Summary: Vonage is an out of the box, complete UCaaS phone system that specializes in flexibility and customization, while Google Voice is meant to integrate with Google Workspace to add voice calling capabilities to Google’s suite of productivity tools.
Vonage and Google Voice both offer more affordable business phone systems than other providers in the UCaaS space. Both Vonage and Google Voice have a basic plan that includes unlimited calling and SMS texting in the U.S. along with voicemail transcription and call forwarding. Google Voice includes a multi-level auto attendant in upper tier plans while Vonage includes only a virtual receptionist. Vonage includes video meetings for Premium and Advanced plan users while Google Voice users must purchase a separate subscription to Google Workplace if they want vide conferencing capabilities beyond the Google Meet free version. We will take a closer look at the differences between Vonage and Google Voice in this article.
Vonage vs. Google Voice: Summary
| Category | Vonage Business Communications | Google Voice |
| Pricing | 3 plans (annual pricing):
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| Scalability | Companies can easily add additional phone numbers, users and features | Companies can quickly add users and phone numbers |
| Channel Flexibility | Channels include voice, video, SMS/MMS texting and social media messaging | Channels include voice, texting, and video conferencing |
| Phone System |
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| Video Conferencing |
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| Analytics+Reporting | Historical reporting included in all plans | Provides cross platform usage reports and call logs to Premier plan users |
| Integrations | Includes 24+ integrations along with APIs | Google Workspace includes 200+ pre-built integrations |
| Security |
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| Customer Support |
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| User Experience | Platform is flexible and customizable but can have a steep learning curve | Platform is minimalistic, intuitive and easy to use |
Research Methodology
In comparing Google Voice vs Vonage, we compared:
- Pricing: How much it really costs to use each system–including add-ons and hidden fees
- Features: The capabilities that make each provider stand out, especially analytics and video conferencing
- Customer Service: How accessible each provider’s customer support is, plus the quality of each platform’s customer service experience
- Reliability: Each system’s overall call quality, network uptime, and the likelihood of users experiencing VoIP problems like latency and jitter
- Security: The security features and compliance certificates each provider offers
- User Experience: Each platform’s user interface, ease of use, intuitiveness, agent/admin dashboards, etc.
- Integrations: The number of types of third-party integrations available
Pricing Overview
Summary: Google Voice and Vonage have similar pricing plans- both offer three pricing plans that range from about $10 to about $30 per user, per month. However, Vonage offers more paid add-on features and includes video conferencing in some plans, while Google Voice includes more voice features such as automatic call recording and only offers video conferencing as a paid add-on.
Google Voice offers three pricing plans and is usually purchased as an add-on to an existing Google Workspace plan ($6-$18+ per user/month). The Starter plan costs $10 per user/month and is limited to 10 users. Users can add on video conferencing with a Google Workspace subscription. Video meeting participant limits range from 100 to 1,000 with features like meeting recording, noise cancellation and breakout rooms depending on the plan.
Vonage offers three plans and volume discounts for its Business Communications UCaaS product. The Mobile plan ranges from $10.49 to $13.99 per user/month depending on the number of users. Video conferencing is only included in the Premium ($17.49-20.99/user/month) and Advanced ($24.49-$27.99/user/month) plans. Vonage users can add on advanced features like AI virtual assistant, AI call transcription, call queues, and business inbox to any plan.
Feature Comparison
Here, we’ve compared Vonage and Google Voice head to head in a number of categories:
Phone System Features
Summary: Google Voice provides only the most basic voice calling features and offers limited call path management, while Vonage includes over 50 standard VoIP call capabilities with available add-ons such as toll-free phone numbers.
Both providers offer desktop and mobile apps for Android/iOS, encrypted unlimited domestic calling, and international phone numbers. Both are also HIPAA-compliant and provide internal/external call forwarding. Vonage is more reliable, however, with a 99.999% SLA uptime, while Google Voice offers a 99.9% uptime. Only Vonage offers toll-free numbers for an additional fee.
Vonage offers on-demand call recording+15 hours of recording storage in its Advanced Plan, or automatic/on-demand call recording with 500 hours of storage as a paid add-on for $49.99/month while Google Voice includes on-demand call recording in its Standard Plan, and adds automatic call recording to its Premier Plan.
Google Voice gives users the option to utilize a SIP Link, giving them access to Google Voice features, such as voicemail transcription, ring groups, and call forwarding, while maintaining their existing carrier and telephony routing solutions while Vonage offers an AI-powered virtual assistant as an add-on business phone system feature, automating 2/47 customer self-service
AI-Powered Features
Summary: Although Google has developed an extremely advanced LLM and AI ecosystem, it doesn't offer many AI features that are specific to business phone systems. Vonage offers more telephony-based AI tools such as virtual assistants and Agent Assist that connects to the company knowledge base and CRMs. Vonage also offers a no code/low code platform for building AI-driven workflow automations.
Google Voice uses AI for spam blocking as well as for transcribing voicemail and calls in real time. Google users can also use Gemini, Googles AI Assistant, to find comprehensive answers on any topic and generate text or messaging responses or other content. Vonage offers an AI-powered virtual assistant as a paid add-on to its business phone plan.
Vonage's AI Studio is a speparate subscription with a free version and two plans. It allows users to build and deploy custom conversational AI Agents at a large scale. The platform is no code/low code, and there is an option to purchase a custom package that is completely built and managed by Vonage AI experts.
Team Messaging and SMS Features
Summary: Both providers enable users to text customers and teammates from their business phone number and on their preferred desktop/mobile device.
Vonage’s Business Inbox add-on allows users to keep all text based communication organized across channels, while Google provides AI tools to assist users with writing texts.
