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For the past fifteen years or so, whenever I’ve needed to make a call or send a text to almost any international phone number, I’ve used Skype. That’s equally true whether I’ve been in my living room at home or traveling anywhere else on the planet.
Via the app’s Skype to Phone service, for a few cents a minute, I’ve sat on hold to call centers all over the world, phoned taxis and hotels when I’ve arrived in foreign countries, and texted with my neighbor when I was in Pakistan and he was wondering why water was dripping from his light sockets. Long story.
Like everyone else in the world, I’d long since given up using Skype for anything else, but unlike everyone else, I was actually sad when Microsoft announced its imminent shutdown earlier this month. How was I going to call and text overseas cheaply now?
I’ve spent the last few weeks testing every alternative I can find, looking for a replacement that works as well and costs about the same. There are disappointingly few aimed at the general public instead of businesses, I have to say, and even fewer that met my needs.
My requirements were as follows:
VoIP-based. This means I can use it anywhere I have an internet connection, so it’s accessible over Wi-Fi or when I only have data service on my phone. Since most travel eSIMs are data-only and they’re what I now generally use while overseas, this is a common scenario.
Pay-As-You-Go. I don’t call or text international numbers very often, so I need a service that lets me buy some credit and then use it per-minute or per-text, not a monthly subscription.
Affordable. Based on what I was paying with Skype and how I used it, I was after something that cost very little to call/text countries like the US and UK, and wasn’t prohibitively expensive in most other places.
Global. I need to be able to sign up and use it from any country, and make calls to most if not all countries in the world. Services that require me to live in a particular country or only let me call one or a few specified countries are no use.
A few other things that I was looking for but weren’t deal-breakers were:
A semi-permanent phone number. While I don’t need a persistent number that I can be contacted on while traveling, I know people who do, and it’s not impossible that I could want one in the future. The ability to buy and keep one for as long as needed is useful, especially if I get a choice of countries.
Automatic top-up. The first time I was cut off in the middle of an important phone call because I ran out of credit, I quickly discovered the value of Skype’s auto-topup feature.
Desktop and mobile support. While Android and iOS apps are obviously a no-brainer, I’d also like to be able to use the service from my laptop. I don’t care whether that’s a website or a desktop app, but one or both would be good.
With all that out the way, let’s take a look at what I found, how well (or badly) it worked, and what I’m going to be using going forward.
Google Voice
Google Voice dial screen
Let’s get the caveat out the way first: if you’re not from the US, the biggest issue with Google Voice is signing up for it. It’s available to business users in a small number of other countries, but even then, only on monthly subscription plans.
Due to these limitations, I almost didn’t include it here, but because it’s technically possible to sign up from outside the US as a home user, and the service works fine elsewhere in the world afterwards, I grudgingly allowed it.
That said, if you’re not planning on visiting the US any time soon or don’t have a friend who can receive a confirmation call/text for you, you’re probably not going to get it working. If so, take a look at one of the other options below.
If you are able to sign up for it, though, you’ll end up with an easy to use, reliable service that comes with its own number and has free or cheap calling rates to much of the world.
I had the foresight to sign up for a Google Voice number when I was traveling in the US years ago, and verified it using the number attached to the prepaid local SIM card I had at the time. That number is long gone, but Google Voice has kept working for me ever since.
I’ve used it whenever I need to call a US number, and because it works anywhere I’ve got data service, it’s also my first choice for apps and websites that like to send one-time codes.
Why have I used Google Voice to call US numbers and Skype to call everything else, you may ask? Simply because calls to almost all numbers in the United States and Canada are free, regardless of where you’re calling from. It’s hard to compete with that.
Voice also offers SMS texting, although it’s limited in scope. You can receive texts from anywhere in the world for free, but only send texts to US and Canadian numbers. Those texts are free, at least, and it’s still more than what’s on offer from other providers.
The app is fine: functional rather than pretty, but it does what you need it to, with separate sections for calls, texts, and voicemail. Incoming calls and texts show up in real-time on my phone: other than the icon, there’s little to differentiate them from the usual versions.
There’s no desktop app, but there is an ugly website version that does all the same things as the mobile app, just with even less visual appeal.
If you never plan to call numbers outside the US and Canada, there’s no need to add credit: you can happily call those numbers with a zero balance, which is what I did for years.
When you do need to top up, however, the process is easy enough, using a saved card via Google Pay in the app or website. You can only choose between $10, $20, and $50, with a maximum of $70 credit on your account.
Call quality has always been fine for me, whether I’m calling the US or anywhere else. As usual with VoIP service, the quality of your internet connection will have a direct impact, but with decent Wi-Fi or cell data speeds, there’s been little in the way of quality problems or call drop-outs to report.
