Ooma and Dialpad are business communication products that feature voice over IP services, messaging via chat and SMS functions, and video conferencing. These VoIP products work over a multitude of devices for seamless access while working on-premises, remotely or on-the-go. Find out how the features of Ooma and Dialpad compare to help you choose the right VoIP solution for your business.
Jump to:
- What is Ooma?
- What is Dialpad?
- Ooma vs. Dialpad: Feature comparison
- Choosing between Ooma and Dialpad
What is Ooma?
Ooma offers communication and collaboration solutions tailored for both businesses and consumers alike, with a focus on not requiring an IT department to set up and administer the product.
The basic features in Ooma Office Essentials include telephony, number porting, voicemail, call forwarding/blocking, ring groups, a virtual receptionist, extension dialing, music-on-hold, a mobile app, digital faxing and one toll-free number.
A more advanced edition, Ooma Office Pro, includes all of the above as well as a desktop app, video conferencing, call recording, enhanced call blocking, voicemail transcription, caller info match, dynamic caller ID, call analytics, and integration with Google and Microsoft Office 365 suites.
The Ooma Office Pro Plus edition includes call queuing, Salesforce integration, hot desking and the Find Me, Follow Me feature, which allows phone calls to be received on different devices.
There is also an Enterprise version which is a good option for businesses needing call center functionality.
Ooma offers a product called Airdial to replace traditional telephone systems. Airdial supports phone lines, point-of-sale systems, and security and fire alarm panels.
Ooma’s pricing is as follows.
- Essentials: $19.95/month per user.
- Pro: $24.95/month per user.
- Pro Plus: $29.95/month per user.
Additional phone numbers are $9.95/month.
I wasn’t able to find a free trial available, but you can view demos and webinars here. Ooma also gives you a 30-day money back guarantee, and you can receive a customized quote here.
As far as consumer options go, Ooma offers a home VOIP service called Telo with three options: The wired Telo White (free calls with one-time device free of $99.99), the wireless Telo Air (free calls with one-time device free of $129.99) and the wireless Telo LTE which includes a battery backup and LTE connection ($11.99/month with one-time device free of $179.99).
There is also a security product called Ooma Security with an array of options to monitor homes for motion, smoke, water and door/window activity. Pricing ranges from $149 to $349 depending on your choice of options, and sensors can be individually purchased from $24.99 to $34.99. Keypads, alarm sirens and battery backup units can also be bought.
What is Dialpad?
Dialpad is a competing communications product parallel to Ooma with a vast array of features. Powered by AI, it runs in the cloud and consists of three integrated products: Dialpad Talk for voice services, Dialpad Contact Center for contact center management and Dialpad Sell, an automated sales dialer.
Dialpad permits number porting and offers 3 levels of features: Standard, Pro and Enterprise.
The Standard version includes unlimited calling, SMS and MMS, AI powered call and voicemail transcriptions, integration with Google and Microsoft, unlimited video meetings and web/chat support.
The Pro version gives you all the Standard options plus added local number support in over 70 countries, multiple phone numbers per account, 25 ring groups (e.g. for departments), 10 office locations, global SMS capabilities, integration with CRM solutions like Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot and Zoho, open APIs and webhooks for greater customizability, and 24/7 live agent support.
The Enterprise version gives you all the features of the Pro version, adding 100% uptime, unlimited office locations, unlimited ring groups, dial-by-extension, integration with single sign-on providers like Okta and OneLogin, Azure AD single sign-on integration, data retention policies and priority live agent support.
If you just want a video meeting option without all the extras, you can get one from Dialpad for free, which allows you to host up to 10 participants for up to 45 minutes from your desktop or mobile phone. Virtual backgrounds and unlimited audio recording are included. A paid version ($15/month per user) gives you all of the above except you could therein host up to 150 participants for up to five hours. You would also get AI meeting transcriptions, automation item capture, automated post-meeting summaries, unlimited video recordings, custom hold music and meeting room hardware integration.
Dialpad appears to be exclusively business-oriented; I was not able to find a consumer-based option, but since many people run their businesses out of their houses, this could work even for a single home-based worker operating a company of one. The free video meeting option could also easily be used for recreational or family-based gatherings.
