With SkypeCap you are able to record microphone audio chatting and moreover, the most interesting part - webcam real-time Skype video. Your partner won't be aware his/her video and audio session being captured by SkypeCap.

How does it work? Just launch and login to Skype. Launch SkypeCap. Status bars will let you know If SkypeCap is conected with Skype and it is ready for video and audio capturing. Choose an output directory.

Make a call to any of your friends from Contact list. Begin audio or video session. Now SkypeCap is ready to capture or it is already capturing audio or video (with audio) if you set it for automatical beginning. So now, everything what you see or hear by Skype is recording as you see it. You can also capture audio chatting in Skype-out mode. You can make a call to any of your friends cell phone or office number and start recording and saving it.

Download SkypeCap 2.3.3 in Softonic

The VoIP protocol has caused a total revolution in the way people communicate on the Internet, and Skype is undoubtedly one of the most widely used VoIP clients you can find.

With Skype you can not only have voice chats on your computer – just like telephone, only for free – but also make real phone calls at much lower rates, using the so called SkypeOut service and paying with Skype credit. Besides voice chats, Skype also includes the standard IM functionalities (written conversations, emoticons, user avatars and so on) and also lets you have video conferences.

These video calls are precisely the main focus on Skype's latest beta version. The program's interface has been completely redesigned with video conferences on mind. This means it's been made wider (full screen, really) so that video fits in perfectly with your written chat, your contact list and a toolbar to manage conversation. Honestly, I'm not sure this is a big improvement; my guess is that most people still use Skype only for voice calls and will find the new interface too obtrusive.

The sound quality during our testing was perfect: loud and clear. Unfortunately we can't say the same from the video image quality. The fact that it was displayed at quite a big size made it look too pixelated. There was though one nice detail, and that's the ability to see your own video image built-in on your contact's video. Also, though this is still a beta version, I must say I didn't have any problems while testing it.

Other improvements in this beta are, among others, a call quality feedback indicator, the ability to turn alerts off, the possibility to group contacts and a new feature called Video in mood, which lets you embed online videos from Metacafe and Dailymotion in your status message.

Skype 4.0 Beta features a complete interface overhaul that now focuses more on video chats, and also adds some handy improvements to the way you communicate online.

Download Skype 4.0.0.145 Beta 1 in Softonic

Long gone are the days when you’d have to save up for weeks to make a long distance or international phone call. Thanks to Voice over IP technology and the widespread availability of broadband it’s now possible to talk free of charge to anyone in the world.

Skype has made the technology accessible to all through it’s simple and fun-to-use chat-style interface. The program is gaining in popularity, meaning the community of users you can chat to for free is expanding. This update certainly contains some decent additions to the previous version, most notably its webcam facilities. This means you can now watch your buddies as you chat to them and let them see you if you want.

You can use the program to chat with other Skype users anywhere in the world for free either via telephone or the built-in chat feature. However, some overly optimistic users may be disappointed to learn that you still need to pay for credits to make calls to landlines and mobiles with Skype, through the SkypeOut function. Luckily, this is a very painless process, and Skype has recently added a plethora of different ways to pay.

The program is perhaps even easier to use than ever, with streamlined new tools such as the ability to add a contact from the main Skype window and contact grouping for arranging your friends, family and colleagues into categories. You can even import contacts from Outlook, and find out if any of these use Skype. The changes to the interface and its icons may confuse existing users for a while, but once you get used to it, the new GUI is arguably more intuitive than ever.

As we’ve come to expect there’s plenty you can do other than just having a two-way conversation with a friend, including inviting other users into a conference, setting up chatrooms, exchanging files, and viewing the history of your contacts. You can even set up customized voicemail to record messages while you’re away from base.

We're also excited by the new public chats function. You'll get to join in many different groups and talk about a specific subject. You can even create your own chat for others to join in, like an Italian language class or a talk on the consequences of the Iraq war.

As more people clamber aboard the Skype bandwagon, the network will become a much more convenient way for people to chat with each other. The client now provides the perfect platform on which to join the communication revolution. Let the Skyping commence…

Download Skype 3.8.0.139 in Softonic

Gizmo5 is one in a long line of VoIP applications that allows you to use your internet connection to make cheap phone calls.

