What to install instead of Skype on your computer: review of alternative programs

An analogue of Skype is an alternative program that can be used for calls, messages, and video conferencing. After Microsoft bought the original messenger, customers became concerned about the security of their information and account access, and many began to look for an alternative to Skype. In our article we will show and tell you what applications there are from which you can choose an analogue of Skype for your computer and more.

There are quite a few programs similar to Skype, let’s look at them in more detail.

Viber (analogue of Skype for Android and PC)

A super popular program for online communication. Let's list its great features:

This is an alternative to Skype for PC, namely Windows 7, 8, 10 and even XP.
It can also be installed on MacOS 10.7, Linux Ubuntu and Fedora.

Completely free;
Can be downloaded on iPhone, Android;
Built-in video and voice calls;
Built-in functions of Gif, sending videos from Youtube, Comedy;
Public chats of famous brands;
There is installation on the tablet;
Unique data encryption system for better protection;
Synchronizes with the phone book, making it easier to find new contacts;
Exchange of any media files (photos, audio, clips, voice messages, location, documents, archives, etc.);
A wide selection of stickers and emojis for bright and fun correspondence;
Group chats for up to 250 participants.
You can delete a message even if the other person has already received it.
Push notifications will signal about some kind of Viber activity, even if it is turned off on your phone.
Possibility of hidden and secret chats;

You can read about how to completely remove Skype and switch to something new in our material.

See clearly the advantages of Viber:

Is an alternative to Skype possible on Smart TV?

LG, Samsung, Sony, Tishiba, Phillips - all these manufacturers produced TVs with this option. But after June 2020, when Microsoft announced the end of support for Skype for Smart TV, many wondered how to replace the program now, since it no longer functions.

Unfortunately, there is no alternative. You can try to find old versions in the nooks and crannies of the Internet and install at your own risk, but this is not recommended.

The developer officially announced the termination of support for this product due to its low demand. Therefore, the company focused its efforts on versions for mobile and desktop operating systems.

Users who prefer to communicate on a wide screen are recommended to switch to tablets or purchase appropriately sized PC monitors. Nowadays, there are many opportunities to use a personal computer as a TV.

This is an alternative to Skype for many smartphone platforms (including Android, iOS, Windows phone). Also, after some manipulations, it can serve as an analogue of Skype for PC Windows too.

Like many other instant messengers, it works via an Internet connection and is free. Also includes the following features:

Important! There is a function for Audio and video calls (even long-distance), but it is worth noting that they are not always free. This application may charge money for data transfer; this point needs to be clarified with your telecom operator.
It can be safely called a program similar to Skype for a computer and its complete alternative, since it has a separate version for PC and a Web version (communication through a browser);
Synchronization with your contact list;
Group conversations for up to 256 participants;
Sending multimedia – photos, music, clips, voicemail.
Chats and voice messages;
Wide range of personalization options – wallpapers, statuses, etc.
Sending documents, files in different formats; This program is actually a good analogue and the range of functions is impressive.

Please also take a look at our article on how to reinstall Skype.

ooVoo

ooVoo is a video chat app from Israel, based on the patented Superclear technology, which is expected to give the best video quality in the conversation. The application itself is distinguished by its freeness and ease of use; it can act as a full-fledged analogue of Skype. ooVoo is present on all well-known platforms and allows you to create a free video chat with up to 12 people, despite the fact that each of them can be on different devices. In terms of design, all this is very similar to Skype, from which everything unnecessary has been removed, leaving only the capabilities of video conferencing and file transfer. In an emergency, you can also call a landline phone using internal ooVoo currency.

This is also an excellent program similar to Skype.

This is a free and very fast messenger that provides all the basic functions for online communication.
It can be installed on iPhone and Android smartphones;
Supports installation on tablet;
This is an excellent alternative to Skype for Windows (can be installed on versions 7,8.0/1, XP;
And others: MAC, Linux;
Audio calls have also become free, and their data quality is quite high.
A huge plus is that this program is completely free of advertising, and the security of user data is ensured by a multi-level protection system.
There is a portable version;
The alternative Telegram program has a Web version for PC;
There are built-in Bots that quickly resolve user issues;
Variety of stickers;
Creation of supergroups of up to 1000 people;
There are official channels from Telegram, subscribers can subscribe to them
Supports sending images, GIFs;
Secret chats;

As you can see, the Skype alternative is not a myth. We have listed the most common analogue applications, from which you can choose any one to suit your taste.

FaceTime

FaceTime is an analogue of Skype for video communication from Apple. FaceTime gained viral popularity due to the ability to create your own avatars , as well as use various filters and masks directly during a conversation - which is why the application instantly spread among teenagers. Otherwise, Face Time is a very ordinary messenger, created exclusively for Apple products class=”aligncenter” width=”670″ height=”376″[/img]

What is Avidemux program and how to use it

Hangouts

An alternative to Skype for Android and iOS - for PC and other devices.

Hangouts is a program similar to Skype that allows you to:

Send and receive messages;
Communicate in groups of up to 150 users;
Free individual and group video meetings (up to 10 people);
Calls to telephone numbers;
Exchange media files, stickers, maps, gifs.
Automatic synchronization of chats between gadgets.
If your interlocutor is not online, he will receive your message as soon as he goes online.

Viber

This is a relatively new, but already quite popular application for exchanging text messages, video and VoIP calls. Quite a popular analogue of Skype for Linux.

The project was initially developed for smartphones and tablets, but then versions were released for desktop platforms, including Windows, Linux and MacOS.

