Last checked November 2, 2026
Free alternatives to Skype
Skype was consumer chat and calling, plus paid credit and phone numbers. Microsoft's support page says Skype consumer retired on May 5, 2025. Skype for Business is a different product and is not what this page covers. Microsoft points people at Teams Free. The free apps here do not import a Skype contact list, and none of them place a call to a normal phone number the way Skype Credit did.
- Other calling tools. Video meetings
- What actually moves, and what does not. Move from Skype to Nextcloud Talk
- The closest app on this list. Nextcloud Talk
- A browser meeting, if you do not need the chat to stay. Jitsi Meet
- Encrypted chat, with calls as a partial fit. Element
- If the thing you miss is a scheduled video call. Zoom alternatives
- Microsoft's other chat product, already ranked on its own page. Microsoft Teams alternatives
What you pay for Skype
Skype consumer is retired. New purchases of Skype Credit, subscriptions, and Skype Numbers are no longer available. We have not checked an old calling-plan dollar price.
The same support page says calling subscriptions renewed only until April 3, 2025, the Skype Number service ended in May 2026, and port-out requests are no longer available. It also says the end of the Skype subscription service was May 1, 2026. Teams Free is Microsoft's replacement. This page does not list a Teams price.
Who it is for
For individuals and small teams. Its price on file: Skype consumer is retired. New purchases of Skype Credit, subscriptions, and Skype Numbers are no longer available. We have not checked an old calling-plan dollar price. It is in the Video meetings group.
How to switch
The closest free app on the checklist is Nextcloud Talk. Cost and details. Move calls from Skype to Nextcloud Talk.
A call and a chat, without a phone line
These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.
Nextcloud Talk is #1 (84). Jitsi Meet is #2 (71). Element is #3 (65).
Nextcloud Talk
#1 · Closest
9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number and keep the old conversation on the new app.
Jitsi Meet
#2
8 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number and keep the old conversation on the new app. You only get part of: text chat that stays after the call.
Element
#3
9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number. You only get part of: one-to-one calls, group calls, and screen sharing, and 1 more.
Where they differ
One-to-one calls
Worth 10 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. The product page describes one-to-one calls. Jitsi Meet does all of it. A room can be two people. Element does part of it. Element Call covers voice and video. It is a younger call button than Skype's.
Group calls
Worth 10 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. Group calls are on the product page. Larger rooms need the High Performance Backend. Jitsi Meet does all of it. Element does part of it. Group calls use Element Call. Large meetings are not the product.
Text chat that stays after the call
Worth 8 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. The product page says the chat stays open after the call. Jitsi Meet does part of it. Chat is inside the meeting. It is not an inbox that stays after everyone leaves. Element does all of it.
Screen sharing
Worth 6 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. The product page says you can share a window or the desktop. Jitsi Meet does all of it. Element does part of it. Screen sharing is marked partial on the other call checklists for Element. This review did not re-test it.
The other person can join from a browser
Worth 8 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. External people can join a public room with a link. Jitsi Meet does all of it. The other person opens a link in the browser. Element does part of it. Guest access exists in Matrix and is less of a productized link than Skype's.
Send a file in the conversation
Worth 4 points. Nextcloud Talk does all of it. The product page says files can be shared into a chat from Nextcloud Files. Jitsi Meet was not checked. Element does all of it. Files can be sent in a room.
Keep the old conversation on the new app
Worth 5 points. Nextcloud Talk does none of it. Talk keeps its own chat. It does not import a Skype export. Jitsi Meet does none of it. A Skype export does not import here, and the meeting chat does not become a long-term log. Element does all of it. Rooms keep history. A Skype export still does not import into them.
Nextcloud Talk, Jitsi Meet, and Element do all of these: phone apps.
Microsoft Teams
No scoreMicrosoft's own replacement for Skype. Not scored on this checklist.
Linphone
No scoreA SIP phone. Not scored on this checklist.
How close is it?
How this worksA full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.
