Magic Jack Reviews

In case you haven't followed the Magic Jack since its original release several years ago, they recently released the Magic Jack Plus, a newer and much improved version of their "kill your phone bill" gadget.

First, let's address the basics and take a closer look at what you actually get, because I can hear some people still thinking "WTF is the Magic Jack Plus anyways?" ;)

Leaving all the technical details aside, it's really pretty simple. You get a nifty little device that transforms any regular phone by allowing you to connect it to your router/internet connection through a simple setup shown below. NOTE, you can use this with or without a computer (big improvement from previous version, which required your computer to be on to work).

The Magic Jack plugs into the power adapter, which plugs into the wall or power strip. There are plugs on the other side for your regular phone cord, and one for connecting to your router or modem.

Here's what you get:

  • the Magic Jack Plus unit itself
  • a USB power adapter
  • an ethernet cable
  • a USB cord
  • 1 YEAR of phone service included in the price – yes, you get 12 full months of service for about the price of 1 month with your traditional phone company!

Magic Jack Plus – Top Features

  • Free Voicemail
  • Free Caller ID
  • Free Call Waiting
  • Call Forwarding
  • Directory Assistance
  • Your own phone #
  • Unlimited calling within the US & Canada
  • Always have free calls back to the US & Canada if you travel abroad
  • Can use any corded, or cordless, phone
  • Portable if you travel, just plug into your computer
  • "High Definition" voice quality sounds great
  • Can transfer existing phone number, get a new number, or even get a "vanity number"

Here's a quick look at the negatives:

  • if you lose power or internet connection, you won't be able to make calls like with a traditional landline (but hey, you probably have a cell phone anyways — plus you could solve this by plugging your modem/router into a UPS to give you a short term backup power source)
  • You need a hi-speed internet connection – dial-up won't work for you
  • If you are absolutely terrible with computers, you may get frustrated, but it's pretty straightforward and they do have set-up instructions.
  • The major complaint is that the customer support is bad, and there is some truth to that…but you have to weight that against the cost savings and other positives – they are more focused on keeping costs low with great features — The Magic Jack Plus website does now have more support documentation as well as improved options for contacting them to get customer support.

With Magic Jack Plus you can make unlimited free calls within the USA and Canada. Magic Jack Plus only costs $69.95 for product and the entire first year of service! It drops to as low as $19.95/year after that. That price includes the hook-up device and a phone number. They offer a 30-day free trial to make sure you like the service. Magic Jack works with almost all computers and operating systems.  If you have any questions, they have a large FAQ section on their website (link below).

Magic Jack Reviews Site Conclusion

The vast majority of Magic Jack Reviews, especially for the newer Magic Jack Plus, are that it is a great product that works as it's supposed to. If you like the idea of calling your local phone company and telling them you are done with all those ridiculous taxes and fees and monthly rates, then you should definitely give it a risk free 30-day trial. Worst case scenario is that you end up deciding it's not for you within the trial period.

For the price of about ONE month with your regular phone service, you get all the benefits for a full year Just think about what you could do with that extra $50-60 per month after the Magic Jack Plus pays for itself many times over.

The good news is that you can get a risk free 30-day trial of Magic Jack internet phone service to kick the tires and make sure you are completely satisfied with the service. If you are like me, you'll be mad you didn't get in on this earlier and cancel your landline –> save that extra money, we're in a recession!

  • "On one end is a USB connector that plugs directly into the computer. On the other end is a regular phone jack where you plug in your phone. And that's it." – LA Times
  • "A little device called MagicJack will let you make calls from your phone to other phones….letting you quickly bring almost any corded or cordless phone into the 21st century." – NY Times
  • "A new device, the MagicJack, may provide the cheapest way for anyone to start making calls using an ordinary landline phone. It is definitely the easiest to use." – Boston Globe
  • "Skype and Vonage killer." – CNBC
  • "MagicJack's call quality is amazing – almost too good to be true….everybody should try it." PC Magazine, Editor's Choice

Magic Jack reviews can be found in many major media outlets, such as:

  • CNET – Crave
  • Laptop Magazine
  • The Washington Posts Raves About the magicJack
  • Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine
  • U.S. News and World Report: Look Out, Vonage. Here Comes magicJack
  • PC Magazine Gives the magicJack the Editors' Choice Award!
  • Crunch Gear 
  • Skype and Cable Phone Services Look Out for magicJack!
  • This Week In Consumer Electronics

 

33 thoughts on “Magic Jack Reviews”

  2. My parents got me the MagicJack at Christmas. I live in Alberta and they live in Florida part of the year Ontario the rest.  I was a skeptic, but NOT ANYMORE!!
    Easy to install and use!  We have excellent web service so this is a bonus.  I also leave my computer on all of the time just in sleep mode. So we purxhased a set of cordless phones and plugged them in and we were done!! I can call ANTWHERE in Canada or the US never an issue!!
    This is our only home phone we do not have a phone line. Since having the MagicJack 3 of my friends have also come onboard.  The only time I would not suggest this product as a main home line.. 1. If you have bad internet connection and/or 2. You do not have a computer you leave on all of the time with proper ventilation and fans.
     Dan Borislow you are a brlliant man. Thanks! You have saved me a lot of money!

