Ooma provides a flexible small business phone system that works great for small teams and companies. However, Ooma lacks advanced features offered by other voice-over-internet-providers (VoIP), such as call pop or software integrations. Use this guide to compare Ooma alternatives and find the best solution for your company.
Using our criteria, we uncovered six excellent Ooma competitors:
- RingCentral: A strong alternative to Ooma for its impressive feature set and fair pricing
- Grasshopper: Better for small teams that still want a full range of telephony features
- Nextiva: A more ideal solution for teams that need more toll-free minutes
- Google Voice: Better for solo workers and freelancers with basic needs
- 8×8: A more suitable choice for teams that make frequent international calls
- Phone.com: Better value for low monthly call volumes
How We Evaluated Ooma Alternatives
Ooma is a well-known phone system that can replace your existing landline services. Like other VoIP small business phone solutions, Ooma offers toll-free or local numbers, mobile apps, and a virtual receptionist. But, you may want to consider an Ooma competitor if you need unlimited international calling plans or advanced call management features.
With a score of 4.67 out of 5, RingCentral is the best Ooma alternative. For the same cost as an Ooma plan, you get software integrations and call handling features. Plus, RingCentral provides video conferencing for up to 100 participants compared to only 25 video meeting attendees with Ooma’s plan. For a detailed comparison between the two leading providers, read our Ooma vs RingCentral article.
Learn about our evaluation criteria by clicking on the tabs below:
25% of Overall Score
Our comparison of Ooma competitors looked at the availability of free trials, free plans, and volume-based discounts. We also reviewed tiered-plan costs for affordability.
25% of Overall Score
We examined essential calling features, including business SMS messaging, auto-attendant, voicemail, and conferencing. Plus, we considered the usability of each provider’s mobile and desktop apps.
25% of Overall Score
To best match users with the appropriate phone software, we evaluated plans based on integrations, video calling features, voicemail transcription, and the cost for international calls.
25% of Overall Score
We explored user reviews and our personal experiences with each VoIP service to identify popular solutions that are easy to use, provide good value, and offer standout features.
RingCentral
PROS
- Modern, intuitive interface
- Robust feature set
- Powerful mobile apps
CONS
- Lacks professional voice greeting
- Might be overkill for smaller startups
- Many features locked behind premium packages
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 |
VoIP phone systems come with enterprise-grade communication and collaboration features accessible by intuitive desktop and mobile apps. Compared to Ooma, RingCentral stands out because it provides extra features, such as voicemail-to-text, for nearly the same price as Ooma. Plans start at $19.99 per user, per month for two to 20 users when paid annually.
Ooma offers a respectable feature set at a decent price, but its functionality is limited compared to what RingCentral offers customers. RingCentral starts at roughly the same price for up to 10 users on an annual basis, which makes it one of the more attractive alternatives available right now. Depending on which package you choose, RingCentral brings features like team messaging, video conferencing, and advanced automated attendants Ooma simply doesn’t have. As such, it’s our choice for best overall alternative.
RingCentral Pricing*
- Essentials: $19.99 per user, per month for up to 10 users, 100 toll-free minutes, and unlimited calling and business SMS in the U.S. and Canada
- Standard: $24.99 per user, per month with unlimited internet fax, 1,000 toll-free minutes, and video meetings for up to 100 participants
- Premium: $34.99 per user, per month with automatic call recording, 2,500 toll-free minutes, Salesforce integrations, and real-time analytics
- Ultimate: $49.99 per user, per month for 10,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited cloud storage, and device status reports
*Pricing is based on an annual basis for two to 20 users. You can add over 999 users and choose monthly plans for an added cost.
RingCentral Features
- Voicemail options: RingCentral lets you choose how you want to view emails. Get alerts sent to your RingCentral apps to view all voicemail messages and related call data in a single list. Or send audio voicemail files to your email. With the Ultimate plan, you can also read transcribed voicemails via email. Ooma does not offer anything close to this level of voicemail management.
- Advanced call management: RingCentral comes with the ability for manager to enter live calls on other extensions, and even take over calls if needed, which is something Ooma lacks.
- Integrations: Connect contact lists from Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Zendesk, or Hubspot using RingCentral. Additionally, RingCentral integrates with Slack, Okta, and industry-specific applications. While Ooma offers some basic CRM integrations, it lacks a lot of the connectivity offered by RingCentral.
Learn more about RingCentral by visiting our RingCentral review page.
