Do you want to make international calls at the lowest rates possible? If you didn’t know, there are many Internet services that allow you to make low-cost phone calls to any mobile or landline phone on the planet using only your computer, your mobile phone or even a traditional telephone set. In this MasterNewMedia guide you will find all of the best services that can help you make free or almost-free, low-cost international phone calls to anywhere in the world. Photo credit: Photo-Dave To make international phone calls via the Internet at very low rates, one can utilize one among the many Internet-based VoIP calling services out there. All of these services allow you to place VoIP-based international calls via one or more of your preferred communication devices:

1. Via Computer: Instant messaging tools enhanced with VoIP capabilities like Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Live Messenger and others, allow you to make completely free phone calls among other users (e.g. Skype users can call other Skype users for free), but also let you call landline or mobile phones for very low rates.
2. Via mobile phone: Recent mobile phones that support fast networking technologies like 3G or HSDPA can seamlessly make international VoIP phone calls. You only need to download and install the mobile application of your preferred service to make international phone calls and get started.
3. Via VoiP-enabled telephone: Several manufacturers produce telephones or external phone adapters that support the VoIP protocol. You can make VoIP calls just like you would make any other standard phone call. The only difference is that your phone must be connected to the Internet either via Wi-Fi or via a standard Ethernet cable.

Once restrained only to computer-computer communications, the VoIP protocol has come of age during recent years and now you can make VoIP-based calls also from your landline phone, your Internet-connected mobile and any other device that is able to connect to the web at much lower call rates than with traditional telephones. Let's see an example of how you can save money to make an international phone call by using Skype, one of the services that has greatly fostered the adoption of VoIP technology all over the world. The first step is register online with Skype and buy some pre-paid phone credit. You can do this by using your credit card or an online payment service like PayPal. With that phone credit you can now dial, directly from your computer, any telephone number, landline or mobile out there on the planet while paying much lower rates than those charged by your traditional telecom provider. What many people do not know yet, is that services like Skype, can be accessed not only from desktop PC or laptop but also from many mobile phones that are Internet-enabled as well as from traditional telephones when matched to one of these low-cost international calling services. In essence, you can make very cheap international calls, by using any of the services reviewed in this guide, some of which allow you to call (and some even to receive) from your computer, while others allow you to make phone calls directly from your mobile phone or traditional landline. To make it easier for you to evaluate the best service to make low cost international phone calls, in this guide you will find a comprehensive mindmap, a comparative table and a set of reviews to help you make the right choice. Here the criteria I have used for my comparison:

• Receive phone calls, not just make phone calls.
• Send / receive SMS text messages
• Voicemail service
• Availability of a mobile phone version
• Operating system supported

Here's a roundup of the best tools to make low-cost international calls available out there. N.B.: The present roundup of tools to make international low-cost international phone calls is still incomplete. You may want to bookmark this page (simply hit CTRL+D on your Windows keyboard or CMD+D on your Mac keyboard) as I will be adding more services in the coming weeks. As a side note, I would always recommend to use a headset if you want superior phone call quality. Even if to make international phone calls using the VoIP protocol a headset is not compulsory, having an external mic and headphones can greatly help to reduce echo and ambient noise.

Call The World For Free - Comparison Table

Call The World For Free

1. JAJAH

   JAJAH is a free service that allows you to make and receive low cost phone calls to any mobile or landline in any part of the world. You can either access JAJAH from the web, from one of the many plugins available, from your landline phone or mobile device. You can receive phone calls using a dedicated number that JAJAH provides you and also send and receive SMS messages (fee applies). Voicemail is not supported. Enterprise and white-label solutions for business are also available.
   JAJAH call rates
   http://www.jajah.com/
   
   
   
   
   

2. ooVoo

   ooVoo is a free web conferencing service that you can also use to make and receive low rates phone calls to any mobile or landline across the planet. The software is available for Windows and Mac. No Linux or mobile version are available. Two-way video conferencing is free to use, while video conferencing with up to 6 participants is priced at $0.10/min per participant. ooVoo also allows you to send and receive SMS text messages (fee applies) and supports text chat, call recording and file sharing. No voicemail is available.
   ooVoo call rates
   http://www.oovoo.com/
   