  3. works  OK  at best and is surely cheap.  But living in an area (Sweet Home, Oregon) where the local phone company doesn't like magicjack, we cannot dial the local prefix here which is 367, so we cannot not call any in town or towns close to us,  The calls do not go thru.  The neighbors can call us but since no local prefix it's a toll call for anyone to call us if they live within 20 miles or so.  We have comcast internet so the connection is fast enough but bit hard to hear with the same phone that worked great when we had comcast phone service which jus became way too expensive.

  4. I have given it to family members abroad and we talk as if they were here in the U.S., with no long distance charges. Magic Jack gives them a local telephone number, and they can make and receive calls, just like any phone line. No one knows they are abroad. The speed of the internet connection is what makes the trick.  We have been using it for a few years.

  5. I have had my magic jack for almost a year now, I have NO problems with this devise, it is remarkable at how much I have saved over this period of time. I live in Ontario and I make a lot of long distance calls to my father in another city as he is in a nursing home. I can't say enough GOOD things about this great device. I have recommended it to all my friends who want to save money and that is just about EVERYONE I know…don't you agree? ! ? It is NOT a scam, if you have DSL or cable, then you have NO worries, I myself have DSL :o )

      • YES.
        Hey William – from what I understand it should work by default. Here are the FAQ answers from their site –

        Do I have Caller ID with magicJack? YES
        Inbound Calls: magicJack will display the Caller ID of the person calling you.
        Outbound Calls: Other parties with Caller ID will see your telephone number when you call them. They will NOT see your name, unless they have saved your number as a contact.
        =======
        Does magicJack have traditional ?Call Waiting??
        YES. magicJack offers complimentary Call Waiting.
        To use Call Waiting: Press the “FLASH” button on your telephone to switch between calls. If you don’t have a flash button on your telephone, tap the hang-up button.

  8. Not a scam !!! I dumped Qwest a year ago, 3 months after buying Magic Jack. Now saving over $50 a month counting long distance. Actually use it rather than my cell when I hit the time limits for extra fees. It works well though since I have wireless it can cut out some when there are signal issues like weather. To the poster who states the local phone company blocks the prefix I would strongly suggest you "write a letter" to Magic Jack about this because based on how the PUC in most states look at it that should not be able to be done. At least make Magic Jack aware of your situation since they do probably have ways to handle things like this. YES … write a letter on paper :-)
    Anyway I am a pleased Magic Jack customer in spite of a few issues … and they may have little to do with the actual product.

    • Hi Sonia,

      Based on the FAQs / knowledgebase on their website ? just click on the FAQ/Knowledgebase link at the bottom of the page – the question of “porting your number” is one of the top FAQs and the answer currently posted is…

      “WE ARE BETA TESTING NOW! Click here to be added to our list and we will notify you as soon as porting becomes available.”

      So my advice would be to visit that page and get on their notification list – and go ahead and grab the 30-day trial to test it out so you’ll know whether you like it when they can port your phone number – that way you don’t give it up from your local carrier and then want it back, in case you end up not liking the magicjack. I hope that helps.

    • Hi Lars – you can!

      From the website’s FAQ’s section:

      magicJack allows you to call almost anywhere in the world.
      -Call from your magicJack from any country to the U.S. and Canada and the call is free.
      -Call from a magicJack to a magicJack in any country and the call is free.
      -Call from the U.S. or Canada to the U.S. or Canada and the call is free.
      -Call from your magicJack to another country, other than the U.S. or Canada, and you must prepay for international minutes.

  12.  
    I purchased a magicJack several months ago, but never used it.  Then i bought an iMac.  My husband just bought a 2nd TracFone (I've been using one for years, but we are not in line of sight to a tower, and only get one or two bars at home.)  He says he's tired of Qwest's ever increasing bills.  Do you know if Qwest blocks magicJack usage?  We haven't used Qwest long distance for years.  We have an ATT phone card for that.  Qwest's latest trick is that all calls within the state (or local area code?which covers the whole state,) cost 5 times the normal phone card rate when using the phone card.
    When I go to the magicJack site, and click on the FAQ all I get is a blank page.  The same thing happens when I click on Customer Service/live chat.  
    Here are my questions, what kind of a history does magicJack have with Macs?
    Am I still eligible for the free trial?  Your article suggests that I can use my current number during the free trial just in case I don't like it, I won't lose my number with Qwest.
    ALSO, my ISP is dishmail, as we use DishTV.  My experience with their tech support leaves much to be desired.  The majority of technicians are very poorly trained.  I believe DishTV also offers a phone service.  Google’s phone service has been recommended over yours as well.

