Best International Phone Call Apps – Rates & Features Compared

The best international phone call app is Google Voice, thanks to its low starting price and its functionality for both business and personal use. On top of that, Google Voice was one of the most secure services across our in-depth research, providing tools like multi-factor authentication and a bounty of compliance certification.

If you’re looking for a free international calling app, though, Google Voice can’t provide that. You’ll have to go with other options, like WhatsApp and FaceTime, which require the caller and callee to have the app downloaded.

In this guide, we’ll showcase some of the other international phone call apps — both paid and free — that offer different features and rates, so you can find the best option for your personal or business needs.

In this guide:

• Best International Call Apps
• International Call App Pricing
• Benefits of VoIP Software
• About Our Research
• Verdict: What Is the Best International Calling App?

Whether you’re shopping for your first VoIP system or are finding that your current one is no longer meeting your needs, you can use our free quote generator to get a personalized recommendation and pricing quote now. You’ll have to answer a couple of questions about your business (this will only take you around 45 seconds), but it’ll save you time researching and/or trialing services that just aren’t the right fit.

Best International Phone Call Apps Reviewed

Now that you’ve got a basic idea of what these international calling apps offer as far as price and features, take a look at our in-depth reviews of each of these providers to make an informed decision. We’ll explain price points, feature sets, and whether or not the app is better for business or personal use.

1. Google Voice – Best app for Google Workspace users
2. WhatsApp – Best for personal users
3. FaceTime – Best for iPhone users
4. Rebtel – Best for call quality
5. WeChat – Best for users in China and Hong Kong
6. NobelApp – Best for users that need money transfers
7. Vonage – Best for training features
8. Ooma – Best for medium-sized businesses on a budget
9. Viber – Best for overall affordability

1. Google Voice – Best for Google Workspace Users

We’ve tested all the best VoIP providers on the market and found that, while Google Voice isn’t the top VoIP provider overall (that honor goes to RingCentral), it is the best international phone calling app by a mile – for a number of reasons.

Google Voice offers great integrations, competitive international rates, and dual functionality for business and personal use – making it one of the most universal international call apps on this list. More importantly, it pairs with Google Workspace, arguably the best overall business platform, integrating with tools like Google Calendar and Gmail.

With Google Voice you’ll get access to a great range of features including voicemail transcription, spam call protection, and call screening – all of which is incredibly helpful if you’re looking to optimize and streamline your processes. Additionally, unlike some of the international call apps on this list, you’ll get an actual phone number to use on smartphones and computers, which is certainly easier than only app-to-app communication.

One thing we found that sets Google Voice apart from the rest is its security features – with multi-factor authentication, user permissions on all plans, and the largest number of compliance certificates of all the providers we tested. This is important for businesses that are concerned about cybersecurity risks.

Check out our Google Voice review for more information

We found the Google Voice app simple yet functional for international calling. Source: Tech.co testing

Google Voice pricing

For personal use, Google Voice will cost you a bit of money, but the international rates are quite affordable. Here’s a quick list of some countries and their rates:

• United Kingdom – $0.01
• India – $0.02
• Mexico – $0.01
• China – $0.04
• Australia – $0.01
• Brazil – $0.01

For businesses, it’s a different story. There are three different pricing plans to choose from, each with an increasing number of features and allowances. Here’s how those plans match up:

• Starter – $10 per month
• Standard – $20 per month
• Premier – $30 per month

The Standard plan is where the real value lies, allowing for unlimited users and unlocked advanced features like ring groups and call recording. In comparison, the Starter plan allows for only 10 users, so larger teams will need to pay a bit extra.

It’s worth remembering that Google Workspace is required to access the Google Voice functionality for businesses, which also offers a number of different pricing plans, starting at $6 per user, per month.

Check out our Google Voice review for more information

Is Google Voice better for business or personal use?

When we compared Google Voice with other VoIP providers and international call apps, it was clear that Google Voice wasn’t the best VoIP service for businesses overall.

While it is relatively affordable, provides the most secure VoIP software according to our research, and offers good functionality for both business and personal use, it lacks the advanced features and collaborative tools (such as toll-free numbers and built-in team messaging) needed to be truly beneficial to high volume international callers and businesses. Because of that, we’d say it’s better for personal use.

