Ooma’s Essentials tier at $19.95 has no desktop app. Call recording and videoconferencing start at Pro ($24.95). AI insights, call queues, and CRM integration wait at Pro Plus ($29.95) — plus a $29.95 activation fee, plus phones sold separately. VPE gives you two ways off the tier ladder: Cloud Express hosted at $15.75 per user with the Cisco phone included, or a SIP Express system you own from $975. Either way, a US-based Cisco engineer answers the phone.
Cloud Express hosted: $15.75/user, phone included · Or own it: SIP systems from $975 — save up to 79%.
Two VPE answers, one tier ladder. Verified from Ooma’s published pricing, August 2026.
| Feature | VPE Cloud Express ($15.75/user, phone incl.) | VPE SIP Express (own it) | Ooma Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (20 users) | $315/mo — phone on every desk included | From $161/mo base, after a one-time |
$19.95–$29.95 per user, by tier — before phones and activation |
| Cisco desk phones | Included for every user — free advance replacement | Included in the system price | Sold separately from $79.99 each, plus a $29.95 activation fee |
| Desktop & mobile apps | Included — desktop and mobile apps | Dedicated Cisco desk phones — no app required | No desktop app on the $19.95 Essentials tier — starts at Pro $24.95 |
| AI receptionist + call analytics | Arthur Igloo — included | Arthur Igloo — available | AI transcriptions & insights — Pro Plus ($29.95) only, the same tier that gates CRM integration |
| Ring groups & call queues | Built and maintained by an engineer — included | Included — engineer-built | Call queuing — Pro Plus ($29.95) only |
| Call recording | Included | Included | Starts at Pro ($24.95) — not on their entry tier |
| Who runs it for you | A US-based Cisco engineer — unlimited moves, adds & changes done for you | Our Certified Network Specialists manage it end to end | Self-serve portal — you configure it yourself |
| Support | US-based Cisco-certified engineers | US-based Cisco-certified engineers | See what their customers say below |
| Contracts | None — month-to-month | None | Month-to-month, no contract |
| Cancellation | No cancellation department; free port-out help | Unplug it — it’s yours | Customers report charges continuing after cancellation — review below |
| Trustpilot rating | ★ 4.9 / 5 | ★ 4.9 / 5 | ★ 3.6 / 5 |
| 5-year cost (20 users) | $18,900 | $10,935 ($1,275 + $161 × 60) | $29,940 on Pro ($35,940 on Pro Plus) — before phones and activation |
VPE monthly rates are base rates — plus taxes & fees, itemized on every invoice.
Ooma pricing and feature gating verified from Ooma’s published pricing page, August 2026.
SIP Express note: calls between desks stay on your office network — an on-premise perk for in-building call quality.
Real reviews from real businesses. We didn’t write these — Ooma’s own customers did.
Every pain point Ooma creates, we solve two ways — hosted or owned.
The $19.95 sticker is the price of a line, not a system. The desktop app starts at Pro ($24.95). So does call recording. AI insights, call queues, and CRM integration only arrive at Pro Plus ($29.95). Three tiers to get the basics.
Cloud Express is one price: $15.75 per user gets the Cisco phone, Arthur Igloo AI receptionist, call queues, and call recording — nothing to unlock. Own a SIP Express system instead and every feature the system has is yours on day one.
One Ooma customer had to cancel their debit card to make the billing stop — read the review above. When leaving requires calling your bank, month-to-month isn’t worth much.
Cloud Express is month-to-month with no cancellation department and free port-out help if you ever go. An owned SIP Express system has nothing to cancel at all — unplug it, it’s yours.
“Voicemail shows up 2 days later. By then, the customer has already gone somewhere else.” Their customer’s words, not ours — and for a business line, a delayed voicemail is a lost customer.
Cloud Express runs on enterprise Cisco infrastructure with US-based Cisco-certified engineers watching it, tuning it, and answering at 844-486-4766 when something’s off. No portal maze between you and a fix.
Every Ooma tier is phone-not-included: handsets are sold separately from $79.99 each, and there’s a $29.95 activation fee before you make a call.
Cloud Express includes a Cisco desk phone for every user — refurbished enterprise hardware, and if one ever fails, a configured replacement ships free. On SIP Express, the phones are the system: included in the one-time price.
The math doesn’t lie. Here’s what 20 users actually costs over 5 years.
By the time Ooma does what Cloud Express includes, you’re on Pro Plus at $29.95 per user — plus phones, plus activation — nearly double $15.75, before hardware. Want the math on your exact head count? Our Certified Network Specialists will show you hosted and owned side by side — and tell you honestly which one wins.
Get a Custom ProposalHow the big names stack up — 5 years, 20 users, published month-to-month rates
Published month-to-month rate × 20 users × 60 months, before add-ons, taxes, and phones — verified from each provider’s pricing page, August 2026. 8x8 and GoTo publish no pricing.
Real businesses. Real results. Real people picking up the phone.
We believe in giving you the full picture, even when it doesn’t favor us. Ooma may be a better fit if you need:
Ooma built its name on small. If you’re a handful of people who need dial tone, voicemail, and self-serve basics, their entry tier covers it at a genuinely inexpensive price. Cloud Express starts at a 20-user minimum — below that, hosted isn’t something we’ll sell you.
Sign up on their website tonight and have service running without talking to anyone. We work by proposal and a phone call with an engineer — that’s the point of our model, but it isn’t instant.
One user? Three? Ooma will take the order. Cloud Express has a 20-user minimum, and our smallest owned system is 10 phones.
Ooma’s portal is built for owner-operators who like doing their own setup and changes. If self-managing appeals to you, their tooling is designed for exactly that. Our model is the opposite: engineers do it for you.
Under 20 users but want more than self-serve basics? The owned SIP Express line starts at 10 phones — $3,850 $975 one-time plus SIP Express Plus from $161/mo — with the same Certified Network Specialists running it. And if Ooma’s entry tier really is all you need, we’ll tell you that too.
It’s easier than you think. Most businesses are up and running in under a week.
Call 844-486-4766 or request a custom proposal. Our Certified Network Specialists build your quote both ways: Cloud Express hosted and SIP Express owned, side by side.
Hosted: $0 upfront, phones ship pre-configured, $15.75 per user. Owned: your system ships ~90% pre-configured and most offices are live in under 2 hours. Not sure? Our specialists will tell you which way your math favors — honestly.
Porting away from Ooma is engineer-managed end to end, with temporary numbers so your business is never phoneless while the port completes.
Port your numbers first, then cancel in writing and keep copies — their customers’ billing-after-cancellation reviews above show why the paper trail matters. Watch your statements for a cycle or two afterward.
Tell our Certified Network Specialists about your office and get both quotes — Cloud Express hosted at $15.75 per user with the phone included, and a SIP Express system you own from $975 — with the honest recommendation on which fits your business.