6 Best Google Voice Alternatives
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
Google Voice is a popular, cloud-based voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) platform. However, it lacks toll-free and vanity numbers, offers limited business phone capabilities, and international coverage is limited. We evaluated dozens of providers to find the best Google Voice alternatives offering international calling, unified communications (UC), and per-minute plans.
According to our evaluation and research, the best Google Voice competitors are:
- Phone.com: Best overall Google Voice alternative with robust calling features
- GoTo Connect: Top free option with robust video conferencing capabilities
- RingCentral: Solid Google Voice number alternative with advanced UC functionalities
- 8×8: Great option for businesses wanting to expand into global markets and make unlimited calls worldwide
- Ooma: Most cost-effective Google Voice competitor
- Grasshopper: Best for teams looking for flat-rate fees
Google Voice Alternatives at a Glance
VoIP Providers | Monthly Starting Price | Key Features | Free Trial | FSB Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
$10 per user |
| N/A | N/A | |
$14.99 per user |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | 4.39 out of 5 | |
$27 per user |
| 14 days | 4.31 out of 5 | |
$29.99 per user |
| 30 days | 4.30 out of 5 | |
$15 per user |
| 30 days | 4.23 out of 5 | |
$19.95 per user |
| 60 days | 4.13 out of 5 | |
$31 (flat-rate pricing) |
| 7 days | 4.05 out of 5 | |
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Phone.com: Best Overall Google Voice Alternative
What We Like
- Unlimited extensions for all subscriptions
- Inclusive of local, toll-free, and vanity numbers
- Mix and match plans with a la carte add-ons
- Live receptionist
What's Missing
- Maximum of 100 participants for video conferencing
- Customer relationship management (CRM) integration only available on the highest plan
- Limited team collaboration tools
How It Compares to Google Voice
- Phone.com offers live receptionist services, which Google Voice does not
- Google Voice’s global coverage only spans 14 countries, while Phone.com offers international phone numbers in 31 countries
- Phone.com’s plans include one U.S. local, toll-free, or vanity number, while Google Voice has free local phone numbers but does not support toll-free or vanity numbers
Phone.com is the best alternative for Google Voice with its robust business phone features, including international phone numbers, unlimited extensions, auto-attendants, call analytics, and call recording. Phone.com plans include video conferencing and a local or toll-free phone number (Google Voice doesn’t offer this). Phone.com has several integrations and offers both per-minute and unlimited plans, which gives small businesses more control over cost.
While Phone.com offers comprehensive packages, Phone.com and Google Voice have limited capabilities in terms of collaboration features. Other providers, like RingCentral, offer full-featured phone systems, including conferencing tools, customer relationship manager (CRM) integration, and content sharing. For Google Voice, certain features are available through other Google apps, including Google Meet and Google Drive.
Phone.com Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Basic Users: $14.99 for one number per account, 300 minutes and 1,000 pooled text segments per person, 10 video conference participants, and mobile and web applications
- Plus Users: $19.99 with unlimited minutes and texting, 25 video conference participants, and video recording
- Pro Users: $29.99 call recording and analytics, CRM integration, and voicemail transcription
*Billed per user; save 20% when you opt for annual billing
Phone.com Features
Phone.com has a communication portal that allows users to manage their settings, view call logs, and collaborate through video conferencing. (Source: Phone.com)
- Mix and match plans: Unlike Google Voice, Phone.com users are able to choose different packages for each user, which is helpful for small businesses with limited resources. Teams share minutes and text message allotments on the metered plans or use an unlimited subscription for added features.
- Live receptionist: Phone.com offers live call answering services with professional receptionists who take messages and gather client information that will be logged and shared with you via email.
- Add-on options: Phone.com packages come with more than 50 VoIP features. However, you don’t have to upgrade to a higher-plan tier if you want to add call recording or a live receptionist to a phone line. Instead, add these features to one line or all of them.
Interested in other Phone.com offerings? Our Phone.com review is a comprehensive assessment of this provider’s features for small businesses.
GoTo Connect: Best for Full-featured Video Conferencing Capabilities
What We Like
- Customizable dial plans
- Unlimited extensions
- Team messaging capabilities
- Up to 250 video meeting participants
What's Missing
- Limited to 29 third-party integration
- Only displays 25 video conference attendees at a time
- Lacks international phone numbers
How It Compares to Google Voice
- GoTo Connect has built-in meeting and messaging capabilities; Google Voice integrations with other Google services provide the same functionalities
- Both Google Voice and GoTo Connect have an auto-attendant and call routing features
- GoTo Connect offers one ring group in its basic plan, which is only available in higher Google Voice plans
GoTo Connect ranks as one of the best providers for comprehensive online meeting features. Essential video conferencing features include a high 250-participant cap, higher than other alternatives like RingCentral. GoTo Connect meetings have unlimited durations, while Google Voice has a two-hour outgoing call limit and Google Meet Enterprise tiers allow 250 participants per meeting for a maximum of 24 hours.
