LINE vs Skype

What LINE is

LINE is a proprietary consumer communication service for mobile and PC, offering one-to-one and group chat, media, stickers and internet voice/video calls. Core communication is free aside from network data, while stickers, region-specific Premium Backup and other services may be paid. LINE's Letter Sealing end-to-end encryption is on by default and covers text, location, supported media/files and one-to-one voice/video calls. It does not cover group voice/video calls, LINE Meetings, Albums or Notes; media/file coverage can also depend on client version and specifications. A normal group currently supports up to 500 participants.

What Skype is

Skype was Microsoft's consumer internet calling, video meeting and messaging service. It is no longer an active product choice: Microsoft retired free and paid Skype on May 5, 2025 and stopped selling paid Skype features to new customers. The replacement path was Microsoft Teams Free using Skype credentials, with eligible contacts and chats transferred. The final Skype Export Portal request deadline was June 15, 2026, and Microsoft warned that deletion of older inactive history began April 1, 2026. Skype for Business was explicitly outside this consumer retirement announcement and must be assessed separately.

What LINE is built to do

Chats and media

Provides direct and group text, files, photos, video, voice and location sharing.

Voice and video

Supports individual and group internet calls with different encryption coverage.

Letter Sealing

Applies default end-to-end encryption to supported messages and one-to-one calls.

Consumer ecosystem

Adds stickers and region-dependent OpenChat, premium backup and related services.

What Skype is built to do

Retired messaging

Previously provided consumer chat, file sharing and synchronized conversation history.

Retired calling

Previously supported internet voice/video plus paid calls and numbers for the telephone network.

Teams migration

Microsoft directed consumers to Teams Free using their Skype sign-in.

Historical export

The Skype Export Portal offered chat and media requests only through the now-passed June 2026 window.

Choose LINE if

• Everyday chats and one-to-one calls among existing LINE users
• Groups of up to 500 people that need simple media-rich coordination
• Users willing to verify Letter Sealing fingerprints for sensitive one-to-one communication

Skip LINE if

• Group calls, meetings, albums and notes must all be end-to-end encrypted
• Enterprise SSO, managed retention, e-discovery and organization-owned identities are required
• Cross-platform history recovery must be complete without a tested backup and transfer procedure

Choose Skype if

• Historical product comparisons
• Auditing whether a former Skype account was migrated to Teams Free
• Documenting legacy calling subscriptions or number-porting follow-up

Skip Skype if

• You are choosing a current consumer messaging or meeting platform
• You expect to create a new Skype paid account, Credit balance or calling subscription
• You assume old Skype history is still exportable after the published deadline

LINE: pros & cons

• Letter Sealing is enabled by default and protects supported chat content plus one-to-one calls.
• Text, media, location, stickers and free internet calling provide a complete consumer communication set.
• Groups support up to 500 participants with familiar read-state and media workflows.
• Key fingerprints let contacts verify the identity key for a protected conversation.
• Group calls, Meetings, Albums and Notes are not protected by Letter Sealing and use transport encryption instead.
• Photo, video, voice-message and file encryption can depend on app version and specifications.
• Account transfer can make older Letter-Sealed messages unavailable, making backup and recovery planning important.
• Regional availability differs for OpenChat, premium backup, payments and related ecosystem services.

Skype: pros & cons

• The historical service combined chat, voice, video and phone-network calling under a widely recognized identity.
• Microsoft provided a Teams Free migration path using existing Skype credentials.
• Remaining paid users were given Dial Pad access through the Skype web portal and Teams Free during transition.
• A documented export process existed before the final 2026 deadline.
• Consumer Skype has been retired since May 5, 2025 and cannot be selected for a new deployment.
• Paid Skype Credit, calling subscriptions and Skype Numbers are no longer sold to new customers.
• The June 15, 2026 export-request deadline has passed; unavailable or deleted history cannot be assumed recoverable.
• The retirement notice does not cover Skype for Business, so the two products must not be conflated.