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The 5 Best Business VoIP Providers in 2023

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *With annual billing **With contract

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With business VoIP services, you don't have to worry about limited numbers of physical phone lines. VoIP services offer tons of perks that small business owners love . Some of these include being able to place VoIP calls from your desktop or cell phone using your VoIP phone number. What is especially great about it, is that when you call, your business phone number will show up on caller ID instead of your cell number or whatever you are using to make that call. This goes for incoming calls as well. They will dial the VoIP number and you can answer on whichever phone you want to use.

Bottom line: We searched through the market for the top services and found the 13 best VoIP providers out there—with RingCentral at the top offering price matching and a wide feature range at a low cost. Ooma is also great for remote workers because of its ease of use and phone system flexibility.

For a full-service business phone solution that also provides reliable services for your growing business, RingCentral is a great option.

RingCentral : Best full-service VoIP provider
Ooma : Best VoIP service for remote work
Nextiva : Best VoIP provider for midsize business
8x8 : Best budget buy
Vonage : Best small business VoIP provider

Which VoIP should I use? Compare best providers

Ringcentral: best overall voip.

We love that RingCentral offers such a wide range of product features. And the plans are fairly affordable, with price matching available and a generous allotment of toll-free minutes. Just look out for a so-so customer service experience.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *With annual billing

RingCentral offers a well-rounded work-from-home solution that includes integrated messaging, unlimited video conferencing, and cloud-hosted VoIP service right out of the box. The service includes a lot of features that other providers charge extra for (such as generous toll-free minutes). And small businesses don’t have to worry about whether they’re getting raked over the coals for their cloud-hosted VoIP service because RingCentral offers price matching on plans with less than 50 lines.

RingCentral VoIP plans

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *Retention period applies

Another thing we love about RingCentral is its reliability. RingCentral promises a 99.999% uptime, meaning both your in-house and remote employees can rely on your VoIP system to work whenever they need it. Plus, RingCentral plans include unlimited internet faxing, phone conferencing, and video conferencing for up to 200 participants. Video meetings can even last up to 24 hours — just in case.

Here are a few other features business owners are sure to love:

Unlimited calls within the US and Canada
A toll-free or local phone number
Automatic call recording
Inbound caller ID
Service in 100+ countries worldwide
Voice menus in 10 different languages

And if you ever experience trouble with your VoIP system, RingCentral’s customer service team is available 24/7 via online chat or via phone during standard business hours. Keep in mind, though, that usually only larger enterprises get US-based support — small businesses usually get outsourced to overseas customer service representatives. If that doesn’t work for you, though, RingCentral also offers ticket service, an extensive online knowledge base, and weekly webinars to answer common questions.

Ooma: Best VoIP service for remote work

If your business has transitioned to remote work, Ooma offers affordable services that are easy to use and can easily grow with your company. While some customers have complained about dropped calls, we think Ooma’s still the ideal VoIP service for businesses working remotely.

Data as of post date.. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

With its scalable solutions, Ooma is one of our favorite small-business phone services. But Ooma’s Office and Office Pro plans also stand out as some of the best VoIP phone service offerings for businesses with remote employees.

Ooma phone systems are flexible, so you can use your office phone while working at home, place and accept work calls on your cell phone, and even use the Ooma desktop app to place calls on your computer. And Ooma’s plans stay affordable even with an upper-tier plan.

Ooma VoIP plans

Ooma’s remote features can help your business stay up and running no matter where your employees are. For starters, Ooma’s mobile and desktop apps allow remote employees to make and receive unlimited calls within North America using your business number.

We also like Ooma’s Ring Groups feature, which lets you group extensions together in your phone system so they all ring simultaneously. Then it transfers the call to whichever employee answers first. This allows your customers to get through to a representative as quickly as possible and provides a backup in case one of your employees has to step away to deal with childcare or move the laundry along.

Businesses working remotely should keep in mind, though, that Ooma offers video conferencing only on the Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus plans. Otherwise, you get a conference line that lets remote employees collaborate over the phone. That puts Ooma a pace behind some of the other providers on our list, but with providers like Nextiva currently offering their video collaboration tool to businesses for free, it shouldn’t be a major issue.

Nextiva: Best VoIP software for midsize businesses

If you operate more than one office or have employees scattered around your areas working from home, Nextiva is easy to scale without breaking your budget. However, this option may not be best for companies that need low-cost international calling features.

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Nextiva is great for midsize businesses on a budget because it delivers an impressive balance of pricing and features. Nextiva’s mobile app and desktop app allow your employees to ditch the clunky office phones of the past, and the service’s online management platform makes it easy to juggle multiple lines—even when your employees are all working from different locations.

Nextiva VoIP plans

Nextiva service also provides a number of helpful features for businesses working from home. For starters, there’s the Nextiva app, which lets you use your business phone number to make calls remotely from your desktop or mobile devices. Nextiva’s team collaboration tool, Cospace, also lets your team collaborate via video chat, so you can keep everyone one the same page.

If you need a way to video chat with your team, but aren’t interested in a full-blown VoIP service, we have good news. Right now, Nextiva is offering video and team collaboration for an unlimited number of users—completely free. See the Nextiva website to learn more about their Video & Collaboration service.

Word to the wise, though: Nextiva’s pricing can be a little complex, so make sure you click around the website’s pricing page to find the accurate pricing for your business. The website lists the Essential plan at $18.95 per month, for example. But if you click the tiny question mark next to the price, you find out that price is only for prepaid 36-month contracts on plans with 20-99 users. If you’re a small business on a month-to-month plan, you’ll actually wind up paying $30.95 per month for the same package.

That being said, we think it’s impressive that none of Nextiva’s plans cost more than $45 per month—especially considering all the VoIP service features you get. And for businesses with remote employees, features like unlimited video conferencing (with a Professional plan or higher), screen sharing, and team messaging make it easier to get work done even when everyone’s physically distant.

8x8: Best budget buy

8x8’s claims to fame are its incredibly low pricing, cheap international calling rates, and crowdsourced customer service. This VoIP provider offers limited mobile access, but it’s a good pick for any business trying to save a buck without sacrificing quality.

Data as of 7/7/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Given all the economic uncertainty faced by small businesses today, choosing a low-cost VoIP phone service makes a lot of sense.

Fortunately, 8x8 offers three simple, feature-loaded plans that can help you keep your expenses low while also getting all the VoIP features you need. 8x8 even offers integrations with third-party business apps like Salesforce, Zendesk, Netsuite, and Microsoft Dynamics. That way, your business can build out a complete enterprise resource planning solution that allows your inventory, accounting, point-of-sale, and customer service to work together seamlessly—all without having to shell out big money for it.

8x8 VoIP plans

Data as of post date.. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *When billed annually

All 8x8 plans include team messaging, HD video conferencing, and screen sharing, you you can easily keep all your remote team members engaged and collaborative. And contact centers that have transitioned to remote work can still enjoy features like omnichannel routing, which allows your employees to engage with customers via chat, social media, text, and phone—all in one platform.

And of course, you can’t ignore the fact that 8x8 offers full internet phone services that start at just $15 per month. The company’s introductory plan even offers an auto-attendant to help transfer calls to the appropriate extension without you needing to pay a receptionist to answer the phone—a feature other internet and phone providers don’t offer except on upper-tier plans.

That being said, 8x8’s plan upgrades are not the cheapest on our list. But considering the number of features you get for the price, we think it’s a good value for most companies looking for a VoIP phone system that offers a lot of bang for your buck.

Vonage: Best small business VoIP provider

Sure, Vonage has dealt with bad press and technical issues in the past. But these days, the service’s easy setup, impressive 99.999% uptime, and scalable business phone system options make it a top-notch VoIP choice for businesses with an eye toward growth.

Data as of post date.. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *Up to 99 users

As one of the earliest VoIP services on the market, Vonage is one of the most well-known PBX solutions currently available. And for good reason.

Vonage phone service can easily grow with your company, so you don’t have to worry about difficult transitions to new systems as your needs expand. Vonage integrates with everything from Salesforce to Slack, so you’re covered if your business ever outgrows its current customer relationship tools. And Vonage offers VoIP communications features that make the service easy to use even when you’re at home.

Vonage VoIP plans

Vonage plans offer great features for remote employees, including unlimited team messaging, unlimited calls, and unlimited business text messages on every plan. However, if video conferencing is important to your business, you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium plan.

We also like that Vonage offers 20 third-party integrations through the Vonage App Center, which is available even on the Mobile plan. This feature allows you to sync your VoIP phone system with select accounting, inventory, and CRM software so you can build out a completely interconnected business.

Furthermore, all Vonage customers get 24/7 customer support and IT solutions. Between that and all the other features included on Vonage’s basic phone system plans, it’s a great solution for small businesses that want advanced features at a budget price. And Vonage can definitely keep up when it’s time to upgrade your devices or add more lines, so your business can easily grow within your existing VoIP system.

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Other VoIP service providers for small businesses

Grasshopper : Best for mobile businesses
Verizon : Most reliable
GoToConnect : Best features
Phone.com : Cheapest plans
Fusion Connect : Best customer service
1-VoIP : Most flexible
Google Voice
Mitel MiCloud Connect
Microsoft Teams Phone
Freshdesk Contact Center
Intermedia Unite

Compare other VoIP providers for small business

Grasshopper: best for mobile businesses.

While Grasshopper may suffer from minor audio quality and transcription problems, the service is a major contender for businesses that operate from multiple locations. It’s easy to set up and easy to use, and it includes toll-free vanity numbers.

Now more than ever, businesses are discovering that they don’t need their employees to work in an office environment to be successful. But Grasshopper is an especially great VoIP software for mobile businesses like food trucks and pop-up stores.

Like many other VoIP phone services, Grasshopper offers iOS and Android apps that allow you to make and receive business calls on your cell phone. But unlike the competition, it allows you to customize call forwarding rules for each phone extension on your plan. That way, each of your employees or business locations can manage calls in whatever way works best for them.

Grasshopper VoIP plans

Grasshopper is great for small businesses, so why didn’t we name it our top small-business phone service? To be honest, we think Grasshopper is a little expensive compared to other options on the table. Grasshopper plans start at $26 per month (assuming you sign up for annual billing), which is pretty pricey considering you get only one business phone number with up to three extensions.

Grasshopper also offers fewer unified communications features than other PBX solutions. You also have to provide your own devices. That’s not a big deal if your employees are all working from home and using their cell phones or desktop phones to place calls. But it may pose a problem if you need to upgrade your office’s old analog phones.

Oh, and Grasshopper only offers service to businesses in the US and Canada.

On the upside, though, Grasshopper offers the same features across all its plans. Unlike other business VoIP solutions, you don’t have to upgrade your plan just to get business texting (for example). That means your business can enjoy the same high-end VoIP phone system features as a large company, even if you have only a couple of lines.

Right now, Grasshopper is offering $75 off when you sign up for a 12-month prepaid plan. That way, you don’t have to break the bank to stay connected. See Grasshopper’s home page for more details.

Verizon VoIP: Most reliable

Verizon is definitely one of the most expensive VoIP options on our list. But given the company’s reputation for reliable mobile solutions and full-service fiber-optic connections, it may be worth the extra cost for some businesses (assuming you live in an area with Verizon’s fiber-optic options, of course).

Data as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. *With two-year contract

Verizon’s mobile solutions and ultra-fast fiber-optic internet connections (named Fios) have made the company the current gold standard when it comes to reliable telecommunications. And frankly, Verizon doesn’t disappoint when it comes to its bring-your-own-device (BYOD) VoIP service.

Verizon’s appeal ultimately comes down to its reliability. The telecommunications giant offers both fiber-optic and DSL connections nationwide. And say what you want about Verizon’s customer service—the company is one of the few internet and phone providers with a reputation for maintaining a state-of-the-art network with few to no dropped calls on its internet phone

Verizon VoIP plans

Unfortunately, that reliability doesn’t exactly come cheap. Verizon’s Business Digital Voice VoIP plan starts relatively high, and if you need more than 5 lines, you'll need to call them for additional information. Keep in mind that Verizon isn’t a budget choice for small businesses: it’s a reliability choice.

If you’re located in one of the 8 states (plus Washington, DC) that currently enjoy Verizon Fios service—which are mostly in the northeast—you’ll have access to one of the fastest internet connections available, which is perfect for VoIP. If your remote employees don’t have Verizon Fios internet or your business is in DSL-only country, the speed will be slower, but uptime is still guaranteed at 99.9%. Either internet option will support steady VoIP service, and if your business is more medium-sized than small, Verizon could add up to a better value in the long run (especially if you’re in Fios territory).

Since Verizon is a massive company, customer service ratings are in line with what you’d usually read in the comments section—meaning, people are far more motivated to complain than praise. Navigating Verizon’s bundling plans for businesses may be like a choose-your-own-adventure odyssey, but its support lines are segregated well, with separate contacts for small, medium, and larger businesses. Verizon also offers competitive SLAs (service level agreements) for quality and service and 24/7 VoIP phone services support via phone, email, and tickets.

Verizon Business Digital Voice isn’t necessarily budget friendly for a smaller business, but it should be attractive to medium and larger outfits that demand reliable uptime, or at least prefer an all-in-one telecom provider.

GoToConnect: Best feature-rich VoIP

GoToConnect offers all its features on every plan—the only difference is the number of users you get. That makes it easy to choose a feature-rich plan that’s easily customized to suit your business needs.

GoToConnect has nearly as many glowing reviews as the Radiohead discography, minus the pretentious lyricism. GoToConnect has established a positive industry reputation since its launch as Jive in 2006, thanks mostly to its interface simplicity, focus on small businesses, and large array of telephone features that are available to all pricing tiers.

GoToConnect VoIP plans

All these tiers deliver top-notch phone service features, which include the following perks:

Call routing
Do Not Disturb
Custom hold music
International calling
Advanced ring strategies
Call queues

In addition, GoToConnect plans deliver unlimited video conferencing for up to 250 participants. That makes company-wide meetings a lot easier while your employees are based from home. Plus, GoToConnect offers virtual international numbers in more than 50 countries—though you’ll have to pay a $19.99 setup fee, plus a charge per minute for the basic plan (you won't have to pay this in the upper tier plans if it's one of the 50 countries).

We also like that GoToConnect’s phone systems are easy to set up and come with US-based 24/7 phone, live chat, and email support (with specific help for small businesses, large businesses, government agencies, and education clients). Overall, it’s a simple and feature-loaded VoIP phone system that works for all kinds of businesses.

3 more VoIP providers reviewed by Business.org:

Curious to find out more about the small business phone systems near you? Answer a few questions to find out more about the options in your area.

Best VoIP for Small Business FAQ

Since VoIP is a relatively new technology that differs from traditional copper-line telephone systems, there may be a bit of a learning curve before you dive into adopting it for your business. Here are a few elemental points to get started.

RingCentral has the best VoIP due to it's fair pricing and wide range of features. It also offers price matching for plans with less than 50 lines—making it even more affordable.

Yes, VoIP is good for small business. It is an easily scalable, cost-effective way to communicate.

A VoIP phone number is just like a regular telephone number, but it’s assigned to a user rather than a specific physical phone line.

When landline providers set up your telephone system, they map your new number to the physical copper connections that are hardwired into your home. But with VoIP phone systems, your number is assigned to your internet phone services account. That allows you to access your VoIP phone number (and make VoIP phone calls) from any device with an internet connection. That gives you the flexibility to use your VoIP phone number at home, in the office, or even from your smartphone.

If you’ll be switching to a VoIP business system, will you want to keep your current phone number? Most VoIP services offer number porting, which lets you transfer—or port—your number to a new service. Check for number porting in a VoIP service’s features; some will apply it for free, while others may charge a one-time fee.

A SIP (session initiation protocol) trunk carries voice, data, and video through a “trunk” that replaces copper telephone connections through the conventional PSTN (public switched telephone network), consolidating phone and internet service into a single digital line.

In plain English, SIP trunking allows you to physically disconnect from your phone company, opening the door for digital, internet-powered options (read: VoIP). And unlike hardwired telephone lines, digital lines allow you to scale your phone solutions as your business grows.

A private branch exchange (PBX) is the closed telephone network within a business, which employees share for outbound, inbound, and interoffice phone calls. VoIP systems manage PBXs off-site through cloud PBX hosting, eliminating the need for costly (and space-hogging) on-premise equipment and maintenance.

BYOD stands for bring your own device . This term refers to employees conducting company business on personal laptops, tablets, and phones instead of on company-owned gear. Most VoIP companies offer BYOD features and solutions within their plans, either included or at additional cost. However, extra IT security layers and company guidelines for BYOD are on you.

As mentioned earlier, VoIP is entirely reliant on a high-speed internet connection—and is also entirely at the mercy of power outages. Telephone lines may be archaic, but they still work in a blackout—internet equipment and connections, not so much. If your business requires 24/7 uptime, make sure backup power sources are in place.

Unlike traditional telephone lines, VoIP numbers can’t be traced by 911 operators. This doesn’t mean you’d be helpless in case of a natural disaster or Sasquatch attack, however. Upon initial setup at a location, you simply need to enter your info manually through the system’s E911 (Enhanced 911) feature, which will attach a physical address to your VoIP number.

Just as a smartphone can do more than a landline phone, a VoIP phone system for business can perform all the expected tasks of standard business phone plans and then some. They’re a great choice for small businesses that need full functionality, and the VoIP systems we’ve reviewed include most, if not all, of the following features:

Web-based system administration
Mobile management (iOS and Android)
Automated attendant
Call forwarding
Conference bridging
Conference calling
Call blocking
Call waiting
Call transferring
Find Me/Follow Me
Ring groups
One-line sharing on multiple phones/devices
Video conferencing
Voicemail to Email (as audio file)
Voicemail to Text
Fax to Text (as PDF)

The takeaway: The Best VoIP providers

Landline providers are almost a thing of the past—like it or not, VoIP systems may soon be your only business phone choice. Moreover, VoIP phone systems may be the best method to adjust to an increasingly home-based work environment.

Fortunately, you have plenty of VoIP home phone and business telephone systems to choose from, with more digital features and affordable pricing than ever before. Even so, it’s an increasingly competitive market, so don’t sell yourself short—do your homework before settling on a small-business VoIP system.

Not convinced VoIP is right for your business? Check out our guide to how VoIP differs from other options, or click over to our summary of the different types of phone systems for business.

How VoIP delivers for small business owners

Just how crucial is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in 2023? According to small-business owners, very —and getting more and more important all the time.

That’s good news for the VoIP industry, which saw an 8.3% growth in 2020 amid stay-at-home orders and public health concerns. 1 That growth should continue, and multiple studies project that the VoIP industry will earn a US market revenue of at least USD $55 billion in 2025. 2

Based on a survey conducted by Business.org, predictions of the VoIP industry’s continued expansion are right on track. Per our survey results, over 64% of surveyed small businesses added VoIP services during the pandemic. And a full 85% of surveyed business owners said VoIP kept their teams more connected throughout 2020.

