Skype is shutting down in Might — these are the perfect options

After 23 years of connecting individuals world wide, Skype, the favored video-calling service, is shutting down. Microsoft, the guardian firm, confirmed that the official sundown date for the service is Might 5, 2025.

Skype customers can both migrate all their contacts and chat knowledge to Microsoft Groups, or they’ll select to obtain their Skype knowledge and transition to a different video-calling service. 

To help customers within the change, we’ve created a information on migrate to Groups or obtain Skype knowledge. Moreover, we’ve curated an inventory of different video-calling apps that may substitute Skype.

The right way to transfer from Skype to Microsoft Groups

Earlier than Might 5, Skype customers can check in to Groups without spending a dime utilizing their Skype credentials. As soon as logged in, all their chats and contacts will routinely switch to the app. 

Groups presents options much like Skype, together with one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Whereas Skype was primarily designed for smaller teams (as much as 20 contributors) and informal use, Groups is extra business-focused, accommodating as much as 10,000 contributors in a single video name. It additionally comes with superior safety features and varied integrations, akin to Evernote, OneDrive, Workplace 365, Salesforce, SharePoint, Trello, and extra. 

Groups is accessible on Android, iOS, Mac, PC, and the online.

The right way to export Skype knowledge

For customers who aren’t focused on making the transition to Microsoft Groups, we nonetheless suggest exporting account knowledge. This ensures that precious info — akin to messages, information, and speak to particulars — is backed up and could be accessed sooner or later.

• Open Skype and log in. 
• Click on on the three horizontal dots below the account identify within the prime left nook.
• Go to Settings > Account & Profile > Your Account.
• After being redirected to Skype’s internet portal, select from both Export contacts (.csv), Export Caller ID numbers (.csv), or Export information and chat historical past.
• The “Export information and chat historical past” choice lets customers obtain Conversations and Information.
• Click on Submit Request and Proceed. 
• When the export course of is full, click on Obtain.

Listed below are the perfect Skype options

Google Meet

An apparent good thing about utilizing Google Meet is that it’s obtainable without spending a dime with a Google account. Since lots of people are already utilizing Google and have current accounts, transitioning to this platform can be pretty simple.

Google Meet permits customers to carry conferences with as much as 100 contributors, document conferences, share screens, and extra. A disadvantage with the free plan is that if a gathering has greater than three contributors, there’s a 60-minute time restrict. 

Giant corporations could wish to buy a Google Workspace plan for options like having as much as 25 co-hosts, dividing contributors into smaller breakout rooms throughout conferences, creating polls, organising a Q&A session, livestreaming to YouTube, and extra. Workspace — which has plans for $7/month, $14/month, $22/month, and up — additionally presents AI-powered instruments by its Gemini assistant, which helps Meet customers take notes and create customized background photos.

Zoom

Zoom is one other well-liked web-conferencing software. It presents a number of useful options, together with the power to host as much as 100 contributors and chat in each non-public and public teams, and has instruments akin to notes, a whiteboard, and screen-sharing capabilities. Customers also can document conferences and entry transcripts. 

Nonetheless, one draw back is the 40-minute time restrict per assembly for customers on the free plan. To keep away from having conferences lower off, customers might want to buy a subscription, which ranges from $13/month to $18/month. Paid subscribers have entry to Zoom’s AI Companion, which incorporates the power to summarize conferences and ask questions on transcribed conferences.

Webex

Webex, the Cisco-owned video conferencing software, presents an analogous plan to its rivals. For example, it has options akin to display screen sharing, the power to document classes, a whiteboard functionality, and extra. 

The free plan contains as much as 100 attendees per assembly, in addition to an unlucky 40-minute time restrict. Webex additionally presents plans from $12/month, $22/month, and up, relying on group measurement. The paid tiers include an AI assistant, stay polling, Q&A, and the power so as to add as much as 1,000 attendees.

Discord

Discord was initially designed as a chat platform for players, however it may well additionally function a substitute for Skype for private use or for smaller groups. Nonetheless, it’s not advisable for bigger companies, because it limits calls to 25 contributors. 

On the optimistic aspect, Discord presents limitless assembly lengths and options akin to display screen sharing, the power to document conferences, and breakout rooms. The platform has a free plan along with two paid choices priced at $5/month and $10/month, making it one of many extra reasonably priced selections obtainable, relying on customers’ wants.

Slack

Whereas Slack might not be ultimate for formally scheduled conferences with massive teams, it may be efficient for spontaneous conferences inside group chats. The Huddle function in Slack allows customers to simply transition from a chat thread to an off-the-cuff audio or video name with colleagues. On the free plan, Huddles can accommodate solely two individuals, whereas paid plans (priced at $7/month or $12/month) enable for as much as 50.

Sign

Sign, the encrypted messaging app, has offered group video-calling options since 2020 and may accommodate as much as 50 contributors in a single name. 

Though it’s not a direct competitor to Skype, it permits customers to share hyperlinks for calls, enabling them to easily ship the hyperlink to others reasonably than creating a gaggle, very similar to Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Groups do. Notably, Sign is free to make use of.

Different comparable apps for cell customers trying to video name with smaller teams embrace WhatsApp, Fb Messenger, and Apple FaceTime.