Vonage Broadband Phone Vs. IDT Traditional Phone Service

After having a bad experience with a previous broadband phone service, I happily switched to IDT, a company whose features and charges were roughly comparable to the Broadband phone company I had previously used. After a while, though, I started wondering if there might be a better deal available. Yes, IDT had good service; I liked the fact that I could get my bill sent to me via mail and email, which reduced the possibility of my accidentally overlooking it. Still, I was curious, so I began looking around a bit.

It was at that time that I noticed Vonage. I had checked out their service before but had decided to go with the other service provider since that would allow me the possibility of keeping everything all on one bill. However, after the debacle that the previous service ended up becoming, I was more than a little leery of going the broadband phone route again. Then I compared prices. After that, I decided to give Vonage a shot. Now, I must say that I am a fan of what Vonage offers. In my opinion, Vonage offers good service with more features at a much better price than most available phone services. Although IDT is still a good value, Vonage is simply better in a variety of ways.

Let's begin with price. IDT's current best offer for a package that features unlimited long distance is $39.95, a very competitive rate. Meanwhile, Vonage offers phone service including unlimited long distance for just $24.95, a savings of exactly $15. In addition, that savings gap is increased when you factor in the additional taxes and fees associated with phone service that every analog service has to charge. Vonage, since it is offered through the Internet, happens to circumvent most of those charges. Moreover, IDT's $39.95 offer comes with only a small handful of features, including caller ID and call waiting. Voice mail is an extra $2.95. On the other hand, Vonage's $24.95 comes with practically every feature you can think of. Truthfully, I do not even use them all, or even use them that often, but I enjoy having the option.

Even things that are similar between Vonage and IDT are not the same. Take voice mail for instance. With IDT, the voice mail is fairly standard. Remote access, the whole nine yards. With Vonage, however, they added a couple of pluses that help make it even better. For example, Vonage's voice mail can be accessed via the Internet, at which point you can then email the voice message to yourself for safekeeping and/or future listening. It comes in handy if you are on the move. Again, the variety of voice mail access is included in the normal monthly fee.

The only real negative involving Vonage's service is something that is native to all broadband phone services: if the Internet goes down, so does your phone. This is something that cannot really be avoided; only endured. On the plus side, Vonage does have an automatic call forwarding service available in the event of an Internet service connection loss. This might reduce the possibility of missing important phone calls. Another service they offer that I have not taken advantage of yet is the capability of hardwiring the phone into your home's existing wiring for just under $100. This has the advantage of allowing you to use any jack in the home with your Vonage service, as opposed to requiring a cordless phone to move away from the modem. I am not sure, however, if this might also reduce the chance of service loss.

In addition, Both IDT's and Vonage's representatives were always quick, professional and courteous. In this area, they are about equal.

In the end, the only real drawback is that Vonage requires a functioning high-speed Internet connection to work. Even still, Vonage is a very high quality yet cost effective option. The money you saved by switching from IDT to Vonage could pay for a backup cell phone in case of those outages.