Vonage Review: Solid VoIP for SMBs

Vonage is a well-known VoIP provider offering UK businesses a range of calling features, mobile-friendly tools, and team training capabilities – but how does it compare to top VoIP rivals?

In this Vonage review, we break down its features, pricing, support, and performance based on our research. Read on to find out whether Vonage is the right fit for your small business communications.

Vonage’s Setup, Interface and Navigation

Getting started with Vonage is straightforward. Once your account is activated, the platform walks you through setup via its browser-based dashboard. You won’t need to install desktop software, and there’s minimal tech expertise required (beneficial for smaller teams that want to be up and running quickly).

The Vonage interface keeps things clean and minimal. The main menu is pinned to the left-hand side and features straightforward icons for key features: Calls, Voicemails, SMS, Fax, Team Messaging, Meetings, Contacts, and Reports.

Each section is clearly labelled, and the navigation structure, with sub-sections viewable on click, is intuitive enough that even a VoIP newcomer won’t get lost. For instance, you can add and edit contacts under the Phone System drop-down as shown here.

Overall, I’d say that while it’s not my favourite aesthetic design (that honour would have to go to either RingCentral or Dialpad, in a UK context), it certainly isn’t archaic. Furthermore, it remains highly functional and, importantly, it is consistent across web, its desktop app, called Vonage Business Communications (VBC), and mobile apps.

Vonage Review: Key Features

Vonage’s UK VoIP offering is split into three plans: Express (£10), Core (£15), and Max (£25). Each unlocks a growing list of features – from inbound-only basics to mobile-first communication tools – and overall, the platform performs well in the areas that matter most to small, growing businesses. Here’s what we found when assessing its core feature set.

Calling tools and routing options

Even Vonage’s entry-level Express plan includes 30 plus call features, including voicemail, caller ID, forwarding, and auto-attendant access, along with unlimited inbound calls and a dedicated landline number.

Upgrading to Core (£15) adds unlimited outbound calls – likely to be necessary for most businesses aside from call centres – plus call queueing and ring groups to help teams handle higher volumes more efficiently. You can also display local or toll-free numbers when calling out, improving pick-up rates for outbound calls.

Call routing is customisable via Vonage’s virtual receptionist, letting you set schedules, add menus, and assign overflow numbers based on business hours. You can also set pre-recorded prompts and direct calls based on keypress selections, all for different phone lines and numbers in your account.

One useful inclusion at all levels is voicemail screening and transcription, which lets you listen in live or read messages back later. That’s something lacking in competitors such as bOnline, and can be useful for teams that get lots of inbound calls.

All the other discussed calling features are fairly standard on the VoIP scene, however. RingCentral, for instance, has a more advanced package on its lower tiers, including multi-level interactive-voice-response (IVRs) features and custom hold music on all plans (while they are only available on Vonage’s Max package).

Powerful virtual agents with Vonage AI Studio

While Vonage’s virtual receptionist feature provides basic routing, businesses that want a more conversational and automated approach to call handling, especially across multiple channels, can use its AI Studio to replace basic routing menus with smarter workflows.

AI Studio is a no-code, drag-and-drop conversation designer where you can build voice and messaging-based virtual assistants for customer support, FAQs, order tracking, and more across voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and web chat.

In practice, users interact with bots using natural phrases (not just pressing numbers or keywords), via built-in NLU (natural language understanding) and ASR (automatic speech recognition) tools.

Like Dialpad, you can also tailor the AI to your industry or business lingo by training it on your own terms and phrases. Plus, you can access post-conversation insights to monitor performance and optimise flows over time.

There’s also an API integration system built in, allowing your virtual assistant to send data to third-party platforms or trigger events (such as sending an email or pulling order details).

The catch is that usage is capped at 10 AI agents and 10,000 sessions per month for the free tier. To scale to higher usage (up to 100 agents and 300,000 sessions), you’ll need to upgrade to the AI Studio’s Advanced plan, which costs a hefty $1,100 per month.

That won’t make sense for small businesses, but having 10 AI agents should be a solid starting point. And compared with the more limited automation options from providers like bOnline or GoTo Connect, this all adds a serious degree of customisability, particularly for those smaller startups or support teams trying to reduce manual workloads.

Strong training tools for scaling teams

Vonage’s Max plan leads the pack when it comes to live coaching functionality. This is one of the only UK VoIP options, alongside RingCentral Ultimate and 8×8 Work, that supports all five of the most valuable training features we look for in our VoIP assessments: call monitoring, whisper, barge, recording, and analytics.

