7 Best Ooma Alternatives & Competitors for 2023

Ooma is a robust business phone system, but it doesn’t offer international phone numbers, instant messaging, and robust third-party integrations. Moreover, its desktop app and text messaging feature aren’t available in its entry-level subscription plan. Given these limitations, many businesses seek Ooma alternatives, which enable them to connect with global audiences and streamline customer engagement and team productivity.

Based on our research, these platforms make the best alternative solutions to Ooma:

• RingCentral: Best overall for improving customer and team communications
• Nextiva: Ideal for handling long-distance calls
• Zoom Phone: Solid pick for managing communication costs
• Dialpad: Great for providing real-time agent assistance through artificial intelligence (AI)
• Vonage: Top choice for managing seasonal call volume spikes
• GoTo Connect: Best for calling international customers
• Grasshopper: Ideal for teams sharing phone numbers

Ooma & Best Alternatives at a Glance

RingCentral: Best for Improving Customer & Team Communications

RingCentral is our top pick among Ooma alternatives because it covers all the features Ooma doesn’t have, including global phone number support, team chat, and a wide range of integrations with third-party tools. The business phone system offers local numbers in almost a hundred countries and territories, including key regions such as New Zealand, Singapore, Denmark, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, RingCentral’s team chat goes beyond the standard features of one-on-one and group chats, file sharing, and emojis. It features an advanced search tool wherein you’re able to filter message results according to the original poster, channel, content type, and time posted. Moreover, it has a built-in task management system that allows you to create and assign to-do’s to team members.

The provider’s app gallery features 300-plus prebuilt integrations, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, and ServiceNow. However, do note that RingCentral has more expensive subscription plans than other Ooma competitors, with a starting price of $30 per user. Zoom Phone is more affordable, with a package that starts at $10 per user.

RingCentral Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Core: $30 per user for unlimited domestic calling, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 SMS credits per user, and integration with popular apps like Microsoft Office 365 and Google
• Advanced: $35 per user for up to eight-digit extensions, 1,000 toll-free minutes, 100 SMS credits per user, and integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) and industry-specific apps
• Ultra: $45 per user for 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 SMS credits per user, unlimited storage for files, messaging, and recordings, and device analytics and alerts
• Free trial: 14 days

*Save up to 33% by paying annually. Volume discounts for 50-plus users are available.

RingCentral Features

• Barge and takeover: These call monitoring tools allow you to observe live phone conversations between agents and clients. Barge lets you join the call and address both parties directly, while takeover helps gain full control of the call, remove the agent, and talk privately to the customer.
• Heads up display (HUD): See each user’s presence status in one glance and immediately check which team members are on a call. This lets your receptionist know where to transfer calls and add participants for a conference session.
• Collaborative notes: Write down the minutes of the meeting as a team at the same time. Assign tasks to colleagues to better track the progress of action points. After the session, share the collaborative notes with team members.

Nextiva: Best for Handling Long-distance Calls

If you regularly receive long-distance calls, Nextiva is the best platform to choose among Ooma alternatives because it has the most generous toll-free minute allowance. While Ooma offers up to 500 toll-free minutes in its subscription plans, Nextiva provides a maximum of 12,500 minutes in its highest-tier package. Its base-level and second-tier plans offer 1,500 and 3,000 toll-free minutes, respectively.

The small business voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service has robust call management capabilities helping teams handle long-distance calls. The multi-level auto-attendant directs callers to the right departments and customer service representatives. Call park enables agents to share the burden of answering queries with other team members. Meanwhile, anonymous call rejection blocks specific calls, enabling the team to focus on legitimate inquiries.

One disadvantage of using Nextiva is its limited third-party integrations. Explore other Ooma competitors if you want other business tools to be connected to your phone system. As mentioned, RingCentral has robust integrations with over 300 apps, including top CRM platforms.

