Top 6 Cheap VoIP Services for 2021

Cloud-based VoIP systems cost less compared to traditional landlines or office private branch exchange (PBX) systems; however, any business phone system can still be expensive. That said, most VoIP plans allow you to use any device to make calls in their lowest-tiered plans, and all you need is an internet connection. Therefore, we looked at pricing, fees, and features to uncover the six best cheap VoIP services.

How We Evaluated Cheap VoIP Service Plans

Prices for voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP)-based business phone systems can vary greatly, with many offering free to low-cost entry level plans. However, often these plans also lack essential features like voicemail, or require you to purchase add-ons if you want more collaboration functionality like file sharing. Some also increase your total monthly price depending on how many minutes you use. All these extra charges can add up.

Therefore, to uncover the true best cheap VoIP service plans, we explored plan costs and hidden fees as well as the following:

• Reliability
• Call quality
• Customer service
• Ease of use
• Desktop and mobile apps
• Collaboration tools
• Extra features or services
• Integrations

If you have zero budget for a hosted VoIP service, then a free plan with OnSIP or Google Voice is a good fit for you. But the best low-cost system is 8×8, featuring unlimited calling, business short messaging service (SMS), and voicemail. You’ll pay only $12 per user, per month and can try it out with a 30-day free trial. Several cloud phone providers offer reasonable solutions if you have a low call volume or a slightly higher budget.

8×8: Best Overall for Cheap VoIP Services

While 8×8 doesn’t offer a free plan, it’s the best overall solution for unlimited calling for only $12 per license, per month. You won’t pay any extra fees to coordinate with co-workers via chat, meetings, or video calls. And 8×8 delivers excellent customer experiences with customer-friendly features like intelligent call routing and music on hold. You can also mix and match your licenses, meaning you can buy basic services for remote employees but get the advanced analytics plan for yourself.

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8×8 Pricing

• 8×8 Express: $12 per license, per month for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, a global toll-free number, auto-attendant, voicemail, intelligent call routing, and business SMS
• 8×8 X2: $25 per license, per month for all Express features plus call recording, multiline support, VoIP fax, extension analytics, call detail records, unlimited calling to 14 countries, and integrations with enterprise apps
• 8×8 X4: $45 per license, per month for all VoIP features, and you get advanced analytics for administrators and supervisors and unlimited calling to 47 countries

8×8 Features

• Pricing: With 8×8, the price you see is what you’ll pay. There are no hidden charges or taxes added to your monthly payment. You get unlimited minutes and texting for the U.S. and Canada, with no data caps.
• Phone system: 8×8 is a total small business VoIP system with essential calling features like call forwarding and music on hold. You can communicate with customers via texting, video, or voice calls.
• Team collaboration: Even the basic package integrates with 8×8 Work Apps so that you can create or join meetings with co-workers. The system connects to Google Calendar or Office 365 calendars to make scheduling easy.

OnSIP: Best for Small Businesses With 5 or More Employees

OnSIP provides a couple of different ways to connect teams and customers. Its free version works for connecting with other VoIP users, so it works great for messaging between remote teams, but you can’t call standard phones. For companies with five or more employees, the unlimited plan offers robust features for an affordable price. However, if you have fewer than five employees, the pay-as-you-go basic plan is more expensive than other cheap VoIP services.

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OnSIP Pricing

• Free: No cost web-based calls to other VoIP users, up to 100 users with unlimited extensions, Slack and Zendesk integrations, and a Google Chrome extension*
• Unlimited: $18.95 per user, per month with a five-user minimum for unlimited auto-attendants, announcements, call recording, call parking, and ring groups*
• Basic: $49.95 per user, per month plus 2.9 cents per minute outbound and 3.9 cents per minute inbound calls for three auto-attendants, one directory, five voicemail inboxes, and basic on-hold music*

*Extra costs include a one-time fee of $15 to port a number, a $7 one-time fee per new phone number added, and $2 per month for extra phone numbers. E911 service is $1.80 per user.

