VoIP Review

VoIP Review: MagicJack – Skype – Vonage

This post will share a VoIP review of three different companies rates. A long time fixture of the VoIP industry, Vonage provides various services for various rates, some of which vary in cost over time. Rates for Vonage start at $17.99 monthly, and can go as high as $34.99 a month. Much like Vonage’s status as a fixture of the VoIP industry, Vonage’s prices have remained quite fixed over time, and continue to be competitive in the VoIP industry.

In contrast to Vonage, the MagicJack service which is a relative newcomer to the VoIP industry has proven to be innovative in price and service packaging. With a low cost of $39.95 for both the MagicJack unit and a year of service, and a $19.95 yearly bill, the MagicJack service already beats Vonage hands-down in regard to service price. Adding to MagicJack’s value is the fact that service includes free long distance calling to the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. On top of long distance services provided by MagicJack, the MagicJack service also includes free directory assistance, phone number assignment, call waiting, voicemail, and caller ID.

While MagicJack and Vonage have only long-term service rates, Skype provides service on both a monthly and “Pay-As-You-Go” basis. With rates from 2.1 cents per minute for Pay-As-You-Go, Skype’s short-term benefits are quite apparent. More so, Skype presents itself as quite the competitor in regard to their monthly service plans by providing services starting from $2.95 a month for domestic calling. Along with their domestic (US & Canada) plan, Skype also provides country-selective services at the cost of $5.95 a month.

Skype’s ‘Unlimited Country’ plan allows the user to select a country in which they can make unlimited land-line calls to for the duration of their month subscription. Skype’s third monthly option is the ‘Unlimited World’ plan, at the price of $12.95 a month, Skype provides landline calls to over fourty countries worldwide. Along with the capability of being able to make telephone calls, Skype also provides the capability to make free PC-to-PC calls which also include video services.

Overall, in the competition between VoIP services, Skype provides the most cost-efficient plan without many frills. MagicJack meanwhile provides the most cost-efficient price which also includes a wide range of special services. Vonage, while being a long-time leader in VoIP services has fallen behind with their use of excessive prices, for services which are now common-place and can be delivered at lower rates by their competitors.

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VoIp Review: Vonage

I have used Vonage since 2005 after reading a VoIP review, and I absolutely love it. The price of the service includes long distance in the United States and Canada, and some other countries as well. For the countries that are not free, the rates are excellent.

As far as quality goes, the sound is about as good as a cell phone call, and it is not as clear as a landline. I have found that a corded phone works better than a cordless one. Many of the bells and whistles that regular phone companies charge for are included in the price.

You get voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, and other features included in the bundle. In addition, you can chose to have voicemail messages transcribed and e-mailed to you for an additional price. In addition, you have the option of adding a “soft phone” to your account. This is a phone number assigned to a computer. This is especially useful for people who travel abroad often, as you can make phone calls to the United States at no extra charge, as long as you have an internet connection.

Billing is also very convenient. You must provide Vonage with your credit card number, and the company then charges it automatically every month. You can log into their website to see your bill and usage. One drawback is that you do not receive paper statements.

Another drawback is that your actual bill will be about ten dollars higher than the nominal charge, because of taxes, fees, and surcharges. Emergency calls (911) are different from a regular landline. Since Vonage works anywhere you have internet, your phone number is not attached to a physical location, so the 911 dispatcher has no way of knowing where you are located. If you want the benefit of the emergency dispatcher knowing your location, you must register your address through the Vonage website. You must do this every time you move.

Though I believe Voice over IP technology has a long way to go in order to become as clear and reliable as landlines, the price is a huge incentive to switch. I would not go back to a regular landline after using Vonage for a few years.

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