Feature by feature
This is the part most comparisons skip. Sticker price only tells you what the cheapest version costs, not what the version you actually need costs.
| Vonage | 815 Voice | |
|---|---|---|
| Auto attendant and phone trees | Included | Included |
| Call queues and ring groups | Costs extraCall queues are an add-on around $14.99/mo | Included |
| Call recording | Costs extraAutomatic call recording is an add-on around $49.99/mo | Included |
| Business texting from your main number | Varies, ask themTier and add-on dependent | Included |
| Voicemail to email, transcribed | Included | Included |
| Free number porting | Included | Included |
| Setup configured for you, not DIY | Varies, ask them | IncludedWe configure your greeting, routing and users with you |
| Desk phones, paging and door intercom | Included | IncludedPhones ship pre-configured |
| Fax, alarm and elevator lines handled | Varies, ask them | IncludedFax, elevator and alarm lines handled |
| AI receptionist available | Varies, ask them | Costs extraFrom $99/mo on top, we are not going to pretend it is free |
| Month to month, no contract | Costs extraMonth to month costs $29.99 instead of $20.99 | Included |
| A local person who answers the phone | Not offered | IncludedNew Lenox, the owner answers |
What it actually costs
Nearly every comparison article quotes the annual prepay price, because it is the smaller number. Here is the real month-to-month picture, and then the number that actually matters: what Vonage costs once you add the pieces we include as standard.
| Vonage | 815 Voice | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan compared | Business Communications Premium | Business Phone |
| Advertised (annual prepay) | $20.99/line/mo | we do not do annual pricing |
| Real month-to-month price | $29.99/line/mo | $24/user/mo |
| Matched to what we include | $29.99/user/mo plus $14.99 queues plus $49.99 recording, plus $3.50 per extension | $24/user/mo, all in |
| Contract | Annual for the lower rate | None, month to month |
What Vonage charges extra for
- RCIP fee of about $3.50 per extension
- 911 fee and federal charges on every invoice
- Call queues are an add-on at about $14.99/mo
- Automatic call recording is an add-on at about $49.99/mo
- The cheap Mobile tier is $13.99 annual but $19.99 monthly and very limited
Where Vonage is genuinely better
We are not going to pretend they have no advantages. If any of these matter more to you than price and local support, go with them and we will tell you so on the phone.
- Long track record and a wide app marketplace
- Strong developer APIs if you want to build on top of your phone system
- A brand your bank has heard of
Pick Vonage if you are a company that wants to build custom telephony on an API platform.
Our honest read
Vonage has the widest gap on this page between the price you see and the price you pay. The $20.99 is annual, month to month is $29.99, and automatic call recording alone is another $49.99 a month. Recording is included with us.
We are a local company in New Lenox. We set the system up with you, port your numbers free, and answer our own phone when something needs changing. If that is worth more to you than a national brand name, call (815) 463-9621 and we will price your exact setup, including telling you if you are better off staying where you are.
All of this is included at that price
- Custom phone trees & call routing
- Call center queues & ring groups
- Desk phone, cell app and computer on one number
- Texting from your main business number
- Voicemail to email, transcribed
- Call recording
- Multiple locations on one system
- Free porting, you keep your number
- Copper and POTS line replacement
Also available
- AI receptionist, from $99/mo
- Desk, cordless and conference phones
- Toll-free and vanity numbers
- Online fax and fax lines
- Overhead paging, intercom, door phones
- SIP trunking for a system you already own
- Moving off One Talk or a legacy system
If your current system does something that is not on this list, we can almost certainly do it too. Ask and we will tell you straight.
Compare us to someone else
RingCentral · Nextiva · Ooma Office · 8x8 · Dialpad · GoTo Connect · Zoom Phone · Grasshopper · Google Voice · Comcast Business · Spectrum Business · Verizon One Talk · magicJack