Let’s face it: using a personal number for your business just isn’t going to work. Getting phone calls in the middle of the night, watching spam numbers blow up your voicemail, and running out of room to grow effectively are just a couple of the most obvious pitfalls (yikes). Having the right kind of communication software can either make or break your business venture.
That’s why business owners in just about every industry are transitioning to Voice over Internet Protocols, or a cloud-based VoIP.
If you’re in the process of hunting for the right fit, odds are that both magicJack and Google Voice sit somewhere on your list. Both of these platforms are extremely well known, and used by businesses all over the world. But do they offer the features that your business needs? Well . . .
In this article, we’re going to be taking a closer look at magicJack vs Google Voice, and compare how their service measures up in terms of pricing, features, and third party integrations. If neither provider has what you’re looking for, we’ll share a third option that might fit the bill.
Switch to OpenPhone: The best Google Voice and magicJack alternative
magicJack vs Google Voice: How do they stack up?
Choosing between different VoIP providers is easier with transparent information. Let’s start with the big three: how much does it cost, what features does it have, and does it work with anything else?
1. Pricing: Which service delivers the most value?
Winner: magicJack (monthly costs)
magicJack business is $15.99 per line with their base plan. Brand-new numbers require you to buy an actual device to go with it, starting at the whopping price of $54.99. If you want to nab extra features like auto-attendant, virtual faxing, and toll-free numbers, be prepared to pay extra.
Unlike magicJack alternatives, number porting costs extra, although the extra price is undisclosed by magicJack.
Google Voice for business requires an active Google Workspace account, (an extra $6 per month) to even access Voice’s paid plans. $10 a month per user is the ground floor, but to unlock their premiere tier, that’ll grow to $30 per user.
Note: While Google Voice does have a free plan, it’s built for personal use only. Calls, voicemail, and texts all live in separate inboxes, and shared access to your account for teams isn’t possible.
magicJack wins this round by — drumroll please — exactly $0.01.
2. Features: Which VoIP platform gives you more?
Winner: magicJack
magicJack has features like auto-attendants, virtual fax, and toll-free numbers available — at an added price. With all these extras combined, it’ll cost an extra $20 a month. In terms of base features, you’ll have access to caller ID, do not disturb, and online call logs. Texting is only available on the mobile app, and does not support MMS messages. magicJack has extremely basic features that are more or less comparable to the average landline or cell phone.
Google Voice offers the Workspace suite for team members, providing basic features and call services. Despite this, many reviewers mention how difficult collaboration is on both the free and paid versions of the platform. All texts, calls, and voicemail messages are siloed into dedicated sections of the platform, making conversation history difficult to review.
Since collaboration is limited to sharing incoming calls, it can be extremely frustrating (read: annoying) to hand off tasks effectively. Without call recording software, team-based management is near impossible.
Neither magicJack nor Google Voice support toll-free numbers or texting automations in any way. At least they’re consistent?
3. Integrations: Does each platform integrate with other services?
Winner: Google Voice (barely)
So let’s make this one brief. magicJack doesn’t integrate with anything. Google Voice only integrates with other Google Workspace apps, so it only wins by default.
Neither VoIP provider offers great options for scaling your business through automations, so if you’re looking for a platform with heavy-hitting integrations, these providers aren’t for you.
The best alternative to magicJack vs Google Voice
magicJack and Google Voice both provide unlimited calling options, some number porting capabilities, and a couple of scaling opportunities (for the right price).
These platforms have enough to get you started, but they might not have what you’re looking for to build a world-class business. Before you ask: providers like Vonage, Skype, RingCentral, and Jive all run into similar issues.
If you’re still on the hunt for a VoIP solution, OpenPhone might have exactly what you’re looking for. With a 100% scalable price model, dozens of included features, and all the integrations you’ll ever need, your phone system can grow with you as your team does too.
1. OpenPhone provides clear pricing
At OpenPhone, we believe that honesty is the best policy (honestly). OpenPhone plans start at $15 per month. Any potential additional fees like international calling and additional numbers are clearly on our pricing page.
Best of all, we offer a free trial that lets you explore the platform without bothering your wallet.
2. Enjoy a seamless user experience
Easily add teammates into your OpenPhone workspace and stay in the loop on all communication by checking conversation history at glance. Instead of sifting through separate inboxes for calls, texts, and voicemails (looking at you, Google Voice), you can track down important conversations at the touch of a button.
Plus, you can automatically record all your calls, a standard feature you’re missing out on with magicJack vs Google Voice.
3. Fully collaborate in your business phone system
OpenPhone’s internal collaboration options make working together simple. Shared numbers allow team members to balance responsibility for incoming calls. Teammates can receive the same incoming call at the same time.
When someone picks up you can see who is on an active call with any contact. Plus, anyone can be on separate calls at the same time with a shared number. The line is never busy.
Mentions and threads let you seamlessly get input on any external conversations, then assign out communication tasks. Plus, our internal team messaging system lets everyone stay on the same page. And who doesn’t want that?
4. OpenPhone is the #1 number rated business phone app
OpenPhone has the highest G2 reviews on the platform, even when compared with mega-corps like Google Voice vs magicJack.
But we’ll stop talking. The reviews already speak for themselves:
5. Integrate with tools outside of the Google suite
Integration is basically our middle name. OpenPhone works with Slack, HubSpot, Gmail, and Zapier, which gives you total control over your contacts and how you want to reach them. If you’re using Zapier, you can tie in plenty of additional Google apps without suffering through Google Voice’s limited options.
magicJack vs Google Voice vs OpenPhone comparison table
Here’s a helpful chart with all the comparisons between OpenPhone vs magicJack vs Google Voice:
| Feature | OpenPhone | magicJack | Google Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $15 per user | $39 - $130 | $10 - $30 per user |
| Unlimited Calling | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| SMS/MMS to US & Canada | ✔️ | ✖️ | US customers only |
| Voicemail to text | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Set business hours | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| Toll-free numbers | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Additional phone numbers | $5 per number | Varies | ✖️ |
| Call recording | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Shared phone numbers | ✔️ | ✖️ | Requires upgrade |
| Auto-attendant (virtual receptionist) | ✔️ | Extra $10 per month | Requires upgrade |
| Auto-replies | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| Snippets | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| Slack integration | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| Gmail integration | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✔️ |
| Zapier integration | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| CRM integration | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
| iOS and Android apps | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Web-based app | ✔️ | Texting not available | ✔️ |
| Desktop apps | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
In any magicJack vs Google Voice vs OpenPhone discussion, there’s one clear winner
magicJack and Google Voice are long-standing VoIP platforms that provide number porting, unlimited calling, and both iOS and Android apps. But when it comes to features and integrations, both platforms simply don’t offer a whole lot.
OpenPhone runs ahead of the pack with our easy-to-use team collaboration features, auto-replies, snippets, and other automations that make your life easier. We’ve got a whole lot to love, from a suite of integrations to MMS support to group text messaging.
Plus, plans start at $15 per user per month — making it the best bang for your buck.
If you’re looking to switch to a VoIP provider with scalable everything (pricing, features, and integrations), try out a free 7-day trial.
