Skype Is Shutting Down: Best Alternatives for Calling Abroad in 2026

eSIM Guides · · 8 min read · By AirCarta Team

Skype Is Shutting Down: Best Alternatives for Calling Abroad in 2026
Person on a video call on a laptop at home

On May 5, 2025, Microsoft officially shut down Skype. For millions of people who used it to call family overseas, run remote meetings, or stay connected while traveling, this leaves a real gap.

The good news: there are better options available in 2026, and most of them are free. This guide ranks every major Skype alternative by use case, whether you're calling a landline in Italy, video-chatting with family in the Philippines, or trying to stay reachable while traveling through Southeast Asia.

What Happened to Skype?

Microsoft announced the shutdown in February 2025, giving users three months to migrate. The official end date was May 5, 2025.

At its peak, Skype had over 36 million daily users. Microsoft's stated reason for shutting it down was to consolidate around Microsoft Teams, which now has a free personal version that handles many of the same use cases.

What happened to your Skype account:

  • Skype credits: Microsoft offered a refund window, check your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com for current status
  • Skype Numbers: discontinued, you will need a new virtual number from another provider
  • Chat history: was available for export via the Skype data export tool before shutdown
  • Contacts: your contacts list can be moved to Teams or exported manually

    • The Best Free Skype Alternatives in 2026

    Person using smartphone messaging apps while sitting at a table

    1. WhatsApp, best for calling family and friends abroad

    WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging and calling app in the world outside the United States. If your contacts are in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, or Southeast Asia, they almost certainly already have it.

  • Free voice and video calls over WiFi or mobile data
  • End-to-end encrypted
  • Works on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and in a browser
  • Supports group calls up to 32 people
  • Limitation: both parties need WhatsApp, it cannot call regular phone numbers

    • Best for: staying in touch with friends and family abroad, coordinating travel plans, group calls.

    2. FaceTime, best for Apple-to-Apple calls

    If everyone you call uses an iPhone or Mac, FaceTime delivers outstanding audio and video quality, and it is completely free.

  • Built into every Apple device, no download required
  • FaceTime Links allow non-Apple users to join via browser (limited functionality)
  • Limitation: full functionality requires Apple devices on both ends

    • Best for: iPhone users calling family members who also use Apple devices.

    3. Google Meet, best for cross-platform video calls

    Google Meet works in any browser without an app and handles groups well.

  • Free for personal use with no time limit on 1-to-1 calls
  • Group calls have a 60-minute limit on free accounts
  • Works on any device with a browser, no download required
  • Integrates with Google Calendar for scheduled calls

    • Best for: cross-platform group calls, scheduled meetings with people who do not have WhatsApp.

    4. Signal, best for privacy

    Signal is end-to-end encrypted by default, open source, and collects minimal user data.

  • Free voice and video calls
  • No ads, no data tracking
  • Works on iOS, Android, and desktop
  • Requires both parties to have Signal

    • Best for: travelers in regions with surveillance concerns, professionals handling sensitive conversations.

    5. Viber, best for calling landlines cheaply

    Viber has two modes: free app-to-app calls and paid "Viber Out" calls to regular phone and landline numbers.

  • Free Viber-to-Viber calls
  • Viber Out rates: approximately $0.01–0.05/min to most countries
  • Popular in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia

    • Best for: calling international landlines, reaching people in regions where Viber is dominant.

    6. Microsoft Teams (free), best for existing Microsoft users

    Teams is Microsoft's official answer to the Skype shutdown.

  • Free for personal use (video calls, messaging, file sharing)
  • Integrates with Outlook and other Microsoft apps
  • 60-minute limit on group video calls on the free tier

    • Best for: people already in the Microsoft ecosystem, business calls with Office 365 users.

    7. Zoom, best for business and screen sharing

  • Free tier: 40-minute limit on group calls, unlimited 1-to-1 calls
  • Screen sharing, recording, and whiteboard built in
  • Works on any device and in the browser

    • Best for: business meetings, webinars, anything requiring screen sharing.

    Best Alternatives for Calling International Landlines

    Person making a phone call while looking at a laptop

    App-to-app calls are free but require the other person to have the app. If you need to call a regular landline or mobile number abroad, you need a paid service.

