In the Ooma vs Vonage debate, it’s a close call. Both voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) providers offer residential and business services that come with dozens of calling features. Ooma offers toll-free numbers with every plan, whereas Vonage only provides 1-800 numbers with a monthly add-on fee. Moreover, Vonage supports unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, while Ooma adds unlimited calling to Puerto Rico.
Learn about the differences between Vonage and Ooma to decide which is right for your business.
- Ooma: Best for small teams wanting a business phone system with a multilevel auto-attendant, call recording, and straight-forward pricing
- Vonage: Best for companies wanting a unified platform to share documents, host video calls, and expertly route calls
Ooma vs Vonage at a Glance
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Price* | $19.95 to $49 per user, per month; contracts only required for enterprise plans | $17.99 to $37.99 per user, per month with a one-year contract |
Setup and Installation | 20 minutes or less | 10 minutes or less |
Basic Calling Features | Local or toll-free number, 500 toll-free minutes, auto-attendant, voicemail, and call flip | Local phone number, virtual receptionist, voicemail, and call flip |
Advanced VoIP Features | Voicemail transcription, call recording, call queues, hot desking, call barge, and call whisper | Call recording, call groups, and visual voicemail |
Conferencing and Meeting Solutions | Up to 25 audio or video participants, a free conference bridge on all plans | Up to 100 audio callers and 16 video meeting attendees |
Integrations | No integration on the basic plan; CRM integrations on enterprise packages | Vonage App Center with over 20 integrations and CRM integrations on upper-tier packages |
Customer Support | 24/7/365 phone support, community forum, knowledge base | Phone support, live chat, support tickets, videos, tutorials, community forum, and FAQs |
* Pricing is for 2 to 20 users with an annual billing agreement.
Best Price: Vonage
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Ooma’s packages start at $19.95 per user, per month. | Plans start at $17.99 per month for two users with an annual contract; price decreases as lines are added. |
Vonage edges out Ooma on pricing because it offers volume discounts starting with 20 or more employees. With Vonage, you’ll pay $17.99 per month for the entry-level plan, but this drops to $14.99 for 20 users. Plus, Vonage offers slightly lower international calling rates, with most locations costing 2 cents per minute versus Ooma’s rates of 2.5 cents to 2.9 cents per minute.
Ooma doesn’t provide volume discounts, so you’ll pay a flat rate of $19.95 per user, regardless if you have five employees or 30. However, Ooma only requires a contract for enterprise plans, whereas when ordering Vonage packages online, all plans require a one-year commitment.
Winner: Vonage is the clear winner thanks to the volume discount pricing. But, if your business requires add-on features, you’re better off with an Ooma plan where those features are included.
Best Basic Call Features: Ooma
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A local or toll-free number, 500 toll-free minutes, unlimited domestic SMS, unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, voicemail, virtual receptionist, and call flip. | A local business number, unlimited domestic SMS, unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, voicemail, auto-attendant, and call flip. |
Regardless of your choice, Ooma and Vonage both come with basic calling features essential to a small business phone system. With each platform, you can forward calls, share on-hold music, and create custom greetings. However, neither service supports calls from desk phones on the basic plan.
Ooma narrowly beats Vonage by offering a more robust entry-level plan that includes a toll-free number and 500 inbound toll-free minutes. Ooma also supports unlimited calling to Puerto Rico, an option that Vonage users don’t have.
In contrast, with Vonage, you’ll pay an extra $4.99 per month for a toll-free number plus toll-free minute packages start at $2.99 per month for 100 minutes. Each minute over your allotted amount costs 4.9 cents. However, it’s important to note that Ooma’s terms of service put limits on its unlimited calling. Ooma considers 5,000 or more calling minutes per line “excessive,” so if you spend hours on the phone each day, your account may be flagged for inappropriate use.
Winner: Overall, Ooma wins this round with unlimited calling to Puerto Rico, a free 1-800 number, and 500 toll-free minutes.
Most Advanced Features: Ooma
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The Ooma Office Pro plan offers voicemail transcription and call recording, whereas enterprise packages feature call queues, hot desking, call whisper, call barge, and advanced routing options. | Vonage provides 15 hours of call recording, call groups, and visual voicemail on its highest-tier plan, whereas call monitoring is only available as an add-on feature. |
You’ll find an array of advanced features on both small business VoIP systems, including functionality with desktop phones and video conferencing. But our vote goes to Ooma for including features like voicemail transcription and call recording in its Ooma Office Pro plan for $24.95 per user, per month. Enterprise plans come with call monitoring tools, call queues, and hot desking. Plus, the highest tier provides the time-of-day routing and queue-based estimated wait times.