   
   
   
   

3. Skype

   Skype is a free online conferencing service that allows you to make and receive low cost international phone calls to any mobile or landline. The software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and all recent mobile phones like the iPhone, most BlackBerry models and all Android-based and Windows Mobile-based devices. Skype to Skype calls and video calls are always free. You can also send and receive SMS text messages (fee applies). When you are disconnected or unavailable, all unanswered calls are saved in your personal voicemail. Two-way and multi-party video conferencing up to 5 people is supported (multi-party video conferencing is currently available only for the Windows version), as well as text chatting, file sharing and screen-sharing.
   Skype call rates
   http://www.skype.com
   
   
   
   
   

4. iCall

   iCall is a service that allows you to place and receive free phone calls to any mobile or landline on the planet. iCall is available as a web-based application, as a mobile app for the iPhone, or as a Windows desktop software tool. Free calls made from your computer have a five-minute limit, while longer calls made from your PC or iPhone are billed in a pay-as you-go fashion. All unanswered calls are collected in your personal voicemail. The new desktop version of iCall is currently in public beta and is available also for Mac and Linux computers. iCall 7 Beta works also as a multi-protocol IM application that supports all major chat networks like AIM, Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, ICQ, and others. iCall cannot send nor receive SMS test messages.
   iCall call rates
   http://www.icall.com/
   
   
   
   
   

5. VoxOx

   VoxOx is a free multi-protocol Instant messaging and online conferencing software that allows you to make (and receive) cheap phone calls to / from landlines and mobiles. The software is available for Windows and Mac. Two-way and three-way calls and video calls with VoxOx users are always free. You can also send and receive SMS text messages (fee applies) and also send and receive fax (free of charge). When you are disconnected or unavailable, all unanswered calls will be saved in your personal voicemail. Other features are: call forwarding, ringtone customization, text chatting, file sharing, social media integration, and more. No mobile version of VoxOx is available.
   VoxOx call rates
   http://www.voxox.com/
   
   
   
   
   

6. Vyke

   Vyke is a web-based service that allows you to save money on local and international phone calls. Vyke is available as a mobile app, as a Windows-based software or for any landline phone. You can also use Vyke, both from your PC and mobile phone, to send and receive SMS text messages (fee applies). When you sign-up to the service, Vyke gifts you with $1 credit to start making your phone calls. A business version of Vyke is also available with call rates starting at 1p/min. You cannot receive calls using Vyke and voicemail is not available.
   Vyke call rates
   http://www.vyke.com/
   
   
   
   
   

7. Yahoo! Voice

   Yahoo! Voice is an additional feature of Yahoo! Messenger that allows you to make and receive low rates phone calls to any local or international mobile or landline using JAJAH technology. Yahoo! Messenger is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone and also works as a web-based application. Yahoo! Voice supports SMS sending and reception (fee applies) and also free voicemail for Win and Mac versions. Calls and video calls among Yahoo! Messenger users are always free. Other features are: instant messaging, file sharing, call forwarding (iPhone and web-based versions excluded), and more.
   Yahoo! Voice call rates
   http://voice.yahoo.jajah.com/
   
   
   
   
   

8. FriendCaller

   FriendCaller is a Java-based service that lets you make free internet calls and low cost international phone calls from any browser to any mobile or landline. You just have to send a Call-me link from FriendCaller.com website to a friend and have him call you back. You can send Call-me links via email, social media, IM, place a link on your profile, or any other way you like. FriendCaller is also available as a mobile app for the iPhone and all Android-based mobile phones. No SMS, nor voicemail are available.
   FriendCaller call rates
   http://www.friendcaller.com/

Originally prepared by Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on May 17th, 2010 as "Call The World For Free: Low-Cost International Phone Calls From Your Computer To Any Mobile Or Landline".