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Viber is a popular free IP telephony messaging service and Skype alternative that you can use on your smartphone or PC. The Viber PC client takes the convenience of a mobile app and brings it to your PC so you can stay connected even if you don’t have a mobile phone. It also makes it easier to work and multitask when communicating with your contacts.

Viber competes with Whatsapp for the title of the world’s most popular messaging service across platforms and devices. The main difference between Viber/Whatsapp and Skype is that you can chat with all your mobile phone contacts who also use the service, not just your Skype contacts. Voice call, chat, send SMS, images and videos for free to any of your phone contacts who also have the application installed. You can even video call up to 100 of your contacts at the same time! The simple user interface complements the package nicely. Apps like Viber and Whatsapp have pretty much killed the traditional mobile SMS industry due to their ease of use and ever-improving data coverage.

To use Viber on a Windows PC, you first need to install Viber on your mobile phone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian, and Windows Phone apps are available). Then install the Windows desktop client on your computer and sign in to sync your contacts across the two devices. Then everything is ready, call and chat at your pleasure for free.

If you want to call other non-VoIP users (directly to landlines and mobiles), you can use the Viber Out feature. These calls are not free but are very competitively priced. You can use Viber Out by topping up your Viber account balance. Call quality is generally excellent, unless you’re in an area with a poor internet connection.

Looking for a version of Viber for Mac? Download here