- #1 · ClosestOpen source
Nextcloud Talk
Chat and calls inside a Nextcloud server.
9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number and keep the old conversation on the new app.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · License: AGPL-3.0
WebiOSAndroidRun it yourself - #2Open source94% of the list checked
Jitsi Meet
Browser video meetings, Apache-2.0, with a public hosted service.
8 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number and keep the old conversation on the new app. You only get part of: text chat that stays after the call.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · License: Apache-2.0
WebiOSAndroidRun it yourself - #3Open source
Element
A Matrix client for encrypted, federated chat.
9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: call a regular phone number. You only get part of: one-to-one calls, group calls, and screen sharing, and 1 more.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · License: Apache-2.0
MacWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidWebRun it yourself
Feature by feature
Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.
Scroll sideways to see every app.
| Feature | Nextcloud Talk#1 · 849 of 9 checked features | Jitsi Meet#2 · 718 of 9 checked features | Element#3 · 659 of 9 checked features |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-to-one callsCounts for 10 | FullThe product page describes one-to-one calls. | FullA room can be two people. | PartialElement Call covers voice and video. It is a younger call button than Skype's. |
| Group callsCounts for 10 | FullGroup calls are on the product page. Larger rooms need the High Performance Backend. | Full | PartialGroup calls use Element Call. Large meetings are not the product. |
| Text chat that stays after the callCounts for 8 | FullThe product page says the chat stays open after the call. | PartialChat is inside the meeting. It is not an inbox that stays after everyone leaves. | Full |
| Screen sharingCounts for 6 | FullThe product page says you can share a window or the desktop. | Full | PartialScreen sharing is marked partial on the other call checklists for Element. This review did not re-test it. |
| Phone appsCounts for 6 | FullThe product page lists Android and iOS apps. | FulliOS and Android apps are part of this listing. | Full |
| The other person can join from a browserCounts for 8 | FullExternal people can join a public room with a link. | FullThe other person opens a link in the browser. | PartialGuest access exists in Matrix and is less of a productized link than Skype's. |
| Send a file in the conversationCounts for 4 | FullThe product page says files can be shared into a chat from Nextcloud Files. | Not checked | FullFiles can be sent in a room. |
| Call a regular phone numberCounts for 5 | MissingTalk Phone assigns internal extensions. It does not dial the public phone network the way Skype Credit did. | MissingNo public phone network and no Skype Credit replacement. | MissingNo public phone network. |
| Keep the old conversation on the new appCounts for 5 | MissingTalk keeps its own chat. It does not import a Skype export. | MissingA Skype export does not import here, and the meeting chat does not become a long-term log. | FullRooms keep history. A Skype export still does not import into them. |
What it costs
Nextcloud Talk
- Free plan
- Free as part of a Nextcloud you run yourself. Nextcloud GmbH sells company plans separately.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- Setup: medium. Install Nextcloud, enable Talk, and add the High Performance Backend only if you need bigger calls. You need a small server. Prices depend on your host.
Jitsi Meet
- Free plan
- meet.jit.si is free. Running it yourself is free. There is no fee per person.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- Setup: medium. Docker is documented for a small server. Recording (Jibri) and large meetings need more machines. You need a small server. Prices depend on your host.
Element
- Free plan
- You can use the public matrix.org homeserver or host your own. Element also sells hosted and enterprise Matrix.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- Hard. A Synapse or Dendrite homeserver plus Element Web is a real ops project. Federation and push are the parts that take time.
Did you switch?
If you left Skype, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.
Closest pair
Move calls from Skype to Nextcloud Talk
Talk does not import Skype chats or phone numbers. Export is a Microsoft archive, if the portal still returns one, and new calls start empty.
Read how to switchRelated alternatives
- Free alternatives to Zoom
- BigBlueButton: An open-source classroom meeting server.
- Element Call: Matrix-native video calls with encryption as the default posture.
- Jitsi Meet: Browser video meetings, Apache-2.0, with a public hosted service.
- Nextcloud Talk: Chat and calls inside a Nextcloud server.