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Ooma pricing, features, and limitations: Everything to know

Ooma pricing

When Ooma first launched as a ‘VoIP-in-a-box,’ it was designed to help homeowners make cheaper calls on landline phones. Since 2008, it’s expanded to offer VoIP apps and desk phones to small businesses and homeowners alike.

While traditional enterprise brands may find value in Ooma, smaller teams often face missing features and hidden fees that make it less appealing.

So, is Ooma worth it? In this guide, we’ll cover its prices, features, limitations, and hidden fees you might miss. Plus, we explore an alternative that could be a better fit.

TL;DR

Ooma isn’t the best choice for small businesses because the pricing isn’t clear, basic features require upgrades, and it lacks productivity features that most businesses need to grow.

What is Ooma?

Ooma app

Ooma is a residential and business VoIP provider designed to replace plain old telephone systems with your internet connection. You can use Ooma’s system on desk phones, laptops, or cell phones, which allow you to make calls, send texts, and hold video conferences (so long as they fall within Ooma’s strict limits).

Ooma pricing and plans at a glance

There are three business phone plans available with Ooma:

Ooma pricing and plans

Ooma Office Essentials

The Essentials plan costs $19.95 per user per month, with no annual plans available to reduce the price. It comes with 50 standard features, such as music on hold and overhead paging, as well as unlimited calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

But don’t let the ‘50 standard features’ fool you — the base plan is missing several key functions. There’s no desktop app calling, no video conferencing, and no way to send text messages.

Key featuresWhat’s missing
Virtual receptionistDesktop app (with calling)
Mobile app (Android + iOS)Video conferencing
Toll-free numbers (500 minutes of inbound calls per month)Voicemail transcriptions
Music on holdCaller ID
Call logsCall recording
Unlimited calls in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto RicoEnhanced call blocking
Ring groupsIntegrations (Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite)
Call forwardingAnalytics
Call blockingTexting
One-bridge conference calling
IP phone paging
Analog and virtual fax support

Ooma Office Pro

The Pro plan costs $24.95 per user per month, and like the Essentials plan, there’s no annual pricing available. This tier includes calling on the desktop app and call recording

Plus, you’ll notice the Pro plan still lacks the basic features that other VoIPs offer on their base plans. For example, there’s no way to chat internally with your team or push call data to your CRM platform. 

While this tier unlocks text messaging and video conferencing, both come with strict limitations. You can only send 250 text messages per user per month and host video conferences with up to 25 users. To access more bandwidth, you’ll need to upgrade to the highest plan, which may feel like you’re being pushed into an upgrade before you’re ready.

Key featuresWhat’s missing
Desktop app (with calling)CRM integration
Video conferencingCall queues
Voicemail transcriptionsHot desking
Caller IDAdvanced text messaging (shift-to-text, one-to-many messaging)
Call recordingVideo conferencing (up to 100 participants)
Enhanced call blockingVideo meeting recordings
Integrations (Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite)Call screening
AnalyticsAuto dialer
Texting (250 messages)Team chat

Ooma Office Pro Plus

The Pro Plus plan costs $29.95 per user per month, with no annual pricing available. It comes with Ooma’s most impressive features, including an auto dialer and keyboard shortcuts for texting. 

Unfortunately, the Pro Plus plan doesn’t offer anything truly unlimited. Text messaging and outbound calling still come with tight limitations (more on this later).

And no matter how much you upgrade, you’ll never have access to advanced features. This means no AI tools, texting auto-replies, or native integrations with Zapier and other tools.

Key features:

  • CRM integrations
  • Text messages (1,000 per user per month)
  • 100-person video conferences
  • Call queues
  • Hot desking
  • Advanced text messaging (shift-to-text, one-to-many messaging)
  • Video meeting recordings
  • Call screening
  • Auto dialer
  • Team chat

Hidden fees to know

While Ooma might not require many add-ons to get started,  it still has expensive fees and monthly taxes that add up.