Call prices are consistently the lowest I’ve come across for pay-as-you-go service, even if you exclude those free US/Canadian calls. There’s a comparison table for various countries down below, but as an example, a five-minute call to Australia cost me all of 5c.
Like any Google service that’s not a core part of its business, it feels like there’s always a risk that the company will just shut Voice down one day. For now, though, it’s cheap, effective, and easy to use, just as long as you can manage to sign up in the first place.
Viber Out
Viber Out dial screen
I don’t remember the first time I used Viber, but I’m pretty sure it was somewhere around the start of the Stone Age. This app has been around forever (maybe I have as well), and it was pretty popular for a while as a way of messaging and calling friends before the likes of iMessage and WhatsApp took over.
Most similar services died out long ago, but Viber kept going, helped by the early introduction of Viber Out. That’s the name of its international calling service, something I’d known about for years but never used before writing this article.
Available on desktop (Windows, MacOS, and Linux) and mobile (Android and iOS), Viber Out is built into the main Viber messaging app. You need an existing phone number that can receive calls and texts to create your account, but the number isn’t used after that.
The app is quite busy, with everything from news to stickers vying for your attention, alongside the Call section that’s used for both free Viber-to-Viber calls and the paid global calling service.
If you’re only making occasional calls like I do, you’ll just need to top up your wallet with some credit and pay as you go. If you plan to make a lot of them, though, unlimited calls to 57 countries costs $5.99/month.
With the pay-as-you-go plan (called World Credits in the app), you top up with between $5 and $20, paid by credit or debit card. The larger top-ups give a dollar or two of extra credit on top of whatever you’ve paid.
Calling rates are generally pretty good: not as cheap as Google Voice, but not far off it in most cases. There are some strange anomalies, mind you: I’m really not sure why it costs 2.2c a minute to ring France, but 16.5c/min to call across the Channel to the UK. Using that five-minute Australia call from earlier as an example, I paid 11.5c.
Call quality has been pretty good, pretty much on par with a standard cellular call. Voices on both ends have generally had a slight “tinny” sound, but I haven’t noticed any echo, lag, or dropouts whether on Wi-Fi or cell data.
Interesting, Viber Out fakes the Caller ID when you make a call: the person on the other end will see the number you signed up with. That’s probably a good thing, since it means regular contacts will recognise who the call is from.
Roamless
Roamless dial screen
Unlike Google Voice and Viber, which have been around a long time, Roamless is the new kid on the block. It’s primarily a pay-as-you-go data eSIM where your credit works all over the world, but it offers international calling as well.
I talked about the data eSIM in this quick review (it’s surprisingly cheap in some parts of the world, less so in others), so it made sense to check out the calling side of things as well.
There’s no desktop app or ability to do anything much from the website: everything is handled by the mobile app, including making calls. A separate “Calls” tab lets you enter a phone number or select from your contacts: the per-minute price is shown up top, along with how many minutes your current credit will let you talk for.
There’s also a link from the main screen to see data and call rates for all 195 supported destinations. 4c/minute is a pretty common rate, including for Australia, so that same 5-minute call set me back 20c.
Topping up is straightforward: pick from a few pre-selected amounts or choose your own, then enter your card details and pay. There’s a 35c service fee for top-ups under $20, so I guess if you think you’ll eventually use twenty bucks of data and calls, add that amount and save yourself a bit of money.
Speaking of saving money, use the code TMA20 to get 20% off your first top-up purchase.
Call quality was at least as good if not better than most cellular calls I make, with no delays or drop in quality. The call showed up as being from a UK number.
You don’t get your own phone number with Roamless, and there’s no option to pay for one. Their service is strictly for data and outbound calling only: that suits me fine, as it’s exactly how I want to use it, but may not be for everyone.
If you’re already using the Roamless eSIM for data, being able to use the same app and prepaid credit to make the odd international call is very convenient.
The pricing isn’t as good as Google Voice or (mostly) Viber, but it’s still pretty cheap, and if you only need to call a hotel or taxi now and again, the few cents a minute difference doesn’t matter as much.
Unlike Google Voice, there’s no limitation on where you can sign up from. If you can install the app and have a functioning payment card, you’re good to go.
If you’re looking for a convenient way of having data service everywhere and making occasional international calls as well, Roamless is a pretty compelling option.
MyTello
MyTello dial screen
MyTello has been around for about a decade, initially offering cheap calls to a handful of countries, and then slowly expanding that out to the rest of the world. Much like the calling cards of old, it does this by routing your call through its own local number first to avoid standard international rates.
