Overview | All Services| Business VoIP | Other VoIP | FAQ | Blog

VoIP.com

VoIP.com Review: VoIP

 Compare to Other VoIP Services
Website:
 Visit Website
Rating:
Bottom Line:
 Great value with good international rates
Full Review:
 With a name like Voip.com, it should be the be-all and end-all of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Despite the fact that the company takes its name for the technology itself, it hasn't developed the name recognition of more well-known competitors like Vonage and Skype. In our tests, it falls between these two companies, in both price and service.

Their unlimited residential calling plan comes in two terms, either Yearly Unlimited for $199 per year (equal to $16.58 per month), or Monthly Unlimited at $19.95 per month. There are no setup fees on the yearly plan beyond the usual mandated taxes and fees. There's a $29.95 set-up fee on the monthly. The unlimited calling is limited to the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Once we received the minimally packaged VoIP adapater, VoIP.com's setup was easy enough, though you must get the instructions online. Don't follow the link that comes on the welcome note; you'll need to do a search for "installation" on www.voip.com. After that, it's pretty easy though, and we were up and running with the standard Linksys adapter in a matter of minutes.

There are no surprises with Voip.com's call quality. Call quality is just what we've come to expect from a VoIP provider. We did not notice a big lag between dialing and ringing, similar to what we experienced with ViaTalk.

There's a 30-day money back guarantee, and a low cancellation fee of $39.95 if you cancel after that, though there's no prorated refund on the yearly plan. Our experiences with customer service were generally very good, though there was a glitch. Phone support is offered from 9:00am to 9:00pm (EST). I guess we placed our first call too close to closing time (at 8:00pm), because we would get continually dropped. Calling earlier the next day, we received very capable and friendly phone support with barely any wait at all.

Voip.com used to be considered a good value, but plans from ViaTalk and others have trumped it a bit. Its calling features are not quite advanced. In particular, while you can select to receive voicemail notifications via email, but there's no audio file of the voice mail included as an attachment, a fairly common feature with other providers. Also, when checking voicemail online, we had to listen to our messages with a media player, instead of through the web interface. It also lacks some of Vonage's features, at least in number. There are still 20+ features though, including all the basics like caller id block, call forwarding, and three-way calling.

While Voip.com's rates are descent and the customer service is great, there's something about the service that's not well put-together. It's little things here and there, such as the wrong web address on the instructions, the incorrect phone number on the cancelation page, and the fact that our phone number was suddenly dropped (they blame a carrier error, and they did give us an option for a new number or a fix). None of this is terrible news, but it does give us some pause.

Go to Site | Compare to Other VoIP Services

Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about VoIP


Service Details:

Plans: Annual: $199/yr; Unlimited: $19.95/mo
Setup Fees: Annual Plan: $0;
Unlimited Monthly: $29.95
$ Back Guarantee & Cancel Policy: Free to cancel within 30 days or $39.95 after 30 days
Promotions: First month free with monthly plan; No setup fee with annual: Free S&H on both
Countries Included: USA, Canada, Puerto Rico

NextAdvisor VoIP Services Blog Headlines

Does Vonage require high speed internet to work?
The following is an actual reader submitted question: Q.   Do you need to have high speed internet for Vonage to work?  Can you buy high speed internet from Vonage? A.  Yes, you do need high speed internet in order for Vonage to function.  Vonage uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology which requires a high [...]

Vonage World Savings for the Military and International Calls
We frequently receive user questions about whether their friend/spouse/coworker can make calls to the US using Vonage World.   In a word, the answer is yes.  That means that if you: 1.  Are in the military, deployed overseas OR 2.  Outside of the US, making calls to the US AND you have a high speed internet connection, Vonage World [...]

New Deal: Vonage World only $14.99 a month
You heard it here first readers:  effective today, Vonage has dropped the price on their Vonage World plan to only $14.99 a month for the first 6 months.  After the 6 month period, it's $25.99 a month.  This is a great deal because Vonage World lets you make unlimited local calls AND calls to over [...]

Save money when you travel with Vonage World
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question: Q:  I live in Florida for 6 months of the year and in Canada for the other 6 months.   Can I take VoIP with me and use it wherever I go? A: The nice thing about VoIP services is that they are [...]

If I have magicJack in one of my USB ports can I still use the Vonage system?
Q: If I have magicJack in one of my USB ports can I still use the Vonage system? A: You certainly can. Vonage plugs into your Internet connection, but still allows regular traffic to and from your computer. With magicJack, voice data follows the same route as other Internet traffic that runs through your computer. If you [...]

Will VoIP work with a home security system?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question: Q: I currently subscribe to Comcast for phone, cable and internet and have a land line with Verizon because of my home security system. If I used Vonage to replace my land line service would it work effectively with my [...]

NextAdvisor launches Skype review
Well, we've reviewed Skype. We gave the popular Internet-based service a thorough evaluation. We looked at the Skype Unlimited World plan coupled with a Skype-compatible cordless phone. This is not the free computer-to-computer service, but a monthly subscription plan that allows you to call landlines in over 40 countries (and mobile phones in a few [...]

Can you use VOIP from New Zealand to US on the Vonage Mobile global plan?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question: Q: We are looking for less expensive way to use Blackberry from New Zealand to US.  Can you use  VOIP from New Zealand to US on the Vonage Mobile global plan?  Does it include BBM use? A: Unfortunately, Vonage Mobile is only for [...]

Nextadvisor's magicJack review: VoIP on the cheap
MagicJack has generated a number of questions from NextAdvisor visitors and it's piqued our interest as well. We've seen the little money-saving device on infomercials, and even while in line at the drugstore, leading us to wonder if it's the Snuggie of the VoIP world. It's not exactly a VoIP substitute. The magicJack is like [...]

Do you have VoIP service in Vietnam?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question: Q: Do you have VoIP service in Vietnam? A: All the VoIP services that we review are sold in the United States or Canada only. However VoIP services are portable and can be used from any broadband connection around the world. For instance, [...]


About Us Blog Contact UsTerms & Privacy PolicyAffiliate ProgramSite map

Copyright© 2006 - NextAdvisor.com - All rights reserved.