Microsoft-owned Skype ruled the voice over internet protocol (VOIP) industry for decades. But on May 5, 2025, the company officially announced to discontinue services, citing its focus on Microsoft Teams.
The sudden announcement of shutting down Skype services highlights the need for users to explore reliable alternatives to Teams and Skype. The huge userbase of Skype is now shifting to Teams, as Microsoft recommends.
How to use Teams instead of Skype?
Skype simplifies the transition process for Skype users to Teams. Users can easily get their data backup like chat history and contacts while signing in to Teams with their Skype credentials. The process takes less than a minute. The following manual steps also help users if the automation is not working for them:
- Open Microsoft Teams.
- Go to Settings.
- Click the People section.
- Manage your contacts using the synchronization option.
Users must have the same Microsoft account for Skype and Teams to get this option.
How to back up Skype data using your Skype account?
Users can also get their data backup from their Skype account by following these steps:
- Sign in to your Skype account.
- Select the “My Account” option.
- Select Export Contacts.
- Users will receive a CSV file that includes contact details.
- For downloading chats and media, visit go.skype.com/export
7 Key considerations for exporting contacts from Skype to Teams
- Users finding other alternatives to Teams and Skype can manually export their data from skype. They must do it before January 2026.
- Paid Skype users can access their accounts until their current billing cycle completes.
- Skype restricts users from purchasing credits, Skype numbers, and subscriptions from April 3, 2025.
- The users who still have Skype credits can use them on Teams’ Dial Pad feature.
- Users will receive calls until their subscription ends.
- Skype does not allow transferring some information to Teams accounts such as private chats, bot interactions and messages from business accounts.
- Some features are now also unavailable, such as SMS functionality, call forwarding, and caller ID setup.
Is Microsoft Teams similar to Skype?
Calling Microsoft Teams, an upgraded version of Skype would not be wrong. It contains all the features that Skype offers, such as chat, voice, and video. However, Skype was specially built for personal use and Teams focuses on enterprises.
Upgraded features of Microsoft Teams
Teams allows users to host webinars, share Word documents, and access spreadsheets. It also offers 1 TB cloud storage per user, simplifying integration with other tools such as Asana, Canva, and Jira.
Why consider an alternative to Teams and Skype despite their features?
Skype is closing operations and shifts database to Teams. Therefore, users must consider alternatives to Skype. Although Microsoft Teams is a good option, businesses expect still more in a communication tool to enhance their business collaboration.
To find the best project management tool, users must know alternatives to Teams and Skype that aligns with their business objectives.
Alternative to Teams and Skype
There are several platforms that are strong alternatives to Teams and Skype. Each offers unique features catering to the specific needs of their target audience. Let us discuss some of the best alternatives to Teams and Skype.
Zoom
Zoom is one of the best alternatives to Skype and Teams offering useful features for businesses. It allows users integration with other project management software and calendars. Moreover, Zoom also offers customization options in video conferencing such as creating avatars, setting filters, and creating studio effects.
Google Meet
Google Meet offers user-friendly video conferencing solutions. Users can easily integrate it with Google Workspace applications such as Gmail, Google Doc, and Google Calendar. It is a very useful tool for smaller organizations.
Slack
Slack is the best option for companies who prioritize communication through messaging. It allows users to focus on enhancing productivity while making staff interactions more fruitful.
Discord
Discord focuses more on community development. It offers various features such as voice and video calling and text chat, which make it a strong alternative to Skype and Teams. The platform provides a server to each community. It also allows server owners to set rules for the community. It keeps communication clear and successfully creates a specific environment.
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption to users to ensure privacy of users’ data. It is very user friendly and easy to understand. The communication platform allows users to create groups, channels, and communities. It was specially designed for personal communication. But now users also use it for business purposes.
How to choose the best alternative to Skype?
Choosing a specific platform as an alternative to Skype depends upon your operational requirements. To meet corporate needs, it is good to consider Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and Google Meet. Other platforms like WhatsApp and Discord are good when you find a communication platform for personal use.
Limitations of free plans of alternative to Skype
The platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord offer free plans. The free plans come with limited features such as.
- Zoom offers only a 40-minute video call limit in a free plan and does not offer cloud storage for recordings.
- Microsoft Teams offers only 60 minutes for group calls, and only 100 participants can join.
- The free plan of Google Meet only allows 100 participants, and the meeting can last for only 60 minutes. While with one-on-one calls, the meeting lasts up to 24 hours. The free plan does not include extra features like special admin rooms, breakout rooms, and meeting recordings.
- In the free plan of Slack, users can only access 90-day messaging history and users only get 5GB of storage capacity. The free plan also does not support group calls and can integrate with only 10 applications.
- In the free plan of Discord, only 25 participants can join a video call. However, unlimited participants can join the voice call.
- The free WhatsApp plan limits access to advanced marketing features, making it challenging to manage customer queries.
Wrapping Up
Availability of multiple alternatives to Teams and Skype helps users in decision making. They can choose the best platform that serves their business purposes. Consider the one that saves your money and improves productivity.
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