Is Skype Free on Windows 10?

Skype, the popular video-calling service, has been struggling to keep up with its competitors in recent years. Despite being acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype's user base has not grown as rapidly as expected, and it has been overshadowed by other platforms such as Zoom and Teams.

In April, Microsoft announced that Teams had reached 75 million daily active users, a significant milestone for the company. However, even within Microsoft, Teams appears to be the preferred platform over Skype. The virus outbreak in March saw a surge in Skype's user base, with 40 million daily active users, a 70 percent increase from the previous month.

Despite this temporary boost, Skype is still not as prominent as it once was. Its absence in various implementations and integrations is a testament to its declining presence in the video-calling market. The coronavirus pandemic has forced people to connect online, making platforms like Zoom and Teams more relevant than ever.

Microsoft's own employees use Blue Jeans internally, and when building an integration with LinkedIn, they chose to incorporate popular services such as Zoom and Teams, but not Skype. This is a telling sign of the platform's diminished importance within the company.

The effort to integrate Microsoft Teams into LinkedIn was born out of a project developed during a Covid-response hackathon held earlier this year by the company. Engineers worked with the team behind Microsoft Teams to build the integration, which showcases the growing popularity of Teams over Skype.

In conclusion, while Skype is still available on Windows 10 and can be used for video-calling, its presence has diminished significantly in recent years. The rise of competitors like Zoom and Teams has pushed Skype to the background, making it less relevant than ever before.

Is skype free on windows 10