Our survey results

So apart from the fact that business owners in 2020 switched to or added VoIP in increasing numbers, what else did we learn? For one, more small-business owners with one business location added VoIP this year than businesses with multiple locations—61% of respondents had businesses with one location while 39% had businesses multiple locations.

Additionally, surveyed business owners value VoIP for more than its connectivity:

84% said VoIP saves their business money
87% said VoIP improves their ability to offer better customer service
50% said they chose VoIP to help increase worker productivity

And our survey respondents also have a few concerns about the future of VoIP:

54.5% said they worried about AI chatbots using VoIP
60.5% said they worried about increased spam calls related to VoIP

VoIP will remain crucial in the post-pandemic business world

VoIP is an essential part of an ever-increasing number of businesses. And with global 5G availability on the horizon, VoIP is perfectly positioned to become the next multi-billion-dollar industry. We’re interested to see whether the VoIP industry hits that number in 2025—or, thanks to the new work-from-home norm, much sooner.

Methodology

We partnered with Pollfish to conduct an anonymous survey of 650 small-business owners who currently use VoIP. Business.org analyzed the results and compiled this report. To learn more about Pollfish and how it organically finds respondents, check out its methodology .

Best VoIP Services Of 2024

Expert Reviewed

Updated: Apr 15, 2024, 10:00am

As technology advances and companies adapt to ever-changing environments, many are ditching traditional landlines in favor of voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services. These cloud-based utilities can help cut costs, improve remote collaboration and increase efficiency by integrating with other software.

Hundreds of VoIP providers exist, each with its own features and pricing. Matching your business with the right service can be a challenge. For this article, I researched and tested the best VoIP services on the market to create a comprehensive rankings list.

Best Free VoIP Phone Service
Best VoIP Cell Phone Service
Best Conference Calling Services
Best Call Center Software
Best Business Cell Phone Plans

Featured Partners

RingCentral

$20 per user, per month (paid annually)

On RingCentral’s Website

Starts at $10 per user, per month

On Zoom’s Website

$18.95 per user, per month

On Nextiva’s Website

The Best VoIP Services of 2024

Forbes advisor ratings, other voip services to consider, what is voip, how to choose the best voip provider, benefits of voip, drawbacks of voip, how does voip work, types of voip services, fixed vs. non-fixed voip services, voip hardware and equipment, setting up your voip system, common voip add-ons, voip use cases, voip regulatory concerns, 2024 voip trends, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Google Voice : Best free VoIP service
RingCentral : Most comprehensive
Dialpad : Best use of artificial intelligence (AI)
Intermedia Unite : Best all-in-one unified communications as a service (UCaaS)
Nextiva : Easiest to use
Grasshopper : Best VoIP for solopreneurs
Zoom Phone : Best budget-friendly VoIP service
8×8 : Best contact center features
Aircall : Best VoIP for enterprise-level companies
Ooma Office : Best no-contract VoIP service

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

Best Free VoIP Service

Google voice.

Pricing from

$0 per user

Toll-free numbers

Voicemail transcription

I’ve frequently used Google Voice for professional purposes, and it is an excellent option for small business owners who want a simple and easy way to communicate with peers, vendors or customers. Google Voice does have cost-friendly premium plans if customers try out the free version and decide it’s a good fit.

General Features

Google Voice gave me a free local number upon signup, which I ported to my personal number. Please note that you need an existing phone number to use Voice. There can be a slight delay when receiving calls as you have to press a button to confirm you accept the call; if you are not fast enough, the call might not go through and your caller will be sent to voicemail. This detail can be frustrating as it could potentially result in lost business opportunities.

Other features include call forwarding and voicemail transcription. Customers within the U.S. get unlimited texting, which is very convenient for situations where you need to connect with someone but cannot place calls.

Additional Features

In my experience, Voice had no direct add-ons to take advantage of. I will say that as it is part of the Google suite of products, it is very easy to link it to other cloud communication tools such as Meet or Chat, each of which is also free, so it’s a great way for a small team to set up a no-cost all-in-one collaboration hub. It may be possible to add a SIP Link subscription, but this option is only available in specific countries that lack first-party calling capabilities.

You can technically include Voice as an add-on by signing up for a GoogleWorkspace account.

Customer Reviews

When looking at Google Voice reviews online, it’s clear that satisfied customers appreciated the quality of calls, mentioning that the phone service is strong, especially for the price. Some also appreciated the ability to easily port their personal numbers to a local professional number and, therefore, avoid buying a second phone or signing up for a separate phone service. Others liked the ability to make calls from their PC without relying solely on their phones.

While porting may be a convenient option, some customers did not like that it was mandatory, comparing it to competitors that assign a number and do not require you to have an existing phone service. Others would prefer to receive notifications on their PCs and wonder why this is unavailable. Criticisms aside, Voice proves due to the global reach of the Google brand and its affordable pricing. Most users seem to appreciate the service, even with its flaws.

Google Voice is free, meaning a sole proprietor or tiny business team could get away with setting up a Voice account and spending their money elsewhere. Premium Voice plans start at $10 per month; this makes Google Voice among the most cost-effective VoIP solutions.

Mobile and Desktop Apps

While Google Voice is available for download to iOS and Android-capable devices, there is no desktop app. I was able to use Voice through my phone and a web browser with relative ease.

Customer Service

I find that support for Google Voice is not as straightforward as it could be. When you click on the “Help” function within the app, you can search through Google’s support page library. In my experience, the closest you get to live assistance is through the community forum, where you briefly describe your problem and hope that board members or a moderator can provide the answer you are looking for.

Google’s customer support is perhaps its weakest attribute, although the service is straightforward enough that you might not need live assistance in the same way that you might with another VoIP service. That said, if reliable customer support is a major concern, Google Voice might not be a good fit.

Learn more: Read our Google Voice review .

Who should use it:

Any small to midsize business owner looking to scale beyond the Google Voice freeware model.

Easy to use
Unlimited calling and texting throughout the United States
Calling and texting available in North America and Europe
Integrates with Google Calendar
Support available 24/7
Plans don’t include video and chat
Must upgrade for advanced analytics.

Most Comprehensive

$20 per user per month if paid annually

I was very impressed with RingCentral’s quality of calling service and the ease with which I could coordinate communication across channels, shifting from voice and text to chat and video conferencing. Moreover, RingCentral offers hundreds of third-party integrations, further strengthening one’s ability to create a truly comprehensive VoIP experience.

RingCentral offers local and toll-free business numbers at sign-up and unlimited calling across the United States and Canada. When testing the service, I found the audio to be high-quality; this was also true when I later used RingCentral’s video conferencing software.

Some other features include carrier-compliant multimedia messaging service (MMS) and short messaging service (SMS). I received frequent reminders to register with The Campaign Registry (TCR), a sign that RingCentral takes carrier compliance seriously and is working toward messaging transparency. Other useful features include interactive voice response (IVR), advanced call handling features such as whisper or barge, and internet faxing.

While the entry-level Essentials plan comes with most of the features necessary for a decent VoIP service experience, some features like call recording and third-party apps such as Canva or Smarsh require a higher plan to gain access.

In testing RingCentral, I primarily focused on the standard features of my chosen plan. That said, RingCentral offers several add-on features to further expand your business’s communication experiences. For voice, get a free phone or non-geo number starting at $19.99 per month. You can add unlimited outbound minutes to your service for $10 per month per user, which is very convenient for companies that expect to place many calls in any given month.

RingCentral Webinar starts at $63 monthly per host and comes with a free trial for new subscribers, which lets you get the most out of the service without immediately committing to the add-on. Licenses, such as for push-to-talk, start at $7 per month.

RingCentral is an extremely popular VoIP service, with thousands of customer comments across various websites. Satisfied customers appreciate the wide range of call, text, chat and video features. Their feedback largely aligned with my own experience using the service. Additionally, the satisfied customers mentioned that RingCentral saved them money, and they found it to be a very convenient all-in-one platform.

Meanwhile, the negative feedback from customers repeatedly mentioned their unpleasant support experiences. For instance, some mentioned a lack of available agents or inconsistent communication.

Compared to other VoIP service providers, RingCentral’s $20 per month starting price is more expensive than some. For instance, both Google Voice and Zoom have free plans as well as premium plans that start at $10. However, RingCentral offers more comprehensive features and the potential to incorporate hundreds of third-party apps into your service experience.

The range of features, I think, could ultimately make it good value for money, and if your company has the budget, RingCentral is worth consideration.

When testing RingCentral, I downloaded the apps for mobile and desktop use. In my experience, the app functioned uniformly across all platforms; I was able to start communication on my laptop and continue on my smartphone without missing a beat. I think this level of flexibility is very convenient for situations where you begin communicating on one device but need to resume a call or chat on another.

I am not sure it’s fair to say that RingCentral has 24/7 support—unless you count an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot as an agent. While the chatbot is perpetually available, in my experience, it did not always provide the exact information I needed. I also found that it difficult to connect to a live support agent.

Who Should Use It?

RingCentral is best for businesses that need a comprehensive VoIP solution with robust features.

Learn more: Read our full RingCentral review .

Offers a free trial
Integrations for Slack, Microsoft 365, Salesforce and more
All plans come with unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada
International calling costs extra
No support for base plan

Best use of artificial intelligence (AI)

$15 per user per month

if billed annually

I appreciated how seamlessly Dialpad blends AI into its service features. For instance, it offers real-time transcription and time-saving call and meeting synopses. These resources blend well with the rest of Diapad’s flexible cloud communication offerings.

I tested Dialpad’s calling and voice conferencing tools and appreciated the number-forwarding feature, which helped avoid missed calls and ensured that the calls I sent went to the correct person. The call and video quality were good, and I found the software interface modern and attractive. Dialpad provides unlimited domestic calling, business texting, visual voicemail, custom call routing and more.

As the service plan I tested came with a local business number, I did not need to add one on However, if your business needs additional local, toll-free or international phone numbers, they are available starting at $5 per month. You also have the option to buy a line for internet faxing. If you want a special conference line, the price is $15 monthly.

While I could not find as many add-ons for Dialpad as some competing VoIP providers, I think the existing options are reasonably priced.

Dialpad is another very popular VoIP provider, and there are hundreds of customer reviews detailing past and present experiences with the company. Satisfied customers describe Dialpad as a reasonably priced service with great features. Customers enjoyed the AI components, flexibility in day-to-day communication, and the ability to send and receive calls through PC and mobile devices. Some also appreciated Dialpad’s scalability.

Meanwhile, less enthused customers cited call issues and language translation inaccuracies. There were also multiple concerns centered around a lack of billing transparency. In a few cases, customers mentioned they had difficulty canceling their service.

With a starting price of $15 per month, paid annually, it’s worth it for most small businesses to spend this much. Though Dialpad’s Standard and Pro tier prices are publicly available, if you would prefer the Enterprise plan, you must contact the sales team for a quote.

Dialpad has apps for both desktop and mobile, and I tested both. I appreciated how easy it was to communicate by voice or video across multiple devices. Dialpad’s apps are compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems and iOS and Android smart devices.

As part of my review process, I contacted Dialpad’s support team to get a better idea of what the customer service experience would be. I reached out with a question about a call feature to see how the agent would handle my concern. The team member was professional and thorough in their assistance, addressing my question completely.

While this was my experience, I must note it may not be the case for everyone as certain support options might not be available according to your specific service plan. I also found that Dialpad’s AI bot, while useful for straightforward issues, might not be as helpful for specific problems that ultimately require a human support team member.

Dialpad is best for businesses that need a comprehensive VoIP solution with excellent integrations and AI.

Learn more: Read our full Dialpad review .

Voice Intelligence
Unlimited calling
Integrates with third parties such as Zapier, Slack and Google Workspace
Toll-free numbers cost extra
Hold queues not available on lowest-tiered plan

Best All-in-One UCaaS

Intermedia unite.

$27.99 per user per month

Yes, add-on

Intermedia Unite offers a wide range of useful features and transparent pricing. It makes our list because I think it is the best all-in-one Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution , meaning it’s a cloud delivery model that combines tools like chat, video conferencing, call and file sharing into a single platform.

I tested Intermedia Unite’s multiple communication channels across desktop and mobile devices, including voice, video and chat. The call quality was decent, though the other party noted some slight static. In addition to unlimited calling, Intermedia provides businesses with cloud-based phone systems, video or audio conferencing with real-time screen sharing, internet faxing, and voicemail to email.

Overall, Intermedia Unite impressed me with its straightforward approach to UCaaS service features and pricing. You know exactly what you are getting with each plan. However, I think it’s a bad call to force customers to pay more for video meetings when many competitors offer it as standard, if not free. You must also upgrade to have conferencing for a maximum of 200 participants or access to third-party apps like Salesforce, ServiceNow, NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics.

I tested the main plan features available to Intermedia Unite, but noted several useful add-ons for businesses. A fax line costs $12.99 per month, exchange emails are priced at $7.49 monthly and resource lines cost as low as $9.99 per month. Some additional features, such as Unite Archiving or an extra phone line, require contacting the sales team for a quote.

Intermedia also has a specific solution that combines Unite for Communications with Microsoft Teams, which starts at $15.99 per month. This add-on includes basic private branch exchange (PBX), E911, contact sync and more.

Intermedia has had decades to build its reputation as a communications service provider, garnering positive feedback in recent years. Satisfied customers had good experiences using the service and praised Intermedia’s straightforward pricing. The negative customer reviews referred to minor issues such as language barriers and the inability to deal with email spam. There was also mention of poor reception while traveling.

While I appreciated the simplicity of Intermedia’s two plans, a starting cost of $27.99 per month makes it among the most expensive VoIP services. There are many alternatives that offer discounts for annual agreements or cost less outright month-to-month. Still, I think its features and its ability to function as a convenient all-in-one communications hub may make it a good value for the money for some businesses.

I downloaded and tested Unite on both desktop and mobile devices. Its apps are compatible with Windows and Apple computers or iOS and Android smartphones.

In my experience, customer support was very helpful and professional in offering assistance. There was a short wait over the phone and I connected with a team member after around 20 seconds. I also received a prompt email response to my service issue.

Learn more: Read our Intermedia Unite review .

Intermedia Unite’s pricing plans and features work best for medium to large businesses.

Free device available
Two simple and straightforward pricing plans
All-in-one UCaaS, including call center features available with standard tier
Backup up to 200GB worth of data
Some important integrations only available with upgrade
Toll-free numbers are add-ons

Easy to Use VoIP Service

$23.95 per user per month

Nextiva was easy to get started. The setup process was quick and it only took a few moments for me to download the NextivaONE app to desktop and mobile devices. It was relatively easy to add users to the account, place calls and create a custom phone system. The overall ease of experience will vary depending on your VoIP experience, but I consider Nextiva a great starting point for most potential customers.

Nextiva has unlimited voice, video calling, voicemail, and internet faxing capabilities. Customers get toll-free numbers for no added charge. By upgrading, you can access unlimited conference calls with potentially limitless participants and features, such as screen sharing, voicemail transcription, and an auto-attendant.

I experienced good visual and sound quality for calls and video meetings. One feature I found especially useful was Acoustic Echo Cancellation; this tool eliminates echoes during calls, which can be useful when multiple devices near each other are on the same call.

While Nextiva provides third-party integrations, I found you must upgrade for access, as its most standard tier links almost exclusively with Microsoft Outlook and Google Contacts.

Alex Aristides, a VoIP expert and our advisory board member, adds: “This company has a great all in one package, but lacks many voice features and easy use in comparisons to the other companies here.”

Nextiva’s vFAX starts at $7.95 per month for 500 pages and is a great option for businesses that want an affordable online fax tool. Not only does it add another communication channel, but a HIPAA-friendly version is available for healthcare companies.

Nextiva is a popular VoIP provider with mostly positive reviews from customers. Users consider its software easy to use. References to the support team were mixed, with some claiming to have good experiences with sales and support agents, while others were frustrated. One area that concerned me was the claims of having difficulty canceling service.

Nextiva’s starting price of $23.95 per user per month may suit the budgets of companies needing accounts for one to four users. A company with over 100 users would pay $17.95 per month per user if billed annually. I think Nextiva is designed for scalability, but budget-wise, it is best-suited for medium to large organizations. Very tiny companies should consider Google Voice or Grasshopper as cost-friendly alternatives.

Nextiva’s app, NextivaONE, is compatible with Windows, Mac/iOS and Android devices. While there is some flexibility in accessing NextivaONE by phone or computer, it is crucial to note that your experience will vary.

For instance, while I could easily log into the NextivaONE app through my web browser, the app would sometimes lag when loading or, in some cases, get caught in a log-in loop where you are directed back and forth between the app and mobile website.

I did not directly engage Nextiva’s customer service while testing the product. However, I did note that it offers 24/7 support uniformly across all plans. This means no matter which tier you commit to, you should expect to be able to reach a live agent. Being able to connect with Nextiva support by phone, email, and chat is helpful and makes the service stand apart from many competitors that charge extra for live agent access.

Nextiva is best for mid to large businesses that need a comprehensive VoIP solution with an easy-to-use interface.

Learn more: Read our full Nextiva review .

Voicemail-to-email notifications
Great collaboration features on higher-tiered plans
Unlimited voice and video calling across plans
Must have highest-priced plan for call recording
Mobile SMS only available on higher-tiered plans

Best VoIP for Sole Proprietors and Small Teams

Grasshopper.

$14 per month for one line

While some VoIP services shift their focus to larger, enterprise-level companies, I appreciate that Grasshopper continues to prioritize sole proprietors and small businesses. If you are new to VoIP as a small business owner and want a fast and efficient way to create a simple phone system, Grasshopper is a great choice.

Grasshopper comes with unlimited domestic calling, business texting and the ability to switch between VoIP and Wi-Fi calling. I tested these features and found that Grasshopper provided adequate call quality, though the sound was slightly fuzzy. Plans come with your choice of a local or toll-free business number, though you will need to port it to an existing number.

An especially useful feature I was impressed with is instant response; the tool lets you automatically send out a text message in the event of a missed call.

When testing Grasshopper, I used the business number that came with the account. Most plans only come with a single phone number, but you can get an additional number for $9 per month.

As for international calling, it is available, although not included as unlimited minutes in your service plan. You must reach out to Grasshopper’s support team to enable it.

Grasshopper is a popular VoIP option among individuals and small business owners. Satisfied customers frequently mentioned that they enjoyed how simple and easy the service is while providing everything necessary to support a virtual business operation or remote work. They also enjoy its convenience and mention that it is priced fairly.

