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A recent study by CrediFi revealed that small businesses are frequently at a disadvantage with their telecommunications providers. The report shows that the difference between what a company pays and what it receives is often as high as $5,000 per year in most cases. In this article we explore which provider offers better value to your business.
The finest voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service delivers crystal-clear communications, video conferencing, and keeps teams engaged with consumers. Nextiva and Vonage both provide low-cost phone solutions for small businesses. Differences do occur, though, and it’s critical to analyze the options before making a selection.
- Nextiva: For small to medium-sized businesses looking for a full-featured unified communications (UC) platform, Nextiva is the best option.
- Vonage: A great choice for small companies searching for local international phone lines and a unified communications application.
Overview of Nextiva versus Vonage
Takeaway: Although Nextiva is more expensive than Vonage, it offers greater overall capability. A toll-free number and toll-free minutes are included in all Nextiva subscriptions, but they are only available as add-on options with Vonage. Vonage, on the other hand, provides local numbers in the United States and over 50 other countries, so if you’re trying to grow internationally, Vonage can assist.
How Did We Compare Vonage with Nextiva?
We went into the differences between Nextiva and Vonage’s capabilities to find the greatest use cases for each service. We looked into calling plans, cost, and general usability.
Our assessment was based on the following criteria:
- Pricing and levels of plans
- Application usability on desktop and mobile
- Calling features that are standard
- Advanced features are available.
- There are both free and premium integrations available.
- Popularity and feedback from customers
- Services’ scalability
While Vonage is a great option for setting up a local business phone number in a nation other than the United States, we think Nextiva is the greatest unified communications platform. Its features are suitable for businesses of all sizes, and the plans enable you to grow without having to transfer providers.
When Should You Use Nextiva?
Nextiva is a flexible platform for unified communication and collaboration. You’ll receive a free local and toll-free number, 1,500 toll-free minutes, plus hundreds of advanced calling capabilities if you choose the lowest plan. For a prepaid 36-month commitment with five to 19 users, pricing begins at $21.95 per user, each month. You may also choose from cheap bundles that include limitless video conferencing and up to 12,500 toll-free minutes.
Pricing for Nextiva
- Unlimited calling, peer-to-peer video calling, 1,500 toll-free minutes, and voice-to-email notifications are all included for $21.95 per month per user.
- Professional: $25.95 a month for up to 250 Call Pop contacts, unlimited SMS messages, 3,000 toll-free minutes, and unlimited video calling for up to 250 people.
- Enterprise: $35.95 per month per user includes unlimited Call Pop contacts, connections with most CRM and customer-facing applications, 12,500 toll-free minutes, and call and video conference recording.
- Ultimate: $65.95 per user, per month for customer surveys, three professionally recorded greetings, 12,500 toll-free minutes, and sales productivity tools with NextOS.
*Prices are based on a prepaid 36-month commitment with five to 19 people. As you add more users, you’ll be eligible for volume discounts.
Why Is Nextiva Better for Unified Communications?
- Unique greetings: Both Vonage and Nextiva allow you to record custom greetings. On its Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate plans, Nextiva goes a step further by providing one to three complimentary greetings recorded by a professional voice artist.
- Call Pop: All plans, excluding the Essential bundle, have the Call Pop feature. It’s a stand-alone feature that doesn’t need to be linked to any other sales tools. Vonage, on the other hand, only provides Salesforce connectivity on its Premium and Advanced plans, which are more costly than Nextiva’s equivalent packages.
- Call recording is provided as an add-on option on the Enterprise and Ultimate plans, or as a basic feature on the Enterprise and Ultimate plans. To record conversations and meetings, you’ll spend $5 to $10 per user, every month. Vonage, on the other hand, only provides 15 on-demand hours of call recording as an add-on to its Advanced plan. For company-wide recording, you’ll pay $4.99 per extension each month or $49.99 per month.
Go to Nextiva to learn more.
When Should You Use Vonage?
Vonage offers a low-cost VoIP solution for small businesses that includes unified communication services. The plans are identical to Nextiva in terms of pricing and functionality, however Vonage’s lowest package includes unlimited SMS texting. Text messaging is not available on Nextiva’s cheapest package. The only distinction between the two businesses is their phone number possibilities. Vonage does not provide a toll-free number, although Nextiva does. Instead, you may choose from over 50 overseas destinations or a local number in the United States. Vonage’s monthly rates for one to four users start at $19.99 per line, per month.
Pricing for Vonage
- Mobile: $19.99 per line, per month, includes unlimited calls, SMS, and group messaging, as well as more than 50 basic services.
- Premium: $29.99 a month per line for connectors with Zoho, Bullhorn, Google, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and other CRMs.
- Advanced: $39.99 per line, per month for call groups, with up to 15 hours of call recording on demand and visible voicemail.
*Plan price is based on one to four users, however Vonage offers bulk savings for groups of five or more.
Why Is Vonage a Better Choice for Establishing a Global Presence?
- Vonage gives you the ability to link your overseas workers and businesses to your phone services. In over 50 countries, Vonage provides international toll-free lines as well as local ones.
- Connectors: Vonage’s lowest package includes more than 20 third-party connections, including Microsoft and Google integrations. On its cheapest plan, Nextiva exclusively connects to Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts.
- Training sessions: While Vonage and Nextiva both provide extensive self-help options and rich knowledge bases, Vonage takes things a step further by offering client training sessions. You may sign up for forthcoming webinars on subjects including administration, end-user support, mobile app functionality, and connectors.
Visit Vonage for more information.
Which Is Better for Small Businesses: Nextiva or Vonage?
Both Nextiva and Vonage are well-known VoIP phone companies with more than a decade of experience. Nextiva is our preferred provider since it has more features, toll-free minutes, and clear plan choices, making it simple to choose the right package for your business. However, certain Vonage plans are less expensive than Nextiva’s and can fully handle remote workers and clients in countries other than the United States.
All Vonage and Nextiva plans include the following features:
- Unlimited team messaging: Using a single platform for instant messaging allows you to keep your team linked and prevent missing communications. Users may utilize team messaging services on both Nextiva and Vonage, while Nextiva also offers peer-to-peer video calling.
- Virtual receptionist: For today’s small firms, having an auto-attendant to direct calls effectively is critical. On Nextiva and Vonage subscriptions, you may set up automatic call routing. Furthermore, with the exception of the cheapest subscription, both companies include a tiered attendant on all plans.
- Customer support options: All Nextiva plans, with the exception of the entry-level subscription, include 24/7 customer assistance. Except for phone services, which are accessible Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Eastern Time and Saturday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Vonage provides assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You may also reach out to the service providers through email or live chat.
Read our Top 6 Cheap VoIP Services post to learn about more low-cost VoIP phone choices that might be ideal for small companies.
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it possible to preserve my current phone number if I move to VoIP?
Yes, most VoIP services enable you to maintain your old phone number and move it easily to your new account. Number porting is free with Nextiva and RingCentral, and they provide detailed instructions. While Vonage allows you to port numbers, it’s unclear if there is a fee associated with this service.
How much does VoIP cost on a monthly basis?
Monthly VoIP calling plans vary from $10 to more than $65 per person. The price you pay is determined on the number of users and package features you choose. Furthermore, when you pay yearly, many VoIP companies provide volume-based discounts and additional savings.