These tools are particularly helpful for contact centre teams or small businesses growing their customer support functions. For example, managers can silently listen to calls and offer advice mid-conversation via whisper, or jump into the call directly via barge if necessary. Combined with Vonage’s built-in analytics and reporting, the platform offers a scalable framework for improving agent performance without needing to invest in separate training software.

By contrast, platforms like GoTo Connect (recording and analysis; others available on its high-cost contact centre plan) and Dialpad (lacks whisper and barge entirely) support only a subset of these tools, while bOnline and Google Voice fall even shorter, offering little beyond call recording.

Messaging, meetings and mobile-first features

Vonage is less impressive when it comes to multichannel communications, but things improve dramatically if you opt for its Max plan (£25).

Vonage Max is one of the only VoIP plans that supports unlimited SMS messaging in the UK, as well as a dedicated mobile number and eSIM integration as part of the package. That makes it ideal for users who work on the go and want a separate business line tied to their personal or work mobile. Notably, it beats RingCentral and 8×8 Work, two of our favourite overall providers, that don’t offer UK texting at all.

Annoyingly, though, SMS messages do not sync with main VBC accounts, so you’ll only see them on your mobile. That somewhat defeats the purpose of applying it in this integrated communication context, taking away from Vonage’s appeal; GoTo Connect, on the other hand, does integrate SMS messages with your system.

Still, Max is also “WhatsApp for Business ready”, meaning you can associate your number with WhatsApp, although the full automation and integration of this also relies on third-party tools. Again, this is something we are aware is easily done with most other providers on the market.

Vonage Meetings is included across all VBC plans and delivers built-in video conferencing for up to 200 participants, on a par with what you’d get from 8×8 Work and better than the 100-person limit on RingCentral’s lower-cost tiers (there is the same maximum across all tiers, however).

Features like meeting lock, blurred backgrounds, team chat, and whiteboarding for up to 20 people are all included via the same interface used for voice calls and messaging.

Limited software integrations on lower plans

You’ll need to be on Core or Max to access customer relationship management (CRM) integrations such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Teams compatibility. These are missing from Vonage Express, although this is to be expected at the £10 price point.

That said, the list of integrations is more limited than our leading provider in this area, RingCentral (500 plus apps), or others like 8×8 Work, which connects with most major helpdesk and workflow tools. And while GoTo Connect supports calendar and CRM tools even at lower tiers, Vonage keeps most of this locked behind its Core and Max plans.

Basic reporting, but good analytics for training

Vonage Core and Max both provide access to built-in reporting dashboards, call summaries, and user-level analytics. While these aren’t as customisable as RingCentral’s wallboards, they’re more than sufficient for tracking call volumes, agent performance, and hold times, bettering platforms like bOnline and Google Voice, in our view.

As mentioned earlier, these analytics tools are especially useful in the context of Vonage’s coaching tools, allowing team leads to identify patterns or problem areas and follow up with specific interventions.

However, Vonage doesn’t offer advanced search or keyword tracking inside call transcripts (a standout feature on Dialpad), and there’s no AI-assisted summarisation or sentiment scoring.

Generally, there are fewer reporting sections than you’ll find on the likes of RingCentral and 8×8 Work, too. So, if you’re looking for deep data insights or AI-enhanced call analysis, other platforms will serve you better (even if the reports we found here were clear and competent).

Decent hardware support

Vonage integrates smoothly with a range of business desk phones, including models from Poly, Yealink and Cisco.

Our research found that it supports more hardware brands than bOnline, and it offers better out-of-the-box compatibility than Google Voice, making it a good fit for businesses with existing VoIP desk phones.

Albeit, that’s still less compatibility than found with RingCentral, 8×8 and Dialpad, or better yet, GoTo Connect’s wide-ranging Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy (our favourite for niche hardware).

Vonage Review: Customer Support

Vonage offers a range of support options tailored to different business needs as part of its Business Communication plans:

• Phone support: Available for UK customers at +44 800 086 9444.
• Email support: Accessible through their online contact form.
• Self-service resources: Vonage provides a comprehensive support portal with articles, videos, and interactive tools covering topics from getting started to technical support.

All support is available between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday, as standard, though 24/7 support is reportedly available via Vonage support packages. This isn’t unusual in the VoIP world, though you can get 24/7 customer support included for no extra cost without requiring an add-on with providers like RingCentral and 8×8 Work.

Vonage Review: How Much Does Vonage Cost?

