VOIP Reviews and Ratings

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Though we try to provide an up-to-date comparison and review of VoIP providers, the deals in VoIP space change very often. So, please confirm and verify details independently. The star ratings may change depending on our personal experience and customer feedback. Calculations are approximate. We are NOT affiliated with or promoting any VoIP company.
Tier 1 VoIP Providers	ATT CallVantage, Cable Companies
Tier 2 VoIP Providers	Vonage, magicJack, Packet8, Verizon VoiceWing
Tier 3 VoIP Providers	Lingo, VoicePulse, Viatalk, Skype/Yahoo
Tier 4 VoIP Providers	VoIP.com, Vonics
Review of VoIP available through Cable Companies: We give them 5 stars. Cable providers (e.g. cox, comcast, cablevision, time warner) are a great alternative and provide excellent call quality but they charge more for less features (Click here to understand reasons for superior call quality). Their service is limited to the areas which they serve and generally requires buying broadband service also from them. The cable companies' marketing machine has smartly kept the price point of Cable VoIP the same as major players like Vonage, Lingo and Callvantage. What you get though is a very basic feature set compared to rich feature sets of Vonage et. al. That said, most people prefer superior voice quality with less features instead of average (or below average) voice quality with rich features set. Also, you may be able to save by bundling your cable VoIP service with internet and cable. One of the best rated cable companies is Cox cable and the worst rated cable companies is Comcast. Remember that Comcast is supposedly the worst in the set of cable companies offering the service but it's still better than companies like Vonage and Packet8. We highly recommend Cable VoIP.
Vonage Review: We give them 4 stars. They have the largest customer base among all pure-play VoIP companies. They hardly ever have good deals. What you see now is probably what you will see a couple of months from now. That may not be a bad thing. We would rather have a stable company that doesn't offer deals than one that offers deals and then suddenly goes under (like SunRocket). Unlimited plan includes free calls to anywhere in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and selected countries in Europe. Fax support charges are extra $10/month. All calculations below exclude taxes and fees. Vonage website: http://www.vonage.com Vonage has a reputation for aggressive customer service representatives. Customers have recently been reporting dissatisfaction with service, voice quality and reliability. Vonage has a 30-day money back guarantee and a TWO year contract. They have lost the patent infringement suit to Verizon. See this article. Also see this Business week article expressing concern about Vonage.
Review of magicJack: We give them 4 stars. We are excited about this $40 cool-looking plug-and-play USB device that includes a free phone number and unlimited US/Canda calls for one year. Subscription can be renewed for $20/year. Compare that to $20-40/month phone service through any other VoIP company. This low-priced business model (planned to be advertiser supported) seemed too good to be true but the reputation of magicJack CEO helped allay our concerns. magicJack website: http://www.magicjack.com Skype, Yahoo, Earthlink, Netmeeting etc. provide similar service but not through a convenient USB based device. Even more importantly, in our tests, the voice quality of magicJack was far superior to adapter-based or computer-based VoIP services. In fact, we are so impressed by the voice quality that we have decided to use magicJack exclusively as our phone service. This handy device is also a boon to travelers. You plug the device to any computer to make calls and it installs itself in as little as 45 seconds. Unplug it and it leaves no traces of the calls you made or your phone book (they are saved on the USB). Neat, huh ? Vonage has similar looking USB device (V-phone) but (a) their device uses stereo headset unlike magicJack that can use regular phone or softphone (b) you still have to buy a monthly plan after you pay $40 for the V-phone. Compare that $40/year for MagicJack ! With each passing year, the cost savings become even more significant. The packaging hints that magicJack may be poised for a retail debut. Those who want to cover all bases should note that- * magicJack is still in beta-testing (but we have been able to make crystal clear calls). * Follow-me (call forwarding) is not yet active. * Voicemail does not provide a visual indication yet. * Customer service is only available via email (but is very responsive). * "Free international calling" refers to taking the device outside US and calling US numbers. It does refer to making calls to local numbers at international destinations. * Numbers cannot be ported (since magicJack owns the numbers). * Numbers are currently available in a limited area codes but 31 new cities are expected to be added in next 2-3 months. They promise to change your number for free. Some of these features are expected to be available soon. But, what the heck! In the highly unlikely case that you don't like MagicJack, they have 30-day money back guarantee. The value for money is unbeatable; monthly cost of the device is same as the cost of a cup of latte! Need we say more ?