  • Directory assistance (411): Want to research local brands, freelancers, or prospects? That will cost you $0.99 per call.
  • Activation fee: No matter which plan you choose, you’ll pay a one-time activation fee of $49.95.
  • Texting limits: You need to upgrade to the Pro plan to unlock SMS. However, this limits you to 250 text messages per user per month (plus $0.0095 per message over the limit). You can upgrade to the Pro Plus plan for up to 1,000 text messages per user per month, but you may still end up paying extra.
  • Calling limits: Ooma advertises ‘unlimited’ calls on every plan. However, an article buried in its FAQs shows a 5,000-minute limit for outbound calling per month. This is nowhere near enough for growing brands or businesses, especially busy customer support teams juggling hundreds of inquiries per month.
  • Varying taxes and fees: Ooma’s taxes and fees vary by postal code, which means you’ll have to calculate your numbers based on your billing address. Going off basic averages, here’s what you can expect to pay:
    • Regulatory Compliance Fee: Around $2 per line per month
    • 911 Service Fee: Around $1 per line per month
    • Federal Universal Service charge (US customers only): Around $5.49 per line per month 
    • Local Interconnect Recovery Fee: Around $3 per line per month
    • State or province and local taxes, fees, and surcharges: This could range from a few pennies to $17 per month or more.
  • Toll-free calling: You only get 500 included toll-free minutes per month before paying an undisclosed per-minute charge. If you want more included minutes, you have to purchase a separate toll-free plan for $15.99 a month to get 1,000 extra minutes, plus 2.9¢ more for each minute that passes your limit. 
  • Toll-free numbers: You can only have up to 20 toll-free numbers per account, and each additional toll-free number is $9.95 a month.
  • International calling: The cost of reaching overseas customers depends on the country you’re trying to call. Ooma already includes the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, but prices for other countries range from $0.02 to $0.48 per minute or more.

5 things to keep in mind before committing to Ooma

Here are a few more reasons to consider Ooma alternatives

1. Limited integrations with your existing tech stack

Ooma’s only integrations are with Google and Office 365, and you can’t unlock them unless you upgrade to the second-highest tier. Salesforce and HubSpot integrations are available, but you have to upgrade to the highest tier to access them. 

Of course, Ooma’s Enterprise plan has more options for integrations with your CRM, but this is a totally separate plan from the ones discussed above. They also require an annual contract and expensive equipment.

In other words? Not a good fit for small businesses.

2. Must upgrade for basic business phone features

Unlike most other VoIP services, Ooma locks its basic features behind expensive paywalls.

Sure, you can access the desktop app, but there’s no way to make calls from it unless you upgrade to the Pro plan.

You also can’t record calls without upgrading to Pro, and you’ll have to upgrade again to Pro Plus if you want to push those recordings to your CRM.

What about text messages? Be prepared to pay a premium — one upgrade to unlock them and again to get more than 250 messages per user per month.

This can be extremely frustrating for small business owners, especially since you might feel pushed to upgrade before you’re ready.

3. Inconsistent call quality

Hundreds of user reviews have cited poor quality and buggy features, showing Ooma’s office phone system doesn’t always work as expected. Several past users refer to it as ‘low price bait,’ while others complain of poor customer service.

Just see for yourself:

  • “Awful customer service. They barely speak English and made several mistakes in my request to downgrade. I got so frustrated with the quality of customer service I canceled the service. They still have yet to issue me a full refund. Don’t use them.” TrustPilot
  • “I can live with a slight latency increase from the VoIP service, but the quality is, in my opinion, unnecessarily low. … My internet connection is 1 Gbps, low jitter … so I am doubtful that there is a network-related cause.”Ooma Forums
  • “For the past 2 weeks, our line has been down more often than it has been working. Every time I contact Ooma, they run me through the same elementary reboot drill, and hours later when someone calls us, the phone doesn’t ring and the call is diverted straight to voicemail. So far, nobody at Ooma has any idea how to correct the problem.” TrustPilot

4. Customers report problems with texts not going through

You already know you have to upgrade to send text messages through Ooma. However, you should also know there are apparent deliverability issues according to past Ooma customers.

Many Ooma clients decide to switch because:

  • Texts aren’t going through to customers (Ooma blames T-Mobile, even though the customers are A2P approved)
  • The mobile and desktop applications are buggy and hard to use
  • It’s tough to tap into collaborative texting (or get visibility on who’s viewed which conversations)

The biggest customer complaint? Unreliability. Past Ooma customers report getting left without calling and texting capabilities for weeks with no explanation from their support staff or account manager.

5. No AI-powered productivity features 

Ooma doesn’t offer any AI features on its Office phone plans. Instead, you need to upgrade to the Enterprise package, which unlocks AI virtual agents. Then, you’ll have to connect with third-party systems to set up automations with other apps in your tech stack.

This is in stark contrast to other VoIP platforms that offer built-in, native AI solutions on every plan. These allow you to create AI message responses, set up AI call summaries, and use AI contact suggestions to help your team do more with less.

OpenPhone: A more effective alternative to Ooma

So, is Ooma worth the investment? For large enterprises or traditional offices, it might be. But for growing businesses with remote or international teams, Ooma’s high costs and outdated features may not be the best fit.

Smaller business owners need a VoIP phone system that’s cost-effective and flexible enough to suit their changing needs. That’s why thousands of them turn to OpenPhone instead of Ooma — a VoIP platform built by and for small business owners.

