What Is Vonage?
Vonage Business Communications is an award-winning VoIP and UCaaS provider founded in 2001. Though it initially provided service to families and small businesses, Vonage today focuses on providing business cloud communications to companies of all sizes.
Vonage’s standard cloud phone and collaboration tools include:
- Unlimited calling
- Business SMS and MMS
- Auto attendant
- Call forwarding
- Video conferencing
- Unlimited team messaging
- Call hold and music on hold
- Do not disturb
- Dozens of additional features
Local and international business numbers and features such as call queuing or call recording are also available, but must get purchased separately.
How Vonage Works
Vonage provides internet-based phone service; your company’s internet quality impacts its quality and availability. With optimal high-speed internet, Vonage’s desktop and mobile software lets you place and receive phone calls and text messages. You can also collaborate with team members using audio and video conferencing tools.
Though Vonage often requires internet service, it is still usable with device data when Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection is unavailable.
Featured Partners
1
RingCentral
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Yes
Yes
2
Zoom Phone
Starts at $10 per user, per month
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3
Nextiva
$18.95 per user, per month
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Yes
Is Vonage Right for Me?
Vonage is capable of supporting companies large and small. However, this brand is best for those who need lines for at least 20 users. If your team consists of 100 or more people, you must contact Vonage’s sales team directly for a quote. As for smaller groups, Vonage is, in our experience, tough to sign up for, even to test its products. As such, we cannot recommend Vonage for sole proprietors or teams with fewer than 20 members.
Vonage Is Best For:
- Unlimited calling and texting: Because there is no limit on calls and SMS, you can make and receive as many business calls as needed.
- Operating on a user-friendly interface: Vonage’s features are easy to locate and quickly access.
- High-grade voice quality: Vonage software provides high-quality audio for calling.
- Unlimited team messaging: Collaborate with team members as often as needed without concerns about message or timeframe limitations.
- Guaranteed uptime: Vonage offers its customers a 99.999% uptime guarantee.
Vonage Is Not Recommended For:
- Individuals or particularly small teams: Based on our research and experience, we cannot recommend Vonage to individuals or companies operating with very few people.
- Consistently good customer service: Customer service can be hit or miss, with complaints around a lack of transparency or difficulty canceling service.
- Avoiding additional expenses: A few features, including toll-free numbers and CRM integrations, require add-ons and upgrades with Vonage, but not so with some of its top competitors.
Ultimately, you must compare what Vonage offers to other providers to determine if the pricing and features suit your business. We provide a series of such comparisons later on in this article.
What Sets Vonage Apart
Vonage does thorough due diligence in deciding whether to take on companies as customers. Based on our experience, it places a great deal of emphasis on authenticating businesses and fraud prevention. This approach is likely due to the unfortunate rise in entities that use VoIP companies for robocalls and scams. While this is great news for ensuring it can connect with authentic businesses, the sign-up process can be a bit convoluted.
Vonage Features
At its core, Vonage is a VoIP service. It does provide video conferencing and third-party integrations, but Vonage’s features are not quite as numerous as top competitors such as RingCentral or Dialpad. Even so, there are aspects of Vonage that we think make Vonage worth consideration, as detailed in the next sections.
Ease of Use
Vonage’s interface makes it easy for customers to navigate. For instance, you will find all the main tools and features on one side of the desktop application, or you may quickly locate them through the mobile app or on your desktop phone screen.
Hardware
Vonage sells VoIP equipment through its website, primarily desktop and conference phones. Brands offered include Panasonic, Poly and Yealink, or you can transfer compatible VoIP hardware. Vonage doesn’t list prices publicly, so you need to contact its sales team for pricing information.
Software
Vonage’s software is accessible through your web browser; you can log in using single sign-on (SSO) where applicable. Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers include an integration suite add-on that lets you start a call from any web page using a single click. You may also download the company’s desktop or mobile app.
Call Quality
Vonage ensures high-quality communication, though if you want to examine the exact caliber of calls, you can review reporting features related to call quality. This type of data is useful in assuring all call experiences are up to your desired standards and, should concerns arise, gives you a point of reference for reaching out concerning any technical issues.
Uptime
Vonage’s uptime reliability is 99.999%, though the service emphasizes that its reliability claim is not the same as a service level agreement or SLA. Instead, Vonage ensures you maintain access to all of its UCaaS tools without worrying that any of the features will suddenly go off-line.
Security
Vonage maintains security measures for its wide range of services to ensure it maintains standards in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements and international privacy laws and regulations. It uses independent and third-party testing measures, including ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC, HITRUST and CSA STAR. Vonage also frequently invests in and leverages industry-leading security tools to maintain the integrity of its products and services.
Vonage’s UCaaS features are both DSS and HIPAA compliant; related certificates are available for download through its website.
Third-Party Integrations
Overall, Vonage integrates with about 24 different applications. However, some integrations must be purchased separately. There are currently 14 free integrations, those available with standard service, including:
- Google Workspace
- HubSpot
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Dynamics
- VBC for Slack
- Zapier
- Zendesk
Vonage has 10 paid integrations. Some apps requiring an add-on purchase include:
- Bullhorn: $4.99 per month
- Salesforce: $4.99 per month
- Apptivo Invoices: $10 per month
- Authvia: $25 per month
- Surfly – Business: $31 per month
We also noted that while Vonage refers to certain integrations as free, you would not have access to CRM integrations until upgrading from the standard Mobile tier to Premium.
