Best Skype Alternatives for Calling Landlines Abroad (2026)

If you had a Skype Number, the closest replacement is a number of your own. The TripoSIM US Number is a real +1 number in an app: it receives calls, includes 300 minutes a month to the US and Canada, and calls 200+ countries from $0.029 a minute.

For more than twenty years, Skype was how people called a grandmother's landline or a hotel abroad for a few cents. Then Microsoft switched it off. Many people only noticed when their Skype Credit button disappeared, or when a Skype Number stopped ringing.

This guide explains exactly what happened, what you can still do with leftover credit, and how to choose a replacement that really calls phone numbers, not just other app users.

What happened to Skype? The timeline

These dates come from Microsoft's own support page, "Skype is retiring in May 2025: what you need to know", and its 28 February 2025 announcement.

Can Microsoft Teams call phone numbers?

Not the free version. Microsoft's Skype page says Teams does not support paid calling plans on the free version of Teams. Calling phone numbers from Teams needs Microsoft's paid business phone products. So Teams Free replaces Skype's chats and video calls, but not its calls to landlines and mobiles.

What can I do with leftover Skype Credit?

Microsoft says existing Skype Credit can still be used for calls through the Skype Dial Pad on the Skype web portal and in Teams Free. Its page does not give an end date for that credit, so if you still have some, use it soon. You can't buy more.

What to look for in a Skype replacement

Before you compare apps, decide what you actually used Skype for. Most people need some of these:

1. Calls to landlines and mobiles, not only to people who have the same app.
2. A number people recognise, so the people you call see a real number they can save and call back.
3. Incoming calls, if you had a Skype Number that people called.
4. Clear prices per country, shown before you call, with no surprise connection fees.
5. Honest billing rules: per second or per started minute, and what happens if nobody answers.
6. Availability where you live: some services are for US residents only.

Skype alternatives that call landlines and mobiles

We list how each option works, from each company's own public pages (14 Nov 2026). We don't print other companies' prices because they change often: always check their current rate page.

What this means: free apps only reach people who have the same app. To ring a real phone, someone has to pay the networks that carry the call, so every option that calls landlines charges for it in some way. The real choice is between a calling app (credit only) and a number of your own that also calls out.

What replaces a Skype Number?

A Skype Number let people call you on a normal number. Since Microsoft ended those subscriptions and porting out, the number itself is gone, so you need a new one and should tell your contacts.

If your Skype Number was a US number, the TripoSIM US Number is a close replacement:

• A real +1 number that you choose by US state or area code, in the TripoSIM app on iPhone and Android.
• Incoming calls (fair use 300 minutes a month) and voicemail, so people can still reach you.
• 300 minutes a month to US and Canadian numbers included.
• Calls to 200+ other countries from the same keypad, paid per minute from your TripoSIM credit, from $0.029 a minute. The app shows the price per minute and how many minutes your credit covers before you call.
• $100 a year or $12.99 a month.

It works over Wi-Fi or mobile data in most countries, but it is not a business phone system and it can't send texts.

How to switch from Skype to the TripoSIM US Number

1. Note who you call and which countries. Check their prices on the international call prices page.
2. Get your US Number: pay for the yearly or monthly plan, pass the short ID check (photo ID and selfie) and choose your number by state or area code.
3. Add credit in the TripoSIM app under Account › Wallet. The same credit pays for calls abroad and for travel eSIMs.
4. Open the keypad, type + and the country code, then the number (how to dial any country). Check the price shown, then call.
5. Send your new number to the people who used to call your Skype Number, and ask them to save it so they recognise it.

When another option is better

• You only call one country, for hours every week. An unlimited plan for that country from a calling app may cost less.
• You need texts. The TripoSIM US Number can receive texts from US and Canadian senders but can't send them.
• You want a number in another country. Ours is a US number only.
• Your company needs an office phone system. Business services such as Teams Phone or Zoom Phone fit better.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free Skype alternative for calling landlines?

Not really. Free apps only call people who use the same app; ringing a landline always costs something. See can you call a landline abroad for free.

Can I still use my Skype Credit?

Microsoft says leftover Skype Credit can still be used for calls through the Skype Dial Pad on the Skype web portal and in Teams Free. You can't buy new credit, and Microsoft's page gives no end date, so use it soon.

Can I keep my Skype Number?

No. Microsoft ended Skype Number subscriptions in May 2026 and porting a number out is no longer available. Get a new number and tell your contacts.

Does the person I call need an app?

Not with a calling app that rings phone numbers, or with the TripoSIM US Number. The person answers on their normal phone or landline. Only you need the app.

How much does it cost to call abroad from the TripoSIM US Number?

From $0.029 a minute, paid from your TripoSIM credit. For example, India costs $0.029 a minute. Calls are billed per started minute, and calls nobody answers are free. See every country's price.

Can I call 911 or other emergency numbers with it?

No. The TripoSIM US Number can't call 911 or any emergency service. Always use a local mobile line in an emergency.