Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

netean reviewed v4.0.5.392 on Sep 17, 2009

U used to like Gizmo, it was a decent alternative to Skype. Credit purchased thru gizmo lasts forever, wheras Skype's didn't (don't know if that's still the case?)

Call quality used to be excellent. But Skype's has improved no end of late.

Sadly the big let down is:
The interface: just terrible, confusing and irregular - somewhere in there are my IM contacts, but hard to tell where or what they are
As previously mentioned. The auto spamming of my IM clients telling them I'm using Gizmo (not good, not good at all - just don't do that!)

Also on the downside. I think Skype has upped it's game a lot of late, and I think, got a million times better than it was.

For the record Openwengo has changed it's name to Qutecom
http://www.qutecom.org/

but it's absolutely terrible at present. very very buggy.

If you want free voice /VOIP I'd stick with any of these:
Google Talk
WIndows Live Messenger
Skype

I really wouldn't bother witih gizmo anymore.

Sadly!

StreetGuru reviewed v4.0.5.389 on Jun 2, 2009

This was the worst on-line shopping experience I've ever had till date. I bought a $35 DID number with Gizmo5 through google checkout. There was a delay of almost 24h until the number finally show up on my gizmo account page and when it finally does, it doesn't work at all. There is no customer support number for gizmo5 or any direct email addresses - the only contact platform with the company is through an online form on the website. After contacted they tell me that they acquire this numbers from different vendors and were contacting the one in question to find out what the problem was. One day later i am told that the number was erroneously posted as available on the website but that they would offer me a replacement. I accepted their proposed number but after that I hear nothing else from them until 3 days later - in spite of my repeated attempts to contact the company - when they tell me that the replacement number is no longer available!!! They then offer me yet a different replacement number, this time from a completely different area code and far inferior to the one purchased initially - and on the condition of having to pay an additional 100% of what i had already originally paid. I have since been writhing to them demanding either an equivalent replacement number or a refund and have no answer at all. In the meanwhile the original number was taken out of my account page and no refund offered.
This people are a very bad joke, stay well back!!

Aegis69 reviewed v4.0.5.389 on Mar 10, 2009

Anyone tried this?

http://www.internetcalls.com/en/index.html

Other than that, I liked OpenWengo but it appears to be gone now.

pep086 reviewed v4.0.4.385 on Sep 2, 2008

full of advertisement, it is not friendly, in fact if u want to make a conference you have to follow some steps, and it stills doesn't work.
use the skype that's the best user friendly VOIP program, its a pity that you have to pay for the calls but its the best one

dgtlchlk reviewed v4.0.3.383 on Jul 29, 2008

Looked like a great alternative right up until the moment I started up version 4 and it logged into all my IM accounts it had saved from version 2. It then proceeded to message every single one of them with a message proclaiming that I was using Gizmo and they should give it a try.

It had much promise but for the blatant lack of choice it just has to go.

Tao2005 reviewed v4.0.3.382 on Jul 28, 2008

LOL, I agree with legion. How ever, if that where so, it would have to offer the gateways for free, instead of fee.

legion reviewed v4.0.3.382 on Jul 26, 2008

Skype killer :)

some guy reviewed v4.0.3.369 on May 22, 2008

nice clean non bloat great !

netean reviewed v4.0.2.360 on Apr 11, 2008

I use gizmo on two laptops and on my nokia mobile phone. It works and works well. If you buy call out, it stays on your account until you use it (unlike Skype where it "Expires"!!!)

The only downside is the interface, it's bloody awful.. the icons at the bottom are meaningless and it's impossible to easily see what network a contact is on: is it google talk, msn, skype, or gizmo...

Openwengo, looks much much nicer, pity I can't seem to dial anywhere with it!

jrtheinert reviewed v4.0.0.338 on Feb 28, 2008

This is not really a review, but provides some helpful info on other ratings. First, I am one of the developers for Gizmo Project, which has been rebranded as Gizmo5.

Version 4.0.0.338 is our first official release with video and IM gateways. Any reviews of 4.0 prior to 338 were done as beta releases. There have been significant improvements in stability since those betas. I invite all users of Gizmo Project/Gizmo5 beta to upgrade to version 338 and write a new review.

FYI, we are planning a maintenance release for next week which will fix a few more minor issues.

inmiaminow reviewed v4.0.0.338 on Feb 17, 2008

What a relief to be done with Skype/ebay/ Paypal et.al. I find Gizmo's quality better, the interface more pleasing, the functionality superior and the customer service worse....but hopefully there won't be much need for them. The Gizmo Project is like the iphone of virtual phones. I was reluctant to give up my Skyplein after two plus years but am now pleased I did.