Nextiva Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Essential: $30.95 per user for free local and toll-free numbers, up to 1,500 toll-free minutes, unlimited internet fax, and 45-minute video meetings
• Professional: $35.95 per user for up to 3,000 toll-free minutes, voicemail-to-SMS, unlimited conference calls for 40 participants, and integrations with CRM tools
• Enterprise: $45.95 per user for up to 12,500 toll-free minutes, call recording, voicemail transcription, and unlimited conference calls for unlimited participants
• Free trial: 7 days

*Save up to 22% by paying annually. Volume discounts for more than four users are available.

Nextiva Features

• File preview: There’s no need to download an attached document or video in group chats to see what’s in it. Nextiva allows you to view the file’s content right away. Aside from offering convenience, file preview helps you respond faster to the colleague or channel you’re chatting with.
• Team collaboration rooms: Create group chats to help members easily discuss ideas and campaign updates. Name the room according to your department or project.
• Call recording and rating: Nextiva Analytics allows managers to access call recordings and write down notes to improve call handling. Share the notes with the agents themselves and other users. You also have the option to rate the phone conversation by answering preconfigured performance evaluation questions.

Zoom Phone: Best for Managing Communication Costs

In terms of providing flexible, affordable options for managing business communications, Zoom Phone is better than Ooma. It offers metered and unlimited calling plans catering to companies’ changing needs in customer service operations. Moreover, it provides an unlimited global calling add-on, letting you call customers from select countries without cap or per-minute charges. These international locations include Switzerland, Italy, France, Australia, and Ireland.

Whether metered or unlimited subscription package, you get access to Zoom Phone’s robust phone system features. Both metered and unlimited plans feature unlimited auto-attendants, interactive voice response (IVR), automatic call distribution, holiday and business hours routing, and call recording. Call monitoring tools are likewise available, enabling managers to observe live calls and intervene when necessary.

If you plan to build a strong rapport with customers from around the world, Zoom Phone’s international calling add-on may not be enough, as it only covers 19 countries. Use GoTo Connect instead, as it has a broader country coverage for unlimited international calling, letting you connect with customers from over 50 global locations.

Zoom Phone Monthly Pricing at a Glance

• U.S. and Canada Metered: $10 per user for a local phone number, domestic SMS and multimedia messaging service (MMS), metered calling, and unlimited auto-attendants
• U.S. and Canada Unlimited: $15 per user for unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada and the optional add-on of unlimited calling to 19 countries
• Pro Global Select: $20 per user for unlimited domestic calling within one of the 40-plus countries and direct dial number

Zoom Phone Features

• Verified caller: Zoom Phone displays a checkmark icon if the carrier has authenticated the caller. You’ll see this badge in the call history, recording, voicemail, SMS logs, and select incoming call notifications.
• Call park: Place an active call on hold and put it in a communal parking spot to allow colleagues to resume the conversation. Zoom Phone provides a retrieval code that lets any user pick up the call.
• Merge a call to a meeting: On the in-call controls, click the “Meet” option and select “Merge” to add the call participant to the conferencing session. If the host enabled the waiting room, they must confirm access to the joining attendee.

Dialpad: Best for Providing Real-time Agent Assistance Through AI

Dialpad is the best VoIP option for real-time, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered agent support. Unlike Ooma, most of Dialpad’s features leverage AI tools, boosting performance and overall team productivity. For instance, its call transcriptions are generated during a live conversation, not after (although the platform also offers post-call transcriptions). Real-time call transcriptions help agents focus on the conversation instead of writing down details discussed in the call.

The platform’s Action Items feature highlights of important action steps shared during the phone conversation. By referring to this feature available in the Moments section under the Call History, you’ll easily identify what to do next in terms of engaging the customer or closing the sale.

Dialpad is a unified communications platform, offering instant messaging and video conferencing tools. However, similar to Ooma, it has limited video meeting participant capacity. Dialpad only accommodates 10 participants in one session. Choose RingCentral to host up to 500 meeting attendees.

