Looking for the best residential VoIP service provider? A residential VoIP system is an excellent way to reduce your monthly phone bill.
Today, residential phone services are easier and more accessible than ever before. Many homes have chosen to switch to VoIP away from traditional phone lines. Using this method, you can easily slice your bill in half – if not more.
Today, we’re going to learn about residential VoIP and the best residential VoIP service providers on the market today.
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VoIP.com
VoIP.com, as you may have guessed from the name, is a leading American VoIP provider. It promises to help customers save 70% on their phone bills whether they’re using it for home or business calling.
The monthly average cost of VoIP.com for residential customers is $12.50, which is mid-range when it comes to VoIP services.
Like many major residential VoIP service providers, there’s a big emphasis on international calling. However, VoIP.com only offers free international calling within Canada and the United States. Calls to other countries will incur a small fee (most countries are somewhere between 1 cent and 2.5 cents per minute). However, you do get 60 free minutes to 55 different countries every month.
Other benefits of VoIP.com’s residential plans include:
- Free unlimited calling within Canada and the United States
- Free second line
- Bring your own device
- Keep your number
It’s important to note that the average cost is $12.50 per month only for the $149.95 prepaid plan, which doesn’t have a monthly limit attached to it. It’s just a prepaid amount of data, minutes, and calls that you’ll burn through as you use your VoIP plan.
Most customers will sign up for the month to month plan, which is priced at $19.95 per month. That puts VoIP.com’s residential plans closer to the higher end of the residential VoIP spectrum.
Phone Power
Phone Power is one of the most popular residential VoIP providers in North America. Although the company offers plans for both home and business, its residential plans are particularly popular – especially for those who need to do a lot of international calling.
One of the main highlights of using Phone Power is having unlimited calling to 75 countries. Phone Power claims that the average customer cuts their international calling bill by 70%.
If you spend a lot of time talking to friends and relatives overseas, then Phone Power is a great money saver. However, you do pay extra for unlimited international calling ($19.95 for unlimited calling to 28 countries, $24.95 for unlimited calling to 75 countries, and $49.95 for unlimited calling to 87 countries). You can view country-by-country information here.
Other benefits of Phone Power include:
- You can keep your existing phone number
- Connect to your VoIP plan using your mobile device and make calls over the mobile device
- No hidden fees or charges
- Monthly average cost of $8.33
- Available throughout the United States and Canada with free international calling starting at around $20 per month
One of the neat parts about using Phone Power is that you can check how much money you’d save over traditional phone service. Go to PhonePower.com and enter your plan information, zip code, and current monthly bill. PhonePower.com will provide a quote for your area and explain how much your VoIP can be expected to cost.
Phone Power is available for customers across the United States and Canada.
RingCentral
RingCentral is well-known for its business VoIP plans and online faxing. In fact, the company doesn’t really advertise its VoIP services to residential customers.
However, there’s nothing stopping you from ordering a RingCentral VoIP plan for your home even though it’s specifically designed for small businesses.
Ordering business VoIP plans for a home is a popular solution used by people who work at home – like those who are self-employed or anyone who runs a business from their own residence.
With RingCentral’s small business plans, you can enjoy a wide range of bonus features that appeal to more than just businesses. For a price of $24.99 per month per user (and if you’re working from home, then you’re likely the only user), you can enjoy all of the following features:
- Call management and phone system administration (like a virtual PBX system)
- 1,000 toll-free minutes per month
- Unlimited calling
- Unlimited conference calling, online faxing, and business SMS
- HD videoconferencing with up to 4 people per meeting
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Call log reports
Higher price solutions – like the Premium plan for $35 per month – add more features without breaking the bank.
Ultimately, a RingCentral residential VoIP plan will be beyond the budgets of many average residential users. However, if you run a business from home and need bonus features like online faxing or virtual PBX, then RingCentral can help you present a more professional appearance to the outside world.
