Phone calls are not really free as such yet. For your regular use, a paid subscription is normally required, but there are people whose communication needs are not that bulky and for whom therefore free services work just fine. Now, one way of calling unlimitedly anywhere for free is to use
software-based servicesover the Internet and make sure that the callee is using the same service as the caller, a condition which is most of the time inconvenient and sometimes unrealizable. Here are some ways in which you can make calls locally and internationally to any phone, fixed or mobile, worldwide for
free.
VoxOx aims at unifying all communication channels for users. One main feature is very cheap calling worldwide through their
softphone. Upon signing up, you get 2 hours free talking time to any destination in the world. Now this is a lot. If you want to get more talking time, have your friends sign up under your reference, and for each friend, you get another two hours.
Tuitalk allows you to make free calls everyday without ever claiming a dime. Where is the catch? The calls are sponsored by advertising. Before making a call, which basically lasts no more than 10 minutes, you have to watch a 30-second advertising video that loads in the application's softphone itself. And then, you can call people in only 35 countries so far.
Vopium is a mobile VoIP service that offers cheap international calls through GSM and VoIP, without necessarily having a data plan (GPRS,
3G etc.) or
Wi-Fi connection. If you do have any of the latter, you can make free calls to other users using the same networks. Vopium also offers new users 30 minutes free calls and 100 free SMS for trial. You can add up to that by getting friends to sign up under your name.
When you download and install VoIPStunt's softphone and register, you can make free calls and send free sms messages to any phone for free, provided that the called party is in one of the
destinations covered by the service.
Voipbuster is a service similar (or rather identical) to VoIPStunt. I also found out that both services belong to the same company.
Jajah is a web-based VoIP service that does not depend on softphones to be installed on machines. Everything works through a web interface. Upon signing up, you get the first call free. This can be nothing, but it could be more than nothing in some circumstances.
There are some device-based VoIP services that eliminate your monthly bills. You pay only once for the acquisition of the hardware and you it afterwards to make unlimited local and long distance calls for free. The most prominent examples are
MagicJack,
ooma and
Phonegnome. MagicJack is a good bet because the cost of the device is $40, compared to $250 for ooma.
Here is a comparison between these services.
