The best auto-attendant phone system has different configuration options for setting up a proper call routing strategy. It offers various routing capabilities, such as moving calls to voicemail, greeting callers, and connecting callers to the right agent. Additional features may include call management, video meetings, team chat, and app integrations. Pricing varies across providers, but monthly starting fees range from $15 to $30 per user.
Here’s a list of the top auto-attendant phone systems as well as their best use cases:
- RingCentral: Best for complete call management
- Nextiva: Best for customer engagement
- Vonage: Best for customizable phone solution
- Dialpad: Best for intelligent phone system
- Grasshopper: Best for small teams
- Phone.com: Best for budget-friendly phone service
- 8×8: Best for global calling
Best Auto-attendant Phone Systems Compared
Software | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | FSB Rating out of 5 |
---|---|---|---|
$30 |
| 4.56 out of 5 | |
$30.95 |
| 4.47 out of 5 | |
$13.99 |
| 4.44 out of 5 | |
$23 |
| 4.38 out of 5 | |
$17 |
| 4.33 out of 5 | |
$14.99 |
| 4.26 out of 5 | |
Custom pricing |
| 3.81 out of 5 | |
Take our quiz to find out which auto-attendant phone system is best for you.
Which Auto-attendant Phone System Is Right for You?
RingCentral: Best Overall for Complete Call Management
What We Liked
- Multi-level IVR on the basic plan
- Drag-and-drop phone tree editor
- 250 voice menus and submenus per account
Where It Falls Behind
- Restrictive SMS credits
- Expensive to scale up
- Feature-rich nature can be overwhelming for beginners
RingCentral Monthly Pricing (per User) Pay annually to save up to 33%. Volume discounts apply for 50+ users.
- Core: $30 for one phone number, 100 toll-free minutes, unlimited local calls, 25 SMS, visual voicemail, call management, multi-level IVR, basic call queues, on-demand call recording, team chat, and 100 video attendees
- Advanced: $35 for 1,000 toll-free minutes, 100 SMS, advanced call routing and monitoring, automatic call recording, hot desking, unlimited e-fax, advanced integrations, and business analytics
- Ultra: $45 for 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 SMS, unlimited storage, and device analytics
- Free trial: 14 days
RingCentral earned its reputation as one of the best call management systems thanks to its sophisticated call flow configurations. Call routing capabilities are available at the basic tier, including multi-level interactive voice response (IVR), call queues, and answering rules. This enables businesses to cope with any type of call volume and self-service requirements.
Create complex call flow configurations with its multi-level auto-attendant. With up to 250 menus, it’s scalable enough to meet your business needs. Plus, its intuitive graphic editor allows easier management of phone tree menus and customization of inbound call routing.
Unfortunately, RingCentral can be overkill for small teams looking for a basic phone system with no-fuss offerings. A better alternative would be Grasshopper, which heavily focuses on phone-based interactions and charges a fixed monthly fee instead of the usual per-user pricing.
RingCentral Features
- Phone extensions: Assign extensions to connect distributed departments across devices and locations. Each employee gets their own number with voicemail and answering rules.
- Heads-up display: Monitor the status of all your company’s extensions in one place. This allows you to transfer an incoming call or pick up a call on behalf of colleagues.
- Call delegation: Enables admins to assign assistants to answer calls on behalf of a line owner. A delegate can manage multiple incoming calls of up to 10 executives.
Nextiva: Best for Customer Engagement
What We Liked
- Modern and intuitive interface
- Wire range of collaboration tools
- Integrates with top customer relationship management (CRM) apps
Where It Falls Behind
- Discounts are reserved for larger teams
- Essential plan lacks an SMS/MMS feature
- Base tier only supports single-level auto-attendant
Nextiva Monthly Pricing (per User) Pay yearly and save up to 22%. Volume discounts apply to five users or more.
- Essential: $30.95 for one phone number, unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada, 1,500 toll-free minutes, unlimited e-fax, video recording, auto-attendant, call log, hold music, team chat, and 45-minute video calls
- Professional: $35.95 for 40 conference participants, 3,000 toll-free minutes, 1,000 SMS/MMS, CRM integrations, and multi-level auto-attendant
- Enterprise: $45.95 for unlimited participants, 12,500 toll-free minutes, 2,000 SMS/MMS, voicemail transcription, and single sign-on
While Nextiva is known for its powerful business phone system, it also functions as a customer experience management platform. It provides a set of features that allows businesses to streamline customer communications, including surveys, conversation analysis, and intelligent automation. This provides customer support teams quick access to client contacts, account information, and product feedback.