Dialpad Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Standard: $23 per user for one local or toll-free number, up to three ring groups, multi-level auto-attendant, and up to 10 participants in video meetings
• Pro: $35 per user for hold queues, up to 25 ring groups, international SMS, and integrations with CRM tools
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for unlimited ring groups, phone extensions, integrations with single sign-on solutions, and priority routing for customer support
• Free trial: 14 days

*The subscription fees for the base-level and second-tier plans lower to $15 and $25, respectively, when you pay annually.

Dialpad Features

• Relay or shadow numbers: When you call a number on the Dialpad mobile app, the platform generates a number different from the number you called from. The call is routed through the system to display your Dialpad caller ID over your mobile number. This ensures that your Dialpad number appears on the recipient’s end, not your personal phone number.
• Video call: While Dialpad supports video conferencing for multiple participants, it also allows one-on-one video calls. Use mute and unmute to manage your audio. Share your screen to better illustrate your insights. Other in-call controls include pause, video on and off, and hang up.
• Do Not Disturb: If you’ll be away and unable to pick up calls or answer promptly to messages, turn on the Do Not Disturb mode to pause alerts on incoming calls and chats. Set the timer so Dialpad resumes notifications when you’re ready.

Vonage: Best for Managing Seasonal Call Volume Spikes

Vonage is the best Ooma alternative for companies dealing with seasonal call volume spikes because it allows you to customize the phone system with additional tools for efficient call management. For instance, you may add a virtual assistant that facilitates self-service among customers, helping reduce callers’ waiting time and shorten call queues.

Vonage’s virtual assistant uses machine learning and natural language processing technologies to understand customer sentiment and feedback, enabling them to respond to queries and requests more accurately. Other add-on tools include the conference bridge, IP phone paging system, and on-demand call recording.

The disadvantage of using Vonage is that many add-on tools are built-in features in other providers. Paying an extra fee to secure them increases monthly costs. For example, call queues cost $14.99 monthly plus three cents per minute wait time. In contrast, call queue is an out-of-the-box feature available in Zoom Phone’s metered plan, which costs only $10.

Vonage Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Mobile: $19.99 per user for unlimited calls and SMS, access to mobile and desktop apps, and unlimited team messaging
• Premium: $29.99 per user for the multi-level auto-attendant, integration with CRM tools, and unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants
• Advanced: $39.99 per user for on-demand call recording, call group, and visual voicemail

*Volume discounts for more than four users are available.

Vonage Features

• Call announce: Before being connected to the call, you’ll hear the phone system reading the phone number or extension’s custom tag, giving you an idea of what the call is about. If the number is tagged for tracking sales promotion, agents will be able to prepare better and personalize their pitch.
• Follow me: Ring multiple phones in a particular order to ensure you don’t miss any calls. Let the phone system alert your desk phone for a certain time duration, and then move to the mobile phone or voicemail if you don’t pick up.
• Call queues: See a list of call queues and their respective phone numbers and extensions. Hover over a particular call queue and click the “View Status” option to see the queue agents, callers waiting, and callers connected.

GoTo Connect: Best for Calling International Customers

If you want a business phone system that lets you reach various customers overseas, GoTo Connect is the best solution among the listed alternatives to Ooma. It offers unlimited calling to 50-plus countries, including China, Greece, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

GoTo Connect has various tools for managing the influx of calls from different locations. For instance, it has unlimited dial plans or phone trees that you may customize and name according to your regional offices. The dial plan editor has an intuitive interface where you’ll drag and drop different nodes representing various routing actions or steps, such as providing a directory, sending to an auto-attendant, receiving a voicemail, or connecting to a conference call.

While GoTo Connect supports unlimited international calling, it also offers a metered plan. However, this package, which already costs $32 per user, monthly, doesn’t provide call recording and analytics. In contrast, Dialpad offers these features in its entry-level plan, priced at a much lower fee ($23 per user).

