Add to Chrome
Add to Edge
Add to Firefox
Add to Opera
Add to Brave
Add to SafariWhen comparing Skype vs QKSMS, the Slant community recommends QKSMS for most people. In the question“What are the best messaging apps for Android?” QKSMS is ranked 7th while Skype is ranked 33rd. The most important reason people chose QKSMS is:
When a new sms is received, a window will pop up that has the message and allows answering it from there, without having to open the app. It can be dismissed by tapping anywhere else on the screen.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Easily connect with others due to how popular the service is
There's a good chance that whoever you're trying to reach has Skype already set up and familiar with it, avoiding the hassle of installing and getting to know new software.
Pro Screen sharing
You can show your whole desktop, a select part of the screen or a specific window over Skype.
Pro Cross-platform
There's software for Windows, Mac & Linux and apps are available on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.
Pro Group video for free
You can hold video calls with up to 10 people.
Pro Available on Linux
A stripped down, minimalist version of Skype is available for Linux.
Pro File sharing
Skype allows you to send any files (MP3s, images, text, etc.) by simply dragging and dropping then in the chat window making it simple to share things with colleagues.
Pro Cheap fixed phone number
Starting at $5/mo you can get a Skype number.
Pro Send SMS and make regular calls
With Skype Credit bought or a subscription, you can send SMS and make direct calls.
Pro Group chat with archive / records
Pro Powerful 1:1 chat and also group chat
Pro Allows responding to SMS without opening the app
When a new sms is received, a window will pop up that has the message and allows answering it from there, without having to open the app. It can be dismissed by tapping anywhere else on the screen.
Pro Per-conversation notification settings
Users can set different notification settings per user as an easy way to know who is messaging without having to look at the actual message.
Pro Easily communicate with groups
Users can communicate with large groups at the same time due to the included group messaging feature. This is convenient when trying to synchronize with friends or colleagues.
Pro Very active developer who listens to the community
While QKSMS is one of the younger apps, the developer is quickly adding features/fixing bugs.
Pro Free
The app is available for free with an optional donation IAP that ranges from $1-$10.
Pro Beautiful design
Responsive, highly customizable Material Design interface makes for a native looking app that fits in well with Google's UI design guidelines.
Pro Save yourself from sending out bad messages
Through delayed messaging one can set it up so that a message is not sent automatically. This can help for those times that it may be best to think something over before sending out a rash message.
Pro Readable in day or night due to themes
There are light and dark themes available within the settings which can be switched depending on how light it is around one when using the app. The dark theme can also help to conserve battery when being used as not as much brightness and hence battery will be used.
Pro Schedule messages
Users can schedule messages to be sent for later.
Pro Convenient Android Wear support
Those that own an Android Wear device will be able to set it to receive their messages on the Android Wear device making for convenient notifications and easy messaging through not having to take their phone out.
Cons
Con Plagued by bugs on all platforms
Crashes and other bugs are prevalent on Android, Windows and other platforms.
Con Subpar video quality with more than 5 users
Skype has significant problems with multiple users and video quality. Skype recommends that a max of 5 users group chat as video quality is severely affected. Even webcams tested with other chat services showed lower quality when used with Skype.
Con Not a feasible alternative as a professional team chat
Missing key feature such as centralized mgmt, centralized billing, data retention policies, ...
Con Poor quality when screensharing
It is not possible to manually set resolution or bitrate, and Skype often defaults to a resolution so low that text is unreadable. It is also not possible to transfer control over mouse and keyboard.
Con Slow filesharing speed
Con Owned by Microsoft
Con Obnoxiously large ads
Ads take up over 25% of the usable space.
Con Poor Linux support
The version available for linux users is quite outdated, and does not support some of the newer functionality, such as the free group video calling and screen sharing.
Con Requires both ends to be online (if neither end is using a cloud-enabled device)
Messages are sent and received only when both ends are online, if neither end is using a cloud-enabled device. In this case, if you are online 9-17 and your recipient is online 18-3, messages will never be delivered.
Con MIcrosoft (Skype's owner) actively assists eavesdroppers
On the other hand, if you lose your copy of one of your conversations, you may be able to get a copy of it from your government with a little bit of luck and a public records request.
Con Last update was 2021
Con Buggy
There are little annoyances here and there, from dark theme problems making text unreadable to crashing and missing notifications.
Con Lacks features compared to other offerings
