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Realistic alternatives to skype


Jordy

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I have been using skype since 2004 when it first came out but since Microsoft bought it out, I find it is no longer as good as it was. I often get call drop outs, poor quality calls, bad quality video (even between two high speed lines) etc.

Are there any other VOIP desktop alternatives:

I have tested both gmail voice and Viber for Desktop. I know of Whatsapp for Phones which is the best in my opinion fpr phones but what else can I try for desktop?

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Me and my wife use to use gmail's video chat function while I was in the USA and she in RSA. Skype was very slow and broke up often compared to gmail.

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Facetime ROCKS! Stable video & audio. Hardly ever drops out even with my mom's slow ZA internet connection.

If I'm not at my computer, it rings thru to my phone & ipad. Works on all devices with one Apple ID. Only ever use Skype to call mom's landline to tell her I want to Facetime.

Edited: how cool - just noticed this is my 666th post! ?

Edited by MrsMupersan
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Thanks guys for the comments. I am not really after personal use, its for business purposes, to have meetings with colleagues.

I have never had a video convo with hangouts so will try it out. My reluctance is more to do with how complicated it is to use. You have to have a gmail account, you have to have the person in your circles etc.

Will give viber a try

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Viber is alright for calls, but if you happen to have Apple at both ends (iPhone to iPhone or iPad or Apple laptop or desktop) then FaceTime is great.

My wife calls me on FaceTime Audio which only uses data (if you've got heaps of data and no phone calls left for the month) and chews into your data less than Skype for the same call or video call.

I occasionally FaceTime my sister in London from Australia and the video and call quality leaves Skype standing.

I use my iPhone 4S to FaceTime my sister's iPhone 5 or iPad 2. Both work just as well.

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I can vouch for facetime too, even on personal hotspots it works great.

Thanks for the feedback, the problem with facetime is both parties must own Apple products. I am after something to accomodate PC desktops.

Google search returns some suggestions but I have never heard of any of these:

Jitsi

Goober

Voipbuster

Ekiga

ooVoo

Anyone had any experience with them?

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  • 3 years later...

Hever had any experience with the above but i can vouch for Viber. It is really great and can accommodate PC too.

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Used mostly for gaming - try Discord or TeamSpeak (teamspeak you have to rent a private server - not too expensive but is a barrier - or just use someone elses).

 

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On 17/02/2014 at 10:59 AM, Jordy said:

Thanks guys for the comments. I am not really after personal use, its for business purposes, to have meetings with colleagues.

 

 

We use slack at work (UK, EU, USA & AUS offices all on it). 100% Secure.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've personally used:

  • Skype - seems to be the only one that supports multiple people in one video call
  • Whatsapp - works pretty well, but no PC app
  • Facebook Messenger - works very well but the person might not be on Facebook
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5 hours ago, RichardH said:

Whatsapp now has a PC app, but I have not used it yet.

Only for texting though, it doesn't support video or calls yet.

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