Vonage Review – Features, Pricing, Pros and Cons

Vonage is one of our top-rated cloud phone systems, due to its vast array of in-house features – including fraud prevention, onboarding, and cross-platform messaging tools – as well as its expansive library of third-party integrations. The platform’s impressive toolkit makes it an especially strong option for businesses managing high volumes of calls, and those looking to expand.

Vonage lets businesses get started for $19.99 per month, per user too, which is a lower entry price than you’ll find with many competitors. However, despite Vonage’s perks (of which there are many) its dearth of security features may be offputting to businesses handling ultra-sensitive data, while the price of its add-ons can bump up the overall price pretty quickly.

Truth be said, Vonage is a feature-rich, reliable VoIP provider, but its strengths will end up benefiting certain types of businesses much more than others. In this guide, we’ll cover Vonage’s features, pricing, pros, and cons, ensuring you have all the information you need to make the right decision for your small business.

In this guide:

• Vonage Quick Fact File
• Vonage Review: Key Features
• How Much Does Vonage Cost?
• How Does Vonage Compare to Other Providers?
• Our Methodology
• Verdict: Is Vonage Worth It?

Vonage Quick Fact File

We understand that researching business software like VoIP can be an arduous process, which is why we try to make it as comprehensive as possible. When it comes to Vonage, there are some key points you should understand that will help decide whether it’s the right fit for your business.

Here are some quick facts about Vonage:

• Pricing: Vonage’s lets you get started from as little as $19.99 per user, per month, making it a pretty affordable VoIP service compared to the industry average.
• VoIP features: Vonage has the second-best VoIP features scores in our research, missing out marginally on the top position to 8×8.
• AI features: Vonage is one of the best VoIP providers at leveraging AI, with the provider recently rolling out AI spam prevention features and a tool called Virtual Receptionist.
• Customer satisfaction: Vonage’s feedback is largely positive on customer review sites like Trustpilot and TrustRadius, suggesting that customers find the VoIP service relatively easy to use
• Customer support: Vonage’s customer support phone line is open 24/7, but it doesn’t offer live chat options like RingCentral.
• Security: Vonage’s security safeguards aren’t as strong as lots of competitors, as it lacks strict password rules and only started offering multi-factor authentication functionality in recent years.

Most suitable for:

• Expanding businesses, as Vonage’s packages are highly scalable and the provider offers great onboarding and training tools
• Businesses using VoIP technology for the first time that would prefer a shallow learning curve
• Businesses that manage high volumes of calls like contact centers or sales teams, due to Vonage’s guaranteed 99% uptime and top-notch call quality
• Remote teams that lean heavily on collaboration features like instant messaging and video conferencing

Less suitable for:

• Businesses that handle very sensitive data like those in the financial or healthcare sector
• Businesses after ultra-low prices, as lots of Vonage’s features are only available as paid add-ons
• Users who like resolving customer service queries using a live chatbot
• Small teams or solo users that won’t take advantage of Vonage’s advanced calling and collaboration features

Vonage Review: Key Features

One of the primary reasons Vonage is so high on our list of the best VoIP service providers is that it offers one of the biggest feature catalogs in our research. According to our research and testing, it offers the second-best selection of features, losing only to 8×8 because some features like customizable greetings and virtual receptionist are not available in Vonage’s most affordable plan, unlike 8×8.

Here are some of the key features you can expect from Vonage:

Virtual Receptionist

Lots of Vonage’s features harness emerging technology, like its AI-powered Virtual Receptionist. This smart feature is designed to improve contact center efficiency by handling tasks for users. Specifically, Vonage’s VR is capable of routing calls to human agents when needed, conducting outbound communications like surveys, answering and resolving common queries, and providing a voice-based self service for customers.

Vonage’s Virtual Receptionist uses AI to streamline the call management process, and you can choose between a basic or advanced model. Source: Vonage

This VR feature is valuable to businesses because it frees up time, allowing workers to focus on more important tasks. The 24/7 availability of the tool also makes it useful for businesses operating outside of traditional working hours.

Vonage Meetings

Video chat is essential for hybrid workforces, which is why Vonage gives you access to virtual meeting functionality. The video conferencing capability, which is part of the provider’s winder Vonage Business Communications (VBC) suite, lets you set up video and voice conference calls with dial-in numbers and initiate and schedule meetings.

Aside from video calling, participants are able to use the feature to chat with fellow attendees, create and share whiteboard screens, share their screens, and watch videos together. This video conferencing feature makes Vonage a particularly good option for hybrid or remote teams after a multi-pronged communication solution.

The in-house team messaging functionality in Vonage is quite comprehensive. Source: Vonage

Messaging integrations

Vonage offers multiple outreach channels aside from traditional VoIP calls. The software lets you communicate with customers through SMS, MMS, as well as popular apps like Facebook Messenger WhatsApp, and Viber for comprehensive support. Compared to other VoIP providers, these social media integrations are pretty comprehensive. However, if you’d prefer to resolve customer queries through X, we’d recommend using 8×8 instead.

Learn about the VoIP provider’s costs in our 8×8 pricing review.

Spam Block

Spam messages and calls are a huge issue for businesses. Not only do they clog up company voicemails and inboxes’, they can also result in cybersecurity risks if handled incorrectly. Fortunately, Vonage’s Spam Block feature makes it easier for you to manage unwanted spam calls through your online account.

