6 Best Google Voice Alternatives in 2021

As a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) system, Google Voice is easy to use, especially for those already using Google products. Business owners appreciate features like voicemail transcriptions and unlimited short service messaging (SMS). However, companies wanting an international presence, unified communications (UC) platforms, or an auto-attendant turn elsewhere for their small business phone system.

We compared several VoIP providers offering intuitive dashboards and advanced features to uncover the best Google Voice alternatives.

*Pricing is based on an annual contract.

How We Evaluated Google Voice Alternatives

Having a professional business number is essential for small companies and solopreneurs. But a phone system goes beyond a toll-free or local number. VoIP software helps you manage calls and even collaborate with your team.

To make our list of Google Voice alternatives, we examined services providing mobile apps, great call quality, and features specific to entrepreneurs.

We based our decisions on the following criteria:

• Ease of use
• Call management features
• Advanced or special services
• Customer service
• Phone and SMS options
• Pricing and plans

Although many business VoIP providers deliver excellent services, earning them a spot at the table, RingCentral provides the best overall value with communication and collaboration tools, including team messaging and unlimited calling on every plan.

RingCentral: Best Overall Google Voice Alternative

RingCentral is a hosted private branch exchange (PBX) provider offering advanced call management features and collaboration tools. It’s accessible from any device and simple to use. Plans start at $19.99 per user, per month with an annual payment for two or more users. If you need features unavailable with Google Voice, like toll-free numbers or an auto-attendant, then check out RingCentral.

RingCentral Pricing

• Essentials: $19.99 per user, per month for two to 20 users for unlimited calling, business SMS, voicemail-to-text, team messaging, and document sharing*
• Standard: $24.99 per user, per month for unlimited audio conferencing, video meetings with up to 100 participants, and integrations with Slack, Google Workspace, and more*
• Premium: $34.99 per user, per month with hotdesking, automatic call recording, up to 200 video meeting participants, and integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) systems*
• Ultimate: $49.99 per user, per month with unlimited storage and total device management capabilities including status reports*

*Pricing is on an annual basis for two to 20 users. You’ll pay more for a single-user or monthly plan. RingCentral offers volume discounts for larger numbers of users.

RingCentral Features

• Call management: All plans provide an auto-attendant and advanced call handling features like presence activity, call park, notifications, and call forwarding.
• Collaboration tools: Your remote teams can share documents or calendars while assigning tasks to team members right from the RingCentral app.
• Voicemail options: Listen to your voicemail on any device, transcribe and send it to text, or use the voicemail-to-email function.

Discover more RingCentral features and benefits on our RingCentral reviews page.

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Grasshopper: Best Mobile Apps & Ease of Use

Grasshopper is a VoIP service known for its fast setup and easy-to-use mobile apps. All plans offer features similar to Google Voice, such as unlimited business texting and transcribed voicemail. Unlike Google Voice, Grasshopper plans offer toll-free numbers and an auto-attendant. Prices start at $26 per month with an annual payment for one phone number and three extensions. If you need to switch to a new phone system without spending time training staff or customizing features, then Grasshopper is a great choice.

Grasshopper Pricing

• Basic: $26 per month for one toll-free or local phone number and three extensions*
• Premium: $44 per month for three phone numbers and six extensions*
• Platinum: $80 per month for five phone numbers and unlimited extensions*

*Pricing based on an annual payment, but month-to-month plans are available.

Grasshopper Features

• Mobile apps: Mobile and desktop apps are user-friendly and straightforward to set up. It separates your personal calls from work communications while giving you access to call data or voicemail transcriptions from anywhere.
• Ease of use: Grasshopper’s huge draw is how easy it is to set up and use. It takes only minutes to select your number and download the app. You get plenty of features without needing hours to configure your settings.
• Instant response: Unlike Google Voice, you can automate an outgoing text message when you’re unable to answer a phone call.

Learn more about Grasshopper and its features by checking out our Grasshopper reviews page.

Visit Grasshopper

Phone.com: Best Low-cost Solution

Phone.com is a virtual phone number provider offering inexpensive plans with more than 40 features on every configuration. Price-wise, Phone.com is comparable to Google Voice. However, it provides many more features like click-to-call and interactive voice response (IVR). Plans start at $9.99 per month when paid annually for one local or toll-free number.

Phone.com Pricing

• Base Account: $9.99 per month for 300 minutes and 2,000 text messages*
• Plus Account: $14.99 per month for 500 minutes, 3,000 text messages, premium hold music, and voicemail-to-text*
• Unlimited Extension: $24.99 for unlimited voice and texting along with one base video meeting host*

*Plan pricing based on annual payments. A month-to-month subscription is also available at a slightly higher rate.

