Skype vs Viber – The Clash of the Smartphone Titans

Skype vs Viber – The Clash of the Smartphone Titans

Keeping in touch is crucial these days. Whether it’s your friends, family or relatives, contact is everything.

Since we live in times when almost everyone owns a smartphone and has access to the Internet, VoIP communication is beginning to expand fast and a lot of new applications are becoming available to the public. With all of this new software, the everyday user gets confused on which software to use. Two of the leading applications are Skype and Viber.  With them, you can send photos, text messages, voice messages, voice and video calls to everyone that has a smartphone or a computer. So let’s see the possibilities the both applications can provide.

How to Install the Applications?

Let’s take it from the top. To use both the applications on your smartphone, you must first install them on your device(s). Just go to the PlayStore and download the applications from there by typing ‘Skype’ or ‘Viber’ in the search box, and then just click download/install.

How Can You Sign In?

One of the first differences you’ll see between Skype and Viber is the log-on options. Skype supports multiple login credentials like: Facebook, Microsoft account and Skype username. Viber, on the other hand, supports only logging in with your phone number. Creating an account on Viber is a lot simpler than Skype because it’s directly connected with your phone number and on top of all, it even verifies itself when the activation code is sent to your device, while on Skype you have to use their site to create a username.

Pros and Cons

In one corner of the ring, we have the heavyweight usage champion – Skype, and in the other, the lightweight usage champion – Viber.  With the latest versions of the two applications downloable on your smartphones, one thing is certain – Skype uses a lot more resources than Viber. After some normal usage of both applications, like sending instant messages and some calls, we’ve come to a conclusion: Skype drains the battery faster and after just a few seconds on a call, the phone gets heated. Viber, on the other hand, did not have that problem.

Resource Utilization

While we’re still at the resource usage, after comparing the data usage of both apps, Skype uses more resources than Viber.  On the other hand, Viber lacks one important option: video calls. As technology advances, front cameras are being paid more attention and besides for taking selfies, they’re also used for video calls. Got no network coverage, but you’re in a Wi-Fi zone? Don’t worry, you can still call your contacts both on Viber and Skype. But there is one huge difference. If you’re calling your contacts who are not connected to the internet, you may have to shell out a few cents for the call. Both Skype and Viber offer this service for a minimal charge. Compared to Viber’s ViberOut feature, Skype offers relatively low cost calls to people in over 40 countries, even if they’re offline. One last detail to take into consideration is the interface.  If you’re not that much into technology, Skype offers a more easy-to-use interface, while Viber is a bit more difficult to handle.

Let’s Talk a Bit about the Security

It’s okay to be a little paranoid and to know what security both apps offer. As mentioned earlier, Viber is bind with your phone number, so if you’re the only one having access to the phone, you’re safe. On the other hand, you can add anyone as a contact on Viber and you can get “spammed” rather easily. If you’re using Facebook or Microsoft credentials, 2-step verification is available but for Skype credentials, there is no such option. Contrary to Viber, on Skype, you choose who will have permission to send you calls and messages, which will save some headaches from spamming.

What Does It All Come Down To?

As smartphones get more powerful every single day, the newer hardware is capable to handle Skype’s big demands on resources and the big resource usage won’t be a problem for the daily user. So it all leads down to personal choice. Whether you like video calls or lower resource usage, everything is up to you. If that doesn’t matter to you, choose the app with the better interface for you.

Happy chatting