OnSIP Features

• Website integrations: With OnSIP, you can integrate your calling services right into your website, meaning you can chat or talk to a customer who visits your site without leaving your website for phone service. This feature is free and comes with all plans.
• Business phone services: Customize your office phone system with an employee directory, individual voicemail boxes, and virtual receptionist options. Plus, you’ll appreciate call recording and voicemail transcribing features.
• Free Polycom phones: Paid packages include a free Polycom, also called softphone, for each user. This offer is an excellent way to ensure employees can answer phones using their desktop, even if their cell phone battery dies.

Grasshopper: Best for Mobile Businesses With 3 Users

Although Grasshopper’s basic plan costs $26 per month when billed annually, it includes three extensions, meaning you can forward incoming calls to three phone numbers. It presents significant savings over other cheap VoIP plans that charge per user. All Grasshopper plans come with standard PBX features, including your choice of a local or toll-free number or ported number at no additional cost to you. Its super-easy setup and apps for desktops and mobile devices make Grasshopper an excellent, low-cost phone system.

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Grasshopper Pricing

• Solo: $26 per month for one phone number and three extensions*
• Partner: $44 per month for three phone numbers and six extensions*
• Small Business: $80 per month for five phone numbers and unlimited extensions*

*Pricing is based on annual payments. If you opt to pay monthly, you’ll pay $29 for the Solo plan, $49 for the Partner plan, and $89 for the Small Business plan. Extra phone numbers are $10 per number, per month. International calls are not included, so you’ll pay per-minute rates based on location.

Grasshopper Features

• Business phone services: Customize your phone system with personalized greetings, custom business hours, and set custom business hours.
• Every plan offers the same features: Regardless of your plan, you can transcribe emails, text, forward calls, use call hold and call transfer features, instant text responses to new callers when you can’t answer their call, and call screening.

800.com: Best Low-cost Virtual Service for Global Businesses

800.com is a low-priced VoIP provider offering tons of features across plans. All virtual phone packages include the same business phone tools, with the difference between plans coming down to if you need unlimited minutes. The cheapest VoIP plan comes with 1,000 minutes and a toll-free number. Furthermore, you’ll save 20% on your monthly cost if you opt for an annual payment, but no contracts or commitments are required. Since you can route calls to any country worldwide at no extra charge, 800.com is a fantastic option for small companies with remote workers worldwide.

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800.com Pricing

• Personal Monthly: $23 per month for 1,000 minutes, one toll-free number, and all features, including fax reports, call recording, and call notes*
• Unlimited Monthly: $59 per month for unlimited minutes, one toll-free number, and all features like voicemail transcription and call forwarding*
• Pro Monthly: $239 per month for unlimited seats, meaning you can add as many users or phones as you want; you get 5,000 minutes and five toll-free numbers plus all features*

*Get the lowest rates on the above prices by switching to annual pricing as you’ll pay 20% less. But, if you want a local telephone number, it’s a $25 activation fee, and toll-free numbers starting with eight (like 800) are a one-time charge of $35.

800.com Features

• Feature-rich plans: All monthly packages, regardless of price, come with the same features. Your global workforce can attach notes to each caller, record all calls, and transcribe voicemails to read right from your email inbox.
• Toll-free and vanity numbers: Unlike other cheap VoIP services, 800.com provides a toll-free number with every plan, which is excellent for building your business worldwide.
• Reporting: With 800.com, you can quickly pull up reports by phone number or period, which shows data for all calls and faxes.

For more information on plans with toll-free numbers, go to our 800-number plans page.

Google Voice: Best for Freelancers & Small Teams

If you use Google Suite to collaborate with clients or remote teams, it’s easy to transition to using Google Voice as your small business phone system. It offers a free version for personal use, available via Android or iOS apps or a web browser. Google Voice paid plans start at $10 per user, per month with a paid Google Workspace subscription and include integrations with Google Meet and Calendar. Use the Google Workspace Admin console to adjust user settings and phone numbers quickly.

