Free VoIP services - Free Softphones - Free DID Numbers
Millions of people r
switching to V0ip, especially for cheaper long distance & international
calls. Generally V0ip services, such as Ring Central, r very affordable &
far cheaper than any traditional Telco, although sometimes quality can still be
an issue. If u would like to take ur savings to the limit, then check the
"Free" V0ip services we have listed below.
There r not actually
60 services, but 60 is catchier than 58. Anyway it is enough to keep many of u
busy for a few days to test & play around.
It has taken us a two
weeks to compile this overview & maybe we have missed the one or other
interesting service. Should this be the case please let us know or add it to
the comments section below this article.
For easier reference
we have divided this overview into four sections. Although some unlimited plans
could be classified as almost free, we have only included those V0ip services
that r completely free.
1. Free & almost Free V0ip services
Here we will not be
looking at PC to PC services. Almost all V0ip providers offer free calls within
their own network (Skype for example). Rather we will try to identify as many
services as possible offering free calls to l&lines & mobile phone
around the world. The options listed below r in a r&om order.
1.1 www.startel.pt
SIP, Asterisk based service from Portugal. U have to register with them & deposit at least €10. Once registered u can make free calls to l&lines in 30 countries around the world & mobile phones in Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Singapore & the US. There seem to be no strings attached (edit 28.03.07 - They charge a PayPal fee of 3.4%+0.35€ on each deposit) & no daily or monthly limits on the number of calls made.
1.2 www.vyke.com
SIP based service
from Norway. Register & deposit at least $10. U can then make free calls to
l&lines in the US & Canada as well as most of Western Europe. They do
however charge a connection fee of $0.04 per call irrespective of the duration.
1.3 Betamax
SIP based service
from Germany. Betamax is the holding company for the following 13 V0ip
services:
In essence the different web sites r all the same & only vary slightly in their logos, call rates & free destinations. They have a habit of changing the "free" destinations & their call rates on a very regular basis & it is difficult to keep track of the changes. A minimum deposit of €10 is required & u r then entitled to make up to 300 minutes of "free" calls per week. The "free calls" expire after 90 or 120 days & then u r expected to top up ur account. The voice quality tends to be good, although never, ever expect any customer service.
SIP based service
from the UK. A minimum deposit of $10 is required. U r then entitled to make
free calls l&lines & some mobile phones in around 30 countries. They
have a limit of 150 minutes per week on calls to "Free" destinations.
Please note that ur credit will expire after 90 days.
1.5 www.free.fr
SIP based service
from France. Unfortunately only for French users as u have to be a subscriber
of their super-fast ADSL service. They offer unlimited free calls to 40
destinations around the world.
1.6 www.raketu.com
US based V0ip
service. Raketu offers a Softphone with integrated IPTV & VOD (Video on Dem&)
& a whole bunch of other features. U need to register & deposit a
minimum of $10 to enjoy free calls to l&lines to 42 countries/destinations.
In addition Raketu also offers a free SMS service.
1.7 www.jajah.com
SIP based service
from Luxembourg. Jajah is not a traditional V0ip service, but a web activated
service. U need to initiate a call from ur PC or from ur mobile phone, provided
ur mobile supports Jajah's softwr. PSTN to PSTN calls between Jajah users r
free in around 40 countries. U need to register & deposit a minimum of $10
to make use of this service.
This is a totally
free, no strings attached web activated service & allows anybody to make PSTN
to PSTN calls. Registration is not even required. It only works from Germany &
free calls can be made to 30 destinations around the world. The call duration
is limited to 30 minutes per call & the system is only available from 06:00
until 24:00 daily - very unusual.
1.9 www.icall.com
SIP based V0ip
service from the US. I Call offer free & unlimited calls to the US &
Canada.
1.10 www.sgoope.com
Denmark based V0ip
service. SGOOPE displays advertising to users in exchange for free talk time.
It can also be integrated with popular applications such as Skype, MSN
Messenger & Outlook Express. In other words, u can also call to these users
with ur Scope account.
1.11 www.globe7.com
SIP based service
from the UK. To earn free calls & free SMS's u will have to watch videos.
The softphone includes IPTV & video calling is also available.
1.12 www.adcalls.com
US based V0ip
service. U r expected to watch ads in exchange for call credits.
1.13 www.gizmocall
SIP based service
from the US. Gizmo offers free calls with a twist. Both parties must be
registered with Gizmo call & ideally with their current l&line (PSTN)
number & /or mobile number. Calls to mobile phones in 17 countries r then
for free as well as all calls to l&lines in a further 43 countries. Check
their terms & conditions for further details.
