When Ooma first launched as a ‘VoIP-in-a-box,’ it was designed to help homeowners make cheaper calls on their landline phones. Since 2008, it’s expanded to offer VoIP apps and desk phones to small businesses and homeowners.
While established enterprise brands may find value in Ooma, smaller teams often face missing features and hidden fees that make it less appealing.
So, is Ooma worth it? In this guide, we’ll cover its prices, features, limitations, and hidden fees you might miss. Plus, we explore an alternative that could be a better fit.
Ooma Office pricing plans at a glance
There are three business phone plans available with Ooma:
Let’s take a closer look:
| Feature | Essentials | Pro | Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user per month | $19.95 per user per month | $24.95 per user per month | $29.95 per user per month |
| Best for | Soloprenuers and micro businesses that only need basic business calling | Small businesses with video conferencing and limited texting needs | Larger businesses needing auto-dialers and integrations |
| Text messaging | X | Up to 250 messages per month | Up to 1,000 messages per month |
| Toll-free minutes | 500 minutes of inbound calls per month | 500 minutes of inbound calls per month | 500 minutes of inbound calls per month |
| Voicemail transcription | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shared voicemail boxes | X | X | Up to 10 users |
| Call recording | X | On-demand/automatic | On-demand/automatic |
| Conference calling | Up to 10 participants | Up to 25 participants | Up to 100 participants |
| Video conferencing | X | Up to 25 participants | Up to 100 participants |
| Call and text analytics | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto-dialer | X | X | ✓ |
| CRM integrations | X | X | ✓ |
Office Essentials plan
The Essentials plan costs $19.95 per user per month, with no annual plans available to reduce the price. It comes with 50 standard features, such as music on hold and overhead paging, as well as unlimited calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
But don’t let the ‘50 standard features’ fool you — the base plan is missing several key functions. There’s no desktop app calling, no video conferencing, and no way to send text messages.
| Key features | What’s missing |
|---|---|
| Virtual receptionist | Desktop app with calling |
| Mobile app for Android + iOS | Video conferencing |
| Toll-free numbers with 500 minutes of inbound calls per month | Voicemail transcriptions |
| Music on hold | Caller ID |
| Call logs | Call recording |
| Unlimited calls in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico | Enhanced call blocking |
| Ring groups | Integrations with Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite |
| Call forwarding | Analytics |
| Call blocking | Texting |
| One-bridge conference calling | |
| IP phone paging | |
| Analog and virtual fax support |
Bottom line: The base plan is missing desktop calling, video conferencing, and texting — basic features most competitors include at this price point.
Office Pro plan
The Pro plan costs $24.95 per user per month, and like the Essentials plan, there’s no annual pricing available. This tier includes calling on the desktop app and call recording.
Plus, you’ll notice the Pro plan still lacks the basic features that other VoIPs offer on their base plans. For example, there’s no way to chat internally with your team or push call data to your CRM platform.
While this tier unlocks text messaging and video conferencing, both come with strict limitations. You can only send 250 text messages per user per month and host video conferences with up to 25 users. To access more bandwidth, you’ll need to upgrade to the highest plan, which may feel like you’re being pushed into an upgrade before you’re ready.
| Key features | What’s missing |
|---|---|
| Desktop app with calling | CRM integration |
| Video conferencing | Call queues |
| Voicemail transcriptions | Hot desking |
| Caller ID | Advanced text messaging with shift-to-text, one-to-many messaging |
| Call recording | Video conferencing with up to 100 participants |
| Enhanced call blocking | Video meeting recordings |
| Integrations with Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite | Call screening |
| Analytics | Auto dialer |
| Texting with 250 messages included | Team chat |
Bottom line: The mid-tier plan adds desktop calling but still lacks CRM integrations and imposes restrictive limits on texting at 250 messages per month and video calls at 25 participants per call.
Office Pro Plus plan
The Pro Plus plan costs $29.95 per user per month, with no annual pricing available. It comes with Ooma’s most impressive features, including an auto dialer and keyboard shortcuts for texting.
Unfortunately, the Pro Plus plan doesn’t offer anything truly unlimited. Text messaging and outbound calling still come with tight limitations (more on this later).
