Skype for Android lets you make free video and voice calls to others, and you can save on your phone bill by making international calls at a cheap rate. But there have been reports that the app has a few bugs that cause problems and make it unreliable.
To help you out, we look at a few good alternatives to Skype for Android that let you communicate through text chat, and make calls via the app. All the apps on the list are free and can be downloaded from Google Play.
1. Fring
Fring has been in the fray for a long time as a competitor to Skype. You can make calls to other fring users free of cost, and use the cheap fringOut service to make inexpensive calls to mobiles and landlines. The highlight of this app is the group video chat which you can use to chat with three other users. On the flip side, the interface is bland and there are few features that are exciting. Also, you cannot forward calls or share files on fring.
2. Viber
Viber is a popular app from the Google Play store. It allows you to make free calls to other subscribers of the same app. The audio quality is pretty good and making calls with Viber is pretty easy. You can receive and send photos, too. The drawbacks are the absence of video calling, and the fact that you can only call other subscribers of Viber.
3. Tango Video Calls
Tango Video Calls allows users to make free voice and video calls, and send video messages. You can record the video message and send it to multiple friends simultaneously. Tango Video Calls runs smoothly and quickly and is light on your phone’s resources and battery. The major disadvantage is the inferior video quality in comparison to Skype for Android.
4. KakaoTalk
Kakao Talk stands out with its unique fun features. For example, it has a filter that makes your voice sound funny and can provide hours of entertainment while talking with your friends. You can use the ‘Plus Friends’ feature to connect with your favorite celebrities and receive text updates from them.
The other positives of Kakao Talk are free calling, changeable backgrounds, and group text chat. On the flip side, there is no video chat feature and the quality of voice memos is not that good.
5. LINE
LINE is a fun chat app that lets you send emoticons, stickers, and photos to your contacts. You can choose from the vast library of images, or purchase personalized ones to make your chats livelier. You can call other LINE subscribers for free, and utilize the chatroom feature which has a capacity of 100 users. We feel the app needs a few tweaks and refinement though to improve user experience.
6. OoVoo
OoVoo is recommended for those who wish to make video calls on their Android phones. You can start a text, voice, or video chat with up to 12 users. Those who don’t possess a smartphone can utilize the desktop version of this app. You can also save on your phone bill by making cheap international calls using ooVoo. On the downside, the app is known to freeze at times, and the call quality is not always great.
7. Nimbuzz
Nimbuzz is an old app that can be used on a variety of operating systems. Unfortunately, its potency has taken a hit because it has removed Skype integration. But Nimbuzz can be used to sync with your contacts on other social and chat networks like Facebook, MSN, ICQ and others.
You can call other Nimbuzz subscribers for free, as well as any landline or mobile using the NimbuzzOut feature. The key disadvantage is the fact that this app does not support file sharing or video calling.