Skype and Yahoo! Messenger both help you make and receive phone calls.
Skype and Yahoo! Messenger are quite similar in many ways. Both allow you to chat with friends who are online. However, they both go above and beyond that by also letting you make video and voice calls to other users. Furthermore, both allow you to place calls to cell phones and land lines -- but you must pay a fee to use this feature. Additionally, both Skype and Yahoo! Messenger give you a way to purchase a number that others can use to call your computer.
Skype and Yahoo! Messenger Compatibility
Despite the similarities between Skype and Yahoo! Messenger, the two are not compatible. You cannot add Yahoo! Messenger friends to your Skype contact list or vice versa. Similarly, you cannot place phone calls directly between Skype and Yahoo! Messenger, nor can you chat between the two systems. They do not overlap in any way, and if you wish to use them as instant messengers you must be on the same system as the person you wish to chat with.
Yahoo! Messenger to Skype
You can place calls from Yahoo! Messenger to a friend on Skype, but the process is more complicated than simply calling another Yahoo! Messenger friend. It also costs money on both parts. The Skype user must have a Skype "Online Number," which he must pay for. You can then use Yahoo! Messenger to place a call to this number. Because it is treated as a normal number, you must have funds available in your Yahoo! account as it will cost you money to call your friend.
Skype to Yahoo! Messenger
The process of calling Yahoo! Messenger from Skype is essentially the same as the reverse. The Yahoo! Messenger user must obtain a "Phone In" number for either a monthly or annual fee. The Skype user must have available credit (or a subscription) and an account in good standing. The Skype user can then place a call to the Yahoo! "Phone In" number as if it were any other land line or cell phone number.
Switching Programs
If you and the friend who you wish to call do not need to call each other regularly, and if you both already have the paid services required, you can use the methods outlined. If, however, you do speak regularly, you may wish to avoid the extra charges. In this case, it may be time for one of you to compromise. Even if you only sign onto the other program when you wish to call this particular person, it may be worth it if you speak often and end up saving a significant amount of money.
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