Some customers had issues with poor call quality. I also noted a few Grasshopper customers found it difficult to connect with live agents.

Grasshopper starts at $14 monthly with an annual agreement. Its plans are priced to suit solopreneurs, startups and very small businesses. If you are looking for an easy way to set up a professional contact with a simple phone system, Grasshopper represents an affordable option with decent value for money.

Grasshopper has both desktop and mobile apps. When you create an account, Grasshopper will link your personal number to your new business number, after which you may make calls using the desktop or mobile app. Grasshopper apps are compatible with Windows and Mac for desktop and with Apple and Android-capable smartphones.

I tested Grasshopper using both a laptop and phone and found it worked perfectly fine across both devices.

In my experience, getting the right assistance through Grasshopper’s customer service can be a bit of a lengthy process. It requires accessing a help article most relevant to your issue. If the article does not solve your problem, you are directed to click the “Contact Us” link, after which you will be given a case number. You can opt to skip certain steps by contacting the toll-free support number. When I called, I was connected to a support team member within seconds.

Grasshopper is best for small businesses and solopreneurs who need a basic VoIP solution with features such as call forwarding and extensions.

Learn more: Read our full Grasshopper review .

Simultaneous call handling
No user restrictions
VoIP and Wi-Fi calling
International calls cost extra
Missing productivity features

Best Budget VoIP Service

$10 per user

Out of all the services I’ve reviewed, I believe Zoom Phone is one of the better-priced VoIP options , making it an ideal choice for small businesses operating on a tight budget. Although it is affordably priced, some customers might feel the call quality could be better.

To get the most out of the testing experience, I signed up for the US & Canada Unlimited plan, which starts at $15 per month. The Metered plan starts lower at $10 monthly; however, there are fees when making outbound calls. In addition to video conferencing support, Zoom Phone has contact center features, such as call whispering, monitoring, barge and takeover; it also has call recording.

From my experience, Zoom’s call quality was inconsistent. On the one hand, I could hear the other party very well. However, when calling out, the receiver sometimes found it hard to understand me. I noted a distinct drop in audio quality for the other party when calling through Zoom versus placing a regular call.

When testing Zoom Phone, I used a domestic number to place calls. It was very easy for me to get a toll-free number, as they start at just $5 per month. Zoom also offers local and international numbers, which cost as low as $5 monthly. There is a special international calling add-on that runs $120 per year. If you want to add premier developer support or a virtual workspace reservation, you have to contact Zoom’s sales team to get a quote.

Zoom continues to enjoy a largely positive reputation among VoIP or video conferencing customers in the post-pandemic era, indicating that it remains a leader in the cloud communication industry. Customers have good things to say about Zoom’s call quality. They also like the available integrations and feel the service is very easy to use, especially if you’re already familiar with digital voice and video meetings.

A few customers felt the interface was a bit clunky and not as visually appealing as some alternatives. Meanwhile, some customers experienced a slight learning curve as they were new to Zoom. Connection quality was reportedly an issue, which I think suggests Zoom may not be the best choice for anyone without a stable high-speed internet connection.

As Zoom starts at $10 per month or $120 per year, it is among the best-priced VoIP services on the market. While there are no discounts when switching between monthly and annual contracts, Zoom Phone’s pricing was among the most straightforward of VoIP services I reviewed. If you want fair upfront pricing, Zoom could be a great fit.

Zoom has apps downloadable to desktop and mobile devices, compatible with Windows and Mac on PCs or iOS and Android on phones and tablets. I appreciated the ability to use Zoom to place calls through laptops or smartphones; I only wish that the call quality could have been a little better.

I reached out to Zoom’s support team for help with my account. While my own experience was positive and the agent was knowledgeable and polite, the ability to connect with a member of the support team readily could vary based on your service plan. Zoom does offer 24/7 support to standalone Phone customers.

Solo entrepreneurs and very small teams operating on a tight budget.

Learn more: Read our full Zoom Phone review .

Low pricing
Number available to users in U.S. and Canada
Transfer calls to Zoom meeting
Use the app across multiple devices to make and receive calls
Affordable upgrades for unlimited domestic and international calling
24/7 phone and chat support
Upgrade required for unlimited outbound calling
Must pay add-on fee for toll-free number

Best Contact Center Features

No longer publicly available

contact for a quote

8×8 is a VoIP and UCaaS solution that I strongly recommend for businesses wanting access to a wide range of contact center tools. At the time I reviewed it, I thought of it as a scalable provider that could fit the needs and budgets of most businesses; however, recent changes to its plan structure could make it a better fit for enterprise-level companies.

Although I was able to get the most out of the service during testing, it was not exactly a smooth signup process and there could be a slight learning curve for those new to UCaaS and VoIP.

8×8’s services span unified communication and contact center capabilities. I directly tested its voice, business chat and video conferencing features and appreciated its high-quality visual and sound components. I was especially impressed with the ability to livestream meetings on YouTube, which can help organizations reach a much wider audience than standard conferencing tools.

Other service plan features include SMS and MMS, virtual faxing and integration with popular third-party apps like 8×8’s services span unified communication and contact center capabilities.

During the testing process, I had access to “hot” storage, which lets you store data for up to 130 days. However, some businesses need to hold data for a much longer period. In that case, I recommend 8×8’s cold storage add-on; it lets you archive or retrieve items for up to 10 years.

Another noteworthy added feature is Secure Pay, which offers the safe processing of customer payments. Intelligent Customer Assistant is an AI tool that lets you provide self-help services to your customers, which could be very useful to very small teams that lack a robust customer support team.

8×8 is one of the more established UCaaS providers, having serviced businesses of all sizes for decades. The feedback I found was largely positive, with customers mentioning 8×8’s excellent call quality and plan features. There was also praise for 8×8’s customer support and how agents assisted in navigating any issues as they arose, as it matched my own experience.

There has been a recent shift in feelings regarding 8×8, particularly whether it is a good fit for smaller businesses. A growing number of customers feel that 8×8’s focus is primarily on enterprise-level companies, with some expressing frustration over transparency in pricing and plan details.

I noted that 8×8 no longer has public pricing for any of its service plans. Although multiple service tiers are available, potential customers must contact 8×8’s sales team for a quote. In recent years, the brand has moved toward a business model that favors larger businesses, so its pricing and plan structure will likely not suit small businesses that prefer a budget-friendly VoIP service.

8×8 offers both desktop and mobile apps for download. I was able to test the mobile app 8×8 Work, which supports voice, messaging, voicemail, call recording, and parked call features. 8×8 Work is also available for desktop and offers similar functionality, making it possible to call, text, or chat across multiple devices.

In my experience, 8×8 customer support was very knowledgeable and helpful. It was fast, efficient and among the most positive experiences when testing customer support for VoIP services. When seeking assistance, I was able to connect with 8×8 support over the phone and also through chat.

8×8 is best for medium to enterprise-level businesses with frequent experience using cloud-PBX and VoIP services.

Learn more: Read our 8×8 review .

Requires no hardware
All-in-one plans for video, voice and chat
Unlimited domestic and international calling to at least 14 countries.
Host A/V meetings with up to 500 participants.
Stream private and public meetings on YouTube
Access to apps isn’t automatic.
Pricing doesn’t favor very small teams
Security measures can lead to frequently needing to log back into your account

Best VoIP for Enterprise-Level Companies

$30 per license per month

AAircall is a top VoIP service provider that offers many essential cloud communication tools, such as unlimited calling and business texting. It is one of the most expensive cloud communication services I tested. Even so, I found Aircall’s quality and service features made it worth consideration, particularly for enterprise-level companies that lack the budget constraints of a smaller organization.

Aircall offers cloud-based business phone systems and call center tools. I was able to test its calling features, which I found to be of excellent quality. I also appreciated the ease with which I could set up a simple series of steps to direct callers to the desired department or individual. In addition to unlimited calling, Aircall provided me with a local phone number and business texting capabilities. Toll-free numbers are also available.

Though Aircall conveniently integrates with dozens of third-party apps, the service is primarily centered on voice and text-based communication. As Aircall lacks video conferencing tools, I do not think it will work for businesses seeking an all-in-one communications solution instead of splitting these tools across multiple providers.

One of my favorite add-on features offered by Aircall is its AI license, which costs $9 per month. In addition to AI-powered voicemail and talk-to-listen ratios, I appreciate its transcription and summarizing capabilities; these items offer the potential to save a great deal for any team members needing to catch up on missed details.

Another ideal add on is the analytics tool for $15 monthly; it will be applied to all existing licenses. This feature not only unlocks advanced dashboards and filters but also easy-to-understand charts, “heat maps,” unlimited history, and even provides detailed data for key metrics, such as unanswered calls.

Customer reviews for Aircall are largely positive. Customers find the interface to be attractive and modern. Although some reviewers find Aircall’s pricing a bit expensive, many consider it a good value for money. What negative reviews I did find focused on call and performance issues. For instance, some past customers disliked the lack of spam call protection. Meanwhile, others felt that the Aircall didn’t suit solopreneurs and small business owners.

Aircall starts at $30 per month, per license, when paying annually, which is hard to justify compared to popular VoIP services that not only cost half as much but also include breakout chat rooms and video conferencing for no additional cost. In fact, for very small businesses, it would be hard to get good value for money compared to Google Voice or Zoom Phone, each of which start at a third of the monthly rate.

Still, while I do not see Aircall working for solopreneurs or very small teams due to its fees, it could be a good option for enterprise-level businesses that want a reliable cloud-based calling and texting service.

The Aircall apps are downloadable through Google Play and the App Store. The service also provides desktop software compatible with Windows and Mac devices; however, it does not work with Chromebook or Linux operating systems.

I reached out to the customer service team for help with setting up an Aircall account. The team member was very patient and helpful and provided all the information necessary for using the service. Moreover, I consider Aircall’s help center knowledge base to be very detailed and useful in getting the most out of their product.

Learn more: Read our full Aircall review .

Aircall works best for enterprise-level businesses with a solid budget and pre-existing handle on VoIP systems.

Unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada
Access to more than 100 integrations
Unlimited internal and inbound calls
Call recording data available for at least six months
Very expensive compared to other options
Enterprise-level upgrade for single sign-on
Some service plans place limits on team members

Best No-Contract VoIP Service

Ooma office.

Pricing from:

$19.95 per user

If you are cautious about agreements and do not like the idea of committing to a VoIP provider long-term, then Ooma Office would be a great fit for your company. There are no contracts and Ooma lets you cancel at any time.

I was assigned a toll-free number following a simple and quick signup process. I tested Ooma’s calling features; the audio was decent. Still, I was disappointed that you had to upgrade for access to key collaboration tools like video conferencing and text messaging, something that comes standard for many competitors at no additional cost. That said, you do get unlimited calling throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.

Ooma Office has a decent range of add-on features, including international and “pay-as-you-go” calling, a personal phone number and voice-to-text. You can also port an existing phone number to your Ooma account.

Customers had positive feedback for Ooma Office’s software, stating that they appreciated the service’s phone quality and features. Reviews also praised the customer support team and felt that the VoIP provider offered great service overall. Although customer feedback has been mostly positive, some claim that older reviews do not represent the current state of Ooma Office’s product or service, with concern that there has been a loss of quality.

There were a few unhappy customers who claimed Ooma’s accounts and apps lack the appropriate connectivity across devices, impacting user experience (UX) negatively. Moreover, others have expressed that Ooma might not be a good fit for sole proprietors.

Ooma Office starts at $19.95 per user per month. While some VoIP providers have slightly cheaper rates, Ooma’s offers the unique advantage of not requiring any form of contract. The lack of mandatory agreements means you could save money by avoiding early termination fees and other hidden costs.

If you sign up for a month of service to see if Ooma is right for your VoIP needs and find that it is not the best fit, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee that alleviates any risk further.

Ooma provides a downloadable version of its app for mobile called Ooma Telo. It is available for existing customers at no additional cost while new customers can use Telo following a one-time purchase. The app ensures you avoid missed calls, check voicemail messages easily and potentially save on international calling.

I found the Ooma sales and support team to be very helpful. The company took a very proactive approach to ensuring I had the best possible experience with their service. For instance, a sales team member contacted me after signup to check that the process went smoothly and to confirm whether I needed any VoIP hardware.

I did ultimately reach out to support with an account issue. It took a few minutes to clear everything up, and the support agent who assisted me was very knowledgeable and courteous.

Small to medium businesses wanting VoIP features with no interest in annual contracts.

Learn more: Read our Ooma Office review .

Unlimited calling to the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), Canada and Mexico
Comes with toll-free number
Email audio attachments
Virtual receptionist
Upgrade needed for video conferencing
Limited integrations, with upgrade required for popular apps
Customer service may be spotty

Methodology

In determining the best VoIP service, we weighed dozens of components across several key factors. The details are featured in the table below.

Cisco Webex Calling

In addition to unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling, its service plans include auto-attendants, call waiting and forwarding, six-way conference calls, visual voicemail and more. Calling customers also get access to Webex Free, a no-cost conferencing solution that lets them hold meetings with a maximum of 100 attendees for up to 40 minutes.

Overall, I believe Webex Calling could be a cost-effective option for companies seeking both virtual phone and collaboration tools.

Openphone provides unlimited calling and texting to customers throughout Canada and the U.S. Accounts come with a local or toll-free number and features, such as voicemail transcripts, call recording and AI message responses. With a starting price of $15 per month, I believe Openphone falls within the budget of most businesses seeking a reliable VoIP provider. That said, it does lack video conferencing capabilities so if that is essential, you’ll have to try a different service.

Line2 provides unlimited calls and texts to customers in the U.S. and Canada, like other VoIP services. But when reviewing the product, I found it also provides the convenience of call blocking and caller ID. While it may not have collaborative tools like video conferencing, chat and internet faxing, it is a serviceable cloud phone service. Line2 starts at $13.75 per month when billed annually.

A VoIP system is a communications system that uses a computer, smartphone, VoIP phones or WebRTC-enabled browsers to make telephone calls and transfer information from one location to another. It accomplishes this through an internet connection. It differs from a traditional phone, also called a landline, in how it sends information and data.

VoIP uses a broadband internet connection to transmit data, which is transformed from the original analog data, transmitted as digital data and then turned back into an analog signal so that you can understand what is being said.

VoIP systems are often comprehensive office solutions offering voice mail, call recording, custom caller ID and voicemail-to-text features. Many offices use VoIP technology to create a UC system for the office that makes it easy for teams to communicate with customers and among themselves.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) vs. VoIP

SIP and VoIP are two acronyms that you will see when considering phone systems:

SIP is a technology that facilitates many VoIP sessions. It is an open-source communications protocol that is fast between two points. It enables a number of desired data transfers, including voice, file sharing, instant messaging, video conferencing and multimedia sessions.
VoIP is technically the voice component of the system’s capabilities. It is the protocol that allows voice telephone calls to be made through an internet connection. It is not limited to a specialized VoIP phone—you can call from a computer or mobile device with an internet connection.

VoIP technology can exist independently of more comprehensive SIP systems when all you need is phone call capabilities. When you need other data-sharing abilities, you need a SIP system. However, the marketplace often refers to more comprehensive solutions, such as VoIP solutions, creating confusion among consumers.

There are many VoIP service providers vying for your business. It can be hard to distinguish the best VoIP service for you. There are even some free VoIP providers. Here are some key things to look for in the best business VoIP services.

VoIP costs can vary depending on several factors, including the type of service, the number of users and the features included. Some providers offer flat-rate pricing while others charge based on usage or the number of phone lines needed.

Factors that impact cost include:

Type of service: Cloud-based VoIP systems can be less expensive than on-premises solutions.
Number of users: The more users you have, the more expensive the service will be but you may be able to negotiate bulk pricing with some providers.
Additional features: Some providers charge extra for features such as call recording, call forwarding and voicemail.

To reduce costs, you can:

Negotiate pricing with your provider
Choose a VoIP service that offers flat-rate pricing
Look for providers that offer free or low-cost international calling
Avoid unnecessary features and services

When choosing between a more expensive and cheaper option, consider the following:

What features do you need? A more expensive option may offer more features than you require, while a cheaper option may not.
What is your budget? A more expensive option may be out of your budget, while a cheaper option may be more affordable. Are there ways you can save money to afford the option you prefer?
What is the quality of service (QoS)? Cheaper options may not offer the same level of reliability and customer service as more expensive options. Looking up consumer reviews will help you determine real UXs with VoIP services.

Call Quality and Uptime

Several factors can impact call quality and uptime when using VoIP services. These include:

Network congestion: If the internet connection is slow or unreliable, it can cause delays, jitter and dropped calls.
QoS: QoS is a method of prioritizing internet traffic, which can help to ensure that VoIP calls are given priority over other types of traffic.
Codecs: Codecs are used to compress and decompress audio data and the quality of the codecs used can affect call quality.
Hardware: The quality of the user’s hardware, such as their microphone and speakers, can also impact call quality.
Service provider’s network: QoS and reliability of the service provider’s network play a huge role in ensuring call quality and uptime.

To assess a provider’s call quality and uptime during the buying process, you can:

Ask the provider for references and case studies from current customers
Read online reviews and ratings of the provider
Ask the provider about its network architecture and what measures it takes to ensure call quality and uptime
Try the service out with a free trial period
Ask the provider about its service-level agreements (SLAs), which guarantee a certain level of uptime and call quality (often, providers offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee)

Popular VoIP Phone Service Features

Key VoIP phone features to consider as you select a provider include:

Customer support: While most VoIP providers offer 24/7 support, some only offer it during business hours. Others charge extra for phone support. Consider your business needs and decide what’s best for you.
Toll-free numbers: Not every company will need this feature, but if this is important to you, ensure that the providers you are considering offer it.
Automated attendant: Eliminates the need for a receptionist by using an automated system to transfer calls to the right person. An IVR system may be part of this solution.
Caller ID: Sets the tone for a call by informing you who is on the other end of the line. This is vital in sales and service industries.
Call holding: Allows you to place a caller on hold so that you can complete another conversation or piece of business before addressing their needs.
Call queuing: Places callers on hold automatically and identifies a waitlist queue in the order that the callers first called in. This is also referred to as automatic call distribution (ACD).
Music on hold: Helps to keep callers on hold for more extended periods of time compared to listening to dead airtime when on hold.
Custom ringback: Similar to hold music, this is what your inbound callers hear while waiting to speak with someone. It is usually a message or a jingle.
Hot desking: Gives employees the ability to sign in to any connected device to access their messages and calls.
Call flipping: This is also called call pulling. It allows you to switch the call from one device to another while still on the call.
Conferencing tools: Allows for audio or video conferencing with employees or another group you create.
Call monitoring: Gives managers the ability to listen to calls for training purposes. A message that the “call is being monitored for quality assurance” is usually played at the onset of the call.
Call whispering: This technology allows a manager to whisper into the ear of the phone representative to help coach them through a call in real time.
Call barging: Allows managers to take over a call if the phone representative cannot handle the needs of the customer adequately.
Transcriptions: Useful written records of calls that can be used for training or evidence of call conversations.
Call recording: Gives managers the opportunity to review not just the words said but the tone and inflection that they were said in.
Speed dial: A time-saving feature that lets employees make often-called numbers with a click or two.
Call forwarding: Lets calls get forwarded to another device so that you can get calls from another location other than the office.
Digital faxing: Eliminates the need for a nearly obsolete office machine. While most companies rarely use faxes, this gives them the ability to do so from a computer.
Integrations: Some VoIP systems can integrate with other software, such as customer relationship management (CRM) platforms . This can help you to streamline key functionality within your business while improving your sales and customer support team’s productivity.
Call analytics: Gives managers key data about call times and critical insights about calls.
Live chat: A modern alternative that many consumers prefer to use rather than leave a message and wait for a callback.
SMS/MMS: Text messaging is another preferred method of communication, sometimes preferable to customers and peers as it is quick and easy.

