Calling a phone from your computer, laptop or PC: what works in 2026

What are the ways to call a phone from a computer?

There are five routes, and which one fits depends on whether your phone is nearby and where you live. Web dialers call any landline or mobile from a browser tab, free-number services such as Google Voice do the same for US residents, messenger apps call other app users rather than phone numbers, phone relay borrows your mobile's line, and capped free dialers cover one short call.

Checked November 1, 2026. Google Voice's free calls apply when you call from the US.

A web dialer is a page that uses WebRTC, the real-time communication standards built into current browsers, so there is no plug-in or app to install^[19].

Older guides still point to Skype, which retired on May 5, 2025; Teams free, Microsoft's replacement, sells no calling plans for phone numbers^[12]. What became of Skype covers the shutdown.

How do I call from a laptop without a phone?

Use a dialer that doesn't ask for a phone number. I read each service's sign-up rules: the free no-account dialers and TwinPhone need no phone number at all, and TextNow opens an account with an email, while Google Voice, Yolla's app, WhatsApp and Telegram tie the account to a phone number you already have.

What each service asks for before the first call, as published on November 1, 2026:

• PopTox and Call2Friends: no account for the free calls^[18][9], but capped: the same number up to 5 times a day on PopTox^[8], one or two calls a day per IP address on Call2Friends^[9], lasting 120 seconds to the US^[20].
• TwinPhone: an email or a Google account, with no card and no phone number at sign-up^[5]. Calls need prepaid credit of at least $10^[4], and there is no trial credit^[21].
• Yolla Web: the page asks for "the requested details" and a verification step^[7]; the app verifies your phone number by text or call^[22]. I could not confirm whether web sign-up works without a phone number.
• Google Voice: a Google account, a phone number that receives a text code^[23], and an ID check for new numbers^[24]. Personal accounts are for the US only^[2].
• TextNow: an email is enough to open an account^[25], but the service is for US and Canada residents only^[26], and its international-calling page starts with downloading the app^[27].
• Globfone: free calls now need a phone number verified by text message and a validated payment card^[28].
• WhatsApp Web and Telegram Web: both log in to an account registered with a mobile number^[29][30].

Calling out needs no number of your own. If you also want people to reach you on the laptop, the section on incoming calls below compares the services that give you one.

How do I make a call from my computer, step by step?

Most web dialers I looked at work the same way: open the page, sign in, let the browser use your microphone and type the full international number. What differs is what the sign-in asks for and whether the price shows before the call connects; on Yolla and TwinPhone it does^[7][5].

1. Check that the computer has a working microphone; a headset stops the other person hearing an echo of their own voice^[5].
2. Open the dialer in a current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari; Google Voice supports exactly these four^[1], and TwinPhone adds Brave^[5].
3. Sign in or create the account, and add credit if the service charges per minute.
4. Allow the microphone when the browser asks. Chrome offers to allow it while you visit the site, this time only, or never^[34].
5. Type the number in international format: the country code first^[1], which is 1 for the US and Canada^[35][35] and 44 for the UK^[35], then the number without its leading zero^[36].
6. Read the per-minute rate on screen, then press Call. The person you call answers on an ordinary phone and needs no app^[5].
7. Keep the tab open for the whole call.

Yolla describes a sign-up, verify and top-up order^[7], and TwinPhone sets out its version in four steps, from a free account to a top-up, dialling and checking the rate^[37].

If the other person can't hear you

• Site permission: in Chrome, a blocked dialer sits under "Not allowed to use your camera or microphone" in the site settings; switch it to Allow and reload the page^[34].
• Mac: macOS keeps a separate microphone switch for each app, so the browser itself must be turned on there^[38].
• Windows: a browser is a desktop app, so "Let desktop apps access your microphone" has to be on^[39].

Which service suits which kind of caller?

A US resident calling US and Canada numbers pays nothing for most calls with Google Voice or TextNow. Without a US address or a phone number to verify, a paid web dialer is the practical choice, and the cheaper one depends on the country you call. If the other person uses WhatsApp, a call on WhatsApp Web costs nothing.

On a phone, scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Per minute, lowest published rate on the date checked. Scroll sideways on a phone.

