After seeing how the NYT's Frugal Traveler article on internet calling went to #1 today, I thought I would take another look at what's available out there.I started thinking about it recently while talking to Tom Frost, a fellow Vonage user. While we're both really satisfied customers ...we were both wondering if there might be something new out there that could satisfy us at a lower price tag.
I think a pay the lowest monthly rate possible with Vonage: $26.75USD per month (up from $16.94 five years ago.) Not too bad until you start thinking about it as $321.00USD per year!
I don't really use it the way that I used to, either. So I was inspired to take a stroll through PC Magazine and compare and contrast my rig with new stuff and all the improved stuff as well.
I'm a little picky, though. I want a really, really clear connection ...and I want a US telephone number that the folks back home can just pick up and dial from their landlines. And, truth be told, I probably prefer talking on a regular phone instead of some goofy headset. On the other hand, I don't really care about customer service... because I expect the goddamn thing to work perfectly all the time. Voicemail is nice, but I don't mind if people have to call me back. Same for call waiting/forwarding. Vonage has always done everything flawlessly ...and I can call Italy, France, Spain, the UK and Ireland for free if I wanna.
Now let's see if we can save some dough.
Skype
The ever popular Skype just got an upgrade this year ...so I'm interested in taking another look. I've tried it at least twice before and was disappointed with the sound quality. In fact, I can always tell when somebody is calling me on Skype ...the sound quality sucks. But maybe it's better with their new version.
Let's look at price:
$35.40 a year for unlimited calling to US and Canada.
$60.00 a year for getting my own telephone number.
$102.00 a year in taxes.
$197.40 Total
That's a savings of $123.60 or 39% cheaper. Not bad! It suddenly occurs to me, however, that I'll have to download and install their software ...and that my phone won't ring unless my computer is on. I'll also have to buy a headset or some sort of usb deskphone. Still, if I'm looking to save some big money, Skype looks good.
MagicJack
This is something that Tom and I talked about specifically. I don't know how much he knew about MagicJack but I knew virtually nothing except that someone once recommended it to me as a possible Vonage replacement. I did some checking ...and WOW! It looks like it's got everything and is more than cheap.
$39.95 for the USB device
$19.95 a year for unlimited calling in N. Am
$00.00 no taxes or fees.
$59.90 Total
Right now, they've got an offer of the first year's calling free ...and a 5 year plan that would drop your yearly calling expense down to about $10USD a year. The $39.95 is a one-time cost for the "tic-tac" box that has a usb plug on one end and a phone jack on the other. It uses a regular desk phone. No software to install. Cheap international rates. They give you a US telephone number from almost any area code. PC Mag gave it an Editor's Choice award and said that the voice quality was almost unbelievable. It also appears that you can use a non-US credit card to buy it and that they will ship overseas (Vonage will do neither.)
Almost immediately, however, the complaints came rolling in: very hinky connectivity, no dial tone, call drop off, etc. A little research, though, leads me to believe that those problems may be due to usb port configuration and just plain old sluggish broadband connections. The phone only works when your computer is turned ...but I think I can live with that.
Other Services
Packet8 and Voice Pulse are popular and well known ...but cost about the same as Vonage so I don't see any advantage to switch to them.
Whadda youse use?
Are you using any of the above right now? How 'bout others? Please lemme know if we expats should be considering any other providers.
5 comments:
Sticking with Vonage all the way for now. Love having a real phone, dial tone and reliable service etc. if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Fred
Mike, I was just about to write a blog entry about this. :) I'm currently using the MagicJack, and I've been very happy with it so far. I had zero problems with installation, and I am pleased with the call quality. And frankly, the cost just can't be beat. I'll divulge more in my upcoming blog entry!
It really sounds like a great deal for somebody that doesn't use Vonage as much as I used to.
Please tell us more!
Hey Mike,
I guess it's the same story if you are from the States, or from Holland like I am. I got my local Dutch number through voxbone, have a look at http://www.voxbone.com/coverage/virtual_numbers/UNITED%20STATES.html for Ustated Nights numbers, and I connected that with a VOIP provider called voipstunt (www.voipstunt.com.)
The voxbone phone number costs me €6.- per month, voipstunt works with a pre paid amount of €10.-. for outbound calls. Once you paid that you can call for free to all destinations as stated on their site for 6 months. After that period you'll pay a ridiculous small amount per minute (less than Skype), which will go off your prepaid 10 euro's. So you will probably be able to call another 6 months more.
You can either choose to use their software, the skype way with headset or USB device, or you can buy a VOIP phone adapter (voipstunt has a SIP server) like the linksys SPA 3000 to connect to your router and your normal phone. That way you don't have to have the computer turned on, and you can use your normal phone like you are used to. You can try the quality on their site for 1 minute.
Regards,
Ronald
Mike! I use skype, I was using i2phone, but stopped using it. I make a lot of calls to Argentina from skype and the quality is really bad for some reason. I'm looking for something that has good quality and I can use to call the US and Argentina to order a pizza or call the family. So far skype has been the cheapest, but I'll be sure to check out these others you have on here.
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