Like RingCentral, Nextiva has a multi-level auto-attendant with intuitive menu options and submenus. It’s completely customizable, as it lets you record custom greetings, assign phone numbers, assign schedules, and configure call forwarding.
Unfortunately, scaling up with Nextiva is expensive since volume discounts are dedicated only to larger companies. If you need a more budget-friendly alternative, look no further than Phone.com. Its monthly plans start at only $14.99 per user, with an option to choose from metered and unlimited call plans.
Nextiva Features
- Busy lamp field (BLP): Displays the real-time call status of up to 50 users in your company. Presence information includes idle, incoming call, on a call, or call on hold.
- Call Me Now: Enable website visitors to initiate a call to your company by clicking a web-based link or icon. Once they enter their phone number, a call will be placed from your phone to the number entered.
- Directed call pickup: Pick up an incoming call on another user’s extension using a feature access code. Use this feature if a teammate is away from their desk.
Vonage: Best for Customizable Phone Solution
What We Liked
- Basic plan includes 43 phone features
- User-friendly desktop and mobile app interface
- Intuitive for mobile app users
Where It Falls Behind
- No auto-attendant on basic plan
- On-demand recording has a 15-hour cap per month
- Pricey add-on fees
Vonage Monthly Pricing (per User) Discounts are available for new accounts and bulk subscriptions.
- Mobile: $13.99 for unlimited local calls, unlimited SMS, and up to 43 voice features
- Premium: $20.99 for a virtual receptionist, access to Vonage App Center, analytics and reporting, 200 video attendees, and desk phone compatibility
- Advanced: $27.99 for on-demand call recording, call group, and voicemail transcription
Note: All plans include an admin portal, call blocking, call announce, call conference, call flip, call forwarding, call screening, hold music, team chat, and 33 other call features.
Vonage is a customizable phone system that provides users the flexibility to select the features and integrations they need in their subscriptions. A la carte services support 18 paid add-ons, including business inbox, call queue, local number, e-fax, and virtual extensions. The same self-service approach applies if you want to add and purchase third-party integrations.
This provider has a sophisticated call management system for routing callers. Set the virtual receptionist during daytime and after-hours calling and preconfigure holidays as recurring yearly.
On the downside, Vonage has monthly charges for local and toll-free phone numbers. This adds up to your monthly plan if you need bundled phone numbers. If you’re looking for a provider that includes multiple phone numbers at no extra cost, check out Grasshopper. It charges a fixed monthly fee for unlimited users needing to share phone numbers in one account.
Vonage Features
- VBC Admin Portal: Provides an all-in-one admin dashboard with access to settings related to account billing, phone numbers, users, extensions, and system status.
- Virtual mailbox: This is a premium Vonage feature that privately stores your voicemails in a standalone mailbox and collects information that can be shared with multiple users.
- Vonage Reach: Automates marketing campaigns by sending audience announcements based on their interests and behavioral histories. Combine different platforms like text, voice, email, and social media.
Dialpad: Best Intelligent Phone System
What We Liked
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice features
- Clean and uncluttered interface
- Local number support in 70+ countries
Where It Falls Behind
- Limits video attendees to 10 people
- Charges extra for toll-free numbers
- Integrates with only eight apps
Dialpad Monthly Pricing (per User) Annual billing plans start at $15 per user.
- Standard: $23 for one local number, unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada, multi-level auto-attendant, visual voicemail, custom call routing, SMS/MMS, team chat, five-hour video calls, call transcriptions, and real-time analytics
- Pro: $35 for hold queues, 25 ring groups, international SMS, and CRM integrations
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for extensions, and unlimited ring groups
- Free trial: 14 days
Dialpad is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered phone system that utilizes automation tools for voice calls, messaging, and video meetings. It uses a proprietary AI engine that instantly transcribes calls into written text and extracts valuable insights through call summaries.
The Dialpad Ai assistant has you covered after business hours by sending voicemail transcriptions straight to your inbox. With its built-in speech recognition, Dialpad lets you track action items, sentiment, and keywords in a call or video meeting.
