Much depends on what your requirement of VoIP is. PC or software based services are cheaper or even free, but offer fewer additional features. However, software-based VoIP runs on your desktop or laptop making it more flexible and allows you to travel with it to anywhere in the world. Hardware/Equipment-based phones work like a standard phone, but come with enhanced features such as call forwarding and call diverts. However these can vary from simple to complex configuration and sometimes do not connect as easily as softphones. ATAs, or VoIP Adapters, connect your analogue phone to the internet so it can be used as a VoIP phone, but also offer less features and are not always compatible with all models of handset.