People love to find a bargain, but for the most part, people who shop on price alone are hurting themselves. If you know exactly what you are looking for in a product and get the lowest price on a model XYZ123 dishwasher, that is one thing, but getting the lowest price on a generic service more often than not does not represent your best value. This is particularly true when someone gets the cheapest VOIP service available anywhere, because they will be spending much of their own time on the phone with the VOIP service provider trying to get it to work as advertised.

Now if such people put zero value on their own time, then perhaps it may be a good deal to get the cheapest VOIP service possible, but most people do not consider their own time as being of no value whatsoever.

I recommend looking for the best value, which is often different from the lowest price. You need to determine what features you are looking for, outline and detail your calling requirements, and find out exactly what you want your VOIP service to do. Then you are in a position to make intelligent and informed decisions about who has the lowest price compared with the feature set being offered. Getting VOIP based on price alone however, is rarely a good decision and will present more problems than it solves.

One particular aspect of VOIP, whether it is the cheapest VOIP or the most expensive VOIP service, that most people do not realize is that the VOIP service itself is not responsible for nor has any control over the most critical aspect of a successful VOIP implementation, and that is the reliability and stability of your high-speed Internet connection. The VOIP carrier you have chosen has zero control over that, and if your high-speed Internet connection, whether it is cable or DSL, is not rock solid, there is not a VOIP service anywhere on the planet that can provide a good solution. If your high-speed Internet connection is not rock solid without hiccups, slowdowns, and outages, you should consider a different high-speed Internet provider before you even think about a VOIP installation.

If you live off the beaten track and do not have DSL or cable available, where your only solution for high-speed Internet access is satellite, do not consider VOIP because it will almost certainly not work well. Satellite Internet service was not designed for real-time communications as VOIP requires, and your VOIP experience will not be good, regardless of which provider you select.

If you do have a rock solid high-speed Internet connection, then you can start comparing VOIP features and benefits to determine who provides the best bang for the buck. More often than not, your most cost effective solution is NOT getting VOIP from your cable or DSL company. I have seen offerings from the cable and DSL carriers where their price was more than twice as much as reliable alternatives, and did not even have as many features!

Determine your needs and then find the VOIP service that meets those needs at the best price. But be aware that the cheapest VOIP service probably does not represent your most cost effective and best value. Paying a big price does not guarantee good service. In fact, our Expert Pick at our web site is under $20 per month and chock full of features!