Microsoft officially closes Skype (RIP). Even if you have not used the app for years, it is possible that Skype was your introduction in modern video chats. The app made it easy to call friends and family via video, wherever you were in the world. As long as you had a stable internet connection, you could skype.
As soon as Microsoft pulls the plug on Skype forever, Legacy users need a new platform to go. Microsoft will encourage you to switch to teams, and that is possible. But there are better alternatives.
The goal (and challenge) to choose a video call platform is to convince other people to join you. The last thing you want is to choose an app that nobody uses, and force everyone in your circle to take that choice. The less friction, the better. That is why platforms that work with people’s existing accounts and platforms are the best here: there are some great options that are there, from Viber to Signal, who offer good functions for calling videos, but you will be much more lucky to call your friends when you meet them where they are. I have focused this list with that in mind.
Google Meet
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If your goal is to find the easiest video call solution for the average person in your contact list, my Google Meet would be. In 2025 there is a good chance that the person you are trying to reach has a Google account – even if it is not their favorite platform.
Because many of us already have Google accounts, it doesn’t really matter which devices or platforms you work. Whether one of you has a Mac, another a PC, or you are at competitive ends of the iOS versus Android debate, Google Meet works on just about every device. The free, of course, but you will get some benefits if you pay – including video of higher quality.
However, my most important problem with Google Meet is not that intuitive. The service seems more designed for business and professional use than a casual conversation, so it is not necessarily as ideal as Skype was in its heyday. (Only the fact that Google mentions the standard option “meetings” on the web app gives me the feeling that I am working, instead of calling a friend or family member.) Plus, there is a limit of 60 minutes at a time for free users: that is great for shorter calls, but if you have the tendency to sit on Videochats for hours, take the phone.
If your friend has set his Google account in the right way, calling is as simple as on Skype -or about as simple as opening the traditional telephone app. However, if their Google account is not set for calls, you must share the Urppink with them, which is fine, but add some friction to what a simple experience should be. But again, you are not going to find a perfect video call solution if the other person does not yet use that platform.
If you are on your computer, you can use the Google Meet Web app for most purposes. If you prefer video chat on mobile, there are apps for both iOS and Android – although Meet may already be installed on your Android device.
Google Measures Measures video calls with a maximum of 100 participants, as much as Skype.
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Just like Google, WhatsApp is incredibly popular all over the world. If you don’t use WhatsApp, someone you know is, which makes it a good second place on this list (if not bound for the first time).
The standardization of WhatsApp gives it the same advantage as Google Meet: there is one terribly Good chance that the person you want video call has an account. I don’t use WhatsApp, but me to have A WhatsApp account. Better yet, the app has no time limit for calls, so you can talk as long as you want.
Just like Google Meet, WhatsApp is available just about wherever you have access on the internet. You can use it on an iPhone or Android device or gain access via the web app. WhatsApp even has a desktop app, in contrast to Google Meet, making it possible to make the better Skype replacement. I personally used Skype on my Mac.
WhatsApp does not support as many participants as Skype has done: the app lets you call with a maximum of 32 other people, who, although much less than 100, are still many people for video calls.
Facebook Messenger
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If not one meta app, why not the other? Messenger has been the option for Facebook users for years, simply because it was immediately built in the social network of Meta. But in recent years the efforts of the company to spin the app in a special message service have been successful. Nowadays I don’t use many Facebook accounts, but I often check my Messenger app or not.
Again, you have the built -in user base here. Facebook is perhaps the largest network of the three so far mentioned. You may have to add your friend before giving them a ring, but since the social media platform contains more than 35% of the world’s population, you should not be shocked if the person you want to call is a member.
I love the video call experience from Messenger, especially on desktop. The Mac app definitely offers a video chat interface that veteran Skype users will enjoy. However, it is a bit frustrating that you cannot start a video call without already having a chatthread. If the person or group you want to call already has a conversation, just great: just press the video call icon to start a chat. If not, you must first send a message to your friend or friends, Than Call them. I suppose it is nice to give them a warning, but again, friction!
Facebook Messenger supported to support video calls of up to 50 people through a function called “Rooms”, but Meta has since stopped that option. There are no time limits for Messenger calls.
Facetime
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If you have an Apple account and the person you are trying to chat with, also has an Apple account, just facetime them. The service is easy to use, end-to-end coded and comes with a number of functions that you would expect from a more business platform than Facetime-such as screen exchange and external screen control. There is hardly anything easier than pressing the Facetime button on an iMessage -Thread or to tap your friend’s name in the FaceTime app: seconds later you start chatting.
Things become more difficult if you consider the friends who not Have iPhones – especially those who live outside your country. Suddenly it is not as easy as you try to call a friend who has not bound their international number to their Apple account.
Yet that does not mean that you have to count FaceTime completely. Apple lets you make a facetime link that everyone can use to participate in a call – even that on Android or PC. It adds an extra obstacle than when you call another Apple user, but it still works, what this method might make the easiest for those among us with iPhones or Macs: forget the other apps, just make a Facetime -link, send it to your friends and wait until they join your call.
Facetime supports the same number of callers as WhatsApp, 32, without time limits. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is the lack of a native text chat function: Google Measures supports a native chat, such as Skype, while WhatsApp and Messenger are built from chat apps, so that you can also send messages there. Facetime, however, is its own entity: if you are all on Apple devices, you can continue the conversation about iMessage, but it is not entirely the same.
Teams
So work focused.
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Microsoft wants, not surprisingly, to switch from Skype to teams. In some respects that is logical: the company owns both platforms, so switching from Skype to teams should be the simple answer. However, teams are so clearly built with work conferences in mind (hence the name) that if you are looking for a standard app for casual video calls, it can be a bit exaggerated. (It is also not as if I would recommend switching to Slack for casual video calls.)
If your callers are all Windows users with corresponding Microsoft accounts, teams can work. The app supports a maximum of 100 people and you can chat 60 minutes at a time. (One-on-one chats are available for 30 hours At the same time.) You can also access teams on a number of different devices – not only Windows machines. If your device has a camera, you can probably use teams for video calls. The addition of a built -in chat function is also useful.
Yet I would personally recommend trying one of the other options about teams.
Zoom (not recommended)
Many of us in the working world (as well as those among us who jumped on Videochats during the pandemic) are quite familiar with Zoom. The app is perhaps one of the first to think about when you are considering video calls, although it is not necessary one that you pick up for casual use.
Zoom offers large video calls – up to 100 participants – for free, but that comes with some limits. While many free video call platforms end after 60 minutes, the free calls from Zoom end after 40 minutes. Unless you already pay for the service, it is really not a useful option for those times that you want to catch up with friends or family on video.
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