Grasshopper
PROS
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- No premium features locked behind expensive packages
CONS
- Larger teams may want more functionality
- Limited features compared to some competitors
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
Ooma offers an automated virtual receptionist, but it does not allow you to purchase a live greeting within its platform. For teams that want to add a personal touch, Grasshopper might be a better fit. Grasshopper is a virtual phone service, which is different from VoIP in the sense that it needs an existing line to forward calls from. With a starting price of $19.95 per user, per month, Ooma Office could be far too expensive for smaller teams with strict budgets. This is especially true when compared to Grasshopper, which offers toll-free numbers, a desktop app, and automated attendants at a lower starting price of $26 per month for one number and three sharable extensions.
Grasshopper Pricing*
- Solo: $26 per month for one number and three extensions
- Partner: $44 per month for three numbers and six extensions
- Small Business: $80 per month for five numbers and unlimited extensions
*Plan prices are based on a yearly payment, but you can also select monthly plans for a higher rate.
Grasshopper Features
- Mobile apps: Grasshopper’s mobile apps make it easy to keep your business and personal calls separate. The apps work on iOS and Android devices, allow you to send and receive text messages, and forward voicemails to another email address. Grasshopper’s mobile app is about matched with Ooma in terms of functionality and usability.
- Virtual or live receptionist: Although Ooma and Grasshopper come with an auto-attendant, Grasshopper offers a US-based live receptionist as an add-on feature. Grasshopper works with you to set up live service and optimize it to make the most out of your allotted time.
- Extensions: Unlike Ooma, Grasshopper doesn’t charge a per-user fee. Instead, plans include extensions, so you can pay one price and forward numbers to multiple employees and devices without incurring extra charges.
Read what other users think about Grasshopper by visiting our Grasshopper review page.
Nextiva
PROS
- iOS and Android apps available
- Free professionally recorded voice greeting with premium packages
- Add-on features available
CONS
- Not as intuitive as some competitors
- Lacks unlimited international calling
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 |
Toll-free minutes are important for businesses, and in the case of Nextiva, the ability for customers to call a company at no cost to them is valuable, as is the inclusion of a toll-free number, which costs extra if you go with Ooma. While Nextiva costs more than Ooma Office in many cases, it starts with three times as many toll free minutes as Ooma. For many small businesses, this makes Nextiva the clear-cut winner.
Nextiva Pricing*
- Essential: $23.95 per user, per month for unlimited calling, Microsoft Outlook, Google Contacts integrations, and 1,500 toll-free minutes
- Professional: $27.95 per user, per month with unlimited video conference calling for up to 250 participants, call pop, and 3,000 toll-free minutes
- Enterprise: $37.95 per user, per month for unlimited video conferences and participants, voicemail transcription, call recording, and 12,500 toll-free minutes
- Ultimate: $67.95 per user, per month for advanced features to help with sales productivity, customer service tickets, and 12,500 toll-free minutes
*Plan pricing is based on one to four users with an annual payment option. Nextiva also offers monthly plans and 24- to 36-month contracts. Adding more users reduces your price, thanks to Nextiva’s volume-based discounts.
Nextiva Features
- Toll-free number and minutes: Nextiva provides a local or toll-free number with each account and offers the highest allowance of toll-free minutes out of all providers. With Nextiva plans, you can get up to 12,500 toll-free minutes, whereas Ooma only offers 500 toll-free minutes on both of its business packages.
- Add-on options: You may want to add certain features during your peak season without upgrading your plans, and Nextiva makes this easy to do. Add-on features include voice analytics, enterprise surveys, sales productivity, advanced call recording, and much more. Prices for add-ons range from $2.95 to $30 per user, per month.Ooma lacks such robust add-on features.
- Call pop: Prepare your teams and answer every call with confidence using the call pop feature on Nextiva’s phone system, whereas Ooma offers no similar feature. Before answering the call, you’ll see important information about your caller, such as account value and customer experience score. Once you pick up the phone, your screen displays in-depth information about your caller.
Google Voice
PROS
- Free phone system
- Easy to use
- Paid plans add an impressive feature set
CONS
- Free version has a very limited feature set
- No unlimited international calls
- Only offers robust integration with Google services
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 4.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
Ooma Office isn’t an expensive VoIP service, but the fact that it costs any money at all puts it out of reach for freelancers and very small startups that need a free, intuitive telephony solution. Google Voice is a virtual phone service that fills that need with a local phone number and unlimited domestic calling free of charge.
Google Voice Pricing
- Free: All you need is a Google account for unlimited calling or text messages to any phone number in the U.S. and Canada
- Starter: $10 per user, per month for up to 10 users with voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and Google Meet and Calendar integrations
- Standard: $20 per user, per month for a desk phone support, multilevel auto-attendant, and ring groups
- Premier: $30 per user, per month for BigQuery advanced reporting and unlimited international locations
Google Voice Features
- Google integrations: If you use free or paid Google software, such as Google Workspace or Gmail, you’ll appreciate the easy integrations with your Google Voice phone service. Your admin dashboard lets you assign numbers, handle billing, and schedule a new Google Meet in your calendar. Ooma also offers some connectivity with Google products.