Get Started With The Leading Cloud Phone System
Vonage Pricing and Plans
| Mobile | Premium | Advanced | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Starting Price
|
$14.99 (per month, per line)
|
$24.99 (per month, per line)
|
$34.99 (per month, per line)
|
|
Contract Length
|
Annual
|
Annual
|
Annual
|
|
Unlimited Domestic Calling
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Unlimited Domestic Texting
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
International Calling
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
|
Video Conferencing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Call Monitoring
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Toll-Free Numbers
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
|
Voice Mail to Email
|
Add-on only
|
Add-on only
|
Yes
|
|
E-Fax
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
Yes, add-on
|
|
Third-Party Integrations
|
Yes, limited
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Customer Support
|
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET; live chat, contact form and phone support
|
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET; live chat, contact form and phone support
|
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET; live chat, contact form and phone support
|
Mobile
Vonage designed its Mobile plan for companies operating remotely or “on the go,” so it is bare-bones compared to Vonage’s Premium and Advanced tiers. You get unlimited calling and texting, though SMS is not accessible in Mexico. This subscription plan also provides access to about 20 third-party integrations but not CRM apps.
Premium
Premium includes everything in the Mobile tier, and you also gain access to popular integrations such as HubSpot, Salesforce, SugarCRM, Zendesk and Zoho. The Premium plan also lets you host unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants, use the multilevel auto attendant tool, and provides IP desk phone capabilities.
Advanced
The Advanced tier offers everything from Mobile and Premium and adds on-demand call recording for up to 15 hours. Additionally, you get the call group and visual voice mail tools.
Customer Service and Support
Reaction to Vonage’s customer service is somewhat mixed. We found that some customers were satisfied with the support they received, while other current or former customers were very frustrated. In attempting to review Vonage, we interacted with a sales support team member who was very polite, but never returned the call as promised.
We also found the sign-up process very difficult, and customer service could have been more helpful in straightening this issue out, which contributed to forgoing hands-on testing for this review.
Vonage Alternatives and How They Compare
| Vonage | 8x8 | RingCentral | Nextiva | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rating
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Starting Price (With Annual Subscription)
|
$14.99 per month
|
$24 per month
|
$20 per month
|
$17.95 per month
|
|
Contract Length
|
Annually
|
Monthly and annually
|
Monthly and annually
|
Monthly and annually
|
|
Unlimited Domestic Calling
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Unlimited Domestic Texting
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
International Calling
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes, metered
|
Yes, metered
|
|
Video Conferencing
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Call Monitoring
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Toll-Free Numbers
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Voice Mail to Email
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
E-Fax
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Third-Party Integrations
|
$22
|
60 |
300-plus
|
19 |
|
Customer Support
|
Website, phone, chat, case/ticket
|
24/7 support by website, phone, case/ticket
|
24/7 support by phone, chat, website, case/ticket
|
24/7 support by phone, chat, email, website
|
|
Learn More
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Read More
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Vonage vs. 8×8
Though Vonage and 8×8 are each best suited for medium to enterprise-level businesses in terms of pricing, 8×8 has a far greater range of VoIP, call center and collaboration tools. Unlike Vonage, whose pricing changes according to the number of users, 8×8 charges a flat rate and lets you add as many users as you want. Vonage and 8×8 each provide unlimited calling and texting, but 8×8 extends this capability to at least 14 countries.
If you prefer access to common UCaaS services and call center capabilities without relying on add-ons and upgrades, we recommend 8×8.
Vonage vs. RingCentral
Though Vonage has a potentially lower starting price, the range is close enough that we believe RingCentral to provide greater value for the money. For instance, RingCentral plans include a toll-free number; you must pay Vonage $39.99 monthly to get this as an add-on. Each service is accessible through desktop and mobile apps that are easy to use, though Vonage’s is more modern and visually appealing.
RingCentral is the better fit for small to medium businesses. Please read our Vonage vs. RingCentral article for a more in-depth comparison of these two services.
Vonage vs. Nextiva
Vonage and Nextiva each provide a sliding scale for pricing according to how many users need their services. However, Nextiva’s pricing is publicly available no matter how many lines you need; once you exceed 100 users, you must contact Vonage to get a quote.
Vonage does have a lower starting cost, and very small teams would pay more per user with Nextiva. Our experience shows Nextiva may be less likely to turn smaller units away. As such, Nextiva would be the better option for small to medium-sized companies.
Featured Partners
1
RingCentral
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Yes
Yes
2
Zoom Phone
Starts at $10 per user, per month
Yes
Yes
3
Nextiva
$18.95 per user, per month
Yes
Yes
Our Expert Opinion
Vonage is a good option for larger businesses that handle a high call volume as it offers unlimited calls and texts, high call quality and unlimited team messaging. It’s widely considered easy-to-use, however, it’s not the most affordable option on market for small businesses and it lacks the flexibility of contract-free, month-to-month plans.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Vonage Business good?
Vonage is a popular VoIP option for businesses and has everything needed to set up a professional call and collaboration system.
What does Vonage Business do?
Signing up for Vonage Business Communications gives you access to features such as unlimited calling, SMS and video conferencing tools.
How much does Vonage cost per month?
Vonage is available for as low as $14.99 per month, though you must contact Vonage’s sales team directly if you need lines for more than 100 people.
What is the best VoIP service?
There are a number of leading voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services on the market that offer affordable, feature-rich plans that have high call quality and unlimited calling. For example, RingCentral is the best for comprehensive features, Nextiva is best for beginners as it is very user-friendly, Google Voice is the best free VoIP service and Grasshopper is best for small businesses. Learn more about the best VoIP services.
Which one is better: Vonage or RingCentral?
While they’re both good platforms for basic unified communications needs, we think RingCentral is a slightly better option due to its extensive number of integrations that allow more customization. Read our Vonage vs. RingCentral review to learn more.
