Free web calls incl Skype How to make totally free international calls

It's possible to call ANYWHERE in the world free. If you've a steady broadband connection, free internet phone calls (VoIP) can slash the cost of calling abroad.

It sounds complicated, but making VoIP calls is easy, especially if you've a smartphone. This guide includes apps that let you call for nowt, how to make free calls from your PC, and the best way to call friends who don't use VoIP.

What is VoIP?

If both you and the person you're calling have the internet, then you can talk for completely free (barring any web access costs), no matter where in the world you both are. It's geekily called "VoIP", short for "voice over internet protocol".

You may not have heard of it, but you've probably used internet telephony without even realising it. It's increasingly used as the background technology for normal calls. Many companies use it - including MoneySavingExpert.com - because it's cheap. It's usually free to make calls to people who also use the same service.

Using mobile web (3G) to make VoIP calls? Be warned, this could eat heavily into your mobile download allowance. Always use free wi-fi wherever possible.

Never automatically use VoIP to make a phone call

While it's free when calling someone else using VoIP, many are tempted by VoIP's promise of cheap calls to real phone numbers abroad. However:

VoIP is only free for calling people who also use VoIP.
If you want to contact someone's phone, other ways usually beat it.

For cheaper calls to a landline or mobile, use the MSE CallChecker.

How does VoIP work?

With traditional phone calls, there's a constantly open pipeline with information streaming both ways, like this:

Make a call using VoIP and your voice is split into short pieces which are turned into tiny packets of data, using high-speed technology and computer processing power.

These are then bulleted along the line and decompressed at the other end. Other peoples' conversations are also bulleted along the line at the same time, so one line carries much more information, making it cheaper to operate.

VoIP pros and cons

As well as cutting costs while at home in the UK, using VoIP cuts costs if you're travelling abroad and need to call home. DON'T use 3G data while abroad though, as this will cost BIG. If you've free or cheap web access, you can call at no or low cost (depending on provider), via a PC, your mobile or a tablet. This saves massively on hotel phone charges, and often beats overseas phone cards.

There are a few drawbacks to VoIP though, so it's probably not wise to ditch your landline or mobile completely.

1. VoIP calls require an internet connection. If your power goes or your broadband breaks, you won't be able to call.

2. Call quality depends on your broadband connection, and that of the person you're calling. Tempremental broadband could mean poor call quality.

3. Not all VoIP providers let you call emergency numbers - you would have to dial 999 from your mobile or a landline.

How to make VoIP calls

There are three different ways to make VoIP calls. Each requires an internet connection, though depending on the service, you make calls either via a PC, your mobile or using your landline.

The best route for you depends on which service your friends/family use, because using the same as them will get you free calls.

• Phone-to-phone

  Got a smartphone with web access? Make free calls (friend must use the same service) using:
  Skype
  Vtok
  FaceTime
  Vonage

• PC-to-PC

  Use your home broadband connection and PC to make free calls (friend must use the same service) via :
  Skype
  Rebtel
  Localphone

• PC-to-phone

  Need to call someone who doesn't have a PC or smartphone? Use (friend doesn't have to use VoIP):
  Skype
  Localphone
  Rebtel

Phone-to-phone calls Call landlines and mobiles for free via mobile web or wi-fi

The beauty of phone-to-phone VoIP calls is you can call anyone, anywhere, without being tied to a PC. There are several ways to call phone-to-phone, but they're not always free:

Via free smartphone apps. If you've a smartphone and call with your mobile, download apps such as Skype, Vtok or FaceTime. These let you make voice calls to people who use the same service. Depending on the phone, you could also make video calls.

It's always free, so don't use any service that asks you to pay (we only include the free ones).

Some apps let you call landlines and mobiles worldwide, though they usually charge for this. Rates can be cheap, but are usually beaten using specialist no-frills providers. Use the MSE CallChecker to find the cheapest rate for the country you want to call.

