Difference between WhatsApp and Skype
WhatsApp and Skype are two front runners employing VoIP technology. They are so ubiquitous in the modern world that people will mistake you for a caveman if you say that your smart device doesn't have either one of them.
Skype can be rightfully crowned as the pioneer of video calling. WhatsApp, in its inception, was more of a chatting/messenger app. While the former is preferred by a desktop user, who wants a sophisticated mode of communication that offers better clarity, the latter makes personal communication easy through mobile phones.
Another major difference is the ease of access to contacts in WhatsApp compared to Skype. This is due to the reason that it is enabled easily through the contact list on your phone. In Skype, such details like Skype username or nickname must be shared beforehand and it can be quite tedious for a first-time user.
In terms of call quality, Skype is a notch above WhatsApp as it employs its own codec for call encoding. So much so that Skype has come up with a feature called HD voice. This in turn has been cited as the reason for Skype consuming more data than WhatsApp. WhatsApp has a user base of over 1 billion, which is 5 times more than that of Skype.
| Skype | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mobility | WhatsApp is designed for mobile phone users. | Skype is designed for desktop users but new versions are also supported on mobile phone. |
| Ease of access | Contacts can be easily accessed on WhatsApp through Contact in phone. | Users need to find their contact by their Skype Name. |
| Data Consumption | WhatsApp consumes less data. | Skype offers HD calls so it consumes more data. |
| Encryption | It has end to end encryption to secure user data. | Skype does not have end to end encryption feature. |
| Notifications | Notifications can be switched off. | No such feature is available. |
| File sharing | Even a 100MB file can be shared. | The maximum file sharing size is 32MB. |
Venn Diagram[edit]
