Nextiva vs Vonage: Which Is Better for Small Businesses?
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
Nextiva provides toll-free number and minutes with all service plans, whereas Vonage sells them as a separate add-on package. Furthermore, Nextiva provides better collaboration tools but only offers domestic numbers and doesn’t support a global workforce. With Vonage, you can buy business phone numbers in more than 96 countries. Based on our comparison, the best use cases for Nextiva vs Vonage are as follows:
- Nextiva: Better overall value for U.S.-based companies that need local and toll-free numbers
- Vonage: Better option for businesses wanting to expand globally or customize their subscription with a la carte features
Nextiva vs Vonage at a Glance
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Starting Price | $29.95 per user, per month* | $19.99 per line, per month** |
Free Trial | 7 days | 14 days |
Unlimited Calling & Texting | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto-attendant | ✔ | ✔ |
Mobile Apps | ✔ | ✔ |
Toll-free Minutes & Numbers | Included | Add-on |
Video Conferencing Capacity | Up to 250 | Up to 100 |
Customer Service | 24/7 |
|
Uptime | 99.999% | 99.999% |
For More Information |
*Nextiva pricing is based on one to four users with monthly billing.
**Vonage pricing is based on five to 19 users with monthly billing.
Most Affordable Service: Vonage
| |
|---|---|
(Vonage pricing is based on 1 to 4 users with monthly billing. A 1-year contract may be required to get a free local phone number.) |
(Nextiva pricing is based on 5 to 19 users with monthly billing. Nextiva offers volume-based discounts and reduced pricing for 12-, 24-, and 36-month contracts.) |
Dollar-to-dollar, Vonage provides the best pricing across all plans. Its Mobile subscription is ultra-affordable, costing as low as $14.99 per user for 20 or more lines. Nextiva charges over $5 more per user for its base plan. Yet, both companies charge more than several of our best cheap VoIP services.
The features on the entry-tier packages differ considerably. Vonage Mobile works well for remote teams using mobile or desktop devices. But, the Mobile plan lacks video meetings, a virtual receptionist, faxing, and toll-free minutes. The higher-priced Nextiva Essential package includes the above features and works on desk phones.
Vonage costs $2 to $4 less per user on mid-tier plans. Again, Vonage has less video participant capacity (100 with Vonage vs Nextiva’s 250) and doesn’t include a complimentary, professionally recorded greeting.
Both companies offer volume-based discounts, but Nextiva also provides substantial discounts for one-, two-, and three-year contracts. For instance, if you choose a three-year contract for the Professional plan, you’ll pay $23.95 to $29.95, depending on the number of users. This amount is about the same as Vonage Premium, and all subscriptions require a one-year agreement for a free business number.
Best for Call Handling: Nextiva
| |
|---|---|
|
|
Nextiva and Vonage provide sophisticated call routing tools, allowing multiple automated attendants for different schedules, emergencies, and holidays. The dial editors are user-friendly, and both services include call forwarding, call park, and on-hold music. However, Nextiva ranks as the best auto-attendant phone system for a few reasons.
First, all Nextiva subscriptions include an auto-attendant, whereas Vonage Mobile doesn’t have one. Nextiva also has call queues. You can set up a basic queue, allowing 25 people to wait in line for an agent or department. It also supports in-queue announcements and allows callers to press “0” to exit. Vonage subscriptions lack call queues. One queue costs $14.99 plus 3 cents per minute of wait time or $250 per month for unlimited usage.
In addition, Nextiva Professional and Enterprise users get free professionally recorded greetings. We liked Vonage’s call screening feature that requests the caller to speak their name, giving you a chance to decide to answer it or transfer it to a co-worker or voicemail. But it lacks Nextiva’s in-depth screening criteria. You can accept or reject calls automatically or selectively based on standards like caller identification (ID) number, time of day, private or unavailable ID, or day of week.
Best for Collaboration: Nextiva
| |
|---|---|
|
|
Nextiva is an excellent small business VoIP service for remote collaboration. It has a built-in customer relationship manager (CRM) to keep all employees updated on the latest customer interactions and changes. The Nextiva Cospace app (free with all subscriptions) is a virtual workspace, allowing users to work together on documents, share calendars, and assign tasks. Cospace also has a persistent chat room and one-click voice or video meetings from chat.
Use Nextiva Cospace on your mobile phone or desktop. (Source: Nextiva)
Although Vonage unifies communications and offers team messaging with file sharing, it doesn’t have a built-in CRM, team calendar, or task management tools. In comparison, Nextiva’s task management feature is handy for small teams. You can set due dates, update a project’s status, and delegate tasks to one or more users.
Nextiva offers NextOS, which works as a virtual desktop with advanced tools for organizing workflows and projects. And Nextiva’s CRM is a robust tool delivering screen pops with information about previous interactions and customer sentiment.
All Nextiva subscriptions include one-to-one meetings, whereas Vonage Mobile doesn’t include any form of video conferencing. Nextiva Professional and Enterprise users can have video conferences with 250 participants or audio conferences with 40. In contrast, Vonage Premium and Advanced packages only support 100 video participants.