Selecting VoIP Phone Features for Your Business

There are many other features to consider when selecting a VoIP system beyond the popular features we’ve noted above. As such, it’s essential to do your research in deciding what service plan to sign up for and what features will work best for your organization.

When selecting which VoIP system features to purchase through service plans or add-ons, you should consider the following:

How many people will have access to this service tool?
Does it make collaboration and communication easier?
Is it good value for the money?
Does it improve productivity and efficiency?
Will going without the feature harm your business?
Do you have any suggestions from clients or staff about using the feature?

Once you can answer a similar list regarding which VoIP features to invest in, you should move forward with choosing the best options for your business.

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VoIP is reliable because it uses your high-speed internet alongside back ISPs for redundancies. Traditional copper wire networks lack this level of flexibility or reliability, leading to more dropped calls or noise on the line.

When you get a VoIP phone system, there are a lot of features that come with it. As a reminder, many of these benefits are the result of SIP technology but are packaged as part of your VoIP system.

For everything that it does, VoIP systems are still usually cheaper than getting landlines for the same number of phone numbers.

There are many advantages of VoIP, but there are also some disadvantages that you should consider before making the switch. One of the main disadvantages is that the phone system, thus the quality of calls, is completely reliant on the premises network/firewall settings and on the internet connection quality—the better the connection, the better the calls.

However, if your internet connection goes down for any reason at any time, it’s possible VoIP or business desktop phones could also go down. Lesser-speed internet connections can also lead to call problems with dropped calls or jitter on the line.

As with other devices connected to the internet, a VoIP connection may not always be secure. This means that the calls could be breached with others listening to calls. It is important to check with the company you are contracting for VoIP services to see if they use high-level encryption to protect you and your company data. With proper network security, TLS protocols, etc., VoIP can be safer than mobile or landline.

VoIP needs an internet connection to work. You’ll need certain hardware to transfer the data. The hardware includes a personal computer and cable modem. If you are calling from a telephone, you’ll need a phone adapter or you’ll need to use a VoIP-ready phone. The adapter converts analog signals into digital signals that allow them to be transferred over the internet. During the call, the data is transferred back to an analog signal so that the other party can understand what is being said.

If you’re using VoIP from a mobile phone, you can connect to the internet wirelessly to transmit the data. Data is stored in the cloud and accessed via a dashboard on the computer or mobile device. Data may include contacts and business phone numbers.

Most business owners think that all VoIP systems are the same. There are some differences in the types of VoIP services that you can get.

Hosted or Cloud VoIP

A hosted VoIP service is different from an on-premises VoIP solution. When things are on-premises, everything from the equipment to the connection is installed and maintained by the company deploying the system. When hosted, the VoIP system is maintained by the provider of the system. The business deploying the phone system only needs to supply the phones and internet connection. The provider assumes all other expensive hardware costs.

Hosted, cloud-based VoIP phone systems use the internet to make calls and host everything on the provider’s server network. When a business chooses this type of phone system, they don’t have to manage hardware―they plug the phones in and dial.

UCaaS is a more robust VoIP platform able to supply a full end-to-end solution and feature set that’s more than simple calls and mobile apps. It relies on six key communications functions. The six communications functions are:

Telephone capacity
Audio, video and web conferencing
Unified messaging
Instant messaging
Business processes enabled by communications

The UCaaS goes beyond the VoIP solutions and incorporates SIP solutions as well. Systems can be customized to serve particular business needs. The best UCaaS providers help businesses improve their processes and streamline daily operations.

Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) offers cloud-based, customized communications services for UC systems. Most often, you will encounter CPaaS when UCaaS is integrated into CRM services. As with standard UCaaS, CPaaS is fully adaptable to any business and its needs. Everything is integrated to work in real time on the platform and doesn’t need to access outside systems.

Fixed VoIP services are provided through a dedicated internet connection, such as a digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable line. They are typically more reliable and consistent in terms of call quality and uptime. They are also more secure, as the internet connection is not shared with other users. Examples of fixed VoIP services include:

Residential VoIP services
Business VoIP services
Hosted PBX services

Nonfixed VoIP services, on the other hand, are provided through a shared internet connection, such as a Wi-Fi or cellular network. These services are typically less reliable and may be subject to dropped calls or poor call quality due to network congestion. They are also less secure, as the internet connection is shared with other users. Examples of nonfixed VoIP services include:

Mobile VoIP services
WebRTC services
SIP trunking

Fixed VoIPs are best for businesses that operate in a single physical location and require a high level of reliability and security; non-fixed VoIP services suit individuals and teams that operate on the go or need additional flexibility.

VoIP hardware and equipment refers to the devices and peripherals needed to make and receive VoIP calls. While this varies by provider, there are four main types of equipment.

The types of equipment needed for VoIP typically include:

IP phones: These are specialized phones that connect to the internet and work with VoIP systems. They often have similar features to traditional phones, such as a keypad and display.
Adapters: These devices allow traditional analog phones to work with VoIP systems. They plug into the phone and convert the analog signals into digital signals that can be transmitted over the internet.
Headphones: Some VoIP services require the use of a headset or headphones with a built-in microphone. This allows for hands-free operation and better sound quality.
Conference phones: Some VoIP services also support conference calls, in which case a conference phone is needed.

Service providers typically offer a variety of equipment options and some providers include the cost of the equipment as part of their plans while others may charge extra for the equipment or require the customer to purchase it separately.

Companies can also use their existing equipment, such as analog phones, with an adapter. However, the quality of the call may not be as good as it would be with an IP phone designed specifically for VoIP systems.

A lot of the work to set up the VoIP system starts with choosing the right VoIP system. Choose a provider that offers the hardware support, such as phones that you will need for your office.

Decide how many lines you will need. As you select a provider, you will also want to address needs such as porting over an existing number to your new system. If your business has been around for a while, maintaining the consistency of numbers is important. Be sure to let the provider know this as you sign up for the service.

Once you have chosen a provider and allowed them to do the initial setup on their end, the next item of business is to plug the system in. This means connecting the communications device (phone or computer) to the internet. Your provider will walk you through the configuration steps to ensure that your calls are transferring across the network properly. Test the system to see if any issues need troubleshooting.

Because VoIP is a comprehensive solution that most providers offer, there are add-ons that you can request to customize your business and serve its unique needs.

Virtual and Vanity Phone Numbers

When requesting a phone number, you can ask the provider for a virtual phone number or a vanity phone number. A virtual phone number allows you to have a number from a geographic region that you are not residing in, helping you better serve customers from anywhere in the world. A vanity phone number is easy to remember because it associates letters with the numbers, often representing part of the company name or slogan.

Video Conferencing

Businesses can use video conferencing to host internal meetings or to have a virtual face-to-face with customers. This is part of the new business model, particularly post-pandemic and is something most businesses will want as an add-on to their business model. VoIP integrates the best video conferencing software with call functions.

Conference Calling

Hosting conference calls is an important way to hold a virtual meeting or seminar. Top VoIP providers use the best conference call technology and make it a seamless experience.

Most businesses want their phone system to integrate with their CRM software. This means that your phone representatives have access to pertinent client details and purchases as they make the call. It’s an efficient way to provide your people with data. Top VoIP providers work with the best CRM systems .

VoIP technology has many uses and can be beneficial for various industries and business scenarios. Some of the most common use cases include:

Remote workers: VoIP technology allows remote workers to make and receive calls as if they were in the office, increasing productivity and collaboration. This is especially useful for companies with employees working from different locations or working remotely.
Customer service centers: VoIP technology can be used to set up virtual call centers, allowing customer service representatives to work from anywhere with an internet connection. This can help to reduce costs and improve service quality.
Healthcare: VoIP technology can be used to connect doctors and nurses with patients, allowing for remote consultations and reducing the need for in-person visits.
Education: VoIP technology can be used to set up virtual classrooms, allowing students to attend classes remotely. This can be especially useful for students in remote areas or with mobility issues.
Retail and e-commerce: VoIP technology can be used to set up virtual call centers to handle customer inquiries and support. This can help to reduce costs and improve service quality.

VoIP technology can also be used for other industries such as construction, finance, nonprofits, government agencies and many more. As the technology continues to evolve and improve, the possibilities for VoIP use cases will continue to expand.

VoIP is subject to a variety of regulatory concerns. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established regulations for VoIP services. These regulations are intended to ensure that consumers have access to reliable and affordable VoIP services and promote market competition. Some key regulatory concerns for VoIP include:

Emergency services: The FCC requires that VoIP providers offer the same emergency services as traditional telephone companies. This includes the ability to dial 911 and access emergency services and the ability to provide the caller’s location information to emergency responders.
Accessibility: The FCC requires that VoIP providers offer services that are accessible to people with disabilities, such as text-to-speech and captioned telephone services.
Number portability: The FCC requires that VoIP providers allow customers to keep their phone number when switching to a different provider.
Interoperability: The FCC promotes the interoperability of different VoIP networks and services.
Calling records: The FCC requires that VoIP providers maintain records of all calls placed and received and make those records available to law enforcement upon request.

It’s important for companies to be aware of these regulations and to comply with them to avoid any potential penalties or fines. The FCC provides detailed information and guidelines on its website. Check them frequently, as the regulations may change over time.

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There are a number of burgeoning 2024 VoIP trends, and being aware of them will help your business remain competitive in our rapidly evolving digital world.

UCaaS Is on the Rise

VoIP technology is the cornerstone of UCaaS models. These systems and cloud-based service packages have been gaining traction in recent years, especially following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working mandates highlighted the usefulness of VoIP-based systems, allowing employees to maintain effective communication through various methods without relying on a physical connection.

UCaaS now includes a wide variety of communication tools, including voice calls, instant chat, video calling, email integration and file sharing. These functions are critical to communication on a global scale and VoIP technology is the basis for all of them. UCaaS companies that offer more ways to connect with their partners and customers will be more competitive in the future.

we expect to see the UCaaS market continue to grow in 2024 and beyond. In 2020, the market value of UCaaS was around $38.74 billion and this number is projected to reach $210.07 billion by 2028.

Integration Into Existing Tech Stacks

Adding VoIP systems into existing business operating systems and tech stacks is becoming easier than ever. With cloud-based systems, it is possible to add additional components to a current system without much effort. Easily modifiable VoIP tools that work well alongside existing systems will be at a distinct advantage in the coming years.

Smarter VoIP Assistants

Advancements in language processing and machine learning have resulted in smarter and more effective voice assistants. AI can classify and redirect incoming messages quickly, answer basic customer questions accurately and interpret user behavior and sentiment from conversation content and tone. The assistant sends data about the interaction back to the system automatically for analysis so that future interactions can be optimized further. AI voice assistants will continue to improve in 2024 and beyond.

Increased Focus on Security

As with any internet-based entity, VoIP is vulnerable to cyber threats and attacks that can have major consequences for the businesses they serve. Breaches in security can lead to disruptions in business operations and potentially risk litigation from affected parties. Some of the most common risks to VoIP systems are phishing, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, call tampering, malware and viruses, voice over misconfigured internet telephones (VOMIT) and spam over IP telephony (SPIT).

In 2019, 38% of small businesses had no systems in place for managing cybersecurity threats and about 46% of illegal calls were made through VoIP systems. In 2024, I expect companies utilizing VoIP technology to devote more resources into securing the networks that businesses rely upon. This way, businesses can function without issue and continue to protect and serve their customers.

Here’s how to ensure you’re staying protected:

Encryption: VoIP providers should use encryption to protect data transmission. Look for providers that use industry-standard encryption methods, such as advanced encryption standard (AES) or secure sockets layer (SSL) to encrypt voice and data transmissions.
Authentication: VoIP providers should use authentication methods to ensure that only authorized users can access the system. This can include usernames and passwords or more advanced methods such as digital certificates or biometric authentication.
Firewall: You can use a firewall to protect your VoIP system from unauthorized access. Look for providers that offer a firewall or allow you to use your own firewall to protect your system. Providers should also be able to supply best practice firewall settings prior to deployment to insure call quality, registration/provisioning ease, etc.
Antivirus and anti-malware: VoIP systems can be vulnerable to malware and viruses just like any other computer system. Ensure your VoIP provider offers antivirus and anti-malware protection to protect your system from these threats.
SIP Hacking and DDoS attacks: There’s been a rise in DDoS and SIP reflection attacks on VoIP providers, so having DDoS protocols is crucial. You should be certain your provider has them in place.
Network monitoring: Network monitoring can help to detect security breaches and other issues. Look for providers that offer monitoring and reporting capabilities to help you keep track of your system’s security.
Regular software updates: VoIP providers should regularly release software updates to fix security vulnerabilities. Look for providers that offer automatic updates to make it easy to keep your system secure.

What is the best business VoIP service?

The top three VoIP phone services for business available today include RingCentral, Dialpad and Zoom Phone. These providers offer toll-free numbers, voicemail transcription and other popular VoIP features at affordable pricing from as low as $10 per month.

What do I need for a VoIP phone system?

To use VoIP, you’ll need a reliable and fast internet connection. Because it’s a cloud-based tool, a lack of online service means you wouldn’t be able to use it.

Is VoIP the same as Wi-Fi calling?

VoIP and Wi-Fi calling are similar. VoIP sends digital data packets over the internet that are converted to analog phone signals at the recipient’s end. Wi-Fi calling connects a phone call through the internet rather than a cell tower.

Are VoIP phones secure?

In general, using a VoIP phone, including a VoIP cellphone, is very secure. However, there are steps that you can take to increase the security levels even more. These include verifying that your VoIP provider offers an encrypted connection, implementing a SIP-capable firewall that filters all incoming calls for any content that puts your system at risk and having your information technology (IT) staff create a virtual local area network (VLAN) for all of your internal calls to take place, keeping them from being put at risk from outside sources. Make sure that your staff remains diligent when using their VoIP phones so that they can avoid risks such as voice phishing, also known as vishing.

How do I get VoIP phone service?

To get VoIP phone service, you will need to find a VoIP provider that offers service in your area and sign up for service. You can search online, ask for recommendations or check with your internet service provider. Once you have chosen a provider, it will send you the necessary equipment and instructions for setting up and using the service.

Can I port an existing number to VoIP?

Yes, most VoIP providers allow you to port your existing phone number to their service. This means that you can keep your current phone number when switching to a VoIP service, which can be convenient for businesses and individuals. Check with the provider for additional costs or requirements for the number porting process.

Are all phones VoIP compatible?

Yes, it is possible to fax over VoIP using a fax machine or a computer with a fax modem. Some VoIP providers offer fax-to-email services, which allow you to send and receive faxes via email. However, it’s important to check with the provider for any additional costs or requirements for this service.

Can I fax over VoIP?

It is possible to fax over VoIP using a fax machine or a computer with a fax modem. Some VoIP providers offer fax-to-email services, which allow you to send and receive faxes via email. However, it’s important to check with the provider for any additional costs or requirements for this service.

Do VoIP phones work without internet?

VoIP phones depend on having a consistent, reliable internet connection. Without the web, you won’t be able to place or receive any calls with them. For this reason, your internet speed must be fast and stable enough so as not to impede VoIP performance—critical for ensuring communication between your business and its stakeholders runs smoothly every time.

Next Up In VoIP

Best Cheap VoIP Phone Service Providers
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8×8 Vs. RingCentral

For nearly a decade, Toni Matthews-El has published business topics ranging from cloud communication software to best steps for establishing your own LLC. In addition to Forbes Advisor, she's published articles for Medical News Today, US News and World Report.

With 20 years of experience, Kiran Aditham has navigated the field in editorial and writing, from working with major pubs like Adweek, AdAge and PSFK to now working at Forbes Advisor.

In 2003, Alex Aristides, armed with expertise in voice/data cable infrastructure, IT, PBX, voicemail and contact centers, embarked on an entrepreneurial journey after leaving his role as a PBX Installation Coordinator. Initially a solo endeavor, his company quickly evolved into a subsidiary of major contracting firms. Despite facing challenges in the competitive telecom and cabling industry, including branching into physical security and a stint as vice president of operations, Alex sought a more fulfilling path. In 2010, he made a bold decision to start anew, founding M2S VOIP with a laptop, a credit card, and a vision. Learning from past experiences, he prioritized independence and innovation, transforming M2S from a local integrator to a national leader in hosted Voice Over IP services. Today, M2S VoIP stands out for its carrier-grade SIP cloud PBX, comprehensive offerings and commitment to personalized service, setting itself apart in an industry dominated by standard solutions.

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Google Voice: Business Phone System & Plans Stay connected and save time with an easy-to-use business phone solution that fits organizations of any size.

Work from anywhere

Your Voice line works on mobile devices, laptops, and supported deskphones so you can stay connected at work, home, or on-the-go.

Voice can be customized to fit your day-to-day workflow. Number assignment, porting, and billing are neatly consolidated in the familiar Google Workspace Admin console.

Voice uses Google AI to help save you time by blocking spam calls and transcribing voicemails to text automatically. Integrations with Google Meet and Calendar help keep the focus on what's important.

Voice can be deployed instantly — and globally — from anywhere, with less administrative work. This feature includes easy set up of multi-level auto attendants and ring groups (also known as hunt groups).

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Expand your reach with sip link.

SIP Link allows customers to connect PSTN services from any carrier to Google Voice through certified Session Border Controllers (SBCs).

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Our sales team now uses Google Voice to call and text customers from their smartphones, tablets, and the web. And because it is considerably more affordable to operate than our legacy VoIP systems, we continue to steadily expand our usage of Google Voice.

