VoIP phone systems aren’t only for businesses—they’re also useful for residential customers. A residential VoIP system replaces your old phone line, letting you cut the cord and make calls for a fraction of the cost.
Residential VoIP systems also come stacked with dozens of features like voicemail-to-text and virtual fax, and with today’s top residential VoIP providers you don’t have to sacrifice top-quality sound and service. In fact, you won’t even know the call you’ve received is from a VoIP line.
That seems like a win-win situation, but how do you decide which is the best VoIP service to go with? Let’s take a look.
Grasshopper isn’t technically a VoIP and it isn’t technically for residential customers, but it offers basically the same service for a competitive price. Technically speaking, Grasshopper is a cloud-hosted system that works on top of your existing landline or cell service so voice quality doesn’t suffer. While there’s a technical distinction, customers shouldn’t notice the difference. Grasshopper is built for entrepreneurs and small business owners who work from home. The Partner package is suitable for families, as it includes 3 separate contact numbers with up to 6 extensions.
Grasshopper’s cloud phone system includes the following features:
CloudPhone is another cloud phone provider that does more or less the same thing as a VoIP provider. Like Grasshopper, CloudPhone is set up mainly for businesses, although there’s no reason it can’t be used by residential customers. CloudPhone provides a cheaper but more basic counterpoint to Grasshopper.
Here are some of CloudPhone’s top features:
PhonePower is one of a handful of VoIP providers that actually specialize in residential VoIP rather than business VoIP. Although PhonePower has many plans, it’s best for calling within the US (including Puerto Rico) and Canada. That’s because it has possibly the cheapest prices in residential VoIP, providing you’re calling solely on local numbers. PhonePower also enables calls abroad, although there are cheaper options such as Vonage if you’re planning on making more than an hour’s worth of calls internationally each month.
Each PhonePower calling plan includes the following features:
Phone.com straddles the line between business and residential VoIP with a bunch of pricing plans suited to families. It structures its packages a little differently than its competitors. Customers can choose between pay-per-minute plans, which are cheaper but have fewer functions, or unlimited plans, which are more expensive but all-inclusive. The pay-per-minute plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Here are some of the features you’ll find in Phone.com’s packages:
Add a local or toll-free number
Verizon offers a capable VoIP phone service with plenty of features for small- and medium-sized businesses. The service includes automated call routing, audio and video conferencing, voicemail transcription, call monitoring, and more. Verizon also offers easy-to-use mobile apps, although the service does not support integrations with productivity or CRM software. Verizon’s VoIP service costs $35 per line per month. However, you can get a free line and up to 4 discounted lines for 2 years when you bundle VoIP service with Verizon Fios internet service. Verizon’s VoIP service is best suited for businesses that need both phone and internet service. |
8x8 is a publicly-traded company providing VoIP products and services to more than two million business users worldwide. The 8x8 Work app integrates all communication channels into one app that works on desktop and mobile devices. The app lets you jump from chat to call or a video meeting with a single click, and share your work in one-on-one, public, or private chatrooms.
8x8 offers a choice of three flexible VoIP plans, in addition to scaled-up plans with Call Center capabilities. Options range from a basic plan for small businesses containing unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada to a premium plan with unlimited calling to 47 countries and advanced features like call monitoring, call quality reporting, and supervisor analytics.
RingCentral is one of the world’s most popular business VoIP system providers, and it’s easy to see why. Its MVP (message, video, phone) plans come with a suite of business tools, supporting unlimited users and various mobile and desktop devices. It is a little expensive, but all new users can take advantage of the excellent free trial, which comes with support for up to 5 users.
One thing we love about RingCentral is its focus on security. It employs a variety of physical and digital protective measures to ensure your data is protected at all times. The customer support is knowledgeable, and there are numerous integrations with 3rd-party platforms. Overall, we’d suggest trying RingCentral if you need an advanced VoIP system backed by the power of an industry leader.
Ooma is a popular VoIP solution for businesses, and now that there’s a residential option, Ooma is even a great option for you at home. With this new addition to its services, Ooma has traditional phone companies running scared. After all, you just can’t compare the features, quality, and service that you get from a top-of-the-line brand name like Ooma. To begin with, the service is totally free. You read that correctly; Ooma’s residential VoIP is totally free. If you need more advanced features, you’ll have to pay for them. But even the Premium plan is very affordable. With both plans, you’ll get crystal clear sound quality, basic features like call waiting, online call logs, call return, and 911 services bundled into the plan. More advanced features include voicemail forwarding and monitoring, Ooma mobile calling, international calling, and custom ring patterns.
Here are some of the neat features you can enjoy from an Ooma VoIP plan:
Aircall is one of the more accessible VoIPs out there. It boasts a stacked roster of features that are approachable and more than capable of handling the needs of small to medium sized businesses.
Users will find many of their critical needs met with this cloud-based VoIP. Features such as toll-free and international numbers, call routing, and extensions more than carry the weight of a business’ needs. Smart directories, such as the system’s IVR (interactive voice response), can be helpful for streamlining calls and making sure customers reach their intended departments.
Aircall also offers some quality collaboration features. Warm transfers, for instance, allow teammates to converse while transfering live calls, while call commenting and assignment proves a helpful tool for delegating calls and keeping the team aligned.
Jive is a fun and user-friendly business VoIP option, and this is certainly not your grandma’s VoIP service. With sleek apps, punchy text, and advanced features, Jive makes using a unified communications solution fun, easy, and cool. What’s more, Jive has a whopping 80+ features, and you get all of them for a single monthly rate. That’s a dizzying amount of features, and it means you will have everything you need within one software. No need to switch over constantly to another service for optimal use. Jive’s got it all.
Jive gives you full control over your call flow. You can set up different call rules for when your business is open and closed, so the calls will go to sales or customer support during business hours, and to the auto attendant after hours. Jive also lets you use neat features like simultaneous paging of all agents or specific group paging for a more personalized but still public announcement.
Connect team members using Jive’s conference bridge, good for up to 10 members at once, listen to your business voicemail wherever you are, and use collaboration tools to really stay connected. Want to really get serious about your communications? Use Jive call analytics, call logs, and call monitoring to analyze and go over calls to improve customer experience and tweak staff members’ techniques. Use custom greetings, dial by name directory, and local directory on phone to give a more professional appearance to your business. Handle calls more efficiently using tools like presence monitoring, shared line appearance, and ring groups.
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| Compare The Best Residential VoIP Providers | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5 .20190102084017.png) | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9  | 10  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | From $26 per month | From $24.99 per month | From $8.33 per month | From $12.99 per month | From $10.00 per month | $15/user, per month - $44/user per month | $19.99 - $49.99 per month | Free service premium service starts at $9.99 | From $50.00 per month | $24/user/month |
Free trial | - | - | - | - | N/A | 7 Days | 14 days | |||
Money-back guarantee | 30-day | 30-day | 30-day | 30-day | 2-year price guarantee | N/A | Yes. For accounts with less than 20 users | 30-day | N/A | |
Popular plans | Grasshopper, Grasshopper Connect | Basic, Small Business, Professional | World Plus Calling, Home Phone Services | Base, Plus, Pro | World Plan 500, Unlimited, Per-Minute | Voice, video and chat for teams | Essentials, Standard, Premium, Ultimate | Free and Premium Plans | Essentials, Professional, Custom | Basic, Standard |
Activation fee | - |
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