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Google Voice Pricing

• Free: It costs nothing to secure a free business phone number, make domestic calls, or send text messages. Features include transcribed voicemails and personalized voicemail greetings*
• Starter: $10 per user, per month for unlimited calling and SMS in the U.S. or Canada, 24/7 support, call forwarding, G Suite integrations, mobile apps, and web browser use*
• Standard: $20 per user, per month adds a multilevel auto-attendant, ring groups, desktop equipment compatibility, and eDiscovery for calls, text messages, and voicemail*
• Premier: $30 per user, per month for unlimited users, international locations, and advanced analytics and reporting*

*To get a paid Google Voice plan, you must subscribe to Google Workspace, with plans ranging from $4 to $18 per user, per month.

You’ll pay extra per-minute fees for international calls, which differ by location. For example, it’s 1 cent per minute to call a landline in Mexico versus 22 cents to call a mobile phone in Italy. Use Google’s rate card to determine costs if you frequently make international calls. You’ll also pay a one-time fee of $20 to port an existing phone number.

Google Voice Features

• Enterprise-level features: Google Voice plans offer automatic voicemail transcription, which is much more accurate than other companies’ versions. You can also switch devices right in the middle of a phone call, so no worries if your cell is about to die. Paid plans include call recording and integration with all G Suite tools.
• Ease of use: Whether you use the iOS or Android app or opt for the web browser version, Google Voice looks like your Gmail inbox. You can access voicemails, text message people, view call history, or make and receive video calls from one spot.
• Small business perks: Incoming calls ring on multiple devices, and you can add call screening to hear an audio alert of who’s calling. Plus, Google Voice includes do not disturb functions and calendar integrations so you can protect your time from disturbances.

Dialpad: Best for Small Business Integrations

Dialpad delivers a full hosted VoIP service with many features you won’t find in other cheap VoIP solutions, including a multilevel auto-attendant, call recording, and call transcriptions. Its UberConferencing solution is free to use and included with all plans. Plus, you’ll appreciate integrations with G Suite and Office 365 with the standard plan. Get even more integrations with its Pro plan. The range of features and ways to connect to other business software make this a great choice for businesses that want a clear view of their communications.

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Dialpad Pricing

• UberConference: Free video conferences for up to 45 minutes, including unlimited call recordings and screen sharing for up to 10 participants
• Standard: $15 per user, per month for unlimited calling, SMS and multimedia messaging service (MMS), custom voicemail greetings, G Suite and Microsoft 365 integrations, and three ring groups*
• Pro: $25 per user, per month with a minimum of three licenses for 24/7 phone support, advanced analytics, 25 ring groups, international SMS, and integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, HubSpot, and Zapier*
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for 100 or more licenses for unlimited ring groups, a service level agreement (SLA), and integrations with Okta and Azure*

*Pricing is on an annual basis with a contract. You’ll pay $5 more per user, per month with a no-contract, month-to-month payment. Toll-free numbers are extra and start at $7 per month plus 2 cents per minute. International calling rates are charged per minute and vary by country. Faxing is an add-on service.

Dialpad Features

• Advanced calling features: Dialpad is the only cheap VoIP plan that allows unlimited MMS messaging, which puts your images in the text message instead of sending it as an attachment. You can also switch calls between devices, receive call transcriptions, design custom routing diagrams, and record calls.
• Integrations: Dialpad makes it easy to integrate with your G Suite or Microsoft 365 software. Plus, the Pro plan is an affordable way to connect your business phone system to key technologies like Salesforce, Slack, and Zendesk.

Bottom Line

Thanks to advancements in technology, you can find several free or cheap VoIP services to choose from. However, to determine your real cost, it’s essential to understand how you use your business phone services and understand if you’ll pay extra fees to port your number or make video calls. Although all six services are affordable options for entrepreneurs, 8×8 combines phone services with collaboration tools for a fantastic all-in-one solution.