When you’re already working from your computer, it makes sense to want to call from it, too. Maybe you want to check your notes, pull up some files, or share your screen while you’re calling, and it’s easier to just do everything from your computer.
Or maybe your phone’s on silent, buried under a pile of receipts, and you need to make a call ASAP — a call from PC it is. In this guide, you’ll learn how to call someone from a computer and the best apps to get started.
How to make a call from a PC
To make and receive calls from your computer, you need to use WiFi calling. If you’re just calling friends or family, a basic setup will do the trick. But if you’re calling customers or running a business, a Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP phone app like Quo gives you the tools to do it professionally.
While the exact process of PC calling can vary from app to app, you generally need to follow four key steps:
- Choose a phone system and download their PC phone call app or use their web app. For business calling, look for an app that offers features like shared numbers, team collaboration, and call handling so you’re not limited as your business grows.
- Make sure you have a stable internet connection. Using WiFi is the norm, but you can also call using a hotspot or Ethernet. You really only need download speeds of under 0.5 Mbps for VoIP calls. But it’s still a good idea to do an internet speed test ahead of your first call to avoid jitter.
- Get your sound system ready. Most computers have built-in mics and speakers. However, a VoIP headset gives you clearer audio and better noise control. Just make sure your headset is connected and your external mic is selected in your sound settings.
- Start calling. You’re ready to make calls and send texts from your PC. Depending on the app, calling clients and coworkers can be as simple as dialing a phone number or selecting someone from your contact list.
Top 5 calling apps for PCs in 2025
Here are the five best WiFi calling apps for PCs:
1. Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Best calling and texting app for growing teams
Pros
- Free calling from a computer and other devices to US and Canadian numbers
- Local and toll-free second numbers are available
- Internal threads, contact notes, and direct messaging for team collaboration
- Auto-attendant functions or IVR for inbound calls
- Messaging automation, including auto-replies, snippets, and scheduled messages
- Integrations with 7,000+ apps, including Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot
Cons
- Can’t verify accounts through two-factor authentication*
*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this limitation. For safety reasons, companies like Facebook, Uber, and Google rarely let you authenticate accounts through a virtual phone number.
Quo is a VoIP phone service that supports phone calls and text messages, both SMS and MMS, on any internet-enabled device. When you don’t want to use your iPhone or Android phone, you can use our desktop or web apps.
Every user gets a free US, Canadian, or toll-free number and can make free phone calls from computers and other devices to the US and Canada. You can also make international calls from a PC with our competitive international calling rates.
No matter where you log in from, you’ll have full access to your contact list, recent calls, voicemail inbox, and everything you need to successfully make calls. You can also use business features like call recording, interactive voice response or phone menus, and shared phone numbers to improve your customer interactions.
You can multitask to your heart’s content while taking a call since Quo’s AI call summaries take notes for you. On the Business plan, you also get call transcripts and automatic call recordings.
Quo plans start at just $15 per user per month. You can try out Quo with a seven-day free trial and try calling from your computer for free to confirm it’s a great fit.
During the signup process, you’ll be asked for a credit card to help keep bad actors off the platform. And when your trial is set to expire, we’ll email you a heads-up to the email address you used to sign up.
Key features of Quo
- Easily call and text from your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone
- Free VoIP calls from a PC to any US or Canadian number
- Free texting, both SMS and MMS, to US and Canadian numbers
- Each user comes with a local US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number
- Work together with your team from a shared number
- Save time texting with auto-replies, snippets, and scheduled text messages
- Integrates with Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Contacts; integrate other tools using the Quo API
Quo pricing
Quo’s pricing plans offer three ways for businesses to call from a PC:
- Starter: $15 per user per month for unlimited calls in the US and Canada, voicemail transcripts, shared phone numbers, and more
- Business: $23 per user per month for phone menus, AI call summaries and call transcripts, group calling, and more
- Scale: $35 per user per month for AI call tags, dedicated onboarding, and priority chat and email support
How to call from a PC with OpenPhone
Quo has plenty of advanced features, but it’s simple to use. Once you create an account, there are three different ways to make free calls from a PC:
- Dial a number from the browser or desktop app. Go to your workspace and click the Phone icon (called the Make a call button) at the top left. As a shortcut, tap C on your keyboard to open the dialer.
