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VoipStunt – Free Landline Calls – Better than Skype (?)

Logo_voipstuntVoipStunt is a Germany-based service that allows  free phone calls from your computer to landlines in a number of countries.  After downloading the application and creating a user account, you can make 1 minute test calls – I did, and the sound quality is excellent.

There is a one-time “upgrade” of 10 euros which does not expire, so as you make more and more calls, they really become close to free.  Almost too good to be true, and definitely beats the already low Skype-out calls, or the announced but not-yet-available Yahoo IM calls.  Here’the link to the list of free countries, as well as rates to other destinations.

Update (5/15):  Skype announced free calls to landlines within the US and Canada.

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Comments

  1. This is true! I have just tried their service, and talked half an hour with my mom. This was a call from Israel to Latvia landline. The sound quality is comparable to SkypeOut. Let’s hope these folks are not going to cheat their clients and live up to their promises.

  2. Anonymous says

    Grrrr – doesn’t do Mac

  3. Anonymous says

    The VOIP market changed so dramatically, these guys are not alone, there must be many others… there should be a Mac client out there. – if not, get a Whopper:-)

  4. Anonymous says

    i would like to get information about sites that offer software that supports mac users, for voip system

  5. Anonymous says

    Is it possible to add tones after a call is connected–for instance digits you have to enter to retrieve messages from voice mail or an answering machine?

    I tried that–was connected to the phone number, heard the message, pressed the correct digits on my computer keyboard, heard tones when I pressed them–but nothing happened. (If I had pressed those digits on a connected phone, I would have been able to hear my messages.)

    Does anyone know how to get that to work in voipstunt?

    Thank you.

  6. Anonymous says

    I don’t know if voicemail systems are different, but I regularly call a number where first I have to hear the automated message, then key in the extension number, and it works for me.

  7. Anonymous says

    I’m a VOIP user living in California (using a T1 internet connection). I make calls to Spain and the US very often.

    Since the day I downloaded VOIPSTUNT my sound quality I obtained was EXTREMELY poor!!! (lots of feedback, echo and delay). I even paid the 10€ (wich last only 4 months!!!!) of free calls, but the quality was very bad.

    I tried complaining to the company but they have NO reliable CUSTOMER SUPPORT service.

    I’ve tried other VOIP programms such as Skype and PeopleCall and with both I had EXCELLENT sound quality.

    I would NOT recommend VOIPSTUNT at all.

    VOIP software rates (May 24,2006)

    http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/all_rates.html#listing-S

    http://secure2.peoplecall.com/www/tarifas.html

    http://www.voipstunt.com/en/rates.html

    ——-SKYPE/PCALL/VoIpStunt

    Spain: $0.024/$0.029/free(*)

    Spain-Mobile: $0.312/$0.204/$0.024

    USA: $0.024/$0.029/free(*)

    USA-TollFree: free/$0.037/free(*)

    (*) 10€ ($12.78) for 4 months of free calls to US & Spain

  8. Anonymous says

    If you would like to compare the rates of Skype, Voipstunt, Yahoo Voice, Wengo and other you could have a look over here; http://www.voipproducts.eu

  9. I FULLY AGREE. THE QUALITY AT LEAST WITH MY COMPUTER IS VERY POOR I THINK HAS TO DO WITH INSTALLED SOFTWARE OR THE CHIPSET. I HAVE WIN 2000. THE CPU WHEN I PHONE GOES TO THE 100% OF THE USAGE AND THE POOR PC FREEZES.

    NO ANSWER FROM SUPPORT OF THOSE GERMANS.

    WHI IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME. WITH SKYPE ALL IS OK/

  10. I just learned about VOIPStunt and I will tell you a little secret that I found out and not many people know (apparently, or you’d know it already).

    You can call THROUGH VOIPStunt, using ANY sip application you like, for example, I’ve just used it now to call my mum in the uk, and I was using Ekiga, which is a linux gnome application that supports SIP calls.

    so if they don’t have a native app for mac, don’t worry, look for a sip application and you’re away, they even give details on their site about how to setup a sip device.

  11. Anonymous says

    do you know of any alternatives to this which work on Mac OS?