And no matter how much you upgrade, you’ll never have access to advanced features. This means no AI tools, texting auto-replies, or native integrations with Zapier and other tools.
Key features:
- CRM integrations
- Text messages with 1,000 per month included
- 100-person video conferences
- Call queues
- Hot desking
- Advanced text messaging with shift-to-text and one-to-many messaging)
- Video meeting recordings
- Call screening
- Auto dialer
- Team chat
Bottom line: The top tier plan still has no AI-powered features, limited texting at 1,000 messages per month, and lacks modern integrations like Zapier.
How Quo’s pricing compares to Ooma’s pricing
So, is Ooma worth the investment? For large enterprises or traditional offices, it might be. But for growing businesses with remote or international teams, Ooma’s high costs and outdated features may not be the best fit.
Take a look at how we compare to Ooma below:
| Features | OpenPhone | Ooma |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $15 per user per month | $19.95 per user per month |
| Unlimited calling | ✓ | X |
| Unlimited SMS, MMS to US & Canada | ✓ | X |
| Toll-free numbers | ✓ | 500 minutes included only |
| Additional phone numbers | $5 per number | $9.95 per number |
| Number porting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Call recording | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| Shared phone numbers | ✓ | X |
| Group text messaging | ✓ | X |
| Shared contacts | ✓ | X |
| Auto-replies | ✓ | X |
| Text message templates | ✓ | X |
| Slack integration | ✓ | X |
| AI features | ✓ | Requires Enterprise plan |
| Gmail integration | ✓ | Requires upgrade |
| Zapier integration | ✓ | X |
| iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web-based apps | ✓ | Calling requires upgrade |
While Ooma might not require many add-ons to get started, it still has expensive fees and monthly taxes that add up.
- Directory assistance (411): Want to research local brands, freelancers, or prospects? That will cost you $0.99 per call.
- Activation fee: No matter which plan you choose, you’ll pay a one-time activation fee of $29.95.
- Texting limits: You need to upgrade to the Pro plan to unlock SMS. However, this limits you to 250 text messages per user per month (plus $0.0095 per message over the limit). You can upgrade to the Pro Plus plan for up to 1,000 text messages per user per month, but you may still end up paying extra.
- Calling limits: Ooma advertises ‘unlimited’ calls on every plan. However, an article buried in its FAQs shows a 5,000-minute limit for outbound calling per month. This is nowhere near enough for growing brands or businesses, especially busy customer support teams juggling hundreds of inquiries per month.
- Toll-free calling: You only get 500 included toll-free minutes per month before paying an undisclosed per-minute charge. If you want more included minutes, you have to purchase a separate toll-free plan for $15.99 a month to get 1,000 extra minutes, plus 2.9¢ more for each minute that passes your limit.
- Toll-free numbers: You can only have up to 20 toll-free numbers per account, and each additional toll-free number is $9.95 a month.
- Additional local numbers: These cost $9.95 per month — double what competitors like Quo charge for the same feature.
- International calling: The cost of reaching overseas customers depends on the country you’re trying to call. Ooma already includes the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, but prices for other countries range from $0.02 to $0.48 per minute or more.
- Extended warranty: This costs $39.99 per year for equipment like desk phones.
5 things to keep in mind before committing to Ooma
Here are a few more reasons to consider Ooma alternatives:
1. Limited integrations with your existing tech stack
Ooma’s only integrations are with Google and Office 365, and you can’t unlock them unless you upgrade to the second-highest tier. Salesforce and HubSpot integrations are available, but you have to upgrade to the highest tier to access them.
Of course, Ooma’s Enterprise plan has more options for integrations with your CRM, but this is a totally separate plan from the ones discussed above. They also require an annual contract and expensive equipment.
In other words? Not a good fit for small businesses.
2. Must upgrade for basic business phone features
Unlike most other VoIP services, Ooma locks its basic features behind expensive paywalls.
Sure, you can access the desktop app, but there’s no way to make calls from it unless you upgrade to the Pro plan.
You also can’t record calls without upgrading to Pro, and you’ll have to upgrade again to Pro Plus if you want to push those recordings to your CRM.
