Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Ratings Criteria

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) makes it easier than ever for businesses to build a custom phone system with advanced features to enhance employee and customer communications.

• Merchant Maverick has been reviewing VoIP business phone systems since 2024.
• We’ve evaluated 10+ VoIP providers with plans to evaluate additional providers in the future.
• Each review involves 10-15 hours of initial research, followed by 5-10 hours of research for each review update.
• We update our reviews at least every 12 months, though most reviews are updated twice a year.

Our expert writers engage in independent research and testing for each VoIP phone system review. When determining the star rating for a vendor, we score the following areas:

• Pricing
• Features
• Equipment
• Security
• Customer Service
• User Reviews

The scores for each section are displayed openly in the review and are combined to create a holistic rating for the product out of 5 stars.

Read on for a more minute explanation of how we determine the individual section ratings.

Pricing

25% of the total score

The Pricing score is broken into three sections:

• Monthly Plan Pricing (60% of the total section rating)
• Add-On Feature Pricing (20% of the total section rating)
• Pricing For Additional Users/Devices (20% of the total section rating)

Our expert reviewer looks at many things when determining the Pricing score, including the availability and cost of monthly pricing plans, the cost of add-on features, and discounts for new customers and new accounts with multiple users.

Features

25% of the total score

The Features score is broken into three sections:

• Basic Features (50% of the total section rating)
• Advanced Features (30% of the total section rating)
• Third-Party Integrations (20% of the total section rating)

For the Features score, we evaluate the availability of basic features such as call waiting, call forwarding, and three-way calling, as well as the costs of these features. We also evaluate the availability of advanced features and third-party integrations.

Equipment

20% of the total score

The Equipment score is broken down into two sections.

• Bring Your Own Device Compatibility (50% of the total section rating)
• Desktop Phones & Devices (50% of the total section rating)

We take several factors into account when evaluating VoIP phone systems. We consider BYOD compatibility, available desk phones and other equipment, customer discounts, and financing options.

Security

15% of the total score

The Security score is broken down into two sections:

• Security Features (80% of the total section rating)
• Compliance(20% of the total section rating)

For the Security section, we consider the availability of security features like data encryption and firewalls. We also consider whether the system is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Customer Service

10% of the total score

The Customer Service score is broken down into two sections.

• PersonalSupport (70% of the total section rating)
• Self-Service (30% of the total section
  rating)

When scoring customer service, we pay the most attention to the number of support options available (phone, email, in-person, etc.), the quality of personal support received, and the availability of self-service support options.

User Reviews

5% of the total score

The Customer Reviews score is comprised of two sections.

• User Feedback(50% of the total section rating)
• Review Site Aggregate(50% of the total section rating)

We scour the internet for user feedback on all the products we review, looking for positive and negative feedback. Merchant Maverick is not a user review platform, so for part of this total rating we rely on aggregate user scores from review sites such as GetApp, TrustPilot, the App Store, the Play Store, and more.