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.

Skype alternative

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.

Your first call is free

Check a number’s rate →See all rates

See the exact rate before you call

After Skype

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.

Skype Credit

Retired May 2025 · replaced by pay-as-you-go top-ups

Pay-as-you-go, with no monthly plan

Skype Credit was money you spent per call. Most replacements push a subscription instead. Parlacall keeps the top-up model — and the credit doesn’t expire.

$5 top-up

No subscription · pay per minute · balance never expires*

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.

parlacall.com/call

Works in the browser on any device

How it works

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.

Get started →Already have an account? Sign in

Rates

What calls cost, per minute

A sample of real per-minute rates. Calls start at $0.03/min across 218 destinations.

Standard call rates by destination, 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

Rates shown are for standard calls; translated calls add a small per-minute fee. See all 218 destinations.

Compared

Skype alternatives, compared

The tools people land on after Skype — compared on what decides the bill.

Comparison of Parlacall with Rebtel, Viber Out, Google Voice, and PopTox on pay-as-you-go pricing and browser calling
	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 — verify against each provider before republishing.

¹ Rebtel’s lowest rates need an unlimited monthly subscription. ² Viber Out sells subscriptions and credit; unused credit expires. ³ Google Voice’s low rates center on a US number and US users; the web client is US-account-only. ⁴ PopTox has a limited free tier, then per-call charges with length/quality limits.* Parlacall balance stays until you use it or close your account.

What people call

When WhatsApp can’t dial a phone number

Banks
Call your bank from abroad
Card blocked overseas, or a phone-only verification line? Dial the real bank number from a laptop — no roaming bill.
Government
Reach a government office
Tax office, pension, embassy, immigration — numbers that only take a call. Long hold? Keep the tab on speaker and get on with your day.
Family
Call a landline back home
An elderly parent on a landline who doesn’t use apps. One tap, their normal phone rings — nothing for them to install.

Optional feature

No shared language? Turn on live translation.

When you and the person you’re calling don’t share a language, switch on real-time translation — you speak yours, they hear theirs, on an ordinary phone call. A toggle, not a plan.

Standard vs translated

Translated calls add a small per-minute fee on top of the standard rate. Most calls don’t use it — standard calling needs no language match.

Questions

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.

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