However, every business is different, and the size of your company matters. So, if you are looking for the best VoIP provider for your individual needs, you’d benefit from taking our free 45-second survey which will provide you with a quote tailored to your business’s requirements.

We found Google Voice to be a helpful tool for team communication, with easy features for call recording. Source: Tech.co testing

2. WhatsApp – Best for Personal Users

As one of the most popular global mobile messaging apps, WhatsApp also offers some convenient international calling features that can make life a lot easier. By simply connecting with other WhatsApp users, you can start a call in an instant without incurring a single fee.

The limitation, however, is that you can only internationally call other WhatsApp users. Granted, that can be pretty convenient in some countries, as the app boasts nearly 2 billion users worldwide. Still, with limited usage in the US, you can run into some roadblocks for easy international calling.

In 2023 WhatsApp Business crossed a threshold of 200 million active monthly users and celebrated by launching new business features, including click-to-WhatsApp ads and coupon codes within buy links.

WhatsApp is a go-to communication tool for millions around the world. Source: Tech.co testing

WhatsApp pricing

WhatsApp is absolutely, 100% free of charge for personal use. Yes, it does use data when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi, so it could incur charges from your service provider, but as far as pricing plans go for WhatsApp for personal use, there are none.

Now, if you want to try out WhatsApp for Business, there are a few rates you’ll have to consider, as the system does utilize conversation-based pricing to charge internationally. This means that, depending on what your business is using the service for, you’ll be charged differently based on four categories. If you were calling the UK, for example, here’s how those categories would look.

• Authentication – $0.0358
• Utility – $0.022
• Marketing – $0.0529
• Service – $0

So, if your business is using WhatsApp business to market to new customers, you’ll have to pay a bit more than if you’re using it as an authentication system. Even better, service functionality is free in most countries, so you can get started with very little overhead.

Is WhatsApp better for business or personal use?

The great thing about WhatsApp is that it’s constantly updating its platform. When we first collated this list, WhatsApp was best for personal use as it didn’t have any business options available. Since launching WhatsApp for business it can now cater to a new clientele, allowing companies to communicate and respond with customers in real-time, provided they download the free WhatsApp for business App.

Even better, while the app used to only be available for Android users, WhatsApp for Business is now available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, so your team can explore if WhatsApp is a good option for business without any exclusions.

Check out our WhatsApp Business guide for more information

3. FaceTime – Best for iPhone Users

If you have an iPhone, you’ll have used FaceTime before. This video chat app also comes with calling functionality, so you can use it as a phone to contact people overseas. If you’re an Apple user, you’ll be able to call from any iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer.

FaceTime is naturally updated on a regular basis, adding new features to go along with new iOS launches over time. At the time of writing, iOS18 is the most recent version.

Much like WhatsApp, FaceTime offers easy international calling at absolutely no cost, but it does come with the caveat of only being able to call other Apple users. Particularly outside of the US, iPhones aren’t nearly as universally popular (especially in Asia, where Android market share is approximately 83%), so this could create some obstacles in the long run. However, there are 728 million iPhone users out there, so it’s certainly worth a try – especially if you know that the people you want to call are Apple users.

FaceTime is the popular video calling platform available exclusively to iPhone users. Source: Apple

FaceTime pricing

Again, much like WhatsApp, FaceTime is absolutely free no matter what. You may incur data charges if you use it without Wi-Fi, but you will never have to pay for the app or the specific calls you make internationally.

Is FaceTime better for business or personal use?

FaceTime is certainly aimed more at personal than business-use scenarios. Even with the built-in video capabilities, you wouldn’t want to rely on the app to stay in touch with your team. For personal use though, FaceTime is a great option for free international calling, as long as you’re talking to iPhone users.

4. Rebtel – Best for Call Quality

Call reliability and quality are huge when it comes to international calling, and that’s where Rebtel really shines. This app works through landlines rather than Wi-Fi, so you get crystal-clear audio no matter where you are.

