Open source means all source code is available!! Do not post any "free but not open" software here!
Some of these include SIP proxy functionality
Text-to-speech and speech-to-text (voice recognition)
Let's continue with our Open Source VoIP series: today topic will be softphones ... There are a lot of softphones, some of them are free, maybe you have to pay for some other ones, but let's focus on what really matters, quality open source softphones. Because open source, was, is and will be always better and it respects your freedom. Freedom to do whatever you want with it, thus includes making phone calls.
Ekiga (formely known as GnomeMeeting) is an open source SoftPhone, Video Conferencing and Instant Messenger application over the Internet.
It supports HD sound quality and video up to DVD size and quality.
It is interoperable with many other standard compliant softwares, hardwares and service providers as it uses both the major telephony standards (SIP and H.323).
Main Features of the Ekiga Softphone Version 3.2 in a nutshell
http://www.ekiga.org/
License: GPL
Twinkle is a softphone for your voice over IP and instant messaging communcations using the SIP protocol. You can use it for direct IP phone to IP phone communication or in a network using a SIP proxy to route your calls and messages.
In addition to making basic voice calls Twinkle provides you the following features:
Twinkle is available for Linux only
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mfnboer/twinkle/
License: GPL
Kiax started in early 2004 as a small program mainly aimed to provide a simple user interface for making VoIP calls with Asterisk PBX (an open source VoIP PBX). Its first versions showed the existing need for a user-friendly, free and open softphone. Currently Kiax has been downloaded by more than 60 000 users (stats from SourceForge.net) and is available for direct installation from the repositories of the major Linux distros (Ubuntu, SuSE). While it is functionally rich and considerably stable its development has reached a state where modification and customization became difficult. With the help of Forschung-Direkt and MIXvoip Kiax development has been restarted. Kiax ver.2 is a complete re-write of the softphone which aims to clean up the design issues and to provide a more flexible architecture for extention and customization.
Key features and characteristics of Kiax ver.2:
http://kiax.sourceforge.net
License: LGPL-licensed core, GPL GUI
QuteCom is the new name for the open source softphone previously known as WengoPhone. QuteCom began life as OpenWengo developed by French VoIP provider Wengo as a free softphone for its telephony service.
QuteCom is cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X) and integrates voice and video calls and instant messaging. The number of protocols supported is on the same level as other multi-protocol IM clients. The application is developed with the Qt cross-platform toolkit.
http://www.qutecom.org/
License: GPL
Home of the World's first free SIP/VoIP application for iPhone and iPod Touch 1 and 2.
Siphon SIP/VoIP project is the first in his category that works on iPhone and iPod Touch 2 with headset for all SIP providers. It is a native application approved running on 2.X using internal micro/speaker and headset.
The Application supports the SIP standard, preserving compatibility with hundreds of SIP providers and offers a GUI which preserves the apple design of native iPhone applications.
Be careful, this version didn't test on iPod Touch 1. One thing is sure, Touchmod's micro doesn't work with iPhone 2.X OS. You need a microphone with a HW key inside “approved” by Apple. Such a microphone are: iVoice III from Macally.
Currently, Siphon is localized in 15 languages.
http://code.google.com/p/siphon/
License: GPLv2
SIP Communicator is an audio/video Internet phone and instant messenger that supports some of the most popular VoIP and instant messaging protocols such as SIP, Jabber, AIM/ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, Bonjour, IRC and a whole lot of other useful features.
SIP Communicator is completely Open Source / Free Software, and is freely available under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License.
These are SIP Communicator main features:
SIP Communicator is cross-platform and is developed in Java.
http://sip-communicator.org
License: GPL
SFLphone is a SIP and IAX2 (Asterisk) compatible softphone for Linux developed by Canadian Linux consulting company Savoir-Faire Linux.
The SFLphone project's goal is to create a “robust enterprise-class desktop phone” and is designed to cater for home users as well as the “hundred-calls-a-day receptionist”.
Its main features include support of unlimited number of calls, multi-accounts, call transfer and hold. Call recording is another useful feature.
SFLphone has clients for GNOME (integrated options), KDE and Python and it now supports the PulseAudio sound server, so users can experience additional functionality like sound mixing and per-application volume control.
The softphone is designed to connect to the Asterisk open source PABX.
URL: http://www.sflphone.org/
License: GPL3
Empathy is a messaging program which supports text, voice, and video chat and file transfers over many different protocols. You can tell it about your accounts on all those services and do all your chatting within one application.
Empathy uses Telepathy for protocol support and has a user interface based on Gossip. Empathy is the default chat client in current versions of GNOME, making it easier for other GNOME applications to integrate collaboration functionality using Telepathy.
Current features:
URL: http://live.gnome.org/Empathy
License: GPL
Minisip is a SIP User Agent ("Internet telephone").
It can be used to make phone calls, instant message and videocalls to your buddies connected to the same SIP network.
Features:
URL: http://www.minisip.org/
License: GPL
Linphone is an internet phone or Voice Over IP phone (VoIP).
Features:
URL: http://www.linphone.org/
License: GPL
@itech, you dont understand how VOIP work....
Why don't you try google's soft phone. As far as the free voip calls are concerned, I don't think these calls are reliable. However, you can select the unlimited plans of some voip service provider. These plans are unlimited only in 8$ per month.
hello,
At the first phase of my project I also use a free a softphone, because it was only for testing how effective it is. As it turned to be very effective, I decided to implement a more complext softphone for complex text, voice and video phoning to my customers. There are many softphones on the market. Since I increase the capacity, finally, I bought a softphone license, as free softphones were not so reliable as they should be in production. My deciding factors were the support and reliability with high capacity.
Finally, I chose the Ozeki VoIP SIP SDK that is quite flexible enough to develop a softphone (and I also created an autodialer with it). The support team is very responsive and helped me a lot, the right support was critical for me. That is why I purchased this product instead of the others after testing.
Sample source: http://www.voip-sip-sdk.com/p_355-implement-do-not
I hope, my experiences help others...
BR
How do I get a free SIP or VOIP Account to use on my laptop? I have a laptop that I want to basically make a cell phone. I always have Wi-Fi so VoIP/SIP seems like the best option. I want to be able to have free calls to landlines and other softphones.
http://www.itel.ca
Jitsi and Mumble are missing.
itech 2 years ago from New Delhi, iNdia
Useful article but Help me with one thing: Which software will allow me to call a cellphone directly using my internet connection such as skype without paying a single penny and I does not belong to U.S .