Comparison · Skype vs Zoom
Skype vs Zoom: which to use now that Skype is gone
Skype was built for casual calls between saved contacts, and Zoom for scheduled meetings that people join from a link. Since Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025, the practical choice is Zoom versus Microsoft Teams (free), the replacement Microsoft points Skype users to.[1] Zoom's free Basic plan hosts up to 100 participants and ends every meeting at 40 minutes, including one-to-one calls.[2] Zoom Pro costs $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, or $14.16 a month billed annually, and lets meetings run for up to 30 hours.[2] Skype could call landlines and mobiles with Skype Credit. On Zoom that takes a separate paid service: Zoom Phone's US & Canada Unlimited plan costs $18 per user per month billed monthly, or $16 billed annually.[3] I checked these prices and limits on Zoom's and Microsoft's own pages on October 25, 2026. Zoom is a meeting tool, not a home for long family calls or cheap calls abroad.
After Skype is published with support from TwinPhone; rankings reflect my criteria. Methodology and disclosure.
On this page
Skype vs Zoom in one minute
- Built for: Skype for calls and chat with contacts; Zoom for meetings joined by link.
- Zoom for free: 100 participants, 40 minutes per meeting, one-to-one calls included.[2]
- Zoom paid: Pro is $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, with meetings of up to 30 hours.[2]
- Calling phones: only with paid Zoom Phone, from $16 per user per month in the US and Canada.[3]
- Skype today: retired on May 5, 2025; Microsoft moved users to Teams (free).[1]
Skype vs Zoom at a glance
The table compares Skype as it was before its retirement with Zoom and Microsoft Teams (free) as they are in October 2026.
| Feature | Skype (until May 2025) | Zoom | Teams (free) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2003.[4] | Founded 2011; first public release 2013.[5] | Microsoft's replacement for Skype from May 5, 2025.[1] |
| Built for | Calls and chat with saved contacts | Scheduled meetings joined from a link | Chat, calls and meetings on a personal Microsoft account |
| Free group calls | —* | 100 people, 40 minutes.[2] | 100 people, 60 minutes.[6] |
| One-to-one calls | —* | 40 minutes, like any meeting.[2] | Up to 30 hours.[7] |
| Paid upgrade | Skype subscriptions ended May 1, 2026.[1] | Pro: $16.99 per user per month, 30-hour meetings.[2] | Microsoft 365 Personal or Family: 300 people, 30 hours.[6] |
| Calls to phone numbers | Skype Credit and subscriptions; no new purchases.[1] | Paid Zoom Phone, $16–$18 per user per month (US and Canada).[3] | No calling plans in the free version.[1] |
| Own phone number | Skype Numbers ended in May 2026.[1] | Included in Zoom Phone's US & Canada plan.[3] | No |
| End-to-end encryption | —* | Optional; off until enabled.[8] | —* |
| Join without an account | —* | Yes, in the app or the Zoom Web App.[9] | Yes, in Edge or Chrome.[10] |
| Status in 2026 | Retired May 5, 2025.[1] | Active; renamed Zoom Communications in 2024.[5] | Active |
- * No figure on an official page I could read on Oct 25, 2026. Skype's archived help and blog pages now redirect to Teams, so I left these cells empty rather than quote secondary sources.
Which came first, Zoom or Skype? A short history
Skype came first. It launched in 2003 and ran for about 22 years, until Microsoft retired it on May 5, 2025.[4] Zoom was founded by Eric Yuan in 2011, and the first public release of Zoom Meetings followed in 2013, ten years after Skype.[5]
- 2003: Skype launches as a free internet calling app.[4]
- 2011: Eric Yuan founds Zoom; Zoom Meetings is first released publicly in 2013.[5]
- 2018: Zoom launches Zoom Phone, its paid phone system.[5]
- 2019: Zoom goes public on NASDAQ under the ticker ZM.[5]
- December 2019 to April 2020: Zoom says daily meeting participants grew 30 times as people turned to it during the pandemic.[5]
- 2023: NPR reports that Skype was down to about 36 million users, from about 40 million in early 2020.[4]
- February 28, 2025: Microsoft announces it will retire Skype to focus on Microsoft Teams (free).[11]
- May 5, 2025: Skype is retired.[1]
The dates for accounts, chat history and leftover credit are on a separate page about when Skype shut down and what happened next.
Meetings and video calls: Zoom vs Skype
The biggest difference is how a call starts. Skype rang a contact you had added, like a phone. Zoom is built around a meeting link that a host creates and shares, and anyone with the link can join. That suits classes and client calls better than a quick call to a relative.
Group size and time limits
Zoom's free Basic plan allows 100 participants per meeting and stops each meeting after 40 minutes. The cap also applies to calls between two people.[2] Basic includes screen sharing, whiteboards and local recording; cloud recording needs a paid plan.[2] Zoom Pro keeps 100 participants but lets a meeting run for up to 30 hours.[2]
For people who mainly used Skype for long video calls with family, the 40-minute cap is the deciding factor. Apps without that cap, and how they compare on group size, are covered in my guide to other video calling apps like Skype.
Joining without an account
Zoom guests do not need an account: Zoom's help page says you can join a meeting without one, and the Zoom Web App joins from a browser without installing anything, with fewer features, if the host shows the browser link.[9] The host needs a Zoom account to schedule the meeting.
