MagicJack and Google Voice are both Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) phone systems offering features like texting and voicemail. MagicJack starts at $15.99 per line, per month and is ideal for those that want access to advanced functions like an automated attendant. Google Voice is a free solution good for young startups with basic telephony needs.
When to Use MagicJack
MagicJack is a great fit for established businesses who rely on desk phones, looking for a comprehensive phone service with advanced functionality. The software starts at $15.99 per line, per month and offers access to advanced features such as an automated attendant, virtual fax, and toll-free numbers for additional fees.
When to Use Google Voice
Google Voice is a great choice for solo workers and freelancers who are only looking for a separate phone line. It’s a free virtual phone service that offers a local phone number, call management, business texting, and voicemail. The service is a completely free solution that works on mobile devices, desktop computers, and landline phones.
When to Use an Alternative Option: Grasshopper
If you are looking for a feature-rich service that works well with mobile platforms, we suggest Grasshopper. Grasshopper is a virtual phone service that offers a toll-free number, unlimited texting, and calling for a starting price of $26 per month for one number and three extensions. Grasshopper offers an exceptionally intuitive mobile app so that you can also take your business line with you on your personal device. Click here to start your seven-day free trial today.
MagicJack vs Google Voice at a Glance
Pricing | From $15.99 per line, per month | Free |
International Calling | For an additional fee | For an additional fee |
Automated Attendant | $10 per month | Not available |
Virtual Fax | $5 per month | Not available |
Toll-Free Numbers | $5 per month | Not available |
Unlimited Calling and SMS | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile App/Softphone | ✓ | ✓ |
Call Recording | ✓ | ✓ |
Conference Bridge | ✓ | N/A |
24/7 Customer Service | ✓ | N/A |
More Information |
How We Evaluated MagicJack & Google Voice
VoIP services deliver phone conversations over the internet instead of a traditional copper landline network. As such, they are far more portable than a landline setup. For example, a landline system requires rewiring, but an internet-based system can travel with you. When comparing MagicJack and Google Voice, it’s important to determine whether your organization needs certain advanced features like an automated attendant and virtual faxing.
Based on the needs/wants of the reader, the criteria we used to evaluate the best include:
- Pricing: We compared the overall cost of each system.
- Ease of Use: VoIP services should be easy enough to set up and operate for users of all skill levels.
- Call Management: We looked at call management features, including call forwarding, screening, and voicemail.
- International Calling: We looked at whether each service offers calling to international numbers.
- Automated Attendant: Automated attendants can automatically greet and route incoming callers.
- Call Quality and Reliability: Services should provide clear, consistent audio quality during calls.
- Software Integrations: We looked at each service’s ability to connect data to outside business software.
- Device Support: We examined the types of devices that are compatible with each service such as desktop computers, smartphones, and desk phones.
- Customer Service: There should be helpful customer service channels available to assist in customer problems.
Based on the above criteria, we find that most established small businesses will want to use MagicJack because it offers more advanced extra features like an automated attendant and virtual faxing. The fact that it starts at just $15.99 per line, per month also means that it is affordable for most small businesses. However, Google Voice is free and is perfect for solo workers and freelancers who need nothing more than a professional business line.
MagicJack vs Google Voice: Price & Features
MagicJack costs $15.99 per month, per line and, for an additional fee, offers features like calling, conferencing, and an automated attendant to greet callers. The company also sells VoIP desk phones at an extra cost. Google Voice, on the other hand, is free to use but has a more basic feature set.
MagicJack Price
MagicJack’s pricing is straightforward and costs $15 per line, per month regardless of how many lines are part of your plan. An automated attendant is available for the service for $10 per month, while virtual faxing and toll-free numbers are each available for $5 per month. With add-ons, MagicJack is a moderately priced paid service.
MagicJack Features
MagicJack offers a basic set of telephony features such as calling, texting, and conferencing functionality. Auto-attendant, virtual fax, and toll-free numbers are available, but for additional fees. Some customers may appreciate being able to add features as they wish.
MagicJack’s features include:
Call Management
Like most phone services, MagicJack allows you to make, receive, forward, mute, and block calls in your network. It also offers Caller ID, so that you can see who is trying to contact you before deciding whether to take the call. MagicJack also has conference call management capabilities, which makes it more advanced than Google Voice when it comes to call management.
Mobile App
MagicJack offers an app for iOS and Android devices. Once you download the MagicJack for Business app on your device, you can make calls, send texts, and check voicemail just like you can with your desktop phone. Google Voice also offers a free mobile app, but offers a less advanced feature set.
Automated Attendant
For an additional $10 per month, MagicJack offers an automated attendant that can automatically greet all incoming callers and route them to their desired extension. Google Voice offers no such functionality. It is worth noting, however, that many other paid services like Grasshopper include an automated attendant at no extra charge.
Phone Numbers
Every new MagicJack account comes with a free local telephone number reflecting your region. For an additional $5 per month, you can adopt a 1-800 toll-free number. This allows people to call your company at no cost to them, and it also gives your company a more established business presence. Google Voice only offers a local telephone number.
