So you’ve decided to make the switch from a traditional landline system to a VoIP phone? Great decision! Now it’s time for you to pick a service provider that meets your business needs. While there are plenty of efficient and cost-saving service providers out there, Top5 Business VoIP has done all the complicated research and distilled the most important information for you!
So, let’s settle this debate once and for all.
Today we’re comparing three top ranked business VoIP service providers: Vonage, Ooma and Nextiva. Keep reading and find the best service provider for yourself.
Vonage
Vonage is one of the most popular VoIP service providers in the market right now. The award-winning company is particularly loved by small businesses and startups because of its highly flexible pricing plans. Vonage services are easily scalable; you can benefit from them whether you’re a one-employee company or a multinational corporation requiring thousands of connections. You can set up your Vonage connection on-premise, as cloud-hosted or as a hybrid system.
Features
Vonage offers great security for businesses dealing with sensitive information. The network provides managers and executives privacy features like call screening, number blocking and privacy mode options. The service also facilitates companies that often engage in off-site work or must communicate with clients overseas.
A standard Vonage subscription will win you a video conferencing option for all important online meetings. Small businesses can save up on overhead costs by using the auto-attendant, virtual receptionist and call routing features to take care of basic customer services without investing in a full-time reception desk.
Vonage packages can be easily integrated with multiple office and personal devices. Its mobile application offers many innovative features that are rare for most other VoIP service providers; such as voice to email transcription and call flipping option.
Pricing and Plans
The VoIP service provider offers its users a base plan that starts at $9.99. The base plan subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee (as long as you don’t cross the 250-minutes limit). Vonage’s most advanced plan costs about $40 per month, per user. Other price plans include:
- Mobile Plan: $19.99 per month per user
- Premium Plan: $29.99 per month per user
Installation and Ease of Use
There is no cost of installation and the initial hardware set up is going to be delivered to you for free. You’ll just have to connect the Vonage Box to your router to begin using it. This makes the set-up process super easy and cost-effective. In terms of the mobile application, Vonage is compatible with both Android and iOS platforms and comes with a user-friendly interface.
Nextiva
Nextiva is fairly new to the VoIP market and doesn’t have a very broad range of features to its name. This is why, it’s only suitable for small businesses and startups. It wins points for letting users customize the service according to their business needs; although the service can sometimes appear as too DIY, adding to the pressure of doing everything yourself.
Features
Nextiva may have a limited range of features but some of them are quite useful in an office environment. The most prominent feature is the option to forward and receive calls on a device of your choice. You can transfer calls from a hard-phone to your mobile device if you’re not on premise—meaning you’re less likely to miss out on an important phone call.
Pricing and Plans
If you add up the costs, Nextiva can be pretty expensive—something no small business wants to experience. It doesn’t have much variety in its pricing plans either. Some standard rates include:
- Office Pro for $19.95 per month, per user
- Office Pro Plus for $20.95 per month, per user
- Office Enterprise for $27.95 per month, per user.
Installation and Ease of Use
First-time customers might feel like the option to customize a service plan is a great bargain. However, designing your own VoIP plan can be a time-consuming task, especially when you must factor in the different costs for each feature. Once you’ve decided on the kind of plan you want for your office, you’ll have to do the initial set up on your own, adding each user to their respective connection manually. Unless you have a reliable IT support group to help you with the installation process, signing up with Nextiva can get a bit overwhelming.
Ooma
Ooma is designed for startups, small and medium businesses. However, its flexible range of features makes it a suitable option for many big businesses too. One Ooma connection is able to accommodate up to 50 extensions and offers 24/7 customer support to reduce the chances of server downtime for businesses.
Features
Ooma’s best selling point is that it’s simple and straightforward, providing small businesses with the kind of features they really need. Standard plans on this VoIP service come with audio and video conferencing options to facilitate communication with both internal and external stakeholders.
A standout feature is the virtual receptionist that can take care of simple queries and divert calls to the correct extension. This reduces the need for smaller businesses to invest in a full-time receptionist or customer support staff.
Businesses also have the option to port their number, keep their existing numbers or acquire a toll-free number with Ooma.
In terms of its mobile application, Ooma downloads in just a few minutes and works with both iOS and Android devices. It also lets you integrate your mobile device with other phone systems around your office so your communication experience remains seamless.
Pricing and Plans
Ooma is simple and hassle-free and so is its pricing. The VoIP service provider offers just one base plan price of $19.95 per month, per user. This price plan includes unlimited calls to cities across the US and Canada, for no additional charges.
Installation and Ease of Use
Ooma provides all its users with hardware at the time of installation. This costs a total of $249 and needs to be paid once. The mobile app has a user-friendly interface.
Conclusion: Which VoIP Service Should You Use?
Large-scale corporations will love using Vonage and its highly scalable features. Along with being extremely affordable, Vonage is also easy to use. However, it’s tough to say whether it beats Ooma in terms of its hassle-free connection, 24/7 customer support service and unlimited calls in North America.
You may consider Nextiva for your business too. Fair warning though, the service comes with unreasonably high price plans and little customer support that doesn’t offer growing businesses a competitive edge in the market.
If you’re looking for a tie-breaker between Vonage and Ooma, have a look at our comprehensive reviews and side-by-side comparisons on the best VoIP service providers on the planet!
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