Nerina Martinez, Senior Director of Technology at Iron Mountain

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Best VoIP Business Phone Systems of 2024

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business phone systems can help companies improve collaboration and productivity by allowing communication to no longer be tethered to a physical in-office phone. The options are vast, ranging from basic VoIP phone service to all-in-one platforms that provide phone, messaging, video conferencing, and even contact center solutions that integrate with your office software and CRM applications. We’ve researched and rated the best companies and Intermedia, Nextiva, and Dialpad top our list.

Popular Business Phone Systems

Intermedia »

Nextiva »

Vonage »

RingCentral »

8x8 »

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Best VoIP Business Phone Systems
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Modern cloud-based phone services give businesses big and small the flexibility to operate anywhere and scale for growth, whether your workforce is local, distributed, or entirely remote. Continuing advances in VoIP technology mean that communication can happen anywhere, at any time.

Choosing the best VoIP service for your business requires careful consideration, and our guide aims to help. If you’re seeking to improve your business’ collaboration and productivity potential, we’ve got you covered. We’ve researched plans, features, pricing, and more to help you determine which VoIP business phone system is the best fit for you and your business.

Our Best VoIP Business Phone Systems of 2024 Rating

Compare the best voip business phone systems of 2024, compare quotes for business phone systems.

Fill out this questionnaire to get customized pricing from providers that meet your needs.

Best VoIP Business Phone Systems in Detail

Cloud-based phone services offer plans with unlimited calling, text messaging, and video conferencing. However, the features vary by provider and plan. Some platforms provide advanced tools like AI-driven insights and real-time meeting transcriptions, while others seamlessly connect with your analog devices. Pricing for the top VoIP business phone systems starts at $15 per user per month.

Straightforward pricing

Most integrations available with basic plan

Some features require separate add-ons

Video conferencing maxes out at 200 participants

Intermedia is our Best Business Phone System of 2024 and our No. 1 rated VoIP Business Phone System. Its Unite packages, Pro and Enterprise, offer a unified communications phone system that include features such as cloud storage, voicemail transcription, call recording, video conferencing capabilities, and analytics capabilities.

The Pro plan begins at $27.99 and the Enterprise level plan begins at $32.99. At the Enterprise level, users will have access to 200 GB of storage, an exchange mailbox, HD video conferencing for up to 200 users, supervisor functions. The Enterprise level has additional integrations with Salesforce, Service Now, NetSuite, MS Dynamics plus the integrations that come with the Pro plan: Google and Microsoft applications, Slack, Sugar CRM, Zoho CRM, and Zendesk.

Dialpad »

App integrations available at entry-level

AI-powered call analysis and transcription

APIs provide additional user management functionality

14-day trial period is short

24/7 support not available with all plans

When paid annually, Dialpad’s entry-level plan is less expensive than others in our rating. Yet, it’s packed with features, including live speech coaching, automated post-call summaries, and real-time call transcriptions. The three subscriptions (Standard, Pro, and Enterprise) offer unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada, file sharing, and five-hour video meetings with 10 participants.

If your staff lives or works outside of the U.S., Dialpad Pro and Enterprise provide local number support in more than 70 countries and allow international text messaging. These plans also integrate with HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Salesforce.

GoTo Connect »

Connects with business productivity apps

International calling capabilities

Plans combine phone and virtual meeting features

Meetings are limited at Basic level

Self-service customer support for Basic plan

Like 8x8, GoTo Connect offers two subscriptions with unlimited calling to more than 50 countries, making it a good choice for businesses with overseas clients. However, GoTo Connect doesn’t offer international phone numbers. Instead, you can choose a local or toll-free number. Standard and Premium subscriptions come with 1,000 and 5,000 toll-free minutes, whereas Basic users pay $0.03 per minute.

GoTo Connect integrates with Zoho CRM , Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and more. All plans include the instant response feature, allowing users to send an automatic text message to first-time callers when they’re unable to answer the phone.

Aircall »

One-click integrations with third-party software

Offers local, toll-free, and international numbers in over 100 countries

Call recording comes standard with all Aircall plans

Requires a minimum of three users

Base plan costs more than entry-level plans from other providers

No video conferencing available

Aircall is designed for call centers, as all subscriptions include flexible call distribution rules, email reporting, and conference calling. It requires a minimum of three users, so it’s not a great fit for solopreneurs. Although the entry-level Essentials plan costs more than other solutions on our Best VoIP Business Phone Systems of 2024 rating, it offers features typically locked behind mid- and upper-tier packages.

For instance, Aircall Essentials integrates with over 100 applications and provides application programming interface (API) access. Users can connect to HubSpot , Pipedrive, and Zendesk. However, you need the Professional or Custom package to connect to Salesforce .

Ooma »

24/7 customer support

Can be used with existing non-digital office phones

Entry-level plan includes features like digital fax

Toll free numbers cost extra

Video conferencing not available in basic plan

CRM integration is only available for highest tier plan

Ooma has three business plans – Essentials, Pro, and Pro Plus – and three enterprise Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions – Standard, Enhanced, and Call Center.

Ooma supports analog devices in its basic plans, while other companies in our rating put desk phone compatibility in higher-tier plans only. Ooma’s analog device support includes overhead paging systems and fax machines. Ooma is also the only company in our ratings to offer unlimited calling to Puerto Rico.

All accounts with Ooma will include a toll-free number with 500 inbound calling minutes every month.

If you have a hybrid or remote team, your employees can access video conference tools, voicemail transcriptions, and call analytics with Ooma’s Pro plan. If you want Pro Plus, you get Salesforce integration and call queuing. All Enterprise plans come with white glove onboarding, but the highest Enterprise plan provides advanced features like:

Skills-based routing
Automatic call distributor
An interactive voice response system

Avaya »

Systems available for all business sizes

Wide range of features available

Free plan available with Avaya Spaces

Smaller businesses might not need advanced features

Only top plan has international calling

Avaya has four service plans: Essentials, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. Avaya limits the base plan to 20 or fewer users. All subscriptions include document sharing, team messaging, voicemail transcription, toll-free minutes, and unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada.

Avaya also provides business phone numbers in more than 100 countries on all plans except Essentials. Mid and upper-tier packages offer audio and video conferencing capabilities. Avaya has a large ecosystem of integrations apps, but the number and type vary by tier. Standard users can connect to Google Workspace, Slack, and Microsoft 365, whereas Premium offers CRM integrations .

How much do VoIP business phone systems cost?

The business phone systems in our rating can range from $15 to $100 per user per month. Lower-priced packages typically have limits on the number of users and offer fewer advanced features. The lower-priced plans are best for small businesses and solopreneurs.

With some VoIP services, it is possible to earn discounts for paying the annual free upfront, entering into a multi-year contract, or signing up more users. However, you may have additional fees for toll-free and international calls, premium support, hardware, and federal and state taxes and fees.

What Should I Look for in a VoIP Business Phone System?

A business VoIP phone system advertises a variety of features, including call recording, call forwarding, and video conferencing. Think about what your business needs to decide which basic and advanced features are important to you and ask yourself:

Do I have employees working remotely?
Would I like the ability to forward calls to people’s home phones?
Am I interested in an auto-attendant that lets callers be routed to the correct person?
Would my business benefit from internal messaging tools?
Am I on the go a lot and would often utilize a voicemail-to-email feature that lets me see quickly what people are calling about?
Do I need a mobile app that would allow me to access phone service features from mobile devices?

Before making a decision, make sure the companies you’re considering offer other key telephone features you may desire, such as:

Call recording
Three-way calling
Video conferencing
Internet faxing
CRM integration

Finally, consider a provider's customer service options, including whether the company offers 24/7 support and help with IP phone installation and configuration. Many providers also offer rich resource centers with lots of tools, content, and advice related to all aspects of business.

How Do I Choose the Best VoIP Business Phone System for my Business?

Start by clearly defining your business phone needs, says Sam Sansome, principal and VP of Operations, Sales, and Marketing at Aligned Technologies . He suggests asking some key questions:

1. How else might a VoIP system help my business?

Today’s VoIP services do more than send and receive calls over the internet. They offer advanced call management features; all-in-one platforms for voice, messaging, and video; and even may use AI to automate tasks, coach employees, and track issues and opportunities.

So instead of just replacing your existing phone system with a similar one, explore how modern VoIP features can improve the customer experience and make your company more accessible and responsive. “This is an opportunity for people to have some meaningful impact on the productivity of their workforce,” says Sansome.

2. What office and CRM software do I use?

Some VoIP phone services integrate with the software and CRM applications used by your business. Integrations are “huge” for boosting productivity, so you’ll want a system that works with your applications, says Sansome. An integrated app, for example, may let you pull up a customer profile, click to make a call, log call details into the CRM program, and attach a call recording or transcript, all without entering data manually. Some VoIP services enable custom integrations via APIs and webhooks.

3. How do employees and customers want to communicate?

It’s important to choose a VoIP solution that accommodates the needs of both, says Sansome. Do employees want desk phones? Would they prefer to use smartphones and computer apps? Do they want to team message and video meet with coworkers?

Customers increasingly prefer text and instant messaging. “Are you going to make it easy for them to do business the way they want to do business with you or are you just going to provide them with a phone number,” asks Sansome.

4. What are my basic phone system requirements?

How many employees, departments, and office locations do you need to support? Do you require toll-free phone numbers or specific call management features? What are your technical and customer service expectations?

“The great thing about these cloud systems is they are, by nature, extremely scalable,” says Sansome. Typically, it’s easy to add users, upgrade to next-tier plans, or switch providers by porting numbers.

5. Is my infrastructure adequate?

All cloud-hosted VoIP phone services require a high-speed internet connection. To ensure call quality and reliability, Sansome recommends you have two separate connections, plus run software-defined wide area networking, or SD-WAN, software. SD-WAN acts as a traffic director. It monitors the two connections and routes calls to the one performing best.

You also may need to buy IP desk phones for an on-premises phone system. Some VoIP services can adapt the analog phones you currently own.

VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol. As the Federal Communications Commission explains, VoIP-based business phone systems route phone calls through your business's wired or Wi-Fi internet connection, instead of through traditional phone lines. While some users may experience a spotty connection, modern VoIP solutions generally offer pretty good call quality and reliability when a business has high-speed internet. You can usually make calls from VoIP phones or softphones to traditional phone lines and cell phones. Plus, you can forward calls to your landline or mobile phone if you’re away from the office.

It's possible to have on-premises servers for VoIP phone software, similar to a system called a PBX that handles traditional business landline calls. However, many VoIP systems are cloud-hosted, meaning that the VoIP provider's servers process your calls. That often makes it easier to connect to them from multiple locations, including through a cloud-based mobile app. This can be good for businesses with people who are frequently on the road or working from home.

VoIP phone systems often also include other services, such as video conferencing and internal company messaging. With cloud-based systems reliant on your phone company's servers and software, it can be important to pick a provider with the level of customer service that you want.

You don't necessarily need any hardware for a VoIP-based phone system, because many provide support for mobile phone and desktop apps to make and receive calls. If you prefer to use more traditional office devices, many VoIP companies offer desk phones and conference room phones that you can use with their services, often preconfigured to quickly connect to their networks. You may be able to use third-party phones as well. If you have existing desk phones, you may need an adaptor to connect them to the VoIP network, particularly if they're traditional landline devices rather than digital phones.

Many business VoIP providers offer plug-and-play desk phones that are designed to operate with the provider's network as soon as you receive them. Such companies also often offer smartphones and desktop apps that can connect to their networks when you download them from the provider or your phone's app marketplace. If you're setting up an entire office worth of phones or adjusting existing devices to work with your new VoIP provider, you may want to see if the company can provide assistance over the phone or in person in setting up your new equipment.

VoIP service can be handy for remote employees. Often, business VoIP service will let you use the same devices at home and at work with minimal configuration, so you can use your business phone number to receive and make calls wherever you are. In addition, you frequently can use mobile devices or software-based desktop tools to connect to your VoIP system from any smartphone or computer. Many VoIP services also come with messaging and videoconferencing tools.

Securing VoIP phones can be more challenging than traditional landline phones, according to the Department of Homeland Security , but modern VoIP systems generally use encryption to keep your calls safe from eavesdroppers. VoIP companies, like other online companies, also use encrypted communications when you connect to their websites to prevent someone from accessing your account to steal phone time or access your payment credentials like credit card numbers.

Many VoIP providers also advertise compliance with particular privacy and security standards, including the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards for safeguarding healthcare information, and Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Many also undergo audits according to protocols like SOC 2 and SOC 3, designed to ensure that companies have adequate safeguards to prevent data breaches. If you're required by regulators or corporate policy to do business with companies with particular security certifications, you can shop around for VoIP providers that have the necessary credentials.

It's also important to use the same safety measures you would with other internet technologies, like picking secure passwords and making sure your phones, computers, and other devices have the latest security updates and security software installed. That can help keep your VoIP accounts secure and reduce the risk of eavesdropping or unauthorized use.

Best Business Phone Systems of 2024
Best Small Business Phone Systems of 2024
What Is VoIP?
How to Buy a Business Phone System
Nextiva vs. RingCentral Business Phone Systems
MagicJack vs. Ooma Business Phone Systems
Ooma vs. Vonage Business Phone Systems
Ringcentral vs. Zoom Business Phone Systems

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Google Voice
GoToConnect
Grasshopper
Ooma Office
RingCentral

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Choose the best VoIP phone service to enhance your business communications

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A manager talking to an employee from home via RingCentral

In today’s digital world, VoIP is quickly becoming the preferred telecoms choice for home phone telephone systems and modern businesses alike.

VoIP is a convenient, reliable, and cost-effective alternative to legacy phone systems. It’s no wonder that the world of VoIP is expanding rapidly, with new business VoIP service providers popping up regularly.

With so many VoIP phone solutions out there, choosing the right service provider to suit your business needs can be challenging. Whether you’re searching for a small business VoIP solution or an enterprise alternative, it’s important to know what to look for.

To help you choose the best business VoIP phone service provider, we’ll cover:

What is VoIP?

Voip business phones vs. landline phones: what’s the difference, how to make a voip phone call, key features of a business voip phone system, advantages of a voip phone system, how to choose the best business voip provider for your business, enhance your business communications with ringcentral.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP, for short) is a technology that enables the transmission of multimedia content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. When we talk about VoIP, we’re more often than not referring to voice and audio data; however, it is also the foundation of other forms of media transmission (such as video).

VoIP is the main telephony component in top cloud business communications solutions, such as RingCentral.

VoIP technology is used to facilitate phone calls and other telephony functions over the internet. Its users can make calls from any device with an internet connection, making it a more flexible and convenient option than traditional landline telephones.

How do VoIP phones work?

VoIP phone service works differently depending on what it’s connecting calls to—it can connect to other VoIP lines or traditional landlines.

VoIP works through a set of telephony protocols that use packet switching technology to convert analog voice signals to data packets. These data signals are then sent across the internet. Here’s how a VoIP call works, step by step:

When someone speaks into the device (IP phone, softphone), voice signals are compressed into data packets that are then sent to the VoIP service provider.
The VoIP provider routes the data signals to the receiver (the person on the other end of the call).
The data packets are received and uncompressed, so what the receiver hears is sound again.

What makes VoIP stand out as the preferred technology for business communications? To fully grasp the power of VoIP, we need to understand how it works in comparison to traditional phone systems.

Traditional landline phones operate using a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). A landline telephone sends coded electricity pulses via copper wire phone lines to transmit soundwaves through a circuit switching method.

Traditional business phone systems require business owners to configure an on-premises PBX that connects employees within a shared network. It requires a ton of hardware and a robust physical infrastructure to facilitate. Some key characteristics of traditional phones include:

High costs for on-premises hardware and maintenance.
Additional costs for hardware and service upgrades.
Dedicated physical phone lines.
High costs associated with international calling.

When businesses transition to a cloud PBX (also referred to as hosted PBX or virtual PBX), they no longer have to host software on a server in the same way analog systems do. Instead, cloud PBX phone systems host all of your data and software in the cloud. They use VoIP technology to facilitate the transmission of calls through internet connections.

Key features of VoIP phone services include:

Little to no on-premises hardware is required to facilitate a business VoIP phone.
Quick and easy to implement with low maintenance costs.
Easy to add new phone numbers or repurpose existing ones.
New features can be added at little to no additional costs.

The key difference between landline phones and modern business VoIP phones is the technology required for the phones. Landline phones may have limited features, while VoIP phones are digital phones that can have features that can be enabled.

A landline office phone limits what your employees can do, allowing for only the most basic calling features; Internet phones, on the other hand, allow for voice, video, and unlimited extensions that can empower your employees to communicate and collaborate effectively.

If you’re looking for a solution that offers functionality across different office locations, mobile devices, and within the cloud, then VoIP is right for your business. Moreover, VoIP phones offer business benefits ranging from cost savings to increased flexibility.

There are several different ways to make a VoIP phone call. The method you choose will depend on your specific business needs and the equipment available to you.

VoIP phones or internet protocol desk phones : These might look like regular landline phones, but VoIP desk phones are much more than that. These phones are connected to the internet with wi-fi or Ethernet cables and can be used to make voice calls.
Softphones : Softphone solutions are available through mobile or desktop apps. It can be accessed through a special app or software that is provided by the VoIP provider. You’ll also need a computer microphone, as well as speakers or headphones. With a VoIP mobile app, users can also connect a business phone number to the device via their VoIP system.
VoIP Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) : This solution allows you to use your existing phones for VoIP calls. The analog-to-digital adaptor transforms analog signals to digital signals, making it compatible with VoIP transmission.

One of the best things about shifting from a traditional on-premises PBX to a VoIP business phone system is the array of advanced features they provide. Whether you’re running a call center or need a business VoIP system to connect your internal teams, these features are invaluable.

When choosing between VoIP phone service providers, it’s important to consider which features you require:

Auto-attendant : This VoIP feature allows you to create custom greetings for customers and direct them towards the most appropriate extension or department. This tool also plays hold music while callers wait in the queue.
Caller ID : Lets you know who’s calling by showing the caller’s name on the allow screen. This lets you better prepare before handling the call.
Call management features : Advanced calling features like call forwarding, call recording, and call routing can streamline calls to reach the correct agent. Call center or contact center management of incoming calls can be managed to deliver better customer support, leading to better customer experiences.
CRM integrations : Robust business VoIP systems offer integrations with tools like CRMs and other productivity apps. This includes popular business apps like Salesforce, Zendesk, Office 365, and Google’s G-Suite.
Business SMS messaging : Send unlimited business SMS text messages to customers’ mobile phones. This is a useful feature for appointment setting or sending reminders.
Team messaging : Enhance team communication with instant messaging that allows you to chat in real-time, collaborate on projects, and share important files and documents.
Unlimited calling : Business phone systems offer unlimited HD call quality phone calls to VoIP compatible devices, as well as audio conference calling for speaking to more than one person at once. Business owners can enjoy unlimited international calling to toll-free numbers through VoIP.
Unlimited internet faxing : Send and receive unlimited faxes to clients and colleagues.
Video conferencing : Hold high-quality video meetings between colleagues or clients. Video conference tools are typically part of UCaaS systems or contact center solutions and offer added features to enhance communication and collaboration like screen sharing and screen annotations.
Virtual receptionist : This feature allows you to field incoming calls to resolve customer issues and needs efficiently.
Voicemail-to-email : Get voicemail transcriptions sent directly to your email, so you can read your messages on the go.

