Brightlio Blog

In the past few years, many businesses have adopted unified communications services to enhance employee and client communication. Experts expect the industry to grow at a 21.6 % CAGR between 2021 and 2027. This growth rate could take the sector’s market size to 492.2 billion in 2027 from $124.9 billion in 2021. 

Many business owners are moving to unified communications due to improved ease of use and expanded telephony features. Company leaders regularly compare solutions to find the perfect fit for their operations. One popular comparison is Vonage vs. Google Voice. 

Vonage and Google Voice have great features, call quality and integrations. However, they differ in many ways, so a detailed comparison helps make the right decision.

That’s where Brightlio comes in. We compared Google Voice and Vonage in the categories of pricing, features, integration platforms supported, and customer support. In the end, we arrived at a conclusion on which solution meets the needs of most of our business customers.

Please continue reading to find out our pick! 

Vonage Rundown

Vonage is one of the most popular VoIP and unified communications tools on the market. Founded in 1998, Vonage initially provided telecommunication services for the consumer market. The company launched into the B2B market in 2013. They were acquired by global technology powerhouse Ericsson in July of 2022, increasing their global scale.

Their UCaaS platform is called Vonage Business Communications (VBC). VBC offers a reliable communications platform, numerous integrations, and support for an array of compatible handsets. Vonage also provides an industry-leading contact center platform (VCC) and an SD-WAN solution called Vonage SmartWAN.

We will focus on the Vonage Business Communications (VBC) solution for comparison with Google Voice.

Google Voice Rundown

Google Voice is a Google Workspace-integrated VoIP tool that works in about 19 countries all around the globe. The software boasts a personal free plan and seamless integration with other Workspace tools. 

When you sign up for Google Voice, you can create a phone number accessible via the internet. You can call as many people as your Voice plan allows with this phone number. Google Voice is great for small business teams that want to push beyond the boundaries of traditional communication systems while maintaining their size. 

Vonage vs. Google Voice: Pricing and Service Tiers

Below is an outline of the pricing and feature tiers offered by Vonage and Google.

Vonage Plans and Pricing

Vonage Business Communications has three plans: Mobile, Premium, and Advanced. Like many VoIP tools, Vonage’s higher-tier plans add comprehensive features to the most basic plan.   

Additionally, Vonage supports more platforms on their advanced offerings. See our synopsis of how much each offering costs and learn how Vonage compares to Voice: 

Vonage Mobile

Vonage’s pricing is based on the user count. Vonage’s Mobile pricing tier breaks out as follows:

• $19.99 per month per user for 1-4 users
• $17.99 per month per user for 5-19 users
• $14.99 per month per user for 20-99 users
• Vonage has a custom pricing tier for over 100 users. Brightlio can help you get the best pricing.

Here’s what you get when you choose Vonage’s Mobile tier:

• Mobile and desktop apps 
• Unlimited Calls and SMS 
• Vonage App Center 
• Unlimited Team Messaging 

Vonage Premium

The Premium plan accommodates desktops, mobile phones, and IP desk phones. 

Vonage’s Premium pricing tier breaks out as follows:

• $29.99 per month per user for 1-4 users
• $27.99 per month per user for 5-19 users
• $24.99 per month per user for 20-99 users
• Vonage has a custom pricing tier for over 100 users. Contact Brightlio for the best Vonage pricing.

You also get all the features on the Mobile plan and some more: 

• Unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants 
• Multi-level auto attendant 
• CRM integration

Vonage Advanced

Vonage introduces more comprehensive features for its Advanced plan. 

Vonage’s Advanced pricing tier breaks out as follows:

• $39.99 per month per user for 1-4 users
• $37.99 per month per user for 5-19 users
• $34.99 per month per user for 20-99 users
• Vonage has a custom pricing tier for over 100 users. Contact Brightlio for the best pricing for Vonage solutions.

With the Advanced tier, you get all the features of the Mobile and Premium plans plus the following: 

• On-demand call recording for 15 hours 
• Call Groups 
• Visual Voicemail 

Google Voice Plans and Pricing

Google Voice has three business plans besides its free consumer plan: Starter, Standard, and Premier. With its price ranging between $10 and $30, affordability is a strong selling point for Voice. After comparing the solution’s price to its features, many users agree it is relatively inexpensive. 

