Ooma Business Pricing: Is it Worth it?

Ooma Office offers a cloud-based VoIP phone system designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.

It’s a feature-rich alternative to traditional phone lines at a competitive price point. But does Ooma measure up and meet your business needs?

This article will break down Ooma’s business pricing structure against call quality, features, and value your business needs, helping you decide if it’s the right fit for your company.

Ooma Business Pricing & Plans

Ooma Office offers three tiered plans: Essentials, Pro, and Pro Plus. Each plan caters to businesses with varying needs and budgets.

Here’s a table outlining the key features and pricing:

Feature	Essentials ($19.95/user/month)	Pro ($24.95/user/month)	Pro Plus ($29.95/user/month)
Users	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Phone Numbers (1st per user)	Included	Included	Included
Additional Local Phone Numbers	$9.95/month (US)	$9.95/month (US)	$9.95/month (US)
Text Messaging	❌	Up to 250 texts/month	Up to 1000 texts/month
Video Conferencing	❌	Up to 25 participants	Up to 100 participants
Call Recording	❌	Standard	Enhanced (always-on and ad hoc)
Voicemail Transcription	❌	✅	✅
CRM Integration	❌	Microsoft Office 365 and Google Integration	Advanced CRM Integration
Business Analytics	❌	✅	✅

As you can see, the higher tiers offer additional features like enhanced call recording, voicemail transcription, CRM integration, and business analytics.

Let’s look at each plan in detail.

1. Essentials plan — $19.95/user/month

The Essentials plan offers the smallest assortment of features and is a suite of basic call management and business communication functionalities.

The Essentials plan includes basic features such as:

• Voicemail
• Call transfer
• Call logs
• Company directory
• Overhead paging support
• Flexible numbering
• Virtual receptionist
• Call flip
• Free number porting
• Call forwarding during device outages

The Essentials plan focuses primarily on calling. Features such as text messaging and video conferencing aren’t available on this plan, which is unusual for a communications platform.

For users in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Ooma offers unlimited calling and call coverage without any additional charge.

Additionally, Ooma’s mobile app allows users to access their business phone system from their cell phones. However, it does not allow desktop access; that’s only available on the higher plan levels.

2. Pro plan — $24.95/user/month

For customers willing to spend a bit more for more advanced features, Ooma offers a Pro plan. This plan offers everything in the Essentials plan, plus several other features.

For starters, the Pro plan allows access to Ooma’s system through its desktop application, allowing users to make softphone calls from their computers as they would from their office phones.

The Pro plan includes advanced features such as:

• Call recording
• Text messaging
• Videoconferencing up to 25 participants per call
• Enhanced call blocking
• Voicemail transcription
• Caller information match
• Dynamic caller ID
• Analytics with user leaderboard
• Integration with Office 365 and Google

3. Pro Plus plan — $29.95/user/month

The Ooma Office Pro Plus plan is the highest of the options in terms of both pricing and features. Pro Plus includes everything in the Pro plan, with some additions.

For instance, the Pro Plus plan enables more integrations, allowing Ooma to connect with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, as well as deeper integration capabilities with the Microsoft 365 suite of services. It expands Ooma Meetings videoconferencing to up to 100 participants, allowing for larger meetings.

The Pro Plus Plan also adds:

• Advanced call management features
• Call queuing
• Call screening
• Virtual meeting recordings
• Hot desking 
• Digital call deflection to redirect calls to other mediums, such as text messaging

Additional Costs for Ooma Office

While the per-user fee covers most features, there are a few additional costs to consider:

• Extra Phone Numbers: Each additional phone number beyond the first one included per user is $9.95 per month.
• Taxes and Fees: Applicable taxes and fees may vary depending on your location.
• Volume Discounts: Businesses with high call volume can potentially negotiate volume-based discounts by contacting Ooma sales.

Ooma Business vs. Nextiva Pricing

Now that you know what Ooma provides and what it costs, let’s compare it to Nextiva to see how it stacks up against the competition.

