Free Video and Voice Calling Apps for Android

WhatsApp is the default in a lot of countries because the people you call are already on it. You can start a group voice or video call with up to 32 people, but only 8 can have video active on screen at once. Both callers need the app and a phone number tied to an account. Calls are end-to-end encrypted by default, including group calls, so WhatsApp cannot listen in.

To start a call, open a chat and tap the phone or video icon at the top, or open the Calls tab and tap the new call button. For a group, tap the new call icon and pick several contacts. Video runs around 300 MB an hour, closer to 480 MB if the connection is strong enough to push HD. On a shaky network WhatsApp drops to audio gracefully, which is one of its better habits.

Google Meet works in a browser or through the Android app, and the person you invite does not strictly need an account to join from a link. A free Google account lets you host up to 100 people, which is far more than the others here. The limit that bites is time: any call with three or more people is capped at 60 minutes on a free account, and you get a warning around the 55 minute mark. One-on-one calls can run up to 24 hours.

So Meet is the pick when you want a family quiz night with a dozen relatives, as long as everyone is fine rejoining with a fresh link after an hour. Open the app, tap New, and either start an instant meeting or share a link in advance. Data use sits roughly between 400 MB and 1 GB an hour depending on quality.

Signal is the app I recommend when privacy matters more than reach. Voice and video calls use the same end-to-end encryption as its messages, and Signal connects you peer-to-peer where it can rather than routing everything through a server. As of February 2026 the group call limit jumped to 75 participants on all platforms, so it is no longer just a one-to-one tool.

Both sides need Signal and it is tied to a phone number, though you can hide that number behind a username now. Start a call from inside a chat with the video or phone icon, or tap into a group and hit the call button. The trade-off is reach: fewer of your contacts will have it installed compared with WhatsApp. If you also care about keeping a record of important calls, note that Signal does not record for you, and our guide to the call recorder apps for Android covers what is and is not possible on the platform.

Viber, now branded Rakuten Viber, gives unlimited free Viber-to-Viber audio and video calls with no time limit, and supports up to 60 people on a group call. One-to-one calls and chats are end-to-end encrypted by default. Like WhatsApp it ties your account to your phone number, and the other person needs Viber installed for the free calls.

It also sells a paid Viber Out service for calling regular phone numbers and landlines, which is separate from the free app-to-app calling and is the part that costs money. To call, open a chat and tap the call or video icon, or use the Calls tab. Viber is worth a look if your circle already uses it, common in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia, but in regions where nobody has it the app sits unused.

Jitsi Meet is the odd one out and genuinely handy for that reason. The public server at meet.jit.si needs no registration, has no time limit, and people can join from a browser without installing anything. You can use the Android app to host, then send a plain link, and your less technical relatives just tap it and they are in. Calls are encrypted by default on the public instance.

The public server can hold around 75 people, but video quality holds up best under about 35. Because it is a shared free service run by volunteers and a sponsor, busy times can mean slower performance, so it is better for a quick informal call than a scheduled event you cannot afford to have stutter. Open the app, type any meeting name, and share the resulting link.

If someone tells you to use Skype, it is gone. Microsoft retired consumer Skype on 5 May 2025 and pushed everyone toward Microsoft Teams Free, which carries the same kind of free video and voice calling. You could sign into Teams Free with old Skype credentials and your contacts moved across. Data export from the old Skype history was available through 15 June 2026. So do not waste time hunting for Skype on Google Play for new calls; treat Teams Free as its replacement if you want a Microsoft option.

Pick by who you are calling and what you need. For everyday calls to people who are already reachable, WhatsApp or Viber make sense because your contacts have them. For a larger family or group call, Google Meet handles the most people but stops at 60 minutes, while Signal allows 75 and Viber 60 with no time cap. For privacy, Signal leads. For guests who refuse to install anything, Jitsi Meet wins because a link is all they need.

The honest limits are worth repeating. Free group calls cap either people or minutes, and most apps need the other person on the same service. On a weak mobile signal every one of these will blur, freeze, or fall back to audio, and video burns through mobile data fast, often several hundred megabytes an hour. If your need is mostly texting rather than calling, the choices differ, so see our roundup of messaging apps for Android. For the wider picture of staying in touch on your phone, the communication apps hub ties the calling, texting, and recording guides together.