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Overview

What is Skype?

Skype (the personal edition) is a free web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software. The free version includes audio and video Skype-to-Skype calls, ability to call mobile phones and landlines, paid international calling, and conference calling capabilities for up to…

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Learn from top reviewers

Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

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Pricing

View all pricing

United States Subscription

$2.99

Cloud
per month

North America Subscription

$6.99

Cloud
per month

India Subscription

$7.99

Cloud
per month

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.skype.com/en/international…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $2.99 per month
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Product Demos

Skype Video Call Demo Video (No Audio)

YouTube

One Chat - All in one Messenger for WhatsApp, Fb, Skype & more

YouTube

Designing a Drawer / Sliding panel in Winform App C# (Skype Demo)

YouTube

Skype on Symbian Video Demo

YouTube

Demo of Skype for the iPhone

YouTube

Sony Xperia M Skype Video Call Demo - Front Camera Quality - PhoneRadar

YouTube
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Features

Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software

Features related to the performance, reliability & compatibility of web conferencing and webinar (online events) software.

7.9
Avg 7.9

Screen Sharing

Features related to remote screen sharing capabilities.

6.6
Avg 7.9

Online Meetings / Events

Features related to hosting and attending meetings and events online.

7
Avg 8.2

Online Events Collaboration

Features related to collaboration between attendees during web conferences, webinars, and other online events.

7.5
Avg 8.1

Online Events Security

Features related to the security of meetings and other events held via web conferencing/webinar software.

7.7
Avg 8.1

VoIP system collaboration

Team collaboration via cloud phone system

7.9
Avg 7.7
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Product Details

What is Skype?

Skype (the personal edition) is a free web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software. The free version includes instant messaging, audio and video Skype-to-Skype calls, the ability to call mobile phones and landlines, paid international calling, and conference calling capabilities for up to 25 people. During video sessions, users also have the option to share their screen with other participants. Other distinctive features include background blurring, voice and text translation, location share, conversation search, and integration with Microsoft's Digital Assistant, Cortana.

This version of Skype works on phones, desktop, tablet, browsers, Alexa, and Xbox. Users can call landlines and mobile phones from around the world by paying for Skype Credit or signing up for Skype subscriptions, a monthly contract for users who only need service to specific regions. Users can also pay to have a local phone number through Skype Numbers, so that they can answer phone calls from their desktops, tablets, or smartphones. They can also send SMS text messages and share their location using the Skype mobile app.


Skype Video

What is Skype?

Skype Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Skype (the personal edition) is a free web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software. The free version includes audio and video Skype-to-Skype calls, ability to call mobile phones and landlines, paid international calling, and conference calling capabilities for up to 25 people.

Skype starts at $2.99.

Reviewers rate Audio conferencing highest, with a score of 9.

The most common users of Skype are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews From Top Reviewers

(1-5 of 69)

Great service for chatting and file sharing

Rating: 10 out of 10
May 25, 2021
VC
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype
10 years of experience
We use Skype both for internal communication between employees and for communication with our clients. Currently, Skype works perfectly on any devices such as PC, tablets and smartphones. We sell a wide range of electronic components, and if a customer asks for support, it is sometimes difficult to describe a problem with a device or even the device itself in words. Therefore, in our case, when communicating with clients, the ability to transmit multimedia information in real time is very important. In addition to the fact that there are video calls in Skype, it is possible to transfer large files through its chat, even a few Gb in size.
  • Good quality video stream for video calls
  • Ability to transfer "massive" files via chat
  • Skype works even with very slow internet speeds
Cons
  • If there are a large number of participants in a conversation, there may be problems with the audio volume of individual participants.
  • In the latest updates, a pop-up window during a conversation is more disturbing than helping.
Skype is a good solution to replace regular telephony, especially if the participants in the call are located in different countries. Skype is an old and very famous service that has received international recognition. If we want to provide technical support for clients, then we need VoIP service. Probably, the fact that you need to use something well-known and popular, so that the client does not have to suffer with the search and installation of the appropriate application, sounds quite reasonable. Therefore, we can say that in these cases, Skype is the ideal solution.

