Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) platforms offer significant savings by offering advanced phone capabilities without the cost of maintaining a landline service and equipment. The best cheap VoIP services balance affordability and feature offerings, providing businesses with excellent value for money. These providers have a monthly starting price of $10–$30 per user, with generous discounts for annual billing and volume subscriptions.
Here are the best cheap VoIP services for different use cases:
- RingCentral: Best for call management efficiency
- Dialpad: Best for artificial intelligence (AI)
- Zoom Phone: Best for regional and international calling
- Vonage: Best for network connectivity
- Nextiva: Best for customer relationship management
- Grasshopper: Best for phone number sharing
- Phone.com: Best for a wide global presence
Transform your business communications with RingCentral: One unifying app for calls, SMS, fax, and more. |
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Best Cheap VoIP Service Compared
Cheap VoIP Providers | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | FSB Rating |
---|---|---|---|
$30 |
| 4.43 out of 5 | |
$23 |
| 4.37 out of 5 | |
$10 |
| 4.23 out of 5 | |
$19.99 |
| 4.20 out of 5 | |
$30.95 |
| 4.13 out of 5 | |
$18 (Flat-rate) |
| 4.04 out of 5 | |
$14.99 |
| 4.03 out of 5 | |
Which cheap VoIP service is right for you?
RingCentral: Best for Call Management Efficiency
What We Liked
- Up to 300-plus app integrations
- Short- and long-term desk phone rentals
- Collaboration tools in the base plan
Where It Falls Behind
- Limited business texting
- Integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) tools not available in the base plan
- Upgrade to the highest-tier plan needed to unlock unlimited storage
RingCentral Monthly Pricing (per User) Save up to 33% by paying annually. Volume discounts for 50+ users are available.
- Core: $30 for unlimited domestic calling, 100 toll-free minutes, multilevel auto-attendant, call management, and on-demand call recording
- Advanced: $35 for 1,000 toll-free minutes, automatic call recording, advanced call monitoring, and hot desking
- Ultra: $45 for 10,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited storage for files, messaging, and recordings, and device analytics and alerts
- Free trial: 14 days
At first glance, RingCentral may not be considered a cheap VoIP phone service due to its monthly starting fee of $30 per user, significantly higher than other solutions. However, you’ll understand the great value for money it offers with its entry-level plan, supporting a range of calling and call management features.
Many of RingCentral’s advanced VoIP capabilities are already unlocked in its base plan: interactive voice response (IVR), caller ID, call queues, and on-demand call recording. This provider is also one of the few small business VoIP services offering a full-featured collaboration solution for video conferencing and messaging without forcing users to upgrade to higher tiers.
The downside of choosing RingCentral is that it doesn’t support unlimited texting and only allows a specific number of short messaging service (SMS) credits per user a month. If you regularly communicate with your clients via SMS, we recommend Grasshopper, which offers unlimited business texting and customizable SMS features like instant response.
RingCentral Features
Map out caller journeys with RingCentral’s visual IVR editor. (Source: RingCentral)
- Conversational AI: Machine learning is combined with natural learning processing (NLP) for smart features like chatbots and sentiment analysis. These features enable teams to deliver efficient customer service and automate manual tasks.
- Extensive integrations: End app switching by connecting the phone system to different platforms. Choose among the 300-plus tools available in its app gallery. Some of the top RingCentral integrations include Salesforce, Slack, Dropbox, and Google Workspace.
- Multilevel IVR: Configure your phone tree menus with RingCentral’s IVR editor to help customers access basic information and self-service options, even when your team is unavailable. Customize up to 250 voice menus and submenus per RingCentral account.
Dialpad: Best for Artificial Intelligence (AI)
What We Liked
- 100% uptime guarantee offered
- Call queue prioritization that allows businesses to instantly attend to emergency calls
- Almost all video conferencing features offered in all subscription plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Phone extensions locked behind the highest-tier plan
- Limited number of video meeting participants
- Meeting transcriptions only available as an add-on feature
Dialpad Monthly Pricing (per User) Pay only $15 and $25 on Standard and Pro plans respectively when you pay annually.
- Standard: $23 for multilevel auto-attendant, custom call routing, three-way calling, and call recording
- Pro: $35 for hold queues, international SMS, integration with CRM tools, and quality-of-service reports
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for phone extensions, integration with single sign-on solutions, and service level agreement (SLA)
- Free trial: 14 days
Dialpad is another low-cost VoIP phone service ideal for teams wanting to enhance communication efficiency through AI. For only $23 per user a month, you’ll tap on different AI technologies, such as automated speech recognition, NLP, and semantic search. Automated speech recognition is applied to active calls, with the system transcribing the dialogues between call participants in real time.