Pricing is as follows:
- Standard: $15/month per user annually or $23/month via a monthly subscription.
- Pro: $25/month per user via an annual subscription or $35/month via a monthly subscription.
- Enterprise: Contact Dialpad here for a quote. If you’re interested in Contact Center options, you can review them and obtain a quote here.
You can view a demo here and obtain a Dialpad trial free for 14 days. Note that it does require a credit card number to implement, and you must cancel before the 2 week period is up if you do not wish to purchase the product.
Ooma vs. Dialpad: Feature comparison
Desk and conference devices
Ooma and Dialpad both offer desk and conference phones as well as headsets for use with these devices. Physical devices are not a requirement for either service; the mobile apps (see below) will work just fine to permit all functions needed.
Browser capability
Both Ooma and Dialpad can be accessed via a browser in order to launch and participate in meetings. Ooma’s browser functionality is more meeting based, whereas Dialpad’s offer both calls and meetings.
Mobile apps
Ooma and Dialpad both offer mobile apps for Android and iPhone, which allow customers to make and receive calls using the phone number assigned by either provider, rather than the phone number linked to the device’s SIM or eSIM phone number. These calls work over global data and wi-fi connections.
Team messaging
Both Ooma and Dialpad offer team messaging, audio conferencing and video conferencing capabilities, but note that the cheaper Dialpad Standard version includes video conferencing, whereas you’d have to pay more for the Ooma pro version to get that functionality. Both support SMS messaging from the provided business number, and Ooma also includes presence indicators to show the availability of others.
App integrations
Both Ooma and Dialpad integrate with Google and Microsoft, but it’s worth pointing out that the basic Ooma solution does not — you need the Pro solution for $24.95/month per user — whereas the Standard Dialpad solution does offer this at $15/month per user.
This integration allows access to contacts in order to initiate calls or other forms of communication, and Dialpad takes it a step further by automatically displaying shared emails, documents and events with contacts within the Dialpad contact sidebar in desktop and mobile apps.
Integration with Microsoft Teams, a powerful communication/collaboration tool, are both comprehensive and help streamline work on both platforms. In addition, Ooma Enterprise offers more than 50 application integrations.
Enterprise and call center capabilities
Both Ooma and Dialpad offer capabilities designed for call (contact) center operations.
The Ooma Enterprise Call Center Platform offers intelligent routing, tools to help design call flows, reporting and analytics capabilities, automatic call distribution and interactive voice response.
Dialpad provides two contact center options: Pro and Enterprise. Pro features live AI coaching, real-time sentiment tracking, unlimited SMS and MMS messaging, 24×7 support and integrations to help-desk CRM platforms (three license minimum).
The Enterprise version has all the features of Pro as well as a 100% uptime SLA, unlimited call queues, advanced reporting, custom business rules, and custom dashboards and reporting. A 50 license minimum is required.
HIPAA compliance
Ooma states that “Ooma specifically makes no representation, warranty or guarantee that your services, the account(s), or the equipment (or the use of any of the foregoing by any party) complies or will comply with HIPAA or any other law or will render any party compliant with HIPAA or any other law.”
By contrast, Dialpad is HIPAA compliant but health care providers must follow certain stipulations to be deemed fully compliant.
Choosing between Ooma and Dialpad
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking either Ooma or Dialpad. Both will work quite well for small or large businesses and can greatly enhance any company or individual’s communication and collaboration capabilities. Softwareadvice.com gathered reviews from users of both products and Ooma earned a 4.5 out of 5 star rating whereas Dialpad landed 4.35 out of 5.
Negative feedback for Ooma entailed product limitations, transferring calls, call quality and pricing. Similar feedback for Dialpad involved pricing, inadequate alerting for missed calls and voicemails, and license administration.
I myself don’t see a problem with the pricing structure for either service. It appears fair and reasonable across the board.
Small companies and consumers focused on security might find Ooma a good fit thanks to their sensors and security monitoring plans. Ooma’s AirDial product can be very useful in replacing functions and services which were previously handled by a POTS system. If you just want calling and conferencing options, Dialpad might be the better selection, as it is cheaper in that regard.