An interesting feature of Viber is its simple and beautiful interface, which is much more convenient than the Skype interface. For example, to extract the history of Skype correspondence, you need to understand the program files and use third-party utilities; here, a backup copy of the correspondence is made in a couple of clicks.

As in previous programs, your messages, according to the developers, are reliably protected by encryption.

OoVoo (Skype analogue for all OS)

Alternative to Skype for PC Windows, Android, Mac, iPhone.

This popular application is designed for video chats with up to 20 people (also suitable for video conferencing). In fact, these are analogues of Skype for video communication. Among its useful functions we also note:

Recording conversations (uploading recorded sessions to YouTube);
Multimedia messages;
Desktop sharing;
Facebook integration.

If someone asks you, send him to our portal.

Talky

This is an independent development of a Washington company worth $15 million. It is an alternative not only to Skype, but also a competitor to Hangouts technology. The web service was created for group video conferences for up to 15 people with demonstration of screen content.

It's very easy to start using:

go to the Talky.io home page;
create a URL for your chat;
select “Start chat”;
share the URL with friends.

Advantages of the service:

24/7 support service;
use of real-time technologies;
anonymity;
no registration.

Talky.io and Appear.in are similar Skype-type communication programs for PC and phone. But among the CIS countries, the services have not received proper distribution. Their unpopularity is explained by the fact that mobile versions are designed exclusively for the iOS platform.

KakaoTalk

Suitable for Windows XP, etc., Android, iOS, Mac.

This is a fast and multifunctional messenger originally from South Korea, another alternative to Skype. All its wonderful advantages boil down, first of all, to the fact that it is simply cool and youthful in itself. It is somewhat similar and can be called an analogue of Russian ICQ, but its options are not inferior to more well-known applications:

Instant and free messaging;
High quality voice communication;
Group chat implies an unlimited number of participants;
Multiplatform;
Cool emoticons and sticker packs.
You can schedule appointments, meetings, and dinners with reminders.

Tox

Supports: chats, group chats, audio calls, video calls, video conferencing, file sharing.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.

Strictly speaking, Tox is not a messenger, but a communication protocol. Several open source messengers have been created for it: Venom, Toxic and uTox.

An ideal solution for paranoid people and those whose work involves transferring confidential information. Can work both through a proxy and through TOR. There are no servers in Tox, and communication is organized through peers (much like in torrents). Each Tox user is a peer.

Tox users do not have names, as in traditional instant messengers; instead, they are assigned randomly generated digital identifiers. You can exchange them using QR codes. However, you can register and choose a readable nickname.

Tox →

FaceTime (similar to Skype for video calling from Apple)

What else can replace Skype for video calls? FaceTime is a good alternative to Skype. The quality of voice and video calls is so high that users are not advised to even carefreely drink tea during a conversation - this will definitely be heard on the other end. You won't miss a call for the simple reason that it immediately pops up in full screen - this is the default option. This creates the effect of face-to-face communication.

We hope you liked this article, now you can read the article on how

System of user rights and restrictions

Let's face it, Skype is doing poorly with this, because it was not initially positioned and developed as a program for corporate communication.

MyChat is a corporate product, so the closest attention is paid to the issue of rights and access to various chat services:

A large number of rules, well grouped into sections, allows you to flexibly customize both the rights for your users and the appearance of their applications. You can create any number of rights groups to suit every taste.

In addition, MyChat has special filters based on IP and MAC addresses to protect against unwanted connections.

Results and recommendations

Let's summarize what to choose? Let's begin!

If we consider separately programs similar to Skype for PC Windows 7, then in addition to those that we have already mentioned, you can try such alternatives as Camfrog Video Chat, the legendary ICQ, Ekiga, Line, etc.
Replacement and alternative to Skype for Windows XP - installation will be successful if you choose Viber. Don't forget, it has a video calling feature, just like Skype;
If you want to correspond and chat, then choose an analogue such as Telegram. It is at the peak of popularity and its speed is only getting faster;
If you need a web version in a browser, your analogue is Whatsapp.
And only video conferencing is possible in the OoVoo program; if that’s what you need, then this is an excellent alternative and replacement for Skype.
Hangouts is an alternative for Android and iOS - for PCs and other devices, and most importantly, it is convenient for those who have a Google account.

Why Viber and not Skype

In the world of communication services, Skype has held a leading position for more than 10 years. This was exactly until the moment when Microsoft decided to buy the company. Now users are complaining about an increase in the number of failures, instability of work, high traffic and the appearance of intrusive advertising. Skype also suffers from spontaneously going offline followed by a reboot, which lasts for 10-15 minutes.

Thanks to the abundance of instant messengers and IP telephony services on the market, owners of PCs and portable devices can choose a program for communication like Skype. The first contender as a Skype alternative is Viber. The application works on iOS, Android and Windows Phone platforms via 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi networks.

It is also a program for communicating like Skype on a computer. After installation and launch, it must be synchronized with your phone via QR or SMS code. All data and contacts will be automatically transferred to your account on your PC.

Slack

Slack is a teamwork messenger for iOS/Android and Mac/Windows platforms. Designed for one-on-one communication in real time and group chats. There is integration with more than 100 services, such as GItHub, Skype, Dropbox.

The messenger has three tariff packages. The first one is free and can hold up to 10 thousand messages. The second one is for 6 dollars and 67 cents. The third costs $12 per month and is aimed at business teams that require SSO.

A distinctive feature of the online service is the ability to create several correspondence channels, add users to them, and archive all messages. You can call one person from a group using push notifications with the @ icon. You can also send photos, videos, files.

The service includes features that are not available in other online messengers, for example: