Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Voice over IP , or VoIP , is an come out technology that provide you to apply your broadband Internet connexion to place and receive voice and videophone call . Internet - based calls are less expensive than traditional song ( sometimes they ’re even free ) , and many VoIP - based communication services are compatible with the old - fashioned planetary phone web , so you may practice these fresh VoIP tools to put calls to and receive them from traditional phone numbers . By contribute some desktop VoIP software instrument to your Mac , you , too , can take reward of Internet career .
We ’ve critique four Mac - compatible screen background VoIP app : Apple ’s iChat AV 3.1.4 , SIPPhone ’s Gizmo Project 1.3.2 , SightSpeed 4.5 , and Skype 1.4 . We also checked out a unique Cartesian product call WengoPhone ; still in genus Beta for the Mac , this VoIP plug - in for Mozilla Firefox lets you make and get calls via the web browser .
While each program has posture and failing , they all do fundamentally the same matter : they present you with a sidekick list like the one in an instant - messaging ( IM ) program , and they let you to commune by articulation ( and sometimes TV ) with the folks in that listing . Perhaps the skillful affair about these VoIP apps is that they ’re free downloads and are n’t shareware , so they wo n’t time out or periodically nag you to register . Since these programs are free , their makers do charge up for some premium features .
To get started using VoIP , you ’ll want a wideband Internet connection ( cable’s length or DSL ) and a Mac run OS X 10.3 or 10.4 ( some of these dick — iChat AV and Skype , for instance — volunteer extra function to Tiger user ) . You ’ll also need a microphone and a pair of speakers or headphones . Serious desktop VoIP users will opt for headphones or even a headset - mike to eliminate echo , one of the minus side issue of using freestanding speakers .
Cross-platform connections
Some VoIP products , including Skype and Gizmo Project , run on Windows and Linux , while Apple ’s iChat AV run only on OS X.
Skype , SightSpeed , Gizmo Project , and iChat AV allow you to host either multiparty spokesperson or videoconference calls . Unlike expensive in high spirits - end conferencing systems designed for prominent businesses , which are often tie in to a telephone scheme , these simple screen background VoIP apps can make conferencing easygoing — and more low-priced . All of these applications allow you to call other Internet users for free . But if you want to call somebody using his or her telephone number , as permit by Skype , Gizmo Project , and the Wengo plug - in , you ’ll pay a basic , per - minute fee . At this writing , neither iChat AV nor SightSpeed let computer - to - headphone vocation .
Advanced features cost money
Once you become wonted to a background VoIP tool , you may find that VoIP calling becomes a part of your casual procedure . After all , it ’s a lot easier to dial a Skype buddy by double - clicking on a name than it is to look up a number in Address Book and manually punch it in on your telephone ’s keypad . If you ’re into multiplayer Internet games , using a tool like Skype to keep in tactile sensation with your teammate is nice , as it relieves you from have to type text - chat messages during the game . And if you have relatives in other res publica , spill the beans to them over the cyberspace will cost you a lot less than placing international long - distance calls .
Some downsides
Despite the benefits of VoIP software on the Mac , a traditional phone is still necessary in some situation . master among them is emergency calling . None of the apps we calculate at can by rights route a 911 call to your local emergency dispatcher , though they ’ll in all probability have this ability in the future . Some avail that require entering dactyl — such as telephone banking or certain incarnate phone computer menu — may not mould properly with the computer - to - phone feature of speech of Skype and Gizmo Project , due to differences in the way VoIPsupports dial spot tones .
chance on which VoIP app is correct for you involves a combination of research , experiment , and ( hopefully ) a small playfulness .
VoIP Software Compared
- Top product . N / A = not applicable .
iChat AV 3.1
Most Mac OS X users already have a great VoIP dick install . Apple ’s iChat AV come with every Mac and , as of the current interlingual rendition ( 3.1.4 ) , offers good voice - chatting and videoconferencing features . This program began life as a simple text - message prick for usage with the AOL Instant Messenger ( AIM ) connection , but it has germinate into a full - blown desktop teleconferencing tool . When used alongside Apple ’s excellent iSight video tv camera ( now built into new iMacs , MacBooks , and MacBook Pros ) , iChat provides the plentiful videoconferencing experience available on an oculus sinister hug drug car .
iChat also substantiate Jabber , an open - source IM communications protocol , so you could use iChat with Google Talk ( a Windows - only IM program ) . And Bonjour , Apple ’s zero - configuration networking applied science , enable iChat to seamlessly discover likely partners connected to your LAN . iChat also works with Apple ’s iChat Server , so you may asseverate your own individual internet of iChat users . This is idealistic in an office mount where you do n’t want secret communicating traversing the public net .
iChat ’s user interface resembles that of an IM applications programme . Like Skype and other IM apps , iChat has a sidekick leaning that tells you the current status of each of your buddies , so you know if it ’s a good time to call or text - substance them . iChat also extend something unique among these VoIP tools : ikon go with each crony in the list tell you whether he or she has the correct hardware — in this case , a camera and a mike — to accept video or voice calls .
Other MessengersiChat ’s VoIP features allow you have audio and video chats with other iChat participants who use the AIM and Google Talk IM services .
In plus to offering one - on - one calling , iChat sustain multiparty cross - platform conferencing for voice and picture . articulation league can include up to ten participants . While iChat is limited to four video participant at a time , it ’s heavy to beat iChat ’s cool 3 - five hundred TV display , which makes it look that the people in the conference are in reality facing one another . Apple ’s adoption of the H.264 TV codec imply that you ’ll see very exculpated , high - caliber video , too , but H.264 is sustain only in OS X 10.4 or later . The previous exit of iChat , which necessitate OS X 10.4.6 , even allows voice and video calls with AIM substance abuser on Windows .
Despite iChat ’s achievements , Apple ’s desktop VoIP political program fall brusque in several areas . Unlike Skype and Gizmo , iChat does n’t allow you to grade computer - to - speech sound Call . Although iChat is compatible with the Google Talk IM coating for Windows , interpreter forebode to Google Talk drug user wo n’t work . iChat does n’t substantiate USB cameras , but shareware utilities such as Ecamm ’s iChatUSBCam can help you get around this restriction . last , iChat offer secure , encrypted communications only between users of .Mac , Apple ’s $ 100 - per - class World Wide Web military service .
Macworld’s buying advice
iChat AV 3.1.4 has made VoIP chatting dewy-eyed but still does n’t hold up estimator - to - phone calling . hoi polloi who need a VoIP conferencing tool that tolerate this should consider Skype or Gizmo Project rather .
Gizmo Project 1.3
SIPPhone ’s Gizmo Project 1.3.2 has more bell and whistles than any other desktop VoIP shaft for the Mac . In addition to standard text edition electronic messaging and one - on - one voice- schmooze feature film , which are common to all of the VoIP dick we looked at , Gizmo offers a searchable user directory , a publically approachable company - rail line conference elbow room , and electronic computer - to - phone vocation . Gizmo ’s user interface is a routine more cluttered than Skype ’s or iChat ’s , but this is forgivable : Gizmo offers a lot more dainty than your typical text- and vocalization - chat app .
Whether you function Gizmo on OS X , Windows , or Linux , you get the same characteristic set , the same drug user user interface , and roughly the same public presentation . This is obviously important to folk who start back and off between platforms frequently .
Gizmo implements basic text- and voice - schmooze features much as its challenger do , and it volunteer establish - in one - dawn call recording . Just tap the Record button while a call is in advancement , and Gizmo will save it as an audio Indian file . Gizmo lets you custom-make your cargo deck euphony so that when you set a call on hold , the wait person will in reality hear what you want him or her to see . Any WAV file will do ( although unluckily only this Windows formatting will do work ) ; Gizmo also come equipped with a selection of ready - made WAV music loops .
Gizmo also extend something you wo n’t find in any of the other Mac screen background VoIP tools : lineal dialing of SIP URIs ( Session Initiation Protocol Uniform Resource Identifiers ) . This powerful feature enables you to place calls to people by dialing a chain ( call a URI ) that resembles an east - post savoir-faire , like this : user_namesip.macvoip .com . Using this string , the Internet can route your call via DNS ( Domain Name Service ) , as it would traditional cyberspace apps such as e - post . Some VoIP expert trust that a SIP URI , which resemble an e - postal service savoir-faire , will one twenty-four hours make you reachable via any inspection and repair , include VoIP , fax , cell phone , and e - ring mail . Gizmo is leading the way on this .
As a Gizmo user , you have the selection of placing calls to traditional phone numbers . This service , dubbed CallOut , let you make computer - to - phone calls in a personal manner similar to how you ’d do it in Skype . Likewise , you may obtain a permanent CallIn headphone number from Gizmo . This stock phone identification number lets people call you from a solid ground logical argument or a mobile phone telephone set . you could elect to have this number at the same time ring a traditional phone ( your home or jail cell phone ) and Gizmo , so you could answer the call on either your Mac or your phone .
Gizmo has a couple of negatives , though : it has no video capability , and its conference vocation is n’t as seamless as Skype ’s . Also , Gizmo ’s drug user community is far small than Skype ’s , so you ’re less likely to happen your contact on Gizmo than on Skype .
Gizmo Project is the most in advance Skype rival on the market , and its many unparalleled feature make it worth a serious look . For patronage users , Gizmo has the sharpness with its configurable hold music , built - in call transcription , and simultaneous ring options .
SightSpeed 4.5
SightSpeed 4.5 is a VoIP communicating app that lets users chat via text , vox , and telecasting with other SightSpeed drug user , whether they ’re running the Mac or Windows adaptation of the package . you’re able to also send and receive traditional vocalisation mails and picture - mail messages with other SightSpeed users . Like its competitors , it requires a microphone for voice New World chat and a desktop World Wide Web camera — such as the iSight — for television chat .
While the basic version of SightSpeed is free , you ’ll need the premium version if you contrive on using its forward-looking feature film , which let in multiparty videoconferencing . The free program includes introductory career feature such as unlimited computer - to - computing gadget picture and voice chat , and TV - mail messages that are up to 30 endorsement longsighted . you may store these message on SightSpeed ’s server for up to 30 sidereal day . The Pro plan , which cost $ 4.95 per calendar month , summate unlimited video - ring armor storage and countenance you to send video messages that are up to one minute long . You also get multiparty videoconferencing with the premium religious service . Neither plan supports computer - to - phone calling .
You must plant up an account to employ SightSpeed . To do so , travel to SightSpeed ’s vane site , where you may enroll in either the free or the exchange premium service design . SightSpeed offers a free Webcam to Windows users who yield in rise for a full twelvemonth of pre - mium servicing — an up - front fee of $ 50 . alas , you ca n’t utilise the Webcam with a Mac , so SightSpeed urge a Mac - compatible tv camera such as the iSight . Interestingly , if your chat partner ’s camera supports pan - tilt - zoom control , you could actually control the slant and zoom of that camera with your Mac SightSpeed package . SightSpeed blow its video - chain armor recording capabilities as an vantage for video recording bloggers , but serious vloggers may chafe at the one - arcminute transcription limit .
The SightSpeed ChallengeThough SightSpeed ’s interface is very different from iChat ’s , its video quality and maternal controls make it a great challenger to Apple ’s aging chat programme .
The quality of SightSpeed ’s speech sound and video recording is similar to that of other VoIP confabulate tools . Though you ca n’t resize its main window , you may come off its TV display from the independent windowpane and resize it to your liking . This program ’s un - Mac - similar user interface makes it seem peculiarly out of step with most contemporary Mac software system . ( However , some substance abuser may appreciate the fact that SightSpeed ’s interface is identical on Mac and Windows . ) In spite of these quibbles , SightSpeed is easy to practice , so first - time video - Old World chat users might want to check it out .
SightSpeed ’s residential district feature ( in genus Beta at press prison term ) allow users easily find other people to chat with . When you get together the SightSpeed community , you may create a visibility that other community member can view . To keep your kid away from potentially out or keeping audio- and video - chat contacts within the community , SightSpeed allows you to create a paternal - control password . There seems to be no way to view a picky user ’s visibility or to search profiles from within the SightSpeed software , which can be frustrating if you ’re looking for somebody who share your pursuit in a topic or who comes from a certain part of the world .
SightSpeed offers a unique combination of cross - platform part and video recording characteristic . If you ’re looking for a video recording - chat puppet that has stronger residential district features than iChat , give SightSpeed a try .
Skype 1.4
Perhaps the most popular background VoIP communication tool , Skype 1.4 evolved from the controversial peer - to - peer technology that powers the Kazaa file - sharing app for Windows .
Skype is a highly refined VoIP diligence that is compatible with OS X , Windows , and Linux . It permits users to institutionalize text messages and make voice song to other Skype users , as well as property computer - to - phone yell to traditional phone numbers . The active Skype user community is said to number around six million cooccurring user at any give time . This is good , because it means you ’re more probable to find your touch on the Skype mesh than on any other estimator - to - computer calling system .
Skype ’s efficiently designed user port resembles that of a traditional IM software such as iChat or Yahoo Messenger : fundamentally , it ’s a inclination of your contact and a call account . you may get at basic features , such as changing your status and placing calls to someone in your contact list , using a computer menu - bar image that appears whenever Skype is running . If the Skype window is active , you just twice - press a touch ’s name to station a call .
Like other VoIP calling tools , the Skype computer software is detached . If you prefer to call ( or receive outcry from ) a traditional telephone act , you ’ll pay per minute , using prepurchased credit called SkypeOut minutes . Skype also extend other premium features , including vocalization post . This feature of speech works more or less like traditional voice mail , answering your calls with a recorded greeting when you ’re not around and enchant a vocalisation content from the company for you to retrieve later on . Skype offers conference shout out too , so you may have a vocalism Old World chat with as many as five participants at a fourth dimension .
derive from IMWith its contact lens tilt , Skype looks a destiny like a traditional IM software , such as iChat .
Once you become a Skype substance abuser , you’re able to also obtain a SkypeIn number that users of traditional body politic - line and cell phones can reach you at . When they call this turn , Skype colligate yell to the Mac where you ’ve logged on to your Skype history . This SkypeIn phone number could save you a lot of money on international prospicient aloofness . If you are always receiving calls from crime syndicate in , say , Poland , then you could get a Polish SkypeIn number to trim back the charges your family incurs by calling you . Skype offers SkypeIn numbers all over the world . Using Skype ’s call - send on feature of speech , you’re able to easily forward your unreciprocated calls to another Skype user or to a speech sound act of your choosing .
The electronic computer - to - computer calls offer extremely gamey - quality audio recording , thanks to Skype ’s option of a proprietary sound standard and a commercially license audio encoder . Skype also secures shout through a very firm encoding scheme , make it most impossible for would - be eavesdroppers to supervise your calls . It allows you to custom-make your ring shade , and it will even automatically break a current iTunes caterpillar tread when you receive an incoming call .
Skype is well integrated with OS X. For example , you could practice Skype ’s Import function to dwell your Skype contact list with the earpiece numbers in your Apple Address Book . Skype also supports AppleScript , so you’re able to tie it into other software to build specialized telephony functionality — for example , a FileMaker sales - impinging database that automatically dials prospects on a bias callback schedule . Unfortunately , the Mac reading of Skype does not support videoconferencing .
Skype is a fledged , authentic , and pop VoIP communications tool . Though the Mac rendering lacks video features , it offers unmatchable sound quality , convenience , and ease of use . If you take a screen background VoIP tool that also allows you to dial traditional phones , there ’s nothing better than Skype .
[ Ted Wallingford is the source ofSwitching to VoIP and VoIP Hacks(both O’Reilly , 2005 ) and an independent technology advisor based in Elyria , Ohio . He updates the Web sitewww.macvoip.comsemiannually . ]
