Vonage Business Communications is a cloud-based phone system that allows users to engage with customers and colleagues through voice, messaging, and video. In this Vonage Business Communications review, it earned perfect scores on ease of use and customer service and fair ratings on pricing and features. The starting subscription fee is affordable at first glance, but the add-on features can drive up the cost. The features, on the other hand, are comprehensive, but it falls short on limited native integrations and collaboration tools.
Vonage Business Communications Review: At a Glance
What We Liked
- 50+ business phone features available across all plans
- Unlimited team messaging and calls within the United States, Canada, and Mexico
- 99.999% uptime guarantee making for a reliable service
- Easy-to-use desktop and mobile app benefits new users
What's Missing
- Some add-ons are standard features in other voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) providers, e.g., call queue, call group, and call monitoring
- No annual discounts
- Integrations with popular customer relationship management (CRM) systems come with an additional fee
- Requiring a unified communications (UC) platform with robust call management features: Vonage Business Communications packs powerful phone system capabilities, including call rerouting, call screening, auto-attendant, conference calling, call park, and call blocking. It earned a spot in our list of the best business phone systems and small business VoIP services.
- Feature-rich mobile VoIP app: The provider’s 50-plus voice and UC features are all accessible through the provider’s mobile app. It provides full integration with Siri, making it our top pick for the best VoIP apps for iPhone in 2023.
- Wanting to use different phones on the same extension: Vonage has a multi-line phone system that lets you use the same phone number, voice mailbox, and extension for all your registered phones.
- Keeping phone system active even during emergencies: In case of power outages, where the Vonage Business Communications platform won’t be able to receive calls, the provider’s call continuity service automatically reroutes the call to a backup phone number you choose.
- Hosting large virtual meetings: Vonage Business Communications only allows up to 100 audio meetings and 25 video conference participants. In contrast, RingCentral hosts up to 1,000 audio meeting and 200 video conference participants. Learn how else RingCentral stacks up against Vonage in this RingCentral vs Vonage guide.
- Requiring task management features: The provider’s collaboration tools are limited to file sharing and team messaging. If you need a UC system with task and calendar management features, go with Nextiva. Read our Nextiva vs Vonage guide to better understand which platform suits your business needs.
- Affordable UC platform: Although Vonage Business Communications’ a la carte features offer flexibility, costs can increase for those needing advanced UC features. For a more budget-friendly option, check out these low-cost or free UC platforms.
Visit Vonage Business Communications
Vonage Business Communications Deciding Factors
Vonage Business Communications is a unified communications (UC) platform equipped with telephony, conferencing, and messaging features. Its pricing plans, which start at $19.99 a month per line, feature basic phone system capabilities, like unlimited calls and short messaging service (SMS), and allow users to add more features as needed.
Best For | Businesses that require a feature-rich phone system providing a la carte capabilities |
Standout Features |
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Pricing Plans | $19.99 to $39.99 per line, paid monthly |
Annual or Volume Discounts Available |
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Key Integrations | HubSpot, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, SugarCRM, and Zendesk |
Customer Service |
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Vonage Business Communications Alternatives
While Vonage Business Communications is a great option for a UC platform, the limited video meeting participant capacity and collaboration tools may not be suitable for large, remote teams. The provider’s a la carte pricing options won’t fit budget-conscious businesses needing advanced UC features. With this, we outlined some of the top Vonage Business Communications alternatives worth considering:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Businesses needing an affordable unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform that also has excellent international calling capabilities | Businesses requiring an extensive set of collaboration features | Those looking for a UCaaS platform with a large conferencing capacity |
Monthly Starting Price | $15 per user | $30.95 per user | $30 per user |
Learn More | or | or | or |
For more options, check out other Vonage alternatives. These phone systems are ideal for those looking for customizable call flow capabilities and artificial intelligence tools.
