After 23 years of connecting individuals around the globe, Skype, the favored video-calling service, is shutting down. Microsoft, the mother or father firm, confirmed that the official sundown date for the service is Could 5, 2025.

Skype customers can both migrate all their contacts and chat knowledge to Microsoft Groups, or they’ll select to obtain their Skype knowledge and transition to a different video-calling service. 

To help customers within the change, we’ve created a information on the right way to migrate to Groups or obtain Skype knowledge. Moreover, we’ve curated a listing of other video-calling apps that may substitute Skype.

The way to transfer from Skype to Microsoft Groups

Earlier than Could 5, Skype customers can register to Teams at no cost utilizing their Skype credentials. As soon as logged in, all their chats and contacts will robotically switch to the app. 

Groups affords options much like Skype, together with one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Whereas Skype was primarily designed for smaller teams (as much as 20 members) and informal use, Groups is extra business-focused, accommodating as much as 10,000 members in a single video name. It additionally comes with superior security measures and varied integrations, corresponding to Evernote, OneDrive, Workplace 365, Salesforce, SharePoint, Trello, and extra. 

Groups is offered on Android, iOS, Mac, PC, and the online.

The way to export Skype knowledge

For customers who aren’t involved in making the transition to Microsoft Groups, we nonetheless suggest exporting account knowledge. This ensures that worthwhile info — corresponding to messages, information, and get in touch with particulars — is backed up and could be accessed sooner or later.

• Open Skype and log in. 
• Click on on the three horizontal dots underneath the account title within the prime left nook.
• Go to Settings > Account & Profile > Your Account.
• After being redirected to Skype’s net portal, select from both Export contacts (.csv), Export Caller ID numbers (.csv), or Export information and chat historical past.
• The “Export information and chat historical past” possibility lets customers obtain Conversations and Information.
• Click on Submit Request and Proceed. 
• When the export course of is full, click on Obtain.

Listed below are the most effective Skype alternate options

Google Meet

An apparent good thing about utilizing Google Meet is that it’s out there at no cost with a Google account. Since lots of people are already utilizing Google and have present accounts, transitioning to this platform could be pretty straightforward.

Google Meet permits customers to carry conferences with as much as 100 members, file conferences, share screens, and extra. A downside with the free plan is that if a gathering has greater than three members, there’s a 60-minute time restrict. 

Giant corporations might wish to buy a Google Workspace plan for options like having as much as 25 co-hosts, dividing members into smaller breakout rooms throughout conferences, creating polls, establishing a Q&A session, livestreaming to YouTube, and extra. Workspace — which has plans for $7/month, $14/month, $22/month, and up — additionally affords AI-powered instruments by way of its Gemini assistant, which helps Meet customers take notes and create customized background photos.

Zoom

Zoom is one other standard web-conferencing software. It affords a number of useful options, together with the power to host as much as 100 members and chat in each non-public and public teams, and has instruments corresponding to notes, a whiteboard, and screen-sharing capabilities. Customers may file conferences and entry transcripts. 

Nonetheless, one draw back is the 40-minute time restrict per assembly for customers on the free plan. To keep away from having conferences reduce off, customers might want to buy a subscription, which ranges from $13/month to $18/month. Paid subscribers have entry to Zoom’s AI Companion, which incorporates the power to summarize conferences and ask questions on transcribed conferences.

Webex

Webex, the Cisco-owned video conferencing software, affords the same plan to its rivals. As an illustration, it has options corresponding to display screen sharing, the power to file classes, a whiteboard functionality, and extra. 

The free plan contains as much as 100 attendees per assembly, in addition to an unlucky 40-minute time restrict. Webex additionally affords plans from $12/month, $22/month, and up, relying on group dimension. The paid tiers include an AI assistant, reside polling, Q&A, and the power so as to add as much as 1,000 attendees.

Discord

Discord was initially designed as a chat platform for avid gamers, however it could possibly additionally function an alternative choice to Skype for private use or for smaller groups. Nonetheless, it’s not really useful for bigger companies, because it limits calls to 25 members. 

On the constructive aspect, Discord affords limitless assembly lengths and options corresponding to display screen sharing, the power to file conferences, and breakout rooms. The platform has a free plan along with two paid choices priced at $5/month and $10/month, making it one of many extra inexpensive decisions out there, relying on customers’ wants.

Slack

Whereas Slack is probably not best for formally scheduled conferences with massive teams, it may be efficient for spontaneous conferences inside group chats. The Huddle function in Slack permits customers to simply transition from a chat thread to an off-the-cuff audio or video name with colleagues. On the free plan, Huddles can accommodate solely two individuals, whereas paid plans (priced at $7/month or $12/month) enable for as much as 50.

Sign

Signal, the encrypted messaging app, has offered group video-calling features since 2020 and might accommodate as much as 50 members in a single name. 

Though it’s not a direct competitor to Skype, it permits customers to share hyperlinks for calls, enabling them to easily ship the hyperlink to others relatively than creating a bunch, very similar to Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Groups do. Notably, Sign is free to make use of.

Different comparable apps for cellular customers seeking to video name with smaller teams embrace WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Apple FaceTime.