VOIP.com was started by a group of internet gurus several ago.  They were determined to offer a great product at a rock bottom price.  VOIP.com is now offering free shipping + free first month on their unlimited monthly plan.  You can find that offer here. 

VoIP.com Features Included:  Voice Mail, 911 Service, Caller ID, Caller ID Block, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, 69 Last Caller Info, Manage Account Online,  Keep your old phone number, Choose your area-code, Virtual Numbers, Voicemail sent to your email, 7-Digit Dialing, Do not disturb option, 100+ speed dial, cheapest international rates, Anonymous Call Block, and Free Unlimited calls to other VoIP.com members, free calls to U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and 13 more features Vonage does not have

Pros = 1. First month of service is free on monthly plan 2. Free shipping 3. Excellent voice quality 4. Free equipment on yearly plan 5. unlimited in state calls for only $9.95/month  6. only $16.58 for unlimited calling if you pay for the entire year upfront 7. Money Back Guarantee 8. Free activation on yearly plan

Cons = 1. $39.95 cancellation fee if you prepay for the yearly plan and then decide to cancel.  2. $29.95 setup fee for the unlimited monthly plan and $39.90 setup fee for 200 min plan.

Residential Rate Plans Available (unlimited minutes): $16.58/month if you pay for the entire year upfront and $19.95/month if you pay month-to-month with the first month FREE (no contract necessary)  Limited Minutes Plans Available: $9.95/month for 200 minutes

Final thoughts:  Signing up for the yearly plan will save you some cash at only $16.58/month.  However, if you are nervous about using VOIP then I recommend trying the Unlimited Monthly plan that now comes with a free month and free shipping. 

Vonage is a name people because of the commercials that play over, and over, and over again.  Vonage does have a great product with an even greater advertising campaign.  They are now the largest internet phone provider in America with over 2 million subscribers and growing fast.  Vonage is easy to use, easy to set-up, and full of great features.... Keep in mind, you pay a little more for the same product.  Someone has to pay for all those commercials! 

Vonage Features Included:  Voice Mail, 911 Service, Caller ID, Caller ID Block, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, 69 Last Caller Info, Manage Account Online,  Keep your old phone number, Choose your area-code, Virtual Numbers, Voicemail sent to your email, 7-Digit Dialing, Do not disturb option, and Anonymous Call Block, 411 service, and Free Unlimited calls to other Vonage members, Fax and Tivo support, International numbers available, Free calls to many European countries

Pros = 1. First month of service is free 2. Free equipment 3. Excellent voice quality 4. CNET editors choice award 5. Rated as most reliable VOIP provider by Information Week  6. only $14.95 for 500 minutes per month 7. 30-day money back guarantee 8. Free calls to Italy, France, Spain, UK, and Ireland and a few other W. European countries

Cons = 1. Price is a little bit higher then some competitors.  In our opinion its the price you pay for expensive advertising  2. Must pay activation fee ($29.95 last time we checked) 

Residential Rate Plans Available: $24.99/month unlimited local/long distance minutes (no contract necessary) or $14.99/mo. for 500 minutes  Business Rate Plans: $49.99/mo. unlimited minutes or $39.99 for 1500 minutues

Lingo is a pioneer in the VOIP arena and has recently started to offer more and more features in order to compete with Vonage and VOIP.com.  Lingo latest offer of 1 free month, free activation, and unlimited calling in the U.S. and 22 other countries has made them a great choice.  Lingo has a great service that was recently named Editors Pick by Wired Magazine and awarded by IT Week Magazine.

Lingo Features Included:  Voice Mail, 911 Service, Caller ID, Caller ID Block, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, 69 Last Caller Info, Manage Account Online,  Keep your old phone number, Choose your area-code, Virtual Numbers, Voicemail sent to your email, 7-Digit Dialing, Do not disturb option, 100+ speed dial, return call, Anonymous Call Block, Simultaneous Ring, and Free Unlimited calls to other Lingo members, free calls to U.S, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, Norway, Vatican City, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, & South Korea

Pros = 1. 1 Month Free on Chatterbox plan 2. Free Activation 3. Excellent voice quality 4. Free equipment (adapter) 5. Unlimited calling in the U.S. and 22 countries on Chatterbox plan  6. Only $16.25 for unlimited calling if you pay for the entire year upfront.  Unused months refunded if you decide to cancel before 1 year 7. 30 Day Money Back Guarantee 8. Really low international rates

Cons = 1. $39.95 cancellation fee after 30 days and before 1 year  2. $29.95 setup fee

Residential Rate Plans Available (unlimited minutes): $16.25/month if you pay for the entire year upfront and $21.95/month if you pay month-to-month with the first 3 months free (no contract necessary)  Limited Minutes Plans Available: $14.95/month for 500 minutes

Final thoughts:  $21.95/month with 3 free months and unlimited calling in the U.S and 22 countries is one of the best offers we've seen in years.  If you don't plan on making many international calls then the $195/yr ($16.25/month) plan is the cheapest in the industry.