Via your landline. You could also use your landline to make VoIP calls, though this tends to be pricey, and you'll need a special adapter that plugs into your home phone and broadband, which re-routes the calls.

If you regularly call one country, it could be worth considering a monthly package with a provider such as Vonage.

To make phone-to-phone calls, our top picks are:

PC-to-PC calls Make calls to other PCs for free using your computer

Never, ever pay for PC-to-PC VoIP calls. You can always call for free if you and the person you're calling both use the same software.

The quality of PC-to-PC VoIP calls is often better than PC-to-phone calls. Though if your internet connection is struggling or intermittent, call quality may drop. Click the dropdowns for more info:

To make PC-to-PC calls, our top pick providers are:

PC-to-phone calls Cheap calls to landlines and mobiles using your computer

PC-to-phone VoIP calls work in a similar way to PC-to-PC calls. Though as you're calling an actual phone, and not an internet phone, it will cost, depending on the service. Several providers let you make calls like this, including Skype and Localphone.

Many providers allocate you a number on which to receive calls. Some even provide an adapter that bypasses the computer altogether and plugs into your normal phone handset.

Calling phones from your PC can be expensive

Often, for web-to-phone calls, it's cheaper to dial a special access number for super-cheap calls. Massive savings are possible on call costs to landlines, mobiles and overseas by using specialist no frills providers, without changing your phone line. The MSE CallChecker lists that the cheapest override providers.

VoIP providers

When using VoIP for free calls, providers are pretty similar, and the best one for you is really a personal preference. The crucial thing is to ensure you both have the same app. Also factor in your handset type and if you want to make video calls.

To make completely free calls, you and the person you're calling needs to use the same provider. If not, you'll pay. Here are our VoIP provider top picks:

FaceTime for iPhone & iPadMake free video calls to other Apple users

If you've got an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, you can make free video calls to other Apple users who also have the app.

All new Apple devices come with FaceTime already installed, so you can start using it straightaway, without setting up a user name or password.

iPhone 4 users can only use FaceTime over wi-fi, however other iPhone users (4S and 5) can use the service over both wi-fi and with a data allowance.

Using the 3G connection will eat into your data limit, but the cost is minimal. Vodafone says a 10-minute FaceTime call will use about 30MB of mobile data.

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone video calls
• Cost to use: Free to download, calls are free (but will use minimal 3G data, or wi-fi)
• Can be used on: iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, iMacs
• Feedback: FaceTime feedback forum discussion

VtokMake free video calls to iOS and Android phones

Similar to FaceTime, Vtok lets you make free voice and video calls to anyone with an iPhone or Android phone.

The Android version is still only in beta testing. Yet the big plus for Vtok over FaceTime is you can use it for cross-platform calls, ie, call an Android phone from an iPhone.

While FaceTime works by looking for contacts in your phone book that have an Apple ID, Vtok works using your Gmail address. So you can only chat to friends who have a Gmail address and have installed Vtok.

It's free to download and use the service. You can use it over wi-fi and 3G, though like FaceTime, using the 3G connection will use up your data allowance.

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone, video and voice calls (plus instant messaging)
• Cost to use: Free to download, calls are free (but will use minimal 3G data, or wi-fi)
• Can be used on: iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, Android phones/devices
• Feedback: Vtok feedback forum discussion

Vonage*Use your home phone to make VoIP calls

Sign up to Vonage* and you can make free calls to other landlines and mobiles using Vonage, anywhere in the world, via your home phone handset. You just need to plug an adapter into your broadband router.

Or, if you make huge amounts of long phone-to-phone overseas calls, a package with Vonage* may be the most MoneySaving route.

Make just a few overseas calls per year, and a no-frills cheap override provider will be cheaper (see the MSE CallChecker).

• Type of calls: PC-to-phone, phone-to-phone (using an adapter), phone-to-phone smartphone app
• Cost to use: Calls free from Vonage-to-Vonage, other calls are chargeable. Price plans start from �5.99/month for unlimited UK calls, and go up to �18.99/month for unlimited calls to 49 countries (including India).
• Can be used on: Landlines and PCs
• Feedback: Vonage feedback forum discussion

Rebtel Good for non-smartphone mobiles

You can use Rebtel* on smartphones and tablets via an app using a mobile internet connection (wi-fi or 3G) or PC.