• You live in the US: Google Voice gives you a free number and free calls to most US and Canada numbers^[1]; TextNow offers free US and Canada calling^[53], paid for by in-app ads^[25].
• You live outside the US or have no phone number to verify: Yolla Web publishes lower rates to US numbers ($0.01 against $0.02), UK mobiles ($0.10 against $0.12) and India ($0.0239 against $0.08)^{[6][48][54][3]}, but it only makes outgoing calls^[7]. TwinPhone signs you up with an email alone and can add a rented number that rings in the browser^[5].
• The person you call uses WhatsApp: WhatsApp Web now places calls in the tab with no time limit and at no cost^[14], but the feature is still rolling out gradually^[15] and it reaches WhatsApp users only.
• You need one short call, once: PopTox or Call2Friends, accepting the caps above and, on PopTox, a caller ID that is the same fixed number for everyone^[45].

For scores across every service I checked, see the ranking on the home page.

What changes on Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Linux?

A web dialer behaves the same on every system, because the browser does the work. Windows and the Mac add built-in relays, Phone Link and Calls from iPhone, but both need your phone close by. On a Chromebook or a Linux PC the browser is the route to use, so check each service's list of supported systems first.

Windows: Phone Link or a web dialer

Phone Link shows your phone's calls on the PC, but the call still runs through the phone: Microsoft says calling needs Bluetooth on both the PC and the Android phone, and an iPhone has to stay within Bluetooth range^[16]. A web dialer needs no phone at all. My comparison of Phone Link and browser calling goes through the trade-offs.

Mac: calls from iPhone or a web dialer

A Mac can make calls through your iPhone when both use the same Apple Account and the Mac is on the same network as the iPhone^[17]. Without an iPhone, a web dialer in Safari or Chrome does the job: Google Voice, Yolla and TwinPhone all list Safari^[1][7][5]. The guide to calling from a Mac covers both set-ups.

Chromebook: the browser is the phone

Google Voice names Chrome OS among its supported systems^[10], and TwinPhone says its dialer works in Chrome on a Chromebook^[5]. On a school or work Chromebook, an administrator may have locked the microphone setting^[34]. The Chromebook walkthrough has the steps.

Linux: check the supported list

Support on Linux is uneven. WhatsApp lists Linux for web calling^[15] and TwinPhone names it^[5], while Google Voice lists only Chrome OS, Mac and Windows and says other platforms may get limited functionality^[10].

Can I use my laptop as a phone, incoming calls included?

Yes for outgoing calls, with any web dialer. Incoming calls need a number that rings in the browser while the tab stays open and signed in: Google Voice, TextNow and a rented TwinPhone number do this. Yolla Web and PopTox don't, and messenger apps ring only for their own users.

• Google Voice: calls ring on the computer only while you are signed in with the browser window open^[40].
• TextNow: the web version can make and receive calls^[42].
• TwinPhone: only with a rented US, Canadian or Puerto Rico number, $3.19 a month^[55]. Incoming minutes cost $0.02 each from the balance, and the browser tab or the iPhone app has to be open to answer^[43].
• Yolla Web: outgoing calls only^[7].
• PopTox: I found no number to rent on its site, and every call goes out from one shared number^[45], so a call back can't reach you.
• WhatsApp Web: an incoming call shows a notification in the tab, and both the computer and the phone need an internet connection^[11].

Can I call a cell phone from my computer for free?

Sometimes. If you live in the US, Google Voice and TextNow call most US and Canada mobiles free^[1][53], and WhatsApp Web calls other WhatsApp users at no cost^[14]. Outside those cases, free calls to an ordinary mobile come from capped dialers, which limit how often and how long you can talk.

The free dialers publish their limits: Call2Friends gives free calls of 120 seconds to the US^[20], PopTox states only its cap of five calls a day to the same number^[8], and Globfone's daily free credit typically covers a short call of a few minutes once your phone number and card are verified, but only a few seconds to some mobile numbers^[56]. For every free option and its catch, see free online calls and their limits.

What shouldn't I rely on a computer for?

Emergency calls, first of all. Free Google Voice accounts, TwinPhone, Yolla and WhatsApp all say they can't reach emergency services^{[57][21][58][29]}, so keep a mobile or landline for 911, 112 or 999; my guide to 911 and 112 from a computer covers the exceptions. The second limit is the number the person you call sees.

That number depends on the service: Google Voice shows your Google Voice number^[1], Yolla your own number^[59], PopTox one fixed number for every caller^[45], and TwinPhone a shared number that can't be called back unless you rent a number or pay $1 a month to show your verified mobile^[60]. My caller ID explainer has the details.

In this guide

• Guides

  How to call on a Chromebook in 2026, step by step

  I 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 works

  Phone 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 dialer

  Phone 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.

Frequently asked questions

TwinPhone FAQ