Vonage Business Communications pricing earned a score of 3 out of 5. While its subscription costs are affordable compared to competitors, it doesn’t offer a free plan and annual discounts. Moreover, the price quickly goes up when you need the provider’s full suite of UC capabilities.
Refer to the table below for the different inclusions and exclusions on Vonage Business Communications’ pricing plans:
Vonage Business Communications Plans | Mobile | Premium | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Teams needing basic call management features | Businesses requiring a UCaaS tool with CRM integrations | Companies looking for a UCaaS platform with advanced call management features |
Monthly Pricing* | $19.99 per user | $29.99 per user | $39.99 per user |
Unlimited Calls (U.S. & Canada) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Unlimited Team Messaging | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Vonage App Center | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Virtual Receptionist | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
CRM Integrations | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
On-demand Call Recording | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Call Group | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Visual Voicemail | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Mobile & Desktop Apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*The above rates apply to accounts with one user and are exclusive of taxes and other fees. A minimum one-year contract is required.
Add-ons
Vonage Business Communications follows a la carte pricing for advanced features, professional services, integrations, and hardware. Here’s an overview of the capabilities and costs added to your subscription plan:
- Advanced features: These include the toll-free flat rate, voicemail transcription, business number inbox, U.S. fax number, call group, paging group, call queue, and on-demand call recording. The monthly fees range from $4.99 to $49.99, depending on the feature.
- Professional services: Vonage Business Communications allows users to add customer support services. Vonage Support PLUS is priced at $9.99 a month, while the Remote Go Live Support is $200 plus tax per hour. Meanwhile, the virtual receptionist recording service is available for $29.99 plus tax.
- Integrations: The third-party apps that come with additional costs are Zoho, SugarCRM, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and Salesforce. The monthly fee is $4.99.
- Hardware: Premium and Advanced plan subscribers have the option to add Vonage business phones to their subscriptions. The provider offers Yealink and Polycom units.
Vonage Business Communications Features
Vonage Business Communications packs 50-plus voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) and UC capabilities, ranging from collaboration and employee experience to customer engagement tools. These features are accessible via mobile and desktop apps, allowing users to work from anywhere, even outside the office.
Consider the features discussed below as you weigh if Vonage is the right solution for your communication needs:
In this Vonage Business Communications review, the provider earned a score of 3.75 out of 5 on general features because it offers all the fundamental VoIP features except for the interactive voice response (IVR) system. The phone system capabilities include extensions, call queues, call tracking, and call recording, helping businesses accommodate a huge volume of calls and easily recognize customer service gaps and agent training opportunities.
Other basic call management features in Vonage Business Communications include:
- Auto-attendant
- Block caller ID
- Call announce
- Call blocking
- Call conference
- Call forwarding
- Call hold
- Call park
- Call screening
- Call waiting
- Click-to-dial
- Conference bridge
The call dashboard shows parked calls, the time they were parked, and the one who handled them. (Source: Vonage)
The provider scored 3.13 out of 5 on niche features, ticking off all the specialized capabilities we look for but not having robust native integrations, collaboration tools, and video conferencing capacity. The provider connects with 20+ third-party apps and supports only 25 participants in video meetings. Its collaboration tools are limited to file sharing and team messaging.
Learn more about Vonage’s niche features here:
Vonage Business Communications features virtual meetings accessible via desktop, mobile, or browser. This conferencing capability has a dedicated dial-in number from 60 countries, improving accessibility to global teams. In terms of collaboration features, users are able to share screens, use whiteboards, and chat with colleagues. A meeting lock and waiting room are likewise available to keep sessions secure.
Vonage Meetings allow participants to use the whiteboard for brainstorming ideas and explaining processes. (Source: Vonage)
Start and join group chats with team members to easily collaborate on projects. The chat feature allows sharing of files and other types of media, eliminating the need to jump to email or other platforms to give colleagues a copy of documents. If you want to hop on a quick huddle with group members, click the video button on the chat menu.