    Service Example rate (calling UK landline from US) Notes
    Google Voice ~$0.01–0.02 / min US only; excellent call quality; gives you a US number
    Viber Out ~$0.01–0.05 / min Wide country coverage; competitive rates to mobiles and landlines
    Rebtel ~$0.01–0.03 / min Strong for EU and Asia; subscription plans available
    Hushed ~$0.02–0.04 / min Also provides virtual local numbers in 300+ area codes
    WhatsApp Not available App-to-app only, cannot call regular phone numbers

    Best pick for most people: Google Voice (US users) or Viber Out (everyone else). Both offer rates well below what Skype ever charged for most destinations.

    What About Calling While You're Traveling Abroad?

    Traveler checking their phone at an airport departure gate

    Here is what all the Skype alternatives have in common: they all require mobile data or WiFi to work.

    At home, that is not a problem. But the moment you land in another country and walk away from airport WiFi, you need a data connection, or WhatsApp, FaceTime, and every other app goes silent.

    Your three options when traveling:

    Option 1: International roaming from your home carrier

  • Cost: typically $10–15 per day
  • A 7-day trip costs $70–105 in roaming fees
  • Data is often capped or throttled after a daily limit

    • Option 2: Buy a local SIM at the airport

  • Cheaper than roaming, but requires queuing on arrival
  • Your home phone number goes inactive while the local SIM is inserted
  • You lose access to 2FA texts sent to your home number

    • Option 3: A travel eSIM

  • Buy online before you fly, install in 5 minutes via QR code
  • Your home SIM stays active, you keep your number, 2FA texts keep arriving
  • Costs $10–25 for a week of data in most destinations
  • Works the moment your plane lands

    • Roaming Local SIM Travel eSIM
    Cost (7 days) $70–105 $10–20 $10–25
    Buy before landing Yes No Yes
    Home number stays active Yes No Yes
    2FA texts still arrive Yes No Yes
    WhatsApp / FaceTime work Yes (expensive) Yes Yes
    Setup time Automatic 30–60 min 5 min

    For most travelers, an eSIM is the best combination of price, convenience, and keeping your home number active. You can compare plans for your destination at aircarta.com.

    The Setup That Works Best: WiFi Calling + Travel eSIM

    If you want the most complete solution, one that replaces everything Skype did and more, combine two tools:

  • Enable WiFi Calling on your home SIM (Settings → Phone → WiFi Calling on iPhone), this lets you make and receive calls on your regular number over any WiFi connection, without roaming charges on the voice side.
  • Buy a travel eSIM for data, this gives you mobile internet everywhere you go, so WhatsApp, FaceTime, Maps, Uber, and everything else works whether you are on WiFi or not.

    • The result: your home number stays fully reachable via WiFi calling, and you have mobile data for everything else through your eSIM. Total cost for a week: $10–25, versus $70–105 for roaming.

    How to Replace Your Skype Number

    If you had a Skype number, you will need an alternative:

  • Google Voice (US only): free US phone number, calls forward to your mobile, voicemail included
  • Hushed: virtual numbers in 300+ area codes across 60+ countries, starting at ~$3/month
  • Rebtel: virtual numbers available in selected countries

    • For most personal users, Google Voice (US) or Hushed (international) handles what Skype Numbers used to do.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Skype completely gone? Yes. As of May 5, 2025, Skype is shut down. The app no longer connects. Microsoft Teams is the official replacement.

    What happened to my Skype credits? Microsoft offered a refund window. Check your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com, credits may still be refundable depending on your usage history.

    Is WhatsApp as good as Skype was? For app-to-app calls: yes, and often better quality. For calling landlines: no, WhatsApp cannot call regular phone numbers. Use Viber Out or Google Voice for that.

    What is the cheapest way to call internationally in 2026? App-to-app calls via WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Signal are free. For landlines, Google Voice (~$0.01/min, US only) or Viber Out (~$0.01–0.05/min) are the cheapest options.

    Does WhatsApp work abroad without roaming? It works on WiFi for free. Away from WiFi, it needs mobile data, which is where a travel eSIM comes in.

    The Bottom Line

    Skype's shutdown is genuinely disruptive for people who relied on it, but the alternatives available in 2026 are mostly better, faster, and either free or significantly cheaper.

    For calling friends and family: WhatsApp handles almost everything Skype did. For calling landlines: Google Voice or Viber Out. For business: Teams or Zoom.

    The one piece Skype solved that the free apps do not cover is mobile data when you travel. For that, a travel eSIM fills the gap, giving you WhatsApp, FaceTime, Maps, and everything else from the moment you land, at a fraction of roaming costs.

    Compare travel eSIM plans for your next destination at aircarta.com, see prices, data amounts, and network coverage side by side, and get your QR code before you fly.

    Browse eSIM plans for 190+ countries