The pay-as-you-go Skype alternative for calling real phone numbers.
Skype Credit is gone. Top up $5, dial any landline or mobile from your browser, and pay per minute — no subscription, no app. Your balance doesn’t expire.
What you lost when Skype shut down
Microsoft retired Skype and Skype Credit in May 2025. Three things it did that most apps still can’t:
Skype Credit — calling real phone numbers
Skype dialed any landline or mobile, not just other app users. WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Messenger can’t call a phone number. Parlacall dials the actual number.
Pay-as-you-go, with no monthly plan
Skype Credit was money you spent per call. Rebtel, Viber Out and the big phone systems all push a subscription instead. Parlacall keeps the top-up model — and the credit doesn’t expire.
Any device, nothing to install
Skype ran everywhere. Parlacall runs in a browser tab — a work laptop, a borrowed computer, a phone. No app, no SIM, and nothing for the other person to install.
And when the other side speaks another language, optional live translation is built in.
What Skype users actually needed
Not another chat app. Three things, in their own words — from the public threads where people went looking for a replacement. These describe the need, not our product.
Landlines still exist in many countries, and it’s often the only way to get in touch with a shop or any service business.
→ We dial real numbers. Landlines, mobiles, toll-free — 200+ destinations, rates published.
I liked Skype because I don’t need to do a lot of international calling and I could just buy a block of minutes.
→ Prepaid wallet. Top up when you need it. No plan, nothing renews automatically.
I topped up $10 and was able to call my bank in the Netherlands from Thailand. The person at the bank could hear me loud and clear.
→ That’s the job. A browser call to a real bank line, prepaid — the job this page is about.
Public forum quotes, linked at source · snapshot 2026-07-19 · re-verified quarterly
How Parlacall replaces Skype Credit
Top up $5
Add credit with a card. No subscription, no monthly minimum. Your balance doesn’t expire.
Dial from your browser
Open a tab, pick the country, type the number. Nothing to install — works on any device.
Pay per minute
You pay only for the minutes you talk, at the rate you saw first. Hang up, keep the rest.
What calls cost, per minute
A sample of real per-minute rates. Calls start at $0.03/min across 218 destinations.
| 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 |
Rates shown are for standard calls; translated calls add a small per-minute fee. See all 218 destinations.
Skype alternatives, compared
The tools people land on after Skype — compared on what decides the bill.
| Parlacall | Rebtel | Viber Out | Google Voice | PopTox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription | Yes | Partial1 | Partial2 | No3 | Partial4 |
| Calls any landline or mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works in the browser, no app | Yes | No | No | Partial3 | Yes |
| Available outside the US | Yes | Yes | Yes | No3 | Yes |
| Credit doesn’t expire | *Yes | — | No2 | — | — |
See the full comparison →
| Parlacall | Rebtel | Viber Out | Google Voice | PopTox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go, no subscription | Yes | Partial1 | Partial2 | No3 | Partial4 |
| Calls any landline or mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works in the browser, no app | Yes | No | No | Partial3 | Yes |
| Available outside the US | Yes | Yes | Yes | No3 | Yes |
| Credit doesn’t expire | *Yes | — | No2 | — | — |
Last checked: 2026-07-19 · sources: Rebtel terms/help centre · viber.com · Google Workspace rate table · poptox.com · parlacall.com/rates
Before you top up
Is Parlacall a real Skype replacement?
- For Skype’s paid calling — dialing real landlines and mobiles from your device — yes. You top up credit and pay per minute, the way Skype Credit worked. It doesn’t replace Skype’s app-to-app video chat; use FaceTime or WhatsApp for that.
Does my credit expire?
- No. Your balance stays until you use it or close your account. There’s no subscription and no monthly minimum.
Do I need to install anything?
- No. Calls run in a normal browser tab over the internet, then connect to the real phone network. Works on a laptop, desktop, or phone — no app, no SIM.
Does the person I call need Parlacall?
- No. Their ordinary phone rings like any other call. They don’t need an app, an account, or the internet.
How cheap is it, really?
- Calls start at $0.03/min across 218 destinations, and you pay only for the minutes you talk. You see the exact rate before you dial.
How does the free first call work?
- Your first call is on us — up to one minute, on the routes where free calling is available. After that you pay per minute at the rate shown before you dial.
Related guides
- How to make an international phone call
- Call a US toll-free number from abroad
- Google Voice alternative
- OpenPhone (Quo) alternative
Calling for a team?
Pooled balance, per-member spend limits, and business caller-ID — no per-seat fee.