VictorAnderson reviewed v4.0.0.338 on Feb 14, 2008

I'm going to give it a 3 because of their tech support.
All I've wanted to do for the past 6 months is ONE thing: Use my gizmo account with native Windows Mobile 6 VoIP. I've got it 99.9% working - only problem is that is very hard to hear the person I'm talking too - and I'm pretty sure that's a problem with the codec I'm using.

If anyone out here (or Gizmo developers - you giys reading this) has a clue for me that would be great!

johnmcneely reviewed v4.0.0.325 on Dec 24, 2007

I switched from Skype to Gizmo (which I had tried and abandoned about 2 years ago) to see if it had improved. It had!! A lot!! Skype's Call-in number had gotten to $60 per year and although their outbound service could be purchased at a flat rate (when I did it the cost was $19.95, now I think it's up to $29.95) I really wanted a standards-based connection (SIP). I hope for everyone's sake that Gizmo is able to resists going to a flat-rate-based outbound service and here is why: Network capacity and maintenance costs are not flat rate, they are also variable based upon usage. Any carrier, VoIP or otherwise that uses a pricing model that is radically different than their cost structure ends up with a disincentive to invest in infrastructure to grow capacity and maintain performance, which ultimately is bad for the consumer, because the rates will have to change or the service will probably not be or stay good. I used to run Gizmo on my PC (still do but for a different account). But for my home phone service, I use an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) in my case the Grandstream HT-286 (about $40) and hooked it up to the inside phone wiring in my home (unplugged the local Telco outside at their connection point) abd the Ethernet side of the ATA to my DSL modem, so I run my home phones completely on Gizmo (no need to keep a PC on 24/7). I don't use it much because I have a cellphone, but it is great to have the capability. I just have to remember to dial a full 10-digit number to reach my 911 center rather than 911 that Gizmo won't process.

igoldsmid reviewed v4.0.0.324 on Nov 29, 2007

Gizmo 4 is rubbish - and the support is non almost existent. I purchased $25.00 of their call out service about a year ago. Since version 4 as soon as Gizmo loads it crashes - can't ever get it to run now. And the money remaining on my account is effectively frozen. Can't get any response from their tech support about this. Why anyone now would want to choose this instead of SKYPE or any of several others that works properly - is beyond me..
Absolute thumbs down.

M^3 reviewed v4.0.0.324 on Nov 29, 2007

I never had a Problem with the version 3 series of Gizmo Project but I have yet to be able to connect with a version 4 build yet without a complete crash of the program. I also really wish they would stop installing an outdated version of Apple's Bonjour service over my up-to-date copy as well as stop installing Bonjour to the gizmo directory where other apps (such as pidgin) won't find it or won't work with it properly.

BTW igoldsmid, you can still get version 3.1 from their main download page http://www.gizmoproject.com/download.php

paul928 reviewed v4.0.0.319 Beta on Nov 15, 2007

I actually like the audio on this better than Skype, unfortunately though, most of my friends use Skype, so I rarely use Gizmo.

Ian C. reviewed v4.0.0.317 on Nov 14, 2007

I think it really only deserved a 3 or 4, but I'm bumping it up to balance out the troll.

It's a decent program, and I like that it works as a multi-protocol instant messenger. But it's some some bugs so it doesn't deserve a perfect score.

monzi reviewed v4.0.0.317 on Nov 14, 2007

We dont need another call software program. There are literally 100's out there, why make another.

TarrantM reviewed v4.0.0.317 on Nov 14, 2007

I had been using it for about 6 months and liked it so much that 3 months ago, I bought a voip box and replaced my home phone line with their voip service. Pity I couldn't transfer my number, but its hard to beat a 35 dollar charge for a years use of a area code number from them and pay as you go calling with excellent voice quality.

brusco reviewed v4.0.0.314 Beta on Nov 6, 2007

better than skype in my opinion.

horsecharles reviewed v4.0.0.306 Beta on Oct 1, 2007

Should update OS Support to reflect it works ok on Vista. It even works on patched win9x, that project found on MSFN.

FREE inbound/outbound voip calls anywhere in the USA-real numbers & phones, not just computers & IM-!

As well there's a web-only version of the free service

horsecharles reviewed v3.1.1.275 on May 7, 2007

I'll take ugly icons, as long as the price is free.
Same goes for my dates.