In comparison, Vonage only offers call monitoring features as an add-on package. To get call queues, voicemail transcription, and call recording, you’ll need the highest-tier plan. For instance, if you want voicemail-to-email, you’ll pay $24.95 on the Ooma Office Pro plan, whereas on Vonage, you’d need the top-level plan, starting at $39.99, or you can pay an extra $4.99 per month on any package.
Winner: Ooma is the clear winner because it offers more advanced features at a lower price point.
Best Conferencing & Meeting Solution: Ooma
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Up to 25 audio conference participants and up to 25 video meeting attendees. | Up to 100 audio conference attendees and up to 16 video meeting participants. |
Neither VoIP provider offers in-app video conferencing on the basic plan. However, Ooma earns the top spot by including an audio conference bridge on every plan. It allows for 10 to 25 participants, depending on the package. Upper-tier plans support video conferencing with up to 25 attendees, team chat, and screen sharing.
In comparison, Vonage offers three-way calling on its plans, or you can pay $14.99 per month for an audio conference bridge that supports up to 30 audio callers. But Vonage partners with Amazon Chime, so you can use this app to meet with up to 16 video callers or 100 audio attendees. Only Vonage is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant, so if privacy and security are a concern in meetings, Vonage is the safer choice.
Winner: It’s a close tie between the two providers, with Ooma having a slight edge by supporting a higher number of video meeting participants without requiring a third-party application.
Best for Integrations: Vonage
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No integrations on the Ooma Office plan, and CRM integrations are only available on enterprise packages. | The Vonage App Center is available on all plans; CRM integrations on the Premium package. |
Vonage delivers more than 20 integrations via the Vonage App Center, available to all plan users, making it the clear winner in this category. Entry-plan users can connect with contact databases, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. You’ll have access to customer relationship management (CRM) system integrations with upper-tier packages, like SugarCRM, Bullhorn, HubSpot, Zendesk, Salesforce, Clio, JobDiva, Zoho, Connectwise, and Microsoft Dynamics.
Ooma doesn’t offer any integrations on the entry-level plans, so you can’t connect to Gmail or Microsoft contacts. CRM connections are only available on enterprise plans, and you can integrate your VoIP system with Salesforce, Zendesk, Service Now, and Google Workspace.
Winner: The winner for integrations is Vonage because it provides over 20 connections for basic plan users.
Best for Customer Support: Vonage
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24/7 live phone support for all plans, knowledge base, and community forum. | Live phone support for all plans, support tickets, live chat, community forum, FAQs, and a training center. |
It’s a close battle of Vonage vs Ooma when it comes to customer service options. However, Vonage provides more customer support options, including live chat, support tickets, an active community forum, FAQs, and a training center with live trainings, videos, and tutorials.
Vonage falls behind Ooma’s 24/7 phone support (with American and Canadian toll-free numbers). You can call Vonage Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Eastern Time and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on weekends.
The downside is that Ooma doesn’t offer live chat. Its website is also light on information, with most videos and articles focused on use cases, not tutorials.
Winner: Although Ooma provides more phone support hours, Vonage offers far more self-service options and live chat, making it the clear winner.
Best Alternatives
Although Ooma and Vonage are reliable VoIP platforms, the services aren’t the right fit for every small business. Neither provider supports higher numbers of conference participants or international business numbers. Before making a decision, consider checking out other virtual phone systems and VoIP services.
Our top choices for Vonage and Ooma alternatives include:
- RingCentral: For companies wanting a comprehensive communication and collaboration platform with global capabilities, RingCentral delivers the tools required to scale your business.
- Grasshopper: Unlike Vonage and Ooma, Grasshopper’s plans aren’t based on the number of users. Instead, you can give employees an extension without adding a new phone line.
- Google Voice: Solo business owners and Google Workspace users can take advantage of free or low-cost plans with a virtual phone number, voicemail, and auto-attendant.
The best way to learn which platform is best for your business is by using the service during a free trial and comparing your total cost of purchase based on the number of users and add-on features you want.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which is better, Ooma or Vonage?
Ooma is a better option for small teams or home offices needing basic calling features at a low monthly cost, whereas Vonage is less expensive for larger companies. However, Vonage offers a la carte features, making it easier to customize your calling plan.
Does Ooma or Vonage offer a free plan?
Yes, Ooma offers a free home calling plan, perfect for home office users. But, you’ll need to purchase the Ooma Telo adapter for a one-time fee. Unlike Ooma, Vonage doesn’t offer a free calling plan for business or residential customers.
Can I use an analog phone with Vonage & Ooma?
Yes, both services support analog phones on all but the entry-level package. To make calls using an analog phone, you need to select a calling package that supports traditional phones and purchase an analog telephone adapter (ATA).
Bottom Line
Vonage and Ooma are well-known VoIP providers offering similar feature sets, making it a close call when choosing a winner. However, Vonage’s integrations, extra customer service options, and a slightly more straightforward setup process give it the advantage. Check out Vonage by signing up for the 14-day free trial.
