| User Reviews |
4.4 |
4.2 |
3.3 |
2.8 |
2.9 |
2.7 |
| More Details | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go |
| Provider Info | ||||||
| Year Founded | 2005 | 2013 | 2005 | 2004 | 2005 | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City, OK | Pittsburgh, PA | Winnetka, CA | Newport Beach, CA | New York City, NY | Holmdel, NJ |
| Service Location | United States | United States | USA & Canada | USA and Canada | USA and Canada | Worldwide |
| Types of Services offered | Home VoIP, Business VoIP, SIP Trunking, International Calling | Home VoIP, Business VoIP, International Calling | Home VoIP, International Calling Plans | Small Business VoIP, Residential VoIP, Reseller VoIP, Hosted PBX, | Home VoIP, Business VoIP, International Calling Plans | Home Phone Service, International Calling, Business Phone Service |
| Popular Plan | Value Unlimited | Home Service | Home Phone Service 1yr Prepay | Home Phone 2yr Prepay Plan | US/Canada 200 | Vonage North America |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30-Days & Guaranteed Service Level | 30 Days & Guaranteed Service Level | 30 Days | 30-Days | 15 days | 30 Days |
| Free Trial |
Yes 30-Days |
Yes Cancel anytime for a full refund within 30 days |
Yes Cancel Anytime for a full refund within 30 days. |
No |
No |
Yes 30 Days No Obligation, Full Access Trial Period |
| More Details | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go |
| Overview Services & Pricing | ||||||
| Monthly Cost of Cheapest Service | $8.97 | $7.16/mo | $8.33 | $6.21/mo | $8.25/mo | $9.99/mo |
| No Contracts |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes $19.95/mo |
Yes $15/mo |
Yes |
Yes $24.99/mo |
| Bundle Package |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Activation Fee |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free | Free |
No |
No |
No |
| Number Porting Fee |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Free ATA |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Unlimited Calling US & Canada |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| International Calling |
Yes |
Yes Unlimited to 50+ countries |
Yes |
Yes Rates and Fees may apply |
Yes |
Yes |
| Mobile App Calling |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| BYOD Option |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes Any standard phone |
| More Details | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go |
| Available Calling Features | ||||||
| Advanced Call Forwarding |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Anonymous Call Rejection |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Call Waiting |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Caller ID |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Call Blocking |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Call Forwarding |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Dial-by-name Directory |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Directory Assistance (411) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Do Not Disturb |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| E911 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Enhanced Voicemail |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| On-Hold Music |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Paperless Faxing |
Yes Included Free |
Yes Included Free |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes $9.99/mo for VoIP Fax Line |
| Privacy Options |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Selective Call Acceptance |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Selective Call Rejection |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Send/Receive Texts |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Simultaneous Ring |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Softphone |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Telemarketer Block |
Yes Nomorobo Intergrated |
Yes Nomorobo Integrated |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Three-way Calling |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Virtual Phone Number |
Yes $2.95/mo |
Yes Starts at $5/mo |
No |
No |
Yes $3.99/month |
Yes From $4.99 to $9.99/mo |
| Voicemail Transcriptions |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
| More Details | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go |
| Support | ||||||
| Hours | 24/7 Customer Support | 24/7 Customer Support | Mon-Fri 5am-8pm, Sat-Sun 6am-6pm PST | Mon-Fri 8am-4pm PST | 8am to 7pm EST | 24 hours, 7 days a week |
| Email Support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Instant Chat |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| FAQs Section |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Video Tutorials |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
| E-Guides |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Online Ticket Submissions |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| More Details | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go | Let’s Go |
Residential VoIP Plans Offer Tons of Free Calling Features
VoIP phones and ATA’s receive data differently than their circuit-switched counterparts. For this reason, VoIP subscribers get tons of free calling features as a standard. Here are just a few of the many free calling features you can expect from even the cheapest of residential VoIP calling plans:
3-Way Calling, Address Book, Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Choose Your Area Code, E911, HD Voice, Incoming Caller ID, Mobile App, Number Porting, Online Call Log, Simultaneous Ring, Virtual Second Line, Voice Mail
…And of course, cheap or UNLIMITED calls to U.S., Canada, and other select countries.
Residential VoIP Buyer’s Guide
Before you sign up, here’s what you need and why:
Compare services and read provider reviews – Analyze and compare the provider before signing up for services. Read existing user’s reviews of the service potential provider. Read into the provider’s old twitter feed, and see how often they report technical difficulties.
Broadband (Cable or Fiber) Internet – You need a minimum amount of bandwidth in order to have the features and sound quality required. The optimum speed for VoIP home service is at least 3Mbps upload speed. Remember, upload speed is slower than download speed, but VoIP data has to be sent and received at a high rate.
An IP phone or VoIP Adapter (ATA) – You’ll see a wide range of prices between the different providers when it comes to equipment. Some providers have expensive equipment and “freemium” service; others will lease you equipment for free and charge more per month. Between those two, you have a lot of in-between. An IP phone plugs directly into your modem or router, and an ATA lets you use a legacy phone over the VoIP network. You need an IP phone to truly enjoy all the benefits of VoIP calling, which is why VoIP phones are becoming more popular.
Know How To Hook Up Multiple Phones – Most houses are wired in such a way that you can connect POTS phones throughout the house. But, you’ll also want to consider different options. You may have IP phones connected to Ethernet jacks in different rooms; you may want to use a wireless phone with many handsets; you might even opt for using mobile apps over your home’s Wi-Fi.
VoIP Home Phone vs Landline Home Phone Service
VoIP calling as your home phone service is the best way to consolidate calling and networking in one convenient place, while savi
ng a lot of money. Landlines are limited, and serve no more function than dialing out and receiving calls. Setting up your VoIP phone to forward calls to your mobile number is just one of the many ways you can stay connected, even when you’re not home. A common concern in making the transition to VoIP is that giving up your landline service will ultimately mean giving up your number in exchange for a new one. With number portability, residential VoIP providers allow you to keep your old landline number and assimilate it into your new phone service. Check with your VoIP provider to see if your particular number is eligible for porting, as they are portable in most cases.
The benefits of making the change permanently from a traditional landline phone to VoIP phone services can have a lasting effect — minimizing cost and maximizing customization. Turning your home into a fully integrated network, VoIP is the most economical and intelligent method of making phone calls. Doing away with your landlines means doing away with fees and long distance charges in favor of one low monthly rate. The sooner you do away with landline service, the sooner you’ll be enjoying more features for substantially less, saving hundreds of dollars a year. Make the switch, and leave those switchboards in the dust…you won’t regret it – Get VoIP!
Click here for a side by side VoIP vs Landline comparison.
