
Ask HN: Best replacement for Skype - drallison
Skype just announced a significant (67%) increase in price for a SkypeIn number.  The price increase together with a nearly non-functional user interface, a buggy Linux application and poor sound stability, suggests that it may be time to move on. What other suppliers have products that can be used to replace Skype?
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XDASyndicate
Use [http://textnow.com](http://textnow.com) if you _need_ an
incoming/outgoing phone number. It's free also. If you just want calling, and
you care about open-source and security, use Riot.
[http://riot.im/app](http://riot.im/app) and if you want something a little
more simple I suggest ooVoo.

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app4soft
> a buggy Linux application and poor sound stability, suggests that it may be
> time to move on

Be hacker! Just "fix"[0] good-oldyie Skype 4.3 for Linux[1][2] after install
it:

    
    
      sudo sed -i 's/4\.3\.0\.37/8\.3\.0\.37/' /usr/bin/skype
    

[0]
[http://www.opennet.ru/tips/info/3039.shtml](http://www.opennet.ru/tips/info/3039.shtml)

[1] [http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-ubuntu-
precise_4.3.0.3...](http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-ubuntu-
precise_4.3.0.37-1_i386.deb)

[2] [http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-
debian_4.3.0.37-1_i386...](http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-
debian_4.3.0.37-1_i386.deb)

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gesman
Since MSFT touched Skype it was a slow and accelerating downhill.

I was super impressed by sound quality and stability of Telegram app talking
friend from europe over average wifi.

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eb0la
If you run your own voip software (asterixt, freebpx, etc), you can get a DID
(Dial-In) number from $2 per month (depending on the country).

Just google {country} did number ;-)

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karma_daemon
Discord for sure

I switched and never looked back. They have pretty slick apps for desktop and
mobile too.

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black-hole
Wire. Its end-to-end encrypted and has applications for all major platforms
(electron though)

~~~
indescions_2018
This actually looks pretty cool. Thanks for the link ;)

I can also recommend Cyclops for group video conferencing. Chrome only. But
WebRTC based so its as easy as distributing a URL!

[https://www.cyclops.io/](https://www.cyclops.io/)