ViaTalk has been running their internet phone service (VOIP) for a few years now with some success.  We have used their services and found them to be good...but not great.  Most of the time everything works great.  However, if we do experience any problems it can be difficult to reach ViaTalk to solve those issues. 

ViaTalks Features Included:  Voice Mail, 911 Service, Caller ID, Caller ID Block, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, 69 Last Caller Info, Manage Account Online,  Keep your old phone number, Choose your area-code, Virtual Numbers, Voicemail sent to your email, 7-Digit Dialing, Do not disturb option, Anonymous Call Block, and Free Unlimited calls to other ViaTalk members

Pros = 1. 1 free year if you sign up for the yearly plan  2. free second line for your kids, spouse, or business 3. only $16.58/mo for unlimited minutes if you pay for the entire year upfront 4. All the equipment you need is free 5. good international rates 6. No contract required 7.  free adapter

Cons = 1. $29.95 activation fee 2.  Voip.com, Vonage, and Lingo offer a better overall product 3. Only a 14 Day Money Back Guarantee instead of the usual 30 days 4. $49.95 cancellation fee is too much 5. $29.95 setup/activation fee

Residential Rate Plans: $16.58/month with 1 year contract, $22.95/month for unlimited month-to-month plan, $14.95 for 500 min per month (price drops to $9.95/mo for 500 min if you commit to 2 years)

Final thoughts: ViaTalk offers an amazing bargain if you sign up for the yearly plan and get that 1 free year.  Keep in mind you won't find the same quality and support you'll find at Lingo and the other top rated VOIP providers.

PhonePower is about as cheap as phone service comes.  We have had a bunch of complaints come in the last few weeks about their service however.  I guess you get what you pay for.  They are now offering 6 free months on the prepaid yearly plan.  That comes out to be only $11.11/month for unlimited calling.  They also have a $9.95/month unlimited plan for 3 months and then $19.95/month after that.  PhonePower does offer cash back for any customer who decides to cancel, and waive the set-up fee for online orders.   There are no contracts!

Pros = 1. 18 months for only $199.95 (only $11.11/month) 2. Free activation 3. Good voice quality when we tested it 4. Free equipment 5. month-to-month plan for only $9.95/month  6. No contracts 7. Money Back Guarantee 

Cons = 1. $14.95 shipping fee 2. Overall service is lacking

Residential Rate Plans Available (unlimited minutes): $11.11/month if you pay for the entire year upfront and $9.95/month if you pay month-to-month for the first 3 months and then $19.95/month after that

Final thoughts:  Paying for the year upfront will get you those 6 free months.  If you don't have that much cash now then try the $9.95/month plan.  Either way you can cancel any time and get a refund. 

Packet8 is a respected 20 year old telecommunications company that introduced its internet phone service (VOIP) in 2002.  They are a publicly traded company that is in the VOIP business for the long haul.  We have found Packet 8 voice quality to be slightly inconsistent in our tests.  Packet8 is the only VOIP service provider to offer a VideoPhone option.  Welcome to the future! 

Packet8 Features Included:  Voice Mail, 911 Service, Caller ID, Caller ID Block, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-Way Calling, 69 Last Caller Info, Manage Account Online,  Keep your old phone number, Choose your area-code, Virtual Numbers, Voicemail sent to your email, 7-Digit Dialing, Do not disturb option, and Anonymous Call Block, and Free Unlimited calls to other Packet8 members, Video Phone available, 1-800 numbers available (about $5/month extra), Virtual office option

Pros = 1. Free Uniden cordless phone with all plans 2. only $16.58/mo for unlimited minutes if you pay for the entire year upfront 3. FREE phone adapter 4. Video phone available 5. Free calls to France, Italy, Ireland, Spain and United Kingdom on $24.99/mo plan 6. $29.99/mo for free calls to 40 countries 7. 30 day money back guarantee

Cons = 1. $29.99 activation/setup fee 2. Voice quality is inconsistent 3. $59 cancellation fee after 30 days is way too much

Residential Rate Plans Available: $16.58/month if you pay for the full year and $24.99 if you pay month-to-month (no contract necessary), $29.99/mo for Global Unlimited, $14.99/mo 500 min

Final Nerdy Thoughts by Zach:  If you plan on calling a certain country listed in the Global Unlimited plan , or if you're a real Nerd like me and want a videophone, then Packet8 might be a good choice.