The toolkit lets you choose to block incoming calls identified as spam, direct all spam calls to voicemail automatically, or accept calls marked as spam. Additionally, Vonage offers a Selective Call Block capability which lets users block up to 500 phone numbers, and prevent blocked numbers from showing up in Recents lists and Call Activity.

Uptime

VoIP downtime can have drastic effects on business reputation and customer retention. Luckily, if you’re interested in reducing instances of downtime Vonage will be a safe bet. The provider guarantees  “99.999% uptime reliability to keep your business running”. This is markedly better than Google Voice’s uptime of 99.9%, making Vonage the preferable choice for businesses after a reliable calling service.

Learn more about how the providers compare in our Google Voice vs Vonage price and feature comparison.

Onboarding

If your team is expanding quickly, Vonage has you covered. The platform offers a raft of useful onboarding features to get starters up to speed, including training videos, welcome emails, and self-service resources.

Vonage’s Onboarding Manager also automatically sets up calls to ensure a slick enrollment process, reaches out to users with an onboarding guide, and shares the company’s project plan to ensure new users are familiar with the brand’s vision and tone of voice. This holistic approach to onboarding makes Vonage one of the best VoIP choices out there for businesses that regularly hire new recruits.

Admin Portal

Vonage simplifies the admin process by letting users manage their VoIP system through a centralized Admin Portal. The management interface lets you manage payments and billing options, configure call features such as voicemail and call handling, and access reporting and analytic capabilities, among other functions.

Vonage’s Amin Portal lets you view your account summary, create new VR, among many other functions. Source: Vonage

Vonage’s Admin Portal also lets you create a new Virtual Receptionist easily. Specifically, you’re able to select if you want a Basic or Advanced VR, before naming the receptionist and setting it a new number from a drop-down menu.

Scalability

When shopping for a new VoIP solution, finding one that’s capable of evolving alongside your needs is critical – that’s why scalability is so important. Fortunately, Vonage also scores highly in our scalability category, which specifically takes note of features that can help a business grow down the line, including call barge, ring groups, and local numbers.

Vonage also offers excellent training tools, with the platform giving businesses access to everything from live customer training sessions on various topics specialized training courses, and self-help resources. This makes the VoIP provider a safe bet for businesses that onboard and train staff regularly. However, despite the adaptability of Vonage’s service, our research found the provider to be slightly less scalable than RingCentral, as the features in its cheapest plan don’t offer the best jump-off point for progression.

How Much Does Vonage Cost?

Vonage offers three different pricing plans: Mobile, Premium, and Advanced. The Mobile plan is $19.99 per user, per month, the Premium plan is $29.99 per user, per month, and the Advanced plan is $39.99 per user, per month. However, thanks to a deal the provider is running, businesses currently get 30% of packages, making it’s entry-price as low as $13.99 per user, per month.

With this affordable entry-price and 30% off deal, Vonage positions itself as a slightly more affordable option than other VoIP solutions, like Nuacom and GoTo Connect, although there are other options, like Zoom Phone and 8×8, that are slightly more affordable. Generally speaking, the $20 per user, per month starting price is standard for VoIP services.

The additional plans are also fairly par for the course as far as price is concerned, with the Premium and Advanced plans landing in approximately the same price range as other mid- and upper-tier plans from the likes of RingCentral and Ooma. However, unlike with top competitors, you need to pay extra to unlock fairly basic VoIP features like visual voicemail, on-demand call recording, and unified business inboxes, bumping up the price of Vonage overall.

This being said, ultimately for what you’re getting, Vonage is reasonably priced in the industry. But while Vonage will be a solid choice for your small business, if you’re looking for a more affordable option with stripped-back features, MagicJack may be better for you.

Read our MagicJack vs Vonage guide to see how the two providers compare in full.

Does Vonage have a free plan?

Unfortunately, Vonage does not have a free plan, but it does offer a 14-day free trial, so you can test out the service without any financial commitment.

While the lack of a free plan may be a bit disappointing, we found that it’s pretty standard for VoIP service providers. In our research, we discovered no major VoIP providers offer a free plan, although many offer varying free trials and demos to get you familiar with the software before you buy.

If you’re interested in securing a telephony service for the lowest price possible, check out our guide to the cheapest VoIP phone services for small businesses to see how the most affordable solutions compare.

How Does Vonage Compare With Other Providers?

Vonage is a solid option for VoIP. Sure, it doesn’t take the top scores like RingCentral or 8×8 in categories like features and scalability, but it’s consistent across our research for providing everything a business needs. Obviously, Vonage isn’t the only VoIP service provider on the market, though. In fact, the VoIP industry is filled with a lot of excellent choices that could be a better fit for your business.

If cost is your top priority, Zoom Phone is one of the cheapest VoIP providers for small businesses. With plans starting from just $10 per user, per month, and the platform boasting a seamless integration with Zoom’s native video conferencing software, the provider is a great alternative for businesses that don’t make lots of outbound calls.

Luckily, we’ve done the research for you, so you can see how these providers match up against each other on key factors like pricing and features.

Zoom Phone’s dashboard was simple, and similar to Zoom Video. Tech.co user testing

8×8 is another promising choice that lets users make free calls within the US and to Canada. 8×8’s outbound calling features are slightly more robust than Vonage’s too, making the VoIP service ideal for businesses that manage high volumes of calls, such as contact centers and sales teams.

Check out our top VoIP providers in our comparison table below.

Our Methodology: How Did We Evaluate Vonage?