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I want to be able to use the voice chat abilities of Skype, but I'd rather not sign up for another online service, privacy and all that.

So, I have been looking around and came across SIP, and would like to use Jitsi (or, if anyone has a better SIP client, please comment - Empathy is another I am looking at) just for voice (no video needed.) I have googled quite a bit and can't seem to find any sources.

Basically, do I need a Skype (or any other site for that matter) account to talk to someone who is using a Skype account?

RPiAwesomeness
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    if you just want chat then something like pidgin might be more up your alley. while I use it for IRC, it has, I think, the capabilities you're after. Generally you connect to a server, but you can have private chats through that server. If you really want privacy, run your own server :) – Thufir Jul 12 '14 at 20:54

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As far as I know, Skype and SIP accounts are not compatible. So, no you won't need a Skype account to talk via SIP. However, you will need a SIP account. By the same token person at the other end will need a SIP account too, not to mention a working and properly configured SIP client.

Unlike Skype, I found configuring SIP a bit more difficult, particularly because there are multiple SIP service providers and settings may be a bit different for each.

Both Skype and SIP allow calling regular phones and receiving calls from phones. Unfortunately these are not free in either for Skype or for SIP service providers.

If you just want to talk and already have a gmail account, you can try Hangout. It works without any download/install, (tested with Chrome browser). You can talk to people with Android phones and tablets as well as PCs, using WiFi (or wired Internet for PCs). Skype apps are available for phones as well.

In any case, you will need an account somewhere. The account is what identifies you to the other Skype/SIP/Gmail users. If you don't have an account there is no easy way for someone to call you (and you to call someone else without an account).

One alternative is to use Viber. Not that it does not need an account, but it uses your (mobile) phone number as your account number. So anyone who knows your phone number can contact you. See How to install Viber in Ubuntu? for more on Viber. I have never used it, so I don't know much about it.

Hope this helps

Community
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user68186
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I'm not an expert on sip protocol but afaik, sip is just that, a protocol. Having a client is not enough to talk to anyone. You need a server with a service implementing the sip protocol and you and your contacts would need to register to that service.

Skype uses its own protocol, not sip, although the skype connect mentions something like sip profile and the like.

Just use Skype or any other voice chat service, you will always need an account unless you host your own server (like a teamspeak server).

TigerShark
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As other answers have eluded to SIP is just a protocol much like 4G LTE.

While direct SIP to SIP calling is possible, you usually need to have both SIP accounts hosted on the same server. However, many SIP providers provide access via the older POTS (plain old telephone service) network by providing you with a traditional phone number. You can use this phone number to bridge different SIP providers.

To use the SIP you'll need an account on an SIP server, whether that be google voice, OnSIP, skype, or your own Astrix PBX server.

I personally use google voice for personal use because it's free and I already had a google account and set up my workplace using OnSIP because of their flat rate pricing, but have since come to love their web-tools.

If you plan to use a google account for SIP calls I'd recommend Yate as a client so that you don't have to leave you gmail constantly open.

virtualxtc
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  • I have installed the Yate client in Ubuntu 14.04 and can make calls from my Google voice account at once (all I did was enter my Google username and password). However, I don't know how to receive incoming calls to my Google voice number. I can see them in GMail, but not in the Yate Client. Do I have to mess around with configuration files to do this? If so, where are they? – TJJ Mar 09 '15 at 01:31
  • I had some problems with Yate when Google stopped providing API support to VoIP client vendors, and have since switched to using the hangouts Chrome/Chromium plugin client. However, there is one setting you should ensure is set in your Google voice settings before giving up. From the Google voice main page click on your number underneath the text "your number" and ensure that the check-box for "Forwards calls to: Google chat" is set. – virtualxtc Mar 19 '15 at 03:37