You have probably heard that VoIP is cheap and that is why it is so popular as a phone solution for both homes and businesses. This is very true and if you are shopping for home phone service, VoIP can save you hundreds of dollars per year when compared to both a plain old telephone service and a bundled double or triple play (Internet + TV + Phone) service offered by your cable company. You will also get a boatload of features included with the service for a small additional fee.
So what's the catch then and why is VoIP so cheap? Well believe it or not, there are not really any catches to be concerned about, and the service is much lower cost because the technology routes your phone calls over the Internet, instead of using the telephone companies expensive wires.
Let's assume that you are likely interested in saving a few hundred dollars per year, and are interested in signing up for a VoIP service. The challenge that you now have is that there are a LOT of companies that are offering this service, making it hard to decide which one to go with. If you like to live in the comfort zone and nationwide television advertising campaigns make you believe that a product or service is the best, then you should take a look at Vonage, as it is probably the most well known service available. Please be aware though that we do NOT consider Vonage to fall into the low price bucket as it's service plans typically run in the region of $25 per month. If this price does not deter you though, please be sure to check out our list of over 400 user submitted opinions and ratings for Vonage.
Two of the lowest cost VoIP services that are available today are offered by PhonePower and VoIPo and cost around $6 per month for the first two years before adjusting to regular rates that are just a few dollars more per month. So from a cost perspective, these are amazing deals and also include unlimited USA and Canada calling, some free monthly international minutes, and a wealth of other cool features that can come in handy. Some examples of these features are voicemail to email, soft phones, Smartphone apps, free second lines, call hold, call waiting and many more. All included for the same low price with no additional fees. Besides just the price and features, both these providers have been around for a number of years and have a history of providing good support to customers when required.
There are other good providers to choose from besides PhonePower and VoIPo and you can scroll down to see a few others in our comparison table of providers. For a more comprehensive list, please visit our home phone rates page and compare costs, contract terms and other fees.
Cost should not be the only consideration when choosing a provider, customer VoIP reviews give you an excellent insight into a company, friends and relatives recommendations are also useful and your own experience of a provider should all be weighed. Many customers choose to use the phone service offered by their broadband carrier in the form of a double play or triple play type service. The double and triple play refers to bundling of broadband, phone and/or TV services into one package that is typically offered at a discount initially. Even though the cable providers can make this type of deal attractive via short term promotions, the triple play type deals are much more expensive than a regular VoIP service offered by providers like Phone Power and VoIPo. So although this is not necessarily the cheapest option, it does mean one bill and one customer service department to deal with. If you really want the lowest price phone service though it will mean shopping around and looking at providers like the ones shown in our most popular providers table below.
As a landline replacement for your home, it is hard to beat what the providers in the table below have to offer when it comes to both price and features. However, if you are on a extremely tight budget and you are looking for what is truly the cheapest service, then there are other alternatives to consider, although they may end up being less reliable. There are free services such as Skype and Rebtel that offer free calls between users of the service through the use of a softphone on a PC. These companies also provide Smartphone apps that also provide free calling between users of the service. However, if you are already have an expensive Smartphone plan, these apps may only really save you money if you are making a high volume of local or international calls. Yet another alternative is the widely publicized MagicJack service which costs only $19.99 per year. Remember that you typically get what you pay for though and if you are looking for reliable service, it is worth spending just a little to ensure that your phone service actually works when you go to use it.
Here are some popular cheap VoIP solutions for home phone services.
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30-day Money Back |
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30-day Money Back |
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15-day Money Back |
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