The Quick Start Guide to VOIP for the Home

Get the Internet Phone Facts about Unlimited Long Distance Plans

Internet phone service, also called “VOIP” for short, has exploded your choices when it comes to how you make and receive voice calls.

  1. Internet phone service saves you 30% to 60% on your long distance phone bill
  2. Try it for FREE
  3. Plans start at $10/month
  4. Keep your existing number or get a new one
  5. Get free features that regular phone companies charge for, like voice mail, caller ID, and call forwarding
Internet Phone Company Lowest
Monthly Plan
Yearly Plan Money Back Guarantee?
9.95/month

First three months

$199.95/yr

Second Year Free

30 days

Voip.com internet telephone service

$19.95/month $199/yr 30 days

$9.95/month

500 minutes

$199/yr

Second phone line free

14 days

Vonage

$14.99/month None 30 days

VoIP Your Life

$14.97/month None No

Compare internet phone plans

Show Me the Free Stuff

Free internet telephone service is basically using your computer as a phone (called a softphone). You need a headset and microphone for your computer, and free internet phone software downloaded off the Net.

Skype is perhaps the most well known in this category, but there are others too you can try. More free softphones

But remember...

While calling computer to computer is always free, calling computer to a regular phone or cell phone costs you about 2 cents a minute.

Make cheap international calls with Skype

Why Try Internet Phone Service?

You should at least try internet phone if:

  • You're frustrated by phone bills that balloon every month
  • The people you care about live in other parts of the country or overseas and you pay a mint in long distance charges
  • It feels like you’re being nickel-and-dimed by the phone company for basic services like call waiting, forwarding, and voicemail.
  • You're tired of more than one phone bill at the end of the month.

Learn how to choose an internet phone service plan

What Can You Do with Internet Phone Service?

There is more than one way to use internet phone service, and in a nutshell, that’s what this site is all about. Here's what you can do:

Call someone long distance and talk as long as you want and still get exactly the same phone bill every month

Unlimited long distance plans paid yearly or monthly with a VOIP phone company can save you 30% or more on your phone bill, and are free to try for 30 days. Compare unlimited long distance plans

Let people overseas call YOU on a regular phone for just the cost of a local call

You just made staying in touch that much easier. In the VOIP lingo this is called a virtual number, and it’s a piece of cake for VOIP phone companies to add to your account and costs you just a few dollars a month. More on virtual numbers and other VOIP features

Call people from your computer but let them call you back using a regular telephone number

Web dialing, click-to-call, and softphone are a few of the products available with VOIP that are impossible with regular phone service. Compare softphones

See the person you’re calling, like a loved one or business partner

Video calling on the Net is a totally usable and better yet, FREE service. More free video phones

Have complete control over 30 extra phone features including ones that regular phone companies can’t offer

To you, this means you can change up how people get in touch with you on a daily or even hourly basis. More on VOIP features

Save up to 60% on your phone bill and still use the same phone and phone number you already have

Most VOIP phone companies let you keep your existing number if you want. So making and receiving calls works the same way it always has. No one has to learn a new number. Compare internet phone plans

Getting Started

If you’re ready to learn more, here’s some starter topics on VOIP that explain how it works, what you need to use it, and how and where to find all these great free services.

What is VOIP?

Who's Using VOIP?

VOIP Tutorial

VOIP Advantages and Disadvantages

Compare VOIP Broadband Phone Providers

Compare VOIP Service Plans

Guide to VOIP Phones and Adaptors

Free VOIP Softphones

Free Video Phone

Learn MORE

There's always more to learn, with new downloads, new services, and new handsets appearing all the time.

VOIP Resources from around the Net

Savings Calculator

Bandwidth Calculator

More Articles

 


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