Nextiva
Nextiva is another residential VoIP provider that’s best known for servicing business customers. Just like RingCentral, there’s nothing stopping you from adding a business plan to your home and using it as your residential plan.
Nextiva plans start at $19.95 per month and include services like virtual PBX and unlimited calling – both of which are useful for running a business from home. There’s also mobile support that lets you access your VoIP on-the-go, which can help you reduce your mobile phone plan as well.
Other Nextiva features include:
- Email, voice, instant messaging, and videoconferencing support
- Mobile support that lets you make and receive calls with your work phone number on any phone from any place
- Automated receptionist, auto attendant menus, and professional voicemail are all available through Nextiva
Ultimately, these features won’t appeal to all residential customers. But they will help those who have more intensive residential VoIP needs – or anyone who is running a business from home.
Nextiva counts companies like Target, Burger King, Allstate, and the Cleveland Cavaliers among its customers. They’re one of the top VoIP providers in the business world but can also meet the needs of residential customers.
VOIPO
VOIPO calls itself “the likeable phone company” and specializes in both residential and business VoIP.
Unlike Nextiva and RingCentral, VOIPO actually offers specialized residential VoIP services – so you don’t have to squeeze your home into a business plan that doesn’t totally fit right.
Other features of VOIPO include:
- Unlimited calls to the United States and Canada
- 60 minutes of free international calling per month to 40 different countries
- Plans starting at $6.21 per month
- Transfer an existing phone number or get a new number for regions all over the world
- Easy VOIPO phone adapter that plugs into your internet connection, and then you plug your standard phone lines into the adapter
- Features like caller ID with name, call waiting, three way calling, and call forwarding are all available on the most basic plan
VOIPO offers plans starting at $149 for 2 years, although obviously, this plan requires a two year commitment. Nevertheless, VoIPO.com is generally one of the cheapest residential VoIP providers on the market. The company promises that customers save up to 75% on residential phone services.
Why Residential VoIP? Top 5 Benefits of Making the Switch at Home
Residential VoIP is a great way to save money while boosting the convenience of your home’s phone network. Here are the top 5 best benefits of using residential VoIP.
- Save Money
- Easy to Setup
- Use your Existing Internet Service
- Excellent Call Quality and Clarity
- Free Extra Features and Bonuses
Typically, residential VoIP systems are provided by hosted PBX providers, although there are a handful of other options as well.
Ultimately, the primary attraction of VoIP is the affordability factor. That affordability factor becomes even more powerful when you’re calling international numbers. Many providers offer free international calling (some offer unlimited international calling, while others offer 60 free minutes per month).
If you’re sick of paying international calling fees to your telecom provider, then a good residential VoIP company lets you save bundles of money very month.
Best of all, this system relies on your traditional internet connection. This can simplify your billing process: just pay your internet bill every month (along with your VoIP provider’s bill) and you’re good to go.
Tips for Choosing a Residential VoIP Provider
Need help sorting through the best residential VoIP service providers listed above? Here are some tips that will simplify the process for you:
Equipment: Some providers advertise a low monthly rate, but you need to pay a high rental cost for equipment, or sign up for a lengthy lease for that equipment. Others don’t require any equipment (aside from an adapter) and may let you bring your own device (BYOD).
Research and Reviews: Thousands have already switched their homes to residential VoIP services. That means it’s easier than ever to find VoIP reviews online. Use review websites like ours to find out what current customers are saying about a company. Sometimes, a company may seem to offer great residential service at an affordable rate, but its call clarity and quality are atrocious.
Bonus Features: Residential VoIP service providers are generally fairly close to each other on price, so the features list is an enormous area of competition. Look for features like virtual PBX, call waiting, call forwarding, and caller ID to help you pick the best residential VoIP service provider.
Editor’s Note: Looking for information on VoIP Phone Systems? Use the questionnaire below and our vendor partners will contact you to provide you with the information you need:
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