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Call from a PC: 10 best WiFi calling apps for Windows

Call from PC

Making business calls from a mobile device may be second nature, but when you’re on the phone all day, the last thing you want is an iPhone or Android device glued to your ear. Making a call from a PC can be the most convenient choice. 💻

Even if you’re not on the phone most of your working hours, calling someone from a computer can come in handy in many situations. For instance, it’s one of the best ways to make calls if:

  • You want to go hands-free
  • Your mobile phone battery dies
  • Your phone’s unreachable when you need to jump on a call
  • You’re already working on your PC

Here’s what you need to know about WiFi calling on PCs when you need an alternative to your pocket-size phone.

How to make a call from a PC

Today, there are plenty of apps for people who want to connect from their PC to phone calls. When you sign up for one, calling clients and coworkers can be as simple as dialing a phone number or selecting someone from your contact list.

While the process to make calls from PCs can vary from app to app, most require you to follow three key steps:

1. Have a stable internet connection

The key to making clear calls on a laptop or computer is a stable internet connection. WiFi is most commonly used for PC calls, though you can use alternatives like a hotspot or Ethernet to connect.

You don’t need extraordinarily fast internet. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), you only need download speeds of under 0.5 Mbps for VoIP calls. However, it’s still a good idea to do an internet speed test ahead of your first call to avoid jitter.

2. Get your sound system ready

Most PCs already have built-in mics and speakers. However, a quality VoIP headset can make your incoming audio clearer while canceling out background noise from your end of the line. Plus, you can make calls in your office or a coffee shop without letting the world hear your conversation. 

Whether you get a Bluetooth, USB, or wired headset, double check that your headphones are properly connected and your external mic is selected in your sound settings.

3. Start a phone call from your app

Once your internet is stable and you set up the sound equipment you want, the final step is starting a call from your PC. Follow the steps provided by your WiFi calling app to reach your call recipient with ease.

10 apps for WiFi calling on PCs

There’s no shortage of platforms that you can choose from to make a call from PCs — but some may stand out above the rest. Here are the 10 best WiFi calling apps that support calling from PCs.

1. OpenPhone

OpenPhone mobile and desktop apps

OpenPhone is a VoIP phone service that supports phone calls and text messages (SMS and MMS) on any internet-enabled device. When you don’t want to use your iPhone or Android phone, you can use your PC to jump on our desktop or web apps.

No matter where you log in from, you’ll have full access to your contact list, recent calls, voicemail inbox, and everything you need to successfully make calls. You can also use business features like call recording, interactive voice response, and shared phone numbers to improve your customer interactions. 🙌

Need to make international calls from a PC? We make it easy with free calls to the US and Canada — and low international calling rates — with every plan. Each user can also get a free US, Canadian, and toll-free number.

OpenPhone plans start at just $15 per user per month. You can try out OpenPhone first for free with a seven-day free trial.

During the signup process, you’ll be asked for a credit card to help keep bad actors off the platform, but you can try calling from your computer for free to confirm it’s a great fit. We’ll even send you a heads up when your trial is set to expire based on the email address you use to sign up.

How to call from a PC with OpenPhone

OpenPhone has plenty of advanced functionality, but is simple to use. Once you make an account, follow these three steps to make a call from a PC:

  1. Click the “Make a Call” icon, or tap the letter C on your keyboard for a quick shortcut.
  2. Enter your call recipient’s phone number, or type a name from your contact list.
  3. Press the call button to get connected!

Key features of OpenPhone

  • Easily call and text from your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone
  • Enjoy free calling and texting to any US and Canadian number
  • Each comes with a local US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number
  • Save time texting with auto-replies, snippets, and scheduled text messages
  • Integrates with Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Contacts
  • Work together with your team from a shared number

OpenPhone Pricing

OpenPhone pricing
  • Starter: $15 per user per month
  • Business: $23 per user per month to access call transfers, analytics, CRM integrations, and more
  • Enterprise: Contact us for more information

Learn more about OpenPhone

2. Google Voice

Call from PC: Google Voice

Google Voice for Google Workspace is a popular business VoIP app for Windows and Mac users. While Google Voice doesn’t offer a desktop app, you can access it on most browsers or make calls using its Google Chrome extension.

Google Voice for Google Workspace offers free calls to the US (and Canada, for US users). However, beyond features like voicemail transcriptions and business hour settings, it offers limited business features. Plus, you’ll need a Google Workspace account ($6 per month) before you can get started, so you’ll end up paying for two different tools.

Key features of Google Voice

  • Free unlimited calling to the US
  • Free unlimited calling to Canada (US customers only)
  • Free texting to US numbers (Texting is available to US customers only)
  • Google Calendar and Google Meet integrations
  • Call recordings (Requires upgrade)
  • Ring groups (Requires upgrade)
  • Phone menus (Requires upgrade)

Google Voice pricing

Google Voice pricing

Google Voice’s paid plans require you to have an active Google Workspace subscription (Starting at $6 per user per month) on top of one of these three Google Voice plans:

  • Starter: $10 per user per month (maximum of 10 users)
  • Standard: $20 per user per month to access on-demand call recordings, ring groups, and phone menus
  • Premier: $30 per user per month to access automatic call recordings and advanced reporting

Learn more about Google Voice

3. Skype

Skype

Skype is a free calling app that allows users to call each other from a wide variety of devices (including PCs) at no cost. It supports voice calls, video calls, and text, as well as some basic business features like caller ID.

The biggest downside? While Skype does offer free WiFi calling between users, you’ll need to pay per minute or pay for a monthly subscription to make calls to landlines or mobile phones. ☎️

Key features of Skype

  • Free calls to other Skype users
  • Two-way SMS (requires Skype credits)
  • Outbound calls (requires Skype credits)
  • Caller ID

Skype pricing

To call and text non-Skype users, you must purchase credits. Skype credits are available in three increments: $5, $10, and $25. The rate to reach others varies by country and what currency you pay with.

Learn more about Skype

4. Grasshopper

Call from PC: Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a VoIP phone provider that’s built for small businesses. You can get up to five free local or toll-free phone numbers that you can access from your desktop, iPhone, or Android. Beyond the pros of making WiFi calls on your PC, you can send texts, forward calls, and read your voicemail.

Every Grasshopper plan includes 100% of its available features, but this makes the app one of the priciest on the list. You can expect to pay $28 per month for a single phone number and three extensions. If you ever want to get more numbers to grow your business, you’ll need to pay $10 per month each.

Key features of Grasshopper

  • Local texting (Grasshopper doesn’t support international texting; MMS texting isn’t available with toll-free numbers)
  • Voicemail transcriptions
  • Phone menus
  • Auto-replies
  • Call transfers
  • Simultaneous ring (additional $10 per month)

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper charges based on the amount of telephone numbers you need. Their platform offers these three plans:

Grasshopper pricing
  • Solo: $28 per month for one number and three extensions
  • Partner: $46 per month for three numbers and six extensions
  • Small business: $80 per month for five numbers and eight extensions

Learn more about Grasshopper

5. Dialpad

Call from PC: Dialpad

Dialpad is a business phone system that includes calling, SMS, and MMS in the US and Canada. Whether you log into Dialpad from your phone or PC, you’ll be able to access features like auto-attendant, call recording, and voicemail transcriptions on top of making phone calls.

However, if you want to access key integrations like Zapier and Slack — which come free with all OpenPhone plans — you’ll need to upgrade your plan and pay for at least three users. If you want a custom plan with more advanced features, you need at least 100 team members on your account.

Key features of Dialpad

  • SMS and MMS messaging to the US and Canada (for US & Canadian customers only)
  • Live speech coaching and other call center AI solutions
  • Call recording (requires upgrade)
  • Auto-replies (requires upgrade)
  • Webhooks and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Slack, and Microsoft Teams (upgrade required)
  • Queue priority (requires upgrade)

Dialpad pricing

Dialpad pricing
  • Standard: $15 per user per month (maximum of 3 users on a shared number; no additional numbers allowed)
  • Pro: $25 per user per month (minimum of 3 users) to access additional numbers, international texting, call transferring, auto-replies, and integrations to Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Microsoft Teams, and Slack
  • Enterprise: custom pricing (100-user minimum) to access dial by extension, priority support, and 100% uptime

Learn more about Dialpad

6. Vonage

Vonage

Vonage for business is a business VoIP app that offers many of the basic WiFi calling features a business may need. Though the most useful features (like call recording, auto-attendant, and CRM integrations) require upgrades, the availability of these business tools makes it less bare-bones than PC calling apps that were built for personal use.

The biggest downside to Vonage is the fact that it’s incredibly fee-heavy. On top of the $19.99-$39.99 per month per line you’re paying for your subscription, most users need to pay for voicemail transcriptions, extensions, and key features.

