Pros & Cons
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- Reliable calling performance
- Easy to use
- Reasonable price
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- No AI or advanced call-monitoring tools
- Video meeting experience could be smoother
Ooma Office Specs
| E911 Service | |
| Electronic Fax | |
| SIP Phone Support | |
| SMS Messaging | |
| Software Phone | |
| Toll-Free Option | |
| Video Conferencing | |
| Voicemail to Email | |
| Voicemail Transcription |
Ooma Office is a small business-focused voice over IP (VoIP) service that doesn't make calls and meetings more complex than they need to be. It's easy for admins to set up and for team members to start using without much training. Ooma Office's simplified feature set allows for affordable pricing, too. That said, the lack of advanced reporting tools, AI features (such as automatic transcription and call summaries), and call center capabilities (such as call barging and whispering) means it falls short of top competitors. Intermedia Unite and RingCentral RingEX offer all those features and more, so they are our Editors' Choice winners for VoIPs. But Ooma Office definitely has its place for businesses that just want the basics, as evidenced by it earning our Business Choice award for 12 years running.
How Much Does Ooma Office Cost?
As mentioned, Ooma Office caters to small businesses that don't need especially complex features. Its price plans reflect that focus.
The base Essentials plan ($19.95 per user per month) includes basic features such as call blocking, extensions, unique numbers for each user, unlimited calling to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the US, virtual faxing, and a virtual receptionist. This tier limits you to 10 people per conference call. You get one toll-free number that can handle 500 minutes of inbound calls per month.
Upgrading to the Ooma Office Pro plan ($24.95 per user per month) gets you call recording, texting (250 messages per month), video conferencing, and voicemail transcription. This tier also unlocks integrations with Google's and Microsoft's calendar apps. Calls and video meetings support up to 25 participants at this level.
The top-end Pro Plus tier ($29.95 per user per month) adds features such as hotdesking (you can use any desk phone with your Ooma Office account) and call queues (the software automatically puts a call on hold until someone at your company answers). You also get access to far more integrations across the accounting, CRM, and help desk categories.
If you want to spend less, an X1 plan from 8x8 Work goes for just $15 per user per month. It includes basic voice calling features and can integrate with Microsoft Teams. Its X2 plan ($25 per user per month) adds faxing, texting, and video meetings with up to 500 active users. 8x8's top-end plan is considerably more expensive.
Ooma Office generally costs less than RingEX and Unite. However, those services provide extra features for the money and are more lenient with participant limits. RingEX's entry-level Core plan ($30 per user per month), for example, offers AI features (real-time call transcriptions and summaries of video meetings), text messaging, unlimited domestic calling, video chats for up to 100 people, and text messaging. Unite's base Pro tier ($27.99 per user per month) includes an AI assistant that can answer questions, a more polished video conferencing experience, and better support.
Getting Started With Ooma Office
Ooma Office is fairly easy to configure. First, you need to log in and agree to a few terms and conditions. Then, you need to go through the setup assistant to configure users, phone numbers, and additional services. Other products, such as RingEX and Unite, let you do these extra configuration steps later.
(Credit: Ooma/PCMag)That said, there are advantages to going through the setup assistant if you don't have much experience with VoIPs. It's not technical and can help you get a handle on everything the service does. Once you configure the software for basic use, Ooma Office helps you set up preferences related to hold music, team chats, and texting. Again, this hand-holding is not common with other services. If you are knowledgeable about VoIPs, however, the number of old-school wizards that Ooma Office provides might frustrate you.
The service's interface is clean and efficient, but I have a few gripes. The button for starting a new meeting, for example, doesn't look like a button or appear clickable. Like 8x8 Work, the interface mostly uses black and white elements, which makes things seem a bit dull. Some splashes of color would improve the experience. I tested Ooma Office's desktop (on macOS and Windows) and mobile (Android, iPadOS, and iOS) apps, and used it on the web. All of the platforms look consistent.
(Credit: Ooma Office/PCMag)When I tried importing a custom CSV file with 50 contacts into Ooma Office, it stalled during the process and didn't provide a warning message. Once I found the correct formatting from a community forum post and fixed my file, the import went smoothly. Ooma Office should include a template for imports or at least more official guidance.
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Ooma Office doesn't provide much documentation within its apps, but you should be able to find answers via its Getting Started page or extensive community forums. The service mainly points you toward phone (available 24/7 and the same across all tiers) or chat support, though it does list a customer advocate email on its main support page. RingEX makes all three methods more readily accessible.
In testing, a technician responded to a question right away about my import file but couldn’t determine what was wrong. The representative said an advanced technical team would call me back during business hours. Eventually, the advanced tech support team resolved the issue.
Desk Phone Support and Integrations
In addition to being a VoIP service, Ooma is a desk phone provider. If you want, you can opt for an Ooma Office starter kit, which includes a physical phone (sometimes at a discount). That option could appeal if you want desk phones and softphones all from the same brand. Otherwise, Ooma Office supports just a few hardware phones from Yealink. It doesn't offer any extra guidance on using your existing phone system, either.
(Credit: Ooma/PCMag)Ooma Office offers about 14 integrations for apps like Freshdesk, HubSpot, Intuit QuickBooks Online, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Square, and Zoho. As mentioned, you must subscribe to the Pro Plus tier to get access to the full list. RingEX offers dozens of add-ons for comparison, and Unite does better here as well. Messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack are among those available with those services but not Ooma Office.
Audio and Video Calling Experience
I placed calls and held meetings between my Mac and iPad and conducted several calls between my phone, Mac, and PC. Ooma Office handles calls well, without any delays or static, and includes a helpful call quality indicator. Performance was right on par with 8x8, which is to say it was dependable.
I enjoy Ooma Office's hotdesking features. You can not only transfer a VoIP call to a landline but also log in using any desk phone. Once you log in, all calls will route to that desk phone until you disconnect your account. Analytics are somewhat limited compared with RingEX, and you can't customize the layout of reports. That said, I did like the one simple view in the analytics dashboard that showed call volumes. I would have liked to see more detailed analytics on who spoke the most during calls of a cumulative list of action items, for instance.
(Credit: Ooma/PCMag)The video meeting interface closely resembles that of Zoom, and the call quality is reliable. You get both a Car Mode (for taking calls on the go) and whiteboard functionality. However, the video meeting functionality seems tacked on overall. On mobile devices, a separate app called Ooma Meetings runs when you click a meeting link. Moreover, people you add to a meeting don't receive an invite automatically—you need to send them the joining information manually.
(Credit: Ooma/PCmag)Ooma Office doesn't support AI features like call summaries and automatic transcription, both of which are now common among other VoIP services. Ooma said it plans to add AI features later this year. The company hasn't adopted them as quickly as others to avoid adding too much complexity. For now, you have to manually initiate any call and meeting recordings.
Administration Experience
Ooma Office offers a virtual receptionist for your business and call routing; it's on par with RingEX in this aspect. Call parking, hold music, hotdesking, and other core options all appear in a clear admin panel. You can easily route calls, though Nextiva provides a much better interface for setting up calls via a branching tree diagram.
The service doesn't support call barging or whispering, meaning supervisors can't monitor calls. There isn’t a clear upgrade path to Ooma's Enterprise product lineup, either.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Ooma)
Ooma Office
Ooma Office is an affordable VoIP service with a minimal learning curve, though businesses with more complex needs will likely miss the advanced features of competitors.