Ooma is a business phone system offering easy installation, virtual receptionist services, and virtual extensions with extension monitoring. Unfortunately, the solution does not offer international phone numbers, instant messaging, and robust third-party integrations. If these features are crucial to your business operations, consider Ooma alternatives that allow you to connect with global markets, improve customer engagement, and boost team productivity.
Based on our research, these platforms make the best alternative solutions to Ooma:
- RingCentral: Best overall Ooma alternative
- Zoom Phone: Best for affordability
- Nextiva: Best for inclusive toll-free minutes
- Dialpad: Best for built-in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities
- Vonage: Best for tailored phone systems
- Grasshopper: Best for shared phone numbers
- GoTo Connect: Best for international calling
Ooma & Best Alternatives Compared
Providers | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | FSB Rating |
---|---|---|---|
$19.95 |
| 4.12 out of 5 | |
$30 |
| 4.68 out of 5 | |
$10 |
| 4.66 out of 5 | |
$30.95 |
| 4.53 out of 5 | |
$23 |
| 4.52 out of 5 | |
$19.99 |
| 4.39 out of 5 | |
$17 (flat rate) |
| 4.19 out of 5 | |
$32 |
| 4.16 out of 5 | |
RingCentral: Best Overall Ooma Alternative
What We Like
- Offers desk and conference phone rentals
- Instant messaging and video conferencing are available in the entry-level plan
- Up to 10,000 toll-free minutes available
Where It Falls Behind
- Lacks unlimited business texting
- Doesn’t offer customer relationship management (CRM) integrations in the base-level package
- Additional vanity numbers have a one-time $30 fee
How It Compares to Ooma
- RingCentral has call monitoring tools, like barge and takeover, which Ooma lacks.
- RingCentral’s maximum toll-free minute allowance in its subscription plan is 10,000—much higher than Ooma’s 500 inclusive minutes.
- Both providers charge $4.99 per month for additional numbers.
RingCentral is the best overall alternative to Ooma because of its generous packages that include essential and advanced call management and unified communications (UC) tools. While Ooma has over 50 standard features, RingCentral offers more advanced features, such as unlimited file storage and advanced call handling. The provider also has interactive voice response (IVR) on its base plan, while Ooma only offers it on its Enterprise Call Center platform.
When it comes to third-party integrations, RingCentral has more applications than Ooma. RingCentral boasts 300-plus third-party business applications ranging from productivity to automation tools, while Ooma has limited integrations, which are mostly customer relationship management (CRM) software. RingCentral is a recommended VoIP phone system because of its advanced call management tools and integrations.
Upon review, Ooma leads RingCentral when it comes to domestic calling. RingCentral has unlimited domestic calling in the U.S. and Canada, but Ooma extends beyond the U.S. and Canada and includes unmetered calling to Mexico and Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, both platforms lack unlimited business messaging. If you need this service, check out Grasshopper—all its plans come with unlimited business texting.
RingCentral Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Core: $30 per user for unlimited domestic calling, 100 toll-free minutes, multi-level auto-attendant, and on-demand call recording
- Advanced: $35 per user for 1,000 toll-free minutes, automatic and on-demand call recording, advanced call monitoring, and hot desking
- Ultra: $45 per user for 10,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited storage for files, messaging, 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
- Conversational AI: Help your team improve its overall performance with artificial intelligence (AI) highlights that identify pain points and best practices. This feature combines machine learning with natural learning processing (NLP) for high-quality chatbots, sentiment analysis, and proactive customer service.
- Extensive integrations: End app switching by connecting the phone system to different platforms. Choose among the 300-plus tools available in its app gallery. Top RingCentral integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Dropbox, and Google Workspace.
- Multi-level IVR: Configure your phone tree menus with RingCentral’s interactive voice response (IVR) editor. A carefully planned IVR system allows customers to access basic information and self-service options, even when your team is unavailable. Customize up to 250 voice menus and submenus per RingCentral account.
Zoom Phone: Best for Affordability
What We Like
- Chat (presence, 1:1, and team messaging) available on all plans
- High-definition (HD) call quality
- Offers holiday and business hours routing
Where It Falls Behind
- Doesn't offer discounts for annual billing and bulk purchases
- Lacks vanity phone numbers
- Unlimited global calling limited to only 19 countries
How It Compares to Ooma
- All Zoom Phone plans have call recording, while Ooma requires you to upgrade to the second-tier package for this feature.
- Unlike Ooma, Zoom Phone features team chat and presence.
- Hot desking is available in Zoom Phone’s entry-level plan, but Ooma locks this feature behind its most expensive package.
