Can I call 911 or another emergency number?

No. Parlacall does not support calls to emergency services — 911 in the US, 112 in the EU, or the equivalent anywhere else — and those numbers are blocked. The service cannot determine where you physically are, so responders could not be sent to you even if a call did connect. Keep an ordinary phone that can reach emergency services.

Can the person I called ring me back?

No. Parlacall places calls; it does not receive them. Keep a number you can be reached on if you are expecting someone to call you back.

Does it work on a Chromebook?

Yes. A Chromebook runs the same browser dialpad as any other computer, and because there is nothing to install, the usual Chromebook limitation does not apply.

Connecting to a real landline or mobile means paying the phone network that delivers the call, which is why browser-to-browser services can be free and this cannot. What you can do is pay only for the minutes you use: rates start at $0.03 a minute across 218 destinations, with no subscription.

Does my credit expire?

No. Your balance stays until you use it or close your account. There is no subscription and no monthly minimum.

No phone needed

Call a phone number from your computer

You can call any phone number from your computer’s browser — there is no app to install, and nothing for the person you are calling to set up. Open the dialpad, add credit, dial.

Check a number’s rate →See all rates

See the exact rate before you call

Three steps

Placing the call takes about a minute

Open the dialpad

Sign in and the dialpad is right there in the browser. Pick the country, type the number, and the per-minute rate appears before anything connects.

Add credit

Top up with a card — $0.03 a minute is where rates start. There is no subscription and no monthly minimum, and credit doesn't expire.

Dial and talk

Allow the microphone once, press call, and an ordinary phone rings on the other end. You are billed for connected minutes only.

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What you need

A browser is the whole setup

The honest list of requirements, on your side and theirs.

A browser and a microphone

Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, plus whatever mic your laptop already has. A wired headset is better on a long hold, but it is not required.

Any computer — or a tablet

The dialpad is a web page, so a desktop, a laptop, a Chromebook and a tablet all work the same way. Nothing to install, no browser extension, no download.

Nothing on their end

The person you are calling needs no app and no account. Their ordinary landline or mobile rings, exactly as it would from any phone.

What it costs

The rate before you dial

Rates start at $0.03 a minute across 218 destinations. You top up, you pay for connected minutes, and credit doesn't expire — there is no subscription and no monthly minimum.

Per-minute rates from your computer to popular destinations, landline and mobile
Destination	Landline	Mobile
Mexico	$0.04	$0.09
India	$0.14	$0.10
Germany	$0.06	$0.76
Japan	$0.15	$0.37
France	$0.05	$0.33
United Kingdom	$0.04	$0.07

Mexico

Landline $0.04Mobile $0.09

India

Landline $0.14Mobile $0.10

Germany

Landline $0.06Mobile $0.76

Japan

Landline $0.15Mobile $0.37

France

Landline $0.05Mobile $0.33

United Kingdom

Landline $0.04Mobile $0.07

Landline and mobile are priced separately in every country. See all rates, or read how the per-minute model compares to a monthly plan.

The alternatives

The other ways to call from a computer

Each of these works. Each has one condition worth knowing before you rely on it.

Windows Phone Link, or a Mac paired with an iPhone: Your own phone places the call and your computer is only the handset — so the phone has to be nearby, charged, paired and in signal. If the phone is the problem, this is not the fix.
Desktop VoIP apps: They can reach real phone numbers, but you install software and create an account before the first call — and most sell a monthly plan rather than minutes.
Google Voice: Calling from the browser works well, but you need a US phone number to get an account in the first place, which rules it out for most people outside the US.
Parlacall: A web page dials the phone network directly. No app, no phone of your own required, no plan — you add credit and pay per minute. Translation is available on the call if you need it.

When people use it

Three calls a computer handles better

Your phone is dead, lost, or in another country
A laptop and a browser are enough to reach a real number when the phone in your pocket cannot — no SIM, no roaming, no borrowed handset.
How to call abroad
A long hold you would rather take at a desk
Banks, tax offices and airlines put you through deep menus and hold music. Take it on speaker from your desk and keep working while you wait.
Reaching a toll-free number from abroad
An international call, from the laptop you already have
Per-minute rates and no plan means an occasional call abroad costs what the minutes cost, rather than a month of service you will not use.
What international calls actually cost

Questions

Calling from a computer — questions

Can I call 911 or another emergency number?: No. Parlacall does not support calls to emergency services — 911 in the US, 112 in the EU, or the equivalent anywhere else — and those numbers are blocked. The service cannot determine where you physically are, so responders could not be sent to you even if a call did connect. Keep an ordinary phone that can reach emergency services.
Can the person I called ring me back?: No. Parlacall places calls; it does not receive them. Keep a number you can be reached on if you are expecting someone to call you back.
Does it work on a Chromebook?: Yes. A Chromebook runs the same browser dialpad as any other computer, and because there is nothing to install, the usual Chromebook limitation does not apply.
Why isn't it free?: Connecting to a real landline or mobile means paying the phone network that delivers the call, which is why browser-to-browser services can be free and this cannot. What you can do is pay only for the minutes you use: rates start at $0.03 a minute across 218 destinations, with no subscription.
Does my credit expire?: No. Your balance stays until you use it or close your account. There is no subscription and no monthly minimum.

Keep reading

Calling for a team?

Pooled balance, per-member spend limits, and business caller-ID — no per-seat fee.

For teams →

The number you need is one browser tab away.

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