Apart from its AI-based features, Dialpad is a unified communications provider that lets you easily switch between calls, chat, and video meetings within a single workspace. Plus, it has a full-featured phone system equipped with custom IVR, a company directory, and visual voicemail.
Unfortunately, Dialpad limits its video meeting capacity to 10 attendees. If you often host big virtual discussions, consider RingCentral, which offers a large meeting add-on, accommodating up to 500 attendees. Plus, you get the same smart meeting features offered by Dialpad, like live transcription and meeting summaries.
Dialpad Features
Organize discussions within Dialpad channels by starting a thread. (Source: Dialpad)
- Custom call routing: Set call distribution rules to manage inbound calls more efficiently. Dialpad supports fixed order, round-robin, skills-based, and longest idle routing methods.
- Message threading: Start mini-discussions within group chats to keep track of different topics. To start a thread, hover over a message and select the “Reply in thread” icon from the options.
- International SMS: Maintain rapport with overseas clients by keeping in touch via text messages. Dialpad supports international SMS in over 150 territories.
Zoom Phone: Best for Regional & International Calling
What We Liked
- The cheapest entry-level plan among the providers listed in this article
- Budget-friendly unlimited global calls
- All call management features included in all monthly packages
Where It Falls Behind
- Extra fee required for call queue analytics
- No virtual fax, a default feature on most VoIP platforms
- Inaccurate voicemail transcriptions
Zoom Phone Monthly Pricing (per User) Annual payment is also available. All plans include SMS/MMS, automatic call distribution, voicemail transcription, unlimited auto-attendants/IVR, business hours routing, call recording, hot desking, and team messaging
- US and Canada Metered: $10 for metered outbound calling
- US and Canada Unlimited: $15 for unlimited outbound calling
- Global Select: $20 for unlimited regional calling in one of the 48 territories supported and the optional add-on of unlimited calls to 19 countries
Among the listed software solutions here, Zoom Phone is the cheapest VoIP phone service, with a monthly starting fee of $10 per user. All service tiers, including the basic package, provide all-inclusive access to key call management features, such as auto-attendant, call routing, call monitoring, and call recording.
On top of the affordable fees, Zoom Phone makes calling customers in international locations easier. Its highest-tier plan, which only costs $20 per user a month, allows unlimited domestic calling within one of the 48 countries supported, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Japan. At the same time, you’ll be able to secure unlimited international calls to 19 countries, including New Zealand, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.
While Zoom Phone has the lowest monthly subscription plan among the listed cheapest VoIP services, it doesn’t have a built-in virtual fax. If your business frequently sends documents to partners and customers, go for other VoIP solutions offering internet fax, like Grasshopper and RingCentral.
Zoom Phone Features
See the assigned call delegate on Zoom Phone’s “Lines” tab. (Source: Zoom)
- Call barge: Join live conversations between an agent and a customer and help address inquiries faster. Other call monitoring tools include whisper and takeover.
- Shared line appearance: Executives can delegate calls to other employees and let them handle inquiries. This helps leaders focus better on more complex tasks and still ensure customer communications are handled properly.
- Hot desking: Use any phone in your company and access your unique profile and settings. With this feature, employees can work wherever they feel comfortable.
Vonage: Best for Network Connectivity
What We Liked
- 99.999% uptime guarantee offered
- 40-plus default features included in subscription plans
- Unlimited texting included in the base plan
Where It Falls Behind
- Connection to only 20-plus third-party apps
- Voicemail transcription available only in the most expensive plan
- Unlimited use of call queue available for $250 per month
Vonage Monthly Pricing (per User) Volume discounts are available for more than four users.
- Mobile: $19.99 for unlimited calls in the US, Canada, and Mexico; unlimited SMS; access to the Vonage App Center; and unlimited team messaging
- Premium: $29.99 for virtual receptionist, max. of 200 video meeting attendees, and analytics and reporting
- Advanced: $39.99 for on-demand call recording, call group, voicemail transcription, and single sign-on
Vonage is an inexpensive VoIP phone service with software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) in its default features. SD-WAN is a technology that automatically prioritizes communications traffic, ensuring high-quality voice and video calls.
Aside from ensuring a reliable service, Vonage’s Smart WAN helps companies do away with complex, costly network infrastructures. Since the technology optimizes network traffic, small businesses can settle for less expensive broadband plans, which offer multiplied cost savings in the long run.
The best part about this affordable VoIP service is that subscription plans include 40-plus default unified communications tools. The downside is that you must pay extra fees on top of the monthly subscription plan for additional phone features, like call recording and call queues. These are standard tools in other VoIP solutions like RingCentral.
