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by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
Based on a survey of over 30,000 readers, this review compares VoIP, landline and fiber-optic service providers as part of larger cost-saving bundles that combine TV, Internet and long-distance phone… service. Each VoIP provider is rated for value, reliability and performance as well as for overall users' satisfaction. A January 2006 article here discusses the pros and cons of VoIP services in general.
by Editors of SpotCoolStuff.com
This review compares three of the most popular Internet phone services: Vonage, MagicJack and Skype, and a March 2009 review covers Ooma as well. The review considers, in detail, all the relevant factors:… cost, call quality and features, plus privacy and customer service. Based on tests, the review concludes that all three services can provide excellent call quality -- but not consistently. Vonage is the overall winner, with Skype recommended if you only want inexpensive international calls. Nearly 50 users add comments.
by Editors of Keynote Systems
Most of the latest Keynote Systems test reports on VoIP providers (including Vonage, Lingo and Packet8/8x8) are available only by purchase, but the free version includes some useful information on specific… cable phone services. For example, for audio quality, Comcast Digital Voice ranks far higher than any of the six VoIP services, and outranks Verizon VoiceWing (now discontinued) and AT&T Landline. The latter is ranked first for reliability, but Time Warner Digital Phone is very close behind.
by Eric A. Taub
by Aoife M. McEvoy
Eight VoIP providers are tested and rated in this comparison review. Lingo earns top ranking, with a rating of eight on a 10-point scale -- followed by Vonage and Gizmo. Lingo costs less than Vonage,… provides excellent technical support and also works with a cell phone. Vonage earns kudos for call quality, features and technical support, but loses points for problems accessing voicemail. Gizmo outperforms Skype for call quality. Since this review was published, Skype has updated to a newer version.
by Rick Broida
In this older comparison review, Rick Broida tests five VoIP phone services, including Packet8 (now 8x8), Verizon VoiceWing, ViaTalk, VoicePulse and Vonage. All earn praise, but Vonage is the Editors'… Choice pick. Since this article was published, the 2008 award went to another provider, MagicJack, but a winter 2009 update to the review no longer recommends it for "the average, nontechnical consumer." Links from this article lead to longer reviews of each of the services covered. A December 2007 article gives Ooma an award for the best "hardware innovation" at the DigitalLife show. The site also publishes quite a few articles on VoIP news.
by Contributors to DSLReports.com
This comparison chart, updated weekly, is based on user-written ratings and reviews of 21 VoIP providers. Each service gets ratings on six separate factors: call/connection quality, technical support, ease… of installation, services and overall value. Three providers get Gold awards based on owners' reviews over the past six months. The larger site includes reviews of many more VoIP services, plus a chart that organizes them into those reported by happy users (Smooth Ride), those that are not completely pleased (Mixed) and those that are largely displeased (Unhappy Campers). Most services also have discussion forums here.
by Editors of J.D. Power and Associates
Though best known for its car satisfaction ratings, J.D. Power also polls consumers about their local and long-distance telephone service. Unfortunately, this survey mixes VoIP with traditional… long-distance services, which limits its usefulness. This research study, based on 13,600 customer responses, finds that for the second year in a row, cable companies have the competitive edge -- by bundling voice and data services. However, the top-rated cable companies in one part of the United States get much lower ratings elsewhere. Not all companies are included, and national VoIP companies such as Vonage and Lingo are not included in the survey at all.
by Sascha Segan and Eric Griffith
PCMag.com polls over 8,000 readers annually about their satisfaction with everything from computers to Internet service and VoIP. Two services, Optimum Voice and Vonage, earn Readers' Choice awards. The… Editors' Choice award-winner, MagicJack, scores lower -- and a Feb. 4, 2009 follow-up review here pretty much cancels out that award. Skype earns below-average ratings on most factors, but needs the least technical support.
