6 Best Google Voice Alternatives for 2019

Google Voice is a free virtual phone service that gives you a business number on your personal device, although the features are limited compared to more robust options. If your business has outgrown Google Voice, we’ve compiled the 20 best competitors and narrowed it down to the top six based on pricing and features.

Top 6 Google Voice Alternatives 2019

Which Google Voice Alternative Is Right For You?

How We Evaluated Google Voice Alternatives

Google Voice is one of the most popular virtual phone services on the market, and for good reason. Anyone with a free Google account can choose their own local number and enjoy unlimited domestic calls. However, while Google Voice is a great product, it doesn’t offer a toll-free number, support for multiple extensions, or integrations with other software. For established teams, we recommend going to a more robust phone system that has these features.

To help, we evaluated Google Voice alternatives based on the following:

• Price: We compared the price of each Google Voice competitor
• Ease of use: Services should be easy enough for customers of all skill levels to use
• Phone numbers: We examined the types of phone numbers offered by each service
• Software integrations: Many business phone systems offer the ability to connect data with other software products
• Calling handling and management: We evaluated the types of call management features each provider offers, including voicemail call screening, call forwarding, and call block capability
• Extensions and call routing: We looked at what options were available for routing calls via phone number extensions
• Auto attendant: We assessed whether the provider offers an automated attendant for greeting and routing callers
• Mobile app: Most internet business phone systems offer some kind of mobile functionality
• Call quality: Audio quality during calls should be clear and reliable
• Customer support: We assessed the type of customer service support each provider offers

We recommend Grasshopper as the best alternative to Google Voice because of its features, simplicity, affordable pricing, and intuitive mobile app. Here’s how our six Google Voice alternatives stacked up against each other for price, features, and customer support.

Best Overall Alternative to Google Voice: Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system that provides users with a local or toll-free number with every new account. A starting cost of $26 per month makes it more costly than Google Voice, but it is more affordable than other paid systems and provides a more comprehensive set of features such as conference support. It is the best Google Voice alternative for most business users because it offers more powerful features while still maintaining an affordable price.

Grasshopper Pricing

Grasshopper provides simple pricing for all of its three plans. Pricing starts at $26 per month and goes all the way up to $80 per month, with a $25 setup fee for each plan. The fact that the entry-level plan supports three extensions makes this one of the more affordable systems available.

Specific Grasshopper pricing plans include the following:

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

Grasshopper Features

Grasshopper has unique features that are available through both the online web portal and the mobile app that give it an edge compared to Google Voice. The service offers features such as unlimited calling, inbound faxing, voicemail transcriptions, and an intuitive mobile app. Not only that, but it offers a toll-free number that gives your organization a more professional telephone presence. Google Voice offers no such functionality.

Call Handling & Routing

Grasshopper offers complete control over how calls are routed. You can choose your forwarding numbers, define the ringing order and how many rings before switching to the next number or voicemail. You can also set up call forwarding times, such as 24/7 or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays or just the weekends. Google Voice does not let you configure your business hours in this fashion.

Automated Attendant

One of the features that make Grasshopper the best alternative to Google Voice is the automated attendant. This voice menu system uses a prerecorded message to greet your callers, and forwards calls to your configured extensions. In addition, Google Voice can ask callers for their name before asking you to accept the call, but it does not have an automated attendant like Grasshopper.

Voicemail to Email or Text

Much like Google Voice, Grasshopper will transcribe all voice messages that are left in your inbox automatically. Transcripts are sent to you as a readable text message in your email inbox. Along with the transcription, you’ll also receive the voice message as an audio file attachment so you can read and review messages right from your email client.

Mobile App

Grasshopper’s mobile app is where the service truly stands out. Available for all iOS and Android devices, it allows you to make and receive calls from your business line, check voice messages, review your inbound faxes, and view your call history. You can even sign faxed documents using the mobile fax signature feature. Google Voice’s app, on the other hand, is very minimal and only allows you to make calls and text other numbers.

Additional Features

Grasshopper offers an integrated fax service. You can receive faxes which are then converted into PDF documents. It offers a dial-by-name directory for callers to search your employees by name, and a call-blasting feature which rings all your connected phone number simultaneously. That, on top of integrations with more than 1,000 business apps via Zapier, make it one of the most powerful virtual phone systems out there.