Vonage Features
Park a call and allow other users to retrieve it for faster customer service. (Source: Vonage)
- Call park: Put calls on hold and let your colleagues pick them up. While the call is parked, you can continue making and receiving calls and use other VoIP features.
- Call flip: Switch between devices while on an active call without interruptions. Add up to five devices to multiple extensions.
- Call rerouting: Automatically direct inbound calls to a preconfigured backup phone number during a power outage. This ensures you get all important messages from clients.
Nextiva: Best for Customer Relationship Management
What We Liked
- Free transfer of existing phone numbers to Nextiva
- Up to 12,500 toll-free minutes
- Video meeting recording supported in all plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Call recording only available in the most expensive plan
- 45-minute cap for video calls
- No free trial
Nextiva Monthly Pricing Pay only $23.95, $27.95, and $37.95 for the tiered subscriptions when you choose annual billing. Volume discounts are available for more than four users.
- Essential: $30.95 per user for unlimited domestic calling, high-definition voice, auto-attendant, threaded conversations, and call log reports
- Professional: $35.95 per user for multilevel auto-attendant, unlimited conference calls for up to 40 participants, voicemail to SMS notifications, and integrations with CRM tools
- Enterprise: $45.95 per user for unlimited conference calls for unlimited participants, call recording, and voicemail transcription
Similar to RingCentral, Nextiva may not seem the cheapest VoIP service given its starting price of $30.95 per user monthly. But when you consider the feature offerings and sign up multiple team members, you get more bang for your buck. At Nextiva, the more users you add to your account, the bigger the discount you get.
Aside from the excellent call management tools, Nextiva features sales tools that help agents close deals efficiently. It has a built-in, customizable sales pipeline, allowing users to monitor sales activities. See comprehensive customer profiles, containing information about lead source, sales stage, and account value. Given these valuable sales tools, complementing the call management features, Nextiva makes it to our list of top cheap VoIP services.
Unfortunately, Nextiva’s video calling and meetings have a limited duration of up to 45 minutes only. In contrast, RingCentral allows you to host meetings for up to 24 hours.
Nextiva Features
Pause and resume call recording on Nextiva. (Source: Nextiva)
- Call screening: Filter incoming calls to enable agents to focus on legitimate, important customer inquiries. Enable anonymous or selective call rejection.
- Call transfer: Move active phone calls to the right agent and resolve customer concerns faster. The cold transfer option lets you transfer calls without speaking to the next agent, while the warm transfer requires you to give a heads-up to the service representative.
- Call recording: Store all phone conversations and use them to resolve disputes and train new agents. Nextiva offers the option to pause and resume a call recording while on a live call.
Grasshopper: Best for Phone Number Sharing
What We Liked
- Flat-rate pricing, regardless of the number of users on the account
- VoIP features included in all subscription plans
- Different kinds of virtual phone numbers available
Where It Falls Behind
- No call recording
- Simultaneous ringing for an extra $10 a month
- No robust call reporting and analytics
Grasshopper Monthly Pricing Save over 10% by paying annually. All plans include unlimited SMS, call forwarding, custom greetings, simultaneous call handling, call transfer, incoming call control, voicemail, virtual fax, and instant response.
- True Solo: $18 for one user, one business phone number, and one extension
- Solo Plus: $32 for unlimited users, one phone number, and three extensions
- Small Business: $70 for four phone numbers and unlimited extensions
- Free trial: 7 days
Grasshopper ranks at the top of our list of cheap VoIP companies, offering a highly accessible entry-level plan for only $18. It’s further reduced to $14 when you select pre-annual billing. Unlike other VoIP providers that offer one phone number per user, Grasshopper’s higher-tier packages feature multiple phone numbers, making it an ideal solution for teams sharing numbers.
Among the cheapest voice-over IP providers listed here, it’s the only one that doesn’t charge per user. Instead, it has a fixed rate for unlimited users, starting with the Solo Plus plan. So, as you grow your team and add more members to the VoIP phone system, you won’t have to worry about additional costs.
The best part about Grasshopper is that, regardless of your plan, you get a full range of call management tools. However, they aren’t enough to support large call volumes. Other VoIP solutions, like RingCentral and Dialpad, have stronger capabilities in managing high call traffic.
Grasshopper Features
Create department and employee extensions for your Grasshopper number. (Source: YouTube)
- Customized greeting: Greet your customers professionally and align the phone system messaging with your brand identity using Grasshopper’s custom voice recordings.
- Voice Studio: Hire professional voice actors to record welcome greetings for your automated phone system. Each order costs $75 and allows several scripts to be recorded.
