Tonet vs Ooma Office: Which Is Better for Small Business?
Ooma advertises $19.95 per user, but the features most small businesses actually need - texting, call recording, voicemail transcription - don't exist on that plan. You need Pro at $24.95 to get them. Tonet includes all of it at $15.
Start with $15The Short Version
Save $119/user/year vs Ooma ProOoma's base plan ($19.95/user/mo) has no texting, no call recording, and no voicemail transcription. To get those, you upgrade to Pro at $24.95. Tonet includes all three at $15 - a $9.95/user/month gap for a comparable feature set. For a five-person team, that's nearly $600 a year. And if you need CRM integrations or AI call transcription, Ooma asks for $29.95 (Pro Plus). Tonet still charges $15.
Pricing Comparison
| Tonet | Ooma Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $15/user/mo | $19.95-$29.95/user/mo |
| Billing | Daily (pay only for days used) | Monthly |
| Contracts | None | None |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
What Ooma Office Doesn't Tell You
- Ooma Essentials ($19.95) has zero texting. SMS only appears at Pro ($24.95), and even then it's capped at 250 messages per month for the whole account - not per user.
- Call recording and voicemail transcription are both locked behind the Pro tier. You will not find them on the base plan regardless of how many users you add.
- CRM integrations and AI call transcription require Pro Plus at $29.95/user/mo. Tonet includes both at $15.
- Extra phone numbers cost $9.99/mo each at Ooma. At Tonet, additional numbers are $2.50/mo - the same core number, four times cheaper.
- Ooma offers no annual billing discount. There is no way to reduce your per-user cost by committing longer-term.
The Real Cost of Ooma Office Once You Add What You Actually Need
Ooma Office markets three tiers: Essentials at $19.95, Pro at $24.95, and Pro Plus at $29.95. On paper, $19.95 sounds reasonable. In practice, it is a stripped-down plan. No texting, no desktop app, no call recording, no voicemail transcription. The features a typical small business uses daily are not available at that price [1]. Most buyers end up on Pro or above, which changes the math entirely.
The texting situation on Pro deserves its own mention. When you upgrade to $24.95, you get SMS - but 250 messages per month shared across the entire account. A team of five gets roughly 50 texts each per month, or about two per business day. Ooma's own support documentation confirms these are account-wide caps, not per-user allotments [2]. Businesses that rely on texting customers regularly have flagged this as a significant limitation in reviews [3]. Pro Plus raises the cap to 1,000/mo account-wide, but that tier costs $29.95 - and there is still no unlimited SMS option on any Ooma plan.
The add-on cost for extra numbers is another line item that surprises buyers. Ooma charges $9.99/mo per additional number [4]. If your team uses dedicated department numbers or direct-dial lines, those add up fast. BBB records show a pattern of billing complaints from Ooma customers, including charges for upgraded services users say they did not authorize [5]. None of this means Ooma is a bad product - it works well for certain setups - but the advertised price and the actual monthly bill for a team that wants full functionality are two different numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ooma Office include texting on the base plan?
No. Texting is not available on Ooma Essentials ($19.95/user/mo) at all. You need Pro ($24.95) to send SMS, and that tier caps texting at 250 messages per month for the entire account - not per user. A team of five on Pro gets about 50 texts each per month.
What does Ooma Essentials actually include?
Unlimited calling to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, a virtual receptionist, ring groups, and mobile apps. No texting, no desktop app, no call recording, and no voicemail transcription. Those features only appear starting at the Pro tier ($24.95).
How much do extra phone numbers cost on Ooma vs Tonet?
Ooma charges $9.99/mo per additional number. Tonet charges $2.50/mo. If you run three department lines - main, sales, support - that add-on gap alone is $22.47/mo in Ooma's favor, or about $270/year.
Can I switch from Ooma Office to Tonet?
Yes. You can port your existing numbers to Tonet. The process typically takes 7 to 10 business days, sometimes longer depending on your current carrier and your numbers stay active on Ooma during the transfer, so there is no gap in service.
Is Tonet really $15/user/month with everything included?
Yes. $15/user/mo covers all features - SMS, call recording, voicemail transcription, AI transcription, analytics, and CRM integrations. Phone numbers are $2.50/mo each. Billing is daily, so you only pay for days each user is actually active. No contracts, no feature tiers.
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