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Companies that sell voice-over IP services usually charge a premium for the convenience – but it’s not always worth paying more. In this article, we’ll examine what differentiates these two providers to see which one is best suited for your business.
Both Google Voice and magicJack provide basic business calling, messaging, and call management capabilities at a cheap cost, while Google Voice offers a lower starting pricing. It also has video conferencing and messaging features, as well as more comprehensive integrations and international calling than magicJack. As a consequence, although magicJack is the more user-friendly of the two, it can’t compete with Google Voice in terms of value for money in most business situations.
- Google Voice: For companies that need a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service with sophisticated call management features, Google Voice is the best option.
- magicJack: For solopreneurs seeking a no-frills calling solution that needs little to no training, this is a decent choice.
While we found that Google Voice is typically the best option for one to two users, it’s worth noting that there are alternative services that are better suited to the requirements of teams seeking to expand.
How Did We Compare Google Voice to MagicJack
Both magicJack and Google Voice provide VoIP services for small companies, but Google Voice is the better option in most instances. While they both provide comparable basic capabilities, Google Voice includes video conferencing, group texting, and third-party connections that magicJack does not. Although magicJack is the most user-friendly, it does not outperform Google Voice in any of our other assessments.
We evaluated them based on the most essential VoIP aspects, such as price, general features, usability, and integrations. We also considered our own thoughts and firsthand experiences, as well as comments from other users on major review sites.
30% of the overall score
Pricing is usually one of the most significant considerations when it comes to choosing the appropriate VoIP phone system for a small company. If your company can’t afford a platform, it doesn’t matter how user-friendly or feature-rich it is. To evaluate which option is most cost-effective, we looked at the various price tiers, needed hardware, and add-on purchases.
25% of the overall score
Small company phone systems provide a wide variety of features, including video conferencing, team messaging, file sharing, and more. While some providers do not provide full-featured business phone systems, they do offer a variety of call handling and administrative services that make managing your communications more convenient. We looked at whether of the options offers consumers greater power and freedom.
20% of the overall score
We compared magicJack and Google Voice to determine which one offers a better user experience. Phone systems must offer sufficient capability while keeping their applications simple to use. So that company owners can discover the features they need when they need them, mobile and desktop interfaces must be simple to browse.
15% of the overall score
In your IT stack, neither solution is likely to be the sole software program. You will, however, most likely want to be able to extract and push data from your phone system into your CRM and other apps. We looked at the available connections for these two providers to see how easy they link with third-party applications.
10% of the overall score
We added our own subjective experiences with the phone services in addition to these Google Voice and magicJack comparisons. We put the items through their paces and examined user comments from major review sites to discover what real-world users had to say about them.
Google Voice is the most cost-effective
Both of these small company VoIP phone systems offer price plans that are pretty easy to comprehend. MagicJack’s monthly subscription is $15.99 per line. Starting your membership, however, requires a one-time phone purchase of at least $54.99.
Auto-attendants, virtual faxing, and toll-free lines are all available for an additional monthly charge. If you want to utilize auto-attendants with your magicJack phone system, for example, you’ll have to spend $10 each month.
The price levels for Google Voice are a little clear. It has three distinct monthly subscriptions that cost $10, $20, and $30 per user. Each tier has its own set of features and functions. Basic features like call forwarding and SMS are available with the Starter plan, but access to multi-level auto-attendants and ring groups requires an upgrade to the Standard plan.
Winner: Google Voice is the winner since it offers a comparable level of capability at a cheaper cost. The Google Starter plan is comparable to magicJack’s, except it costs $6 less.
MagicJack is the best for ease of use
It doesn’t get much easier to use than magicJack when it comes to simplicity. The phone system’s usability compensates for its lack of capabilities and integrations. New users will have little trouble getting started with the mobile or desktop software and creating an account. To locate the functionality you need, you don’t need much documentation or know-how to navigate the UI.
While Google Voice isn’t as easy to use as magicJack, it’s still one of the most user-friendly small business phone systems available. Google Voice’s mobile, desktop, and internet applications are simple to use since they have the same appearance and feel as other Google apps. Additional features like integrations and video-conferencing require a little getting used to, but most users will be up and running in no time.
Winner: In terms of usability, magicJack wins because he creates simple applications that make it easy for users to discover and utilize the functionality they need.
Google Voice is the best option for SMS
Both magicJack and Google Voice are mainly phone calling services rather than full-featured unified communication platforms. MagicJack’s text messaging through short message service (SMS) is the more restricted of the two options. Because you can only start one-on-one conversations with your contacts, you won’t be able to send mass SMS campaigns or automated messages.