Looking at its feature inclusions, Dialpad doesn’t seem to offer that much in terms of call management. If you need advanced routing features for managing large call volumes, try RingCentral. Like Dialpad, it works as an intelligent phone solution but is equipped with several advanced calling capabilities.
Dialpad Features
- Call routing: Route calls based on skill level, fixed order, or the agent who’s been idle the longest. You can also direct calls to voicemail or departments.
- Multilingual greetings: If your business caters to a global consumer base, you can set up multiple language preferences for your call routing system or IVR menu.
- International number: Dialpad provides local number support in over 70 countries, so you can establish an in-country presence for almost every country in the world.
Grasshopper: Best for Small Teams
What We Liked
- Fixed monthly fee for unlimited users
- Restriction-fee features
- Separate business and personal calls
Where It Falls Behind
- Call management is not as robust compared to other solutions
- Lacks video conferencing and team chat
- No built-in integrations
Grasshopper Monthly Pricing Save 10% with annual billing.
- True Solo: $17 for one user, one phone number, and one extension
- Solo: $34 for unlimited users, one phone number, and three extensions
- Partner: $56 for unlimited users, three phone numbers, and six extensions
- Small Business: $92 for unlimited users, five phone numbers, and unlimited extensions
- Free trial: 7 days
Note: All plans include business SMS, call forwarding, voicemail, e-fax, call transfers, custom greetings, simultaneous call handling, and reporting.
Grasshopper shines as a provider with its all-inclusive plans and phone number bundles, which you can get for a fixed monthly price. This is ideal for small teams wanting to share phone numbers and calling responsibility without the per-user fees.
As a virtual phone system, Grasshopper is limited to phone and SMS interactions. All plans include phone-based features, such as call forwarding, voicemail, and simultaneous call handling. So if you have an existing productivity tool and simply need a straightforward phone system, Grasshopper is your best choice.
However, if you’re in the market for an all-in-one unified communications (UC) solution, go for Nextiva. It’s a powerful business collaboration solution that brings voice, chat, video, and customer engagement tools into one platform.
Grasshopper Features
- Call blasting: This is a paid Grasshopper feature that rings up to 15 lines simultaneously so you can avoid missed calls and lessen wait times. Pay $10 monthly for this add-on.
- Reporting: Run different report types related to usage, activity, and call information. Each report includes call tracking metrics that deliver useful insights into every aspect of your calls.
- Instant Response: Automatically sends a text message to new callers when you miss their call. Showcase your brand by inserting images and website links.
Phone.com: Best Budget-friendly Phone Service
What We Liked
- Combine metered and unlimited plans
- Basic plan includes 50 standard phone features
- Multiple add-on options
Where It Falls Behind
- Poor app integration options
- Call recording has $8 monthly charge
- Lacks multi-level auto-attendant
Phone.com Monthly Pricing (per User) Save up to 15% by paying yearly. Volume discounts apply to five users or more.
- Basic: $14.99 for one phone number, 500 pooled minutes, auto-attendant, call transfer, caller ID, call waiting, hold music, greetings, 10 video attendees, and audio conferencing
- Plus: $21.99 for unlimited domestic calls, voicemail transcription, 25 video attendees, and desk phone compatibility
- Pro: $31.99 for call analytics, call recording, 100 video attendees, and Zapier integration
Phone.com’s entry-level tier employs usage-based pricing for occasional phone users, making it the cheapest provider on this list. For only $14.99, the Basic plan has 500 call minutes to be used by other Basic users in one account for inbound and outbound calling. You also get 50 standard voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) features, so there’s no need to upgrade to maximize Phone.com’s key functionalities.
Like Vonage, Phone.com uses an a la carte approach wherein users can add premium add-ons to their monthly subscription. Users have the option to purchase advanced features like live receptionist and global numbers as part of their Basic plan.
While many providers integrate with several business apps, Phone.com heavily relies on a third-party solution (Zapier) to establish a connection with customer relationship management (CRM) systems and productivity tools. If this is an additional expense for you, consider RingCentral. This provider is one of the most fully integrated VoIP providers in the market with over 300 third-party apps.
Phone.com Features
- Text-to-greeting: Create custom greetings from over 40 automated personalities and sound effects. Enter your script, choose a voice-over, and save the audio file.
- Video conferencing: Host browser-based video meetings using built-in tools like screen sharing, file sharing, meeting chat, and whiteboard.