Skype - the video chat for people who aren't Apple slaves

Rating: 10 out of 10
July 14, 2021
DE
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype
6 years of experience
Skype is used in two main ways with my production company. First of all, it's a useful way to video chat for people who don't own Apple products (otherwise we would use Facetime) and who don't want to bother with meeting links (otherwise we would use Zoom). The second use is that we record podcasts and Skype not only allows us to all dial-in together but serves as a recorder that later we can extract the file to post for our audience.
  • Allowing you to call someone across several devices, including phones, tablets, and desktop computers
  • Allows you to record your sessions to be used for record keeping or Podcast creation
  • Allows you to have multiple people dial in to the same call easily and smoothly
Cons
  • Skype's overall UI is a little confusing, especially the phone app
  • It's unclear how to steer a Skype call, which is to say if I call someone and they have Skype on multiple devices, do they all ring or just the one related to the method I used to call (phone #, email, etc.)
  • Skype tries to be not just a communication device but also somewhat a social media platform, which it doesn't need to be.
Facetime is only useful if everyone has Apple products. For those of us with Android phones, Skype is the obvious option for video chat, easy VOIP phone calls, and recording software. Zoom was used during the pandemic of 2020 but the problem with that is that if you have a reoccurring meeting but lose the Zoom link, you have to ask for it again. With Skype, you can simply go to your recent calls and repeat the call again.

Skype for large corporation instant messaging

Rating: 9 out of 10
March 02, 2018
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype
3 years of experience
Our organization currently uses Skype as our official instant messaging application. Instant Messaging is a huge part of our communication amongst teams to both save time and have more efficiency. We need the ability to go in and out of chats quickly, screen share on and off frequently, add individuals to chat groups and remove them, and share files quickly. Skype meets all of these qualifications and more.
  • The tabbed chat window is great when you have a lot of conversations going on at once. For example, if throughout the day you talk to 15 people through skype all of your conversations will be tabbed out in your chat window and turn orange when that individual sends you another message
  • For screen sharing it takes literally no time to just share your screen very quickly. You can also give others on the call control of the screen so they can move the mouse and show things on your screen remotely.
  • Your conversation history can be integrated to store in your outlook inbox so after a certain amount of time (~ 5 minutes is what I have it set to) your conversation will be saved to your inbox under a conversation history tab so you can go back and reference old conversations.
Cons
  • The conversation history, although a great feature, sometimes does not save your conversation as expected so you do not have it to reference down the line
  • If you have a window with a bunch of conversation tabs and you try and add a person to a conversation it goes out of that conversation and you have to find it in your tab window again. This is not a big deal but just can be a pain to find the conversation again.
  • When in an email in outlook it would be nice if you could reply all with IM (Skype) for that email. Currently, you can only reply with IM to the sender not the whole email chain.
This software is suited for an organization that is fast-paced with a lot of back to back meetings where you have to constantly be multitasking. If your organization is an IT shop or a group that constantly needs to be sharing your screen to show with others this is the software for you.

Skype: Still useful, but becoming lost in the options

Rating: 7 out of 10
December 14, 2018
AC
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype
10 years of experience
Skype has been used to communication with people who cannot be physically present. It's not been used much recently, as other software that has the same capabilities has taken over, but it was the first of it's kind. It's a good tool to use when someone cannot be there or when a meeting really needs to happen face-to-face.
  • It's video chat capabilities are what it is known for, and are pretty good (depending on your internet connection).
  • I've used it with people are are across the country and also out of the country and have been able to communication with them, so that's pretty fantastic.
  • I think it's one of the standard, original video chat softwares out there.
Cons
  • I think it needs to stay relevant, stay current. It's getting lost in all of the other newer video chat softwares and apps available now.
  • Maybe connect it with another app, like google+, for instance, would help get it to be utilized more.
It's well suited for video communication with one person. I'm not sure how well it does for multiple people to video chat, as I have never used it for that, only one-on-one experiences. I think, in the last few years, it's become lost in all of the newer video chat software and apps that are now available. It's starting to become obsolete, though it still does its job well.

Feels outdated with so many other collaboration and communication platforms out there.

Rating: 7 out of 10
July 14, 2021
Vetted Review
Verified User
Skype
3 years of experience
Skype is currently being used by my organization as our collaboration and instant messaging tool. We also leverage it for one-off phone calls with one another. It has addressed a big need for collaboration throughout the period of Covid-19, but we have not leveraged the tool for its full potential and am actually moving away from it to be replaced by a Cisco product. I can appreciate how well integrated the tool is, which enables me to reach anyone across my organization of thousands of people. It's also integrated with Outlook so reflects a real-time status (e.g. if I'm in a meeting or on a call).
  • Integration with Outlook for status (OOF, in a meeting etc)
  • Clear call quality when making phone calls
  • Instant messaging features
Cons
  • Sometimes does not work well in a large organization, I get locked out, and no easy way to get back in.
  • Contacts organization feels a little unorganized
  • Sometimes hard to find chat history, when you open chat history it has everything - no ability to search
I think there are better platforms out there that surpass Skype's capabilities. It's a long-standing tool that has been around forever but it lags in some of the features and clean user experience. I would recommend Skype for a large international organization, particularly with the ability to make calls from phones etc, but again there are other platforms (e.g. Zoom) that also offer this and more. Skype feels a little behind many other platforms.
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