There are numerous advantages of switching from a legacy phone system to VoIP.

1. It can save you money.

Legacy phone systems require you to spend a lot up-front, and it becomes expensive (and difficult!) to make changes. VoIP solutions allow companies to save on costs related to:

Server infrastructure and hardware : With VoIP solutions, everything is hosted in the cloud. It removes the costs associated with implementing a physical infrastructure, hardware, and more. Moreover, they offer easy setup and require minimal up-front costs.
Adding phone numbers or services : VoIP allows you to adjust the number of users as your business grows, so you don’t have to pay to install new phone lines. Moreover, VoIP gives you access to a range of extra features and services that are expensive or unavailable with traditional phone systems.
Long-distance callin g: With VoIP, businesses can make international calls between VoIP-enabled devices, as well as use VoIP to make calls to local numbers at more affordable rates. What’s more, VoIP allows users to make long-distance calls on a cell phone via a softphone app without incurring huge charges.

VoIP service for business solutions, too, are available at affordable prices. The cost of VoIP plans can vary depending on the size of your business and the extra communication and collaboration tools you require.

2. It grows with your business.

VoIP communications solutions are completely scalable. This means that they grow with your business.

As business phone systems are hosted and managed in the cloud, you can easily add or remove new users and phone numbers without incurring additional costs. This makes it easy to scale your solution to meet the demands of seasonal customer support spikes, new office locations, or remote teams.

3. It’s mobile-friendly.

VoIP offers increased mobility for modern businesses. In today’s age of digital transformation, companies rely on technology to stay connected at all times, even on the go.

VoIP services can be accessed from mobile phones (Android, iOS) using a dedicated softphone mobile app. This means employees can take voice calls, join video conferences, and message team members from any internet-connected device.

As business environments become increasingly reliant on globally dispersed teams and remote employees, communications systems must keep users connected no matter where they’re located. As a small business, increased mobility gives you the power to run your business from a smartphone.

4. VoIP offers better security and business continuity.

Business VoIP solutions are managed by third-party service providers who take care of all your security concerns. Take RingCentral, for example. Users are protected with seven layers of enterprise-grade security across physical, network, host, data, and business processes.

As business VoIP solutions are hosted in the cloud, they offer enhanced business continuity. This means your important business data is secure even in the event of a natural disaster or power outage.

5. It gives you access to a range of powerful features.

In today’s competitive landscape, shifts in technology and consumer demands are shaping the business world.

Empowering your team with enterprise-grade business VoIP features will enable them to perform to the best of their abilities and bring you one step closer to achieving your business goals. Unified communications systems enable teams to collaborate and communicate effectively with features like:

Audio conferencing
Video conference calls
Team messaging

Choosing the best business VoIP system can be challenging. How do you decide which provider can best serve your needs? Business VoIP solutions come in different shapes and sizes. Below are some of the main forms of business VoIP.

Small-medium business (SMB) VoIP : There are many VoIP solutions available for SMBs to help them transition from analog phone systems. These solutions offer basic VoIP telephony functionality and can be scaled to grow with your business.
Enterprise VoIP : Enterprise VoIP solutions allow for larger deployments to facilitate more traffic and hosted voice. Enterprise solutions offer an extensive range of advanced features as well as enterprise-grade security and uptime.
Unified Communications (UC) : UC platforms integrate voice, video, and messaging into a single service. UC is an ideal choice for businesses seeking to improve productivity and enhance internal collaboration.
Agent management
Skills-based routing

Below are some considerations to help you make the right decision.

1. What features do you need?

Modern business VoIP solutions offer an array of telephony features and collaboration tools to streamline business operations. Ask yourself which ones your business needs. For example, do you require advanced call management features, video conferencing functionality, or third-party app integrations?

A unified communications system like RingCentral is ideal for small businesses and large enterprises alike. RingCentral allows you to tailor your communications platform to suit your needs. With access to integrated voice, video, and team messaging, RingCentral empowers your team with everything they need to communicate and collaborate effectively and productively.

2. Do you require mobile accessibility?

Another important aspect of the VoIP solution you choose is whether or not it offers a robust mobile app. As we become more accustomed to the world of remote work, business owners should weigh up the benefits of mobile accessibility in a VoIP communications service.

RingCentral offers a mobile-ready UC solution that can be accessed from any internet-connected device. You can sign in from your Windows or Mac desktop computer or an iPhone or Android mobile device using the RingCentral App. Moreover, RingCentral allows you to switch seamlessly between devices for a truly mobile communications experience.

3. What’s your budget?

The final thing to consider when choosing a VoIP service provider is the pricing they offer. Outline your budget and consider the features you need to find the most appropriate solution to suit your needs.

VoIP solutions are much more affordable than managing and maintaining traditional phone systems. VoIP plans are typically available on a monthly basis. The top providers offer a range of plans to suit the needs of start-ups, SMBs, and enterprises.

RingCentral is the number one business communications solution. Businesses can choose from four different plans, and pricing depends on accessible features. RingCentral’s pricing plan includes:

Essentials : Message, phone, and more.
Standard : Message, phone, video, open APIs, and more.
Premium : Message, phone, video, open APIs, single sign-on, real-time analytics, and more.
Ultimate : Everything else, plus device status reports and alerts and unlimited storage.

As we move into an age of digital transformation, VoIP phone systems are becoming increasingly advanced. They provide businesses with all the tools they need to communicate and collaborate effectively and efficiently.

Choosing the right VoIP solution requires businesses to fully understand their needs and how they align with the key features of business phone systems. Implementing a UC solution like RingCentral will empower your team with integrated messaging, phone, video, and a range of collaboration tools to streamline business operations and boost productivity.

Want to know more about what RingCentral can do for your business? Sign up for a free trial and take RingCentral for a test drive today.

11 Best VoIP Providers for Small Businesses in 2024

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In 2024, millions of businesses have employees working remotely. So, it’s only natural that businesses are turning to VoIP phone systems that cater to geographically scattered teams, and moving away from single-premise landline setups. But finding one that has video conferencing features, the right CRM integrations , and useful on-call features is no easy task.

According to our research, the best VoIP provider for small businesses in 2024 is RingCentral , thanks to its unlimited audio conferencing, powerful AI-powered toolkit, and 200+ integration options. It also offers excellent value, with a scalable payment structure and an affordable entry price of $20 per user, per month .

If cost is your top concern, we’ve developed a free VoIP quotes tool to help you compare custom VoIP prices from all the leading providers on the market. Read on to learn more about how all the leading VoIP providers compare.

In this guide:

What Is VoIP?

Best 11 VoIP Providers for 2024

How to choose the best voip provider, methodology: how we rate voip providers.

Top VoIP Providers: The Verdict

Best VoIP Providers Overview

RingCentral – best overall VoIP provider
Zoom Phone – best value for money
8×8 – best for sales teams
Vonage Business Solutions – best training features
GoTo Connect – great for scaling
Ooma – great for customer experience
Nextiva – great for professional services
Net2Phone – great for international businesses
NUACOM – best for customer satisfaction
Dialpad – a low-cost option for startups
Google Voice – the most secure choice for small teams

Click on the links to start comparing prices for VoIP providers or read on for all reviews.

Which is the cheapest VoIP Provider?

What voip features do growing businesses need, are there any other options other than voip.

Our in-house experts have conducted user-testing and extensive research into the VoIP industry — examining the top VoIP providers based on their service, value, customer support, and features offered. The reviews below are based on this independent analysis and testing.

Research Summary (2024)

Having seen what these VoIP providers have on offer, it’s really hard to look past RingCentral . It’s got a huge range of both inbound and outbound communication features, which makes it a viable option for a broad range of teams , such as customer service and sales departments.

There are also loads of team management features which means you can maintain organizational harmony as your business grows, and avoid a time-consuming migration to another VoIP platform.

However, RingCentral won’t be in every business’s price range. A good budget-friendly alternative is Zoom Phone , which doesn’t offer quite the same level of customer support, but will provide you with a lot more features on its $10 per user, per month plan than RingCentral’s Starter plan, as well as providers like 8×8’s cheapest offering.

1. RingCentral – Best Overall VoIP Provider

RingCentral serves more than 300,000 businesses for a reason. It’s a great fit for hospitality, retail, healthcare, and customer service teams, thanks to a range of features designed for fielding high volumes of inbound callers.

Highly Scalable thanks to lots of team management features
Lots of integrations, which makes setting up super easy
Range of features makes it suitable for both sales and customer service teams
Limited inclusive an toll-free minutes, and you'll have to pay extra if you need more
Not as popular with its users as some of the other providers on this list

RingCentral features

All RingCentral plans include unlimited domestic calls, number porting, custom greetings, a virtual receptionist, spam prevention, voicemail-to-text, caller ID, call transcripts, and custom call routing. There’s also unlimited audio conferencing with 1,000 attendees and AI meeting transcription .

Ringecentral's interface when a user is making a call.

Making a call in the RingCentral Windows application. Image: RingCentral

RingCentral’s organizational and Team management features make it highly scalable. Collaboration features like a task manager and an online whiteboard, are really helpful for brainstorming ideas, and all plans have management features including team messaging and document sharing .

Other features make RingCentral a great fit for growing businesses. RingCentral is considered secure thanks to, among other things, multi-factor authentication options for end-users and extensive compliance certifications .

Additionally, video conferencing is available for up to 100 participants on the Core and Advanced plans, and 200 on the Ultra plan (more on these plans later). RingCentral’s video conferencing features are naturally limited compared to Zoom Phone , but they’re worth it if they mean you can avoid investing in another software program.

Its business analytics platform, RingCentral MVP analytics , can provide larger teams with the granular data needed to see where things are going right and wrong, something Zoom doesn’t have. You’ll also be able to inform your team about the latest changes with wallboard views and send data-driven alerts directly to their inboxes.

RingCentral integrations

Overall, RingCentral can connect to over 200 applications, including big-name CRM systems like HubSpot, Zendesk Freshdesk, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and ServiceNow. There’s also a wide range of customer support, collaboration, and reporting integrations available.

For comparison, Zoom Phone only integrates with 71 apps (check out our Zoom vs RingCentral guide for more) .

RingCentral support

RingCentral offers 24/7 phone and live chat support, which means you can contact them at any time of day. That’s probably one of the main reasons the provider can keep their customer downtime average to just 6 minutes a year. Plus, it has an extensive FAQs section that can help you fix your own problems, and training videos galore.

RingCentral pricing

RingCentral offers four pricing plans: Core, Advanced, and Ultra. Here’s how they compare:

Overall, RingCentral’s first plan isn’t quite as cheap as Zoom Phone’s $10 per user, per month Metered package. However, RingCentral has better collaboration and advanced outbound comms features.

The Core plan costs $20 per user, per month (paid annually). The number of lines you can buy at this price is capped at 20, after which you’ll have to contact sales to discuss your plan – however, this is the case on all RingCentral plans. The Core plan offers an auto-attendant, call conferencing, integrations for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, voicemail-to-email, and on-demand call recording. Video calls support up to 100 participants.

The $25 per user, per month Advanced plan adds automatic call-recording, a Salesforce integration, single sign-on functionality, call queuing, ring groups (which lets multiple phone numbers all ring when one extension is called), call monitoring, call barge, call whisper, and analytics. You’ll also get access to many more integrations for CRM, email, helpdesk, web conferencing, and both internal and external live chat services.

The Ultra plan ( $35 per user, per month ) includes unlimited storage for files, contacts, videos, and meeting recordings, as well as access to RingCentral’s business analytics platform. Video calls support up to 200 participants.

Check out our complete guide to RingCentral pricing for more information

Should you choose RingCentral?

RingCentral is our top VoIP system pick, across the board. Its wide range of inbound communication features, combined with top-rated customer service , make it a great fit for industries including hospitality, retail, and healthcare . It’s also a lot cheaper than 8×8, which was the only other provider that came close to RingCentral.

Of course, the best way to ensure you’re getting a good VoIP deal is by taking a look at our price comparison tool. We’ve developed the tool to match businesses to the providers most suited to their needs and priorities, so be sure to take a look if you want to save a bit of time!

Who should use RingCentral?

Growing businesses – it’s very scalable
Businesses that prioritize security
Businesses looking to get set up quickly

Who shouldn’t use RingCentral?

Businesses with advanced web conferencing requirements
Businesses looking for an out-of-the-box solution with no add-ons or upgrades required

2. Zoom Phone – Best Value for Money

Zoom is more than just a video conferencing tool for facilitating personal calls. The company also offers a business VoIP solution — called Zoom Phone — which is quite competitive in the industry.

Very low starting price ($10/user/month)
Excellent for managing high numbers of incoming calls (spam prevention, hold music, etc.)
Low-cost training features, perfect for growing teams
Vastly improved security features make it an option for teams working with sensitive data
Limited number of CRM and Helpdesk integrations
No email support available and you don't get much help with onboarding
It's missing outbound call features sales teams tend to need

Zoom Phone features

Our research found Zoom Phone to be the second-best overall VoIP solution available. This is largely due to how affordable the plans are, and the fact that they still provide plenty of features at the low starting price of just $10 per user, per month .

With Zoom, you’ll get your hands on more features for less money with Zoom phone than any other major VoIP system – including Google Voice, which has a plan at the same price that isn’t nearly as useful. Here’s Tech.co’s Conor Cawley testing the platform out:

Zoom Phone’s interface on an iPhone. Image: Tech.co

Zoom Phone offers loads of inbound communication features like voicemail-to-text, spam prevention , and customizable hold music, making it a great option for teams expecting to field high numbers of calls .

It’s also got great conversation-based features like call whisper, which can be used to listen in on calls and provide staff with valuable feedback. You’ll also find some more advanced features in all pricing plans, including a call recording function, unlimited auto-attendants , and holiday and business hours routing .

It’s not quite as good for outbound call features (there’s no power dialing or auto dialing function) which will slow sales teams down, rather than speed them up like RingCentral will. However, the training features still mean it is highly scalable and will suit growing teams in other sectors, such as customer service.

Here’s what the Zoom Phone interface looks like. Image: Zoom

Security used to be a downside to Zoom Phone, but that’s changed. Now, Zoom Phone includes end-user security features like multi-factor authentication and password rules. This makes it viable for teams working in sectors like healthcare, where there’s pressure on companies to store confidential client and customer information correctly.

However, Google Voice offers these features on all of its plans (as well as admin security features like user permissions). It achieved a higher score in this assessment area (5/5) than any provider on this list. Still, this consideration might not be a dealbreaker for small businesses fielding a rapidly growing number of calls and doesn’t work directly with hyper-sensitive data.

Zoom integrations

Zoom Phone integrates with Slack, Salesforce, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace, as well as more than 60 other apps. While this is short of RingCentral’s 200+ add-on options , it should be enough for most teams.

The service also seamlessly integrates with the provider’s video platform: Zoom One . This gives the VoIP service an edge for businesses that are already familiar with the features and user experience of the video app.

Zoom Phone support

After testing out Zoom Phone, we weren’t hugely impressed by its customer support services. Yes, the provider offers a knowledge base and user forums to solve problems, but if you want 24/7 support , you’ll have to pay for a premier support package .

Users can still reach out to Zoom via phone or live chat, but no direct onboarding support is available on any plan. It’s not ideal, but the modern interface shouldn’t cause you enough problems to require customer support too often.

Zoom Phone pricing

Zoom Phone offers three different pricing plans: Metered, Unlimited, and Pro Global Select.

The Metered plan costs only $10 per user, per month , making it one of the more affordable starting plans on the list. It offers unlimited domestic minutes as well as a pay-as-you-go payment system, so you won’t have to pay more than you need.

The Unmetered plan costs $15 per user, per month , and as you can likely guess from the name, provides inclusive outbound calling, so you won’t have to pay too much to make a call. You can also purchase an add-on that will give you unlimited calls in a further 19 countries, making it a good option for businesses with global customer/client bases. You won’t be able to access this add-on on the Metered plan.

Finally, the Global Pro Select plan costs $20 per user, per month , and unlocks some solid international features, like unlimited minutes to over 49 countries, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It also includes all of the features from the previous two plans. Aside from that, it’s pretty similar to the Unmetered plan.

You can also purchase Zoom Phone as part of Zoom One, which rolls the provider’s Meetings, Team Chat, Whiteboard, and Zoom Phone products into one single package. You will need to purchase the Business Plus tier ( $25 per license, per month ) or the Enterprise tier (no public pricing – contact sales for a quote) if you’d like Zoom Phone, however, and it’s significantly more expensive than just buying Zoom Phone as a standalone product.

Should you choose Zoom Phone?

If you’re in the market for a low-cost VoIP solution that still provides a lot of features, Zoom Phone may be your best bet. Starting at only $10 per user, per month is a steal, and its other plans are competitively priced as well, so you can really keep your monthly outgoings down. On top of that, it has a bevy of other communication tools to integrate with, which is always helpful for a growing business. Plus, hey, it’s Zoom, so you might be familiar with it already.

Grab a customized quote for your business by filling in this short 60-second form.

Who should use Zoom Phone?

Smaller teams that can do without advanced calling features
Businesses with smaller budgets
Businesses already using Zoom Video
Customer service and retail teams

Who shouldn’t use Zoom Phone?

Sales teams that need advanced outbound call features like predictive and power dialing
Larger teams that want features like a task manager
Businesses looking for onboarding support (Zoom offers none)

3. 8×8 – Best VoIP Provider for Sales Teams

Unlike Zoom Phone, 8×8 is a perfect fit for sales teams thanks to excellent video conferencing features and a collection of useful tools for training staff, such as call monitoring and recording . 8×8 also has features, like custom call lists, that support the high volumes of outbound calls sales teams make.

Extensive outgoing call features are perfect for sales teams
Great security features, perfect for sensitive data handling
Training features like call whisper, call barge will help staff improve
Onboarding assistance on all plans makes getting started smooth
Unimpressive customer scores from those who've used the product
Higher tiers are very pricey, and there are cheaper options for small businesses
No dedicated spam prevention mechanism, which may prove problematic for large businesses

8×8 features

8×8 offers unlimited calling to up to 48 countries on its X4, X6, X7, and X8 plans, including The UK, Ireland, Indonesia, France, Finland and many more. Vonage and RingCentral will charge you extra for this sort of thing.