While GoTo Connect has excellent video conferencing capabilities, it lags behind other providers like RingCentral in terms of call management features and extensive integrations. RingCentral is one of our best small business VoIP services, ideal for companies that want comprehensive communication solutions, including analytics and business phone numbers. RingCentral MVP (message, video, phone) starts at $29.99 monthly and comes with voicemail and messaging.
GoTo Connect Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Basic: $27 inclusive of number porting, local, toll-free and vanity numbers, smart routing, team messaging, and audio conferencing
- Plus: $32 for unlimited auto-attendant greetings, hotdesking, free international calling for 50-plus countries, and unlimited meeting minutes for up to 150 participants
- Pro: $43 for unlimited meeting minutes for up to 250 participants and a customizable cloud contact center
*Billing is paid per user
GoTo Connect Features
Set up your virtual phone system to suit your business needs by adding toll-free numbers or porting your existing ones. (Source: GoTo Connect)
- Business phone number extensions: A subscription to any GoTo Connect plan gets you unlimited phone number extensions. This enables you to route multiple extensions to a single department and even track calls by extension so you can analyze call volume per campaign.
- Custom call flows: GoTo Connect’s visual dial plan editor equips you with the software to customize your call flows in minutes. The system is user-friendly and helpful for businesses that need to set up specific call routing rules in real time.
- International calling: GoTo Connect is a softphone app with unlimited international calling that supports unmetered calls to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Croatia, Estonia, and French Guiana.
Check out our GoTo Connect review page for more information about this provider.
RingCentral: Best for Its Advanced UC Functionalities
What We Like
- Desk and conference phone rental available
- Wide third-party app integrations
- Comprehensive auto-attendant capabilities
- Offers toll-free numbers
What's Missing
- More expensive than alternatives with its advanced features
- No unlimited international calling packages
- Has a user-friendly app interface, but its advanced features require some practice
How It Compares to Google Voice
- Google Voice integrations are limited to Google Workspace apps, while RingCentral has wide third-party integrations
- RingCentral offer toll-free numbers, which Google Voice does not
- Both Google Voice and RingCentral offer voicemail-to-text services
RingCentral is an excellent Google Voice substitute for companies wanting a UC system, as it replaces your current phone service, video conferencing, and collaboration tools. RingCentral allows you to meet in real time, share screens and documents, and host meetings with up to 200 video participants.
All RingCentral plans have toll-free minutes and visual voicemail, but even with its full-featured VoIP packages, RingCentral does not have unmetered international calling. Only two VoIP providers in this list offer unlimited international calling: 8×8 and GoTo Connect. These two alternatives are on our list of top RingCentral alternatives for small businesses.
RingCentral Pricing at a Glance*
- Essentials: $29.99 per month and allows for up to 20 users, business phone or toll-free numbers, business SMS, and collaboration capabilities
- Standard: $37.99 per month and includes an unlimited number of users, internet fax, audio conferencing, third-party integrations, and video conferencing for up to 100 participants
- Premium: $44.99 per month comes with automatic call recording, real-time analytics, CRM integration, and advanced call handling features
- Ultimate: $59.99 per month and offers devices status reports and alerts along with unlimited storage
*Paid monthly per user; up to 33% savings are available for an annual subscription
RingCentral Features
There are multiple ways to use RingCentral, including through desk phones, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. (Source: RingCentral)
- Audio and video conferencing: Interact with your team using high definition (HD) voice and video services through audio and video conferences. RingCentral supports up to 1,000 audio attendees and 200 video participants. Plus, share files and chat with the group or individuals during a video meeting.
- Quality of service (QoS) reports: Ensure your virtual meeting space works well for everyone using RingCentral’s easy-to-read reports. They measure service quality by looking at jitter, codecs, latency, and packet loss. The reports detail trends at the call and user levels.
- Third-party integrations: RingCentral easily integrates with existing tools, such as Slack, Salesforce, Canva, and Zendesk, to maximize its capabilities. There are over 200 widely used integrations available in its app gallery.
Read our RingCentral review to learn more about its full feature set and pricing plans that make it one of the best business phone systems.
