It can be tricky to choose the right VoIP provider for your business — especially if you’re comparing Ooma vs netTALK. A quick glance might show you the basic features, but if you’re trying to scout for more details on these legacy platforms, you might run into more questions than answers.
In this guide, we’ll go over all the information you need to make an informed decision. We’ll compare Ooma and netTALK according to their prices, features, and third-party integrations. And if you’re not satisfied with either platform, we’ll list a third, more modern alternative.
Ooma vs netTALK: How do these two providers stack up?
Ooma and netTALK have extremely different business models. You may find that one service provider just isn’t capable of meeting your needs — both now or as you grow.
So who wins the Ooma vs netTALK debate? Let’s find out.
Keep in mind: we’re only comparing Ooma and netTALK’s business phone plans here. If you’re looking to check the prices, features, and integrations of their home phone services (Ooma Telo and netTALK Duo), we suggest you check out other resources.
1. Pricing: Which delivers more value?
Winner: Ooma
Picking a VoIP isn’t always about money, but choosing the most cost-effective provider will definitely keep your bills low.
On the surface, netTALK seems to offer the most low-cost option. Its basic plan is just $9.97 per month and doesn’t bill per user like Ooma.
But don’t be fooled by the single-digit price tag. netTALK may be contract-free and cost less per month than Ooma, but you’ll still need to pay for all outbound minutes. In reality, netTALK doesn’t offer ‘plans’ at all; you need to build your own plan on their quotes page, then wait for a representative to confirm before getting your VoIP up and running. You won’t be able to sign up and get started on your schedule.
You only get 100 minutes of free calls per month on the basic netTALK business plan. Once used up, you’ll need to pay for outbound packages starting at $19.99 for 5,000 minutes. The second and third options have 5,000 minutes already factored into the price, and these can’t be removed from your custom quote.
And the bills keep coming. netTALK charges steep fees for most of its features, including:
- Extensions: $2.99 per month per extension
- Virtual Receptionists: $4.99 per month per receptionist
- Local Phone Number: $1.99 per month per number
- Ported Local Phone Number: $1.99 per month per number (not counting $10 porting fee)
- Call Waiting Queue: $19.99 per month per queue
- 4GB Memory for Voicemail Recordings: $4.99 per month per 4GB
- Conference Calling: $9.99 per month
And this doesn’t even include netTALK’s prices for hardware:
- netTALK PBX App: Free with plan
- GrandStream GRP2612W IP Phone: $99.99 each
- ReadyNet LTE520 Router: $149.99
- netTALK IQ Phone: $199.99
- netTALK IQ Mobile Smartphone: $119.99
Keep in mind that you can’t see any of these prices up front. To get a quote from netTALK, you’ll need to sign up for a Connect account and then verify it through your email address.
Ooma is less confusing to navigate — but not by much. The company lists three pricing plans on its main page, with the basic plan starting at $19.95. However, there is also an Enterprise plan that has three additional tiers.
Each Ooma basic plan comes with 50+ standard features, virtual receptionists, and a local number (more on that later). Unlike netTALK, you won’t need to pay extra for every feature. However, you may need to purchase hardware directly from the company, which costs anywhere between $49.99 and $399.99. ☎️
netTALK looks like the cheaper option on paper. But since Ooma doesn’t charge you extra for outbound calls, it’s still more economical overall.
2. Features: Which gives you more you can use for your business?
Winner: Ooma
Unfortunately, Ooma’s features aren’t particularly impressive. You only get one phone line extension and one local number on the basic plan. Standard features like voicemail, extension, and call forwarding are the only ones worth mentioning. Many of the other features Ooma provides are universally offered by other VoIP providers (i.e., call blocking).
Do you want voicemail transcriptions and call recordings? You’ll need to upgrade. Do you want to use the desktop app? You’ll need to upgrade for that too.
netTALK struggles to provide more than Ooma. The basic plan comes with one extension, one virtual receptionist (also known as a phone menu), and one local phone number. You’ll have to pay additional fees to access more useful business features like call waiting queues.
There are a couple other limitations to keep in mind. You can’t port a preexisting phone number unless it’s from the US or Canada. To get more than one number on netTALK, you need to pay for their highest tier plan. You can still use your cell phone to access their PBX features, but keep in mind that only app-to-app calls are free (and the iOS app was designed specifically for iPads).
If things go wrong with any of your netTALK features, don’t count on customer service to solve things quickly. Many people find their customer support to be unreliable at best. Just check out this review:
“Saving a little bit of money each month doesn’t make up for clients thinking your phone service has been disconnected after having the same number for 20 something years, and then you not being able to get it back up and running at all — nor being able to get the calls forwarded.” — VoIP Review
A final note: only Ooma offers SMS and MMS features. netTALK only offers SMS for home use and does not support MMS at all. You won’t be able to text from a netTALK business number.