If you're a Google Talk fan, like me, then the first good thing is that Gizmo5 and Google Talk are now connected. This means that Gizmo5 users can now send instant messages to Google Talk users but unfortunately, you can't call them although the developers promise that it's coming soon. To send Instant Messages, simply click on the IM icon next to your contacts name and you can instantly text other Gizmo5 users. One great feature of Gizmo5 is that you can perform free mobile phone and landline conference calling although you have to setup the system beforehand with the Gizmo5 FreeConferenceCall utility which can be tricky due to a few complicated configuration options. Another interesting feature is that Gizmo5 includes Asterisk PBX Support which means that you can now log into your virtual office with Asterisk PBX software. This basically means that you can receive calls and access your Gizmo5 phone wherever you are in the world. I also like the fact that it includes a free recorder which is something lacking in Skype.

Easy to use and integration with GTalk makes this a nice little app although it's calling rates need to be a lot more competitive before it can compete with Skype.

Download Gizmo5 4.0.0.369 in Softonic

v-Phone™ Communication Center is a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) application with an added value. We believe that the Internet can and will replace the older means of voice communication. We have developed a range of v-Phone™ service packages from the simple "Talk-and-Chat" applet to the full communication suite which provides a complete communication solution for the most demanding user or enterprise.

Download V-Phone Communication Center 1.07.6 in Softonic

WengoPhone allows you to make VoIP calls all over the world, PC to PC, for free. This communication tools allows you to also send instant messages and arrange video calls. The directory is useful to store all your contacts. If you want to call a landline, you can take advantage of the extremely low communications costs offered by Wengo. This program is an interesting alternative to Skype.

Download WengoPhone 2.1.2 in Softonic

By releasing their own chat and VoIP client, Google aims to compete with the already existing MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Skype. Google Talk is a messenger client with a “Web 2.0” feel that makes communicating with other Google users a piece of cake. The program integrates well with many of Google’s other products. You can open it inside of Gmail, add it to your Google Desktop bar, or even manage your Orkut conversations directly from Google Talk.

At first glance, Google Talk follows in the company’s tradition of keeping things simple. All your contacts are automatically loaded from your Gmail account the first time you launch the client. You can start a conversation in a click and keep all of your different chats in separate windows. Although, Google Talk doesn’t allow you to call phones, it will let you talk with other Google users and even send voicemail if they are offline. Gmail users will appreciate how the chat client is also embedded in your Gmail account, allowing you to chat with other Gmail users instead of sending emails. Google Talk also integrates into the Google Desktop, making it immediately accessible from anywhere on your PC.

Google Talk doesn’t allow you to set an alias but you’ll still be able to set a user picture. Maybe influenced by all the developments in online music like Last.fm, Google integrates Music Trends to your Google Talk. What this means is that you’ll be able to share your musical history with other Google Talk users. You can also set your status as displaying the track playing on your PC.

Google supports the Jabber protocol, so you can chat with friends using Adium, Gaim, iChat or Trillian. You can also connect to your Google Talk account using any of these chat clients. In the future, Google Talk, like most other IM clients, is expected to support Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) meaning you’ll be able to chat and call friends on many more clients like MSN or Yahoo Messenger.

Because it’s such a young chat client, it’s been easy to pinpoint the failings in Google Talk. First of all, Google Talk does not encrypt your conversations or calls, making your discussions available to anyone on the Internet. Many users have also claimed that the Gmail notifications are not very reliable and that Google Talk can suddenly freeze up after you’ve left it on for a while. We also find the user status icons to be too discreet.

Google Talk is not perfect but we think it’s a good bet for the future. As Gmail has shown, Google tends to constantly improve its products so we can expect some exciting improvements soon. The most urgent ones will be to support VoIP to phones, finally encrypt your conversations and to support the SIP protocol. Because of its integration with other Google products, Google Talk is an exciting chat client for Google users. However if you already have a solid chat client and are not a big fan of Google, this application won’t really bring you anything new.

Download Google Talk 1.0.0.104 in Softonic

Nikotel is an alternative telephony IP app that will allow you, besides speaking to your friends via the Internet, to send text messages to them or to even make video conferences. Nikotels IM functions are very similar to those of a typical messenger so there's nothing strange to get used to there.

On the one hand, you can manage your contacts, visualize if they are connected or not, to send a text message to them or call to them in a few simply clicks. On the other hand, the program includes a typical numeric keypad that allow you to call to any telephone in the world - mobile or fixed.

Obviously, all the services are free as far as PC-to-PC calling is concerned although calling phones is not. Your account can be magaed from the keypad, cimilar to that in Skype, where you can modify your account details, change your state and conect to the Nikotel homepage.

