Get Free VoIP: A Comparison Of Your 10 Best Options

From the very beginning VoIP technology has often been touted as a way to make completely free phone calls. With some planning you can make the vast majority of your calls for free, and all you’ll need to get started is an internet-connected computer and a headset, microphone or compatible phone.

Not all calls are free though, even when it comes to VoIP calls. There are two main types of VoIP calls: computer-to-computer and computer-to-computer / computer-to-PSTN or vise versa. It is true that you can call contacts for free when using a computer-to-computer service, but typically you’ll have to pay something to call a landline or mobile phone.

To help you get the best VoIP for free we’ve outlined the benefits and drawbacks of various popular and lesser known services. Bottom line, you don’t have to subscribe to a provider just to make a call for free!

Feast your eyes on this comparison of the best free VoIP services available right now.

Skype
When it comes to free VoIP calls, the incumbent player has got to be Skype. Owned by eBay, Skype has a massive user base and all the features you would expect and need. Downloading Skype is easy, installing is a breeze and it works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. In terms of equipment to get started you’ll only need a headset or microphone and optional webcam for video chats.

Benefits: With Skype computer-to-computer calls are free, as in beer. This does, however, mean that you’ll need to get your friends and family to sign up for you to get the most benefit out of it.

We’ve found that call quality with Skype is good, your typical call made using the service is very clear and will probably sound better than a call made with your mobile or landline. Other benefits of using Skype include integrated video chat, IM and file transfer. With a little hack it’s even possible to video conference with multiple attendees.

Drawbacks: The main drawback with Skype is that calls to landlines and mobiles are not free; these calls are still very cheap though, you’ll just need to setup a SkypeOut account. There is one other caveat with Skype (and other similar softphones), if you are not using a Skype phone then you’ll need to have your computer on all the time for people to call you.

VoipCheap
Registered as a company based in Germany, VoipCheap is an extremely disruptive service. The difference between VoipCheap and many of the other free VoIP providers listed here is that they offer free calls to landlines on the PSTN.

Benefits: Free calls, in the traditional sense. VoipCheap lets you make free calls to landlines in a set number of countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. VoipCheap is a softphone that you download and install on your computer; Mac OS X and Linux users need to setup with a SIP compatible softphone using settings supplied by VoipCheap. Another interesting feature is the ability to send free SMS to contacts, where available. It’s not complicated, countries with free calls are clearly marked and it’s very well established.

Because VoipCheap uses the open SIP protocol there are lots of third party devices that are compatible with it. If you have a SIP enabled VoIP phone, router or modem then it is possible to seamlessly integrate the VoipCheap service in your home or office.

Drawbacks: It’s hard to believe, but there is one main drawback with VoipCheap: not all calls are free. If you have to regularly call a contact located outside the list of free destinations, then you will be charged per minute.

VoipCheap have a Fair Use Policy that you should read carefully because if you use more than you are allowed during a set time frame you will be charged at their normal per minute rate, which is still cheap but it defeats the purpose of getting your calls for free!

Truphone
In an increasingly mobile world, you’ll probably need to make a significant number of calls when you are on the road. As anyone can testify, mobile phones aren’t the most cost effective way to call anyone, especially when you are overseas. This is where Truphone comes in.

Benefits: Truphone is a leading mobile VoIP solution that lets you make free calls from your mobile phone to other contacts on Truphone. Getting Truphone setup is easy; download their application and install onto your phone. The service uses your mobile phone’s WiFi connectivity to route calls over the internet. All calls from a Truphone user to another are free, no matter where you are in the world.

Drawbacks: The service is dependent on having access to a WiFi network. There are three inherent problems with this. Firstly, WiFi networks aren’t always available when you need them. Secondly, while some WiFi networks are free to connect and use, others charge a fee. Lastly, Truphone works best on a fast WiFi network, which isn’t always the case in real world scenarios.

Google Talk
When it comes to clout, Google has plenty. Google Talk has been around for a while now and has a growing user base who use it primarily to IM contacts, but also for the free computer-to-computer calls.

Benefits: One of the biggest benefits with Google Talk is integration with other Google products such as the wildly popular Gmail. It’s a free download, has no ads, is easy to install and very simple to get setup: you’ll just need a cheap headset to start making free calls.

Drawbacks: This isn’t the panacea of free VoIP though, there are drawbacks with Google Talk. As of the time of writing the application is capable only of making free computer-to-computer calls, you won’t even have the option of paying a little extra to call mobiles and landlines because that functionality isn’t even there. Compared with Skype, Google Talk does lack some very useful and desirable features, most notably video chat.

Gizmo5
Gizmo5 is a softphone that has been around for a while, so any niggling problems have been ironed out long ago. This is a top class softphone not to be shirked if you are looking for a good free VoIP solution.