GoTo Connect Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Basic: $32 per user for up to 20 users, one ring group and call queue, international calling charged per minute, team messaging, and up to four meeting participants
• Standard: $43 per user for unlimited users, ring groups and call queues, virtual fax, unlimited international calling to 50-plus countries, and up to 250 video meeting participants
• Free trial: 14 days

*Save up to 11% by paying annually. Volume discounts for more than two users are available.

GoTo Connect Features

• Hot desking: Let customer service representatives launch their unique profile settings on any phone in your system. This feature supports flexibility and mobility, letting employees pick up calls at any workstation.
• Call filtering: GoTo Connect allows businesses to configure routing rules based on caller IDs. For instance, you’re able to send VIP calls straight to available agents and allow clients to bypass auto-attendants. For spam contacts, GoTo Connect will immediately end the call as soon as they reach your phone system.
• Smart notes: Review meeting notes, highlights, and action items to recall discussion points and determine your next steps as a team. Use the “Filters” option to sift through different meeting notes and only see highlights, action items, or bookmarks.

Grasshopper: Best for Teams Sharing Phone Numbers

Grasshopper is the best VoIP platform for companies with team members sharing phone numbers and extensions. The providers mentioned above, like Ooma, offer a local or toll-free phone number per user. With Grasshopper, subscription plans feature unlimited users, one to five phone numbers, and multiple extensions. Multiple agents use the same phone numbers, allowing the team to respond faster to queries.

Grasshopper supports different virtual numbers: local, toll-free, and vanity. Additionally, it allows businesses to retain existing numbers through number porting. There’s no additional cost for transferring numbers. Aside from various phone number types and free number porting, the provider offers its VoIP tools in all subscription plans. Maximize call forwarding, call transfer, incoming call control, and custom greetings to manage customer inquiries more efficiently.

Unfortunately, Grasshopper doesn’t have call recording and unified communications features, like instant messaging and video conferencing. If these are essential features for you, consider RingCentral as an alternative—offering basic and advanced call recording as well as various tools for improving team productivity.

Grasshopper Monthly Pricing at a Glance*

• Solo: $34 for one phone number, three extensions, and unlimited users
• Partner: $56 for three phone numbers and six extensions
• Small Business: $92 for five phone numbers and unlimited extensions
• Free trial: 7 days

*Save over 10% by paying annually.

Grasshopper Features

• Live receptionist: Grasshopper partners with Ruby to provide professionally trained receptionists for businesses. Allow these experts to handle calls and address customer queries so you’re able to focus on more important business matters.
• Business texting: Text updates, reminders, and appointment confirmations to clients. Aside from text messages, Grasshopper supports picture messages for local phone numbers, helping companies make customer communications more engaging.
• Voice Studio: Choose among professional voice actors when recording your business phone greetings. The script to be recorded can be in English, Spanish, or French.

How We Evaluated the Best Ooma Alternatives

To assess the best alternative solutions to Ooma, we considered each provider’s subscription costs, call management and unified communications capabilities, usability, and customer assistance. Our evaluation also includes our expert opinion on its value for money and popularity.

Learn how we evaluated the best Ooma substitutes by clicking on the tabs below:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I use my own VoIP phone with RingCentral?

---

Does Nextiva allow texting?

---

Does Google still offer free phone service?

---

Bottom Line

While Ooma is an excellent phone system, it lacks essential features such as global phone numbers and team chat. It falls short on third-party integrations, as it only works with a limited number of apps.

If you’re looking for a reliable alternative solution to Ooma, consider our top pick, RingCentral, which offers international phone numbers in almost a hundred countries, instant messaging with built-in task management capabilities, and robust third-party integrations. Its entry-level plan starts at $30 per user, monthly. Sign up for its 14-day free trial today to see if it suits your needs.

Visit RingCentral