- Instant response: Automatically send a text message to a new client after you miss their call. Instant response lets you touch base with new prospects for better customer conversions.
Phone.com: Best for Wider Global Presence
What We Liked
- Unlimited calling minutes and video meeting duration
- Low rates for international calling
- 24/7 customer support included in all plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Native integrations limited to four third-party apps
- Entry-level plan limited to 10 video meeting participants
- Extra fee needed for call recording for non-Pro subscribers
Phone.com Monthly Pricing (per User)
- Basic: $14.99 for 500 pooled minutes, call forwarding, call transfer, and video conferencing for a maximum of 10 participants
- Plus: $21.99 for unlimited calling minutes, voicemail transcription, video meeting recording, and whiteboard
- Pro: $31.99 for third-party integrations, breakout rooms in video meetings, and live video streaming
Phone.com is the cheapest VoIP business phone service for companies expanding their global presence. Purchase phone numbers in over 50 countries for only $4.99 per month, the typical rate for local phone numbers. On top of that, the vendor provides huge discounts when you buy in bulk. 50-plus phone numbers cost $2.99 per number a month, while 100-plus phone numbers are priced at $1.99 monthly only.
While Phone.com is suitable for strengthening a business’ local presence overseas, it only natively integrates with four third-party apps. If you rely heavily on CRM systems and productivity tools like Google Workspace, the limited integration may be a deal-breaker for you. Go for RingCentral instead, which connects with over 300 apps.
Phone.com Features
Send and receive fax messages conveniently via Phone.com. (Source: Phone.com)
- Live streaming of video meetings: Reach more audiences and stakeholders by broadcasting video conferencing sessions on YouTube. Take advantage of the branded meeting rooms to reflect your unique brand identity on live streams.
- International calling: Maximize Phone.com’s low rates for calling customers in select countries. Pay local fees for outgoing calls to landline numbers in Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.
- Virtual fax: Send and receive important documents through the virtual fax feature. Note that only dedicated numbers can receive inbound messages and that the maximum attachment is 200 pages long, below 10MB in size.
How We Evaluated the Best Cheap VoIP Services
To assess cheap VoIP phone services, we considered the factors most businesses look for when comparing software solutions. The rubric primarily includes pricing elements, such as the cost of entry-level plans and discounts. At the same time, we looked at call management capabilities, platform user-friendliness, and customer support.
Learn how we evaluated the cheapest VoIP services by clicking on the tabs below:
30% of Overall Score
We determined affordability by checking the cost of the base-level subscription package and comparing it to the typical market rate. We considered how much an inexpensive VoIP service plan will be when discounts are applied. Those with free trials and discounts for annual billing and volume users earned more points.
20% of Overall Score
We examined the availability of unlimited domestic calling, business texting, and virtual phone numbers. We also favored those offering comprehensive call handling capabilities like call forwarding, call routing, and business hours.
15% of Overall Score
We considered international calling, call recording, and the number of third-party integrations in our evaluation of niche features. Those with AI features like live transcription and call summary got more points.
10% of Overall Score
We evaluated ease of use by understanding the learning curve in setting up and operating the platform. We favored providers with an intuitive interface that helps users navigate the VoIP softphone easily.
10% of Overall Score
We checked if providers offer various communication channels for support, namely phone, live chat, and email. Since businesses need timely advice on issues, we favor those offering assistance 24/7.
15% of Overall Score
Our expert score includes standout features, value for money, and ease of use. We referred to third-party review websites to gauge the popularity of each provider among business professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. Google Voice is a free VoIP solution offering a virtual phone number, unlimited calling to the US, and unlimited texting within the US. Ooma Home’s Basic plan is likewise free of monthly charges. You only have to pay a one-time fee of $99.99 for the Telo device, an analog telephone adapter (ATA).
Yes, you can use an analog phone to place and receive calls via the internet, as long as you use an ATA. An ATA hardware converts a landline’s analog signals into digital packets to make calls over the internet.
Yes, VoIP is more affordable than a landline because you can do away with buying hardware devices and paying for dedicated lines. It uses an internet connection, which most modern businesses already use. By installing the provider’s VoIP app on your desktop or mobile phone, those devices can already make and accept VoIP calls.
Bottom Line
The best cheap VoIP services aren’t defined solely by their cost but by the range of features and the overall value they offer business owners. They deliver a wealth of advanced call features, low-cost global call rates, and quality customer service.
Among the providers we reviewed, RingCentral is our top choice for low-cost VoIP phone service due to its comprehensive call management capabilities for managing high call volumes.
Even without upgrading to the higher-tier plans, it offers a full suite of business communication features, encompassing voice, video, and messaging. Sign up for RingCentral’s 14-day free trial today.