Any and all advice, guides, and reviews are unbiased and based on my personal experience. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions, which helps support my website. This does not have an impact on posts or my opinion of any reviewed products. If you find this post helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!
Update 2025: Microsoft is now retiring Skype – permanently. As of May 2025! Full announcement from Microsoft here, but for those of you who rely on Skype numbers. You’ll need to port out your number(s).
In late 2024, Skype phased out Skype Phone Numbers. As a Skype Number user for several years, and on occasional user of numbers for business purposes, this news was a major bummer. And this next sentence foretold the future… For now, if you have a Skype number it seems you’re OK and you will not lose your existing number. But how long can we trust Microsoft to retain existing Skype numbers? Who knows?
As of March 2025, I successfully ported out from Skype, but the clock is ticking as you only have until May 5th, 2025! Microsoft’s Skype Port Out guide is not helpful but I wrote an actual helpful Skype Number port out guide.
If you have a US Skype number and are in the US, the easiest option seems to be to get a prepaid SIM, port your Skype number to the prepaid SIM, then port it to Google Voice (but who knows how long Google keep Google Voice, check out KilledByGoogle). But if you’re not in the US, or want something not tied to Google, or have non-US numbers, you need alternatives to Skype now. FYI, to port a number means moving it to another provider.
I’ve started looking for Skype Number alternatives and here’s what I have found (and tested) so far. Broadly speaking, for most services you’re looking at least $10 to get your account setup and number ported across and be able to make/receive calls. Most services have a monthly fee for use, except for Voip.ms which only charges a monthly fee for your number with no monthly call minimums.
Best Paid Skype Number Alternative: Voip.MS
Voip.MS promises no lock in contracts and is very affordable given it changes per minute. If your use is more ad hoc, it could work out perfectly. It’s the most budget friendly solution I have found, and they offer full transparency on their pricing – can literally download a CSV file with prices for every country. US Numbers are $0.85 per month – so cheaper than Skype.
Voip.ms offers number porting according to their Wiki. I’m working through the Skype porting process; it is a bit slow (I blame Skype). If you’re trying to find your Skype Account Number it’s your full Skype number with the international code e.g. +1 etc. Your account PIN will be 0000 (four zeroes).
Voip.ms is not as user friendly as Skype, but if you need to protect your number now, it’s your best solution. You will need to pair voip.ms with a VOIP app like Acrobits or Groundwire.
For most users, Voip.MS is the best Skype replacement if you want to keep your number and have the sort of flexibility you had with Skype e.g. call forwarding, etc.
KeepCalling
KeepCalling is probably the best value if you plan to make a lot of calls and don’t need your number. You can get a number for $10 a month and they don’t charge for inbound calls. It’s the closest consumer-friendly service to Skype. One of the standout features is that the credit does not expire, great if you do not make frequent calls but want to roll over your balance (if you used Skype Credit you will know what I mean!). The DID number strategy may be familiar to Skype users, as it positions it as a number your friends back home can call you for free in your new home country. You cannot port in your Skype number, so if you’re prepared to say goodbye to your Skype number and need a new local number for friends and family to call you when overseas, and don’t mind a monthly fee, KeepCalling is a good choice if you need something short term. Keep Calling now has plans with very similar names to Skype, like World Unlimited, so worth checking out.
Twilio
Twilio is not recommended. Awful customer experience and account setup process. This was despite me attempting to use it for business VOIP and previously being a business customer of their other products. I would NOT recommend Twilio for any business purpose (or any of their products anymore after my experience) and this comes from someone who once recommended and used Twilio for years.
CallHippo
After attempting to test, CallHippo’s privacy and security practices leave a LOT to be desired. CallHippo is not a safe or secure alternative to Skype, they request sensitive information to be shared via email, use poor verification systems, and do not appear to comply with privacy regulations outside of Europe. CallHippo is not recommended, their pricing is also far too expensive.
Recommendation
At the moment I’m using Voip.MS but I am also testing an option for my Australian numbers. The best service for you really depends on whether you need to keep an old Skype Number that you owned. If you do, voip.ms is the only real option. If you’re OK getting a new number and not owning it, then Keep Calling is probably best for most and the most user friendly.
I’ll write up a full review and final recommendation once I have decided which one is best for my circumstances. If you know of something else I should test, let me know.
Hope this helps someone else!
Any and all advice, guides, and reviews are unbiased and based on my personal experience. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions, which helps support my website. This does not have an impact on posts or my opinion of any reviewed products. If you find this post helpful and want to say thanks, please buy me a coffee or take a look at my book on Amazon. It keeps this page ad-free. Thank you!