Are the Add-on Costs Worth It?

Are the Add-on Costs Worth It?

Vonage is likely on the radar for small business owners and managers evaluating business phone systems. Known for its developer-focused APIs and unified communications platform, Vonage offers advanced functionality for companies needing customizable tools.

But with its wide array of plans and add-ons, is Vonage cost effective for budget-conscious small businesses? Or does its pricing ultimately call its value into question?

We’ll analyze its pricing structure and core features to determine if Vonage is a good fit for SMBs. We’ll also compare it to Nextiva, an industry leader known for affordable pricing and stellar customer and tech support.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear sense of whether Vonage is worth the investment for your small business needs.

Vonage Pricing & Plans

Vonage offers three main plans for small businesses: Mobile, Premium, and Advanced.

Vonage pricing plans: Mobile, Premium, Advanced

Pricing scales based on the number of users. For companies with 20–99 users:

Comparing Vonage and Nextiva side by side reveals that Nextiva offers a similar plan for $22.95 per user/month, with a broader range of capabilities like intelligent call routing, CRM integrations, and customizable analytics — which we discuss later. 

Additional Monthly Costs of Vonage Business

While the base Vonage plans seem attractively priced, many desired business communication features come with extra fees. These add-ons can substantially increase your total monthly costs. They are priced as follows:

Feature Monthly Cost
AI virtual assistant $4.99
Business call recording service $49.99
Business inbox $9.99
Call queue $14.99
Conference bridge $14.99
International phone number $9.99
IP phone paging system $4.99
Local business phone number $4.99
Local paperless fax $14.99
On-demand call recording $4.99
Secondary line appearance $14.99
Toll-free company number $39.99
Virtual extension $14.99
Virtual mailbox $4.99
Virtual phone extensions $24.99
Volusion Custom
Vonage Support PLUS $9.99
VonageReach Custom

With essential functionality such as call forwarding, call queuing, call recording, and advanced call routing requiring add-ons, Vonage’s total monthly cost rises quickly.

Nextiva Pricing & Plans

Nextiva is a cloud-based VoIP alternative to Vonage, offering three plans that scale to meet growing business needs: Essential, Professional, and Enterprise.

Nextiva pricing plans: Essential, Professional, Enterprise

For companies with 20–99 users, Nextiva provides greater value compared to similarly priced Vonage plans:

Nextiva delivers more comprehensive features, enterprise-grade reliability, and greater long-term value at each plan level compared to Vonage’s offerings. Plus, Nextiva is better equipped to support business growth than Vonage’s limited plans.

Core UCaaS Features of Vonage & Nextiva

Let’s compare the two platforms’ core unified communications capabilities:

Function Vonage Nextiva
Voice and video calling Standard voice and video calling capabilities as offered by most UCaaS platforms. Exceptional voice and video quality and 100+ video meeting participants from the entry-level plan.
Team messaging and collaboration Basic collaboration features such as file sharing and document collaboration. Advanced team messaging and real-time collaboration tools included in Professional and Enterprise plans (Vonage charges extra).
Mobile integration Mobile integrations to make and receive VoIP calls, send and receive messages, and access team messages on personal mobile devices. Mobile and desktop apps (with higher ratings than Vonage’s app) for simple communication from anywhere.
Conference calling and online meetings Multi-participant online meetings and conference calls with add-ons required to expand participants. Easy, reliable conferencing for up to 500 participants with no add-ons required.
Auto attendant and IVR Call queues and advanced call flows (available as an add-on).  Advanced call routing included in plans and easy to customize.

Expanded comparison table

Feature Vonage Nextiva
Ease of use Vonage requires more expertise to manage advanced features and settings. Nextiva is intuitive and easy to use for non-technical users.
Scalability Offers scalable plans and pricing for growing businesses. Scales exceptionally well, from small businesses to enterprises.
Customer support Customer service receives mixed reviews and is lacking for smaller customers. Nextiva is renowned for stellar 24/7 customer support.
CRM integrations Integrates with some CRMs but has fewer native integrations than Nextiva. Seamlessly integrates with many popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics.
International calling Offers competitive international calling rates to certain countries. Offers global calling to 40+ countries starting at $0.01 per minute. 
Customization Has high customization through its APIs and development platform. Nextiva offers a no-code communication platform for businesses to use instantly.
Reliability Vonage touts strong network uptime and reliability. Nextiva delivers exceptional 99.999% uptime on its network.
Add-ons and upsells Vonage’s base plans lack some essentials, pushing businesses into add-ons. Nextiva’s plans are transparent with few surprises.

Of particular note is the number of customer reviews for each platform, with Nextiva garnering more than double the number of reviews with similar customer satisfaction ratings. 

vonage-vs-nextiva-gartner-peerinsights

Which Provider Is Right for Your Business?

Choosing between Vonage and Nextiva depends on your company’s specific needs and priorities.

Vonage is a strong fit for:

Nextiva is best for:

The Verdict

When choosing a business phone system, you want a solution that’s easy to set up, packed with essential features, and ready to scale as your company grows.

Nextiva delivers on all counts.

Right out of the box, Nextiva’s base plans come loaded with must-have capabilities, including intelligent call routing, CRM integrations, and mobile apps. You don’t have to pay extra for add-ons just to get started. And Nextiva’s award-winning customer support makes setup and management simple for non-technical users.

Take a peek at the top features that Nextiva provides in this exclusive interview with Prince Rich:

Vonage charges businesses extra for otherwise standard features. Nextiva gives you complete unified communications from day one. As your team expands, Nextiva grows smoothly with your needs without requiring major system overhauls.

For most small and mid-sized businesses, Nextiva provides the ideal combination of affordability, ease of use, and enterprise-grade power. The transparent pricing and robust features included from the start allow your team to perform at their best across voice, video, messaging, and more.

A complete call center solution.

Ready to upgrade your business VoIP phone system and take your communication capabilities to the next level?