Vonage offers three clearly structured VoIP plans for UK businesses: Express, Core, and Max. Each adds more features than the last, especially when it comes to outbound calling, mobile access, and SMS messaging, but you’ll need to step up to the Max plan for the most complete functionality.

Are there any add-on costs or setup fees?

Vonage doesn’t publicise its add-on features or setup fees very clearly on its UK website, but some optional extras (like call analytics, API-based tools, or international numbers/minutes) may be priced separately or reserved for custom packages, according to our research. For instance, international minutes are priced in bulk-minute packages and vary depending on the nation (e.g. 5,000 minutes calling to a ‘tier one’ nation is €230).

Vonage also offers the AI Studio tool, as discussed earlier in this review, available for free under its entry-level Standard Plan, though its Advanced plan costs $1,100 per month.

We suggest you ask a Vonage representative for exact pricing details on areas not covered in the main monthly fee cost.

Does Vonage offer a free trial?

No, we couldn’t find access to a free trial at the time of writing. However, we are told you can book a demo or speak to sales to trial certain features, especially if you are considering its Max plan.

How does Vonage’s pricing compare to other providers?

At £10 per user, per month, Vonage Express is among the cheapest UK VoIP plans available, and it includes more built-in features than some rivals at the same price point (like call queues, call screening, and integrations). However, Core and Max jump to £15 and £25 respectively, which is notably more than bOnline’s Unlimited Calling (£9.95) or Unlimited Calling Plus (£15.50) plans, especially considering Vonage doesn’t include video conferencing in Core by default.

If cost efficiency is your main concern, bOnline or Google Voice may be better value. But for mobile-first setups that want bundled SMS and smart CRM tools, Vonage Max still makes a compelling case.

Vonage versus Alternatives

Vonage, and chiefly its Max plan, offers a strong balance of training tools and mobile-first features, but it’s not the only option in the UK VoIP market. Let’s first compare all our top-rated VoIP plans at a glance, before we look specifically at how Vonage Max is better or worse than those alternatives.

➡️ RingCentral – Better for integrations and scalability

We’d argue that RingCentral’s Ultimate plan (£29.99 per month or £24.99 for 2–19 users) is a more scalable platform than Vonage, particularly for businesses that need extensive integrations and deeper system control.

Where RingCentral is stronger

• Integrations: RingCentral supports over 500 native integrations with CRMs, helpdesks, calendars, and collaboration tools. Vonage Core and Max only support a limited number (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot), and none on the Express plan.
• Advanced call handling: Both platforms include call monitoring, whisper, and barge, but RingCentral adds features like voicemail transcription, call flipping between devices, and visual call routing with time-based rules.
• Management tools: Cost centre billing, role-based permissions, and audit logs are available in RingCentral Ultimate – tools that Vonage doesn’t offer at any level.

Where Vonage pulls ahead

• Mobile-first tools: Vonage Max includes an eSIM business number and WhatsApp readiness, plus SMS support, which RingCentral doesn’t offer (in fact, it doesn’t offer SMS or social media tools natively).

Overall, RingCentral is better suited to growing businesses that need deep software integration and more advanced administrative tools. Vonage is simpler, slightly cheaper, and better tailored to smaller mobile teams.

➡️ Dialpad – Better for AI features and Cross-Platform Consistency

Dialpad Connect starts at £12 per user, per month, (Standard) and offers several AI-powered tools that Vonage doesn’t currently match, making it a strong alternative for tech-forward teams and remote working.

Where Dialpad is stronger

• AI transcriptions and summaries: Every call is transcribed in real time, and Dialpad auto-generates summaries and action items. Vonage doesn’t offer this.
• Searchable analytics: Dialpad lets you search call logs by keyword and analyse usage trends. Vonage’s analytics are helpful but less interactive and lack custom dashboards.

Where Vonage has the edge

• Live coaching tools: Vonage includes call whisper, barge, and monitoring from the Max plan. Dialpad lacks whisper and barge entirely.
• Mobile SIM support: Vonage Max includes a business mobile number and native SMS. Dialpad supports SMS, but not via a mobile SIM or dedicated business number.
• UK phone system familiarity: Dialpad still feels more US-centric at times, whereas Vonage’s UK support infrastructure is more developed.

Dialpad is best for remote teams or sales-focused businesses looking to leverage AI for efficiency. By contrast, Vonage offers better live training tools and native SMS support, if you’re willing to pay for the Max tier.

How We Reviewed Vonage