    • Hey Bobbe – i’m not sure why their links are showing up blank – they work for me. Perhaps try hitting the F5 or refresh button – may have been a temporary issue. From their FAQ’s:

      magicJack supports the most popular operating systems in the world:

      Microsoft Windows XP
      Microsoft Windows Vista
      Microsoft Windows 7
      Intel-Based Apple Mac

    • Bobbe – in response to this part of your part:
      “Am I still eligible for the free trial? Your article suggests that I can use my current number during the free trial just in case I don’t like it, I won’t lose my number with Qwest.”

      If you already purchased the Magic Jack, then you might as well use that one….but I would imagine if you wanted to or needed a second one you could certainly order and be eligible for the risk-free trial period. Regarding my answer to someone else regarding their current number and your question about it – what I meant (in case it’s not clear) is that it would make sense [to me] for someone to get the trial of magic jack BEFORE you try to cancel your landline (current phone number) in case you don’t like the magicjack service….that way you haven’t completely lost your original number should you decide to stick with the traditional landline phone service.

      From what i understand, you cannot currently switch your landline number to be associated with your magicjack account – but they do say ” ?WE ARE BETA TESTING NOW! Click here to be added to our list and we will notify you as soon as porting becomes available.? ” on their website. Hope that helps clear it up.

  13. THANKS,  I have used the magic jack  for one  year now, Paid first  bill   in            december,  a few dropped calls  here  and there , so what—every body gets them  on any phone.  20.00  DOLLARS A YEAR—-WOW

  14. The first year I had a lot of problems.  Mainly people not being able to hear me, echo, and a strange clicking noise that was very loud… In addition, there was no real time customer service at that time… I am happy to report that  the problems began to work themselves out almost a year ago and the updates did help!  Now I feel that my phone works as good as any… at a low price!

  16. Have a MagicJack and 100% satisfied; gonna get another one. Got one for my sister and one for grandson and all are pleased fully. Am considering disconnecting ATT land line but being in hurricane-prone area am afraid might lose cellular and MagicJack services as we did last time. ATT land line stayed on throughout hurricane and 2 weeks afterward when we had no electricity. Highly recommend MagicJack; just keep in mind that during bad weather conditions you probably won't have telephone service.

  17. well we have had magic jack for about a year, at first with our old computer it did not work properly at all and could make no calls, then we got a new computer though and im quite happy to report that it works quite well accept one friends cant seem to call her phone says the number is outta service but other than her all works well im happy and saving money now that it works!

  18. Been using Magic Jack for about 2 years now, hardly any complaints.  If you're doing a lot of heavy processing or downloading on your computer the voice quality suffers but that is to be expected.
     
    Can't beat it for the price.
     
    Now trying to figure out how to run it on a Linux system.

  19.  
    I have been using Magic Jack for over a year and I have had NO problems. It is extremely eazy to install and operate + super inexpensive compared to other phone line companies. I strongly recomend it.

  20. Love the Magic Jack! My first year plan just ended today. I received a message over the phone from Magic Jack saying my plan ended today and if I wanted to renew to do so online. I went online and sent them $20 over the internet using my credit card. Re-booted the Magic Jack software and I was up and running with Magic Jack in seconds! Great Product! Well worth $20/year! Only drawback…. good internet provider and must have a computer running all the time. No Problem for me since I have wi-fi and my server is a beast that is always on anyway.

  21. I have two magic jacks one with a florida number and another with a SC number. When I moved to SC I needed to have a local number and I bought my second MJ and programed it so that all the calls comming into it will be transfered to my cell phone. That way my customers in Florida call me at my cell number and my SC customers call my SC number, and it is answer by the same cell phone. When I am   home and need to make calls showing a SC id I used the phone from home. It works like a charm.

  23. @Peter – i don’t see anything else from you. Please remember, I am not magicjack nor do I work for magic jack – just a customer – as much as I wish I was, I’m not able to be “the go-to-guy” with all the answers – i’ve already got a job ;) I do try to help when / where i can. I did just find this information online (note: I haven’t called to verify these numbers) for people who do have issues:

    Magic Jack Customer Service / Info ? (561) 594-2140 ? A recording that provides customer service instructions
    Billing Support ? (281) 404-1551

  24. Hello JD,
    Thanks for the phone numbers I will try them.  When I view this site
    on my computer my first comment is marked 'awaiting moderation'
    cut and pasted here, see:
    Peter Hildebrandt says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

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