- Voice tagging: If you have several menu options all ringing to a single number, this feature will inform you which option the caller selected before picking up the call.
8×8: Best for Global Calling
What We Liked
- Supports unlimited users
- Feature-rich entry-level plan
- Unified work app
Where It Falls Behind
- Unpublished pricing
- Easily scales into an omnichannel contact center
- Steep learning curve
8x8 Monthly Pricing Talk to the sales team to get the right quotation for your needs.
- X2: Custom pricing for unlimited users, unlimited calls to 14 countries, multi-level auto-attendant, call queues, 500 conferencing attendees, SMS/MMS, 30-day cloud storage retention, team chat, e-fax, voicemail transcription, and app integrations
- X4: Custom pricing for unlimited calls to 48 countries, call activity analytics, and call monitoring tools
8×8 is one of the few VoIP providers offering unlimited calls to 48 international territories. This is suitable for companies wanting to expand overseas without paying for expensive call charges. It also offers phone number support in over 100 countries, perfect for establishing a local presence in foreign regions.
Similar to RingCentral, 8×8 has a multi-level auto-attendant system for creating custom caller experiences through multiple menus. Create multiple profiles for each auto-attendant as well as multiple call flows based on specific rules.
8×8’s advanced offerings, like supervisor analytics and international calling, may not favor small businesses with basic VoIP needs. Choose Phone.com if you simply need a low-cost virtual phone system for managing moderate call volumes.
8×8 Features
- Conversation IQ: Provides valuable feedback on voice interactions using AI. It delivers insights into customer sentiment, keyword search, and topic trends.
- 8×8 Work app: Unifies business communications, like chat, video, and voice, in a single app. It integrates with the 8×8 Work desktop so you get the same features and benefits.
- Visual voicemail: Access your voicemails directly from your phone system, including audio files and transcripts. Retrieve them on your email, via 8×8 Work desktop, or mobile app.
How We Evaluated the Best Auto-attendant Phone Systems
We looked at several VoIP phone systems with auto-attendants in their subscription plans. From there, we chose the top seven providers by evaluating factors critical to small business owners, such as pricing, feature set, and ease of use. Learn how we evaluated the best auto-attendant phone systems by clicking on the tabs below:
15% of Overall Score
Cost is a major factor when choosing an automated phone system for small businesses. We rated each provider based on the current cost of its plans. We also confirmed whether there is a free trial, annual billing, and volume discounts.
25% of Overall Score
The best automated phone answering system for small business owners should include basic functionalities, such as a phone tree builder, IVR, professionally recorded greetings, and multi-level auto-attendant.
20% of Overall Score
An automated phone call system should include advanced call management tools to ensure a smooth call routing experience. These include app integrations, vanity numbers, IVR systems, and unlimited international calling.
10% of Overall Score
Usability is a key consideration for businesses that are new to setting up automated phone systems. It should have a phone tree builder that is easy to configure so you can quickly determine the incoming call flow.
10% of Overall Score
We looked at the types of support channels the provider offers, including phone, live chat, and an email ticketing system. Additional points are awarded if all support channels are available 24/7.
20% of Overall Score
To come up with our expert score, we considered each phone system’s standout features and overall value for the cost. Plus, we evaluated its interface and phone menu editors for usability. Finally, we looked at online reviews of real customers to measure each platform’s popularity and ease of use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are several factors to consider, including your budget, the type of features you need, and the amount of call volume your business handles daily. Fundamentally, you want an auto-attendant that’s easy to configure, especially when assigning extensions for different departments and setting up call routing for business hours.
An auto-attendant enhances the overall caller experience by greeting callers, delivering company information, and directing incoming calls to the right destination. It facilitates streamlined self-service by removing the need to wait for human agents to answer a call, giving the callers the answers they need right away.
No. An auto-attendant is a static voice menu system that relies on the caller’s key presses for answering and routing calls. An IVR system, on the other hand, is more advanced as it uses speech recognition technology and connects to a database to interact with callers and process information.
Bottom Line
Auto-attendants are the most useful phone system features for managing incoming call traffic and avoiding long wait times. Among the seven providers, our top pick for the best auto-attendant phone system is RingCentral. Its virtual receptionist services include robust call management features—from IVR menus to custom greetings and user extensions. Sign up for a 14-day free trial to see how it works before committing to a plan.