Skype Video Call vs Facebook Video Chat
Facebook, the world’s most popular online social network with over 750+ million users, has teamed up with Skype, the most widely used video calling software, to offer Facebook Video Chat. This Skype-powered video calling feature aims to boost the popularity of both companies, while also allowing Facebook to compete with Google+, another social network with its own video chat feature.
What is Skype Video Call?
Skype is a software application that enables users to make video calls (known as Skype Video Calls) over the internet, as well as PC-to-phone calls. To make a video call, a user must first install the Skype client software on their computer and register for a free Skype account. Registered Skype users can then call other registered users who are also running the client on their computers. While Skype Video Calls between two people are free, videoconferencing between multiple users requires a premium, paid account.
What is Facebook Video Chat?
Facebook Video Chat does not offer group chat capabilities. Facebook claims this is because one-to-one video chat is more popular on Skype than group chat, although the fact that group chat in Skype is a paid product might contribute to its lower popularity. Since Skype is hesitant to remove the pay barrier for premium users to access group chat, it may be some time before Facebook adds group video chat to its video chat feature. However, if all your friends use Facebook, Facebook Video Chat is the best option for one-to-one video chat, especially since you don’t need to download the Skype client or register for Skype. You can initiate the call from either your homepage or your friend’s profile page. However, Facebook Video Chat does not currently work on mobile phones.
Key Takeaways
- Skype Video Call can be used for video conferences with multiple people, while Facebook Video Chat is limited to one-to-one video chats.
- Skype videoconferencing is a paid service, but Facebook Video Chat is free for all Facebook users.
- Facebook Video Chat users do not need to be registered Skype users and can use the service without installing the Skype client, but it does not work on mobile phones and cannot be used to communicate with users who only have a Skype account.
