Skype has been a feature of the Microsoft product range since 2011. The free online service supports instant messaging, video conferencing, IP telephony, and data file transfers, as well as screen sharing, and is available to users via a browser or as a separate application program. While internet calls between different Skype users is free of charge, calls to landlines or mobiles incur small costs. This is calculated in the form of a tariff per minute.
The Microsoft 365 plans Home, Personal, and University all offer 60 Skype telephone minutes per user at no extra cost. These minutes can be used for calls to over 60 different landline locations, and mobile calls can be made to a number of different countries too, including within the US, UK, and Canada. But unused free call minutes expire at the end of the month and can’t be carried over. Skype users also have the option to purchase a contactable landline number for their Skype account, meaning that they can also receive calls from traditional landlines and mobile networks.
While the free version of Skype’s online service is aimed at private users, the self-employed, and small businesses, Microsoft’s Teams focuses on bigger clients. Microsoft Teams increases the number of people that can be connected in an online conference, and also offers companies increased security functions as well as a central management of employee accounts. This extended version of Skype can also be embedded into other Office applications like Outlook. Microsoft Teams is available in selected Business and Enterprise plans for Microsoft 365.