This is in part why we recommend 8×8 to sales teams making lots of outbound calls, and Zoom and RingCentral to hospitality and healthcare teams that field high numbers of inbound calls and will benefit from features like spam prevention, which 8×8 doesn’t offer.

How 8×8 looks on a variety of devices. Image: 8×8

Not a sales team? You’re still in luck. 8×8’s call handling features such as caller ID and ring groups make it an equally viable option for companies in industries (such as retail or healthcare) dealing with high volumes of inbound calls too. There are also plenty of organizational and team management features like a team messaging function and file-sharing capabilities, which almost all businesses need.

Like RingCentral, 8×8 will let you add features like a power dialer and predictive dialing function, the latter of which will be ideal for sales teams looking to delegate calls out to free agents quickly and efficiently . It costs a little extra, granted, but VoIP systems like GoTo Connect don’t have a predictive dialing function at all, making them unsuitable for ambitious sales teams.

Making a call with 8×8. Image: 8×8

Along with its outbound call features and integrations, 8×8’s security score meant it became the joint-most scalable provider we tested. You can ensure sensitive client information is only accessible to those who need it thanks to user permissions, while multi-factor authentication and password rules ensure that there are no weak links in your network. This was a much better security score than Ooma, which lacked these kinds of features.

As mentioned previously, 8×8 has a solid video conferencing system, too, which offers HD video and audio for up to 500 people with no time restrictions. Conferences can also be recorded and saved in the cloud. External video calling is available, which is handy for sales teams that will need to pitch to clients from outside of your company.

Find out more about this VoIP provider in our full 8×8 review .

8×8 integrations

All in all, 8×8 seamlessly connects to over 300 applications, including conversational AI tools and CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Freshdesk. In fact, 8×8’s wide range of CRM integrations will be appealing to companies that view syncing them up as a priority.

The collection of apps is a lot more than VoIP providers like Google Voice offer – it only really integrates with Google Workspace apps and a couple of additional core programs (although several popular CRMs are included).

8×8 support

8×8 offers 24/7 phone support, as well as live chat and email support.

8×8 also has 24/7 online training for new employees. It can be completed at their own pace and covers everything they’ll need to know. If that isn’t enough, you can also take part in virtual, trainer-led courses with blended learning modules for new systems administrators.

8×8 pricing

Since our last update, 8×8 has removed its pricing from its homepage, and you’ll now have to contact sales for a custom quote for your team. Here’s the provider’s pricing the last time it was public (end of 2023):

8×8 has five different pricing plans, with costs ranging from $24 to $140 per user, per month : the X2, X4, X6, X7, and X8.

The X2 plan costs $24 per user, per month . On this tier, you’ll be able to make voice and video calls, and there are features like call routing, an auto attendant, hold music, voicemail, a virtual receptionist, number porting, and unlimited calls to 14 countries total on offer (including US/CA). Video meetings can have up to 500 participants, and team messaging, voicemail-to-text, business SMS, and a 99.99% uptime guarantee have recently been added.

X4 costs $44 per user, per month . The big news here is that you can call 48 countries completely free, up from 14 on the X2 plan. You also get call monitoring, call barge (lets a user join another user’s call), call whisper (lets a user stay muted when joining another’s call), and supervisor analytics.

The next three plans are designed especially for contact centers. X6 costs $85 per user, per month . It has new reporting and analytics, skills-based routing, IVR, call recording, and CRM. X7 costs $110 per user, per month , and adds chat, email, SMS, social media, and co-browsing – a range of ways to connect with your customers that don’t get on the X2 and X4 plans.

Finally, the X8 plan costs $140 per user, per month , and includes quality management tools, speech analytics, and a screen recording feature. There’s also a Microsoft Teams integration for the contact center, which is also available on the X7 plan, but no other 8×8 packages.

You can get started with 8×8 for less than providers like GoTo Connect and Net2Phone. But if you need advanced features like predictive dialing and task management, you need to pay a premium for the provider’s X6 plan. This is why 8×8 isn’t very good value for money , especially when compared to Zoom.

Should you choose 8×8?

8×8 offers businesses the secure lines, helpful customer support, and piles of features they need to remain competitive. If you want to find out if it’s the best match for your business, fill in this short 60-second form and get a tailored quote based on your team’s size and priorities.

Alternatively, read our summary of the most reliable softphones and IP hardphones to discover other fail-safe solutions.

Who should use 8×8?

International businesses (unlimited calling 14-48 countries)
Sales teams, thanks to the outbound comms features
Businesses with advanced telephony and lots of staff

Who shouldn’t use 8×8?

Businesses on a tight budget. 8×8’s plans are very pricey.
Businesses that want a hardware and software VoIP/desk phone bundle

4. Vonage – Best Training Features

Vonage is best suited to retail and customer service businesses since they benefit the most from easy onboarding , and Vonage’s training tools are also some of the best in the industry. The service works great through mobile devices and desktops as well as through third-party desk phones, making it a flexible option.

Great central hub for collaborating, with team messaging on all plans
Great training and management features on, perfect for sales and customer service teams
Lots of big-name integrations means minimal changes for your team
No multi-factor authentication, which is bad for end-point security
Analytics features are quite primitive, making it difficult to get actionable insights
Lots of features include additional fees, so it's hard to get a good gauge of your final price

Vonage features

Vonage also offers unlimited calls to the US and Canada, and we gave it an overall score of 4.4/5 for VoIP features, the same score in this assessment area as our top-rated provider, RingCentral – which means it’s a viable option for a broad range of teams working in different industries.

Vonage packs in lots of features for managing incoming calls , including an admin portal, voice mail, spam prevention, voicemail to text, call queue, caller ID – and all on its cheapest plan .

There are also a fair few tools that will keep teams making a lot of outbound calls happy, including external video calling , SMS support, custom call lists, internet fax, and call conferencing.

The team messaging center in Vonage. Image: Vonage

Vonage will also let you forward calls, “flip” them to different devices to continue conversations, and has training features that will let you listen in on calls and join existing calls between users and customers/clients . For sales teams, ensuring your on-call manner is constantly improving is super important.

Additionally, Vonage offers powerful analytics tools that will let you compile historical call data and display contact center metrics, which you can use to improve your team’s on-phone manner and your business processes, as well as a team messaging feature for easy collaboration.

Check out our Vonage review for more information

Vonage integrations

Vonage integrates with a huge range of providers including (but far from limited to) Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Teamsm Google Workspace, Office 365, and Slack. There are also CRM integrations such as Zoho CRM , HubSpot , and Zendesk , but they aren’t available on Vonage’s cheapest plan.

However, video conferencing and live chat integrations come at an additional cost, and this is one of the main reasons Vonage didn’t score as high as RingCentral for integrations.

Vonage support

Vonage has a smaller range of help and support options than RingCentral and 8×8 — phone and email support is available with Vonage, but live chat isn’t . What’s more, none of it is 24/7 . Onboarding support is also available but for an additional cost.

The service does include a range of online training documents and videos to help your team become accustomed to the software.

Vonage pricing

Vonage offers three pricing plans: Mobile, Premium, Advanced . The plans start from $19.99, $29.99, and $39.99 per user, per month respectively. Vonage will give you some discounts depending on how many users you have. Right now, there’s a 12-month promotion running that makes the first plan just $13.99 per user, per month .

Like many VoIP providers, the price per user gets better value the more users you add. For example, if you only have one user, Vonage’s most popular Premium plan will cost $29.99 per user, per month . However, if you have 20 users, that price will drop to $24.99 per user, per month for a saving of almost $60 per user over a year. If you have more than 90 users, though, you’ll need to get a custom quote from Vonage.

The cheapest plan, Mobile, gives you unlimited calls and SMS messages, plus all the features listed above and access to the Vonage app center. The Premium plan offers more though, including unlimited video for up to 100 users, custom greetings, ring groups, a multi-level virtual receptionist, and CRM integration with Google Workspace, HubSpot, Office 365, and Salesforce.

Finally, along with everything in the Premium plan, the Advanced includes on-demand call recording, call grouping, visual voicemail, and full installation.

Should you choose Vonage?

If training employees quickly and effectively is a priority, Vonage is for you. The service’s a great pick for retail as well, due to its inbound features and multiple ways to contact potential customer s, including call conferencing, video calls, and (for an additional cost) SMS.

Check out how Vonage compares to the best VoIP providers on the market with our VoIP price comparison tool , which will show you relevant providers and plans based on your team’s size and needs.

Who should use Vonage?

Customer service teams, who will appreciate the training features
Businesses that onboard regularly, and want lots of help

Who shouldn’t use Vonage?

Businesses that don’t want to rely on add-ons
Businesses with advanced video conferencing needs
Businesses on a budget with an existing CRM they need their VoIP system to integrate with

5. GoTo Connect – Great VoIP Provider for Scaling

If your company is looking for plenty of internal video call meetings, GoTo Connect might be the right fit for you. It’s also a great fit for a company that handles more inbound calls than outbound ones, due to the features on offer. What’s more, the more users you have, the bigger the plan discount you’ll get.

Excellent 24-hour support service, minimizing downtime
Uncomplicated product range, meaning no hidden costs or paid add-ons
Lots of features for the price point, which is lower than 8x8 and Vonage's top-tier plans
Setting up is quite complicated, so you won't be able to get started quickly
No free trial, so you can't test the software before you buy it
Users often complain about performance and connectivity issues

GoTo Connect features

We found GoTo Connect a particularly good telephone system option for scaling. This was helped majorly by its commendable security score (4/5). GoTo Connect includes user permissions, which will ensure that you have control over who can access what data as your team grows, as well as multi-factor authentication.

Key features for dealing with a high call volume such as ring groups and call queues , on the other hand – as well as collaborative features like a team messenger – make it an even more viable option for growing business.

GoTo Connect has strong call management features, including custom greeting, voicemail, spam prevention, voicemail to text, custom hold music, call queue and ring groups. This means it can field high volumes of incoming calls, which makes it a strong contender for healthcare and customer service teams.

However, there’s also a “find me/follow me” feature that means calls can be routed through several different devices , including mobiles. This is ideal for teams that need to be on hand to take calls from customers and clients while out and about.

You can also forward, hold, or queue, and even send calls to a virtual receptionist to keep customers on the line. As we mentioned, GoTo Connect has excellent video conferencing tools (though only for internal use). You can video conference with up to 250 people , with HD video for up to 25 people. You’ll also find that sharing documents and files is a piece of cake, as is screen sharing. It even supports breakout rooms.

An example of what GoTo Connect looks like on a phone. Image: GoTo

GoTo Connect integrations

GoTo Connect doesn’t have anywhere near as many integrations as RingCentral and 8×8, with just under 30 available. While Slack, Zapier and CRM systems like Zoho CRM, Zendesk, and Salesforce all sync up with GoTo, it doesn’t integrate with HubSpot, SugarCRM, or ServiceNow.

So, while GoTo Connect is highly scalable when it comes to its native features, if you’re wedded to a software platform like HubSpot and you can’t live without it, you might be better opting for a provider that connects to it more seamlessly.

GoTo Connect support

GoTo Connect has better customer support options than Vonage. You can contact the provider by phone, email, and through a support ticket system. This is much better support than Google Voice, which doesn’t offer onboarding assistance, but some way off RingCentral, which scores 5/5 for customer support. This is mainly because it offers it 24 hours a day, seven days a week , which GoTo doesn’t.

GoTo does, however, maintain its own dedicated online customer center, where you can find videos, factsheets, forums, and even ebooks to help find the cure for your VoIP maladies.

GoTo Connect pricing

GoToConnect used to have a confusing pricing system that charged a different amount per user based on how many users a business had. More recently, it had two plans: the Basic plan at $27 per user, per month and the Standard plan at $32 per user, per month .

Now, the company has moved to a different model – they offer a standalone phone system , which is what we’ve been talking about so far in this article.

As well as this straightforward VoIP plan, it also offers a customer engagement package with extra conversation tools, a multi-purpose, AI-powered customer experience platform with customer sentiment analysis, and a contact center plan for larger businesses looking to upscale their operations and support omnichannel engagement .

None of these plans have public pricing and you’ll have to contact the company’s sales teams to get a quote. However, they contain all of the features available on the GoTo Phone System plan.

Should you choose GoToConnect?

We’re big fans of GoToConnect’s pricing system and awarded it a 4.3/5 value-for-money score . Add a high average customer approval rating, great security options and powerful call management features and you have a great value option that can grow with you business.

To get a good look at each provider side-by-side, take a look at our VoIP comparison page , which will give you bespoke quotes from the leading suppliers.

Who should use GoTo Connect?

Small budget-conscious businesses
Businesses looking for a combined phone and video solution

Who shouldn’t use GoTo Connect?

Businesses that require onboarding assistance
Users looking for streamlined Mac compatibility

6. Ooma – Great for Customer Experience

Ooma offers a particularly good customer experience, and gains generally high customer satisfaction ratings from existing users. The provider offers 24/7 customer support over the phone or via live chat , although not over email. It also offers an online forum , where experienced users can help you diagnose and fix problems yourself.

Free number transfer, so canceling your existing service is super easy
Multi-level virtual receptionist, great for businesses fielding lots of incoming calls
Easy DIY installation, so you can getting going really quickly
24/7 support, which is nice to have in the back pocket
Pricier high-tier plans without the features to justify the cost
Scores poorly for security, so there are better options for businesses handling sensitive data
Few third-party integrations, which will make it harder to slot into your business infrastructure

Ooma offers integrations with CRM platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zendesk, Microsoft 365, G-Suite, and ServiceNow. This, of course, will make managing sales and support calls significantly easier for your teams. However, VoIP providers like RingCentral offer a much wider selection (200+).

It also offers a mobile app for Android and iOS, which can be helpful if your teams are working from home without a full desk phone. Despite its selling points, the service does lack some features that other VoIP providers on this list offer, however. For example, no Ooma plans include custom call lists , auto or predictive dialing, call transcripts, call monitoring, or task management. In other words, it won’t be great for sales teams.

We could only score Ooma a 1/5 for security features in our testing, too, as the service offers no multifactor authentication and doesn’t display its compliance certificates. Google Voice, the most secure provider we tested, offers multi-factor authentication on all plans.

Should you choose Ooma?

If your business depends on high-quality customer experiences, Ooma is for you. Compared to other VoIP providers it offers excellent customer support, only missing out on top marks due to a lack of email support. All in all, only RingCentral and 8×8 scored higher for customer support.

We’d recommend Ooma to customer service and retail businesses fielding lots of inbound calls , but not to sales departments, healthcare teams, or any organization handling highly sensitive data about its customers and clients, largely due to Ooma’s lackluster security credentials.

Find the right provider with a search now.

7. Nextiva – Great for Professional Services

Nextiva has a straightforward interface and enough inbound call tools to satisfy a small or medium-sized business. Nextiva is a great choice for small professional service businesses fielding low volumes of inbound comms. Consultants, accountants, contractors, or creative agency teams won’t be disappointed with Nextiva.

Unlimited users on all plans, ideal for large businesses on a budget
Easy to use and simple set up, which makes it good for beginners
24/7 live support + excellent additional support options
Lots of collaboration features like a team messenger, which is great for hybrid/remote teams
Few management features, which means it isn't very scalable
No multi-factor authentication, and there are better options for managing sensitive customer info
Few integrations on the first paid plan, so you won't be able to sync it with your CRM

Nextiva’s desktop app supports voice and video calls , emails, messaging, and sales and service tools, as well as analytics. There’s also a suite of AI and automation tools that can help improve repetitive tasks such as data collection, and offer real-time predictions and suggestions of what to do based on how your team is performing.

Nextiva offers 24/7 unlimited customer support via phone or live chat . Email support is available, although it is not 24/7. The service also has a large help center to help you fix problems yourself.

However, the lack of training and management features is partly why the provider isn’t easy to scale up – a lot of them required the call center add-on. Nextiva is also held back by its lack of features to aid group calls. It doesn’t offer call monitoring or transcription and call recording features are limited to the plan you choose. It only scores 3.3/5 for features overall , far off RingCentral’s test-high 4.3/5 score.

Nextiva’s user interface. Image: Nexiva

Should you choose Nextiva?

Nextiva is a great fit for a business in a professional industry like consultancy or accounting since it offers great security and customer service, but limited features for the large amounts of calls that a contact center might need to field.

We’d recommend taking a look at our pricing comparison tool to find out whether Nextiva is the right service for your business.

8. Net2Phone – Great for International Businesses

Net2Phone is a great option for international businesses interested in low VoIP system starting costs and international calling. With plans starting at just $24.99 per user, per month , unlimited international calling to more than 40 countries (only 8×8 can match that), and the costs of installation, Net2Phone proved to be one of the best VoIP for value for money.

Scalable from 9 users to over 101
Superb reporting package
Excellent value pick
Limited external connections
Few third party integrations
Middling feature offering

Net2Phone’s cloud PBX solution offers apps for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS to help your staff communicate with customers and clients effectively.

It has SMS, MMS, and live chat messaging, as well as live chat to SMS hand-off . You can use it for internal comms, with user-to-user, department, or company-wide messaging. It also has extension-to-extension calling , hold music and messaging, time-based greetings, three-way conferencing calling, group conference calls, and easy call transfer .

Net2Phone’s analytics dashboard. Image: Net2Phone

Net2Phone will also allow for voicemail transcription and voicemail-to-email functions. Plus, it has “find me/follow me” call routing, call queuing, and call forwarding, and can support multiple virtual receptionists. Finally, Net2Phone has strong analytics , with sortable reports by time frame, department, office, and agents . Plus, it has dashboards that let you see all this information at a glance.

Net2Phone offers 24/7 support on all its plans, as well as an extensive online knowledge base . In this regard, it’s better than Vonage, but not quite as good as RingCentral, which has a user forum for community troubleshooting.

Should you choose Net2Phone?

Net2Phone will be a great fit for any business that needs to keep costs low, particularly if they want to easily contact anyone in the 40 countries within the service’s coverage, making it great for international businesses.

If that doesn’t describe your operation, you can check out our pricing comparison tool to get bespoke quotes for your business.

9. NUACOM – Great for Customer Satisfaction

NUACOM is best suited to businesses that are concerned about a new system causing friction for their team. The easy-to-use interface makes adopting a different process simple , even for beginners who aren’t well-versed in business technology like this. This is clear from the high customer satisfaction score ( 4.6/5 ) from NUACOM, which is better than RingCentral’s ( 3.5/5 ), despite the latter provider’s superior features.

Analytics tools across all plans, which is great for gaining insights you can use to improve
Good call-flow designer, which providers like Vonage don't offer
No password security features, so not a great option if you're handling sensitive data
Limited customer support hours, which will be a dealbreaker for some businesses
No video call functionality, so you'll have to invest in another platform

A few of the streamlining tools that make NUACOM so easy to use include customizable call routing functionality, as well as a call-flow designer , both of which are available across all plans.