  12. Anonymous says

    Agreed . after 4 months they are not free and cost the same as any regular phone company. not a bargain just a 16 week stunt. david

  13. I Know you are not Voipstunt but can you help me

    ,I had my computer crash and lost all my info re Voipstunt and now cannot use it. there site wont let me access as i dont know my user name there for I cannot talk to them
    My name is Ivan Rook Las estscas.Mondron/Periana.Spain Tel +34951160093.Is there any way you can get through to them for me.There site is not good as there is no way to contact them if you have lost your information Thanks Ivan Rook URGERT

  14. I cannot access my VoipStunt at all – everything else working fine on computer but nothing related to VoipStunt downloads so I can’t make calls or even try to contact customer service or do anything at all. I can’t even do a new download because I can’t get it to appear on my computer. This is no help to Ivan but I just don’t know what to do either.
    Any ideas.
    Thanks

  15. any good idea for Mac users please???
    i am thinking that maybe you can just make phone to phone calls
    instead of pc-to-phone so you won’t really need to get a software anymore
    what do you guys think?
    so you can use it with your mac …
    lemme know

  16. Attention Mac users:

    You need only configure a softphone, i.e. a SIP-based software IP phone with the settings for Voipstunt and voilà! You’ll be able to make your calls.

    I’m using a hardware IP phone and it works relatively well. My mother complains that I sound slightly modulated, but I can hear her perfectly.

    So, for Mac users, you need only go to an Internet café and download the client once to create an account (there is no other way to create an account).

    Once you have created an account, you can go back home and go to the voipstunt.com Web site to load money onto your account. You will need to have either a mobile or a landline phone handy to receive a call or an SMS as a security measure to prove your identity. Then you are good to go! You can use the IP softphone the exact same way you would use the proprietary software provided by Voipstunt.

    Hope that helps!

    Cheers,
    Ian

  17. I get tired of trying to fixa an error that say{ Other party ended the call for an unknown error ?}
    I emailed and i called VoipStunt several times ! but no one give attention ,, i dont understand why no one take car of it !

  18. For Mac Users.

    X-Lite works well with Voipstunt, and it is very clear. Much better than Skype.

  19. I am happy with the use of VOIPSTUNT but customer support appears to be a contradiction in terms. I had a problem recently with using it from two laptops and got no response to my requests for help, including from the head office of the parent company. I can only assume they simply do not want to answer questions.

  20. I to had a problem as my computer crashed and i lots every thing had not wrote down my information for Voipstunt and got no help aas i could not find a contact number on there site

  21. Problems with mac. So i can’t download voipstunt to macmini. Voipstunt asks me to register, but i already have an account. I need only new version (the old one worked good). What should i do????

  22. Maria, As far a I know the only way you can use voipstunt on a Mac Machine, is either by the web page or by downloading a soft phone such as X-lite. If you go to the voipstunt web page they will tell you of other soft phones which can also be used.

    Jon

  23. I have been using VOIP stunt for 2 years in 3 different countries and it’s fantastic. I think the quality is better than skype and the rates are too.

    I’m an IT professional, if anybody thinks that voip stunts quality is not good, their computer/internet connection needs to be improved. Get a headset and decent internet speed and you won’t have any issues.

  24. Re: Dan’s comment

    Since Voipstunt bills in euro cents, it often does not have the cheapest rates, particularly for non-Europeans.

    I have found Voipvoip.com (which bills in U.S. dollars) to offer some of the cheapest rates, as well as Les.net (which bills in Canadian dollars). However, Voipstunt connects with greater reliability and line quality. Sometimes, you do get what you pay for.

    Users of Gizmo5 (Gizmo Project) can also access Voipstunt via Gizmo backdoor access:
    01016466520455 (you would have to add your Gizmo number to your settings in the Voipstunt client or pay for caller ID from Gizmo to change it on http://www.gizmo5.com).

    A note to Linksys ATA or SPA-XXX VoIP phone users: make sure you set your RTP Packet Size on the SIP tab to 0.02 seconds (20 miliseconds). All Linksys (Sipura) devices default to 0.03 (30 miliseconds). Make sure “Network Jitter Level” is set to “Low” (it is set to “High” by defult). I had horribly stuttered audio with two different VoIP providers until I tweaked these two settings.

    Ian

  25. Doldena-That Juice Girl says

    Hi.. is this free or do you have to pay everytime you call someplace, it show’s free to Canada and some other places but when i tryed to call it won’t let me.

    Aslo Everytalks about Skype but it won’t download to my computer?? 🙁 sad

    Dena

  26. I agree with Dan. I have been using VoipStunt for over
    2 years now and I’m very satisfied. The quality is good enough if you use a headset and have a fast internet connection. Occasionally I have also experiences echoes, but that is not common.

    About the 4 months expiration time: Yes, the free time “only” lasts 4 months, but after that your money is not gone but you can still use it at the normal rates. I haven’t compared them, but the 10 EUR you paid still last 1 hour to German cell phones, or 20 hours in one of the normally “free” countries.

    One thing to notice is the fair-use policy: Calls are only free if you don’t call more than 300 minutes in any 7 days period (I think, I’m not 100% sure about the details). On top of that, they charge 1c per minute.

