Vonage

Bottom line: Included calling to 60+ countries w/ Vonage World, great quality, no set-up fees, no contracts
VOIPo

Bottom line: Cheapest domestic calling plans, great sound quality, free equipment, and US-based customer support
Phone Power

Bottom line: Inexpensive 2-year plan and overall low international rates
Phone.com

Bottom line: Recommended for great customer service, nice call quality, and web-based faxing
ViaTalk

Bottom line: Nice call quality and relatively cheap plan, but some cancellation problems
VYL Media

Bottom line: Great call quality, no-commitment contract, and excellent customer service
Voip.com

Bottom line: Great value on feature-packed plans with multiple payment options, but buggy service and ineffective customer support
Lingo

Bottom line: Solid plans from reliable company; unlimited calling to 45+ countries; free first month
Skype Phone

Bottom line: Cheap plan with pricey phone is the only way to get Skype without a computer; no 911 calling

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How do I improve the quality of my VoIP service?

January 19th, 2009 - Posted by Joe

The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.

Q:  I am on packet 8 phone service, and it is terrible static and noise, and echo. Do you need a phone for this type of service? Mine came with the service.

A: The biggest factor in the voice quality and reliability of your VoIP service is the quality and strength of your broadband Internet connection.  I would suggest visiting TestYourVoIP.com and running a diagnostic of your Internet speed.  If you find that your broadband connection is below the recommended levels, you may consider contacting your broadband provider and ask for suggestions on how to increase the strength of your connection.  If you find that your Internet connection is not the issue, you may want to consider purchasing a higher quality hand set or switching VoIP providers.  We found Vonage to have the best quality Internet phone service in our testing.

You can read our reviews and comparison of other VoIP services by visiting NextAdvisor.com.

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