Outside the obvious benefits of call quality, Rebtel offers a traditional phone service app that works great and isn’t difficult to figure out. Plus with its unique Red Box feature, you’ll be able to get a unique, catered experience based on your specific usage.

The Rebtel settings were easy for us to adjust in the app. Source: Tech.co testing

Rebtel pricing

Rebtel is a bit more traditional when it comes to international calling. It offers a $12 per month unlimited plan, which allows for unlimited calling to 50 countries, mobile or landline.

Additionally, Rebtel offers very competitive international by-the-minute rates for countries all around the world with calls to India from as low as 2.39¢ per minute and calls to both the UK and Mexico from 2¢ per minute.

Is Rebtel better for business or personal use?

This kind of depends on how you run your personal life and your business life. If you’re an avid traveler in your free time, Rebtel would make for a perfect lifeline to stay in touch with loved ones on the road.

Additionally, if you travel a lot for business, Rebtel would be incredibly convenient for attending meetings without Wi-Fi or cellular coverage. Otherwise, if you don’t need the added connectivity and quality around the world, you could probably opt for something a bit less costly. You can use our free comparison tool to find the best VoIP system within your budget.

What’s new for Rebtel?

In 2025, Rebtel went through a bit of a face-lift, getting an interface update that improved functionality by introducing a new navigation bar to easily access services, accounting information, and Rebtel credits.

5. WeChat – Best for Calling China

While its user base is a bit selective, only offering international calling for users in the US, Italy, Thailand, Laos, Australia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong (the platform is now banned in India), WeChat represents a very popular option for messaging and calling, making it a great call app for international calling as well.

Dubbed WeChat Out, this app works very similarly to the recently discontinued Skype app, allowing users to call actual phone numbers and landlines through the app. The Chinese-based app is probably best suited to those in China or Hong Kong, as its more than one billion users are primarily based there, but it’s still an easy-to-use international call app for anyone.

The WeChat interface is simple and intuitive, even for beginners. Source: WeChat

WeChat pricing

WeChat international calling is free to anyone, as long as you’re contacting another WeChat user. If you’re hoping to call a landline, you are going to incur some costs, which unfortunately, WeChat is a bit vague about. The company says that a dollar will buy you approximately 100 minutes of call time.

Is WeChat better for business or personal use?

When it comes to WeChat, your best bet is to stick with personal use. Unless your business is based in China and primarily interacts with other Chinese businesses, it’s unlikely you’ll have enough people familiar with the app to get a business account going. If you are interested in VoIP for business though, you can use our free VoIP comparison tool to find the best software for your needs.

It’s also worth noting that, given the fact that the company is based in China, there is a possibility that your usage data will be monitored by the Chinese government.

6. NobelApp – Best for Money Transfers

NobelApp is a great international calling app that offers some seriously low rates and the ability to call anyone from anywhere. It’s not free, but the simple credit system allows you to make international calls easily without incurring too many fees.

That’s not all though. NobelApp is filled with a whole bunch of extra features that are great for the average user. For one, you can transfer money anywhere in the world with ease. Additionally, NobelApp even has a small newsfeed, so you can stay up to date on what’s happening in the world in between calls.

The NobelApp is a bit outdated but provides more functionality than some other international phone call apps. Source: NobelApp

NobelApp pricing

NobelApp doesn’t offer any specific plans or business-focused prices. Instead, all calls are charged based on specific international rates and paid for via credits through the app. For example, mobile calls to India start at 1.54¢ per minute, and you pay 1.99¢ per minute to the United Kingdom, and 2.62¢ per minute to Mexico.

Is NobelApp better for business or personal use?

NobelApp is almost certainly better for personal use. For one, there are no pricing plans for businesses to get a coherent phone system up and running. Additionally, the money transfer feature is convenient for everyday people, but could certainly muddy the waters of a business environment if used incorrectly.

7. Vonage – Best for Training Features

Vonage is a name that needs no introduction. It’s incredibly well-known in the phone business, and even if you’re yet to try it, you probably already know that its international calling options will more than suffice. Admittedly, the Vonage setup was a little more complicated than we expected when we did our testing, but I’ll do my best to explain how it works.