Grasshopper Setup & Ease Of Use

Grasshopper is a virtual phone service, so there’s absolutely no equipment or deskphones needed to use the system. The service works with your mobile or home phone and setting up the system takes just a few minutes. The mobile app is extremely easy to use and works in a similar way to making calls with your smartphone’s default phone app.

What Grasshopper Is Missing

Grasshopper doesn’t provide as many features as complete phone systems. Grasshopper does not provide video conferencing like Nextiva nor does it offer an international number like 8×8. If you find yourself needing more advanced features than just a business phone number, you might want to examine those options instead.

What Users Think About Grasshopper

Grasshopper’s is a favorite among solopreneurs and business owners due to its affordable pricing, usability, and feature set. Many have expressed satisfaction with the free toll-free number options and the fact that it requires no hardware. However, some users complain that the company’s customer service is lacking. For more reviews, check out our user reviews of Grasshopper.

Best Google Voice Alternative for Multiple Line Support: OnSIP

OnSIP, which offers a free version, is a cloud-based voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service requiring no additional equipment and can support many lines on one account. Unlike Google Voice, it allows up to 100 users to make and receive calls on the same account for free. The paid versions include features like call recording and an auto attendant. Businesses looking for more traditional multiline business phone features for free will find an ideal fit in OnSIP.

OnSIP Pricing

OnSIP has three pricing plans: Free, Per-Minute and Unlimited. The Per-Minute plan costs $49.95 per month, regardless of the number of users, plus 2.9 cents per calling minute. The Unlimited plan does not charge per minute, but its $18.95 monthly cost is per user, which can make an expensive option for larger teams.

OnSIP Tiered Features

Free

OnSIP’s free plan is full of features that surpass Google Voice and even rival paid VoIP systems. The plan is limited to internet calls but includes calling for up to 100 users, unlimited extensions, integration with Zendesk’s help desk software, video conferencing for up to 100 users, and business hour rules.

Unlike Grasshopper, no version of OnSIP offers a toll-free number. This means that if your business has nationwide operations, you run the risk of looking unprofessional with just a local phone number. You also won’t be able to make calls to traditional, noninternet phone numbers. Still, the robust line support of OnSIP makes it great for users who want an alternative to Google Voice but still don’t want to spend any money.

Per Minute

The Per-Minute plan, as its name implies, allows you to pay for phone service as you use it. Unlike the Free tier, this plan provides full external calling with a phone number. Inbound calls on your number cost 2.9 cents a minute, and you have access to all the features of the free plan plus an automated attendant for up to three users. The plan costs a flat rate of $49.95 per month.

Unfortunately, call recording is limited to just one user. Other services we looked at, like Grasshopper, offer more call recording options at all tiers of service. You could also end up spending more money than with other systems if use the service too often. Still, this is a good option for teams with relatively low call volumes who want to avoid a high monthly fee for phone service.

Unlimited

The Unlimited plan costs $18.95/user per month with a five-user minimum. It gives you unlimited calling with a virtual phone number and includes all the features in the Per-Minute plan. This plan also comes with call recording for all users, and conference calling can be added for an additional fee. Google Voice, in comparison, does not offer a conferencing module.

Unlike competitors such as RingCentral, OnSIP does not come standard with conference calling. Still, If you’re looking to upgrade from Google Voice when it comes to overall feature set, then this will be a good choice for you.

OnSIP Setup & Ease of Use

OnSIP is very easy to set up and use. You can start the setup process just by entering your email address and company name. The dashboard provides information about your most recent calls, and you can access voicemail messages and place calls easily with just the click of a button. It about matches other phone systems in terms of usability.

What OnSIP Is Missing

The lack of outbound calling with the free tier is one of the factors keeping OnSIP from being the top recommended alternative. It also doesn’t include conference calling or a toll-free business number. It doesn’t have a native mobile app, either. If this is important to you, then we’d recommend Grasshopper instead, as that system provides a local or toll-free number with every new account.

What Users Think About OnSIP

OnSIP customers are happy with the call quality of the system, and how easy it is to use. Others using the service were unhappy with the a la carte pricing for features which are commonly standard with VoIP providers.

Best Full-featured Google Voice Alternative: Nextiva

Nextiva, which starts at $34.95 per user, per month, is a VoIP virtual phone provider that offers a complete business phone solution for small businesses. On top of the phone service, features include a detailed auto attendant, on-hold music, and conferencing. If you are looking for a complete phone system alternative with the best balance of affordability and robust feature set, then Nextiva is our top pick.