- Multilevel auto-attendant: Like Ooma, Google Voice’s paid plans offer multi-level virtual receptionists and ring groups. You can set up call routing to various domestic and international users to ensure callers get to the right agent every time.
- International calling rates: Although both Ooma and Google Voice provide per-minute calling rates, in most cases, Google Voice is cheaper. For instance, calls to China cost $0.025 per minute with Ooma versus $0.02 per-minute with Google Voice.
8x8
PROS
- International calling for up to 47 countries
- Affordable entry-level pricing
- Call center functionality in premium package
CONS
- Limited functionality in the entry-level package
- Clunky interface
- Many unlimited calling countries locked behind premium packages
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 |
Ooma office is a fine service if you’re going to only make domestic calls, but it can get very expensive if you plan to make frequent calls to overseas numbers due to its per-minute calling rates. As an alternative, 8×8 offers unlimited international calling in its premium plans, which can prove as a very cost effective way to keep in touch with your international contacts without wrecking your budget. The fact that it can offer unlimited calling for 47 countries makes it one of the best systems on the market for companies with multinational operations.
8x8 Pricing*
- Express: $12 per user, per month for unlimited audio and video conferencing for up to 100 participants plus meeting recording and transcription
- X2: $24 per user, per month for unlimited calling to 14 countries, built-in integrations with sales and productivity software, and unlimited internet fax*
- X4: $44 per user, per month for unlimited calling to 47 countries, supervisor analytics, and advanced call management features*
*Pricing for X2 and X4 plans is based on an annual payment, but you also can choose monthly plans for an additional cost.
8x8 Features
- International calling: 8×8’s X-Series plans offer unlimited international calling to up to 47 countries. In contrast, Ooma charges a per-minute fee. For example, you’ll pay $0.028 per minute to call the United Kingdom on Ooma versus no-cost on an 8×8 X-Series plan.
- Video conferencing: With Ooma, video conferencing is only available on the Ooma Office Pro plan for up to 25 participants. However, all 8×8 packages include unlimited video conferencing, meeting recording, content sharing, and meeting transcription for up to 100 participants.
- Professional greetings: While both Ooma and 8×8 allow you to create a custom greeting for your virtual receptionist, 8×8 also offers professionally recorded greetings for a fee. Voicemail greetings, on-hold messages, and voice-prompt recordings start at $79 with a three-day turnaround.
Phone.com
PROS
- Flexible calling plans
- Video calling available
- Optional HIPAA compliancy is a plus
CONS
- Dated user interface
- Video calling locked behind premium plans
- Limited plans get expensive once you go over monthly minutes
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Advanced Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
Between tools like Slack, Zoom, and email, it’s quite possible that many small businesses don’t need a lot of calling minutes in their VoIP plan. As such, Phone.com can prove to be a much better value because it offers pricing plans with limited bundles of minutes rather than the forced unlimited plans of most systems. Those with low monthly call volumes should probably consider Phone.com instead of Ooma.
Phone.com Pricing*
- Basic: $10.39 per user, per month for 300 pooled monthly minutes, 1,000 pooled text message segments, and over 50 features
- Plus: $15.99 per user, per month for unlimited minutes and text messages and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant video conferencing for up 25 participants
- Pro: $23.99 per user, per month for unlimited minutes and text messages, video conferencing for up to 100 participants, video meeting transcription, and a whiteboard
*Pricing is based on an annual payment, but monthly pricing is available. If you have over 10 users, you can contact the company for discounted packages.
Phone.com Features
- Money savings with pooled minutes: The Basic plan gives you 300 minutes per user, and all Basic plan users share their minutes. So, you can add three employees to the Basic package, and they share 900 total minutes. Several of Phone.com’s limited plans are substantially cheaper than Ooma Office.
- Global numbers: If you want to develop your brand worldwide, providing a local number for international callers is a great place to start. Unlike Ooma, Phone.com offers flat-rate global telephone numbers starting at $4.99 per month.
- Video features: All Phone.com plans offer video conferencing for 10 to 100 participants. In contrast, you’ll pay more for Ooma Office Pro that provides video conferencing for up to 25 participants. Phone.com also features packages with live video streaming via YouTube, video transcription, and a video whiteboard.
Bottom Line
Finding the best business phone system for your needs shouldn’t be a hassle. Think about your must-have features and budget, then explore suitable packages from top VoIP providers. If you’re an Ooma user, consider one of our top Ooma alternatives to replace your existing system.
RingCentral is an Ooma competitor offering feature-packed plans and affordable pricing. With RingCentral, you can scale your business without worrying about your phone system keeping up. Compare RingCentral and Ooma side by side or get started with a free trial of RingCentral’s phone services.
