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Yes, you really can make free phone calls using the internet. The apps I’ll mention come in two types: some only work if the other person has the same app, while others let you call landlines and nearly any other number.
Either way, it’s a free call, and these apps are the best for it. I keep a few of my favorites on my phone for when I can’t get a good signal, like in certain hotels or airports.
Don’t rely on these apps to dial 911 or similar emergency numbers. If there’s an emergency, use a traditional landline or mobile phone, or a true internet telephone service that’s approved for that type of use.
What We Like
Runs on computers and mobile devices.
Can forward all calls to your existing phone.
Includes voicemail.
Easily connects with your existing phone contacts.
Google Voice is one of the best ways to make a call over the internet. You get a real phone number, so you can make free calls to an actual phone number.
Voice is much more than this, though. It’s primarily a way to manage the phone numbers in your life and can intelligently route incoming Voice calls to any other phone you have—or send them directly to voicemail. You can also screen calls, create custom away messages for specific contacts, and make groups within your contact list to apply rules to, like for custom call forwarding.
Other features include free SMS, free conference calls, and free voicemail services.
Free calls you make with Voice must be to numbers in the United States or Canada, and they’re limited to three hours. However, you can continue to make a free call to the same number over and over again.
Voice works from a desktop browser and through the iPhone, iPad, and Android apps.
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What We Like
Free for calling any user around the world.
Lots of people already use it.
Runs on computers and phones.
Also supports video calls.
Messenger is Facebook’s messaging service. It supports text messages and audio and video calls between anyone with the app.
It’s popular enough that most people you know probably have it, making it a great option for Wi-Fi calls. I also like that I can use it to play games with the other person, send money, and share my location.
It works from any web browser through the Messenger website, as well as through the mobile app for Android, iPhone, and iPad.
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What We Like
Huge user base.
Encrypted messaging.
Helps you find users from existing phone contacts.
Works on a wide variety of devices, including the web.
Meta-owned WhatsApp is a popular texting app with hundreds of millions of users. However, you can also call your WhatsApp friends right from the app using only your internet connection (it doesn’t count against your phone plan’s voice minutes).
You just need to confirm your phone number to get started. Once you’re using the app, you can start a new conversation to clearly see which of your contacts are also using WhatsApp, then you can call them for free no matter where in the world they’re located.
Groups can hold as many as 1,024 people, but group calls are limited to 32 people.
WhatsApp also lets you send videos, photos, your location, and contacts to other users. Like Signal, end-to-end encryption is supported for all communication within the app.
Because WhatsApp requires the app to make free phone calls, you can’t use it to make free calls to phones that don’t have the app installed. However, if your experience is anything like mine, lots of your phone contacts will have this app, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
You can make calls with WhatsApp using an Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, or Mac.
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If you’re an Apple fan, then you’ve probably already heard about FaceTime. It supports video and audio calls with other Apple devices. This is definitely your best option if you and your frequent callers have Apple devices.
FaceTime is heavily integrated into the Apple ecosystem, so it’s built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS and includes extra features unavailable in these other apps. For example, you can share your screen on FaceTime.
Here are a few other things I’ve enjoyed about FaceTime: calling using a phone number or email address, live captions, handing a call off to another supported device, using video effects during calls, leaving a video message for unanswered calls, Voice Isolation to filter background sounds, and live background blurring.
You can send a FaceTime link to Android or Windows users to let them join calls, but you can’t initiate a call unless you have an Apple device.
What We Like
Uses encryption.
Also supports text chat and video calls.
Supports sharing large files.
Signup is easy with your number and a PIN.
Signal lets you send and receive texts, make voice and video calls (including group calls), and share your location and files. It was developed with a focus on privacy and security; it uses end-to-end encryption to protect your messages and calls, so only you and the recipient can see or hear what you’re exchanging.
I particularly like all the extra features, like payments, stories, and self-destructing messages, which uses a timer to automatically delete messages after a set time.
Signal is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and desktop.