Nextiva Pricing

Nextiva’s service is offered in three simple pricing plans which range from $34.95 to $44.95 per user, per month. All plans include features like voicemail transcription, call forwarding, and unlimited short message service (SMS) texting. This is one of the better values in the VoIP space.

Nextiva Tiered Features

Office Pro

The Office Pro is Nextiva’s starter package and costs $34.95 per user, per month for up to four users. This plan includes unlimited calling minutes, advanced call management, and faxing. It also comes with an automated attendant that greets your callers and routes them to their desired extension. The platform is our best overall pick for small business VoIP services and business phone systems in general.

While the price of this starter plan seems high compared to systems like Grasshopper, it does provide a more comprehensive set of features and can grow as your company does. It also offers unlimited calling and texting, unlike OnSIP’s a la carte plans. If an auto attendant and on-hold music are important to you, then Nextiva Office Pro is worth considering.

Office Pro Plus

The Office Pro Plus starts at $37.95 per user, per month, and includes all the features from the Office Pro along with access to the softphone mobile app, one professionally recorded greeting for your auto attendant, conference bridge, and peer-to-peer chat. This is one of the better feature sets for a mid-range business phone system on the market today.

Unlike Grasshopper, Nextiva Office Pro Plus does not offer call recording, so you won’t be able to save important conversations for later reference. Still, this plan is a good choice if you want your business to sound more established and you want to accomplish that with a voice menu and a professional voice greeting.

Office Enterprise

The Office Enterprise is the company’s top-shelf option with a starting price of $44.95 per user, per month. For the extra money, you get automatic call recording and access to Nextiva’s customer relationship management (CRM) software that has a built-in database for managing your caller and contact information. Those coming from a basic solution like Google Voice will find the ability to connect data with a CRM to be very helpful.

If you were previously using Google Voice, then you might find the idea of spending nearly $50 per employee per month to be too much. Still, the Office Enterprise version of Nextiva offers a powerful set of features and could be the perfect match for growing companies that want a CRM system and VoIP service rolled up into one software solution.

Nextiva Setup & Ease of Use

Setting up Nextiva is relatively painless. In just a few minutes, you can start setting up your voicemail inbox, send text messages, and make calls either through the web interface or mobile app. The user interface is very intuitive, although not as smooth as systems like Grasshopper or RingCentral.

What Nextiva Is Missing

It’s unfortunate that access to the company’s mobile app is locked behind more advanced versions of the system. Grasshopper, RingCentral, and other more complete VoIP system competitors like Ooma let users make calls from a smartphone application at any level of service. If making business calls while on the go is a priority to you, then Grasshopper may suit your needs as it provided a local or toll-free number with any new account.

What Users Think About Nextiva

Businesses that use Nextiva are extremely satisfied with the customer support and the overall quality of the system. However, some users have expressed frustration with occasional dropped calls. For more opinions, check out our Nextiva reviews page.

Best Google Voice Alternative for Large Teams: RingCentral

RingCentral is a VoIP phone service for larger companies that offers powerful conference calling capabilities. It starts at $29.99 and supports up to 200 participants in video or audio conference calls and also includes features like an automated attendant and CRM integrations. Large teams that want to hold frequent large conferences will find this system highly beneficial.

RingCentral Pricing

RingCentral is offered in four pricing plans: Essentials, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. Plans range from $24.99 to $54.99 per user, per month. All plans include calling, conference features, and the mobile app. RingCentral is one of the more costly VoIP systems on the market today.

RingCentral Tiered Features

Essentials

The Essentials is RingCentral’s lowest priced option at $29.99 per month for a single user and for up to 10 users. This plan includes a softphone app for SMS, unlimited calling within the United States and Canada, supports up to four people in an audio or video conference call, and offers 100 toll-free minutes. This plan also includes integrations with document management systems like Microsoft, Google Drive storage services, which is a feature you won’t find with Google Voice.

This plan doesn’t offer features like call recording and voicemail transcription. It also lacks the internet faxing features found in more expensive RingCentral packages. Still, it’s a good choice if you have a small, remote team and want to stay connected through your business phone system.

Standard

The Standard platform starts at $39.99 per month. This plan comes with all the functionality of the Essentials plan and also brings in an auto attendant, Internet faxing, and automatic call recording. RingCentral Standard has a better feature set then intermediate packages offered by other vendors. It’s certainly a lot more than what the simplistic Google Voice provides.