Phone.com Features

• Click-to-call: Add a snippet of code to your website so customers can click to receive a callback from your company. This is a great feature not found on Google Voice. It lets customers get assistance without dialing your number.
• Audio conferencing: Phone.com offers high-definition (HD) voice quality calls for speaking with up to 300 participants at once.
• IVR: All plans offer automated attendants to direct callers using your custom recording and preset groups or extensions.

Visit Phone.com

GoToConnect: Best International VoIP System

GoToConnect is a virtual private branch exchange (PBX) system that offers a unified communications platform for managing meetings, calls, and messaging. Similar to Google Voice, it comes with many fantastic VoIP functions. However, Google is very limited on international calling options, whereas with GoToConnect, you can call 52 countries for free. GoToConnect starts at $29.95 per user, per month for one to four users. If you want to assist customers worldwide, then GoToConnect provides an affordable option.

GoToConnect Pricing

There is only one plan for GoToConnect, and it provides more than 80 features. Pricing is based on monthly, per-user payments. However, pricing decreases for larger numbers of users:

• Tier 1, one to four users: $29.95 per user, per month
• Tier 2, five to nine users: $25.95 per user, per month
• Tier 3, 10 to 24 users: $23.95 per user, per month
• Tier 4, 25 to 49 users: $21.95 per user, per month
• Tier 5, 50 or more users: $19.95 per user, per month

GoToConnect Features

• Call center monitoring: Oversee your agents or assist team members by using contact center modes like call barge, call spy, or call whisper. Plus, you can see presence data to determine team availability.
• Dial plan editor: This unique feature helps you visually plan your call flows via drag-and-drop capabilities. From quickly adding new employees or changing to holiday hours, the dial plan editor is a tool you won’t find with many VoIP systems.
• Analytics: Assess your performance while reviewing incoming calls, all from an easy-to-use dashboard requiring no training to use.

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MightyCall: Best for Larger Teams on a Budget

MightyCall is a virtual phone system providing web or app-based calling from any device. Like Google, it gives voicemail transcription and text messaging. However, MightyCall also comes standard with an auto-attendant, toll-free or local numbers, and shows agents’ availability. Plans start at $29.99 per month, but you can contact the company for an annual package and save up to $200. Since MightyCall offers unlimited extensions and up to 100 users per plan, it’s a Google Voice alternative for adding many employees without paying a large monthly fee.

MightyCall Pricing

• Basic: $29.99 per month for 1,000 minutes, two toll-free or local numbers, unlimited users, and text messaging*
• Standard: $39.99 per month for unlimited minutes, five toll-free or local numbers, plus call recording, voicemail-to-text, and a presence indicator*
• Ultimate: $99.99 per month for ten local or toll-free numbers, a coupon for a complimentary professional voice recording, and a dedicated account manager*

*All prices include tax, so what you see is what you pay.

MightyCall Features

• Task management: The basic project management function helps you schedule calls or messages and assign them to various team members, showing up in individual dashboards.
• Auto-receptionists: Unlike Google Voice, MightyCall provides an automated attendant for routing calls to any number of extensions, or you can deploy multiple auto-attendants.
• Phone numbers: With MightyCall, you get your choice of toll-free or local numbers, and every plan offers two or more phone numbers and unlimited extensions.

Visit MightyCall

8×8: Best for Call Center Capabilities

8×8 is a cloud PBX system well known for its robust contact center capabilities and apps that work on any device. Similar to Google Voice, it offers unlimited calling and business SMS. However, 8×8 also provides an auto-attendant and presence indicator, both of which are needed for multi-agent customer support. Packages start at $12 per user, per month. With its role-based access controls and advanced analytics, 8×8 works well for existing contact centers and businesses that want to scale their services.

8×8 Pricing*

• 8×8 Express: $12 per user, per month for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada
• 8×8 X2: $25 per user, per month for unlimited international calling to 14 countries
• 8×8 X4: $45 per user, per month for unlimited international calling to 47 countries

*The pricing above is for its communication plans. Its contact center plans range from $115 to $175 per user, per month.

8×8 Features

• Call handling: 8×8 offers an auto-attendant or multilevel interactive voice response (IVR) system, depending on your plan, along with call forwarding, three-way calling, and a do not disturb option.
• Call management: The presence indicator shows agent availability while call queues and call monitoring features help you quickly and effectively communicate with incoming callers.
• Unified communications: All-in-one services give you access to advanced usage and performance analytics while putting all video, voice, and messaging data in one dashboard.

Visit 8×8

Other Google Voice Alternatives to Consider

While we found the providers above to be the overall best Google Voice alternatives for the majority of small businesses, we’ve also compared Google Voice directly with several other popular options. You can read more by visiting the following articles:

• Ooma vs Google Voice: A good option for those in need of advanced call logging
• GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice: A better choice for those who want to limit calls to strict office hours
• Sideline vs Google Voice: Worth considering if you intend to utilize a number of shared inboxes
• magicJack vs Google Voice: Can be a cost savings compared to other full-featured alternatives if you don’t require mobile access