To put it as simply as possible, Vonage requires you to sign up for the home phone or business service to make international calls, which has a variety of international pricing options. If you want to make international calls on your smartphone, you’ll have to then download the Vonage Extensions app, which will give you control over your home or business phone service on your device. After this, it’s just a matter of how many minutes you have, or whether or not you signed up for the unlimited plan. See? Not too complicated!

In comparison to other VoIP providers like Nextiva or Google Voice, Vonage’s features knock the competition out of the park – providing everything you need to handle large levels of inbound calls including call queue, spam shield, company-wide call recording, on-demand call recording, toll-free numbers, virtual mailboxes, visual voicemail, group paging and more, in the packages it offers. When we put it head-to-head with other VoIP providers our researchers found it to be one of the best.

Check out our Vonage review for more information

The interface for Vonage is basic and provides tips for getting started. Source: Vonage

Vonage pricing

Vonage offers two consumer pricing plans for international calling: North America and World. The North America plan covers the US, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, and will cost you $9.99 per month for unlimited calling. The World Prime plan, on the other hand, will cost you $14.99 per month for unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and over 60 other countries.

However, Vonage also has plans geared towards businesses. The platform offers three different pricing plans, each with a variety of different features. Here’s how much they cost:

• Mobile – $19.99 per line, per month
• Premium – $29.99 per line per month
• Advanced – $39.99 per line, per month

Vonage is offering a 30% off deal for all three of its business pricing plans that lasts for an entire year. That would make the starting price only $13.99 per line, per month for twelve months.

Prices for international calls aren’t bad though, with calls to Mexico setting you back just 1.2¢ per minute, and UK calls costing 2¢ per minute for both mobile and landlines. These prices are always changing, though, so be sure to check out the Vonage website to learn more.

Is Vonage better for business or personal use?

Vonage is a business VoIP solution first and foremost. It’s a particularly good VoIP system for retail and customer service businesses, due to its strong training features, but for those with less than 50 employees, you may be better off finding a VoIP alternative.

If Vonage is a match for your business needs, you should opt for the Advanced plan. In our testing, we found Vonage to be great for scalability and customer service in businesses of 50-250 people who could afford its Advanced package, while its premium package was notably expensive in comparison to other VoIP providers and didn’t offer the same level of security features and external connections.

Overall, we scored Vonage 4.3 out of 5 for businesses. It should go without saying that the home phone plan is better for personal use.

8. Ooma – Best for Medium-Sized Businesses on a Budget

Ooma is a powerful VoIP solution that offers pay-as-you-go and pay-monthly calling plans for businesses and personal users.

Its excellent support center, which includes 24/7 live support options and a useful knowledge base, combined with its top-tier customer feedback scores, makes it one of the most reliable VoIP systems we’ve tested.

This reliability, alongside its powerful inbound and outbound calling features, makes it an asset to international customer service and retail teams. But thanks to its affordable calling rates, the international call app will be an attractive option for any business looking to cut down on expenses.

However, one area where Ooma falls short is security. The VoIP solution lacks multi-factor authentication, strict password rules, and user-permission options. For this reason, if your business handles sensitive personal data, we’d recommend Google Voice’s security center instead.

Check out our Ooma review for more information

The Ooma calling app offers basic functionality with affordable rates. Source: Ooma

Ooma pricing

Ooma offers a couple of different options for users who want to make international calls.

First of all, users can pay for international calls as they go with Ooma’s Basic Rates, with calls to Mexico costing only 0.29¢ a minute and calls to Pakistan costing only 1.4¢ per minute.

They could also pay $9.99 a month for Ooma’s Premier service and pay the same rates as Ooma Standard but with unlimited calls to Canada and Mexico included at no extra cost.

Ooma also offers two contract options, World Plan which costs $17.99 per month and includes unlimited minutes to landlines in over 60 countries and mobile phones in over ten, and a $25.99 per month World Plus Plan which offers unlimited minutes to landlines in 70 countries and unlimited calling to mobiles in over 40.

Is Ooma better for business or personal use?

