Blog
All posts: how-to guides, country guides, services and explainers
Here are all the posts, sorted onto four shelves. Guides walk through one task: placing a call on a Chromebook, a Mac or a Windows PC, adding a second number, or what to do when a web dialer can't reach 911. Country guides cover dialing Mexico, India, the Philippines and the UK from the US, with per-minute rates for landlines and mobiles, plus free ways to reach US numbers from abroad. Services explain one product at a time: Google Voice, WhatsApp, Skype and TextNow. Explainers cover the PSTN, VoIP numbers, caller ID, Wi-Fi Calling and what a minute abroad costs. I built every post from rate cards, help centers, terms and the web clients I opened in Chrome, and every current price carries the date I checked it, . Posts never number services; the only ranking is the comparison on the home page. For dialing codes and rates across many destinations, see calling abroad online.
Explainers
5-minute and 1-minute free calls: what trial minutes really give youA 5 minute free call is usually a 2–3 minute daily allowance or a one-off trial. I checked which free trial calls online still exist, their limits and catches.
Services
What is TextNow? A free US or Canadian number you can use in a browserTextNow gives US and Canadian residents a free, ad-funded phone number that also works in a browser. How it stays free, how web calls work, who can't use it.
Guides
How to call on a Chromebook in 2026, step by stepI checked the ways to make phone calls on a Chromebook: what Phone Hub can't do, Google Voice, web dialers and Android apps, with the steps and current costs.
Guides
Phone Link calls vs browser calling: what each needs and when it worksPhone Link calls run through your own phone over Bluetooth. I compare its requirements with browser dialers that need no phone, and say when each one works.
Guides
Calling from a Mac: the iPhone relay, FaceTime or a browser dialerPhone calls on a Mac: Calls from iPhone and the Phone app, FaceTime for Apple users, and Safari web dialers for a Mac with no iPhone, with costs and limits.
Countries
How to call Mexico from the US: the dial string, the 10-digit rule and costsHow to call Mexico from the US: dial 011 52 and the 10-digit number. Why 044, 045 and the extra 1 are gone, and the Mexico rates I checked on 1 Nov 2026.
Countries
How to call India from the USA: what to dial, landline codes and the cheapest optionsTo call India from the USA, dial 011 91 and the 10-digit number. Indian landline codes, the 0 to drop, and India rates I checked for browser dialers.
Countries
How to call the Philippines from the US: what to dial and what it costsHow to call the Philippines from the US: dial 011 63 and the number without its 0. Manila's 8-digit landlines and the per-minute rates I checked in Nov 2026.
Countries
How to call the UK from the US: dialing 011 44, mobile vs landline costs and calling backHow to call the UK from the US: dial 011 44 and drop the leading 0. UK landline and mobile rates compared, plus how to call the US from the UK online.
Countries
Free calls to the USA from abroad: what is free, what costs cents, and how to dialWhich calls to US numbers from abroad are free: app-to-app, carrier Wi-Fi Calling, capped web dialers, the Google Voice catch, paid rates and how to dial.
Explainers
How much do international calls cost? Carrier, VoIP and app prices in 2026What international calls cost in 2026: carrier per-minute and roaming fees, VoIP and browser dialer rates, free app calls, and a worked monthly example.
Explainers
International calling cards in 2026: still worth it next to apps and browser dialers?Are international calling cards still worth it? I read card terms and FCC advice on fees, rounding and expiry, and compare cards with apps and browser dialers.
Services
Can you use Google Voice outside the US? Countries, travel and moving abroadGoogle Voice not available in your country? Personal accounts are US-only. I checked the 34 countries Workspace covers and what still works on a trip abroad.
Services
Is Google Voice free? What is free and what you pay forGoogle Voice is free in the US for calls to most US and Canada numbers. I list what it costs: Starter and Standard plans, calls abroad and number fees.
Services
Google Voice international call rates: what a minute costs and how the credit worksWhat Google Voice charges a minute to call abroad, with dated rates for 12 countries, how prepaid credit and auto-recharge work, the balance cap and refunds.
Services
How to get a Google Voice phone number in 2026: requirements, steps and fixesHow to get a Google Voice number in 2026: who qualifies, the sign-up steps at voice.google.com, the text code and ID check, and fixes for common errors.
Services
WhatsApp international calls: free app to app, with three catchesWhatsApp calls abroad are free between two WhatsApp accounts, on a phone or a laptop. I list what you still pay for: data, roaming and non-WhatsApp numbers.
Services
Can WhatsApp call landlines or normal phone numbers?WhatsApp can't call landlines or numbers without WhatsApp, on a phone or in a browser. I read its help pages and compare services that can, checked Nov 2026.
Services
Is Skype still a thing? What happened after Skype shut down in May 2025Is Skype still a thing? No: it shut down on May 5, 2025. I traced what came next: the move to Teams (free), the data deadlines, Skype Credit and Skype Numbers.
Services
Your Skype Number after Skype: what ended, what you can claim, what replaces itSkype Numbers ended in May 2026 and can't be ported now. I read Microsoft's pages on refunds, leftover credit and deadlines, and compared replacement numbers.
Explainers
What Wi-Fi Calling is, and how it differs from a browser callWhat carrier Wi-Fi Calling is, how it differs from VoIP and browser dialers, what it costs, whether it works on a laptop, and when to use which one.
Explainers
What is PSTN? The public phone network, and how VoIP calls get into itPSTN is the public switched telephone network behind landline and mobile numbers. How it differs from VoIP, how internet calls reach it and who gets paid.
Explainers
What is a softphone, and how is it different from a web phone?A softphone is a calling app you install and sign in to, often with a SIP account. I compare it with a web phone in the browser on setup, SIP, cost and limits.
Explainers
VoIP vs landline in 2026: power cuts, 911, cost and call qualityI compared VoIP and landlines on power cuts, 911 location, monthly cost and call quality, using the FCC rules and codec standards I checked in November 2026.
Explainers
What is a VoIP number? Fixed vs non-fixed, and why apps turn it downA VoIP number rings over the internet instead of a SIM. I explain fixed vs non-fixed numbers and why banks and apps refuse them, with their rules read Nov 2026.
Guides
How to get a second phone number: eSIM, free apps or a number in your browserI compared the ways to get a second phone number without a second SIM: an eSIM line, Google Voice, TextNow and rented numbers that ring in a browser tab.
Guides
Calling 911 from a computer: what works, what is blocked and what to use insteadCan you call 911 from a computer? I checked which browser and VoIP services connect 911, 112 or 999, what the rules require, and what to use instead.
Explainers
WebRTC leak test: what a browser call reveals about your IP addressHow to run a WebRTC leak test, read the result and see who gets your IP on a browser call, with the Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Safari and VPN settings I checked.
Explainers
VoIP caller ID: which number people see when you call from a browserVoIP caller ID on a browser call can be a shared number, a number from the service or your verified mobile. I compare what each shows and who can call back.
Explainers
Browser vs app calling: when a tab is enough and when to installBrowser vs app calling compared on install size, microphone permissions, incoming calls, battery and cost, and the cases where an installed app is better.