NetTalk Duo vs. Ooma Telo: Landline Replacements
Comparing NetTalk Duo vs. Ooma Telo reveals important differences between the two landline replacement devices. Your personal needs will influence which one is best for you, but both products are well-liked by their users. You can implement either device to convert your home to VoIP phone service and stop paying the higher costs of traditional service.Page Contents
The Duo and the Telo are VoIP phone adapters, also called analog telephone adapters (ATAs). ATAs work by connecting a computer or router to traditional phones, enabling them to make VoIP calls. The adapters contain the software that will convert the analog signals from the telephone to the digital packets used with VoIP. Adapters are widely used in residential VoIP service and allow you to keep your current phone setup.
Where to Buy
- Ooma Telo from Amazon
- NetTalk Duo from Amazon
NetTalk Duo vs. Ooma Telo: Costs
The NetTalk Duo is $49.95 plus tax. This covers:- 1 year of service ($29.95 per additional year)
- Free local and long distance calling to the continental US and Canada
- Free NetTalk-to-NetTalk calls
- Low international rates with flat-rate international add-on plans
The Ooma Telo is $199.99 plus tax. This covers:
- Lifetime service, but FCC taxes are billed monthly (roughly $3.75/month)
- Free local and long distance calling to the continental US
- Free Ooma-to-Ooma calls
- Low international rates
The Ooma Telo also offers a feature set upgrade called Ooma Premier that is $9.99 a month or $120 a year. Purchasing a year upfront will waive the cost to port your current telephone number to Ooma, normally a $39.99 charge. At the time of this article, NetTalk offered to port numbers over for free for a limited time.
The Telo is a much larger upfront investment than the Duo and the monthly FCC taxes amount to around $45 a year, which make the yearly cost more expensive than the Duo's cost. Especially, if you consider upgrading to the Premier for access to a fuller set of features, which shoots the yearly cost to $165. A free 60-day trial of Premier comes with each purchase so you can evaluate whether you want the additional features or can do without.