What about text messages? Be prepared to pay a premium — one upgrade to unlock them and again to get more than 250 messages per user per month.
This can be extremely frustrating for small business owners, especially since you might feel pushed to upgrade before you’re ready.
3. Inconsistent call quality
Hundreds of user reviews have cited poor quality and buggy features, showing Ooma’s office phone system doesn’t always work as expected. Several past users refer to it as ‘low price bait,’ while others complain of poor customer service.
Just see for yourself:
- “Awful customer service. They barely speak English and made several mistakes in my request to downgrade. I got so frustrated with the quality of customer service I canceled the service. They still have yet to issue me a full refund. Don’t use them.” — TrustPilot
- “I can live with a slight latency increase from the VoIP service, but the quality is, in my opinion, unnecessarily low. … My internet connection is 1 Gbps, low jitter … so I am doubtful that there is a network-related cause.” — Ooma Forums
- “For the past 2 weeks, our line has been down more often than it has been working. Every time I contact Ooma, they run me through the same elementary reboot drill, and hours later when someone calls us, the phone doesn’t ring and the call is diverted straight to voicemail. So far, nobody at Ooma has any idea how to correct the problem.” — TrustPilot
4. Customers report problems with texts not going through
You already know you have to upgrade to send text messages through Ooma. However, you should also know there are apparent deliverability issues according to past Ooma customers.
Many Ooma clients decide to switch because:
- Texts aren’t going through to customers (Ooma blames T-Mobile, even though the customers are A2P approved)
- The mobile and desktop applications are buggy and hard to use
- It’s tough to tap into collaborative texting (or get visibility on who’s viewed which conversations)
The biggest customer complaint? Unreliability. Past Ooma customers report getting left without calling and texting capabilities for weeks with no explanation from their support staff or account manager.
5. No AI-powered productivity features
Ooma doesn’t offer any AI features on its Office phone plans. Instead, you need to upgrade to the Enterprise package, which unlocks AI virtual agents. Then, you’ll have to connect with third-party systems to set up automations with other apps in your tech stack.
This is in stark contrast to other VoIP platforms that offer built-in, native AI solutions on every plan. These allow you to create AI message responses, set up AI call summaries, and use AI contact suggestions to help your team do more with less.
Quo: A more effective alternative to Ooma
Smaller business owners need a VoIP phone system that’s cost-effective and flexible enough to suit their changing needs. That’s why thousands of them turn to Quo instead of Ooma — a VoIP platform built by and for small business owners.
Let’s take a closer look at how Quo compares:
1. Small business-friendly pricing
Quo’s transparent pricing starts at $15 per user per month, with no hidden fees. We’ve listed everything you’ll need directly on our pricing page so you can compare your options at a glance.
The best part is? We have integrations available on every tier.
And speaking of integrations. . .
2. Easy to connect with your existing tools
OpenPhone seamlessly integrates with the tools you’re already using, which leads to less work for your team and more efficiency. We connect to more than 7,000 third-party apps, so you can put more work on autopilot.
Our Zapier integration, which can help you create automated workflows, is available on our Starter plan. You can also integrate with email, Slack, and your Google contacts or set up webhooks if you need more flexibility.
Ready to connect with your CRM? Upgrade to the Business tier to unlock HubSpot, Salesforce, and Gong integrations. It’s still more affordable than Ooma’s Pro Plus plan — and a lot easier to set up.
3. Get clear insights into your team’s performance
It’s not easy to get visibility and context using Ooma. With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), however, you can do so on every plan.
We make it easy to:
- Track messages, calls, unique conversations, and time on calls
- Tap into AI call transcripts and summaries to get context more quickly
- Check heat maps of popular call times to identify high call volume dates or times
You can even export these analytics to a CSV file at any time.
4. Get unlimited calling and messaging
Every Quo plan comes with truly unlimited calls and texts — not just ‘unlimited’ in the marketing sense. We never limit toll-free minutes or the amount of numbers you buy. Additional local and toll-free numbers cost $5 per number per month.
Plus, you’ll notice our base plan comes with features that Ooma’s base plan lacks, such as on-demand call recording and a desktop app that lets you place calls.
