# CallTuv vs. WhatsApp and Viber Calls

> When a free app-to-app call is enough, and when you need CallTuv - explained simply, without pretending one replaces the other.

**TL;DR:** WhatsApp and Viber calls are free but only reach people who have the same app, online, on a smartphone. CallTuv calls any regular phone number - landlines, older phones, offices - no app needed on the other side. Most people use both.

"Why not just use WhatsApp?" is a question we genuinely like, because the honest answer explains exactly when you need CallTuv - and when you don't.

## Two different kinds of calls

**WhatsApp and Viber calls are app-to-app.** Your voice travels over the internet from your app... to the same app on the other person's smartphone. That's why they're free - and also why they only work when the other person **has the same app, has internet, and is reachable on it**.

**CallTuv calls are app-to-phone.** Your voice starts on the internet, but then enters the **regular phone network** and rings an actual phone number. The other person needs nothing - no app, no smartphone, no internet. Their landline rings; they pick up. That final stretch through the phone network is what the small [per-minute rate](/help/6198430-understanding-rates-and-per-minute-billing) pays for.

## When the free apps are the right choice

Be assured, we're not here to talk you out of free calls: if the person you're calling has WhatsApp or Viber, uses it comfortably, and is online - call them there. It costs nothing and works well.

## When you need CallTuv

- **Landlines** - a home phone or office line has no WhatsApp, so [app calls can't reach them at all](/help/6741928-can-i-call-landlines-using-whatsapp). This is the big one.
- **People without smartphones** - older relatives with simple phones are unreachable by app, but perfectly reachable by [a normal call](/help/5273948-how-to-make-a-call-with-calltuv).
- **Businesses, banks, clinics, government offices** abroad - you dial their published phone number; no app will reach it.
- **When the app fails** - the other side's internet is down, their app is acting up, or they simply don't hear app notifications. A regular phone ring gets through.
- **When you want to look like a normal call** - with a [verified caller ID](/help/8927354-verify-your-own-number-as-caller-id), your call shows your own number, and they can call you back on their regular line.

## The practical setup most people land on

Keep WhatsApp for the family group and the relatives who love it - and keep a few dollars of CallTuv credit for everyone and everything else. Credit [never expires](/help/8412937-how-to-top-up-your-balance), so it waits patiently between calls. New here? Start with [What Is CallTuv?](/help/5062184-what-is-calltuv) or jump straight to [Getting Started](/help/4180257-getting-started-with-calltuv).