The short answer
Globfone's Calls service was partially suspended in July 2025 after its upstream carriers blocked the accounts it routes through. In 2026 free calls run on limited credits whose length and reach vary by country, and there are still open questions about who actually runs the site. The cleanest replacement is FreeCallMe: free browser-to-browser calls with no account, or your first call free, up to $0.25, to dial a real phone number, from a company you can actually look up. Google Voice, WhatsApp, Viber and Rebtel each cover a narrower case.
What happened to Globfone?
On July 16, 2025, Globfone posted a notice on its service status page that reads, in its own words:
We're currently experiencing a temporary unavailability of our Calls service in certain countries. This is due to accounts suspensions imposed by our upstream providers.
Globfone service status page, July 16, 2025.
The reason they gave was a surge in misuse that broke their Terms of Use, which led the network operators they route calls through to block their accounts. In plain terms, Globfone lost its upstream carrier relationships because too many people were using the service for spam, fraud, or robocalling, and the carriers cut them off.
Only a handful of countries were partially restored after that: the US, Canada, Australia, India with limited slots, Mexico, and Bangladesh. For most of the world, calls simply stopped connecting.
By October 2026 the suspension notice is gone from Globfone's calling page, but the free service did not come back the way it was. The page now says free calling is 'intended for occasional, limited calls', paid for with free Credits that run down faster for some destinations than others. There is no fixed call length, and availability 'varies by country and network'. Globfone has also retired its old apps, so everything runs from the website.
In practice, a Globfone call may connect, but how long you get, and whether your destination works at all, depends on the country and the day. Reviews posted in 2026 still describe calls that will not go through however many times you try.
The trust problem behind the outage
The upstream suspension is not the only thing worth knowing. Globfone held a 1.6 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot when we checked in June 2026, and the more detailed reviews there raise specific concerns about who actually runs the service. These are reviewer claims rather than things we have verified ourselves, but several of them are easy to check, and they are worth weighing before you hand over your number:
Company details that do not add up. Reviewers report that the UK company address Globfone lists does not match any entry in UK Companies House, the official registry that every UK business is required to appear in.
The same details as Call2Friends. Globfone and Call2Friends.com appear to share identical UK registration details, which points to the two being run by the same operator or network.
Stock-photo testimonials. Reverse image searches of the 'happy user' testimonials on Globfone's site reportedly trace back to Shutterstock stock photography rather than real customers.
Spam after sign-up. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers say they started getting spam calls shortly after entering their phone number on Globfone, something they had not seen before.
None of this proves Globfone is doing anything criminal with your data. What it does mean is that entering your phone number there carries real risk, and that the people running it have taken steps to stay hard to identify.
5 Globfone alternatives that work right now
FreeCallMe
Best direct replacementfreecallme.com
FreeCallMe does what Globfone promised before it fell over: browser-based calls to real mobile and landline numbers, no app to download, starting free. The difference is that you can actually find out who runs it. FreeCallMe is a registered US company with a real support contact and carrier routes it maintains itself. If your contact can open a link, browser-to-browser voice and video calls are always free with no account on either side. Dialing an actual phone number is the paid part: you sign up, your first call is free up to $0.25 (no card required) to test the line, and then you pay only for the minutes you use, pay-as-you-go at a few cents a minute with no connection fees. Calls go over premium carrier routes rather than the cheapest available path, which is the whole reason they connect.
Best for: Anyone who was using Globfone for browser-based calls to the US, India, or abroad.
Google Voice
Best for US callsvoice.google.com
For calls inside the US and Canada, Google Voice is free, reliable, and backed by some of the largest infrastructure on the planet. You need a Google account and a US number to verify, but setup takes under five minutes. International calls cost money, though the rates are low, roughly $0.01 to $0.03 a minute to most major countries, and the quality beats any free routing service.
Best for: US-based users calling within North America.
WhatsApp
Best when both sides have smartphoneswhatsapp.com
If the person you are trying to reach has WhatsApp, and with more than two billion users there is a fair chance they do, WhatsApp voice calls are free with no limits and sound genuinely good over a decent WiFi connection. It will not call a landline or reach someone without a smartphone, but for ringing family abroad who are already on it, this is the lowest-friction option on the list.
Best for: Calling someone who already has WhatsApp installed.
Viber
Best for calls to landlinesviber.com
Skype used to be the obvious pick here, but Microsoft shut it down in 2025, so it is no longer an option. Viber is the closest thing still running. Viber-to-Viber calls are free, and Viber Out lets you call real landlines and mobiles at competitive rates when the other person does not use the app. It is widely used for international calling, so your contacts abroad may already have it. You do need to install the app and make an account first.