8×8: Best Google Voice Alternative for Unlimited Calls Worldwide
What We Like
- Unmetered international calling
- Mix and match plans
- 99.999% service level agreement (SLA)
What's Missing
- No volume-based discounts
- Lacks toll-free minutes
- Auto-attendant is only available in X Series packages
How It Compares to Google Voice
- 8×8 provides voice and video conferencing tools; Google Voice is audio only
- 8×8 offers unlimited international calling and phone numbers in more than 120 countries; Google Voice charges per-minute rates for calling outside the U.S. and doesn’t provide international numbers
- The 8×8 Work app integrates with dozens of tools, including Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace; Google Voice only integrates with Google products
8×8 offers local and toll-free international phone numbers in over 120 countries, making it the leading alternative for unlimited calls worldwide. It ports local numbers in 40 international markets, which works well for businesses with physical offices worldwide. While 8×8 costs more than Google Voice, it offers unlimited calling to up to 47 countries. If you’re curious about other international features, check out our 8×8 Contact Center review.
While 8×8 is a cost-effective option offering unlimited calling and video conferencing in its entry-level plan, 8×8 and Google Voice both have a per-user pricing model. If you have a limited budget and are interested in a flat monthly fee, Grasshopper is a great alternative that offers a month-to-month commitment. Its base plan provides customers with one phone number and up to three extensions.
8×8 Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- 8×8 Express: $15 for unlimited domestic calling, an auto-attendant, music on hold, team messaging, video conferencing, and voicemail
- X2: $28 for unlimited users and calling to 14 countries, hotdesking, call handling, voicemail transcription, team messaging with document sharing, and mix-and-match plans
- X4: $57 for unlimited users and voice calling to 48 countries, call productivity features like barge, monitor, and whisper, presence detection, and supervisor analytics
*Pricing is paid per user; save up to 25% with yearly billing
8×8 Features
8×8’s mobile browser support allows you to experience video conferencing on your phone or tablet the way you would using a desktop browser. (Source: 8×8)
- Video conferencing: With 8×8, connect with up to 500 video participants with X-Series plans, the highest capacity of all alternatives to Google Voice. 8×8 provides meeting security, presentation tools, and content-sharing features.
- Global support: 8×8 has technical service teams with multilingual capabilities located worldwide, so your team can access customer service regardless of location without language barriers. In addition, 8×8 services include emergency service access worldwide.
- Enterprise-grade cloud private branch exchange (PBX): 8×8 comes with unlimited calls, texts, and faxes, and robust call management features like multilevel auto-attendant, call recordings, call handling, and analytics.
To see if this will be a good fit for your specific small business needs, visit our 8×8 review.
Ooma: Most Cost-effective Google Voice Alternative
What We Like
- Comes with international calling
- Offers toll-free and local numbers
- Desk phones for sale or lease
What's Missing
- Team messaging only available in enterprise plans
- 99.9% uptime only available in higher-tiered plans
- No international phone numbers
How It Compares to Google Voice
- Google Voice’s number porting is $20 per number, while Ooma’s is priced at $39.99
- Both offer unlimited domestic calling, auto-attendants, and call forwarding
- Google Voice only offers local numbers, but Ooma provides both local and toll-free numbers
Ooma is the best alternative for Google Voice offering robust call management features at competitive rates. Ooma Office has a starting monthly price of under $20 per user and comes with ring groups, call forwarding, and multilevel attendant. Comparing Ooma and Google Voice, Ooma has a slight advantage over Google Voice when it comes to call management because it offers unlimited calling to Mexico and a call flip feature that transfers you to a preferred device while in a call.
Besides cost-effective call handling features, Ooma and Google Voice lack unlimited global calling functionality. If you need unmetered international calling, 8×8 offers international calling to some countries. However, when comparing Ooma and Google Voice, the latter has cheaper per-minute rates. Read our Ooma vs Google Voice comparison for more details.
Ooma Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Essentials: $19.95 and comes with a virtual receptionist, ring groups, music on hold, one toll-free number, digital fax, mobile app, and email audio attachments
- Pro: $24.95 and includes Desktop App, videoconferencing, call recording, enhanced call blocking, voicemail transcription, caller info match, dynamic caller ID, Google and Office 365 integrations, and call analytics
- Pro Plus: $29.95 and adds call queuing, Salesforce integration, hotdesking, and find me, follow me
*Pricing based on monthly billing on a per-user basis
Ooma Features
Ooma customers can access their accounts and make and receive calls using the Ooma Telo app on iOS or Android devices. (Source: Ooma)
- Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) capabilities: Ooma offers UCaaS functionality in its premium plan. This includes video conference hosting, screen sharing, chat, and call recording.
- Multidevice ring: Ooma alerts call recipients on multiple devices simultaneously, making them unlikely to miss calls. This feature is handy when team members are mobile.
- Caller Info Match: This feature links to your customer relationship management system and shows your customer’s background info from social media and search engines.
Get to know this provider better by reading through our comprehensive Ooma review.