Packet8 (8X8) Review: We give them 4 stars. They have been around for a while, have a decent reputation and provide a rich feature set. Customers report reasonably high satisfaction levels. Packet8 has plans for video phone service and provide support for fax. Their termination fee is 50% or more higher than other providers. All calculations below exclude taxes and fees. Packet8 website: http://www.packet8.net Calculation for the Unlimited Plan if you cancel service after 4 months $25/mo. for 4 months + $30 activation + $10 shipping + $60 termination = $200 Calculation for the Unlimited Monthly Plan if you remain a customer for 2 years $25/mo. for 24 months + $30 activation + $10 shipping = $640 Calculation for the Unlimited Yearly Plan if you remain a customer for 2 years $199/yr for 2 years + $30 activation + $10 shipping = $438
ATT CallVantage Review: We give them 4 stars. If you have a ATT cellphone, then you may get $5 off monthly rate. Recent reports and user reviews indicate that CallVantage quality is superior to other VoIP providers but somewhat inferior to quality provided by cable companies. But then remember that cable companies charge more too. You don't need broadband from ATT to get Callvantage. Not all people qualify to be the customers due to ATT's E911 rules. All calculations below exclude taxes and fees. ATT CallVantage website: https://www.callvantage.att.com/ It has lots of junk fees e.g. activation fee, shipping fee, termination fee etc. Customer support primarily available through website. We had a hard time finding the customer service phone number and reaching an agent to even start the new service. Website claims no termination fee will be charged if the equipment is returned but the CSR said that the fee WILL BE charged. ATT does not offer money back guarantee. Also, ATT charges $20 for changing calling plan and $5 every time you call or email an customer service rep. for add/remove a premium feature. Yukkkk ! All calculations below exclude taxes and fees. Calculation for the Unlimited Plan if you cancel service after 4 months $25/mo. for 4 months + $30 activation + $10 shipping + $30 termination - $25 adjustment (i.e. 1 month free service) = $145 + junk fees you will pay if you make changes to your service Calculation for the Unlimited Monthly Plan if you remain a customer for 2 years $25/mo. for 24 months + $30 activation + $10 shipping - $25 adjustment (i.e. 1 month free service) = $615 + junk fees you will pay if you make changes to your service
Verizon VoiceWing Review: We give them 3.5 stars. They offer free activation to all customers. You don't need broadband from ATT to get Callvantage. Customers are required to have a router. Voice quality is average or spotty. If you have a Verizon cellphone, then you may get $5 off monthly rate. All calculations below exclude taxes and fees. Verizon Voicewing website: https://www22.verizon.com/ForYourHome/VOIP/VOIPHome.aspx Calculation for the Unlimited Plan if you cancel service after 4 months $25/mo. for 4 months + $0 activation + $10 shipping + $40 termination = $150 Calculation for the Unlimited Monthly Plan if you remain a customer for 2 years $25/mo. for 24 months + $0 activation + $10 shipping = $610
Lingo: We give them 3 stars. Lingo is popular with people who call Europe often. Lingo's base plan not only includes unlimited free calls within US but also within a large number of countries in Europe. Their list of "free countries" is significantly longer than that of Vonage. That said, the quality is poorer than Vonage. Lingo website: http://www.lingo.com
Click here for reviews and rating of : VoicePulse, Skype/Yahoo, Viatalk, VoIP.com and Vonics
VoIP Basics	What is VoIP? What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of using VoIP ? What are the Average Costs Associated with VoIP ?
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