Need to make international calls or texts? Just take a look at our rates page and check the prices in advance. We make it easy to calculate your bills so there aren’t nasty surprises at the end of the month.
5. Collaborate to reply faster and provide better service
Ooma requires multiple upgrades to unlock collaboration features. With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can split responsibility for incoming conversations on every plan.
We offer team collaboration tools that let you:
- Set up custom contact fields to track customer-specific information
- Use threads and mentions to delegate tasks among coworkers
- Tap into productivity tools such as auto-replies and put routine tasks on autopilot
Plus, our shared phone numbers let you work together as a team. Everyone can see who has responded to incoming calls and texts, which helps you maintain visibility and keep all your ducks in a row.
6. Work smarter with AI-powered tools
Looking to work more efficiently and automate tasks with AI? OpenPhone delivers advanced AI capabilities like:
- AI-generated message responses that generate thoughtful replies to customer inquiries and feedback.
- AI contact suggestions that identify and recommend missing contacts based on your conversation history and voicemail.
- AI call summaries and transcripts that convert phone calls into searchable transcripts with prioritized to-do lists.
- 24/7 virtual answering service: Meet Sona, your AI-powered receptionist who handles common questions, directs incoming calls, and captures messages around the clock — keeping your business responsive even after-hours.
Pros and cons of Ooma Business pricing plans
Ooma works well for businesses with physical locations that rely on desk phones and pagers. However, it may not be ideal for small or distributed teams that need advanced features to support virtual phone numbers.
Pros:
- Wide country reach: With Ooma, you can get outbound calls to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
- Desk phone features: You can access overhead paging, intercom tools, analog fax machine support, and more.
- Free toll-free number: You get one with every plan (max of 500 minutes per user number per month).
Cons:
- No unlimited minutes: You’re limited to a max of 5,000 outbound minutes per month with Ooma.
- No unlimited texts: You can only send a max of 1,000 text messages per user per month on the most expensive plan ($29.95 per user per month).
- Limited integrations: You have to upgrade multiple times to unlock CRM integrations, and even then, you’ll have several limitations on what you can connect.
- Limited desktop app: You can’t make calls with the desktop app unless you upgrade to the Pro plan.
See why Quo is the best virtual phone service provider
Ooma might be a match for enterprise companies with desk phones, but for most business owners, it doesn’t keep up with the times. Add that sentiment to its high prices and hidden fees, and you’ll see it’s a deal breaker in more ways than one.
The good news is that Quo was designed to grow alongside your business, which means you only pay for what you need (and nothing more). Just pick a plan and upgrade when you’re ready: you’ll get truly unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada, starting at $15 per user per month.
No need to take our word for it, though.
Test Quo today with our seven-day free trial and see why we’re rated the #1 business phone solution for small business owners.
FAQs
Ooma is a residential and business VoIP provider designed to replace plain old telephone systems with your internet connection. You can use Ooma’s system on desk phones, laptops, or cell phones, which allow you to make calls, send texts, and hold video conferences — so long as they fall within Ooma’s strict limits.
Ooma has several disadvantages, including limited integrations (only Google and Office 365 unless you pay for top-tier plans), basic business features like call recording and texting locked behind expensive upgrades, inconsistent call quality, texting issues, and a lack of AI-powered productivity tools unless you move to a costly Enterprise plan — making it a poor fit for small businesses.
Ooma Basic does not include international calling. You need to purchase a separate international plan or pay-per-minute rates.
Ooma’s pricing appears fair initially but becomes less cost-effective due to extra fees and limited features. Alternative business phone systems like Quo give you better value for your monthly subscription with fewer limitations on texting and toll-free minutes and more features included on each plan.
Ooma Basic is a free home phone service plan where you just pay taxes and fees and hardware costs. It includes unlimited US and Canada calling, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, E911, and PureVoice HD quality.
Ooma Premier starts at $9.99 per month in addition to taxes and fees and hardware costs. It adds features like free calling to Canada and Mexico, advanced call blocking, three‑way conferencing, mobile app calling and forwarding, and voicemail‑to‑email transcription.