- Select a contact from your contact list and tap the call icon on the top left.
- Call from a conversation thread. Open a conversation with a person you want to call and select the phone icon at the top.
2. Google Voice: Best for Google Workspace users
Pros
- Free VoIP calls to the US and Canada
- Integrates with other Google Workspace apps
- Share responsibility for incoming calls with ring groups requires an upgrade
Cons
- Texting is available in the US only
- No toll-free numbers
- No desktop app
- Call recording is unavailable on the base plan
- No integrations outside of Google Workspace
- Requires a Google Workspace subscription
Google Voice for Google Workspace is a popular business VoIP app for Windows and Mac users. While Google Voice doesn’t offer a desktop app, you can call from the browser app or make calls using its Google Chrome extension.
Google Voice is free for personal use, but it’s not a good choice for businesses. You can’t add more than one user to a free account. Their free plan also doesn’t have features you need to handle calls well, like ring groups and auto-attendants.
Google Voice for Google Workspace offers free calls to the US and Canada for US users. However, beyond features like voicemail transcriptions and business hour settings, it offers limited business features.
If you’re looking to automate repetitive tasks or give your team more context, you won’t be able to integrate Google Voice with any software except other Google apps. Plus, you’ll need a Google Workspace account, $7 per month minimum, so you’ll end up paying for two different tools.
Key features of Google Voice
- Free unlimited calling to the US
- Free unlimited calling to Canada for US customers only
- Free texting to US numbers, only for US customers
- Google Calendar and Google Meet integrations
- Business call recordings (requires upgrade)
- Ring groups (requires upgrade)
- Phone menus (requires upgrade)
Google Voice pricing
Google Voice’s paid plans require you to have an active Google Workspace subscription, starting at $7 per user per month, on top of one of these three Google Voice plans:
- Starter: $10 per user per month — max 10 users — for calls in the US and Canada, call forwarding, and voicemail transcriptions
- Standard: $20 per user per month for multi-level auto-attendants, ring groups, and ad-hoc call recording
- Premier: $30 per user per month for automatic call recording and advanced reporting
3. FaceTime: Best free calling app for iOS users
Pros
- Free to use
- Ability to share links and files during calls
- Can switch to a FaceTime video call
- Screen sharing
Cons
- Basic calling functionality
- No business features like shared numbers, call routing, or ring groups
- Can only call other iPhone users
FaceTime uses your personal phone number to make video and audio calls from your iPhone, iPad, or macOS computer. It’s easy to use, free, and even lets you record 1:1 audio calls, complete with a transcript.
The caveat is that Android users can’t initiate a FaceTime call, which makes it hard for some customers to contact your business. You’d have to create and send them a FaceTime link first, which adds extra steps and might not come off as very professional.
FaceTime also doesn’t offer shared numbers or any other business features like auto-attendants, call transfers, or ring groups. So it’s not a sustainable solution for handling customer calls for a growing business.
Key features of FaceTime
- Have a Group FaceTime call with up to 32 people
- Transfer a call to your iPhone
- Record 1:1 audio calls
- Add an incoming caller to a current call
- Record a video or audio message
- Create a link to a FaceTime call to send to your customers
- Turn on Live Captions, currently in beta
FaceTime pricing
FaceTime is free.
4. Phone Link: Best free calling app for Windows
Pros
- Seamless integration between your phone and PC
- Available for Android and iOS
Cons
- No business features
- No third-party integrations
- No call recording or call transcription
When you need to make personal calls from your PC, Phone Link could be a solid option. It works by pairing your Android and iOS phones to a Windows 10 or 11 PC. You can use your existing number to make calls from your PC or answer incoming calls from a desktop pop-up.
Phone Link is free to use, but it’s only a way to mirror your phone. You can handle your personal calls more conveniently, but it falls short for business use. It lacks essential business features like shared numbers, CRM integrations, and call recording. If you want a PC calling app that will help your company grow, you should consider a different option.
Key features of Phone Link
- Call and text from your PC
- Works on Android and iOS with Windows PCs
- Share photos between phones and PCs
Phone Link pricing
Phone Link is a free app.
