Rock Bottom Monthly Cost: $29.07
Month-to-month cost = $29.07
Total sign up cost and 1st payment: $41.88 (they include a free month but charge a $29.99 setup fee, $9.95 for S&H, plus $2.56 for taxes).
Pros
- The market leader. They aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
- WiFi phones available. Make calls anywhere you can connect to a wireless (WiFi) access point.
- You have a say in which number you get. You can pick a number with your cities prefix and you can choose from a list of four numbers after you’ve narrowed down your search.
Cons
- Most expensive
- No yearly plan available.
- Some of your money will go towards the creation of even more ads.
Summary
Vonage is slightly more expensive than the others but they provide a high level of service. For the extra few dollars a month they’re probably worth the cost.
Rock Bottom Monthly Cost = $26.19
Month to Month Cost: $27.54 (After taxes and fees)
Total sign up cost and 1st payment: – $50.49
Yearly – $209.36 ($17.29/Month) – (After taxes and fees) + $29.95(activation) + $14.95 (S&H)
Total 1st Year Cost:– $254.26 ($21.19/Month) + Monthy taxes and fees (They don’t mention this until after you’ve signed up but you’ll pay an extra $4-$6 in fees even if you do the yearly sign up.
Pros
- Selected as Best VoIP Service by Wired Magazine
- Owned by Primus Telecommunications Group, a leading global telecommunications company with approximately $1 billion in annual revenue.
Cons
- You don’t have any say in what number you ultimately get. After you’ve submitted your order it assigns you a number. Unlike Vonage which gives you a choice of a few options.
- Generic prefixes instead of city specific prefixes on your phone.
Summary
If you don’t mind having a number assigned to you Lingo provides a good balance of value and service. They won’t go out of business anytime soon and they offer a yearly subscription plan.
Rock Bottom Monthly Cost = $14.08
Month-to-month cost: $23.39 (After taxes and fees)
Total sign up cost and 1st payment – $38.34
Yearly Cost – $238.31 (19.86 Month)
Yearly Total Cost – $253.46
Activation/Setup Fee – Free (activation) $14.95 (S&H)
Pros
- 6 months free with Year signup. Your first 18 months could be $14.08/Month!
- $15 Activation Fee waived for online orders.
- Transfer Phone Number
Cons
- They are small enough that they might go out of business (like SunRocket did).
Summary
PhonePower offers a very attractive rate for their service. The real only issue is if they can stay in business for an extended period of time. If you’re a gambling type give them a try.
Rock Bottom Monthly Cost = $3.34 (for 1st year $1.67 thereafter).
Setup + First Year = $39.99 and $19.99/year thereafter
MagicJack offers an unbelievable rate for phone service. Unlimited local and long distance calling for $20 a year! As a customer of MagicJack I would only suggest using them as a temporary or secondary phone. We used MagicJack as my primary home phone number for a few months but there were too many issues to make it work. Hopefully those issues will be fixed and I’ll give them another try. I wrote a post about my experience with them here.
Pros
- Cheapest option hands down. No one is even close.
- Emergency service is available
Cons
- You must have your computer up at all times to have it work. It doesn’t connect straight to your router.
- Customer Service is limited and only does chat.
- Dependability as a primary phone line is spotty
Rock Bottom Monthly Cost = $7.95 ($5.45/month the first year)
Yearly Skype Outbound service to U.S.A. & Canada – $35.40 plus $30 for an inbound number = $65.40 Year
Pros
- Skype calls between Skype users is free any where in the world.
- SKype has a wide selections of Skype Phones on Amazon
- Skype is both computer and wi-fi enabled
- Skype has no extra fees or extra monthy costs.
Cons
- Skype is not set up for emergency service and should not replace your primary phone line.
Looking around my home I have expensive ways to collect dust. Old electronics, old toys, and a myriad of other things that I don’t use anymore have only done one thing in the last year; collected dust.