In terms of affordability, Zoom Phone is a cheaper alternative to Ooma. This solution offers a pay-as-you-go option that starts at $10 per user, paid monthly. Users can choose from metered and unmetered call plans, with an optional paid add-on for unlimited calling to 19 countries. These international locations include Switzerland, Italy, France, Australia, and Japan. All plans also come with Zoom meetings.
Zoom Phone’s entry-level plan offers various call management features, such as unlimited internal calling, toll-free numbers, voicemail with transcription, call recording, and unlimited auto-attendants/IVR. However, its global calling is limited to only 19 countries. If you’re looking for an Ooma alternative with extensive international calling, consider GoTo Connect. It supports international calls to 50-plus countries.
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, with an 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
- Free trial: Not available
Zoom Phone Features
- Verified caller: See a checkmark icon if the carrier has authenticated the caller. This feature helps users identify robo and spam calls. 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 in a communal parking spot, and another user can pick up the call and resume the conversation. Use a retrieval code that lets any user pick up the call.
- Music on hold: Customize your caller’s waiting experience by playing a recording or music when an inbound caller is placed on hold. This fills the silence your clients would hear.
Nextiva: Best for Inclusive Toll-free Minutes
What We Like
- Offers up to 12,500 toll-free minutes
- Up to 250 audio participants on the same call
- Video conference recording is available in all plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Only supports up to 25 active video participants
- Limited third-party integrations
- Call recording is only available in the Enterprise plan
How It Compares to Ooma
- Ooma doesn’t offer a monthly SMS allowance, which Nextiva offers.
- Nextiva offers a 99.999% service level agreement (SLA). Ooma Office doesn’t have a specific uptime guarantee.
- Both providers feature virtual fax in all subscription plans.
Nextiva is the best small business voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service for providing customers with a free, convenient way to communicate with your business. It offers a generous toll-free minute allotment across all plans. Nextiva’s entry-level plan includes 1,500 toll-free minutes and can go as high as 12,500 minutes for those subscribed to the Enterprise plan. It also offers up to 2,000 monthly messages sent and received per user.
If you regularly receive long-distance calls and need a provider with advanced call management capabilities, Nextiva is an excellent Ooma alternative. However, its subscription plans run higher than other VoIP providers, especially those on this list. If you’re looking for an affordable, straightforward virtual phone system, check out Zoom Phone. Its monthly plans start at $10 per user.
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 more money by paying annually. Volume discounts for more than four users are available.
Nextiva Features
- Team chat: Communicate instantly with team members and customers. Nextiva’s team chat app includes instant messaging, screen sharing, video calls, and message history.
- Team collaboration rooms: These rooms help members easily discuss projects and provide updates. Rename the rooms according to your department or project.
- Auto-attendant: Make calls more efficiently and avoid wasting customers’ time using instant automated greetings. Callers can navigate to the right agent and department using a prerecorded menu system.
Dialpad: Best for Built-in AI Capabilities
What We Like
- AI tools are available in all subscription plans
- Offers unlimited departments and ring groups
- Local and toll-free number porting
Where It Falls Behind
- Limited video meeting duration and small participant capacity
- Limited third-party integrations
- Does not offer international SMS in base plan
How It Compares to Ooma
- Unlike Ooma, Dialpad provides international phone numbers.
- Dialpad supports unlimited ring groups, while Ooma only allows up to five.
- Ooma meeting hosts up to 100 video participants, while Dialpad only accommodates 10.
Dialpad is the best option of all Ooma alternatives for real-time artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and agent support. It has native AI tools that transcribe calls and predict customer sentiment. Dialpad’s Ai Coaching Hub allows managers to monitor critical metrics, like average hold times and customer satisfaction scores for timely feedback and training.
This AI-powered platform unifies calls, messaging, and video meetings to streamline communications into a single workspace. While Dialpad offers live call widgets, real-time transcription, and agent recommendations, it has a limited video meeting participant capacity. Dialpad only accommodates 10 participants in one session. Choose RingCentral to host meetings with up to 200 video participants for 24 hours.
Dialpad Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Standard: $23 per user for one local number, unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada, multi-level auto-attendant, visual voicemail, three ring groups, five-hour meetings, and real-time analytics
- Pro: $35 for per user for additional numbers, hold queues, 25 ring groups, international SMS, and CRM integrations
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for extensions and unlimited ring groups
- Free trial: 14 days
*Annual billing is available and starts at $15 per user, monthly.
Dialpad Features
- Local presence: Dialpad offers local presence dialing, providing users with phone numbers and area codes that recipients recognize. When placing an outbound call, choose the local presence option, and the app automatically detects and matches the recipient number.
- Video call: Dialpad supports video conferencing for one-on-one discussions and multiple participants. In-call controls include mute and unmute, screen sharing, chat, and recordings.
