ZeroFour
Casual Member
I thought I'd write a post reviewing all the VoIP providers I've used. I've used a few VoIP providers out there, as well as noted all the costings. I will list them all below.
To start:
Vonage for Home:
I used Vonage for a short period of time, about 2 weeks. I paid £10 for the 1000 minutes to mobiles and landlines.
Pros:
Good call quality
Quick call connection time
No drop outs or downtime
Cons:
You can't use your own device - you have to use the supplied grandstream box. I contacted their customer services to try and get the details but they note it as "confidential". I wasn't able to change any of the box settings neither.
My verdict: good for users who just want something basic for their existing landline phone.
Andrews and Arnold:
I've used Andrews and Arnold for VoIP since April. Very reliable service and good customer service. You can use any device with their service. It's £1.44 a month for a VoIP number, with a £1.20 set up fee when you first join. You're charged per minute of calls, rather than having a set minutes package.
Pros:
Good call quality
Reliable, had no drop outs
You can get memorible numbers
Excellent customer services
Cheap monthly costs
Free calls to other AAISP users
Cons:
Could potentially get expensive if you make a lot of calls.
Verdict: I make a lot of calls on my landline because Threes coverage here is bad. So far, the most I've paid for their service in one month was £12. I made a significant amount of calls to mobiles, which are more expensive than landline calls. Would recommend AAISP VoIP for those who want a cheap replacement to sipgate basic.
VOIPFONE:
I tested voipfone last month, with their £24 unlimited voice minutes package. VOIPFONE is notably more expensive for unlimited VoIP than other providers. It works well on a Fritz!Box, although you need to adjust some settings otherwise it will automatically de-register.
Pros:
Good customer service
Good call quality
Cons:
Expensive unlimited plans
Verdict:
Not a good idea for those on a budget and want to make a large amount of calls.
Virtual Landline:
I've been testing out Virtual Landlines unlimited package this month. So far, it's been very good. I'm using it on a fritzbox. It costs £7.95 a month for unlimited calls to UK mobiles and landlines.
But there is a fair usage policy - 1000 minutes to mobiles and 3600 minutes to landlines. A lot of people may not use that much, but I could see the ASA slapping down any advertising of unlimited from them as it's not actually truly unlimited.
To get the SIP details, you have to email their customer services. I got a response back within a couple of hours.
Pros:
Cheap, good for those on a budget
Fast customer service
Can divert calls to mobiles
Can use their app on your phone to make calls
Cons:
Fair usage policy
You have to email to get SIP details.
All in all, I would recommend virtual landline for those who want to make loads of calls, and I would recommend AAISP VoIP for those who just want a cheap number who rarely makes calls.
If there is any other VoIP providers you would like me to test and review back here, let me know and I will try my best to do so.
Hopefully this post helps those who are struggling to find a decent VoIP provider for home use.
To start:
Vonage for Home:
I used Vonage for a short period of time, about 2 weeks. I paid £10 for the 1000 minutes to mobiles and landlines.
Pros:
Good call quality
Quick call connection time
No drop outs or downtime
Cons:
You can't use your own device - you have to use the supplied grandstream box. I contacted their customer services to try and get the details but they note it as "confidential". I wasn't able to change any of the box settings neither.
My verdict: good for users who just want something basic for their existing landline phone.
Andrews and Arnold:
I've used Andrews and Arnold for VoIP since April. Very reliable service and good customer service. You can use any device with their service. It's £1.44 a month for a VoIP number, with a £1.20 set up fee when you first join. You're charged per minute of calls, rather than having a set minutes package.
Pros:
Good call quality
Reliable, had no drop outs
You can get memorible numbers
Excellent customer services
Cheap monthly costs
Free calls to other AAISP users
Cons:
Could potentially get expensive if you make a lot of calls.
Verdict: I make a lot of calls on my landline because Threes coverage here is bad. So far, the most I've paid for their service in one month was £12. I made a significant amount of calls to mobiles, which are more expensive than landline calls. Would recommend AAISP VoIP for those who want a cheap replacement to sipgate basic.
VOIPFONE:
I tested voipfone last month, with their £24 unlimited voice minutes package. VOIPFONE is notably more expensive for unlimited VoIP than other providers. It works well on a Fritz!Box, although you need to adjust some settings otherwise it will automatically de-register.
Pros:
Good customer service
Good call quality
Cons:
Expensive unlimited plans
Verdict:
Not a good idea for those on a budget and want to make a large amount of calls.
Virtual Landline:
I've been testing out Virtual Landlines unlimited package this month. So far, it's been very good. I'm using it on a fritzbox. It costs £7.95 a month for unlimited calls to UK mobiles and landlines.
But there is a fair usage policy - 1000 minutes to mobiles and 3600 minutes to landlines. A lot of people may not use that much, but I could see the ASA slapping down any advertising of unlimited from them as it's not actually truly unlimited.
To get the SIP details, you have to email their customer services. I got a response back within a couple of hours.
Pros:
Cheap, good for those on a budget
Fast customer service
Can divert calls to mobiles
Can use their app on your phone to make calls
Cons:
Fair usage policy
You have to email to get SIP details.
All in all, I would recommend virtual landline for those who want to make loads of calls, and I would recommend AAISP VoIP for those who just want a cheap number who rarely makes calls.
If there is any other VoIP providers you would like me to test and review back here, let me know and I will try my best to do so.
Hopefully this post helps those who are struggling to find a decent VoIP provider for home use.