Benefits: There are numerous benefits of using Gizmo5. One of the foremost of these has to be free PC-to-PC calls as well as support for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. In fact, you can even run Gizmo5 on your BlackBerry. Gizmo5 offers a raft of features including IM and video chat, file transfer and free voicemail. Furthermore, Gizmo5 supports SIP, so you can use it with your existing SIP provider if you wish.

Drawbacks: Calls to landlines and mobile phones are not free, although signing up for their ‘All Calls’ plan does get you free calls to landlines and mobiles in over 60 countries.

SightSpeed
If ever there was a company doing all the right things to muscle in on Skype’s market share then it has to be SightSpeed. Easy to download and install, SightSpeed requires very little to get up and running quickly; plug in your headset or microphone and optional webcam and you are good to go.

Benefits: When it comes to platform support SightSpeed excels: you can run this free VoIP application on Windows and Mac OS X. Calls between computers are free with SightSpeed and video calls are also free on an unlimited basis. If you have a webcam then you can use SightSpeed to conduct a video chat with excellent quality video. SightSpeed also offers IM and free video mail.

Drawbacks: The biggest drawback with SightSpeed, as with most of the other services listed here, is the lack of free calls from your computer to landlines and mobile phones. However, if you want to upgrade you can do so for very little and get exceptionally cheap calls. Unlike arch rival Skype, there isn’t the same ecosystem of third party plugins and accessories designed for SightSpeed just yet.

Yahoo! Voice
Traditionally Yahoo! are more about search, content, news and groups, but they also are strong in communications. Yahoo! Mail is the single largest provider of web-based email in the world and they also have a very popular IM client called Yahoo! Messenger. You can use Yahoo! Messenger to not only chat and transfer files, but also make calls.

Benefits: Calls from one computer to another running Yahoo! Voice are free, and the call quality is actually quite good. If you are familiar with Yahoo! Messenger, or have used any other branded IM client, then you’ll find the interface very simple. To make a call is as simple as starting a text chat with your contacts. In terms of hardware required to use this voice service, you’ll only need an off-the-shelf headset or microphone. Yahoo! Voice is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X.

Drawbacks: While PC-to-PC calls are completely free with Yahoo! Voice, calls to landlines and mobiles are not. Should you wish to use the service to make these calls you can do so by paying a little extra.

Windows Live Messenger
Microsoft are such a dominant player in the tech sector that it would be hard to believe if they weren’t doing something in VoIP. Besides their huge Windows and Office businesses, Microsoft also have a huge user base for their Windows Live Messenger client. Formerly known as MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger does text chat, video chat, file transfer and more.

Benefits: While it may have been re-branded, Windows Live Messenger has been around for as long as text chat was possible. Most people have an account with them (MSN, Live, Hotmail, Passport) so you will actually have contacts available to talk with. Calls between computers running Windows Live Messenger are free and the quality is generally good, although as with other VoIP services this is largely dependent on your internet connection speed.

Other benefits include the ability to chat with your Yahoo! contacts, integration with Hotmail and video chat functionality.

Drawbacks: One of the biggest drawbacks with the Windows Live Messenger VoIP service is that it is only compatible with Windows PCs. Although you will have to pay for the privilege, it is possible to call landlines and mobile phones, albeit at very low prices. There are plenty of other Windows softphones available though so you do have other options.

WengoPhone
If you’re looking for a little panache then check out WengoPhone, a French-made softphone that packs a real punch. WengoPhone is slick, easy to setup and very simple to use.

Benefits: WengoPhone is released under an Open Source license, so if you like a warm fuzzy feeling along with your free VoIP calls then this is the softphone for you! WengoPhone lets you make free computer-to-computer calls, video calls, IM with contacts on numerous networks and transfer files all from within one simple interface.

Drawbacks: One of the biggest, if the not the most obvious of problems with WengoPhone is the lack of customer care and technical support, which is provided mostly through their wiki. As with others on this list, you need to upgrade to make cheap calls to landlines and mobiles.

iChat
This is Apple’s very own IM, voice and video app and it comes pre-installed with every Mac. As you would expect the interface is nothing short of brilliant; the simplicity of iChat really does belie the power of what it can do.

Benefits: This is a product backed by one of the biggest names in tech, so it’s going to work. iChat offers five main features: free computer-to-computer calls, IM, video conferencing, screen sharing and integrated document sharing. In other words, iChat can do more than most other similar applications on this list. Video and audio calls are very clear, but the added functionality of being able to share your desktop or present and discuss a document right from with iChat is a showstopper. iChat supports AIM, Jabber and Google Talk accounts.

Drawbacks: Don’t get me wrong. I do think iChat is great, but there are a couple of problems. Firstly, iChat is available only on Mac OS X, even though it can talk with users on Windows or Linux computers on the AIM, Jabber or Google Talk networks. Furthermore, iChat is not technically a pure VoIP service in the sense that, like Google Talk, it can only do computer-to-computer calls. Look elsewhere if you want a full softphone for Mac OS X capable of calling phones on the PSTN.