VoIP Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best VoIP. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best VoIP, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for VoIP. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and VoIP prices.

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VoIP Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	VoIP Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Broadband Phone Services Grow Up Rick Broida Oct. 1, 2007		In this article, Rick Broida tests five VoIP phone services, coming away generally impressed with all. However, he is most impressed with Vonage, and that service captures PC Magazine's Editors' Choice rating in this category. Broida says Vonage is reliable and offers good voice quality, but value is a mixed bag. Basic phone calls are cheap, but calls to some international cities cost more than other services and adding extra features can quickly add to the overall price. Links from this article lead to longer reviews of each of the services covered.

VoIP Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	VoIP Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. BroadbandReports.com	Recent Reviews Contributors to BroadbandReports.com As of Oct. 2007		This large user community covers the entire scope of everything broadband, including VoIP services. User ratings and reviews for VoIP providers compete for space with reviews for broadband Internet and TV services, but there are plenty to be found. A nice touch is that they are organized by happy users (Smooth Ride), those that are not completely pleased (Mixed) and those that are largely displeased (Unhappy Campers). Reviews can be updated by the original posters if things change, and other users can add comments. A regularly updated chart called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly rates and ranks VoIP providers based on recent user reviews. Most services have discussion forums that can also be helpful in evaluating whether or not a VoIP provider will meet your needs.
3. J.D. Power & Associates >> Details/Subscribe	2007 Residential Regional Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study Editors of J.D. Power & Associates July 11, 2007		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 11,911 customer responses, discovered that bundling video with voice and data gives cable companies a competitive edge. Cox Communications got the highest scores in the Northeast, Southwest and West. Cox was especially notable in its reliability and customer service. Bright House ranked highest in the Southeast, Cablevision in the mid-Atlantic and WOW in the North Central region. However, not all companies are included, and national VoIP companies like Vonage and Lingo are not included in the survey at all.
4. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	19th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey: VoIP Editors of PC Magazine Sept. 20, 2006		PC Magazine polls over 8,000 readers annually about their satisfaction with everything from computers to Internet service and VoIP. Optimum Voice gets the highest reader ratings by a narrow margin, followed by AT&T CallVantage. Cox and Road Runner are also good. Optimum Voice, only available in New York City, got high scores for sound quality and connection reliability. The more widely available AT&T CallVantage bested Optimum in sound quality and nontechnical support issues. We would rate this report higher except that it is over a year old and we've not seen an update as of press time.
5. CNet.com	CNet Editors' Guide to VoIP Editors of CNet.com As of Oct. 2007		CNet.com presents a list of 13 VoIP services it has reviewed in the past, with links to the full review. However, many of the individual reviews date from 2005 or 2006 -- too old to be of much relevance. None of the reviewed services receive perfect ratings, although Vonage receives the highest score and an Editors' Choice award. Others that score well include AT&T CallVantage and Packet8. Since some of these reviews are outdated, CNet's coverage is less useful than some other sources that do a better job of keeping up with the swiftly changing VoIP market.

VoIP Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	VoIP Ratings Comments on Reviews

6. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Internet Phoning: Lower Cost, More Capability Editors of Consumer Reports Jan. 2006		This buyer's guide considers differences between landline, VoIP and cell phone services. The pluses and minuses of VoIP service are discussed, along with how to compare plans, check service areas, determine international calling fees, and more. A comparison chart is included for five major VoIP services in terms of unlimited and limited calling plans, voicemail, coverage areas, additional numbers, broadband type and installation options, as well as activation and termination fees. No testing or ratings are included, however.
7. WhichVoIP.com	VoIP Reviews and Ratings Contributors to WhichVoIP.com As of Oct. 2007		This site lets people rate and review their VoIP services. While some of the individual reviews are helpful, most services get a similar average rating of between 4 and 5 (out of 5) stars. While Vonage has more than 200 reviews, most services have fewer than 25 ratings.
8. The New York Times >> Details/Subscribe	Get Your Free Net Phone Calls Here David Pogue Aug. 2, 2007		New York Times technology columnist David Pogue points out that many services promise to slash phone bills, but none has, as yet, been able to offer free calling to any phone number from a regular phone. He mentions new services like iCall.com, Jajah.com, Ooma and PhoneGnone, citing the catch with each. No service is recommended over another, however.
9. PC World >> Details/Subscribe	Avoid VoIP Gotchas James Martin June 3, 2004		Though VoIP saves its subscribers lots of money, it has some drawbacks. James Martin details a few key issues in this article. For example, it took one subscriber five months to transfer a phone number to Vonage. Other so-called gotchas include loss of service during power interruptions and the cost of discontinuing your landline service. However, this article is outdated and many of these issues have been minimized.
10. The New York Times >> Details/Subscribe	Clear as a Bell One Day, Fuzz and Garbled the Next Ken Belson Sept. 27, 2006		Ken Belson reports that as congestion on Internet networks surges, call quality is going down because voice calls are "competing for space with video, music and other data." The upshot is uneven service. Because carriers like AT&T and Verizon operate circuit-switched networks, they can better control voice quality, Belson adds.
11. PC World >> Details/Subscribe	VoIP Tips: Get Your Net Phone to Come in Loud and Clear Aoife McEvoy Apr. 24, 2006		Sometimes garbled reception can be nipped in the bud by taking extra steps, says Aoife McEvoy. The article advocates not putting a VoIP adapter on the floor, testing a broadband connection at sites such as www.testyourvoip.com, and checking out user postings at sites like www.broadbandreports.com (see above) when shopping for a service. No specific VoIP services are rated.
12. The Wall Street Journal >> Details/Subscribe	Ringing Endorsement or a Bad Call? Lee Gomes Aug. 15, 2006		This is an interview with chief technology officer Kaynam Hedayat of Brix Networks, which runs testyourvoip.com. Hedayat says that Internet phone calls are liable to run into network traffic jams due to the emergence of file-sharing sites like YouTube, music downloads and e-mails with attachments. Because of surging use, Hedayat suggests using VoIP for travel purposes or as a second line or for international calls. No particular services are reviewed or rated.
13. Ecommerce Times	VoIP and 911: Emergencies Lost in the Fog Katherine Noyes Aug. 9, 2007		Noyes says that customers forget to update their 911 information, which creates a lag when calling 911. She advises readers not to count on it in an emergency. Some new services like Ooma are trying to fix the 911 dilemma by acting as a hybrid, where you can still use your landline for calling.

VoIP Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	VoIP Ratings Comments on Reviews

14. My Rate Plan	VoIP Editors of MyRatePlan.com As of Oct. 2007		Six plans are listed here, along with monthly prices, feature packages, separate business plans, international calling rates and contracts. Packet8, Verizon and Lingo are a few of the providers listed, along with links to their websites. My Rate Plan is good for basic comparisons, but there's no testing and services are not rated. Many companies, such as cable provider Cox, aren't included at all.