Google Voice Price
Google Voice is a free solution. All you need is a free Google account to get started. The only cost to using the service includes a per-minute rate starting at $0.01 per minute to call international numbers and select locations within the United States. Other than that, it is completely free to use.
Google Voice Features
As a free virtual phone service, Google Voice has a very basic feature set. It comes with a local number as well as unlimited calling and texting to most of the US and Canada. Google Voice also has voicemail and a call screening feature that asks incoming callers to identify themselves. Other than that, it is a more basic service than MagicJack.
Google Voice’s features include:
Call Management
Google Voice offers the ability to make calls. It also comes with features for call block, forward, and mute. You can make conference calls, but you do not have access to controls for managing the conference, such as booting and muting participants. Unlike MagicJack, Google Voice’s conference calls works similarly to initiating a group call on your mobile phone.
Mobile App
There are Google Voice apps for iOS and Android, just like MagicJack. The app offers all of the same features as the desktop web app and works in a similar fashion to making calls with your smartphone’s default phone app. It is one of the more intuitive virtual phone apps available today.
Automated Attendant
Google Voice offers a call screening feature that will greet incoming callers and ask them for their name and the purpose of the call. However, it does not come with an automated attendant that will give callers a list of extensions to choose from. This puts it behind MagicJack, which offers an auto-attendant for an additional $10 per month. If you need an auto-attendant, we also suggest looking at our guide to Google Voice alternatives.
Phone Numbers
Unlike MagicJack, Google Voice offers no ability to adopt a toll-free number. You can only have a local number with a three-digit area code attached to it. This will be fine for most solopreneurs who only need a business line, but established businesses may want to consider MagicJack as it offers more professional-looking toll-free numbers for $10 per month.
MagicJack vs Google Voice: Ease of Use
A business phone service isn’t very useful if it is too difficult for workers to use. Therefore, ease of use is important when considering a new system. Fortunately, both MagicJack and Google Voice offer intuitive user experiences.
MagicJack Ease of Use
MagicJack is one of the simpler paid phone services on the market today. As such, its features are very easy to navigate, especially for anyone who is already familiar with using a smartphone to make calls and send texts. It is similar to Google Voice in this respect.
Google Voice Ease of Use
Making calls with Google Voice is a straightforward task. The fact that the service’s mobile app looks so similar to the default phone module on an Android device also helps the system feel immediately familiar. Users of all skill levels should be able to use Google Voice without issue.
MagicJack vs Google Voice: Customer Service
If you run into an issue using your business phone service, there should be company-provided channels to get help. MagicJack beats out Google Voice when it comes to customer service because, unlike Google Voice, they offer live human help. Not only that, but it offers 24/7 customer phone support.
MagicJack Customer Service
MagicJack offers a customer support page where customers can fill out a form and create customer tickets. They also have a phone support line that offers help 24/7. This is much more helpful than Google Voice, which only offers documentation and community forums.
Google Voice Customer Service
Google Voice offers a support page with articles that explain how to use the service and also how to troubleshoot problems. Additionally, there is a community forum where Google Voice users can help each other with problems. Outside of that, it does not offer live support from the company like MagicJack does.
MagicJack vs Google Voice: Customer Reviews
When researching any business tool, it can be helpful to see what existing customers think of a product. Both MagicJack and Google Voice have positive online reviews. However, there are enough complaints about MagicJack’s customer service that Google Voice ends up appearing as the more popular system among users.
MagicJack Customer Reviews
MagicJack users feel as though they are getting a great value for the service, especially when compared to other paid systems. However, there are many complaints in online reviews that the company’s customer service team can be unhelpful in the event of a problem. There are also customers who report that the service can be unreliable.
“I’ve been using MagicJack for my executive resume writing business for over a year, and I’m extremely pleased with its call quality, price, and convenience. Most importantly, call quality has been extremely crisp and clear since Day One. It’s a no-brainer for us: unlimited calling, a local number, and high call quality for a flat annual fee. As a small business, that’s really all we need.”
—Matt Glodz, Managing Partner, Resume Pilots.
“I’ve been using MagicJack for my executive resume writing business for over a year, and I’m extremely pleased with its call quality, price, and convenience. Most importantly, call quality has been extremely crisp and clear since Day One. It’s a no-brainer for us: unlimited calling, a local number, and high call quality for a flat annual fee. As a small business, that’s really all we need.”Google Voice Customer Reviews
Google Voice is a free basic phone service, and customers without advanced business needs seem to appreciate that simplicity. Users especially like being able to pick local phone numbers from almost anywhere in the United States. Common complaints include the service’s basic feature set and privacy concerns when using a free service. For more reviews, go to our Google Voice User Reviews page.
Bottom Line
MagicJack and Google Voice are some of the more basic business phone services available today. MagicJack is a paid service, but it offers conferencing features and the ability to add advanced features like a toll-free number. Both services are exceptionally easy to use and won’t break a small business’s budget.
We recommend MagicJack for most established businesses because of its strong core feature set and the ability to add a toll-free number and an automated attendant to the service for an extra fee. The company even offers a 30-day free trial so you can try it out for yourself. Click the button below to get started today.
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