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What We Like
Calls with up to 100 people.
Built-in noise-cancelling.
Includes filters, AR masks, and other fun modes.
Present documents and share items during calls.
Google Meet is an app-to-app calling service that works across desktop and mobile platforms. Video meetings are encrypted, it supports both video and audio calls, and you can form massive group calls with up to 100 people.
One thing I like about this app is that it displays real-time captions as the other person is speaking.
You can call your contacts and join meetings via a meeting code or link. You can use Google Meet in a browser as well as the mobile app for Android and iOS.
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What We Like
Get a real number.
Includes a voicemail box.
Supports several customizations.
Lets you send texts to any phone, even non-users.
TextNow is a mobile app that can send and receive free phone calls from other users. You can also text any phone because you’re given an actual number to use. To make phone calls to non-users, like landline phones, you need to buy or earn redeemable credits.
The interface is very straightforward. It keeps track of call history within the message center, it’s quick and easy to start a phone call, and you can even send messages while actively in a call.
In addition to sending text messages, TextNow lets you send photos, drawings, emoticons, and your location. You can also customize the voicemail greeting, get email alerts when you get messages, change the message screen background, use a different alert for different contacts, customize the overall theme, and use a signature with all your messages.
You can log in to your TextNow account on a different device, and all your saved messages and phone numbers remain and can be used immediately.
Since you only need an email address to set up your account, it works with devices that might not have a phone number, like an iPad or Kindle. If you’re using TextNow on Windows or Mac, or from the web, you can both call and text from your computer.
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What We Like
Friends likely already have the app.
Also supports video calls.
Audio calls with up to 32 friends at once.
What We Don’t Like
Lets you call other users only.
Can’t dial any phone number.
Might abruptly end long calls.
Snapchat is well known for its texting and picture-sending capabilities, but you can also make free audio and video calls with your Snapchat contacts.
Enter the chat mode with one of your contacts by tapping the conversation once or opening a new chat window. Then, use the phone icon to instantly call them for free over the internet.
Since you can only call other Snapchat users, you can’t use the app to call home phones or devices that aren’t also using the app.
Snapchat works with Android, iPhone, iPad, and Windows. You can also use Snapchat in a web browser (calls are supported there, too).
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What We Like
Fully encrypted phone calls.
Works on a number of devices.
Also supports text messaging.
Join huge group messages.
Telegram is another extremely popular app for encrypted text messaging and calls. It’s really easy to use, and the texting features are available anywhere you log in, like on the web or through the desktop or mobile app.
A popular feature of this app is groups. You can have up to 200,000 people in a single group! Group video calls support as many as 30 people, and voice-only participants are unlimited.
Telegram runs on lots of devices: Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, macOS, Windows (portable and regular installer), Linux, and the web.
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What We Like
You get a real phone number.
Supports voicemail.
Calling is free to any other user.
Texting works with any phone number.
Textfree is a free application that gives you your own phone number to make free app-to-app calls and text messages, and you can even customize the voicemail greeting.
The texting feature can actually be used on non-app phones as well, which means you can use Textfree as another way to text your friends over the internet.
Every user begins with a limited number of minutes for free calling to phones not using the app, like landlines. There are ways to get more free minutes, like watching video advertisements and completing free offers.
If you fail to use your Textfree phone number for 30 days, it’s returned to the “pool” of numbers for new users and becomes inactive. You can always get another one if your current number expires.
In addition to the web, this app is usable through Android, iPhone, and iPad apps.
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What We Like
All calls and texts are free with other users.
The app helps find existing users from your contact list.
Works on desktop and mobile devices.
PC-to-PC and app-to-app free internet phone calls are available with Viber. It scours your contact list on your mobile device to find other users, which makes it simple to know who you can call for free.
Messages and video can also be sent through to any other device that has it installed, be it a mobile or desktop version.
You can subscribe to Viber for a local number in various countries that you can use to receive calls and texts, but that feature isn’t free.
The app runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac computers, as well as Android and iOS devices.
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