Forbes put Voice in its 2023 list for the best VoIP cell phone service providers – among top VoIP solutions like RingCentral and Nextiva. And it came out as the best option for affordability. 

Here’s a summary look at the solution’s pricing tiers: 

Google Voice Starter Plan

Google Voice’s Starter plan provides some basic features for $10/month per user. Here’s a list of what you get: 

• Up to ten users 
• Up to ten domestic locations
• Calls between Google Voice numbers 
• Calls to the US from any Google Voice number  
• Calls to Canada from a US or Canadian Google Voice number 
• Calls to most European countries from Europe 
• Unlimited text messaging 
• Google Fi Compatible (US only) 
• Voicemail Transcription 
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) 
• Usage and activity reporting 
• Call forwarding 

Google Voice Standard Plan

Google Voice’s Standard plan improves the Starter plan by allowing unlimited users and domestic locations. In addition to the other features in the Starter plan above, subscribers also get the following: 

• SIP Link 
• Multi-level auto attendant 
• Ring Groups 
• Desk phone and ATA Support 
• eDiscovery for calls, voice mails, and text messaging records
• Ad-hoc user call recording 

The Standard Plan costs $20/month per user. 

The Premier Plan: Google Voice’s highest tier plan offers unlimited users and domestic locations for $30/month per user. Here are other features that only users of the plan enjoy: 

• Advanced reporting (BigQuery)
• Automatic user recording

Google Voice suggests prospective users buy the Standard plan as it combines the essential features of the other two. Because it allows unlimited users and domestic locations, ring groups, and SIP links, the plan’s subscribers get an excellent deal. 

Affordability and Value: Vonage vs. Google Voice

Google Voice and Vonage are close in pricing, but Google Voice is a more affordable option. Google Voice is an excellent value if your team is small and your integration and support needs are modest.

Vonage offers more features, better customer support, and more integrations. For most of Brightlio’s customers, Vonage Business Center is worth the modest price premium over Google Voice.

Integrations

The table below shows which software you can integrate with Vonage and Google Voice. 

Software	Vonage Integration	Google Voice Integration
Agency Matrix	✔️	❌
BeInContact	✔️	❌
Boost.AI	❌	✔️
Bullhorn ATS & CRM	✔️	❌
Clever Messenger	✔️	❌
Confer With	✔️	❌
Copper	❌	✔️
Courier	✔️	❌
CRM Messaging	✔️	❌
Cyclr	✔️	❌
Detrack	✔️	❌
Fimble	✔️	❌
Google Contacts	✔️	❌
Google Workspace	✔️	✔️
Grasshopper	❌	✔️
Microsoft Outlook	✔️	❌
Microsoft Teams	✔️	❌
Notify.Events	✔️	❌
QuickBooks Online Advanced	✔️	❌
Retail Choreography Suite	✔️	❌
Salesboom CRM Suite	❌	✔️
Salesforce Sales Cloud	✔️	❌
ServiceNow Customer Service Management	✔️	❌
Smith.ai	❌	✔️
Smartflow	❌	✔️
Solitics	✔️	❌
Splunk On-Call	❌	✔️
StaffConnect	✔️	❌
SugarCRM	✔️	❌
Tenfold	✔️	❌
Textline	✔️	❌
TickTick	❌	✔️
UltraSMSScript	✔️	❌
VCDoctor Lifecare	✔️	❌
YepCode	✔️	❌
Zendesk	✔️	❌

Vonage has much more to offer regarding integration, so it wins here. Vonage is compatible with top CRM solutions such as Salesforce. Vonage’s integration with Microsoft Teams and Google G Suite are powerful options.

Conversely, Google Voice may only be compatible with some of your business platforms. Vonage is the more suitable choice if integrations and CRM compatibility are vital to your business. 

Platforms Supported 

How easily accessible are Vonage and Google Voice? Let’s find out: 

Platform Supported	Vonage	Google Voice
Android	✔️	✔️
IOS	✔️	✔️
Mac	✔️	❌
Windows	✔️	❌
Web-based	✔️	✔️

Again, Vonage has one up on Google Voice. Vonage offers an app that works on MacBooks and Windows PCs, and Voice only has mobile apps. 