1.14
www.mediaringtalk.com (Limited promotion)
H.323 based service
from Singapore. This is a promotion running from the 07 March 2007 until the 31
April 2007 & no purchase is necessary. During this promotional period all
calls to the US, Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Taiwan &
Australia r free. The calls r limited to 10 minutes per call. There r no limits
on calling the same number multiple times, though.
In addition to the
above listed services we decided to make two exceptions by adding paid
subscription services to this list. The benefits far outweigh the costs
involved.
1. 15 Skype Pro
Skype only launched
Skype Pro in early March 2007 & allows users in Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Estonia, Finl&, France, Germany, Irel&, Italy, Netherl&s, Norway,
Portugal, Spain, Sweden & the UK to make unlimited free calls to l&lines
within the users own country. Five months cost €10 & it includes €5 worth
of call credits & free voicemail. There is unfortunately a snag. Skype now
charges a connection fee of €0.039 per call, irrespective of the duration of
the call.
1.16 V0ip buster Pro
V0ip buster Pro
offers a similar to service to Skype (it actually launched a few weeks before
Skype) but is somewhat cheaper. For €10 per year including €5 of calling credit
u can call around 50 destinations for "free". The term
"free" is not quite correct u now also have to pay a connection fee
of €0.039 per call & the call duration is limited to 300 minutes of free
calls per week. Otherwise the same comments as under item 1.3 apply.
2. Free Softphones to make V0ip calls
2.1
www.counterpath.com - Eyebeam
2.2 www.sjlabs.con –
SJP Phone
2.3
www.zfoneproject.com – Z fone - secure & encrypted V0ip calls
2.4 www.nero.com -
Nero Sips softphone
2.5 www.zoiper.com -
SIP, IAX softphone for Win, Lin & Mac OS
2.6 www.solegy.com -
Open source SIP phone
2.7 www.linphone.org
- Softphone for Linux, FreeBSD & Open BSD
2.8 www.openzoep.org –Open
Zoey is based on open protocols & thus it is interoperable with other V0ip
Softwr
2.9 www.phonerlite.de
-V0ip softphone with profile & contact management (Win only)
2.10
www.twinklephone.com - SIP Softphone fro Linux
2.11 www.ekiga.org - V0ip
& video conferencing application for Linux - supports SIP & H.323
2.12 www.nch.com.au -
Express Talk - Free Sip phone for Windows
2.13 www.pulver.com -
FWD Communicator
2.14
www.globaliptel.com - PC-Phone - Free Win softphone
3. Free DID (incoming numbers) from around the world
Now that u have found
a free or paid V0ip service, u would like others to be able to phone u from a
PSTN or mobile phone. There r a number of companies offering DID or incoming
numbers (V0ip-In) for a flat yearly rate or a monthly fee. But then again there
r a few offering free DID numbers from around the world, albeit very limited &
only from a few selected countries.
3.1 www.ipkall.com -
Free Washington (206) ra code number. Number expires after 3 months if not used
3.2 www.globe7.com -
Free US phone number
3.3 www.enum2go.com -
Free eNum number
3.4 www.freenumber.nl
- Free Dutch number
3.5 www.esms.com -
Free UK numbers
3.6
www.messagenet.com - Free Italian numbers from Rome, Milan & Turin
3.7
www.stanaphone.com - Free US number (New York)
3.8 www.skypho.com -
Free Italian number, but u have to use their service
3.9 www.sipnumber.com
- Free US phone number
3.10 www.voipuser.org
- Free UK number
3.11 www.calluk.com -
Free UK number - forward to ur FWD number
3.12
www.voicestick.com - Free US or UK incoming number - only to be used with their
service
3.13 www.sipgate.com
- Free UK number, but u have to live in the UK & use the Sipgate service
3.14 www.sipgate.de -
Free German V0ip-In number, however u have to reside in the same ra code
(German Law)
3.15
www.privatephone.com - Free US phone number & voicemail
3.16
www.talkdigits.com - Free US phone number
3.17
www.clickdigits.com - Free US phone number
3.18
www.orbtalk.co.uk - Free UK telephone numbers
3.19
www.open-telecom.co.uk - Free UK phone numbers
3.20 www.woize.com -
Free UK number after u have added a small amount to ur call account
3.21
www.aimphoneline.com - Free US phone number
3.22
www.craigsnumber.com - Free temporary telephone number for 1 day, 1 week
or 1 month - a very nice idea!
4. Any other useful Free V0ip or phone related services we can
find
4.1 www.gizmosms.com
- Send SMS's for free worldwide
4.2 www.asterisk.org
- Free IP PBX
4.3 www.freepbx.org -
Free IP PBX
4.4 www.openpbx.org -
Free IP PBX
4.5
www.freeswitch.org - Free open source telephony platform
4.6
www.sipfoundry.org – Sip X - Free IP PBX
If u know of any other companies, which
should be included on this list, please let us know & we will add them.
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