.

Viber vs Skype

Out of all the other apps like Skype, Viber is likely the closest in terms of functionality. It offers similar features like voice and video calls, messaging, and group chats.

Difference: Viber needs your phone number

The major condition for using Viber is giving it your phone number and access to your smartphone. You cannot sign up for the app at all if you don’t have a working mobile phone number, both for registration and use.

Businesses that have your phone number will keep sending you spam

You can unsubscribe every time you get a message from a new company, but it will draw your attention away. I’ve received quite a few offers so far and every year, the number of companies using Viber for advertising is growing. The rest of the features are similar to Skype. Let’s take a look at the table.

Viber vs Skype

Viber vs Skype summary

Skype is more convenient for desktop use than Viber due to several reasons. The search function is better, while the rest of the features are similar. The biggest downside to Viber is that you need a phone number to create an account. Here are our takeaways from the two apps:

–   Both apps let you chat in groups and one-on-one

–   Message actions are similar in Skype and Viber

–   Notification settings are more advanced in Skype

–   Viber’s interface is, in our opinion, more friendly

–   You can call up to 100 people in Skype – up to 40 people in Viber

–   You can add emoticons and text in Skype video calls – not in Viber

–   Viber Out is cheaper for mobile and landline calls in the US and in the UK

–   Viber sends you ads and special offers from businesses; Skype sends you in-app banner ads

Skype alternatives summary

We’ve taken a look at 5 Skype alternatives and actually tried using them for a while to communicate with our internal team. We are now ready to share our last words on these apps.

Skype is an excellent app. However, it seems like it’s fallen behind some of the apps on this list in terms of features. Despite some of its drawbacks, its ability to set up video conferencing with a large number of people is to be admired. You can use it on a variety of platforms and it has a great chat-functionality on top of audio and video calls.

So, what’s better than Skype?

Since it’s now more of an app for personal use, we strongly suggest using something other than Skype for work. You’re in luck because we have just what you need to take your team’s communication one step further – you can use Chanty! Text communication, audio and video calls, screen sharing, task management, sending voice messages – these are just some of the many great features that Chanty has in store for your team. Sign up today and see for yourself!

This article was originally posted in September 2018 and updated in October 2024.