SteveJohnSteele reviewed v3.0.0.266 on Mar 10, 2007

good program

BUT PLEASE CHANGE THE WINDOWS ICONS - they are ugly

yokozuna reviewed v3.0.0.266 on Mar 9, 2007

An interesting stuff how to make Gizmo calls even cheaper: http://blog.grandcentral.com/?p=72 (forwarding calls from GrandCentral numbers to your Gizmo number). It is possible because Gizmo uses standard SIP protocols. Skype uses proprietary solutions, so it would not be possible.

godzila reviewed v3.0.0.261 Final on Feb 28, 2007

i have use for test this program ok good program it's nice not crashed

netean reviewed v3.0.0.261 Beta on Feb 26, 2007

great idea, bit more open and cheaper than Skype.

on the downside. buggy

I have days when I can't log in, when my credit doesn't show up, when it crashes for no reason, when it won't exit without going to taskmananger.

There is also this strange delay and echo that I get with Gizmo when dialing a landline that i don't get with Wengo Phone or Skype - or at least, not as much. So I'd have to say the call quality isn't as good as skype or Wengo Phone.

Overall I prefer Wengo Phone (although it is a bit French-centric)

mengo reviewed v2.0.3.240 on Jan 11, 2007

Pretty nice program, great clear sound and a fine interface

but I cant find anywhere to setup Gizmo for gtalk,ICQ,MSN ect.. like the last reviewer say
Im sure not sure it can do this??

[deXter] reviewed v2.0.3.233 on Nov 20, 2006

+ Can call to almost any landline/mobile anywhere in the world
+ Gives you free credit when you first signup
+ Rates are cheaper than SkypeOut (though not the cheapest)
+ Voice clarity to PC and landline crystal clear
+ Connects with SIP devices/network
+ Connects to MSN/AIM/ICQ/Yahoo/Jabber networks
+ Low CPU usage
+ Low bandwidth usage

- High memory usage

brusco reviewed v2.0.2.224 on Oct 13, 2006

@ Yogurth below
Skype also installs the bonjour service, as does iTunes and many other sofware titles. Its not there to spy on you or bring down your buzz, its a network discovery system allowing people behind the same firewall to contact eachother without needing the remote (skype, gizmo etc...) server to do it for them.

I like gizmo project alot but. Its almost where it needs to be to challenge skype.

Yogurth reviewed v2.0.2.224 on Oct 12, 2006

Solid Competitor to Skype, but not there Yet.

Lack of serious Built in chat tool based on SIP protocol(jabber one is not the solution).
Poor system Performance compared to Skype, and it installs bonjour service(doh!)

...and we need changelog. There hasn't been a changelog neither here nor on GizmoProject site for several months. This does not look professional at all IMO.

3 stars for quality, 4 for being multiplatform and based on standards.

@brusco
nope skype does not install bonjour service, it works quite differently, by using Your computer to do the routing. Bonjour installs 2 services in Your system.

brusco reviewed v2.0.1.198 on Sep 19, 2006

Wow really nice. I had been using Skype for about a year now and didn't know there was anything else like it out there. The bonjour service addition was a nice touch, we now use it for high quality internal network calls.

obox reviewed v2.0.1.198 on Sep 16, 2006

It's good program.
Not worse than Skype. Even better, much better.
I hope, they will develop Gizmo client and we'll a real fort concurent for Skype.

Betachecker reviewed v2.0.1.198 on Aug 4, 2006

Unfortunately this program freezes my DSL modem before starting.

Kal-El reviewed v2.0.0.190 on Jul 20, 2006

Thats it I have removed Gizmo from my watch list. There are two builds a day with no changelog and insignifanct changes. I will just check up on it maybe once a month now. Besides there are other good choices now including GoogleTalk and OpenWengo.

Tene reviewed v2.0.0.187 on Jul 19, 2006

"The silver theme is ONLY on the Mac - NOT Windows version - WHY ???"

Because the Mac interface is "silver" - the XP interface is, well, whatever your XP style is. The development team seem to know how to make their program fit in the the users environment, unlike a lot of programmers.

SteveJohnSteele reviewed v2.0.0.186 on Jul 17, 2006

The program seem to function ok

VERY disappointed on the user interface (UI)
Ugly looking icons on the Windows version
The silver theme is ONLY on the Mac - NOT Windows version - WHY ???
At least they could copy the icons over
I even concidered hacking the files myself

Maybe someone can write a program to replace the icons ?!