Best for Add-on Features: Vonage
| |
|---|---|
|
|
Vonage offers many different add-on features, which are great for customizing individual lines without paying for a higher-priced package for everyone. Nextiva and Vonage offer call recording on the most expensive plan. But only Vonage lets you add on-demand call recording to a line for $4.99 or company-wide recording for $49.99.
You can also add IT support to your Vonage subscription for $9.99 per month, whereas Nextiva only provides technical support for Nextiva services and doesn’t have add-on tech support packages. Vonage’s unique IT service gives your small business access to 24/7 assistance with virus removal, third-party software questions, and hardware installation. Other popular add-ons include paging groups, toll-free numbers, and an artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant.
Although you can add phone numbers to Nextiva, it doesn’t offer standalone features. However, Vonage’s add-on costs can add up if you need these features on several lines. You may want to consider a Vonage alternative with mix-and-match plans like Phone.com or 8×8.
Best for Analytics: Nextiva
| |
|---|---|
|
|
Businesses will appreciate the general and in-depth reports offered by Nextiva and Vonage. Both solutions show statistics for individual users, call groups, and company-wide. In addition, you can export or email reports and schedule them for daily, weekly, or monthly intervals. Most Vonage and Nextiva reports attach call recordings to it, so you can listen to audio recordings while viewing the stats.
We give Nextiva higher scores for reporting and analytics because it goes beyond reports to include dashboards and wallboards. Vonage only provides these for contact center plans. You can use Nextiva dashboards to see an overview of employee activity in real time or display metrics using the wallboards to gamify their experiences.
The trend analysis analytics also stand out because you can filter them by phone number, individual users, call groups, and user activities to see trends across the day or country. Explore more features and tools in our Nextiva review.
Best for Integrations: Vonage
| |
|---|---|
|
|
Vonage edges out Nextiva because it provides APIs for nearly every feature and tool, allowing you to add video, voice, and messaging to your favorite cloud-based software. Vonage’s developer center is comprehensive too. In comparison, Nextiva only supplies APIs for contact center packages.
Both platforms connect to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. But Vonage charges extra for some integrations. For instance, Bullhorn and Salesforce cost $4.99 per month, whereas they’re free on Nextiva. If you have a developer on your team, Vonage is the preferred solution. Learn about the best use cases in our Vonage review.
Best Alternatives
Vonage and Nextiva work well for businesses of all sizes. However, they lack RingCentral’s hundreds of built-in integrations and 8×8’s unlimited international calling. With that said, many excellent VoIP providers may work better for your budget or business needs.
A few Vonage and Nextiva alternatives include:
- 8×8: If your company frequently makes international calls, consider 8×8. It offers unlimited calling to 14 or 48 countries, video conferencing with up to 500 people, and contact center tools.
- RingCentral: For a full-featured communication and collaboration platform, check out RingCentral. It has chat-enabled persistent video spaces, task management tools, and advanced call routing.
- Ooma Office: If you’re looking for a user-friendly phone system that works equally well for remote and on-premise employees, take a look at Ooma Office. It comes with faxing, paging, and unlimited calling.
How We Evaluated Nextiva vs Vonage
The best business phone systems support mobile and on-site workers with messaging, voice, and video tools. However, the platforms offer different price points and advanced features. We assessed Nextiva vs Vonage based on pricing and general and advanced features. Additionally, we gave each platform an expert score.
Here’s a complete breakdown of these factors:
25%
Pricing
25%
General Features
25%
Advanced Tools
25%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
The costs for each platform are based on the number of users and included features. Our comparison reviewed discounts for larger teams, contracts, and annual billing. We also looked at fees for integrations, add-ons, and international calling.
25% of Overall Score
Most VoIP platforms include call handling and management tools, but the feature set varies by tier. We examined options for each plan and compared functionality.
25% of Overall Score
Our evaluation looked at advanced collaboration, analytics, and conferencing tools. We determined meeting capacity and engagement and automation features. Plus, we gave points for report scheduling, task management, and integrations.
25% of Overall Score
Our expert score factored in the platform’s ease of use, popularity, and customer service availability. We also ranked each system according to various unique features.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do Nextiva & Vonage apps work on tablets?
Yes, Vonage and Nextiva offer iOS apps for mobile phones and iPad tablets. You can also download apps for Android devices. The mobile applications work like desktop apps, allowing users to start video meetings, share screens, and chat with co-workers.
Can I call internationally with Nextiva or Vonage?
With Vonage, you can make unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada or pay per minute to call internationally. Vonage also offers global calling plans. Countries are categorized into two tiers, and you can buy 1,000 to 100,000-minute packages. Nextiva also supports international calling, and you pay per minute.
Does Vonage or Nextiva sell desk phones?
You can purchase desk or cordless phones through Nextiva and Vonage. Nextiva sells 41 phones, headsets, and adapters from brands like Cisco and Yealink. Vonage sells 29 telephones, adapters, and routers from Panasonic and Poly.
Bottom Line
The Nextiva vs Vonage debate isn’t cut-and-dried because both services have unique selling points that make them better for different business needs.
We give Nextiva an edge over Vonage because it has transparent pricing plans and standard features, like faxing and one-to-one video calling. In addition, volume-based discounts and one-, two-, or three-year contracts can lower your total cost. Visit Nextiva to learn about the packages and sign up for a free trial.