Take a look at how we compare to Ooma below:

FeaturesOpenPhoneOoma
Price per month$15 per user per month$19.95 per user per month
Unlimited callingX
Unlimited SMS, MMS to US & CanadaX
Toll-free numbers✓ (500 minutes included only)
Additional phone numbers$5 per number$9.95 per number
Number porting
Call recordingRequires upgrade
Shared phone numbersX
Group text messagingX
Shared contactsX
Auto-repliesX
Text message templatesX
Slack integrationX
AI featuresRequires Enterprise plan
Gmail integrationRequires upgrade
Zapier integrationX
iOS and Android apps
Web-based apps✓ (calling requires upgrade)

1. Small business-friendly pricing

OpenPhone pricing

OpenPhone’s transparent pricing starts at $15 per user per month, with no hidden fees. We’ve listed everything you’ll need directly on our pricing page so you can compare your options at a glance.

The best part is? We have integrations available on every tier.

And speaking of integrations. . .

2. Easy to connect with your existing tools

OpenPhone seamlessly integrates with the tools you’re already using, which leads to less work for your team and more efficiency. We connect to more than 7,000 third-party apps, so you can put more work on autopilot.

Our Zapier integration, which can help you create automated workflows, is available on our Starter plan. You can also integrate with email, Slack, and your Google contacts or set up webhooks if you need more flexibility.

Ready to connect with your CRM? Upgrade to the Business tier to unlock HubSpot, Salesforce, and Gong integrations. It’s still more affordable than Ooma’s Pro Plus plan — and a lot easier to set up.

3. Get clear insights into your team’s performance

OpenPhone analytics

It’s not easy to get visibility and context using Ooma. With OpenPhone, however, you can do so on every plan.

We make it easy to:

  • Track messages, calls, unique conversations, and time on calls
  • Tap into AI call transcripts and summaries to get context more quickly
  • Check heat maps of popular call times to identify high call volume dates or times

You can even export these analytics to a CSV file at any time.

4. Get unlimited calling and messaging

Every OpenPhone plan comes with truly unlimited calls and texts — not just ‘unlimited’ in the marketing sense. We never limit toll-free minutes or the amount of numbers you buy. Additional local and toll-free numbers cost $5 per number per month.

Plus, you’ll notice our base plan comes with features that Ooma’s base plan lacks, such as on-demand call recording and a desktop app that lets you place calls.

Need to make international calls or texts? Just take a look at our rates page and check the prices in advance. We make it easy to calculate your bills so there aren’t nasty surprises at the end of the month.

5. Collaborate to reply faster and provide better service

OpenPhone threads

Ooma requires multiple upgrades to unlock collaboration features. With OpenPhone, you can split responsibility for incoming conversations on every plan.

We offer team collaboration tools that let you:

  • Set up custom contact fields to track customer-specific information
  • Use threads and mentions to delegate tasks among coworkers
  • Tap into productivity tools such as auto-replies and put routine tasks on autopilot

Plus, our shared phone numbers let you work together as a team. Everyone can see who has responded to incoming calls and texts, which helps you maintain visibility and keep all your ducks in a row.

Pros and cons of Ooma pricing plans

Ooma works well for businesses with physical locations that rely on desk phones and pagers. However, it may not be ideal for small or distributed teams that need advanced features to support virtual phone numbers. 

Pros: 

  • Wide country reach: With Ooma, you can get outbound calls to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
  • Desk phone features: You can access overhead paging, intercom tools, analog fax machine support, and more.
  • Free toll-free number: You get one with every plan (max of 500 minutes per user number per month).

Cons: 

  • No unlimited minutes: You’re limited to a max of 5,000 outbound minutes per month with Ooma.
  • No unlimited texts: You can only send a max of 1,000 text messages per user per month on the most expensive plan ($29.95 per user per month).
  • Limited integrations: You have to upgrade multiple times to unlock CRM integrations, and even then, you’ll have several limitations on what you can connect.
  • Limited desktop app: You can’t make calls with the desktop app unless you upgrade to the Pro plan.

See why OpenPhone is the best virtual phone service provider

OpenPhone app

Ooma might be a match for enterprise companies with desk phones, but for most business owners, it doesn’t keep up with the times. Add that sentiment to its high prices and hidden fees, and you’ll see it’s a deal breaker in more ways than one.

The good news is that OpenPhone was designed to grow alongside your business, which means you only pay for what you need (and nothing more). Just pick a plan and upgrade when you’re ready: you’ll get truly unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada, starting at $15 per user per month.

No need to take our word for it, though.

Test OpenPhone today with our seven-day free trial and see why we’re rated the #1 business phone solution for small business owners.

5/5 - (1 vote)