9 Best Calling Apps in UAE: WhatsApp Call & Video Calling Alternatives in 2026

Calling Apps in UAE

In this guide you will find all nine calling apps allowed in the UAE, with how long free calls last, how you reach people, and what a paid plan adds. Then we compare Botim, GoChat, Comera and Google Meet side by side, and answer what people ask most: is WhatsApp calling allowed, which apps are best for video calls, and which app to use to call India.

Wondering about WhatsApp? Jump to whether WhatsApp calls are allowed.

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1. Botim

Botim is the calling app most UAE residents install first, and the closest thing to WhatsApp calling here. It does HD voice and video calls, group calls and chat, and it also sends money and pays bills. The big change is that you no longer need a paid calling plan to use it: du stopped selling its Internet Calling Pack in August 2025 and says Botim can be used freely with any data package.

What should I watch out for? The person you call needs Botim too, wherever they live. Most complaints in the UAE App Store are about Botim Money, its transfer service, rather than calls, so compare its fees before you send money.

Choose Botim if your family abroad already has it, which is likely, because it has more ratings than any other personal calling app here.

2. GoChat Messenger

GoChat is the calling app made by e&, the telecoms company that used to be called Etisalat. It offers free voice and video calls, group video calls and chat, on any UAE network. Because a UAE telecoms company runs it, it is a safe choice if you want an app that is sure to stay allowed.

What should I watch out for? Like Botim, it works only when the other person installs GoChat. It is rated 4.7 out of 5 in the UAE App Store, the highest of the three family calling apps.

Choose GoChat if you want the best-rated free calling app and can ask your family to install one new app.

3. Comera

Comera is a smaller calling app from a UAE company. It does one-to-one voice and video calls, group chats and file sharing, and it signs you in with your phone number, so your contacts appear straight away.

What should I watch out for? Comera has far fewer users than Botim, so your family is less likely to have it. Group features are for chat; calls are one-to-one.

Choose Comera if adverts in other apps put you off.

4. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is the free app that replaced Skype. Skype closed on 5 May 2025, and Microsoft moved Skype users to Teams Free. You can make voice and video calls to anyone with a Microsoft account, and most UAE offices already use Teams for work.

What should I watch out for? Free group meetings end after 60 minutes, and the people you call need a Microsoft account.

Choose Teams if you used Skype, or your office already works on Teams.

5. Zoom

Zoom is the meeting app many schools, universities and companies in the UAE use. You join a call by link, so the other person does not need to be in your contacts. The free plan allows meetings of up to 40 minutes with up to 100 people.

Choose Zoom if your school, class or workplace sends you Zoom links, and for a long family call, start a new meeting when the 40 minutes run out.

6. Google Meet

Google Meet is free for anyone with a Google account, which includes everyone with Gmail. The TDRA allows Google Meet for meetings only, so create a meeting link and share it, rather than relying on direct calls from the app. Meet also works in a web browser on a laptop, with nothing to install.

What should I watch out for? The app now needs iOS 18, so it will not install on older iPhones and iPads. On those, open the meeting link in a browser instead. Group calls end after 60 minutes.

Choose Google Meet if your family will not install a new app, because almost every Android phone already has a Google account.

7. Webex

Webex is Cisco's meeting app, mainly used by companies for work meetings, so you may need it to join one. The free plan allows meetings of up to 40 minutes with up to 100 people.

Choose Webex if a company sends you a Webex invitation.

8. Slack

Slack is a team chat app, and its calls are called huddles. You can start a voice or video huddle from any chat. On the free plan, a huddle can have only two people, so Slack suits quick work calls rather than family calls.

Choose Slack if your team already chats on it.

9. Matrx

Matrx is the smallest app on this list. It is a meeting and team chat app with one-to-one calls, shared whiteboards and chat channels. It was live and updated in both app stores in October 2026, but it has only a handful of ratings.

What should I watch out for? Matrx is new and has only a handful of ratings, and it publishes no prices.

Choose Matrx if you need very large online meetings.

Is WhatsApp Call Allowed in UAE?

No. WhatsApp voice and video calls are not allowed in the UAE, because WhatsApp is not on the TDRA's list of allowed calling apps. You can still use WhatsApp to send messages, voice notes, photos and files. Only the calls are blocked.