The service has a range of essential inbound call features that you should expect from almost every top-tier VoIP service, such as number porting, custom greetings , voicemail, a virtual receptionist, voicemail to text, customizable hold music, call queues, ring groups, and the ability to set company hours .

However, NUACOM’s outbound calling features are a little more limited. In addition to not offering video calls , NUACOM doesn’t have an autodialer or predictive dialing, and SMS messages will cost extra. This makes it less of a viable option for sales teams, and teams calling rather than being called. Call conferencing is supported, however, as are custom call lists.

A sales dashboard in NUACOM. Image: NUACOM

NUACOM secures users data using end-to-end encryption and will let you implement different permissions within the software for different users. However, there are no password rules to nudge users towards safer types of passwords like RingCentral and Google Voice offer.

Support formats include email, phone, and live chat, although none are available 24/7 . A knowledge base is available, but no community forum. Onboarding support is offered in the form of a 15-minute session to guide users through the process, which isn’t as thorough as Vonage or RingCentral’s.

Should you choose NUACOM?

NUACOM is a great pick for keeping all your employees happy, offering easy-to-use features and automation that can reduce a workload. However, it isn’t designed for collaborating with a team offering no tools for video conferencing, task management, document sharing, or team messaging.

There are also limited integrations compared to many of the other providers on this list, although it still integrates with Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, and several other big-name CRM providers you’d expect.

If your business needs an easy service that keeps your team members happy while receiving customer or client calls, go for NUACOM. Our quick price comparison tool is another option to help guide you to the best option – whether it’s NUACOM or not.

There's never been a better time to get started with VoIP, or upgrade your existing system.

10. Dialpad – Low Cost for Startups

The biggest advantage that Dialpad has over other VoIP solution is its pricing. In an industry where a good VoIP service averages about $35 per user per month, Dialpad’s plans start at a mere $15 per user, per month . Businesses on extra tight budgets might find Dialpad is the best solution, if you can live without some features.

Great value compared to big names like 8x8 and RingCentral
Glowing user experience reports from customers online suggest that a broad range of people find it easy to use
Built-in video calling for internal and external calling makes communicating with customers and your team easier
No password rules or multifactor authentication settings
Basic plan offers no customer support on weekends
No document-sharing features, so hard to plan and collaborate within the software

Every Dialpad plan covers plenty of useful features for teams receiving frequent inbound calls, such as custom greetings, voicemail, a virtual receptionist, voicemail to text, customizable hold music, ring groups, and company hours. There are also some features for teams making calls, including custom call lists, and call conferencing .

Users will get one localized, toll-free number each, with no options for adding more. Where it lets itself down is integrations – it just can’t keep up with 8×8 and RingCentral, which sync up with 100s of apps and many more CRM systems. However, Dialpad still integrates with Salesforce and Zoho CRM .

DialPad savings do mean you’ll miss a few features, though not as many as you might think. A lack of call queuing is the one big downside of the cheapest Dialpad plan, though it also cuts out phone and email support. A lot of startups with small audiences/contact bases will benefit from the low prices without minding the feature limitations.

Dialpad’s interface with the provider’s new AI feature. Image: Dialpad

Customer support encompasses a user forum, an online knowledge base, and live chat for all plans , with 24/7 support hours and phone support available on all but the cheapest plan, which is great news again for those on a budget. There’s also onboarding assistance available on every plan , which Zoom Phone and Google Voice don’t offer.

Should you choose Dialpad?

In addition to being a money-saver, Dialpad is well-loved by its customers – its average customer score is 4.4/5 , which puts it third only behind NUACOM and Zoom. If you’re looking for a cheap alternative to one of the powerful programs above and don’t mind it being a bit more basic, Dialpad is a great option.

Trying our price comparison tool can give you a clearer idea of what cost to expect for your specific needs, but on the whole, Dialpad offers a good selection of functions for its cost, which is why it’s made our list of the best VoIP providers.

But is cheaper better? Find bespoke quotes from leading providers and judge for yourself.

11. Google Voice – Most Secure for Small Teams

Google’s VoIP service stands out for one big reason — great security. This is due to its myriad of compliance certifications , multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, password rules, best-in-class encryption, and user permissions on every plan. However, it’s not very impressive when it comes to anything else.

Unbeatable security, which you can only get from Google
Inexpensive pricing structure, so won't break the bank
Single Sign-On across and spam prevention across all plans
Syncs up with Google's app suite, which you may already be using
Has the least features out of the VoIP providers we analyze
Poor customer support - up to 10 days for a reply
Limited scalability due to lack of training and management features

Google Voice came out at the bottom for features on our tests. However, all Google Voice plans to offer voicemail support, voicemail to text, spam prevention, video calling (via Google Meet), SMS for those in the US, analytics, and custom call lists (via Google Contacts).

However, it doesn’t have many management features at all, nor features like call recording and call transcripts which are useful for training staff and are offered by Vonage, 8×8, RingCentral, and Zoom. There are also no call queues, custom hold music, caller ID, auto or predictive dialing, call conferencing, call forwarding, call flip, call barge, or call whisper. Calls can’t be monitored , and there’s no call-flow designer.

If those features sound useful, you’d be better off picking an alternative provider for your VoIP solution, such as one of the ones above, or if you’re a team that’s already using Google Workspace, perhaps one of these Google Voice alternatives will be a better fit.

Google Voice’s security tools are its real selling point. It goes the extra mile to ensure end users are securing their accounts, enforcing password rules, and recommending multi-factor authentication options. What’s more, sll your data will be stored in Google’s data centers, which are among the most well-maintained and tightly protected data centers on the planet.

The Google Voice interface. Image: Tech.co

All in all, Google Voice is the most secure VoIP service out of all of the top VoIP providers, and offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee , too. All plans have a user forum, knowledge base, and 24/7 phone support, but no email or live chat options .

Should you choose Google Voice?

Very small, security-conscious businesses are the best customers for Google Voice, as the price will be right, and the limited features and poor scalability are unlikely to be as large an issue as they would be for established operations.

Any companies worried about cyberattacks will be reassured by Google Voice’s 5-star security options. However, if you’re unconvinced by Google Voice’s lack of additional features, our quick price comparison tool can help guide your decisions about which VoIP provider is best for your budget and needs.

Find all the top providers with one search.

Choosing the right VoIP provider depends on several factors.

Overall costs

While many VoIP providers seem to offer similar pricing structures, each provider has little quirks in its pricing system which you might miss at first glance.

For example, most providers, including our top-rated picks RingCentral and 8×8, offer prices on a per user, per month basis. You also won’t get as many features on the cheapest plans as you do with the more expensive plans

It’s also worth pricing up the systems you’re looking at in full before choosing. There might be hidden costs with international call fees, for example. The easiest way to get a complete price is by using our comparison tool , which will give you bespoke quotes from the leading companies.

You can also check out our guide to the cheapest VoIP providers to discover the best cost-effective solutions available to your business.

Upgrade and growth costs

Your business isn’t standing still, and you’ll (hopefully) need to start adding new team members as it grows. Again, you need to think here about which platforms will scale the best with your existing business. What’s more, you’ll likely need to add more complex features.

RingCentral is a good fit for businesses that will need to expand their feature set as they grow, as its four pricing plans each offer many core features in comparison to similar competitor plans. Our researchers termed this “scalability,” and ranked RingCentral and 8×8 in a tie for the most scalable, with Vonage close on their heels.

Customer support

If your business relies on its phones, any problem could be catastrophic to your bottom line.

Fortunately, most of the providers we’ve listed offer 24/7 support. RingCentral and 8×8 scored highest for support options overall ( 5/5 ) across all the VoIP providers we tested, while three more services tied for second place ( 4.5/5 ): Dialpad, Ooma, and Nextiva.

We would always recommend choosing a provider which offers 24/7 support where possible.

It is worth considering what sort of hardware your business currently uses for its phone calls. If you rely on desk phones, you might find that your service isn’t as flexible as it would be if you used software-only services.

Softphones, or even VoIP services that work through laptops or tablets, are a great way to help your staff remain mobile while working.

You might also have existing analog desk phones and might be worried about whether they’ll work with your new VoIP system. You can get adapters that will let them connect with your new system, but it’s unlikely to be perfect. Instead, you can take a look at some new VoIP phones , or your provider might even lease you some.

Check out our guide to the best VoIP desk phones for more.

At Tech.co, we conduct extensive research into VoIP platforms, which involves looking at over 60 criteria across multiple core assessment areas, which we then use to develop overall scores for the providers.

For our 2024 VOIP research series, we focused on seven different areas of investigation: external connections/integrations, scalability, security, customer support, features, value for money, and customer score .

Crucially, this research allows us to stay editorially independent . Our rankings, recommendations, and ratings are determined by our research and scoring system – and nothing else!

Verdict: What Is the Best VoIP Provider?

If you’re looking for a high-performing, low-risk option, RingCentral is the best VoIP provider we researched , with ample communication features, management tools, and software integrations all for as little as $20 per user, per month .

8×8’s dedicated call features, sales software interactions, and training tools like call monitoring and recording make it a shoo-in for sales teams, or any business handling large volumes of inbound calls.

Prices for 8×8 can escalate quickly though, so if you’re looking to keep costs low and quality high, Zoom Phone is a trusted VoIP provider that lets you get started at the rock bottom price of $10 per user, per month .

The right VoIP for you will heavily depend on your budget. So, use our custom comparison tool to cut through the noise and compare prices from the top VoIP providers in minutes.

If you click on, sign up to a service through, or make a purchase through the links on our site, or use our quotes tool to receive custom pricing for your business needs, we may earn a referral fee from the supplier(s) of the technology you’re interested in. This helps Tech.co to provide free information and reviews, and carries no additional cost to you. Most importantly, it doesn’t affect our editorial impartiality. Ratings and rankings on Tech.co cannot be bought. Our reviews are based on objective research analysis . Rare exceptions to this will be marked clearly as a ‘sponsored’ table column, or explained by a full advertising disclosure on the page, in place of this one. Click to return to top of page

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The best VoIP services for small businesses for 2022

Communication is an essential part of doing business online, from the simplest calls and text messages to large-scale video conferences involving dozens or even hundreds of people. Unfortunately, most of the free communication apps most of us use every day aren’t really built for anything other than simple messaging and therefore aren’t up to meeting the demands of modern companies.

RingCentral

Ooma office, intermedia unite.

8×8 X Series

Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan

That’s why any small business looking to streamline its operations in the digital age should invest in a more comprehensive Voice over Internet Protocol (better known as a VoIP) service. But if you don’t even know where to start with this, don’t fret. We’ve got everything you need to know about the best VoIP services for small businesses to set you and your burgeoning enterprise sailing in the right direction.

Cloud or Integrated Phone: Both
Clients Supported: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Cost: From $20/month per user
Users: 20 on Essentials tier, unlimited for higher tiers
Third-party integrations: Yes
Free trial: Yes, plus free video messaging plan

RingCentral has stood at the top of our list of the best VoIP services for years now for a laundry list of reasons. It’s easy to set up and use, it offers competitive pricing and very flexible packages that you can tailor to your specific needs, and — perhaps most importantly — its VoIP services are fast and reliable.

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RingCentral’s core VoIP product is its MVP (or messaging, video, and phone) plans, of which there are four. The Essentials plan includes calls, SMS messaging, voicemail (and voicemail-to-text), team messaging, and document sharing, Upgraded tiers add more features such as audio and video conferencing, integrations with third-party workflow and e-commerce apps, advanced call handling functions, call analytics, and more. Which plan you choose depends entirely on the size and needs of your business.

The RingCentral pricing model is very reasonable and it’s easy to tailor your package to your specific requirements. Pricing ranges from $20 to $70 per user per month, with the price decreasing as your number of users increases (you also save more by paying annually instead of monthly). If you want to give it a spin, there’s a free trial available as well as a totally free RingCentral Video plan that offers basic video calling. That’s a great way to acquaint yourself with the service before committing to a plan.

Users: Unlimited
Third-party integrations: Yes, with Enterprise plans
Free trial: No

Ooma is another one of the best VoIP services for small businesses thanks to its flexibility and scaled service options. In fact, you don’t even need a monthly plan to use Ooma Office — you can start with just one of its VoIP phones and use it to make calls with your existing internet service. Of course, if you want a more comprehensive VoIP package, then Ooma offers that, too (along with plenty of extras).

There are two VoIP services for small businesses: Ooma Office and Ooma Office Pro. Both offer the standard internet-connected phone and messaging services, with the Office Pro plan adding some additional features like video conferencing, dedicated desktop software, call recording, and voicemail transcription, among others. Plans start at $20 per user per month for the Ooma Office plan or $5 more for the Office Pro tier

There are Enterprise plans available as well, which include extras like third-party app integrations. These are generally designed for larger companies and high-volume call environments such as call centers, but one of the great things about Ooma is its flexibility — if there are features you want in the higher tiers, you can get a custom quote from Ooma. There’s no free trial, unfortunately, but you do get a free consultation to help you decide if Ooma is right for your small business.

Cost: From $28/month per user
Users: Up to 200

With one of the largest sets of features, Intermedia Unite is easily one of the best VoIP for small businesses that are looking for a truly professional-grade setup. Intermedia Unite offers both integrated VoIP handset phones as well as desktop and mobile apps for cloud use, giving you a full suite of communication, project coordination, and customer service functions.

Like Ooma, Intermedia offers two VoIP plans under its Unite umbrella. The Unite Pro tier provides all the essentials for small businesses: Calling, texting, call recording, voicemail transcription, team messaging, cloud file backup and sharing, audio and video conferences (including transcriptions and unlimited recordings), to name just a handful of features. The Unite Enterprise adds a few extras like an exchange mailbox and integration with e-commerce apps such as Salesforce.

One great thing about Intermedia Unite is that, while it’s a little more expensive than other VoIP services, you get more for your money — even the Unite Pro plan includes extended third-party software integrations and advanced analytics, which are typically premium upgrades from other companies. Baseline pricing starts at $28 per user per month, but for the best quote, you’ll have to contact Intermedia directly to get the best package tailored to your small business.

8×8 X Series

Cost: From $15/month per user
Users: Up to 10 on Express tier, unlimited on higher tiers
Third-party integrations: Yes (some only available with upgraded plans)
Free trial: Yes, for Express plan

Another one of the best VoIP services for small businesses is 8×8, which offers perhaps the widest range of packages in its X Series service plans. The basics 8×8 Express package is purpose-made for small business communications. It offers all the essentials for up to 10 users, including call handling, voice and video messaging, voicemail, and an auto-attendant, and it does it all seamlessly in one app (although it works with many physical VoIP phones as well).

Above that, there are five X Series packages — X2, X4, X6, X8, and X10 — which add advanced functions like video conferences, integration with popular third-party software like Microsoft 365 and Slack, advanced call monitoring, call and speech analytics, and more. With six packages to choose from, 8×8 has a lot to offer, although most small to mid-sized companies will be served best by the Express, X2, and X4 plans. The X2 tier also unlocks unlimited international calling to 14 countries, while the X4 plan offers unlimited voice calls to 48 countries.

This is one of the cheaper VoIP services for small businesses, too, starting at $15 per user per month for the Express tier. The 8×8 X2 plan is arguably the best bet for small businesses, as it unlocks some nice advanced features and third-party app integrations for only $24 per user per month.

Cloud or Integrated Phone: Cloud
Cost: From $15/month per user (in addition to base Microsoft 365 subscription)
Users: 300; 5 devices per user
Free trial: Yes

Microsoft Office is a trademark everybody recognizes, although the company recently rebranded it to Microsoft 365 . Despite the name change, it’s still the same great enterprise software suite we all know, and it’s kept up to date with the latest in cloud software technology. Many are also familiar with the newer Microsoft Teams service, and maybe you already use this yourself. That has been increasingly integrated into the 365 app ecosystem, and now you can get a dedicated VoIP service in the Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan (formerly Microsoft 365 Business Voice) as an optional add-on to your Microsoft 365 subscription.

This is a good option for small businesses that already use or are planning to use Microsoft 365, and it precludes you from having to seek out a separate VoIP provider that you can integrate with 365 apps. Although most of the best VoIP services for small businesses can work with Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and other third-party software, that functionality is typically locked behind upgraded tiers. The Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan could be a more economical alternative depending on what your needs are.

Note that, like Microsoft Teams, the Phone with Calling Plan is entirely cloud-based. It works on Windows, MacOS, Android , and iOS, so you can install and use it on your computers and mobile devices (and you’re not forced into using Windows to do it, either). It offers streamlined audio and video calls, conferences for up to 300 people, and team messaging and file sharing, along with advanced features like call transfer, auto attendants, and call queues. Each user gets 3,000 minutes per month in the U.S. and Canada. It’s a little more limited than full-service VoIP packages, but it’s a cheaper alternative for those looking for a simpler software-based solution. The Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan costs $15 per user per month on top of your Microsoft 365 subscription.

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If you've got limited physical hard drive space or you simply want to keep your files safely backed up elsewhere, cloud storage is a huge help. When it comes to small business, such data and files is even more valuable. After all, it's bad enough if you lose personal photos or information, but losing vital data in your business could cost you a lot of time and money, as well as potentially your reputation.

We've checked out the best cloud storage services for your small business, looking at what's best depending on the size of your company, as well as any potential requirements you might have for how your data is accessed such as end-to-end encryption or two-factor authentication. We've also looked at some cloud services which offer free storage for a limited time, or up to a certain amount of space. Products like Apple's iCloud service, OneDrive, and Google Drive often provide some free cloud storage to get you started with their services.

Landline phone services are slowly but surely going the way of the dinosaur, with more individuals relying solely on their mobile devices for making calls. Businesses, however, have continued to rely on traditional landlines for professional use, but that’s also changing now thanks to internet-based VoIP services from providers like RingCentral, one of the most popular and highest-rated names in the business .

VoIP, or “voice over internet protocol,” simply uses the internet rather than landlines or cell networks to provide voice services. It makes perfect sense considering the internet is just a method for transmitting data quickly across large distances – after all, the internet originally used our telephone lines to do just that.

You wouldn't leave your shop or office door unlocked, and neither should you leave your business PC or Mac unsecured against anti-virus threats and other problems. Norton and McAfee offer extensive options for small business owners, and it's important you pick the right software package or subscription for your company's needs. Both companies have made our short list of the best antivirus solutions for small businesses.

A competent antivirus solution is the first line of defense against potential hacks or virus attacks, so you need it to work effectively for you.

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Our sales team now uses Google Voice to call and text customers from their smartphones, tablets, and the web. And because it is considerably more affordable to operate than our legacy VoIP systems, we continue to steadily expand our usage of Google Voice.

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