SoftPhone is the abbreviated term “Software Phone” commonly used to refer to the software used to make phone calls from one computer to another computer (or landline and cell phones) using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Technology. Because SoftPhones are software they do not have the look and feel of traditional telephones, in fact, they tend to look more like cell phones, but because they are software driven they usually have a whole lot more features built into them than is possible to get with traditional phones.

Most basic specification SoftPhones are commonly shipped with many features such as;

• Repeat dial
• Three way calling
• Call waiting
• Caller I.D.
• Call forwarding
• Last call return

Amongst the higher end spec SoftPhones you will find additional features such as;

• Video calling
• mp3 player
• Contact management
• eMail
• Instant Mesaging
• Voice & Video Call Recording
• Conference calling

SoftPhones are typically provided free when connecting to a VoIP service; service provider usually allow members of their network to communicate with each other throught the network without charge, but are charged reduced fees for communicating with members of other networks.

For the technically minded free Softphone are available to download from many websites but will require some knowledge to configure and use the software.