- Do Not Disturb: Turn on Do Not Disturb mode when you’ll be away or unable to pick up calls. Set the timer, and Dialpad pauses call and chat alerts, only resuming notifications when you’re ready.
Vonage: Best for Tailored VoIP Phone Systems
What We Like
- Over 40 included communication features
- Offers mobile and desktop apps
- Hosts up to 200 video meeting participants
Where It Falls Behind
- Conference bridge only supports up to 30 participants on one call
- SMS not available in Mexico
- Limited to about 20 third-party integrations, some with extra fees
How It Compares to Ooma
- Unlike Ooma, Vonage offers unlimited text messaging in all its subscription plans.
- Ooma and Vonage offer unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, but Vonage also covers Puerto Rico.
- While Ooma accommodates up to 100 participants in video meetings, Vonage can host 200 attendees.
Thanks to its selection of add-on features, Vonage is the best Ooma alternative offering flexible packages. It’s great for teams with seasonal or fluctuating call volumes. It has 40-plus VoIP features, and subscribers can add more tools and features from its a la carte menu. Add the tools you need by selecting from Vonage’s 17 paid add-ons, including business inbox and digital fax.
While Vonage is great for teams looking for a powerful yet flexible phone system, call recording is a paid feature priced at $49.99 monthly. Unfortunately, users will need to pay extra for this feature, which is included in the plans of other VoIP providers. If you’re looking for a provider with built-in call recording capabilities that won’t incur additional fees, try Dialpad. Dialpad offers unlimited audio recordings across all its plans.
Vonage Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Mobile: $19.99 per user for unlimited calls and SMS/MMS, access to mobile and desktop apps, and unlimited team messaging
- Premium: $29.99 per user for virtual receptionist, business app integration, analytics and reporting, and unlimited video meetings for up to 200 participants
- Advanced: $39.99 per user for 15-hour on-demand call recording, single-sign on (SSO), voicemail transcription, and call group
*Vonage has a minimum one-year contract for new accounts. Volume discounts for more than four users are available.
Vonage Features
- Call announce: Before a call is connected, call announce indicates the caller’s custom tag, giving you a heads-up about the call. Use this feature with call screening and equip your agents with the information needed to better communicate with callers.
- Follow me: This call feature allows professionals to stay connected outside the office. It directs incoming calls to up to five numbers in a specific sequence so you don’t miss any calls.
- Call queues: Incoming calls are placed in a call queue until an agent is ready to answer. Click the “View Status” option to see the queue agents, callers waiting, and callers connected. Choose what occupies the silence while callers are on hold. They will hear either music, prerecorded prompts, or both.
Grasshopper: Best for Shared Phone Numbers
What We Like
- Unlimited users offered in all plans higher than the base package
- Offers up to five business phone numbers
- Easy to set up and navigate
Where It Falls Behind
- Doesn’t have team messaging or video conferencing features
- Lacks native video meetings
- Does not have IVR capabilities
How It Compares to Ooma
- Unlike Ooma, Grasshopper features instant response, a text message automatically sent when you miss a call.
- Grasshopper offers unlimited phone extensions, while Ooma doesn’t.
- Both providers have virtual fax in all their subscription plans.
Grasshopper is the most cost-effective Ooma alternative providing cloud-based phone number options with extensions. It offers multiple phone numbers per account and virtual number extensions without the need for equipment. Grasshopper offers a monthly flat-rate subscription, and all plans have the same features, like voicemail and call transfers. The difference between plans lies in the number of inclusive users, phone numbers, and extensions.
Subscribers get a local, toll-free, and vanity number, and users can opt for higher-tier plans to accommodate multiple users. This provider is a great option for budget-conscious teams, but it doesn’t come with video conferencing, team chat, or task management. We suggest trying the best overall Ooma alternative RingCentral if you need advanced UC and productivity tools. It’s an all-in-one solution with phone, video, SMS, and extensive integrations.
Grasshopper Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- True Solo: $17 for one user, one phone number, and one extension
- Solo Plus: $34 for unlimited users, one phone number, and three extensions
- Partner: $56 for unlimited users, three phone numbers, and six extensions
- Small Business: $92 for unlimited users, five phone numbers, and unlimited extensions
- Free trial: 7 days
*Pricing is based on monthly billing; save over 10% with annual billing.
Grasshopper Features
- Live receptionist: Grasshopper works with Ruby Receptionist to provide professionally trained live virtual receptionists. These experts handle your calls and address customer queries so you can focus on more important business matters.
- Business texting: Instantly reach your audience and customers by texting updates, reminders, and appointment confirmations. Aside from text messages, Grasshopper also supports picture messages for local phone numbers. This helps companies increase customer engagement and brand their messages.
- Voice Studio: Write your greeting script and have a professional voice actor record your message in English, Spanish, or French. Voice Studio costs $75 per recording.