Paul Lush reviewed v2.0.0.183 on Jul 11, 2006

I would rather use this open format softwrae with peiring to other worldwide networks, than a closed and proprietary suite that still contents the "we can install what we want on your machine without informing you to its purpose" - no thanks skype, Im sticking with Gizmo

netean reviewed v2.0.0.168 on Jun 4, 2006

This has got a lot of promise but it's still very US-centric.. i.e. cost of calls is still too expensive (around 1.5p per minute in the UK). I can get cheaper (i.e. free national calls) here on my landline. and with the call-in feature it's still PC dependent (of course it's VOIP!). so I think it's usefulness is still limited outside of the US?

mj132 reviewed v2.0.0.162 on May 24, 2006

There is a login bug that makes it look like the new registration doesn't work but it does - just do your registration, shut the program down, and then logon again. Works great and, unlike Skype, can be used with PGP plugins.

Curlytopz reviewed v2.0.0.162 on May 24, 2006

Got it installed everytime I would try to create a name refused and said it was taken come'on can't be that many people with my nickname and year of birthdate?

Blackhole8746 reviewed v2.0.0.162 on May 24, 2006

Kept crashing while I was typing my password. I once typed it faster than the routine crash occured seconds after I started typing and got a "Couldn't open port" and a message that has something to do with Angent 0 whatever that means. Horrible software

ghammer reviewed v2.0.0.157 on May 19, 2006

This has MUCH better quality than Skype.
My problem with Skype is that it uses P2P techniques, which mean that you share your bandwidth. Your machine can become a 'server' node on the Skype network without your permission.

Gizmo (and other true VoIP clients) just make calls and they are much clearer as well.

I'll stick with this for now.

spiked reviewed v2.0.0.157 on May 19, 2006

My beef with Skype is that it's proprietary. Of course, with Skype's PSTN gateway being totally free for the rest of 2006, the proprietary product may grab enough market share to become a defacto standard. I agree that Gizmo should have posted a changelog with this release. As it stands, it's hard to tell that it's really a beta. Go to the Gizmo site to get the current stable release (which does have a changelog).

CyberDog reviewed v2.0.0.154 on May 15, 2006

Skype is giving free SkypeOut to the US and Canada for the rest of 2006. :)

I wish they'd post changelogs for this. I hate having to install just to find old bugs still haven't been fixed.

ghammer reviewed v1.3.0.142 on Feb 14, 2006

I like it for several reasons.
1. People can call me via my SIP ID using their phone, no computer required. No payment on my part.

2. VoIP is much better quality, carriers use it, why mot me?

3. Conference calls. Without everyone being on the same client.

Skype is ok, but it is not the same type app as this.

ZenWarrior reviewed v1.1.0.82 on Oct 20, 2005

Sk-Yikes! is no better than Gizmo, if you're talking about free services. But if you put up your good money, I can give you a dozen reasons to leave Skype for another service. Are you a paying Skype customer? If not, then you cannot begin to imagine the problems and utter lack of customer/service support many [most?] *paying* Sk-Yikes! customers experience.

For free, Sk-Yikes! is great. However, after one month of being a paying Sk-Yikes! customer, I now run to *any* other VOIP. (And, I now call it Sk-Yikes! b/c of my mostly unpleasant experiences.)The bottom line: Be certain we are comparing equivalent services/products--free vs. fee-based. There is a *HUGE* difference between the two, and Sk-Yikes! fall far short with the latter.

CyberDog reviewed v1.0.4.75 on Oct 16, 2005

In correction to faxmaster, according to the Gizmo knowledge base, Gizmo does use encryption.

This product is good, but so far I see no reason to leave Skype for it. I always appreciate the implementation of open standards, but right now I don't find Skype's technologies are inhibiting my usage at all. On the other hand, the Skype application runs more smoothly for me with fewer quirks.

I would love to see this product evolve to the next level, but as of today they still have more work to do before it becomes my phone app.

faxmaster reviewed v1.0.1.62 Beta on Aug 25, 2005

Gizmo Project works well at placing phone calls with good to excellent voice quality (not as consistant as Skype) and is easy to use. However, the interface is somewhat "clunky" and there is no ability to send/receive text messages. Calls are not encrypted. One neat little feature is the "map to," which shows where the other party is calling on based on an IP lookup.

Neoprimal reviewed v1.0.1.62 Beta on Aug 25, 2005

It's rather skypish, if that helps. I have no issues with it. Voice quality is about the same as skype, gave it a 4 because it's a little clunky in use. Otherwise, if you've used skype, this isn't a far departure.

Eldiablo reviewed v1.0.1.62 Beta on Aug 24, 2005

sorry whats this called skype?
oh well its ok
but im afraid to say its already been done!
lol
oh well i personaly dont like the GUI but im a hard person to please!

dazran reviewed v1.0.1.62 Beta on Aug 24, 2005

crashed on winXP sp2