Both providers enable users to share files and utilize emojis, reactions and inline GIFs within team messaging applications. Both Vonage and Google users have access to 1:1 and group chat. Both phone systems include unlimited SMS and MMS texting from the company’s business phone numbers within the U.S. but only Vonage also includes unlimited texting in Canada.
Both providers have a 2GB limit on MMS files and a 160 character limit per SMS. Vonage’s team messaging and chat app is included for all users while Google Workspace users have access to Google Chat, a workspace for team members to connect and collaborate with AI-powered tools such as smart compose and summarization.
Video Conferencing Features
Summary: Google Meet, included in the Google Workspace suite, allows users to host video meetings with up to 500 participants and includes advanced features such as appointing meeting co-hosts, breakout rooms, and live closed captioning while Vonage Meetings is a simpler video solution that allows up to 200 video participants, but has added security features such as waiting room.
Vonage Meetings and Google Meet both allow participants to join by desktop, mobile app, or dial-in and include essential video conferencing features such as meeting lock, usage and activity reporting, and scheduled meetings.
Other shared features include in meeting chat, video recording, and screen sharing. Google Meet additionally gives hosts the option to record captions or share Google docs, sheets, or slides. Vonage Meetings’ “Watch Together” feature allows participants to share a YouTube video with everyone on the video call.
Google Meet provides up to 100 breakout rooms while Vonage Meetings does not have breakout rooms. On the other hand, Vonage Meetings includes a whiteboard tool for up to 20 participants, while Google discontinued its whiteboard tool (Google Jamboard) in 2024. Only Vonage has a waiting room feature and allows companies to offer dedicated dial-in numbers from 60 different countries.
Analytics and Reporting Features
Summary: Vonage includes historical reporting and call logs with metrics such as call duration for all users, while Google provides usage reports and call logs only in its highest pricing tier (Premier plan).
Vonage Meetings and Google Meet both include the ability to export files in .pdf or excel format, and download, email, or print reports. Google Voice allows for both on-demand or automatic call recording and will play an announcement to all parties on recorded calls. Vonage offers on demand call recording as an add-on that records calls with options to email or download recordings with 15 hours of recording time per extension.
Google Premier plan includes usage reports and tables tracking app usage across the Google Workspace platform while Vonage does not offer this feature. On the other hand, Vonage includes call logs and contact history in all plans, but Google Voice only includes historical reporting for Premier plan users. Vonage also offers a company call recording add-on feature that enables admins to record incoming and outgoing calls by setting rules.
Integrations
Summary: Google Workspace offers over 200 pre-built integrations while Vonage only offers 24. However, many of Google’s integrations aren’t usable with Google Voice, as Google Voice was built to integrate with other Google products.
Both platforms include CRM integrations (Zendesk, Microsoft Teams, etc.) and Team collaboration integrations (Slack)
Only Vonage gives users the option to build custom integrations using APIs but Google offers over 200 pre-built integrations while Vonage only offers 24 (14 free and 10 paid).
Pros & Cons
Vonage Pros
- Flexible: Affordable, companies pay for necessary add-on advanced features individually, lowering the costs of monthly bundled plans
- Reliable: 99.999% uptime guarantee, Single Sign On, HIPAA compliance, data encryption, and GDPR compliance
- Mobile App: Extremely intuitive and user-friendly
Vonage Cons
- Video conferencing: Vonage Meetings is not included in the lowest pricing tier and the video platform is not as robust as many of Vonage’s competitors
- Steep learning curve: Vonage’s platform is meant to combine the flexibility of APIs with an out-of-the-box experience, meaning the system is customizable but also complex
- Customer service: Some user reviews complain customer service is difficult to reach
Google Voice Pros
- Unlimited SMS: While many competitors limit the number of texts per month/user, Google Voice users have unlimited SMS in the US and Canada
- Video conferencing: Google Meet has a high participant limit and many advanced features like breakout rooms
- Team Collaboration: Google Chat is a robust team collaboration tool that includes real-time huddles, AI-powered smart compose, and support for up to 500,000 contacts.
Google Voice Cons
- Lack of whiteboard: Google discontinued its whiteboard feature in 2024
- Lack of integrations: Although Google Workspace has 200 pre-built integrations, it is unclear whether those integrations will work with Google Voice specifically
- Lack of advanced features: Google Voice only includes essential calling features such as call forwarding, not key features like real-time analytics or more advanced call routing strategies
Picking the Right Phone System for Your Business
Google Voice and Vonage are similar in that they are best for SMBs that need an affordable and reliable phone system that doesn’t have a lot of extra bells and whistles.
Vonage is best for small businesses that are planning to scale quickly and may need to quickly add on users and features, or even CCaaS capabilities. Google Voice is better for entrepreneurs, startups and micro-businesses that need an easy to use, low cost communication system, especially if they are already using other Google products like Google Docs.
We Recommend Vonage if You Need:
- A customizable business phone system: Vonage offers advanced VoIP features as individual add-ons and has open APIs for building custom integrations
- A full-featured mobile platform: Vonage’s mobile plan includes features such as call blocking, auto attendant, simultaneous ring, and on hold music
- To communicate with customers on multiple channels: Vonage enables business communications via voice, video, text, or Facebook Messenger, streamlining omnichannel conversations into a unified Business Inbox (add-on)
We Recommend Google Voice if You Need:
- An international presence: Google Voice Premier Plan users have access to unlimited international locations with affordable pricing
- Voicemail transcription: Google Voice offers some of the best transcription technology in the UCaaS space, and includes voicemail transcription in all plans
- A solution for teams comfortable using other Google products: Google Voice seamlessly integrates with Google Worksapce applications to provide an intuitive unified communications solution
