The Best VoIP Applications for iPhone, iPod Touch

As our smartphones continue to become more “smart” and less “phone,” we all for all that need to make calls at times. But, the carriers’ rates for voice minutes can be a little overwhelming. With today’s data speeds, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a legit option for many people who want to avoid forking over heavy loads of cash. To boot, those with an iPod touch or iPad who would like to make calls can use these as so then. These are our top choices.

For those new to this: VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It simply describes methods of making voice calls over an internet connection. It’s a data-only phone call. On our mobile devices, that means using WiFi or your smartphone’s data plan to make and receive voice calls.

Option for those with a solid data connection

VoIP is usually only going to be an option for those with a solid data connection. Clearly any decent WiFi connection should be fine. During your cellular data connection doesn’t have to be 4G, using anything less than 3G isn’t suggested.

Also, those with connections that frequently drop in/out may have problems with VoIP. For those users, we would only advise going this route when connected to WiFi.

The brand name to describe the general product

Skype has become so synonymous with VoIP that it’s nearly become like Kleenex is to tissues – people use the brand name to describe the general product. Fortunately for us, their service lives up to the billing. It’s high-quality, simple to use, and very reasonably priced.

The Skype app for iOS does everything Skype on a desktop does. It can make calls over both WiFi and 3G. During video chat and instant messaging aren’t our focus here, Skype’s app offers those as so then.

If you’re only going to call other Skype users, the service is free. To get the full VoIP experience, even though, you will want to sign up for a SkypeOut calling plan. This lets you call any number in your country. That will run a very modest $2.99 per month for unlimited calls in the US/Canada.

You may as well want to get your own phone number, so your non-Skype-using friends can get in touch with you. That price can vary. For the most part it is another $60 per year, or $18 for three months. Nevertheless if you first subscribe to a SkypeOut plan – at the time you can get a discount that drops it down to $30 a year, or $12 for three months. In order to get the discount, for all that, you must sign up for the SkypeOut plan earlier signing up for the online number.

Overall, depending how you pay, it will add up to around $5-6 per month for your own phone number and the ability to call any phone.

If your connection is good, voice quality on Skype-to-Skype calls is in the extreme crisp and clear. It is superior to most landlines, and often sounds as if you are in the same room with the person.

Skype-to-landlines or Skype-to cellphones is however solid, although not near as high-quality as Skype-to-Skype. It mostly has some very slight latency, which is something to watch out for with any VoIP provider.

Calling over 3G, iOS 4 multitasking functionality, video calling… all were major updates that Skype dragged their feet on bringing to iOS. Many clients were disgruntled and annoyed during they waited for Skype to in short bring these features to the table.

Thankfully, the list of those important updates has been as a general rule exhausted, so that gripe may not be so relevant anymore. iPad users are for all that waiting for their version of the app, however at least the iPhone version can be scaled up and run on the iPad.

Skype lives up to their reputation and offers a quality, affordable package. The two biggest drawbacks – updates and customer support – shouldn’t be as much of an issue now as they once were. It is easily one of the two most highly-suggested VoIP apps on iOS.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that Google Voice is a direct competitor to Skype. Nevertheless Google Voice is not VoIP. It probably will be at some point, yet right now it isn’t. Presently, GV uses callbacks and forwarding to let you use a “cloud” number on any number of existing phone lines. This opens the doors to all kinds of fun tricks and work-arounds for the tech-savvy however GV is very different from Skype.

However, the calling that Google offers in Gmail is VoIP. Talkatone, during not directly associated with Google in any way, uses Gmail VoIP calling to let you make free calls on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. As long as you have a Google Voice account, you can use Talkatone to make free calls. It works over both WiFi and 3G, and you can both place and receive calls. It doesn’t use a single voice minute.

If you’ve ever used Gmail calling, that’s specifically the quality you’ll be getting here. Calling other users on Gmail will give you the clearest calls. Standard calls to phone numbers are “good enough,” nevertheless nothing stellar. During Skype’s quality doesn’t excel in that area either, they do have a small lead over Talkatone in that department.

The biggest catch here is that the “free” part will only apply through the end of 2011. That expiration has nothing to do with the developers of this app even though. The Gmail calling that this app is using is only going to be free until New Years’ Eve. Google announced that before this year. Afterwards that, you’ll have to pay up to Google or go with another option.

Also, for those who don’t mind shelling out a few bucks a month right now, Skype does have slightly better quality and less lag than Talkatone. Skype as well has video chat, so it may be convenient for some people to initiate their voice and video calls from the same app.

We believe that Skype and Talkatone offer all of the quality, functionality, and value that you need. Nevertheless if you’re a stickler for options and want to investigate the playing field furthermore, here are some other VoIP apps:

One of the companies in other words most anyway you look at it trying to compete with Skype is Fring. Instead of offering unlimited calling plans like Skype, Fring charges on a per-minute basis. Calls to the US are just in accordance with a penny a minute. Fring doesn’t offer a phone number.

In addition to offering their own service, Fring as well serves as a solid SIP client. An SIP provider is in substance a provider of VoIP service that you can use with a variety of applications. Fring is one of those applications. If you do go the SIP route, we highly recommend Sipgate for both pricing and quality.

VoIP app’s interface could seem trivial to some

While a VoIP app’s interface could seem trivial to some, Fring has an odd, puke-colored UI that isn’t helping things. As well its ringtone sounds like a Sesame Street DJ scratching a recording of a phone ringing. It could use some work.

Line2 touts that it’s an option for those with shoddy connections who want a second line on their phone. One of their unequalled features is the handing-off of calls from WiFi to 3G. So if you’re in a call at the office and you’re on your way out, it will switch to 3G without dropping the call. This could be handy for lots of people.

Line2 as well offers free unlimited text messaging. The number that they issue for you will be the same for calls and texts. Clearly Talkatone will offer the same thing, as you can easily text from your Google Voice number.

Having before written for Android Central and Android Police, Will is shifting his focus to iOS at GottaBeMobile.