GoTo Connect: Best for International Calling
What We Like
- Toll-free and vanity number support
- Provides unlimited meeting duration
- Unlimited extension and call forwarding for all plans
Where It Falls Behind
- No free minutes included in the base plan
- Does not offer international numbers
- Base plan only comes with one ring group
How It Compares to Ooma
- Unlike Ooma, GoTo Connect allows unlimited ring groups and call queues.
- Ooma offers up to 500 toll-free minutes in its subscription plans. GoTo Connect has an allowance of 1,000 minutes.
- Ooma hosts up to 100 video meeting participants, while GoTo Connect hosts up to 250.
GoTo Connect is on this list of Ooma alternatives because of its generous international calling services. The Basic plan includes metered international calling, and its Standard Plan comes with unlimited calling to 50-plus countries, including China, Greece, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Countries outside of inclusive locations are charged per minute.
While GoTo Connect supports unlimited international calling, it does not support unlimited SMS. Users have a maximum of 40 monthly credits on the Basic plan and 80 monthly credits under the Standard plan. For businesses who need unmetered business texting, you’re better off with Grasshopper. This is a straightforward platform offering unlimited business texting across all plans.
GoTo Connect Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Basic: $32 per user for up to 20 users, a local or toll-free number, 150 video meeting participants, 40 SMS credits per seat, and basic integrations
- Standard: $43 per user for unlimited users, unlimited auto-attendants, 250 video meeting participants, advanced integrations, and 80 SMS credits per seat
*Save up to 9% with annual billing.
GoTo Connect Features
- Hot desking: Save on traditional hardware and office costs by allowing team members to access their phone settings on any phone in your system. Support team flexibility and mobility by allowing employees to pick up calls from any workstation.
- Call filtering: This feature lets your team route calls based on incoming caller ID. For example, send VIP calls straight to available agents, skipping auto-attendants. GoTo Connect will immediately end the call if it detects spam calls.
- Real-time analytics: Track micro and macro traffic patterns, allow your supervisors to see daily call queues, and improve team performance. View call center analytics like total inbound and outbound calls, or calls made by agent, for better training and business decisions.
How We Evaluated the Best Ooma Alternatives
To assess the best alternative solutions to Ooma, we considered the factors that matter most to small businesses. These include each provider’s subscription costs, call management and unified communications capabilities, usability, and customer assistance. Our evaluation also includes our expert opinion on its popularity and value.
Learn how we evaluated the best Ooma competitors by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
We determined affordability by checking the cost of the base-level and higher-tier subscription plans and comparing them to the prevailing fees in the market. We favored those with discounts for annual billing and bulk purchases. Those with free plans and trials also earned more points.
25% of Overall Score
The general features we examined were unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada, audio and video conferencing, and uptime SLA. Since businesses need a reliable communications platform for on-the-go employees, we included mobile apps in our assessment.
15% of Overall Score
Niche features offer valuable tools that help businesses operate more efficiently. We considered Ooma competitors offering international calling, international numbers, and the IVR system. We awarded higher scores to providers with robust integrations.
10% of Overall Score
We assessed how each platform works and determined ease of use by trying each software. We considered the expertise required to set up and operate the phone system. We also assessed if the providers have an intuitive interface.
10% of Overall Score
We looked at each solution’s types of support channels. We gave more points to providers with email, phone, and live chat support. We considered the hours these channels are active and operational.
20% of Overall Score
This includes evaluating each provider’s standout features, value for money, and ease of use. We checked user ratings in third-party review sites to gauge the platform’s popularity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ooma is a VoIP service highly recommended for small teams and solopreneurs. While the platform offers a free residential plan, low-cost international calling, and over 50 business phone features, it provides limited third-party integrations and lacks robust unified communications (UC) tools. We recommend RingCentral if you need a full-featured, cloud-based VoIP service with various third-party tools.
Yes, Ooma provides E911 service where supported. The address used upon Ooma device registration is sent to emergency response personnel when you dial 911. Since Ooma is an internet-based service, you must call from a mobile phone if your internet connection is down.
The choice between Google Voice and Ooma is dependent on your needs. Ooma is best for small teams and home offices needing feature-rich calling services, while Google Voice is ideal for Google Workspace users looking for an affordable phone system with a free business phone number. Read our Ooma vs Google Voice comparison to determine which platform is better for you.
Bottom Line
Ooma is an excellent phone system but lacks essential features such as third-party integrations, global phone numbers, and team chat. Our evaluation of Ooma alternatives found that RingCentral is the clear winner because of its advanced call management features and UC capabilities. Its entry-level plan starts at $30 per user, paid monthly. Sign up for a 14-day free trial today to see if it suits your needs.