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Businesses are rapidly replacing their analog landline phones with cloud-based phone systems that do much more than make and receive calls. Cloud-based systems like RingCentral and Vonage add a long list of advanced calling features, video conferencing capabilities, messaging options and integrations with popular business applications – everything a modern business needs to communicate effectively.
Two of the most popular unified communications platforms on the market are RingCentral and Vonage. Both providers offer similar features for basic phone, video and messaging across devices. However, they do distinguish themselves with features like the ability to customize your plan or the number of video conference participants you can host. In this article, we will examine the strong and weak points of RingCentral and Vonage so you can determine which of these providers suits your business best.
RingCentral and Vonage are both feature-rich unified communications platforms designed to connect employees and customers anywhere on any device. However, these two companies offer a slightly different mix of features and plan options that you should understand before you make a decision.
Similarities | Differences |
---|---|
Both have excellent reliability and call quality. | Vonage has more customization and add-ons for its plans. |
Both include a virtual receptionist. | RingCentral lets you host audio conference calls for up to 1,000 attendees. |
Both offer no-download, one-click meetings for guests. | Vonage has more than 50 unified communications features. |
Both seamlessly integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) tools and other popular business apps. | RingCentral has a free video conferencing solution. |
RingCentral is a cloud-based business phone system with an excellent list of features and software integrations. You can call, text, fax or chat from the same application across multiple devices. Its flagship product, RingCentral MVP, ranges in price from $19.99 to $49.99 per user per month with an annual plan. The platform offers 24-hour meeting durations, automatic call recording, single sign-on, business phone numbers in 100 countries, and 24/7 support.
We recommend RingCentral for any businesses searching for a feature-rich business phone system that fosters better collaboration. Here are some of RingCentral’s top features:
Want to learn more about RingCentral’s business phone service? Read our full RingCentral review.
Vonage Business Communications is a cloud-based phone system with a flexible list of features, integrations and add-ons. Prices for the smallest businesses range from $14.99 to $39.99 per line per month, depending on the plan and number of licenses you purchase.
Vonage offers more than 50 voice and unified communications features with desktop and mobile apps to keep teams connected across devices. Its customer and employee experience features shine with tools like Call Announce, which tells your agents the reason for each call before they answer it. Advanced features include the AI Virtual Assist, which takes a conversational approach to voice-enabled customer self-service.
We recommend Vonage Businesses Communications for companies that want to pick and choose the individual features they need for the most effective phone system. Here are some of Vonage’s top features:
Vonage has more than 50 voice and unified communications features.
We’ve taken a closer look at RingCentral and Vonage in eight important business phone system categories and selected a winner for each category, where possible.
Criterion | Winner |
---|---|
Plans | RingCentral |
Pricing | Vonage |
Features | RingCentral |
Ease of use | Tie |
Integrations | RingCentral |
Support | Vonage |
Employee self-service | Tie |
Additional services | RingCentral |
Winner: RingCentral has the features necessary to serve a wide array of business sizes and needs.
Winner: Vonage’s lower starting price gives it a slight edge over RingCentral. However, businesses seeking the most advanced calling options may find a lower rate with RingCentral MVP.
Winner: RingCentral has a slight edge, with more standard features included plus the ability to communicate with larger groups.
Winner: It’s a tie. Both RingCentral and Vonage are fast and easy to implement across devices. Both offer specialized assistance for implementation and ongoing support; however, you can expect to pay more for the support with Vonage.
Winner: RingCentral’s app gallery is the biggest and best.
Winner: Vonage has a slight edge with 24/7 customer service for all of its plans.
Winner: It’s a tie. Both providers offer access to useful educational resources.
Winner: RingCentral takes the win with more additional services at a lower fee.
RingCentral Video Pro is a 100% free video and messaging solution with excellent features and integrations.
RingCentral and Vonage are both excellent choices for a cloud-based phone system that supports calling, video conferencing and messaging.
Select RingCentral if any of the following is true:
Select Vonage if any of the following reflects your business interests:
Other popular cloud-based business phone systems include Nextiva, Ooma, Dialpad and 8×8. Each one varies slightly in features and pricing, but they all allow employees to communicate effectively with team members and customers from almost any internet-connected device or location.
Vonage boasts an uptime of 99.999%, which is standard among the major business phone system providers. Because it’s a cloud-based phone system, its call quality can be affected by a poor internet connection. If your internet connection is strong, however, expect high call quality and clarity with Vonage Business Communications.
RingCentral relies on seven layers of security and redundant data centers. All sensitive customer and call data is protected with industry-leading encryption, standards and protocols. The geographically diverse data centers are monitored to protect against operational errors, cybercrime and natural disasters.