Here’s a comprehensive comparison of Ooma Business and Nextiva, highlighting their pricing, plans, and key features to help you choose the best fit for your small business.

Features & Functionality	Nextiva Essential	Nextiva Enterprise	Ooma Office Essentials	Ooma Office Pro Plus
Monthly price (billed annually)	$18.95	$32.95	$19.95	$29.95
User capacity	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Unlimited voice and video calling (US and Canada)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Mobile apps (iOS and Android)	✅	✅	✅	❌
Toll-free minutes	1,500	12,500	500	500
Video conferencing participants	Unlimited	100	❌	❌
Video meeting recording	✅	✅	✅	❌
Meeting scheduling and calendar integrations	✅	✅	✅	❌
Team messaging	✅	✅	✅	❌
Voicemail-to-email	✅	✅	✅	✅
Toll-free numbers	✅	✅	✅	✅
Unlimited internet fax	✅	✅	✅	✅
Auto attendant	✅	✅	✅	✅
SMS/MMS	✅	✅	❌	❌
Call recording	✅	✅	❌	❌
Multi-level auto attendant	✅	✅	✅
Salesforce and HubSpot integrations	✅	✅	❌	❌
Call queues	✅	✅	✅
Voicemail transcription	✅	✅	❌	❌
Advanced analytics and reporting	✅	✅	❌	❌
Microsoft Teams integration	✅	❌	❌	❌
Single sign-on	✅	❌	❌	❌

Essential plan — $18.95/user/month

Nextiva has an Essential plan that is slightly cheaper than Ooma’s and provides many features that Ooma reserves for its Pro and Pro Plus plans.

With Nextiva’s Essential plan, you get:

• Unlimited voice and video calling within the US and Canada (with up to 45 minutes of video calling per meeting)
• Unlimited virtual faxing
• Mobile SMS/MMS messaging (up to 1,000 messages per user) 
• Free local and toll-free phone numbers with up to 1,500 toll-free minutes
• Integrations with Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts
• 24/7 customer support
• Voicemail-to-email notifications so users don’t miss messages

Professional plan — $22.95/user/month

The next level of Nextiva’s offerings is the Professional plan, which includes everything in the Essential plan, with some additions and improvements.

With Nextiva’s Professional plan, you get:

• A multi-level auto attendant
• Unlimited video conferencing with no time limit
• Double the toll-free minutes — 3,000 minutes a month
• Extended SMS/MMS messaging to allow mobile and desktop messaging
• Unlimited conference calls with up to 40 participants, and all calls include screen sharing
• More CRM integrations, including the most popular CRM and customer-facing apps such as HubSpot and Salesforce

Enterprise plan — $32.95/user/month

Finally, Nextiva’s Enterprise plan is designed to meet the communications needs of large organizations. The Enterprise plan enhances the Professional plan by adding even more features and flexibility.

With Nextiva’s Enterprise plan, you get:

• Voice and video conferences with unlimited participants and unlimited recording
• Up to 12,500 toll-free minutes and call recording for every call
• Voicemail transcription features so users can see their messages without needing to listen to them
• Advanced integrations, including Microsoft Teams and the most popular CRM and customer-facing apps on the market
• Custom integrations for enterprises with specific or niche integration needs

All these features can be accessed through a single sign-on, saving users time and hassle as they go about their work.

Essential Small Business Phone System Features

While a wide variety of features is great, it can also be overwhelming and can overshadow the most essential features. Do you really need everything offered in each plan? What are the most essential features that Ooma and Nextiva have to offer?