by Nadeem Unuth
Seven VoIP providers are listed here as prominent, but only five have actually been reviewed so far. Of these, Vonage earns top rating, while BroadVoice is recommended if you make a lot of international… calls. Packet8 (now 8x8) earns a slightly lower rating despite a plethora of features, because of reports of poor customer service. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
by Robert Mitchell
This PCWorld.com article probes several popular VoIP services that offer "unlimited" calls to reveal hidden caps. Vonage defines "normal use" as less than 5,000 minutes per line per month (over 83 hours),… while Ooma's cap is 3,000 minutes per month. The review includes a link to some recommended alternatives to VoIP, including Skype. In separate reviews, MagicJack, Comcast and Google Voice get accolades.
by Preston Gralla
This long review covers Ooma in detail, with a few comparisons to Vonage and Skype. The reviewer concludes that Ooma can save a significant amount of money compared with a landline phone -- unless you opt… for lots of extensions (called "Scouts") or extra options. However, call quality varies and is "generally fuzzy, with a hollow or tinny sound at times." Per-minute charges for calls overseas are comparable to those of Skype.
by Jeffrey L. Wilson
This article, addressing customer service issues, updates an earlier November 2007 single-product review that praised MagicJack. The earlier review found its call quality better than most cell phones but… not quite on a par with landline connections. This update includes the company's response to the most frequent customer service complaints. Other VoIP services that get reviews here include Gizmo and T-Mobile @Home. A 2007 comparison review also covers mobile VoIP apps for using cell phones to make long distance calls via Wi-Fi.
by Editors of TopTenReviews.com
Nineteen VoIP providers get detailed reviews and ratings here and the top ten are included in a detailed chart that compares features. The site also includes a video about VoIP. Though it's possible for… users to add their own reviews and ratings, only a few have been published. We'd rank this review site higher if the testing methods were better documented. The chart comparing features isn't completely accurate either; for example, Vonage does provide caller ID.
by Editors of CNET
CNET presents a list of 13 VoIP services it has reviewed in the past, with links to the full reviews. However, many of the individual reviews date from 2005 or 2006 -- too old to be of much relevance -- and… some services have now been discontinued. None of the reviewed services receive perfect ratings, although Vonage receives the highest score and an Editors' Choice award. CNET's coverage is less useful than some other sources that do a better job of keeping up with the swiftly changing VoIP market.
by David Pogue
New York Times technology columnist David Pogue reviews five Internet phone services that promise to slash phone bills, all of which are alternatives to true VoIP services such as Vonage. The review notes… some caveats for all five, but selects three as the most promising. A February 2007 article, "Overseas Calls Made Cheap, If Not Easy," surveys low-cost ways to make international calls, covering four Vonage and four Skype options.
by Contributors to VoipReview.org
by Editors of NextAdvisor.com
by Doug Mohney
This article explains Ooma's business model, showing that the company is at least breaking even on each new customer, which bodes well for the company's future. Elsewhere in this VoIP blog, a Feb. 26, 2009,… article on Vonage mentions that it takes the company about three years to break even on a new customer. An April 16, 2009, article reports that MagicJack settled with Florida's Attorney General, promising improvements in customer service and disclosure policies.
by Douglas A. McIntyre
by Robert L. Mitchell
by Editors of EVDOInformation.com
by Jonathan Takiff
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Owners review quite a few VoIP-related devices here such as Skype phones. The reviews and ratings of Ooma, MagicJack and the i2 Telecom VoiceStick are significant, since they also cover the services… themselves. Of these three, Ooma gets the highest average rating, with about 87 percent of the over 400 reviews reasonably positive. The VoiceStick plans earn a slightly lower rating, while MagicJack trails with only about 60 percent of users happy with it.
by Contributors to WhichVoIP.com
by Editors of SaveOnVoIP.com
by Editors of CallingPlans.com
by Editors and Contributors to PhoneDog.com
Unlike most VoIP reviews, this one distinguishes among specific plans as well as providers -- comparing, for example, five different Lingo plans. The downside is that only three other providers get reviews:… Packet8 (now 8x8), VoIP.com and Vonage. Also, some of the user ratings are based on fewer than six reviews. Even the top-rated plan, Lingo Chatterbox, gets very mixed reviews. This is still a good site to check if you've narrowed your choice to one of these providers, since many of the comments are quite detailed.
by Editors of MyRatePlan.com
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