This is a slick looking VOIP program that if it can reduce calling fees, could eventually give the big boys a run for their money.

Download Nikotel 2.1 in Softonic

Getting in touch with someone on the other side of the planet is becoming just as easy as talking to your next-door neighbour these days. First it was email, then IRC chatrooms, then instant messaging, and now the world is being sucked in by Voice-Over-IP. Thanks, in no small part, to the popularity of Skype, using your computer to talk with people around the globe is becoming more commonplace and cheaper.

VOIP Stunt is certainly one of the most eye-catching of the Skype copycats out there, due to the fact that it’s very, very cheap. It’s so cheap, in fact that it offers free calls from your PC to landlines in a wide range of countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Australia and the US. This of course, is even cheaper than calling with Skype, which applies an, albeit small, call charge. Even for those countries where calls to landlines aren’t free, the call charge with VOIP Stunt is generally cheaper than Skype.

Before you start ditching Skype and switching to this app, there are a couple of points you should consider. For starters, to use VOIP Stunt you need to have credit in your account in order to make calls, even free ones. While it may sound like a bit of a scam, the minimum top-up is only about $12, and credit remains in your account for 120 days, so it’s possible to make infinite calls to landlines (in the countries listed) while only paying this nominal fee every four months. Nevertheless, the service is still effectively a subscription-based system, but then the developers do have to make their money from somewhere.

It’s also worth noting that VOIP Stunt contains nowhere near the amount of features that Skype comes with. This means no instant messaging, no video conferencing and only a limited range of settings. This said, if you’re busy chatting away all night with your friends and family for nothing then you can quite easily forgive the application these shortcomings.

Download VOIP Stunt 4.00.461 in Softonic

Don't you just hate it when work interrupts your Skype calls? Oops, I mean the other way around, honest boss. Well, there's no reason why you can't combine the two things at the same time. The Skype Office Toolbar allows you to access the popular VOIP service directly from Microsoft Office applications, providing you with the use of all its many features.

The toolbar facilitates much more than just the ability to make calls. The plug-in recognises telephone numbers and Skype contacts within the Office document you're working on, automatically adding a link to phone this person with one click. The program is also great for quickly sending Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents toyour Skype contacts. You can even see when the author of a document is online and start communicating with them using Skype. So, there you have it, using Skype at the office is not necessarily a bad thing.

Download Skype Office Toolbar 1.1.0.10 in Softonic

CallBurner records Skype calls. If you already have Skype, click here to get CallBurner recording your calls. You’ll be up and running in less than 5 minutes!

This is what this program has to offer:

• Crisp, clean, professional recording
• Simple, intuitive and uncluttered
• Direct to MP3 with no additional software installation required
• Record all calls, or only the ones you choose
• Optionally record direct to WAV for best possible quality
• Optionally record each side of the call to a separate file
• Convert Skype voicemails to MP3 or WAV
• Anti-drift technology keeps both sides of the call in sync

Download CallBurner 1.0.0.23 in Softonic

With FreeCall you can call your friends for free from your PC. And if your friends also have FreeCall, you can talk PC-to-PC for free for as long as you want. Here is a list of the countries where you can make free calls to with FreeCall (to landline only):

There are several ways to call with FreeCall:

• From the text box, enter the User Name of another VoipBuster user, or the desired phone number and press enter
• Double-click a User Name in your contact list
• Use the dialpad to make a call just like you do on a regular phone
• Or use the keypad on your PC

Download FreeCall 3.02 in Softonic

Join the VoIP revolution and enable your PC for all your telephone calls. You can instantly call any regular phone in the world for free or at significantly discounted rates. Furthermore you can get a free VoIP-In number where people can call you from any phone on the planet. Just download the VoIPCheap-application and you are set to go!

VoipCheap calls are free to landlines in the following countries:

Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United States

Download VoipCheap 3.00.409 in Softonic

After setting it up, dialling the number you want to call and hearing the ring tone sound on the other end of the line, you still have a sneaking suspicion that VoIPBuster will suddenly crash or produce a pop-up mocking you for being naïve enough to expect free calls. But suddenly you hear a click on the other end and the moment of truth has arrived; “Eh, Hi…can you hear me?...you can…wow…it works!”, and so continues your conversation as you eye the figures telling you how much credit remains. It seems too good to be true and naturally you expect the numbers to go down, proving the fact of life that there is no free lunch, but they remain where they began – score!

