What’s the Difference Between Managed and Hosted VoIP?

We bet you’ve heard the terms “managed VoIP” and “hosted VoIP” thrown around before, but it can be difficult to distinguish one phone system from the other, and even harder to determine which of the two might be a better fit for your company. As your business grows and becomes more established, it’s important to find a VoIP phone system that tailors specifically to your unique set of needs.

Managed VoIP

You can think of managed VoIP as a preconfigured system. Unlike hosted VoIP, you pay a monthly fee for every phone your company uses. You’ll get unlimited minutes and a standard set of phone features like auto attendant and call forwarding. While managed VoIP typically offers lower up-front costs and is fairly easy to set up and implement, any changes you need to make to your system will depend on someone else’s service hours and response times.

Hosted VoIP

Hosted VoIP, on the other hand, is a fully customizable option. The system is based around your usage patterns and needs. It’s ideal if you want the option to add on phone lines when business is booming or scale back when you’re tight on resources. If you are looking for flexibility and control over low upfront costs, then hosted VoIP is an excellent option for you.

The Final Decision

If you’re a smaller company that’s not anticipating a lot of growth and call volumes are high, yet relatively fixed, then managed VoIP may be right for you. If, however, you are a growing company in need of a system that offers a lot of control and flexibility, then hosted VoIP is just what you need to put you in charge of your business communications.