The TDRA explains the rule on its internet guidelines page. Voice and video calls over the internet are a regulated activity in the UAE, and licensed telecoms companies must block calling apps that are not approved. In February 2026, Gulf News reported that WhatsApp calls were still unavailable on WhatsApp's mobile and desktop apps in the UAE, and we found no change since. FaceTime is not on the list either, and iPhones sold in the UAE usually come without the FaceTime app.

So if your family uses only WhatsApp, the easiest fix is to ask them to install Botim or GoChat, or to send them a Google Meet link inside a WhatsApp message.

Can I WhatsApp Call From India to Dubai?

Not to someone on a UAE network. The block works inside the UAE, on du and e& mobile data and home internet, so the call does not connect at the Dubai end, wherever it starts. Your family in India can still send WhatsApp messages and voice notes. For a real call, both of you need the same allowed app, such as Botim, or a meeting link from Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.

Botim vs GoChat vs Comera vs Google Meet Compared

For most families, Botim is the best calling app in the UAE, simply because the people you call are most likely to have it already. But GoChat is rated far higher, and Google Meet needs no new app at all. Let's compare them two at a time, starting with the pairs people search for most.

Botim vs GoChat

Both are free to call on and cost the same if you want the extras. Pick Botim if your family abroad already uses it, because a calling app only works when both sides have it. Pick GoChat if you can get them to install it, because it is rated much higher and run by a UAE telecoms company.

Botim vs Comera

Pick Botim for the bigger network of users. Pick Comera if you want a calling app with no adverts and nothing to pay for, and keep Botim as a backup.

WhatsApp Call vs Google Meet

You cannot use WhatsApp to call, but you can still use it to send the invite. Create a Google Meet link and send it in your WhatsApp chat: your family taps it and joins, with nothing new to install on most Android phones.

Botim vs Google Meet

Pick Botim for everyday calls, because you just tap a contact. Pick Google Meet for a planned family call, especially with older relatives who do not want another app.

Best Video Calling Apps in UAE

For video calls with family, Botim and GoChat are the best choice, because they are free and publish no time limit. For a group video call with a link, use Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, which give the longest free group calls. This is how the free plans compare:

A video call uses far more data than a voice call, so use Wi-Fi for long video calls if your mobile plan has a data limit. Comera also makes one-to-one video calls, and Slack's free huddles are for two people only.

Free Calling Apps in UAE

All nine apps in this guide are free to download and free to call on, as long as you have mobile data or Wi-Fi. You pay only for the data you use. The difference between them is the limits. Botim, GoChat and Comera publish no time limit on calls, while the meeting apps cut off free group calls after 40 or 60 minutes.

Is Botim Call Free in UAE?

Yes. Botim calls to other Botim users are free in the UAE. You need only mobile data or Wi-Fi. For years, people paid du or e& about AED 50 a month for an Internet Calling Plan to use Botim. That changed for du customers: du stopped selling its Internet Calling Pack on 18 August 2025, refunded fees taken from 10 June 2025, and says on its website that Botim can be freely used without the pack, with an active data package.

Two things still cost money in Botim, and both are optional:

• BOTIM VIP, which removes adverts, costs AED 4.99 a month or AED 49.99 a year in the UAE App Store.
• Data, if you call on mobile data instead of Wi-Fi. Video uses much more data than voice.

e& still lists Internet Calling Plans on its website, but the pages we checked showed no price. If you are on e& and a Botim call does not connect, check the e& UAE app or call e& before you pay for any plan.

Best App to Video Call India From UAE

Botim is the best app to video call India from the UAE, because it is free, allowed and already popular with families on both sides. Your family in India downloads Botim and signs in with their Indian phone number, and you can call each other with no time limit. The same works for family in the Philippines, Pakistan or anywhere else.

If your family prefers an app they already have, Google Meet is the easiest second choice, because almost every Android phone in India has a Google account. Create a meeting link, send it to them on WhatsApp, and you can talk for up to 24 hours one-to-one.

Which Apps Are Blocked in the UAE?

Calling apps that are not on the TDRA list are blocked in the UAE. The TDRA calls them illegal communication services, and du and e& must block their calls. Messages and other features of the same apps often still work. These are the names people ask about most:

• WhatsApp calls are blocked, while messages work.
• FaceTime calls are not on the TDRA list. Gulf News reported in January 2023 that the UAE blocks calls from apps such as Skype, WhatsApp and FaceTime.
• Viber calls were declared illegal by the regulator in 2014, Khaleej Times reported.
• Skype no longer matters for the UAE: Microsoft closed it worldwide on 5 May 2025.