Ooma offers business and domestic versions, but it’s widely known as a business calling solution. Its feature offering is strong across the board, and its rates are reasonable, making it an asset to most businesses making international calls.

In fact, we had a chance to do a hands-on review of the Ooma VoIP phone system, and we found it to be a decidedly easy-to-use platform across our research. It provided an intuitive interface that made even complex functionalities like transcription simple to find.

We found the Ooma directory to be a simple and intuitive spot to house all the important numbers for our business. Source: Tech.co testing

9. Viber – Best for Overall Affordability

If you’re looking for a dual threat when it comes to international calling, Viber offers two distinct ways to contact people around the world. First, it allows for the standard practice of calling landlines and mobile devices in many countries for an affordable rate depending on the country. This service is called Viber Out, and does not require cellular data or Wi-Fi to work.

Additionally, after we tested out Viber, we found that it offers a similar service as FaceTime and WhatsApp in that you can call anyone internationally for free, as long as they are also using the Viber app. Granted, it’s not as popular as WhatsApp or FaceTime, but it’s free to download, which could make for an easy and affordable alternative.

We found the Viber interface a bit cluttered but robust in its functionality. Source: Tech.co testing

Viber pricing

Viber offers affordable international rates for a wide range of countries, although at first glance, they do look a bit more expensive than your average platform. For example, calls to India will cost you 1.5¢ per minute and calls to Mexico will be 1.2¢ per minute, whereas calls to Nigeria will knock you back 7.7¢ per minute. Still, with international calling available for app users, you can get around those costs if you think it’s too much.

Is Viber better for business or personal use?

Viber’s international calling app is probably best suited for personal use. Given the more expensive rates for international calling and the fact that most of your clients probably don’t have the Viber app, it’s safe to say it’s not ideal to run a business on it. However, if you’re trying to make personal calls, it’s safe to say it would be much easier to get them to download the international call app to avoid the cost. Still, you can always use our free VoIP comparison tool to find something a system that’s more tailored to your needs.

International Calling Apps Pricing

When it comes to the price of calling internationally, people can get pretty confused. From unlimited plans to per-minute rates, the industry is filled with a wide range of approaches that may not be immediately obvious to the average user.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Below, we’re going to explain how you might need to pay for calling internationally, and whether or not your personal use or business needs are met by a particular provider.

Per-minute rates

In most cases, a phone system or international call app will offer per-minute rates when it comes to international calling. These rates can range anywhere from $0.01 to $2 depending on which country you’re calling. For example, calling from the US to the UK on these plans is often free or inexpensive. However, if you’re trying to make calls to Antarctica, you could end up paying a lot per minute.

Unlimited plans

If you don’t want to worry about paying by the minute, we won’t blame you. Fortunately, a lot of these services offer a variety of monthly plans that allow you to enjoy unlimited access to international calling. These plans often come with country restrictions, and you’ll have to pay more to have access to unlimited calling in more counties.

Business plans

While this doesn’t apply to all the apps on this list, some of them offer specific business plans that are designed to act as your company’s telephone system. Rather than investing in physical phone systems, you can get something like Google Voice for Business or Vonage to turn everyone’s smartphones into a connected communications hub. This costs a bit extra, but the overall savings could be a huge benefit for your business.

Alternatively, you might be downsizing (the tech industry certainly has been dealing with layoffs over the last few years), in which case a switch from an existing VoIP provider to a smaller, more simple international calling service might make sense.

Benefits of VoIP Phone Systems

Now that you know what kind of VoIP providers offer international calling apps and what they might cost your business, it’s time to get a clear picture of how these services can actually help. Here are some of the benefits of VoIP phone systems over traditional landlines.

• Save money – Landline infrastructure is expensive, but VoIP can use existing technology like smartphones to enable communication.
• Add flexibility – VoIP systems work with computers, smartphones, and traditional handsets, so you can stay in touch on the go.
• More features – VoIP phone systems offer more features, like the ability to forward, block, or re-route calls. You can even send instant messages.
• Improve analytics – VoIP systems have better analytics, so you can better understand how your team communicates in the long term.

For a better understanding of how VoIP software can benefit your business, check out our in-depth explainer video below:

About Our Research