Vonage Business Communications enables users to organize group chats according to projects and interests. (Source: Vonage)
Vonage Business Communications converts voicemail messages to text and sends the transcription to email, along with the phone number and the audio file. Visual voicemail is great for easily retrieving messages and taking note of details. It contributes to better productivity since you’re able to read the transcription and get the message quickly without the time-consuming effort of playing the audio file over and over again.
Vonage Business Communications transcribes voicemails, making it easier for users to revisit messages. (Source: Vonage)
This feature contains all the texts sent to your main company number, including toll-free numbers. Since it integrates with Facebook, you’ll get messages sent to your social page once you connect it to Vonage Business Communications. With all your messages in one place, you won’t miss any customer inquiries. Instead, you get to respond to concerns more quickly.
Vonage Business Communications’ business inbox compiles all the messages sent to the company phone number. (Source: Vonage)
In this Vonage Business Communications review, we rated the provider a perfect score on customer service—offering various channels for support: phone, email, and live chat. The phone support operates from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to midnight Eastern Time, and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The email and live chat support are available 24/7.
This provider also has a support portal where you’ll find instructions on how to get started, resolve technical issues, and use different features. It has a YouTube channel, a central hub for product announcements, and easy-to-follow tutorials.
For ease of use, Vonage Business Communications earned a perfect score since the setup and navigation of the platform are straightforward. The desktop and mobile app’s interface is neat, with all the phone system features readily displayed on the main navigation panel.
On the desktop, you’ll see from top to bottom the VoIP features (calls, voicemails, and SMS), followed by the UC features (team messaging and meetings), contacts, apps, call dashboard, reports, and finally, the admin portal.
Vonage Business Communications’ mobile app displays messaging, calls, dial pad, contacts, and app icons in its main navigation panel. (Source: Vonage)
Based on Vonage Business Communications reviews online, users liked the feature-rich platform and all-in-one solution for calls, messages, and meetings. Some expressed appreciation for its clean desktop and mobile app interface, while others praised the quick resolution to concerns submitted. Some shared that they liked how they were able to secure and manage different phone numbers and assign them to specific groups.
These are the user ratings for Vonage Business Communications on different review sites:
- G2: 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 405 reviews
- GetApp: 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 276 reviews
- TrustRadius: 6.1 out of 10 stars based on 70 reviews
How We Evaluated Vonage Business Communications
To evaluate Vonage Business Communications, we considered the top priorities of businesses in choosing a UC platform. We identified pricing, features, customer service, and ease of use as our main criteria while comparing the provider to other business phone systems.
Learn how we evaluated Vonage Business Communications by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
To determine if the provider has an accessible price point, we looked at its base and second-tier subscription plans and gave it more points for having fees less than what’s typically offered in the market. We considered the availability of free plans and annual and volume discounts.
25% of Overall Score
The general features we considered were unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, IVR system, and mobile app. We also checked its uptime service level agreement, giving more points for its 99.999% uptime.
20% of Overall Score
The specialized capabilities we looked at were video conferencing, team messaging, collaboration tools, and integrations. We usually give more points to providers that accommodate more than 100 participants in video meetings and offer robust integrations.
10% of Overall Score
The variety and types of customer support channels were part of our assessment. We looked at the availability of live chat, phone, and email support. We checked the schedule of customer service operations as well.
10% of Overall Score
We determined if the platform requires technical skills to set up and operate. We checked how intuitive the desktop and mobile apps are.
15% of Overall Score
The expert score includes our evaluation of standout features, value for money, popularity, and ease of use. We also considered what verified users are saying on credible review sites.
Bottom Line
Vonage Business Communications is a reliable business phone system packed with excellent VoIP and UC capabilities. Given its wide range of advanced call management features, it’s suitable for companies that want to streamline communications with a huge audience base. Its basic collaboration features benefit teams that require a simple team messaging solution. Sign up for Vonage Basic Communications’ entry-level plan and see if it’s the right platform for you.