That’s different to the way the rest of the apps in this article work, and from the way it’s worded on the website, at first it seemed like you had to use that local number to make an international call.
That would have ruled it out of contention for many travelers, including myself, who often don’t have affordable (or any) local calling available.
Fortunately, while that’s true when using the browser-based version of MyTello, it’s not the case when using the app. There, it works much more like Skype to Phone and the other apps on this list: dial a number and wait to be connected, even if you’ve only got a Wi-Fi connection at the time. You can enable the dial-in number option as well if you want to, but it’s off by default.
On the backend, I suspect both approaches are using the same system: there’s a delay of a few seconds where you hear a pre-recorded voice, before the dial tone changes and the call gets connected.
Calling rates are very low, almost as good as Google Voice and cheaper than the other options. That same five-minute call to Australia cost 13.5c: 1.7c per minute, plus 5c to connect the call. While I don’t love connection fees in general, unless you’re in the habit of only making very short calls, it won’t make a big dent in your credit overall.
You get a small amount of credit when you sign up so you can test the service, after which you top up in 5, 10, or 25-dollar increments using a card or other payment service like Paypal or AliPay.
The credit never expires, and if you find you’re not using it, you can contact the company within 12 months to get it refunded: an unusual and welcome approach.
Call quality was pretty good, although both myself and the person on the other end noticed a short delay and slight fuzziness to the audio. It was no worse than your average cell phone call, but not quite on par with the best on this list.
As with many of the services on this list, there’s no option to get your own number or to send (or receive) texts via SMS: it’s purely focused on outbound calling. Calls appear as being from the number that you registered the account with, although you can turn off Caller ID if you’d prefer.
All in all, it’s a solid option for anyone whose needs start and finish with making cheap calls to international numbers. Although there’s a small connection fee, the per-minute rates are some of the cheapest around, making it pretty appealing for anyone who makes longer calls and can’t easily sign up for Google Voice.
Yadaphone
Yadaphone in-browser dialler
Yadaphone is a slightly unusual option, mostly because it doesn’t have an app. You just use your browser for everything, whether you’re on mobile or desktop. It seemed a bit clunky at first, but given that I often complain how every company wants you to install their app just to do some minor task, I guess in some ways it’s a breath of fresh air.
Since I was basically just using the dialpad, it didn’t make a lot of difference in the end anyway. As you can see from the screenshot, it looks pretty much the same as the rest of the app-based versions, and works like them as well.
When I first looked at Yadaphone, the calling rates seemed very high, which put them out of the running immediately. They’ve had a big price drop recently, however, and while they’re not the cheapest on the list for anywhere I looked at, they’re now much more competitive for countries like the US, Australia, and the UK.
Call quality was reasonable when I tested it on a call to an Australian number, with no lag or echo. There was a noticeable tinniness to the audio when we first connected, but it improved over time on both ends, and was much less obvious by the end.
If decent rates and reasonable call quality was all Yadaphone offered, it probably wouldn’t be enough to get me consistently using them over the competition, but in this case it’s the extras that make things more interesting.
The main one is the ability to get your own US or Canadian phone number for $1.95/month, which stays assigned to you for as long as you’re happy to pay for it.
Yadaphone is one of the few companies that offers this, and while the number isn’t free like Google Voice, it’s not particularly expensive either if it’s something you need.
You don’t have to verify your account with an existing phone number, but if you do, you can choose to show it as the Caller ID on outbound calls so the person on the other end knows it’s you.
Otherwise, the ID that’s shown will be a random one from Yadaphone’s pool of numbers. In my case, the person on the other end saw a number from Kansas in the United States, even though I was in Australia.
There’s an auto top-up option, which is sorely lacking with other services. When I’ve been sitting on hold for an hour waiting to speak to a government department in a different country, the last thing I need is to get cut off because I’ve run out of credit.
To that end, there’s also a five-minute grace period even if you don’t have auto top-up enabled, so you can comfortably wrap up the call rather than getting unceremoniously dumped mid-sentence.
Sadly there’s no SMS support, even if you do pay for a number: it’s calls only, received in your browser. That’s where the lack of an app becomes a problem: if you’re not expecting a call and don’t have the page loaded, it won’t come through.
Top-ups are more flexible than most, with pre-set amounts up to $100 or any custom amount from $5 upward. You’ll get a small amount of bonus credit with $50+ top-ups.
If you can’t sign up for Google Voice and need a simple, app-free way of making calls to overseas numbers, especially if you need a US or Canadian number to go with it, Yadaphone is worth a look.