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Comparison

Ooma vs magicJack: which cheap home phone is worth it?

Reviewed by Sujan ThapaliyaLast updated

The short answer

Both replace a landline with a small device and near-zero monthly cost. magicJack is cheaper and depends on an annual subscription and a plugged-in device. Ooma costs more upfront but adds a real feature set, better call quality on most reports, and a business tier. For a second home line, magicJack. For a line the household relies on, Ooma.
Flat per-seat licensing plotted against metered usage over connected minutes: the licence is $750 a month regardless of use, metered calling starts at zero and rises at $0.020 a minute, and the two only meet at 37,500 connected minutes. Where your team sits on this chart decides most comparisons of this kind.
Most comparisons in this area resolve to volume rather than features.

Side by side

What is the difference between ooma and magicjack?

The differences that change a decision, not a feature checklist.

OomamagicJack
Shape of the costHigher upfront device, then taxes and fees monthlyLow device cost plus an annual subscription
What it plugs intoRouter, with the handset into the Ooma boxRouter or computer, depending on model
Feature depthVoicemail, forwarding, mobile app, second line, home-security tie-insCore calling, voicemail, basic forwarding
Business tierYes — Ooma Office, priced per userLimited business offering
Number portingSupported, usually for a feeSupported, usually for a fee
If the internet dropsNo calls, unless a mobile forward is configuredNo calls
Outbound calling at volumeNot designed for itNot designed for it

Which to choose

Which one should you use?

magicJack if the line barely gets used

A second line, a fax line, a number kept for relatives. The annual cost is hard to beat and the feature gap does not matter for a phone that rings twice a week.

Ooma if the household actually depends on it

Better reported call quality, a mobile app so the line is not tied to the house, and enough features that it behaves like a phone service rather than an adapter. Worth the higher upfront cost if it is the only phone.

Neither, if this is for a business that calls out

Both are built for receiving calls on a home or very small office line. Neither has dialling modes, caller-ID branding, attestation or number-reputation tooling, so outbound calling at any volume gets labelled and stays labelled.

Frequently asked questions

Do either of them work in a power cut?
No. Both depend on your router, and the router depends on mains power. A traditional copper landline drew power from the exchange; these do not. If a phone that works in an outage matters, keep a mobile charged or keep the copper line.
Can I keep my existing number?
Both support porting, usually for a one-off fee. Start the port before cancelling anything — once a carrier releases a number it is generally gone for good.

Sources

  1. Telemarketing Sales Rule — Federal Trade CommissionDo-not-call obligations, abandonment-rate limits for predictive dialing, and required call disclosures.
  2. 47 U.S.C. § 227 — Restrictions on the use of telephone equipment — Cornell Legal Information InstituteThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act itself — the consent requirements, calling-hours limits, and private right of action.
  3. National Do Not Call Registry — Federal Trade CommissionThe registry that outbound calling lists must be scrubbed against.

Run both modes on one platform

You do not have to choose a product to choose a mode. Power, parallel, and predictive dialing are all in the base product; switch per campaign, per list, per hour of the day.

  • Every dialing mode included
  • No seat licences
  • Compliance guardrails on by default
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