Sending mass text messages is also not possible with Google Voice. You may, however, send messages to individual participants or start group discussions with up to eight people. You may also attach files and pictures to your chats using this group multimedia messaging service (MMS) feature.
While Google Voice lacks the comprehensive SMS marketing capabilities of RingCentral or Nextiva, it outperforms magicJack by enabling up to eight people to participate in group text messaging.
Best for general features
Although magicJack is a basic VoIP business phone solution, it comes with a number of features that will improve your call handling experience. improved call forwarding, music on wait, call queues, toll-free lines, and an optional auto-attendant are all included in magicJack.
Google Voice isn’t inherently better than magicJack in terms of functionality; it’s simply different. It doesn’t have improved call forwarding or music on wait, for example, but it does include video conferencing, voicemail transcriptions, and call activity reporting.
When it comes to general functionality, there isn’t really a superior choice between magicJack and Google Voice. Determine which features your company needs the most and choose the phone system that best meets your requirements.
Google Voice is the best option for integrations.
In terms of integrations, Google Voice comes out on top. Calendar, Gmail, Meet, and Drive are just a few of the Google Workspace applications that connect smoothly with Google Voice.
MagicJack, on the other hand, does not yet interface with any third-party apps. It’s stand-alone software that won’t link to your calendars, small company CRM, or email capabilities.
Consider using an option like RingCentral or Nextiva to connect your phone system with the rest of your IT stack. These phone systems work with a wide range of different software programs, enabling you to connect your whole tech stack and simply push and pull data between them.
Winner: When it comes to integrations, Google Voice has the upper hand, although it’s restricted to other Google Workspace applications.
Google Voice is the best option for international calls.
For international calls, Google Voice is the best option. Your company gets charged per-minute charges based on Google Voice’s calling rates on the Starter and Standard tiers. The Premier plan, on the other hand, offers unlimited international calling to a restricted number of destinations. If your company conducts a lot of business outside of the United States and Canada, this may be a game-changer.
Access to free international calling locations is not included with magicJack. When phoning abroad, your company pays the country’s international calling rates. When comparing magicJack with Google Voice, you’ll see that nearly all of magicJack’s country-specific calling rates are higher than Google Voice’s.
Winner: Due to offering unlimited international calling to certain countries and lower per-minute prices, Google Voice is the best option for international calling.
Alternatives to Consider
While Google Voice and magicJack are both popular phone systems for small companies, they aren’t the best fit for every company. Others seek to integrate all of their communication channels in a single platform, while others need more comprehensive connections.
Consider these options if magicJack or Google Voice isn’t suitable for you:
- Grasshopper: Grasshopper is a popular virtual phone number supplier for small businesses seeking a simple VoIP solution. Grasshopper offers unlimited domestic calling and texting at low rates, but it lacks video conferencing and third-party connections.
- RingCentral: Our RingCentral review shows how RingCentral provides the greatest communication options to small companies. Extensive integrations, a developer platform for utilizing RingCentral’s APIs, and top-of-the-line capabilities (including IVR menus, hot desking, single sign-on, and automated call recording) are all included. Although RingCentral is more expensive than GoToConnect, it offers more features, integrations, and customizations.
- 8*8: If your firm conducts a lot of cross-border business, 8*8’s free calling to over 47 locations may be the finest choice. It also features video conferencing and team texting, allowing you to expand your company’s communication choices.
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is magicJack better than Google Voice?
Keep in mind that neither Google Voice nor magicJack is inherently better than the other when comparing the two phone systems. Both, however, have distinct features and prices that make them more suitable for different types of companies.
Is magicJack compatible with Google Voice?
The software solutions are incompatible. Google Voice, on the other hand, can make calls across a variety of devices using the actual magicJack VoIP phone adaptor.
Is it possible to utilize Google Voice for free?
With a personal account, you can test Google Voice for free, but you won’t have access to business services like auto-attendants, ring groups, international calling, or contact integrations. Furthermore, a personal account may only be used by one person, which won’t work if your company has two or more employees.
Conclusion
For solopreneurs and small companies on a budget, magicJack and Google Voice make VoIP phone systems cheap. Both provide basic call-handling capabilities like call forwarding, SMS, and auto-attendants, which are essential for running a company. While magicJack is simple to use, it lacks Google Voice’s integrations, video conferencing, and group messaging features that most companies need.