Vonage’s desktop app makes integrations easier and enhances user and customer experience. And getting the app is straightforward. You can download and install it from Vonage’s website. 

Customer Support

A major Google Voice drawback is that it does not provide much customer support. This may be a result of its integration with Google Workspace. Voice is an extension of the general G-Suite, so the VoIP tool has few independent features. 

Vonage has better customer support. With a live chat feature and 24-hour phone support, Vonage users are likelier to get help when needed. 

Here’s a table showing how Google Voice’s customer support differs from Vonage’s: 

Customer Support Platform	Vonage	Google Voice
24-hour phone support	✔️	❌
Email	✔️	❌
FAQs/Forums	✔️	✔️
Live Chat	✔️	❌
Knowledge Base	✔️	❌

Vonage Contact Center (VCC)

Vonage decided to take customer support to a new level with their contact center – an AI-powered solution enabling business owners to provide better customer service and improve sales. 

VoIP is not only beneficial for business communication. Many tools also enable seamless communication between business employees and clients. Vonage Contact Center (VCC) does this effectively as it integrates various CRM tools to monitor customer satisfaction. 

VCC provides feedback on sales and customer reactions in no time. This allows you to make changes that directly affect customer retention and improve lead generation. Vonage supports multi-media messaging, while Voice does not. 

As a B2B service, Vonage understands the importance of satisfying the customer. And the contact center is a great way to effect positive change to meet clients’ needs. It is an added advantage of being a Vonage user. 

Reliability and Quality

Many factors affect the quality and reliability of unified communications services. Ultimately, the availability of features that foster seamless calls and messaging makes the winner. In almost every category related to reliability, such as ease of use and support quality, G2 rates Vonage higher than Voice. 

Vonage’s enhanced support, contact center, and platform accessibility make it a more reliable tool.

The Final Verdict

After looking at the differences and similarities between Vonage and Voice in different areas, here’s what we found out: 

• Google Voice is generally more affordable 
• Vonage has a great “bulk buying” discount feature where the pricing improves as you add more users
• Vonage is excellent for integrating CRM tools like Salesforce 
• Google Voice is great for small teams, but Vonage is better suited for larger teams with greater support and integration requirements
• Vonage Contact Center makes VBC the perfect tool for fostering client relationship 
• Vonage is more highly rated when it comes to reliability and quality 

For Brightlio’s customers, the winner is Vonage. Vonage provides more integrations, features, and customer support that more than justify the modest price difference. Unless you have a small team with very limited telecommunications needs, Vonage is the better communications tool. 

Brightlio Can Make Things Easier!

Brightlio is a telecommunications broker with decades of communications experience. We partner with the best technology providers in the UCaaS space, including Vonage, Dialpad, RingCentral, and more, to deliver solutions tailored to meet your needs and budget. There is never a cost for quotes or solution designs, as the provider pays for our services.

We also offer technology solutions that enable a better communications experience, like SD-WAN and network connectivity. Colocation, public cloud, and advisory services complete our well-rounded technology portfolio.

To find the right business communications solution, contact Brightlio today!

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy our comparisons between:

• Google Voice vs. Vonage
• Vonage vs. RingCentral
• Vonage vs. Nextiva
• Dialpad vs. Nextiva
• Dialpad vs. Google Voice
• Dialpad vs. RingCentral
• Ooma vs. Vonage
• 8×8 vs. RingCentral
• 8×8 vs. Vonage
• 8×8 vs. Dialpad

FAQs

Can I use Vonage outside the US? 

Yes, you can. However, Vonage advises against this because you would incur charges and roaming fees.

What is the best Google Voice Alternative? 

There are many VoIP services that you can use instead of Google Voice. Vonage, Dialpad Talk, RingCentral, and Microsoft Teams are all great options that people regularly compare to Voice. 

Is Google Voice Still Free? 

Google Voice calls within the US and from the US to Canada are free. However, users pay one cent per minute for some numbers in America and Canada. Then, calls to the other 17 countries where you can access Voice are at listed rates.