Guide · Skype vs Teams
Skype vs Microsoft Teams: is Teams Free a real Skype replacement?
Teams Free replaces Skype for free chat and video calls, but not for calling phone numbers: Microsoft Teams (free) hosts group meetings of up to 100 people for 60 minutes and 1:1 calls of up to 30 hours, and Microsoft says it does not support paid calling plans.[1][2] What carried over: you sign in to Teams (free) with your Skype credentials, and contacts and chats transfer for eligible users.[2] What was dropped: calls to landlines and mobiles with new Skype Credit, Skype Numbers, SMS, voicemail, call forwarding and caller ID.[2] Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025.[2] Teams (free) suits people whose Skype contacts moved with them; anyone who called phone numbers needs a second service. I compared Microsoft's published Teams limits with its Skype retirement notes on October 25, 2026.
After Skype is published with support from TwinPhone; rankings reflect my criteria. Methodology and disclosure.
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Skype vs Teams Free in one minute
- Price: Teams (free) costs nothing; you sign in with a personal Microsoft account.[1][3]
- Video calls: groups of up to 100 for 60 minutes; 1:1 calls up to 30 hours.[1]
- Phone calls: no paid calling plans in the free version of Teams.[2]
- Gone with Skype: Skype Numbers, SMS, voicemail, call forwarding and caller ID.[2]
Skype vs Teams Free at a glance
This is a comparison for personal use: families, friends and anyone who used consumer Skype at home. If you are checking is Skype still available, the short answer is no: Microsoft retired it on May 5, 2025.[2] Skype for Business is a separate product; for work accounts, see the Teams options for businesses.
| Feature | Skype (until May 2025) | Teams (free) | Teams with Microsoft 365 Personal/Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free app; calls to phones paid with Skype Credit or a subscription[4] | Free with a personal Microsoft account[3] | Included in a paid Microsoft 365 subscription[5] |
| Group calls | Not re-checked¹ | Up to 100 people, 60 minutes[5] | Up to 300 people, 30 hours[5] |
| 1:1 calls | Not re-checked¹ | Up to 30 hours between Teams users[1] | Up to 30 hours[1] |
| Calls to landlines and mobiles | Yes, paid[4] | No paid calling plans[2] | No paid calling plans² |
| Phone number | Skype Number (paid) | None | None |
| SMS, voicemail, call forwarding | Yes, until May 5, 2025[2] | No | No |
| Screen sharing | Not re-checked¹ | Yes[5] | Yes, with screen sharing control[5] |
| Meeting recordings | Not re-checked¹ | No[5] | Yes[5] |
| Cloud storage | Not applicable | 5 GB[5] | 1 TB (Personal), 6 TB shared as 1 TB per person (Family)[5] |
| Join from a browser | web.skype.com, now redirected to Teams[6] | Guests join meetings in Edge, Firefox, Safari or Chrome[7] | Same as Teams (free) |
| Account to sign in | Microsoft account (Skype account) | Personal Microsoft account; a Skype account counts[3] | The Microsoft account that holds the subscription |
| Encryption | Not re-checked¹ | "Data encryption" for meetings, chats, calls and files[5] | Same as Teams (free)[5] |
- ¹ Microsoft's Skype help articles now redirect to the retirement notice, so Skype's last call limits could not be re-read on an official page on October 25, 2026.
- ² Microsoft says the free version of Teams does not support paid calling plans and points small businesses to Teams Essentials with Teams Phone; its consumer pages list no calling plan for Personal or Family.[2]
Why Microsoft replaced Skype with Teams
Microsoft announced the change on February 28, 2025. In Microsoft's words: "In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free)."[4]
Teams was already Microsoft's larger calling product. Microsoft reported more than 320 million monthly active Teams users in October 2023, the latest official figure I found.[8] Skype users were pointed to Teams (free), signing in with their Skype credentials so that contacts and chats would move across automatically.[2] Today skype.com redirects to the Teams (free) landing page.[6]
Teams (free) is Microsoft's official successor, but it is not the only replacement; which other app fits depends on what you used Skype for.
What Teams Free does well for ex-Skype users
Video calls and meeting limits
Teams (free) gives free 1:1 calls between Teams users for up to 30 hours, and free group calls and meetings for up to 60 minutes with up to 100 participants.[1] For a weekly family call that runs past an hour, the 60-minute group limit is the one that matters: a two-person call is not affected, a three-person call is.
Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers can hold group calls of up to 30 hours with up to 300 people in Teams (free).[2] Screen sharing is included on the free plan; meeting recordings are not.[5]
Chat, communities and file sharing
Teams (free) includes unlimited chat messages, chat between personal and work accounts, communities and channels, and 5 GB of file storage.[5] Microsoft's Teams (free) page also lists file sharing, tasks and polling, and says a chat can be started with anyone who has an email address or phone number.[1]
Using Teams Free in a browser
Someone you invite does not need Teams installed: Microsoft says "Continue on this browser" lets a guest join a Teams for personal use meeting without creating an account or installing anything, in Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome.[7] Meeting links work this way for up to 60 minutes on the free plan.[1] To host meetings and keep chats, you sign in with a personal Microsoft account.[3]
What Teams Free can't do that Skype could
Calling landlines and mobiles
Teams (free) only calls other Teams users. In Microsoft's words, "Microsoft Teams does not support paid calling plans on the free version of Teams"; Microsoft points small businesses to Teams Essentials paired with Teams Phone instead.[2] On Skype, calls to phone numbers were paid with Skype Credit or a calling subscription, and Microsoft stopped selling both.[4][2]
The one exception is leftover credit: Microsoft says the Skype Dial Pad appears in Teams (free) only for accounts that still hold Skype Credit.[9] The steps for using the Skype Dial Pad in Teams are on their own page. For everyone else, calling phone numbers abroad without Teams means a separate paid service.
Phone numbers, SMS and voicemail
Teams (free) has no phone number of its own. SMS, call forwarding, voicemail, Skype Credit gifting and Caller ID setup stopped on May 5, 2025, existing caller ID setups were shut down on February 15, 2026, and all Skype Number subscriptions ended in May 2026, with port-out no longer available.[2]
Skype features that didn't carry over to Teams
Microsoft says contacts and chats move to Teams (free) when you sign in with your Skype credentials.[2] These Skype features and conversation types did not come with them:
- Paid calling: no new Skype Credit or subscriptions; no paid calling plans in Teams (free).[2]
- Skype Numbers: subscriptions ended in May 2026.[2]
- SMS, voicemail and call forwarding: stopped on May 5, 2025.[2]
- Caller ID: setup stopped on May 5, 2025; existing setups ended on February 15, 2026.[2]
- Skype Credit gifting: stopped on May 5, 2025.[2]
- Some conversations: chats with Teams work or school accounts, Skype for Business history, chats with yourself, private conversations and Copilot or bot content did not migrate.[2]
What happened to accounts, chat history and data exports is part of the Skype shutdown story rather than a feature comparison, and is covered on the Skype status page linked above.
Teams Free vs Microsoft 365 Personal and Family
Teams is the same app on both plans; a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription raises the limits. Microsoft's comparison table lists these differences:[5]
| Limit | Teams (free) | Microsoft 365 Personal | Microsoft 365 Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting length | 60 minutes | 30 hours | 30 hours |
| Participants | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| People covered | 1 person | 1 person | Up to 6 people |
| File storage | 5 GB | 1 TB | 6 TB (1 TB per person) |
| Meeting recordings | No | Yes | Yes |
| Screen sharing control | No | Yes | Yes |
- Source: Microsoft Support, "Learn more about subscriptions for Microsoft Teams for personal use", read October 25, 2026.[5] Microsoft 365 also includes the premium Office apps; Teams (free) does not.
Microsoft removed the Skype minutes that used to come with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family, starting in March 2026, so a subscription no longer includes any calls to phone numbers.[2]
Is Microsoft discontinuing Teams?
No. Microsoft retired Skype in order to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), in its own words.[4] On October 25, 2026, Microsoft's Teams (free) page still offered free sign-up and listed the free plan's limits, and I found no Microsoft announcement that Teams (free) is ending.[1]
What Microsoft did end is Skype's paid calling: Skype Credit, subscriptions and Skype Numbers.[2]
Should you stay on Teams Free? A quick decision guide
- Your contacts moved to Teams: stay. Free 1:1 calls of up to 30 hours and group calls of up to 60 minutes cover most family calling.[1]
- You called landlines or mobiles: Teams (free) can't; add a pay-as-you-go calling service, as explained under calling landlines and mobiles.
- Your contacts use other apps, or your group calls run long: compare the alternatives to Skype and Teams, or see how Zoom compares.
Skype vs Teams FAQ
Is Microsoft Teams free?
Can Microsoft Teams Free call landlines and mobiles?
Why is Teams replacing Skype?
Is Microsoft discontinuing Teams?
Is Teams the same as Skype?
No. Teams (free) is a different app that accepts your Skype sign-in and imports contacts and chats, but it has no paid calls to phone numbers, no Skype Numbers, no SMS and no voicemail.[2]
Which Skype features are missing in Teams Free?
Do I need a Microsoft account to use Teams Free?
Related guides
Sources
- Microsoft: Microsoft Teams (free). Accessed October 17, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Use a screen reader to set up Teams for personal and small business use. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 Blog: The next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams (Jeff Teper) (February 28, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Learn more about subscriptions for Microsoft Teams (free). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Skype: skype.com (redirects to Microsoft Teams free) (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Join a meeting in Microsoft Teams for personal use. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Office 365 for IT Pros: Teams Grows to 320 Million Monthly Active Users (October 26, 2023). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Make a call with Skype Dial Pad in Microsoft Teams (personal). Accessed October 25, 2026.
Gladstone Walters
Editor, After Skype
I'm Gladstone Walters, and I live in the United Kingdom. I write and maintain the After Skype guides. Every price, limit and date here comes from the vendor's own pricing, help or rate pages; I note the day I read each one and put a dash wherever I can't verify a number. TwinPhone supports this site, so I hold it to the same criteria as every other app and list its weak points next to its strengths.
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