The best Skype alternatives for video calls on your smartphone

Shortcuts:

• Discord
• Tox
• Signal
• Hangouts
• Wire
• Jami
• Jitsi
• Zoom
• Facebook Messenger/WhatsApp

Discord

The freemium Discord app places a strong emphasis on community focus. Unlike a conventional instant messenger, everything in Discord revolves around groups that have been sorted out and separated based on its respective servers. Within the service or app, you are able to switch from one server to another. Numerous functions, including the video chat function, are free, and this makes Discord a decent Skype alternative for groups.

• Check out Discord

Tox

While it is less well-known commercially, Tox plays its role well. So far, only 1:1 video calls are possible. Thanks to an open-source approach, there are several compatible clients for Android, iOS, and desktop operating systems. Some clients allow group chats (partly based on IRC).

The decentralized system works peer-to-peer, i.e. without a server and thus without mass data storage. Messages are encrypted end-to-end.

• Check out Tox

Signal

Signal's set up would be extremely familiar to WhatsApp users due to the similarities, which makes the switch particularly painless. All you need to do is download the app, register your phone number, protect chats using a PIN, and import your address book. Metadata, messages, and video chats are encrypted and not stored on the server - making this a simple and secure Skype alternative!

• Check out Signal

The paid WhatsApp alternative, Threema, is currently testing out video calls as a beta feature.

Hangouts

Google had long announced that it was going to stop its Messenger service. However, as long as it still works, we will list Hangouts as an alternative to Skype. This is especially so on Android smartphones, making it an obvious video chat solution as you already have a Google account. Such a degree of integration enables you to reach many of your contacts quickly. The Hangouts group video calls' quality has been consistently impressive. 

• Check out Hangouts

Wire

German app Wire is marketed as a collaborative platform. As such, you can use it to host a video conference with friends or colleagues, simply chat, or view each other's screens and send files. After 30 days, however, certain features will be restricted.

• Check out Wire

Jami

Jami is a Swiss army knife when it comes to communication. Other than Web-based video calls, this free open source app also delivers SIP-based calls to the telephone network. This makes it a feature-packed alternative to the commercially-minded Skype.

In Jami, you can register as an anonymous user. It is optional to include a link to your email address or phone number, a move that ensures a high degree of privacy.

• Check out Jami

Jitsi

The free, open-source, and decentralized Zoom and Skype alternative Jitsi provides the highest degree of control. Other than public servers, you are also able to set it up on a private one. This can be configured quickly and in an affordable manner with a Raspberry Pi working alongside a basic Internet connection as actual video communication is done on a peer-to-peer basis.

Usage is completely anonymous; as you will never be asked for personal data.

• Check out Jitsi
• Begin session

Zoom

Zoom is surprisingly user-friendly. The video service can be scaled for meetings with up to several hundred participants. However, you must first register with a valid e-mail address. It is important to use a different password each time for your meetings, because Zoom has been criticized for data leaks, among other things - which has since been patched.

Using it is simple: create a video chat room, share an invitation link, wait for the participants, and begin talking. The free version limits video calls to 40-minute sessions, although you can restart them immediately and as often as you like.

• Check out Zoom

Facebook services: Messenger & WhatsApp

Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp can perform video calls. In fact, WhatsApp recently raised the limit of its video chatting to eight concurrent participants. Due to dubious privacy terms, Facebook products are only suitable for professional use to a limited extent. Private users will benefit the most because they can meet almost all their contacts via one of the popular apps.

• Check out WhatsApp

What is your favorite video call tool? What do you use to replace or complement Skype? What other discoveries would you like to share with us that you think we might have missed? What do you consider to be the most important feature to consider when it comes to video calls? Share your experiences and suggestions in the comments section.