Grasshopper: Best for Teams Needing Flat-rate Fees
What We Like
- Cost-effective flat-rate pricing, not charged per user
- User-friendly app and browser interface
- Option for paid professionally recorded voice greetings
What's Missing
- Limited collaboration tools
- Doesn’t integrate with customer relationship management or help desk tools
- Requires an existing phone line
How It Compares to Google Voice
- Google Voice has video conferencing capabilities through Google Meet, which Grasshopper does not offer
- Grasshopper is not Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant, while Google Workspace, including Google Voice, supports HIPAA compliance
- Google Voice offers local virtual numbers, while Grasshopper provides local, toll-free, and vanity numbers.
Grasshopper, as one of the products similar to Google Voice, offers virtual phone numbers with easy setup and a flat rate pricing model. Grasshopper allows you to pay a single price, and your entire team is connected via extensions. It comes with toll-free and vanity numbers and an instant response feature that automatically sends a message if you miss a call, making it an excellent option for small businesses.
Did you know?
Grasshopper is one of our top choices for virtual phone number providers, offering second phone numbers for small teams and solopreneurs. Grasshopper provides users with a virtual phone number in its base plan, three under its mid-tier plan, and five in its premiere plan. These numbers can be local, toll-free (800), or vanity numbers.
Grasshopper is known for being a budget-friendly VoIP solution, but it leaves much to be desired regarding collaboration tools. For small businesses needing UCaaS tools at affordable rates, Ooma offers video conferencing with screen sharing for up to 25 participants, which is great for small teams needing constant communication. Other features include Google Calendar and Gmail integration and the option to create meeting passwords.
Grasshopper’s Monthly Pricing at a Glance*
- Solo: $31 and comes with one phone number and three extensions
- Partner: $51 and comes with three phone numbers and six extensions
- Small Business: $89 and comes with five phone numbers and unlimited extensions
*Flat-rate pricing paid monthly; save 10% with annual billing
Grasshopper Features
Keep your personal number private using Grasshopper’s virtual business number and make calls from your phone, tablet, or computer. (Source: Grasshopper)
- Virtual receptionist: Grasshopper works with Ruby Receptionists to provide live, U.S.-based receptionists who answer your calls. Live agents are able to collect information and schedule appointments. Auto-attendants also supplement them to ensure you never miss a call again.
- Custom greetings: Create personalized greetings for each phone number, voicemail box, and extension by uploading an audio file. It also offers professionally recorded greetings where voice actors record your script for a small flat per-session fee.
- Instant response: It’s tough to answer every call while running a small business. Fortunately, Grasshopper’s instant response feature lets you reach out to callers using a text message template or a personal message.
Check out our in-depth comparison to learn how Grasshopper and Google Voice differ. We also have a full-fledged Grasshopper review to understand what the provider offers.
How We Evaluated the Best Google Voice Alternatives
We reviewed several Google Voice competitors, including VoIP and virtual providers offering competitive pricing and advanced business calling features, to find your business’ best Google Voice alternative. During our research, we identified six providers that offer VoIP business phone numbers that replace your existing phone system or serve as a second phone number provider (like Google).
Here’s a breakdown of how we measured each of the top Google Voice alternatives:
20% of Overall Score
In our comparison of Google Voice competitors, free trials, free plans, and discounts for annual payments were some of the areas considered. We also reviewed tiered plan costs for affordability and whether pricing is flat-rate or per user.
25% of Overall Score
We examined essential calling features, such as call forwarding, voicemail, business SMS messaging, auto-attendant, voicemail, and conferencing. Plus, we considered the usability of each provider’s mobile and desktop apps.
30% of Overall Score
We explored in-demand business calling features, such as third-party integrations, international calling, voicemail transcription, and call reports. Plus, we gave points to each Google Voice alternative offering free or paid desktop and mobile apps.
25% of Overall Score
We calculated our expert score by assessing the standout features of each service, user reviews and feedback, and its overall value for the money. We also considered ease of use, value, and features.
Google Voice is a cloud-based system offering free phone numbers, low-cost paid plans, and unlimited domestic calls and text inclusions. Our Google Voice review found that it is an excellent fit for small businesses that are heavy users of Google Workspace or those looking for an affordable business phone plan. Its entry-level plan starts at a low $10 per user, paid monthly.
Consider other Google Voice competitors by reading through these comparisons:
- Learn more about magicJack, a no-frills calling solution with setup and training, in our magicJack vs Google Voice article.
- Sideline offers unlimited calling in the U.S. and text messaging. See how it compares with Google Voice through our Sideline vs Google Voice article.
Bottom Line
If you are a current Google Voice user considering replacing your existing virtual phone number provider, Phone.com is the best Google Voice alternative, with the highest rating at 4.39 out of 5. Topping the list of alternatives to Google Voice, Phone.com is not only less expensive, but also allows you to mix and match plans to manage costs. It offers a live receptionist, essential collaboration tools, and a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service.