Most people reading this will be familiar with Skype, the most popular VoIP solution today. VoIPBuster is a stripped-down version of Skype with one essential difference – it’s cheaper. You may be wondering just how minimal is “stripped down”? There are no conference calls, video conversations, chat sessions and customer service is not all that, but for a price of free, many are willing to settle with what is on offer.

The program is basic, with tabs for your contact list, call history, buttons to dial and details of your current call. During a call the program takes control of your recording volume and while this feature is potentially very useful, it tended to gradually get lower and lower to a point beyond being comfortable. Setting the volume manually will work for a while but VoIPBuster showed real determination by pushing it down again. As recommended, the best way to secure a quality line is to use a headset. This point was driven home when we gave the external speakers a go and suddenly went from regular telephone quality to a crackly, echoing kind of static noise!

VoIPBuster is owned by a Swedish telecom company and although they circulate multiple versions of software similar to VoIPBuster, it doesn’t subtract from the fact that if you make regular calls to fixed numbers it will save you a considerable amount on those costs. To get started with unlimited free calls you must subscribe and charge your account with ten Euros worth of credit. A small price to pay for unlimited free calls, although bear in mind that credit does expire after a period, currently set at 120 days.

Download VoipBuster 3.00 in Softonic

KishKish Lie detector offers you a tool to detect the stress level of the person you communicate with over Skype. With the use of KishKish Lie detector you can monitor in real-time the stress level of the person you talked with. This allows you to gage the level of stress and modify your questions in real time. You could also use our KishKish SAM VSA that allows you to record the call and analyze the stress level offline.

Download KishKish Lie Detector 1.2.0.30 in Softonic

Skype Forwarder uses a voice modem as a gateway between the Skype network and your telephone provider, forwarding in both directions. It also provides full answering machine services for the gateway, saving both phone and Skype messages if needed.

Skype Forwarder is simple to install and transparent to use. If it successfully detects your modem you add your Skype contacts to your extension list and forget about it. It runs in your system tray using a discrete popup to notify you of attending voice mail. Let Skype Forwarder cut the chains to your desk and give you greater global reach.

Download Skype Forwarder 1.7.4 in Softonic

The Woize applications allows Woize users all over the world to make and receive phone calls over the Internet anywhere in the world. You even get your own telephone number for free! The only thing you pay for are costs of calls to landlines and mobile phones, go to our Rates pages to check out the ultra cheap calling rates!

But that's not all - Woize is more than an Internet telephone, it is your total communications package! Not only does it include various basic telephony features such as voice mail, SMS, and call forwarding, it also provides you with many advanced communication features such as file transfer, instant messaging and RSS news feeds.

Which features you get depend on which hard ware you install the Woize applications, ranging from computers to handhelds to your home phone, but two things they all have in common - free calls to other Woize™ users and very cheap calls to landlines and mobiles all over the world!

The Woize application is available both as hardware and as software, as hardware for your home phone and as software for different types of operating systems, and more are yet to come...

Download Woize 2.6 Beta in Softonic

SightSpeed is easy to install, simple to use, and was designed from the ground up to deliver superior voice and video quality on everyday computers and consumer broadband connections. Unlike the instant messaging or VoIP providers that treat video as an afterthought to their other features, SightSpeed was founded around the vision of bringing easy to use, great quality video solutions to consumers. SightSpeed has continued to differentiate its services by adding rich and innovative voice and video features including outbound and inbound telephony calling, integrated video mail, multi-party video conferencing, and a unique "click to call me" web address for every SightSpeed user.

Download Sightspeed 5.0 in Softonic

hullo is a whole new way to communicate - it will change the way that you stay in touch with people! Quickly and easily have a conversation with as many people as you want. Just click your way to group chatting! Need to tell everyone about a party? hulloBlast a personal voice message to everyone you want. Want your caller to find you or be sent to your voice mail? FindMe will hook you up. You decide who can contact you and how they do it. Move a hullo call to and from any phone you have in your “MyPhones” list. Now you can walk out of your home or office moving the call to your cell...never say “call you right back” again! And with hullo, if you don't have a headset…that's not a problem. Make and receive calls on any phone you choose.

Download Hulloh 0.9.6.28868 in Softonic

BuddyTalk™ is the ultimate Internet voice communication tool for staying in touch with all of your friends/family, classmates or coworkers while you're online! Following the trend of VOIP services like Skype, BuddyTalk aims to make phoning on the internet easy and free. With Buddy Talk you can call from PC to PC and from PC to phone.

Download BuddyTalk 1.0.35 in Softonic