It’s unfortunate that this plan still only supports four users in conference calls. It also lacks Salesforce integration, which Grasshopper does offer at a lower cost-per-person. Still, this option is best suited for a small to medium-sized businesses looking for a professional yet affordable Grasshopper alternative to support a growing team.

Premium

The Premium plan is RingCentral’s most popular package. Starting at $49.99 per month for one user, this tier supports up to 100 users in audio and video conferences and offers automatic call recording, voicemail transcription along with all the features of the Standard plan.

RingCentral Premium has a lot to offer, but it might be too expensive for those looking for an alternative to a free virtual phone system. This is especially true if you don’t have a team large enough to warrant more advanced features like conferences with 100 people. With that in mind, RingCentral Premium is a good solution for larger call centers and business wanting digital records of calls for quality assurance, training, and compliance purposes.

RingCentral Setup & Ease of Use

RingCentral’s setup is pretty straightforward. Like other services, the process takes only a few minutes and, once complete, you’ll have access to one of the most robust online portals of any virtual or VoIP phone provider. The mobile app is also incredibly easy to use, and you can manage your entire account from the app.

What RingCentral Is Missing

The more affordable tiers of the solution don’t offer call recording and voicemail to text transcription. These features come standard with Google Voice, and most other providers also offer this feature with their starter plans. It’s frustrating to see these options missing in such an expensive product.

What Users Think About RingCentral

Business owners are generally pleased with the range of features that RingCentral offers and the overall functionality of the service. However, they were disappointed with the long customer support phone queues and lack of support response as well. For a more detailed summary of user’s experiences with RingCentral, check out our user reviews of RingCentral.

Best Google Voice Alternative for International Calling: 8×8

8×8 is a VoIP phone system that provides features like unlimited calling, an auto attendant, and call recording with a starting price of $25 per user, per month. However, what sets the platform apart is its ability to make unlimited calls to anywhere from 14 to 42 countries depending on the package. This is undoubtedly the best alternative to Google Voice for teams with a multinational business presence who need to make overseas calls.

8×8 Pricing

8×8 provides three fairly straightforward pricing tiers which range from $25 to $55 per user, per month. All plans include the auto attendant, audio/video conferencing, unlimited faxing, integrations with Salesforce and unlimited calling to a number of countries based on the plan selected. 8×8 is moderately priced for a solution of its kind.

8×8 Tiered Features

X2

X2 is 8×8’s starter package at $25 per user per month. It provides all standard calling features like auto attendant, voicemail, call queuing and unlimited calling for 14 different countries. You’ll also get 1GB of media storage, an unlimited number of phone lines and the ability to hold audio and video conferences with up to five participants.

Unfortunately, this plan does not come with call recording, which comes standard with Google Voice. However, you’ll have unlimited international calling, as opposed to Google’s per-minute rates, and a wealth of other features that will give you a more complete phone system. Small teams with international calling needs will find a lot to like with this plan.

X5

The X5 package costs $35 per month. It includes everything in the X2 package with an additional 4GB of media storage, conference calling for up to 25 participants and unlimited calls to a total of 32 countries. Unlike the X2, call recording is available with this tier, but it’s only available with an additional fee of $10 per user, per month.

It’s unfortunate that call recording is an extra fee here as it is included with many other intermediate VoIP packages as well as the free Google Voice. However, if you’re growing internationally and you’re looking for a well-rounded phone system to support your overseas clients, this is a good choice.

X8

The X8 is 8×8’s most expensive package at $55 per user per month. It includes all of the features in the X5 package and adds support for up to 50 participants in an audio or video conference as well as the ability to make unlimited calls to 46 countries. The X8 package also provides access to contact center features that will come in handy if you anticipate getting a lot of calls. Google Voice doesn’t offer any features for call centers.

The X8 tier is a true no-compromise solution. Like the top tiers of other VoIP providers, this is best suited for more established businesses, especially those with an international reach, that can take advantage of the contact center features this plan has to offer.

8×8 Setup & Ease of Use

8×8 is relatively painless to set up and use. The look and feel of the interface leave much to be desired, but the system is still easy to manage. Configuring employee extensions, assigning phone numbers and the automated attendant can be done quickly. It’s about as easy to use as any of its competitors.

What 8×8 Is Missing

8×8 lacks integration with business and CRM apps like Dropbox and Salesforce. It also lacks the affordability of some of its competitors, but businesses that make many international calls may prefer an unlimited global calling plan over the per-minute rates offered by Google Voice.

