The feature - NimbuzzOut - claims to be the cheapest international calling option. The layout of the app makes finding the call option pretty complicated - in the BlackBerry app we used, you have to go into two different menus before you can make a call. You have the option of calling a landline or mobile phone. It is also available for almost every device ( iOS, Android, Window Phone, BlackBerry, Symbian, and computers) out there, which is always a plus.
Nimbuzz Messenger is a fairly plain looking app, but once you've figured out the layout, it works as promised. It can be a little confusing, particularly when compared to Viber, but it is a good choice for many reasons.Īn attractive design, competitive call rates, and additional features like Timeline - it's like a Facebook wall, but only the friends you've shared it with can see the posts - photos, pictures, and status updates are all available, but you have to explicitly choose who all can see the posts at the outset - make Line an attractive option. The monthly plan isn't a fixed rental - the credits you purchase expire after 30 days, but the call rates a slightly lower with those credits, so you'll need to figure out if you call any region often enough to make it worthwhile to buy the credits. You can see country specific prices here. To pay, you have to buy credits, and you get 100 credits for Rs. Calling China costs 2 credits for both landlines and cellphones, while the United Kingdoms charges are 1 credit per minute for landlines, and 5 credits (Rs. The rates are highly competitive - calling a landline in the United States costs 1 credit (Rs. The app works without any fixed monthly charge, but you can subscribe to a monthly plan for lower per-minute rates as well. Aside from all this, you can also use Line to call phones around the world. It has features such as private messages which self-destruct on a deadline, file sharing, stickers and video chats.
The Line app ( Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and computers) is, like Viber, a full fledged messaging platform.
You can see the rates here.Īside from offering voice calls, Viber is a full-fledged messaging application, with a large install base, and like most modern messaging apps, it uses your phone number as your registration ID, so there is almost no setup involved. 15.85 per minute, on cellphones and landlines. Calling someone in the UAE on the other hand will set you back by a whopping Rs. It's the same rate for calling Singapore as well.Ĭalling a mobile phone in the United Kingdom is a more expensive proposition, and will set you back by Rs. 1.16 per minute, to call either a landline or a mobile phone. To do this, you have to pay for Viber Out credit once you do, you can call up someone in the United States for just Rs. But more than that, it also lets you call up people on their landline number or mobile phone.
One of the messaging apps that has been growing in popularity of late, Viber ( Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and computers) lets you chat with your friends and make free voice calls to other Viber users.
In fact, you might have even had to make a phone call to confirm that the Skype call is happening when you find that the person you were supposed to be talking to, isn't showing up as online!īut did you know that you can actually even use Skype to call people directly on their phones - both mobile phones, and land lines! You need to buy credit on Skype to be able to make the calls, and while the call is not free, but it's a lot easier than trying to co-ordinate to make sure everyone is logged into Skype at the right time!Īside from Skype, here are some other apps you can install on your smartphone or PC, with which you can call up your friends or relatives on their phone numbers, usually for a fraction of the cost that your operator would charge. Most of us have gone through the hassle of exchanging emails to plan out the timing of a Skype call to make sure that everyone is online and logged into Skype at the same time. The world is getting smaller and keeping in touch is getting easier than ever before, but one of the problems of using a program like Skype to talk to your friends and family - particularly when they are living in another country, is co-ordinating the call.