5. Zoom: Reliable video calling app for desktop
Pros
- Offers a free plan (for single users)
- Easy to use and widely adopted
- Offers screen sharing and recording
Cons
- Time limit on the free plan (40 minutes)
- Texting and traditional calling require a separate Zoom Phone subscription
- Doesn’t offer call handling features like call queuing
- Doesn’t replace your main number
Zoom is a video calling app with screensharing for a PC. With a straightforward interface and few bells and whistles on the base plan, it’s a solid choice for solo businesses and personal use. But it also offers features like meeting recordings, whiteboards, waiting rooms, and passcodes if you need more.
That said, Zoom is more of a meeting tool than a business phone system. It doesn’t replace your main number or allow you to text from a PC. And if you want to send texts or make regular phone calls, you’ll need to upgrade to Zoom Phone — a separate service with its own pricing.
Key features of Zoom
- Screensharing
- Meeting chat
- Whiteboard for in-call collaboration
- AI companion (requires upgrade)
- Call recording (cloud storage requires upgrade)
- Recording transcripts (requires upgrade)
- Breakout rooms
- Waiting room
Zoom pricing
Zoom offers three pricing plans:
- Free: Includes meetings of up to 40 minutes, 100 participants per meeting, team chat, notes, and three editable whiteboards
- Pro: $13.33 for meetings of up to 30 hours, 10 GB of cloud storage, AI-first task management, workflow automation, and live chat support
- Business: $18.33 for 300 meeting participants, unlimited whiteboards, scheduled, and advanced security
Quo: The best PC calling app for growing teams
If you want to make a personal call from your computer, all you need is a solid internet connection and a decent sound setup. But for business use, the calling app you choose makes the biggest difference.
With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can make calls on any internet-enabled device, including your PC, while getting powerful features like:
- A local US, Canadian, or toll-free number per user
- Unlimited calling and texting to the US and Canada
- Shared numbers to split responsibility for incoming calls and texts
- Call handling functions like call routing, ring groups, and phone menus, and call transfers to direct callers to the right place
- Texting automations
- AI call transcripts and summaries
- Sona, Quo’s AI voice agent
Quo also makes it easy to call from a different number, ensuring your personal cell number is kept private while you run your business. See why thousands of growing companies use Quo for yourself. Start your free seven-day trial today.
FAQs
Using a PC phone call app can help you:
– Access helpful business features like shared numbers, call routing, call recording and transcripts, and screensharing
– Work efficiently on calls by pulling up notes, calendars, or CRM tools while you talk
– Have a reliable backup when your phone is charging, out of reach, or in use elsewhere
– Keep everything in one place so you don’t have to switch between devices during the workday
– Present a more professional setup, especially when paired with a VoIP headset
You can make calls without a phone by getting a virtual number with a VoIP provider and using it to make calls from your PC.
To get started:
1. Choose a VoIP provider.
2. Create your account by verifying your identity with a mobile number and a credit card.
3. Import your contacts.
4. Start calling from your computer.
Yes, a reliable computer calling app like Quo lets you make international calls from your PC with competitive international calling rates.
Yes, you can call landlines from your computer using a VoIP app. Just make sure the app supports outbound calling to regular phone numbers, as not all personal apps (like FaceTime) do.
WiFi calling using Apple’s built-in feature still goes through your mobile carrier, so charges depend on your plan. If you want to make calls purely over the internet without carrier fees, you’ll need a VoIP app.
You can make free VoIP calls from a PC by linking your phone to a WiFi calling app like Phone Link or WhatsApp. Keep in mind these apps are great for personal use, not for making business calls and managing customer relationships.
You can call any phone from your computer using a WiFi calling app such as Quo.
If you’re looking for a free calling option for Mac-to-iPhone calls, you can use FaceTime, which is exclusive to Apple’s ecosystem. You can also use WhatsApp on a PC or a Mac computer to call iPhones that have a WhatsApp account.
You can make WiFi calls if your computer is connected to a WiFi network and you’ve installed a WiFi calling app.
Simply choose a contact you wish to call in your WiFi calling app and click the Call icon in the app to call them.
Yes, you can send texts from your computer using apps that connect to your mobile phone or give you a separate number. Some sync with your phone to send texts from your existing number. Others, including VoIP apps like Quo, let you text from a dedicated business number right on your desktop.
