• RingCentral and Vonage are two of the most popular cloud-based business phone systems that offer unified communications.
• RingCentral and Vonage are slightly different in terms of the features they offer and the types of business they serve best.
• Our comparison will explore what RingCentral and Vonage do well, focusing on each provider’s plans, features, and information you should know before purchasing a cloud-based communications platform.
• This article is for business owners choosing between RingCentral and Vonage for their unified communications needs.

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.

Source: RingCentral

RingCentral vs. Vonage compared

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.

RingCentral: Who do we recommend it for?

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.

Source: RingCentral

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:

• The ability to host video conferences with up to 200 guests
• Full-featured mobile app for iOS and Android 
• Live support for migration, implementation, integrations and adoption
• Unlimited audio conferencing for up to 1,000 people per conference

Tip: Want to learn more about RingCentral’s business phone service? Read our full RingCentral review.

Vonage: Who do we recommend it for?

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.

Source: Vonage

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:

• Simple implementation and scalability
• AI virtual assistant
• Unlimited meetings for up to 100 people
• Custom caller ID

FYI: Vonage has more than 50 voice and unified communications features.

Product and service comparisons

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.

Plans

• RingCentral: RingCentral MVP is split into four business communication plans – Essentials, Standard, Premium and Ultimate – that start as low as $19.99 per user per month. Companies that require more than 20 user accounts will need to upgrade to the Standard plan.
  
  
• Vonage: Vonage Unified Communications is divided into three plans – Mobile, Premium and Advanced – that start as low as $14.99. The middle-tier Premium plan is its most popular option. Companies that require more than 100 user accounts should contact Vonage for a custom price quote.

Winner: RingCentral has the features necessary to serve a wide array of business sizes and needs.

Pricing

• RingCentral: Pricing for RingCentral’s MVP plans ranges from $19.99 to $49.99 with an annual subscription plan, and annual subscribers save up to 33%. Other discounts are available for companies that need more than 100 user accounts. RingCentral customers can pay with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover credit or debit cards.
• Vonage: Pricing for Vonage’s Unified Communications plans ranges from $14.99 to $39.99, with discounts based on the number of user accounts.

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.

Features

• RingCentral: RingCentral MVP offers a full suite of basic and advanced calling features, including toll-free numbers, enhanced SMS, a multilevel auto attendant, call recording, hot desking, IP phone compatibility and HD voice. You can host video meetings with up to 200 participants, integrate with popular CRM software, and get real-time analytics with out-of-the-box key performance indicators and metrics.
• Vonage: Vonage offers more than 50 voice and unified communications features, including an AI virtual assistant, Call Announce, HD voice, simultaneous ring, voicemail to email, smart phone numbers and call monitoring.
  

Winner: RingCentral has a slight edge, with more standard features included plus the ability to communicate with larger groups.

Ease of use

• RingCentral: RingCental is easy to get up and running across all devices. Plus, most plans come with professional implementation to help you design your business phone system and troubleshoot problems as they arise.
• Vonage: Installing Vonage on your internet-connected devices is a fast and easy process, as is the case with most unified communications products. For complex issues, you can add extra support with PLUS powered by Soluto for $9.99 per month.

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.

Integrations

• RingCentral: When it comes to communicating across apps, RingCentral is the leader with over 2,000 integrations. Its robust app gallery covers analytics, calendars, CRM, productivity, retail, SMS and storage. Apps like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Chorus.ai and the Jira Cloud add-in are supported by RingCentral. Technically skilled customers can also develop custom apps with RingCentral’s application programming interfaces and software development kits.
• Vonage: Vonage has a great list of popular software integrations from all of the biggest brands, including Google, Zoho, Microsoft, HubSpot, Slack, Zendesk and Oracle. The Vonage Integration Suite also includes builder tools to automate tasks and customize workflows without any coding.

Winner: RingCentral’s app gallery is the biggest and best.

Support

• RingCentral: Most service plans include 24/7 customer support by chat or phone. RingCentral also provides access to professional implementation to help your team design your phone system, ongoing support, and consulting services.
• Vonage: Vonage provides 24/7 U.S.-based customer service and tech support with all of its plans. It offers additional support and consulting for an extra monthly or hourly fee.

Winner: Vonage has a slight edge with 24/7 customer service for all of its plans.

Employee self-service

• RingCentral: RingCentral’s resource center provides helpful webinars, videos, case studies, whitepapers and other great learning materials. Your employees can access e-books, infographics, and more to learn more about the business phone tools and develop other valuable skills to help develop their careers.
• Vonage: Vonage’s resource center is full of useful articles, whitepapers, guides, webinars and customer stories. Your employees can access this content to learn more about consumer experience trends and develop a more personalized customer service experience.

Winner: It’s a tie. Both providers offer access to useful educational resources.

Additional services

• RingCentral: As a RingCentral customer, you can expand your unified communications system on the fly with extra toll-free international and domestic numbers, high-volume SMS, and vanity numbers for an added monthly or one-time fee. RingCentral Video Pro is a separate and free solution for video meetings and team messaging with a decent list of features and integrations.
• Vonage: Vonage customers can add support services such as PLUS powered by Soluto, hourly go-live support, a VoIP onsite installer, and a virtual receptionist recording for an additional monthly or hourly fee. Vonage subscribers can also choose from four contact center plans.

Winner: RingCentral takes the win with more additional services at a lower fee.

Did you know? RingCentral Video Pro is a 100% free video and messaging solution with excellent features and integrations.

RingCentral vs. Vonage recap

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:

• Your HR team wants to host large companywide seminars. 
• Your phone system needs to integrate with numerous software apps.
• You could benefit from a free video and messaging tool. 
• Your management team wants more analytics and oversight.
  

Select Vonage if any of the following reflects your business interests:

• You want to reduce your phone bill.
• You want to provide more caller information for your agents.
• You would benefit from an AI virtual assistant.
• You need to help your receptionist manage a large volume of calls.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to Vonage and RingCentral?

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. 

Does Vonage have good phone service?

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. 

Is RingCentral secure?

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.