Best for: Occasional paid calls to landlines and mobiles, especially in Europe and Asia.
Rebtel
Best for frequent international callersrebtel.com
Rebtel is for people who call abroad often enough that a subscription pays for itself. Its country-specific unlimited plans run around $10 to $20 a month on good routes, not the cut-rate ones that sank the free calling sites. It is not a casual pick, but if Globfone was your daily line to family abroad, a plan costs a lot less frustration for not much more money.
Best for: Regular international callers who want consistent quality at a flat monthly rate.
Need the call to go through today?
Open FreeCallMe in your browser. Same format as Globfone, from a company you can look up.
Call any phone number in 220+ countries from your browser. Your first call is free, up to $0.25, then pay-as-you-go by the minute.
What the call costs instead, by country
Globfone's own restore list named India, Mexico and Bangladesh, and its neighbours are where cheap free routes keep failing for the same reason. Here is what a call to each costs on FreeCallMe today. The dialer shows the exact rate for your number before you call.
- Calls to IndiaLandlines $0.16/min, mobiles $0.11/min$5 buys about 45 minutes
- Calls to Bangladesh$0.14/min, landline or mobile$5 buys about 35 minutes
- Calls to PakistanLandlines $0.37/min, mobiles $0.44/min$5 buys about 11 minutes
- Calls to Mexico$0.03/min, landline or mobile$5 buys about 166 minutes
- Calls to PhilippinesLandlines $0.50/min, mobiles $0.72/min$5 buys about 6 minutes
- Calls to Nigeria$0.56/min, landline or mobile$5 buys about 8 minutes
Quick comparison
| Service | In browser | Free option | Account | Verifiable company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCallMe | Yes | Yes, browser-to-browser | Only for the dialer | Yes, registered US company |
| Google Voice | Yes | US + Canada | Yes (Google) | Yes (Google) |
| No (app only) | Yes, app-to-app | Yes | Yes (Meta) | |
| Viber | No (app only) | Yes, app-to-app | Yes | Yes (Rakuten) |
| Rebtel | Partial | Limited | Yes | Yes (Rebtel) |
| Globfonelimited | Yes (when it works) | Limited free credits | No | Reportedly unverifiable |
FreeCallMe is free browser-to-browser with no account. Dialing a real phone number needs a quick sign-up, and your first call is free, up to $0.25, then pay-as-you-go.
Common questions
- Is Globfone still working in 2026?
- Partly. The July 2025 suspension notice has come down, but free calling now runs on limited Credits that run out faster for some countries, Globfone describes it as meant for occasional calls, and availability varies by country and network. Reviews from 2026 still report calls that will not connect, so test your destination before you rely on it.
- What does it cost to call Pakistan, Bangladesh or Mexico instead?
- Each FreeCallMe country page lists the current landline and mobile rate, how many minutes a $5 top-up buys, and whether the free first call (up to $0.25) covers that country or it starts with a top-up. The dialer shows the exact rate for the number you type before you call.
- Is Globfone safe to use?
- That is the harder question. Beyond the outage, Globfone held a 1.6 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot when we checked in June 2026, where reviewers raise concerns about its company details not matching UK Companies House records, testimonials that reverse-image-search to stock photos, and spam calls reported after entering a phone number. None of that is proof of wrongdoing, but it is enough reason to be cautious about giving the site your number.
- What is the best Globfone alternative?
- For the same browser-based, call-a-real-number experience, FreeCallMe is the closest match. If you only call US and Canadian numbers, Google Voice is excellent, and if your contact already uses WhatsApp or Viber, an app-to-app call is free.
- Can I still make a free call from my browser?
- Yes. With FreeCallMe, a browser-to-browser call is free with no account as long as the other person can open a link. To ring an actual phone number, you sign up, your first call is free up to $0.25, and then you pay only for the minutes you use.
The bottom line
Globfone came back from its 2025 suspension smaller than it left: free calls now run on limited credits whose reach depends on the country and the day. The questions around its company registration and the carrier problems that caused the suspension are not the kind of thing that gets quietly fixed. If you need a browser-based call to a real phone number and you do not want a service that may or may not connect depending on the day, FreeCallMe is the most direct replacement: same format, same zero-friction experience, actually working.
Make the call Globfone could not
Open FreeCallMe in your browser. Free browser-to-browser, or a first call free, up to $0.25, to dial a real number.
Call any phone number in 220+ countries from your browser. Your first call is free, up to $0.25, then pay-as-you-go by the minute.