Luckily for all of us, the world of video calling apps doesn’t end with WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, neither with Zoom and Messenger Rooms. There are plenty of alternatives out there, and most people might have forgotten about two apps that were once dominating the field of video calling: Skype and Google Hangouts.
Both Skype and Hangouts have plenty in common: they offer video calls, instant messaging, file sharing, data encryption between the user’s device and the companies’ servers, and perhaps most of all: they’re both almost entirely FREE! But why should you choose one app over another? Let’s find out!
Hangouts
Even though calling another person using Hangouts is free of charge with Google’s app, you’ll have to pay a small fee if you aim to call somebody else. Hangouts also allows its users to connect their Google Voice account for using SMS texting, phone calling, and voicemail integration. The app also allows keeping in touch with contacts from Android, iOS, and the web.
If you want to be more expressive on Hangouts, you can even customize your status by using maps, emoji’s photos, and even videos.
Skype
The Skype service is destined for both friendly conversations and small business purposes. The app allows the user to record conversations, share his screen, and more. If the person you’re talking to on Skype has pronunciation difficulties, there’s a good chance that turning on the subtitles could solve the issue. The group chat feature of Skype is vastly superior to the one of Hangouts, as it allows up to 50 participants instead of just 25.
Both Skype and Hangouts deserve to be given a try if you haven’t done so already, and saying for sure which app is better is very difficult. However, we’re placing our bets on Skype.