  27. Nothing is free in this life… you have to pay 10€ or what ever to get free calls… voipstunt is not to bad… but do not use viopcheap as their service is very bad… they will connect.. you but you cannot hear the one you are calling… but you still get changed for the call… so sometime companies tell you they are cheap are not. .

  28. I feel very angry with voipstunt, I’ve been using it for couple of years now but for the past few months i keep getting Caller Ended..etc etc..ive tried different computers but still get the same message. I have 17euros credit but voip seem to have conned me out of it. How on earth are these people allowed to get away with doing this, its robbery, surely there must be a governing body to regulate these people. They must have taken millions from people by doing this. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

  29. they all crook shit!

  30. Gizmo5 FTW – http://www.gizmo5.com/

  31. Hey guys !

    I was happy to use voip stunt for many years, but now I got a mac as well and I cant download it … What a sh** !
    But I agree, the costumer service sucks big times.
    The cost and the sound Quality are great and better then Skype form Australia to germany …!

    Steve

  32. Hi Steve,

    You can use an SIP software on the Mac to connect with Voipstunt. You can even use Gizmo5 and set up Voipstunt as your POTS gateway provider or use the backdoor access (which requires you to pay US$4 for caller ID from Gizmo5 to set it up with one of the numbers you entered into your Voipstunt setup).

    I use Voipstunt with a physcial VoIP telephone (Linksys SPA96). Any physical SIP/VoIP phone will also work. I recommend it. Plug it into the router, set it up and you never have to turn on your computer to make calls. And if you have computer-savvy friends, they can ring you for free via a free Voipstunt or Gizmo5 account.

    I even managed to get Caller ID to work but it’s quite the kluge. It’s important, though, if you have any services that work with your phone line’s Caller ID.

    I have scoured the Internet and have to find a better service than Voipstunt. Even with the dreadful exchange rate (euro vs. the Canadian or Aussie dollar).

    Gizmo5’s rates aren’t that great and no longer offer unlimited dialing from what I gather (that was their original model). They are currently experimenting with a SIP/Skype gateway, but since it doesn’t work both ways and they want you to pay for it (to only use it with 10 Skype IDs), I don’t think it will take off for individual users (they are targetting businesses).

    Good luck finding a workaround for Voipstunt on the Mac!

    Regards,
    Ian

    • Thanks for your time to give me advise ! Good on you Ian.
      I will see where I get a bloody phone form and try it ! I also thought, I can start my computer in Mac OSX or under Windows, what do you think, should it work then ??? When I start Windows ???

      Kind Regards, Steve from Perth

  33. I have been using voipstunt for the past 2 years with the same account.. Just 4 months back voipstunt became from very good quality into a ripp off company… Voip stunt used to be free but now once they make sure they got their money and is credited to your account , you cannot make free calls…I even tried to open new account and credit it but unfortunately it is giving me this note (fare policy axceeded)..I did not use my account yet..SO HOW DID I AXCEED MY POLICY FARE) even customer service do not reply at all….be carefull..voipstunt is a ripp off..

  34. I have been using VoipStunt for more than 3 years. It was very good for making low cost international calls. But from two weeks ago, the VoipStunt.exe on my Window/XP machine hangs up every time when it is trying to connect to its server. I don’t know why this is happening.
    I can log on to server from Internet Explorer normally.
    Is there any one experiencing the same thing?

  35. hola. ingrese un saldo de 35.30 sin poder especificar el concepto por favor quería un teléfono de contacto para rectificar el fallo.

  36. Callarc is 100% free international calls – up and coming so you may want to take a look at it and signup now for an invite.
    I got my invite already –http://www.callarc.com

  37. II tray to complain about voipstunt to their customer service but they treated me very badly. I do not recommend their service to anyone and please if anyone now who to contact about complains let me know

  38. Dear sirs and madams
    We sent already over 5 help mails because we cannot phone with voipstunt. We had a credit of over 6 euro’s and couldnt call. We downloaded voipstiunt and put in a credit of 10 euro’s and we still cannot call. We try to connect our contacts. the phone rings twice and then it says that we are not able to cAll.

  39. I have used VoipStunt for about 5 years without any issues. I am able to ring landlines in the UK and receive calls from landlines because, somehow, I was issued with a UK landline number.
    My son also uses VOIPStunt. He can ring landlines and to my voip link and I can ring him on voip BUT he does not have a telephone number so friends on landlines or mobiles can ring him.
    How does he obtain a UK ‘landline type’ phone number to use on voipstunt please?

  40. When I call someone usnig Voipstunt, they see “restricted call” on their caller ID instead of my number. On my voipstunt settings page, I have a verified phone number and checked the “caller ID” box already. Is there something else I need to be doing?

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