Skype offers HD-quality voice and video and is often considered the best when it comes to both visual and sound quality. Video and audio calls are free between Skype users. A paid subscription is required to make audio calls to landlines. Since it runs entirely in a web browser, you don’t have to download anything to run it. The app accesses your webcam and microphone through the Google Meet website and delivers HD transmission of both directly through the browser. As part of Google’s efforts to bring professional-level tools to consumers, you don’t need a business-level Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) subscription to access all of Google Meet’s features. Free users can host one-on-one calls for up to 24 hours and group calls for up to 60 minutes. Google Workspace Individual Subscribers can host one-on-one and group calls for up to 24 hours. Google Meet is also available as a video chat mobile app for Android and iOS. Its free tier can host up to 100 participants, unlimited one-on-one meetings, and group meetings for up to 40 minutes. There’s a variety of paid plan tiers to match any organization’s needs. You don’t need a paid subscription to use Zoom. If someone else sets up the meeting and invites you, all you need to do is click the link and follow the instructions in your Zoom email invitation. Zoom on the desktop requires macOS 10.9 or later, Windows 10 through 7, and various Linux setups. There are also Zoom apps for iOS and Android. Viber lets you turn off the video whenever you like, mute the call, or even transfer the call. It works so much like a regular phone that it should be one of the easier apps to use from this list. If you use the Facebook mobile app for iOS or Android, select a contact and tap the phone icon. You’re taken to Messenger, where you tap Video Chat. Or, open up the Messenger app, create or open a conversation, and tap the phone icon > Video Chat. Similar to Google Meet, FaceTime lets you search through your phone’s contacts to find someone to call. If your contacts use FaceTime, it’s shown on their contact screen. The only issue with FaceTime is that it works exclusively on Apple’s operating system and devices, and only with other FaceTime users. So, if you’re wondering if you can get Facetime for Windows, the answer is not yet – although iPhone users running iOS 15 or later can include Android users in FaceTime calls. Discord is free to use and offers a plethora of features, including unlimited file storage. A paid version, called Discord Nitro, is $9.99 per month and lets you upload files of up to 100 MB. Use Discord in a web browser, or download the Discord desktop app for Mac, Windows, or Linux. There’s also a Discord mobile app for iOS and Android. Since the program functions much like a regular phone, Ekiga also supports SMS to cellphones (if the service provider allows), an address book, and text messaging.