3. Integrations: What tools does each solution integrate with?
Winner: Ooma
Unfortunately, not all VoIP providers have good integrations. Some don’t offer any at all.
Ooma does provide some integrations — but not on the basic plan. You can access Salesforce by upgrading to the Office Pro Plus plan. Beyond that, Ooma’s other integrations (Freshdesk, Zoho, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics) are only available on the Enterprise plan.
Unfortunately, netTALK doesn’t provide any integrations.
Neither of these legacy providers discloses future plans to add more integrations.
So who wins the Ooma vs netTALK debate?
Ooma and netTALK are both legacy providers — and it shows. These older business phones struggle to keep up with modern competitors, especially when you compare their high prices and limited features. If you’re looking for a VoIP phone solution that can keep up as you scale your business, it could be hard to justify using either provider.
And Ooma and netTALK aren’t the only legacy providers that fail to match modern VoIPs. Platforms like Vonage, magicJack, Google Voice, and Obihai also struggle to keep up.
Thankfully, there’s a new era of VoIP systems built for the business owners of today. With modern platforms like OpenPhone, you can access a scalable VoIP for just $15 per month per user.
Ooma vs netTALK vs OpenPhone: Choosing a solution built for business
OpenPhone is a VoIP solution created for modern business owners. With OpenPhone, you can make unlimited calls to the US and Canada — no handset or hardware purchases are necessary. And with a suite of time-saving features on our Starter plan and options for local, toll-free, and shared numbers, you can easily scale your phone system as your team grows.
Here’s why thousands of businesses use OpenPhone.
1. Easily stack your tools together
Unlike Ooma and netTALK, OpenPhone offers dozens of third-party integrations for virtually any purpose. You can plug into Zapier to connect OpenPhone to thousands of other apps. Or, if you have someone on your team with a more technical background, you can use webhooks.
If your team uses HubSpot or Salesforce, we also offer direct integrations with each so you can easily log phone communication to your CRM. And if your team centralizes all of your conversations into Slack, you can even automatically push any text messages, voicemails, or missed call notifications to any Slack channel.
2. Follow up with your contacts quicker
When you need to follow up with your work contacts, you may need more context from previous conversations or voicemail messages. You can save time catching up and responding as OpenPhone offers call recordings and voicemail transcriptions with every plan.
With call recordings, you can capture customer calls as soon as you pick up the phone. Then, playback recordings later anytime in the app. If you have a shared phone number with your teammates, they can do the same thing on whatever device they own. 📱
3. Get clear pricing upfront
Yes, honesty is always the best policy. That’s why our pricing page lists everything you need to know about our plans, add-ons, and even international call rates. You can check our additional fees anytime — without having to make an account.
4. Add as many numbers as your team needs
OpenPhone never caps the amount of numbers you can get on any plan. This means you can get as many local and North American toll-free numbers as you want. Each user comes with one number. If you need additional numbers, each one is just $5 per month per number.
5. Streamline all your text communication
Legacy VoIPs might offer basic texting features — but they don’t offer any tools that help your business automate the process. With OpenPhone, your team can use snippets, auto-replies, text scheduling, and texting automations through Zapier to save time and delight customers even while clocked out.
You can instantly respond to common FAQs, automatically reply with an out-of-office message, or even schedule a text in advance. 💬 Plus, you can read and respond to text communications on virtually any device. Whether you’re using a cell phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, OpenPhone works seamlessly between them all (and at no extra cost).
There’s a lot to take in here. Rather than talking at you, let’s explore these features with you using a handy chart:
| Feature | OpenPhone | netTALK | Ooma |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Starts at $15 per user per month | Starts at $9.97 per user per month | Starts at $19.95 per line per month |
| Unlimited calling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS, MMS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voicemail transcriptions | ✓ | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| Set business hours | ✓ | X | X |
| Additional phone numbers | $5 per number per month | $1.99 per number per month | $9.99 per number per month |
| Call recording | ✓ | X | Requires upgrade |
| Shared phone numbers | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Auto-attendant (virtual receptionist) | ✓ | $4.99 per month per receptionist | ✓ |
| Auto-replies | ✓ | X | X |
| Slack integration | ✓ | X | X |
| Zapier integration | ✓ | X | X |
| CRM integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser app | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Desktop apps | ✓ | X | Requires upgrade |
Ooma vs netTALK vs OpenPhone: Who wins out?
If you’re looking to build customer relationships more effortlessly, OpenPhone can easily scale as your team grows. Not only do we offer the most business-friendly pricing possible, but we help you make the most of your money with dozens of time-saving features and thousands of potential integrations.
But just don’t take our word for it. Try out OpenPhone for yourself for free with a seven-day free trial.
