Whether you run a small business out of your home, run a large business with hundreds or thousands of people, or are in charge of an organization somewhere in between, a VoIP service can do a lot. VoIP, short for Voice over Internet Protocol, essentially integrates all of your incoming, outgoing and internal communications into a single service platform that runs entirely over high-speed internet instead of traditional landlines. If you are looking to simplify your company for the digital age and better coordinate teamwork among your colleagues, here are the best VoIP phone systems out there today.
RingCentral
- Cloud or integrated phone: Both
- PBX system hosted on the cloud or on-premises: Hosted on the cloud
- cost: From $20/month per user
- Users: 20 level basics, unlimited for higher classes
- Third Party Integration: yes
- Trial period: 30 days, plus free video messaging plan
If you want access to the best VoIP services, look no further than RingCentral, which has been our favorite for a few years in a row now. Their VoIP packages are offered in MVP plans (message, video and phone), which start at $20 per month per user depending on the tier and number of people who will be using the network. There are four RingCentral MVP plans and they all offer toll-free numbers, unlimited texting and calling within the US and Canada, team messaging, cloud file sharing, and voicemail writing.
Advanced plans unlock additional features like advanced call handling functionality like call monitoring, hot desks, third-party software integration (with workflow and e-commerce apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Amazon, Oracle, Salesforce, and Zendesk, to name just a handful of many), Video conferencing, call and meeting recording, call analytics. RingCentral also supports cloud-hosted private branch exchange (PBX) and allows you to adapt your legacy PBX system, if you have one, to your RingCentral plan.
RingCentral MVP works on laptops and mobile devices, and you can also use it with built-in VoIP phones. There is a 30-day trial period for all plan levels and there is also a RingCentral Video plan that allows for unlimited free video calls.
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oma office
- Cloud or integrated phone: Both
- PBX system hosted on the cloud or on-premises: Hosted on the cloud
- cost: From $20/month per user
- Users: Unlimited
- Third Party Integration: Yes, with Enterprise plans
- Trial period: 30 days for mobile app
Ooma Office is another great option among the best VoIP phone systems and is similar to RingCentral in many ways. It’s one of our favorites if you’re specifically looking for an all-in-one communications package for use with physical VoIP phones, and you can even adapt analog phones for use with your Ooma Office plan. Of course, you can do everything via the Ooma Office mobile app if you want, just like with other VoIP services. Whether you’re managing a team of remote workers or setting up a new phone system for an actual business, Ooma Office can help.
For small businesses, Ooma offers two different plans. Both offer a mobile app, text messaging, call encryption, a toll-free number, voicemail-to-email attachments, and a virtual receptionist. However, you will have to upgrade to the Ooma Office Pro plan to unlock features like the desktop app, video conferencing, voicemail-to-text transcription, call recording, and third-party software integration.
Ooma Office also uses a cloud-based PBX, and if you use physical phones in your business, you can either adapt existing analog phones for use with Ooma or you can purchase new VoIP phones directly from the company. These VoIP phones offer much more functionality than traditional analog phones, allowing you to do things like make video calls. There is also a 30-day trial period for the Ooma mobile app.
Nextiva
- Cloud or integrated phone: Both
- PBX system hosted on the cloud or on-premises: Hosted on the cloud
- cost: From $18 / month
- Users: Unlimited
- Third Party Integration: Yes (some are only available with upgraded plans)
- Trial period: 7 Days Basics Plan
Consistently ranked among the best VoIP phone systems for businesses, Nextiva is a cost-effective option for large businesses or those anticipating significant growth in the future. This is because it offers one of the best price tiers, as well as allowing unlimited users even on its basic plan (unlike RingCentral, which limits the number of users you can get in entry-level service levels).
Nextiva is an all-in-one, cloud-based VoIP service that offers cloud PBX (you can adapt your legacy PBX system to Nextiva as well). As with RingCentral, Nextiva offers four service packages. All feature unlimited voice and video calls, Internet fax, autohost, toll-free numbers, voicemail to email, and apps for both desktop and mobile. As expected, more advanced features like third-party software integration, call analytics, video conferencing, and voicemail transcription are locked behind the higher levels. Unlimited texting isn’t available on the Essentials plan either; You will have to upgrade to the “Professional” level 2 plan for that, which is a drawback.
There is only a seven-day free trial for Nextiva, though, and that’s only for the Essentials plan, so unfortunately you can’t really give the full service very long. You should also stick to an annual subscription to get the lowest price per user, but this is usually the case with VoIP services in general. However, Nextiva is a great VoIP phone system for businesses of any size, especially for larger and growing businesses looking to simplify their communications systems for the digital age.
GoTo Connect
- Cloud or integrated phone: Both
- PBX system hosted on the cloud or on-premises: Hosted on the cloud
- cost: From $19/month per user
- Users: 20 at the basic level, unlimited for the higher classes
- Third Party Integration: yes
- Trial period: 14 days for Standard Plan
GoTo Connect is a VoIP phone system designed for small businesses with a straightforward pricing model that includes three service levels starting at $19 per user, per month. The basic plan includes mobile and desktop apps, smart call routing and forwarding, text and group messaging, voice and video calling, unlimited phone number extensions, and integration with Microsoft Outlook and Google Workspace.
The higher-priced Standard and Premium tiers add extras like extended third-party app integration, Internet fax, free minutes, advanced call handling, and more. GoTo Connect Premium also features cloud-based call center features including call analytics, call monitoring, agent effectiveness reports, and advanced management controls, so the service isn’t just for small businesses.
GoTo Connect is completely cloud-based, so you can take advantage of a cloud-hosted PBX if you’re looking to upgrade or replace an in-house PBX system. There is a 14-day free trial for the Standard plan as well. The prices are comparable to the best VoIP phone systems we mentioned, and as with those systems, you’ll get a better price when you have more users in your plan and if you choose to pay annually.
Series 8 x 8 X
- Cloud or integrated phone: Both
- PBX system hosted on the cloud or on-premises: Hosted on the cloud
- cost: From $15 per month per user
- Users: Up to 10 in the Express category, and unlimited in the higher levels
- Third Party Integration: Yes (some are only available with upgraded plans)
- Trial period: 30 days for express plan
Last but not least in our roundup of the best VoIP phone systems is 8 x 8. It offers three service levels for small businesses – 8 x 8 Express, x2, and x4 – plus three extended “call center” packages for larger organizations, so it’s a flexible fit For companies of almost any size. All plans cover the basics and include unlimited calls in the US and Canada, mobile and desktop apps, video calling, auto-host, call routing, and voicemail.
The most popular plan is the 8 x 8 x 2 package, which adds unlimited calls to 15 countries, SMS and team messaging, and video conferencing for up to 500 participants. This plan also adds integration with popular workflow applications such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. An additional upgrade to an 8 x 8 x 4 plan gives you more advanced call handling features, expanded CRM integrations, call analytics, and unlimited calls to 48 countries. Your 8×8 plan can be entirely cloud-based (including cloud-hosted PBX), or you can use it with IP phones like the ones the company sells directly.
8×8 is priced very competitively and offers the lowest price per user out of all of our picks, starting at $15 per month for the 8×8 Express Entry tier. You can also give this bundle a 30-day free trial if you want to see what you need. You submit it 8 x 8 before committing to a subscription plan.
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