Free and almost Free VoIP services

Here we will not be looking at PC to PC services. Almost all VoIP providers offer free calls within their own network (Skype for example). Rather we will try to identify as many services as possible offering free calls to landlines and mobile phone around the world. The list below is in a random order and does not constitute a ranking. 1.1 www.startel.pt SIP, Asterisk based service from Portugal. You have to regsiter with them and deposit at least €10. Once registered you can make free calls to landlines in 30 countries around the world and mobile phones in Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the US. There seem to be no strings attached (edit 28.03.07 - They charge a Paypal fee of 3.4%+0.35€ on each deposit) and no daily or monthly limits on the number of calls made. 1.2 www.vyke.com SIP based service from Norway. Register and deposit at least $10. You can then make free calls to landlines in the US and Canada as well as most of Western Europe. They do however charge a connection fee of $0.04 per call irrespective of the duration. 1.3 Betamax SIP based service from Germany. Betamax is the holding company for the following 13 VoIP services: www.voipbuster.com, www.voipcheap.co.uk, www.voipcheap.com, www.poivy.com, www.netappel.fr , www.sparvoip.de, www.voipdiscount.com, www.voipstunt.com, www. freecall.com, www.internetcalls.com, www.sipdiscount.com, www.lowratevoip.com, www.voipbusterpro.com In essence the different web sites are all the same and only vary slightly in their logos, call rates and free destinations. They have a habit of changing the "free" destinations and their call rates on a very regular basis and it is diffcult to keep track of the changes. A minimum deposit of €10 is required and you are then entitled to make up to 300 minutes of "free" calls per week. The "free calls" expire after 90 or 120 days and then you are expected to top up your account. The voice quality tends to be good, although never, ever expect any customer service. 1.4 www.voipagain.com SIP based service from the UK. A minimum deposit of $10 is required. You are then entitled to make free calls landlines and some mobile phones in around 30 countries. They have a limit of 150 minutes per week on calls to "Free" destinations. Please note that your credit will expire after 90 days. 1.5 www.free.fr SIP based service from France. Unfortunately only for French users as you have to be a subscriber of their super fast ADSL service. They offer unlimited free calls to 40 destinations around the world. 1.6 www.raketu.com US based VoIP service. Raketu offers a Softphone with integrated IPTV and VOD (Video on Demand) and a whole bunch of other features. You need to register and deposit a minimum of $10 to enjoy free calls to landlines to 42 countries/destinations. In addition Raketu also offers a free SMS service. 1.7 www.jajah.com SIP based service from Luxembourg. Jajah is not a traditional VoIP service, but a web activated service. You need to initiate a call from your PC or from your mobile phone, provided your mobile supports Jajah's software. PSTN to PSTN calls between Jajah users are free in around 40 countries. You need to register and deopsit a minimum of $10 to make use of this service. 1.8 www.peterzahlt.de This is a totally free, no strings attached web activated service and allows anybody to make PSTN to PSTN calls. Registration is not even required. It only works from Germany and free calls can be made to 30 destinations around the world. The call duration is limited to 30 minutes per call and the system is only available from 06:00 until 24:00 daily - very unusual. 1.9 www.icall.com SIP based VoIP service from the US. iCall offer free and unlimited calls to the US and Canada. 1.10 www.sgoope.com Denmark based VoIP service. SGOOPE displays advertising to users in exchange for free talk time. It can also be integrated with popular applications such as Skype, MSN Messenger and Outlook Express. In other words, you can also call to these users with your Sgoope account. 1.11 www.globe7.com SIP based service from the UK. To earn free calls and free SMS's you will have to watch videos. The softphone includes IPTV and video calling is also available. 1.12 www.adcalls.com US based VoIP service. You are expected to watch ads in exchange for call credits. 1.13 www.gizmocall SIP based service from the US. Gizmo offers free calls with a twist. Both parties must be registered with Gizmocall and ideally with their current landline (PSTN) number and /or mobile number. Calls to mobile phones in 17 countries are then for free as well as all calls to landlines in a further 43 countries. Check their terms & conditions for further details. 1.14 www.mediaringtalk.com (Limited promotion) H.323 based service from Singapore. This is a promotion running from the 07 March 2007 until the 31 April 2007 and no purchase is necessary. During this promotional period all calls to the US, Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Taiwan and Australia are free. The calls are limited to 10 minutes per call. However, there are no restrictions on calling the same destination multiple times. In addition to the above listed services we decided to make two exceptions by adding paid subscription services to this list. The benefits far outweigh the costs involved. 1. 15 Skype Pro Skype only launched Skype Pro in early March 2007 and allows users in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK to make unlimited free calls to landlines within the users own country. Five months cost €10 and it includes €5 worth of call credits and free voicemail. There is unfortunately a snag. Skype now charges a connection fee of €0.039 per call, irrespective of the duration of the call. 1.16 Voipbuster Pro Voipbuster Pro was launched a few weeks before Skype and offers a similar service only somewhat cheaper. For €10 per year including €5 of calling credit you can call around 50 destinations for "free". The term "free" is not quite correct you now also have to pay a connection fee of €0.039 per call and the call duration is limited to 300 minutes of free calls per week. Otherwise the same comments as under item 1.3 apply.