Like Skype, calls are only free to other Rebtel users. However, its by no means the cheapest way to call non-Rebtel users.

For example, someone using the Rebtel app on their mobile in the UK to call a mobile in the US (not using Rebtel) would pay nearly 1p/minute. The cheapest specialist override provider listed on the MSE CallChecker costs just 0.5p/min (plus a 5p connection per call).

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone, video and voice calls (plus instant messaging)
• Cost to use: Free to download, free to other Rebtel users, cheap calls to international destinations, plus data costs if using 3G
• Can be used on: Home phones, PCs, iPhones, Android phones/devices, iPads
• Feedback: Rebtel feedback forum discussion

Skype*Free Skype-to-Skype, other calls not very cheap

Used by over 600 million people around the world, Skype* is the biggest name in VoIP, letting you make free voice or video calls to other Skype users.

You can use it on PCs (with speakers and a headset) and even on some smart TVs. To use it on your mobile, download the free mobile app (works on iPhones, Android phones and Windows phones).

You can also make Skype calls using your landline via a home phone adapter, or a cordless home phone with Skype already built in.

Whichever way you choose, if the person you're calling has Skype too, you won't pay. So someone using Skype on an iPhone in the UK to call someone using Skype on their TV in the US is free, for example.

Never automatically use Skype to make a phone call

While it's free to call a Skype contact, using Skype to call real phone numbers abroad is by no means the cheapest way.

Chargeable calls can be paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis, by topping up your Skype account with credit, or on a monthly basis with a subscription and calling plan.

For example, using Skype in the UK to call a US landline would cost 1.6p/min. Yet the cheapest override provider charges 0.5p/minute. To find the cheapest provider for each country, use the MSE CallChecker comparison service.

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone, PC-to-PC and video and PC-to-phone voice and video calls (plus instant messaging)
• Cost to use: Free to download, calls are free to other Skype users, or chargeable if calling a landline/mobile number not using Skype
• Can be used on: PCs, mobiles, tablets, home phones, some smart TVs, some games consoles
• Feedback: Skype feedback forum discussion

VykeSmartphone app that works on all phones

Another popular VoIP provider is Vyke. Like others here, it has a smartphone app, which you can use to make free calls to other Vyke users over wi-fi or using your mobile 3G connection. You can call other Vyke users even if they have a different phone/tablet to you.

Unlike most other VoIP providers, its rates to call real phone numbers abroad can be competitive. For example, using an iPhone in the UK to call a US landline would cost just 9p hour, compared with 30p on the cheapest override provider. Though always compare rates using the MSE CallChecker to find the cheapest way.

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone
• Cost to use: Free to download, calls are free to other Vyke users, or chargeable if calling a landline/mobile not using Vyke.
• Can be used on: All mobiles (app only on smartphones), tablets
• Feedback: Vyke feedback forum discussion

LocalphoneApp for iPhones and Androids (or PC-to-PC calls)

Like Skype, Localphone* offers free calls to other Localphone users and a number of ways to make calls. You can call phone-to-phone, PC-to-PC, or PC-to-phone (though, as always, this can be chargeable).

Rates for calls to non-Localphone numbers are very competitive though.

We've recieved good feedback about Localphone, so it's worth trying. It often does free call promotions to normal phones too (when it does, they'll be featured in the free MoneySaving email). These give unlimited calls for free to a certain destination, with no obligation to continue using the service.

• Type of calls: Phone-to-phone, PC-to-PC, PC-to-phone
• Cost to use: Apps free to download, service free to use, calls are free to other Localphone users, or chargeable if calling a landline/mobile not using Localphone
• Can be used on: iPhones, Android mobiles, PCs, landlines
• Feedback: Localphone feedback forum discussion