Calling phone numbers: Zoom Phone vs SkypeOut
Skype could call ordinary landlines and mobiles, paid for with Skype Credit or a calling subscription. New purchases of Skype Credit, Skype Numbers and subscriptions are no longer available, and the Skype subscription service ended on May 1, 2026.[1]
Zoom's free plan cannot call phone numbers. That takes Zoom Phone, a business phone system Zoom launched in 2018.[5] Its US & Canada Unlimited plan costs $18 per user per month billed monthly, or $16 billed annually, and includes a phone number.[3] Zoom's international calling rates load in a calculator by script, and I could not read them, so this page shows none.
Zoom vs Skype for Business
Skype for Business was a separate Microsoft product for companies, and Microsoft says it was not affected by the consumer Skype retirement.[1] It has been winding down on its own timetable: Skype for Business Online was retired on July 31, 2021, and Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 reached end of support on October 14, 2025.[12][13]
| Feature | Skype for Business | Zoom Workplace |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Online retired July 31, 2021; Server 2015 and 2019 out of support since October 14, 2025.[12][13] | Active; Zoom Workplace launched in 2024.[5] |
| Group chat | Up to 99 people in one Skype for Business Online conversation.[14] | Zoom Chat, launched in 2014.[5] |
| Meetings | —* | 100 people free for 40 minutes; Pro up to 30 hours.[2] |
| Phone system | Through Microsoft calling plans | Zoom Phone, from $16 per user per month (US and Canada).[3] |
- * Microsoft's current Skype for Business Online limits page lists chat limits but no meeting-size limit, so I left the cell empty.
Zoom is one option for a company leaving Skype for Business Server; I compare the others on the full list of Skype for Business alternatives.
Zoom vs Teams Free: the comparison that matters now
With Skype gone, Microsoft Teams (free) is the app Microsoft moved Skype users to, and their contacts and chats could carry over when they signed in with their Skype account.[1] Against Zoom's free plan it has one clear advantage: group meetings run for 60 minutes instead of 40, still with up to 100 participants.[6] Microsoft lists one-to-one calls on Teams (free) at up to 30 hours, while Zoom's 40-minute cap applies to two-person calls too.[7][2]
- Screen sharing: included on both free plans.[6][2]
- Recording: Teams (free) has no meeting recordings; Zoom Basic records locally to your computer.[6][2]
- Bigger groups: Microsoft 365 Personal and Family raise Teams to 300 people and 30 hours; Zoom Pro allows 30-hour meetings with 100 people.[6][2]
- Guests: both let people join from a browser without an account.[10][9]
- Phone numbers: Teams (free) has no calling plans; Zoom sells Zoom Phone.[1][3]
What Teams Free keeps from Skype and what it dropped is a topic of its own, covered in Skype vs Teams.
Zoom plans and prices in 2026
| Plan | Price | Meeting length | Participants | Calls phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | 40 minutes, every meeting.[2] | 100.[2] | No |
| Pro | $16.99 per user per month monthly, $14.16 annually.[2] | Up to 30 hours.[2] | 100.[2] | No |
| Zoom Phone US & Canada Unlimited | $18 per user per month monthly, $16 annually.[3] | Phone calls | — | Yes, with a number included.[3] |
Encryption on Zoom
Zoom's end-to-end encryption for meetings is off until the host enables it in the Zoom web portal.[8] Turning it on blocks the Zoom Web App and phone dial-in, and disables cloud recording, live streaming, live transcription, polling and Zoom's AI features; end-to-end encrypted meetings are capped at 1,000 participants.[8]
Verdict: when to choose Zoom
- Choose Zoom for classes, client calls, webinars and any meeting where guests join from a link without an account.[9]
- Choose Teams Free if you want your old Skype contacts and 60-minute group calls without paying.[1][6]
- Choose neither for cheap calls to landlines and mobiles abroad: Zoom Phone is a per-user business line, and Teams Free has no calling plans.[3][1]
My ranking of the best Skype alternatives covers every other Skype job.
Skype vs Zoom FAQ
Is Zoom a good replacement for Skype?
Which came first, Zoom or Skype?
How long can a free Zoom call last?
What is the difference between Zoom and Skype for Business?
Can Zoom call phone numbers like Skype did?
Only with Zoom Phone, a paid add-on: the US & Canada Unlimited plan costs $18 per user per month billed monthly or $16 billed annually, and includes a number.[3] The free Basic plan cannot call landlines or mobiles.
Is Zoom end-to-end encrypted?
Only when the host turns it on: Zoom's end-to-end encryption must be enabled in the Zoom web portal, and it then blocks the Web App and phone dial-in and disables cloud recording and live transcription.[8]
Do you need an account to join a Zoom meeting?
No. Zoom says participants can join a meeting without an account, in the app or from a browser through the Zoom Web App if the host shows that link.[9] The host needs an account to schedule the meeting.
Related guides
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom: Plans and pricing. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom: Zoom Phone pricing. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- NPR: Skype shutting down (May 5, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom: About Zoom (Our story timeline) (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Learn more about subscriptions for Microsoft Teams (free). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft: Microsoft Teams (free). Accessed October 17, 2026.
- Zoom Support: Using end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in Zoom meetings. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Zoom Support: Joining a Zoom meeting. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Join a meeting without an account in Microsoft Teams. 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 Learn: Skype for Business Online retirement. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Learn: Skype for Business Server 2019 lifecycle. Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Learn: Skype for Business Online limits (service description) (May 17, 2023). 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.
Gladstone on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab)Reviewed and updated · Next review January 2027 · Author page · Methodology