Skype vs. WhatsApp vs. FaceTime – Functionality, Video Quality and More

Check out which one of the three apps with video calling functionality consumes the least data.

WhatsApp has recently announced the rollout of its video calling new feature which has been in beta for quite a long period of time. Through its mass rollout, WhatsApp has brought the encrypted video facility to more than a billion users around the whole world. The feature enables its users to make face-to-face calls despite the large distances between them.

Skype was the first player in this area, and FaceTime also boasts a huge user base, as it comes pre-installed on millions of Apple devices.

All three apps offer smooth interfaces and secure video calls, also featuring a great UX.

If you’re not connected to a WiFi, using these apps can turn out to be quite an expensive thing to do, if you consider the data that’s being consumed and the associated charges that might leave you speechless. Let’s see which one of the three apps uses the least amount of data if each of them is used for a 4-minute call.

It turns out the Apple’s FaceTime has used the lowest amount of data, 8.8MB in this 4-minute call. Skype used an average of 12.3MB, and WhatsApp used 12.74MB during the video calls. All calls were made on Vodafone 3G network from Delhi-NCR telecom circle. The amount of consumed data was calculated as an average of 3 calls for each app.

On FaceTime, the video quality was pretty decent, unlike the ones provided by Skype and WhatsApp which were pretty choppy. But, after the interlocutor also switched to mobile data, the video became very pixelated for FaceTime too, and it also lagged.

In conclusion, all three apps have a comparable video quality, but regarding the use of data, FaceTime is the app that uses the least amount.