Ooma Office for small businesses 

Ooma offers dozens of features on its Essentials plan, but which features are the most useful for small businesses? Ooma’s most important features are:

• Mobile app: Workers on the go can manage business calls from their smartphones.
• Virtual receptionist: This automates call management, using multiple menus to route calls.
• Simultaneous ring: This is useful for users with multiple devices. Multi-ring allows a single call to ring on multiple devices simultaneously.
• Ring groups: Ring groups are used when a caller needs to reach a group of extensions, such as sales or customer support teams, but not necessarily a specific individual. It connects the caller to the first available number in the group.
• Call park: Call parking allows a call to be put on hold in one extension and continued from another.
• Call forwarding and call transfer: These allow you to redirect calls as needed, whether it’s forwarding a call to a different phone before it rings or transferring a call during the conversation.
• Voicemail-to-email: This feature sends voicemails directly to the user’s email, making it easier for them to check their messages from anywhere.
• Call logs: Call logging is essential to track client interactions and understand call volumes. Built-in call logs keep a record of all incoming and outgoing calls.
• Call recording: This allows users to record calls either on-demand or as a default, always-on feature, which is important for archiving, retrieving, and referencing phone conversations.
• Easy setup and configuration: Ooma has a user-friendly setup process, as well as a user portal for easy management, minimizing the need for a professional installation.

Nextiva for small businesses

Let’s compare Ooma’s essential features to Nextiva’s and see what else Nextiva can provide. Some key features from Nextiva’s platform include:

• Advanced auto attendant: This provides an intuitive phone menu for incoming calls. It’s easy to set up and can be customized to a business’ needs.
• Voicemail-to-email and SMS: This is used to send voicemails either as emails or text messages, making it easy to check messages on the go.
• HD voice and video conferencing: Nextiva offers high-definition video meetings and conference calls for collaboration.
• Local and toll-free numbers: Organizations can build their professional brand with toll-free numbers.
• Business app integrations: Nextiva’s platform can integrate with CRM software, customer support tools, and helpdesk software to increase productivity and automate tasks.
• Call routing and forwarding: Calls can be directed to users based on criteria such as business hours, holidays, and departments, ensuring they reach the right team member.
• Call transfer: You can easily connect live calls to any team member, regardless of device.
• Mobile and desktop apps: Nextiva allows you to send and receive calls and text messages from the same business number across devices.
• Team chat messaging: Users can send messages and make calls from their business line directly from the mobile app.
• 24/7 phone support: Nextiva offers continuous customer support to help with any issues that may arise, ensuring minimal downtime.

Is Ooma or Nextiva Right for Your Business?

When to choose Ooma

Ooma is a fine option for small businesses, as its straightforward plans are geared toward smaller teams. It’s a cost-effective option for businesses with basic phone needs, which many smaller organizations with minimal call center needs will find appealing.

It’s also a good option for remote workers and solo entrepreneurs, as it’s easy to set up and is reliable. Businesses with limited internet connections will also find Ooma’s Essentials Plan doesn’t drain much bandwidth, as it lacks bandwidth-intensive features like video conferencing.

When to choose Nextiva

Nextiva’s ease of use, scalable plans, and feature-rich platform make it a great choice for growing businesses, as it can accommodate their changing needs.

Additionally, businesses with teams that frequently collaborate and communicate will benefit from Nextiva’s video conferencing, file sharing, and messaging features, enabling seamless collaboration.

For businesses that frequently make international phone calls, Nextiva offers far more international calling options than Ooma, making it the preferred choice for many organizations.

Get a second opinion from VoIP expert Prince Rich on what he thinks of Nextiva. 

Getting Started With Nextiva Is Easy

When looking at Ooma and Nextiva, it’s clear that Nextiva is a cost-effective, user-friendly choice for small business owners with aspirations to grow. Nextiva offers a wider range of business phone features, particularly when it comes to communication and collaboration.

Nextiva is easy to scale, so it can grow as your business expands, whereas Ooma’s lack of flexibility might become limiting. Additionally, Nextiva consistently receives higher customer support ratings, so customers can rest easy knowing they’ll have 24/7 support along the way.

Learn more about Nextiva small business phone systems.

Ooma Pricing FAQs