What Users Think About 8×8

Business owners have found 8×8 to be an effective service for making calls to international customers and keeping in touch with global vendors. They are also satisfied with the 24/7 support available. However, several of our readers complained about service outages. For a more comprehensive summary of what users think about 8×8, check out our user reviews of 8×8.

Best Google Voice Alternative for Vanity Numbers: Phone.com

Phone.com, which starts at $12.99 per month, is a virtual phone service that offers bundles of calling minutes with features like call conferencing and an automated phone attendant. Unlike Google Voice, the company offers the choice to adopt a vanity number like 1-800-FLOWERS so that your organization has a memorable phone presence. Therefore, if you want to upgrade from Google Voice and want a customized number, we recommend Phone.com

Phone.com Pricing

Phone.com offers three price plans that include a bundle of calling minutes and text messages. Plans range from $12.99 for 300 minutes and 5,000 text messages to $39.99 for 1,000 minutes and 20,000 texts. Unlimited calling is also available for each plan for an additional cost.

Phone.com’s pricing includes:

• Base: $12.99 per month for 300 calling minutes and $22.99 for unlimited.
• Plus: $19.99 per month for 500 calling minutes and $24.99 for unlimited.
• Pro: $39.99 per month for 1,000 calling minutes and $27.99 for unlimited.

Phone.com Tiered Features

Base

Phone.com’s Base plan costs $12.99 per month and comes with 5,000 monthly text messages. Like Google Voice, it includes a mobile app as well as features like call screening, voicemail-to-email, and call block. While it’s more expensive than Google Voice, it is still one of the more affordable options available.

The Base plan does not come with premium hold music or call recording features like more costly VoIP systems. It also cannot adopt an international number like 8×8. Still, the Base plan is a great, lower-cost alternative to Google Voice for small teams that don’t require a lot of calling minutes.

Plus

Phone.com’s Plus plan includes two local or toll-free phone numbers as well as 500 minutes of calling time for $19.99 per month. The Plus plan also comes with 10,000 SMS messages, voicemail-to-text, and premium hold music, which is not offered by Google Voice. Although this package costs about the same as other mid-level business phone systems on the market, it offers more phone numbers.

Unfortunately, Phone.com Plus lacks video conferencing, call recording, and analytics features found in the premium plan. Additionally, it does not offer CRM integration like other solutions we looked at. It is worth noting that this feature is available as an optional add-on. The Plus tier is still a good fit for teams that prefer SMS messaging over audio calling.

Pro

Phone.com’s top-tier Pro plan starts at $39.99 per month and includes three local or toll-free phone number plus 1,000 minutes of calling time. This makes it more affordable than other top-level business phone plans on the market. You also get 20,000 SMS messages, call analytics, call recording, and video conferencing for up to 25 participants. Google Voice and Grasshopper, on the other hand, offer no video conferencing.

Phone.com Pro package doesn’t offer an international number like 8×8. It doesn’t provide professionally recorded greetings like Nextiva, although you can order professional recordings starting at $79. The Pro plan is best suited for businesses with low call volumes that still want tools to analyze and save call data.

Setup & Ease of Use

Phone.com offers guides for the entire setup process, which is great if you aren’t technology savvy. Once complete, managing users, extensions and configuration options with the online portal is quite simple. You can have the system call you to record your own greetings, and there’s even a function to enter text to be read to your callers on the auto attendant.

What Phone.com Is Missing

One of the drawbacks of Phone.com is the additional fees charged for certain features like voicemail transcription. This is especially unfortunate considering that Google Voice offers it completely free of charge. The lack of after-hours customer support is another downside when compared to the 24/7 service provided by Nextiva.

What Users Think About Phone.com

Our readers give Phone.com mixed reviews, with a 3 out of 5 star rating. Customers appreciate that the service is inexpensive, and others appreciate the flexibility of the plans. However, some say Phone.com suffers from frequent down times. For more reviews, visit our Phone.com user reviews page.

Bottom Line

If you’re a solopreneur looking to minimize costs, Google Voice is an effective way to establish a business line. However, if your company grows to more than a few people, you’ll want features and support that are beyond what the service can offer you. There are many VoIP and virtual phone systems with affordable alternatives to choose from that provide advanced features at an affordable price.

Grasshopper allows you to appear more professional with the addition of an auto attendant and a free toll-free number. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Google Voice that doesn’t charge for additional users and offers a seven-day free trial, Grasshopper is for you. Get started with Grasshopper by clicking the button below.

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