10 Sites that Let you Use Mobile VoIP for Free

VoIP technology is increasingly popular but it still hasn’t hit the mainstream population. (If you’re a VoIP lover who is wondering why, head here to find out.) The good news about that is that there are numerous VoIP businesses out there that are offering services for free because they want to start getting the attention of the growing market. Since one of the biggest areas poised for upcoming growth is the mobile VoIP market, many of the free services that are available specifically target this area of the technology.

If you have ever taken an interest in VoIP technology and you happen to be someone who loves to use your mobile phone, you might want to check out the free VoIP services that are offered by the following ten sites.

1. Damaka.

This VoIP company specializes in what is being dubbed peer-to-peer calling. That means that it’s a VoIP service designed for people to make no-cost/low-cost calls to others who are also members of the same network. They have recently launched Damaka Mobile which takes their traditional VoIP system and makes it on-the-go. In order to make use of this Mobile VoIP, you’ll need to have a smartphone that can connect to the wireless Internet.

2. Fring.

This is one of the most popular mobile VoIP services for people who are regular users of social networking services. In addition to VoIP, Fring offers IM services and mobile networking services like Twitter. It lets you make free calls to people within your social network and allows for low-cost VoIP calling to other networks as well. Because of its user interface and its social networking functions, Fring is considered the most “Web 2.0 friendly” mobile VoIP service currently on the market.

3. Gizmo5.

This is a great new mobile VoIP service that appeals to a broader range of people than many of the others because it doesn’t require that you have a smartphone to make use of it. Instead, you simply go to the site and select your phone to get the VoIP services download for free. However, Gizmo5 is even better for people who do have advanced phones because it supports the transfer of files through your mobile phone using a jabber client.

4. GoSIP.

The name of this company is a play on words which refers to the SIP technology that is used in VoIP but conjures up images of what you’re most likely to do on your mobile – gossip. It is a free download for wireless VoIP services which requires that you have a Wi-Fi connection and an Internet platform to make use of it. That means that it’s only a good service for those people who have wi-fi enabled smart phones. As long as you meet that requirement (and some basic screen resolution and processor requirements), you can download the VoIP service straight to your mobile and start making those calls.

5. Mobivox.

This is one of the simplest mobile VoIP services available in the market today. That’s because the company didn’t make a lot of complex changes when it went mobile which was the case with most other VoIP companies that created mobile divisions. With Mobivox, you just get simple free international calling using a basic VoIP download. And they don’t care which phone you use to make those calls so it’s just as good for your mobile as it is for your landline. Note that calls are only free between Mobivox and Skype users; other calls will cost some money.

6. Nimbuzz.

Nimbuzz is a free download mobile VoIP service that frequently garners comparisons to Fring because of their similar promotion of mobile social networking. It is designed to connect you to free calls through social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. It also allows IM chats and file sharing with others through your mobile phone.

7. Blyk.

This is a UK-specific mobile phone service that got attention because of its unique pricing approach. That’s because it derives its funding primarily for advertising services. The benefit to the user is that you get a certain number of free SMS messages and calling minutes per month. It’s a mobile VoIP system that is targeted specifically at the youth (teen/young adult) demographic. It currently requires an invite to join but it’s an interesting model that may be seen in future mobile VoIP services as mobile phone advertising becomes more prevalent.

8. Barablu.

This free download mobile VoIP service is similar to those offered by others in the industry. It allows you to make free mobile calls to people who use the Barablu network as well as to those people on certain VoIM programs such as Skype and Google Talk. If you’re interested in making calls to people outside of these networks, you can sometimes do so at a lower cost than your normal mobile phone rates because Barablu’s per minute prices are fairly low.

9. Truphone.

This mobile VoIP service offers a fairly simple download system. You enter your number on the site and get sent an SMS message that will provide you with free mobile phone download information. Then you set up an online account so that you can manage your VoIP calls through your Internet connection. As you may have already guessed, this requires that you have a phone which can access Wi-Fi Internet.

10. ROKViper.

There are pros and cons to using this mobile VoIP system as a result of the fact that it was one of the first mobile VoIP products on the market. On the one hand, that means that some of the technology is outdated. Whereas new services allow you a simple free download to your phone, this one requires a download to both your phone and PC and demands that you also have a Bluetooth headset. On the plus side, this company’s duration in the market means that they’ve worked out a lot of the kinks in their service that newer businesses may still be dealing with today.

Although there are many different mobile VoIP services starting to hit the market, they seem to be splitting into two basic different directions. The first is oriented to the professional user who is going to access a Wi-Fi connection to make business calls. The second is oriented to the Web 2.0 user who wants to stay in touch with online social networks through the use of mobile VoIP. As these two distinct areas develop, we are likely to see just a few names come to dominate the industry. In the meantime, you can start testing them out for free!