After more than two decades of connecting users globally, Microsoft’s Skype service officially closed down operations on Monday, May 5, 2025. The video-calling platform, widely recognized for transforming communication since its inception, will no longer be available to consumers effective immediately.
Existing Skype users have two choices in response to the shutdown: migrate their Skype contacts and chat history to Microsoft Teams, or export their data for use with other video conferencing applications. To ensure smooth transitioning, Microsoft provides streamlined instructions for both scenarios.
To transition from Skype to Microsoft Teams, users simply need to log into Teams using their existing Skype credentials. Once logged in, contacts, message histories, and shared files automatically transfer into Teams. Although Skype was designed primarily for personal interactions and smaller groups—with a limit of around 20 participants—Microsoft Teams caters predominantly to business and professional users, allowing video calls of up to 10,000 people. Teams includes robust security measures and integrates seamlessly with various tools such as Office 365, OneDrive, Evernote, Salesforce, Trello, and SharePoint. This service is broadly accessible across mobile devices (Android and iOS), desktops (Mac and PC), and web browsers.
Users not wishing to switch to Microsoft Teams might prefer exporting their data to prevent data loss. Skype allows data exports via its web portal, enabling users to download contacts, chat history, files, and caller IDs in CSV format. To create a complete backup, users can log into Skype, navigate to account settings, follow prompts to the account management portal, choose the desired export options, and download once the process completes.
Considering Skype’s departure from the market, several other alternatives are rising to prominence, each offering unique advantages and limitations:
Google Meet stands out as a straightforward, accessible option due to its integration with Google accounts. The service accommodates meetings with up to 100 participants and features meeting recording and screen-sharing. However, free-tier meetings with more than three people are subject to a 60-minute time limit. For more robust functionality—including breakout rooms, collaborative Q&As, polling tools, and Google’s Gemini AI assistant—paid Google Workspace plans are available, starting from $7 monthly.
Zoom continues as another popular choice, allowing up to 100 participants along with comprehensive collaboration capabilities such as a digital whiteboard, screen sharing, breakout rooms, and group or private live chat. The service’s free version restricts group meetings to 40-minute intervals, making paid options desirable for extensive use. Paid Zoom plans offer broader flexibility and include the AI Companion, delivering features like automatic meeting summarization and improved transcription searchability, with subscription prices beginning at $13 per month.
Webex by Cisco matches many competitors’ offerings with built-in features that include screen-sharing, recording, whiteboarding, and interactive elements. Preferring Webex, the free tier supports up to 100 attendees but also limits group calls to 40 minutes. Premium tiers start around $12 monthly and enhance meetings with live Q&A sessions, an advanced AI assistant, polling, and support for events hosting up to 1,000 attendees.
Discord, initially crafted as a communication hub for gaming communities, suits smaller groups—allowing calls of up to 25 members at a time. Notably, Discord provides unlimited session length at no cost and includes basic group collaboration features reminiscent of Skype. While it remains a less ideal option for large-scale corporations, its affordable paid tiers ($5 and $10 monthly) have made it increasingly attractive for more casual or smaller team settings.
Slack, traditionally a messaging-first platform, leverages its “Huddles” audio and video meeting feature well for small, spontaneous sessions. On its free plan, these informal conversations only allow two users simultaneously, while paid packages, available from $7 monthly, support meetings for up to 50 people.
Lastly, privacy-conscious users may gravitate toward Signal, celebrated for its end-to-end encrypted communications. Signal supports video calling groups of up to 50 people and provides straightforward call-sharing via URL—just like Zoom or Google Meet—without requiring permanent groups or engagements. Crucially, it remains entirely free to use.
Mobile-oriented apps, such as WhatsApp, Apple’s FaceTime, and Facebook Messenger, remain reliable platforms primarily suitable for smaller, less formal interactions.
The end of Skype marks the close of one influential chapter in digital communication and simultaneously highlights the expanding landscape of video-conferencing and collaboration technologies, presenting a broad range of robust alternatives tailored to users’ varied needs.
