I’ve discovered a new Web site, Evaphone, that allows you to make free international telephone calls to landlines and mobile phones from your computer.

There is no software to install (you don’t even have to register at the site, if you don’t want to) – just go to the site, and you can make free phone calls from any computer supporting Adobe Flash Player 9.0 or higher with broadband Internet access.

This is fantastic for travelers, or for people with family “back home”.

Although you can call to virtually any other country in the world, calls to Costa Rica (of course) are not available.  However, you can call from Costa Rica to just about anywhere else.  The length of your free call depends upon the country you are calling.  For example, you can call to the continental USA for 42 seconds for free; however, your free call to a German land line can last only 25 seconds (10 seconds to German cell phones).  (I know, this is barely enough time to say, “Hi Mom, I’m fine – send money” . . . )

For a complete list of the available destinations and free call durations, click HERE.

Oh, and you can make only two free calls per day.  And, you have to watch a short advertisement, before your call is connected – a minor inconvenience.

The real attraction to Evaphone may be the fact that it also offers paid worldwide PC-to-phone calls, with no limitations or advertisements, at rates that are more than reasonable.  For example, the rate to the USA is only $0.0146 per minute – about half of what Skype charges, unless you sign up for an unlimited plan from Skype – which is what I’ve done ($59 for unlimited calls to landlines and cell phones in the USA and Canada!).

To see the Evaphone rates, click HERE.

I can’t vouch for the quality of the service (although I’ve used the service and it seemed okay – not great, but okay). I see from Evaphone’s Forum that they have had some technical problems (and dissatisfied customers). Having developed new Web sites, myself, I willing to give Evaphone the benefit of the doubt and explain away the technical issues and complaints as “growing pains” that the developers have fixed or will fix.

In my opinion, your best option for free international calling, for price (free) and quality, is still Skype to Skype calling – or an unlimited plan.  However, if you need to call a land line or mobile phone, Evaphone’s rates make it worth checking out.

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