Key features of Vonage

  • Calling and SMS messaging in the US and Canada
  • Team messaging
  • Meetings with up to 100 participants (requires upgrade)
  • Phone menus (requires upgrade)
  • CRM integrations (requires upgrade)
  • Call recordings (requires upgrade)
  • Voicemail transcriptions (requires upgrade)

Vonage pricing

Vonage pricing

The price Vonage charges you per user depends on your team’s size with smaller teams paying more for each user. The following pricing is for teams of one to four users:

  • Mobile: $19.99 per user per month
  • Premium: $29.99 per user per month to access phone menus, CRM integrations, and desk phone compatibility
  • Advanced: $39.99 per user per month to access voicemail transcriptions, call groups, and on-demand call recordings

Learn more about Vonage

Call from PC: Phone Link app

If you have an Android phone and a Windows 10 or 11 PC, getting the Phone Link app on desktop and Phone Link app for Android lets you link your devices. You can use your existing number to make calls from your PC or answer incoming calls from a desktop pop-up.

Phone Link can be pretty handy when you already have a business cell phone. If you don’t, you’ll only be able to use your personal phone number — or you’ll need to buy a new device and phone plan to separate business and personal.

Key features of Phone Link

  • Windows only app
  • Call and text from your PC (requires PC running Windows 10 with at least 8 GB of RAM)

While Phone Link is a free app, you won’t get a separate phone number for business through their app. You’ll only get the option as mentioned to call and text from your existing Android number.

Learn more about Phone Link

8. Facebook Messenger

Call from PC: Facebook Messenger

Over 70% of North America actively uses Facebook. Naturally, using Messenger — a free messaging app that’s available on browser and from the Microsoft store — can be a simple solution for your WiFi calling needs. Messenger supports both audio and video calls, but no business calling features.

However, for most businesses, using Messenger isn’t a viable option, especially for calling leads you’ve never met. This app was developed for social media, so it only supports calls between Facebook friends — not calls to landlines or real phone numbers.

Key features of Facebook Messenger

  • Message other Facebook users
  • Audio and video call other Facebook users
  • React to messages with emojis

Facebook Messenger pricing

Facebook Messenger is a free feature on Facebook that’s intended to keep you using Facebook’s platform for as long as possible. You won’t be able to call or text any phone number or use any sort of business phone features.

Learn more about Facebook Messenger

9. Ooma

Call from PC: Ooma

Ooma is a VoIP provider that offers helpful business features like VoIP call forwarding and virtual receptionists with every plan. However, if you want to make WiFi calls on PCs, you’ll need to purchase the company’s most expensive option at $24.95 per user per month.

This upgraded plan unlocks extra calling features like call recording and voicemail transcriptions, but if Ooma isn’t a clear winner for you, you can get those same features with other providers (like OpenPhone) for much less.

Key features of Ooma

  • Unlimited calling in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
  • SMS texting in the US and Canada
  • Mobile app (desktop app requires upgrade)
  • Call recordings (requires upgrade)
  • Ring groups
  • Phone menus (requires upgrade)

Ooma pricing

  • Office Essentials: $19.95 per user per month
  • Office Pro: $24.95 per user per month to access Ooma’s desktop app, phone menus, call recording, voicemail transcriptions, Google and Office 365 integrations, and video meetings
  • Office Pro Plus: $29.95 per user per month to access reporting, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrations, and automatic call distribution

Learn more about Ooma

10. TextNow

TextNow

TextNow is a WiFi calling app that — as its name suggests — also supports text messages, both SMS and MMS. Once you have an account, you can switch between WiFi calling on PC, iPhone, Android, and iPad with ease.

While TextNow will grant you a phone number for free, you can expect an app that’s clouded with ads. If you ever want to get rid of them (or access voicemail transcriptions), you’ll need to pay at least $9.99 per month — and your app will still largely function like a personal phone with limited opportunities to save time communicating with others.

Key features of TextNow

  • Free phone number (fees apply to premium numbers; must unlock your iPhone or Android to use the mobile app)
  • Voicemail transcription (requires upgrade)
  • Incoming caller ID (requires upgrade)
  • International calling and texting (requires the purchase of credits)

TextNow pricing

In addition to the fees mentioned above, you can also pay $9.99 per month to get an ad-free experience in the TextNow app.

Learn more about TextNow

Make calls from PCs with OpenPhone

OpenPhone calls from PC

When you want to make a call from a PC, you’ll always need a stable internet connection and a reliable sound system — even if it’s the one that’s built into your computer. However, it’s the WiFi calling app you choose that makes the biggest difference for businesses.
With OpenPhone, you can make calls on any internet-enabled device (including your PC) while getting robust business features at a business-friendly cost. See why thousands of growing companies use OpenPhone for yourself. Start your free, seven-day trial.

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