Ooma vs magicJack: What’s the best choice?

Looking to upgrade your phone system? A cloud VoIP, or softphone, system can reduce monthly costs by routing calls through your Wi-Fi router, rather than a landline. But which VoIP service should you choose?

Ooma and magicJack are two well-known VoIP phone systems. At first glance, the two services look incredibly similar, offering voicemail, call waiting, conference calling, caller ID, and other common features. However, once you dive deep into the Ooma vs magicJack debate — comparing pricing plans, functionality, and customer satisfaction — you realize there are significant differences between the two.

Below, we compare Ooma and magicJack to see which service is the best fit for your business. In addition, we present a third option you should consider — especially since it beats the other two in every single category.

Ooma vs magicJack: How do these two services compare?

Ooma and magicJack are two high-rated VoIP service providers. Below, we analyze each service to determine which fits your budget and business needs.

1. Pricing of Ooma vs magicJack

Winner: Ooma 

As a small business owner, you need to keep a close eye on your bottom line. 💸 Unfortunately, both Ooma and magicJack can make it difficult to estimate your monthly costs, as both offer confusing pricing plans.

magicJack offers a number of business and home phone service pricing plans. magicJack for Business starts at $15.99 per month per user. If you want a desk phone, it costs an additional $54.99 for a basic phone and runs up to $129.99 or $219.99 if you want a handset or touch screen. If you want to add-on a virtual receptionist (i.e., auto-attendant), it costs $10 more per month. Virtual fax or toll-free phone numbers cost $5 per month each. You can also purchase a Bluetooth adapter for your car on Amazon for roughly $50, if you’d like to take business calls in your car.

Ooma offers a number of pricing plans, ranging from business to residential VoIP plans. Monthly fees for Ooma Office start at $19.99 per month per user and increase to $24.99 for their Pro plan. With their basic plan, you get standard, barebones features — including virtual receptionist, mobile phone app, virtual extensions, and call blocking. To get other must-have features (like voicemail transcriptions or call recording), you must upgrade your plan.

2. Features for Ooma vs magicJack

Winner: Ooma 

The best VoIP phone service offers a number of advanced features beyond dialing and receiving phone calls. With the right service, you can save time sending repeat text messages, log calls in your CRM system, and automate your workday with various integrations. So which service — Ooma or magicJack — best satisfies your business needs?

Unfortunately, both magicJack and Ooma offer a limited list of features that, frankly, you’d expect from any standard desk phone. magicJack for business offers caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, call blocking, a mobile app (the MagicApp), and “do not disturb” mode. It also offers toll-free numbers, three-way calling, extension dialing, unlimited calling in the USA and Canada (international calls cost extra), a virtual fax, and voicemail. (Like we said — it offers the same features as any other desk or cell phone.) Unfortunately, magicJack doesn’t integrate with any other service, so you can’t set up auto-replies or workflows.

Ooma offers more features than magicJack, like video conferencing and SMS messaging. It integrates with several platforms, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Zendesk, Microsoft Office 365, Gmail, and ServiceNow.

3. Customer satisfaction of Ooma vs magicJack

Winner: Ooma 

When it comes to selecting a new phone vendor, it’s important to read customer reviews. Reviews help decipher how the company performs in terms of voice quality, customer support, and functionality. 

Ooma Office carries a 4.5-star rating on G2. Some customers complained about the pricing plans because once they canceled their plan, they were stuck with the hardware cost. In addition, customers claimed that Ooma suffers from dropped calls and poor sound quality, even with a high-speed internet connection.

magicJack has a 5-star rating on G2, but they’ve only been reviewed twice. On ConsumerAffairs.com, magicJack earns a 3.8-star rating. Many customers complained about terrible customer service, poor call quality, glitchy hardware, and the inability to receive incoming calls.

Why OpenPhone is the better choice for small businesses

Ooma and magicJack offer limited features, yet come at a high price point. magicJack barely offers more features than a landline phone, while Ooma forces you to upgrade to an expensive plan before offering must-have features like team messaging, call recording, and voicemail transcriptions.

Here’s a third service to consider: OpenPhone. OpenPhone is easy to use, comes at a low cost, and offers plenty of advanced features and integrations. Here’s why OpenPhone is a better fit for your business.

1. Save time 

OpenPhone comes with a number of advanced features not offered by Ooma or magicJack, including call recording, and group and team messaging — just to name a few. 

With OpenPhone’s call recordings, you can record a call with one click or set up auto-recording for all your calls. This feature can help you onboard new hires, share phone meetings or conference calls with team members who couldn’t attend, or double-check the details of a client call instead of relying on taking notes.

The auto-attendant feature allows you to set up a phone menu for directing incoming calls. (You know, press 1 for sales, press 2 for billing, etc.) This makes sure your customers reach the right person (or team) within your company and limits the need for call transfers.

When it comes to messaging, OpenPhone keeps it flexible. With team messaging, you can see when fellow team members are available and send them a direct message. With group messaging, you can stay in touch via group text to keep everyone on the same page.

But this is just the beginning — there are plenty of other tools to take work off your plate so you can stay on top of your business relationships.

In addition, OpenPhone offers a number of integrations, including Slack, HubSpot CRM, and Gmail. Plus, through the OpenPhone-Zapier integration, you connect your business phone to over 3,000 apps to automate your workday.

2. Customer satisfaction

When it comes to customer satisfaction, OpenPhone ranks above magicJack, Ooma, and their competitors (including Vonage, Google Voice, and RingCentral). OpenPhone is the top-rated VoIP provider on G2. Customers state that you “can’t beat the price,” the user experience is amazing, and it’s very easy to navigate.

3. Save more per month 

Ooma vs magicJack vs OpenPhone comparison table

OpenPhone pricing plans start at just $15 per month per user, with plenty of features to get your team up and running. You get free calls and texts within the United States and Canada, while international calling comes at an added fee. You can upgrade to a Business plan for just $23 per month per user or add a second line for just $5 per month.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how OpenPhone measures up against as a magicJack and Ooma alternative. 

Make the switch to OpenPhone 

Ooma and magicJack are two of the most well-known providers in the VoIP space. Unfortunately, both services offer limited services at very high price points, and customers often complain about poor call quality and frustrating customer service.

Instead, switch your business to OpenPhone. With OpenPhone, plans start at just $15 per month to get you up and running. You get a number of advanced features like SMS campaigns, a lightweight CRM platform, team messaging, and call recording. With OpenPhone, the advanced features take work off your plate and stay on top of your business relationships.

Ready to see how OpenPhone can transform your business? Get started with a seven-day free trial today.

Words by Daryna Kulya

Co-Founder at OpenPhone. Ukrainian-Canadian in SF. Love exploring new hiking trails.