Skype also offers a variety of great features SkypeIn (a designated phone number in the area code of your choice), free voicemail, Skypecasting and the ability to use Skype Zones to make calls from your laptop via Wi-Fi.

Like Skype, NetZero Voice is a software phone application (dubbed a “softphone”) that you can easily and quickly install on your computer. You then make calls using a headset or USB phone.

NetZero Voice has some nice features that other softphone packages don’t offer such as the ability to forward voicemails to your email address or receive them via SMS, the ability to get a private phone number (from the local area of your choice) that you can use to receive calls from any phone (just like a normal landline phone) and instant messaging.

You also get cheap international call rates, an advanced voicemail system, caller id (with names) and real-time account billing information to help you keep track of your call costs.There is also the option to use Vonage as a softphone on your PC or laptop.

There is also Lingo Link plan, that will allow you to make unlimited calls to other Lingo users for only $7.95 per month.

Lingo offers all the regular residential voip service features such as voicemail, emergency calling service (e911) and anonymous call rejection.

SightSpeed recently upgraded its software to allow you to make calls to regular landline phones and cell phones (like you can already do in Skype and Gizmo). These calls do cost money, but the costs are still lower than from a traditional home phone. You can buy “phone out” credits quickly using SightSpeed and your credit card. These credits are prepaid, so you need to purchase them in advance if you plan to use SightSpeed to make calls to regular phones.

At this time you can only make video calls to other SightSpeed users, pc to pc.

All BroadVoice’s voip plans come with a vast selection of incorporated features such as voicemail (including email notification), caller ID, “Do Not Disturb” (DnD) and distinctive ring (which is the ability to assign a different ringtone to you different phone numbers or incoming numbers.

There is also the opportunity to select your BroadVoice phone number from over 3,800 area codes, nationwide. Another interesting feature is the ability to reject calls from anonymous numbers.

Recently, Google tweaked Google Talk so you can call anyone using a softphone that uses the open source Jabber/XMPP protocol. This means you can now chat to more people than those using Google Talk. Voicemail has also been added as a feature. Though, only between Google Talk users.

They offer a number of free features such as free calls between Zingotel customers, free equipment to use your standard home phone as your voip phone, caller id (and blocking), voicemail and online account management. They also allow you to customize your plan with a number of low cost options such as adding a virtual phone number or dedicated fax line.

Useful additional features such as the ability to add a virtual phone numbers (a second phone number) and a dedicated voicemail/fax service make JoiPhone more than a budget voip provider.

You can use your adapter whilst on-the-go which allows you to make cheap calls where-ever you have access to a broadband internet connection, call hunt and the ability to access your voicemail remotely via a tollfree phone number.

ViaTalk also offers the ability to make calls using your ViaTalk account on your PC or laptop using their softphone phone software.