Softphone VoIP

While the VoIP services competing directly with traditional phone companies offer optional add-ons for connecting via a software phone, they tend to discourage this and often add additional fees for the convenience. A number of services offer software based phones available for calling PC-to-PC, PC-to-phone and PC-to-PDA. These services are similar to instant messaging clients in that you manage your list of contacts through a buddy list. Depending on which add-on features you opt for, the buddy list extends to anyone with a traditional phone number. A massive number of niche companies offer software VoIP solutions, with Gizmo and Skype being the two most likely standards.