7 Best Hosted PBX Providers for 2023
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
Silvana is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business technology, audio and video conferencing tools, and phone services.
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
The best hosted PBX (private branch exchange) providers offer scalable phone services with advanced features, such as video conferencing and voicemail transcription. Hosted PBX services ensure you maintain uninterrupted contact with your customers and operate even when employees are in remote locations. In this article, we rounded up the dozens of hosted PBX providers to find the seven best to fit your business communication needs.
- RingCentral: Best overall hosted PBX provider for companies wanting an advanced and scalable phone system
- 8×8: Top provider for businesses that have an international presence
- Nextiva: Excellent hosted PBX provider with extensive team collaboration features
- Dialpad: Solid option for companies needing PBX systems with artificial intelligence (AI) technology
- Phone.com: Best hosted PBX services for companies with low call volumes
- GoTo Connect: Ideal hosted PBX vendor for businesses looking for rich video conferencing functionality
- Vonage: Top choice for companies needing customizable phone systems and a la carte add-ons
Hosted PBX Providers | Monthly Starting Price | Key Features | Advanced Features | FSB Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $30 per user, monthly |
|
| 4.36 out of 5 |
 | $15 per user |
|
| 4.28 out of 5 |
 | $30.95 per user |
|
| 4.27 out of 5 |
 | $23 per user |
|
| 4.20 out of 5 |
 | $14.99 per user |
|
| 4.06 out of 5 |
 | $27 per user |
|
| 3.75 out of 5 |
 | $19.99 per line |
|
| 3.55 out of 5 |
Definition: A hosted private branch exchange (PBX) is a cloud-based telephony network with various call functionalities, such as audio conferencing, extensions, greetings, and call queues. Unlike the traditional PBX that relies on an analog connection, a hosted PBX depends on internet connectivity to deliver PBX functionalities. Learn more about PBX in our PBX phone system guide.
Determine the best hosted PBX provider for your business by answering this quiz.
Which hosted PBX provider is best for your business?
RingCentral: Best Overall Hosted PBX Provider
Overall Score:
4.36 / 5
What We Like
- 99.999% service level agreement (SLA)
- HD (high definition) audio and video
- Built-in app customizability
What's Missing
- Video conferencing is not available in the entry-level plan
- Does not offer professional audio greetings
- 24/7 support is not offered at the base tier
RingCentral Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Core: $30 for message and phone functionality for 20 users
- Advanced: $35 for an unlimited number of users, unlimited internet fax, audio conferencing, third-party integrations, and video conferencing for up to 24 hours and 100 participants
- Ultra: $45 for automatic call recording, real-time analytics, customer relationship management (CRM) integration, devices status reports, and video meetings with up to 200 participants
*Prices are based on one to 20 users. Discounts of up to 33% are available for users who opt for annual billing.
RingCentral is our top pick on the leading hosted PBX providers list. Small businesses looking for scalable hosted PBX solutions with robust call management features can’t go wrong with RingCentral. It features complete mobile integration, business SMS (Short Message Service), and virtual meetings with screen sharing. Hosted PBX elevates business productivity through automation, increases mobility, and allows remote coordination.
While RingCentral’s menu of services is one of the most comprehensive, solopreneurs and smaller teams may find all these features overwhelming (and costly). If you’re looking for an affordable cloud-hosted PBX solution, 8×8 is your best bet. 8×8 offers a cheaper monthly fee for its entry-level plan, including unlimited domestic calling, team messaging, and video conferencing.
RingCentral Features
Start instant meetings using RingCentral’s message extension (Source: RingCentral)
- Analytics portal: Access real-time insights with RingCentral’s analytics portal. Using accepted call metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), get data on the number of refused calls and the average speed for training, coaching, and decision-making.
- Various integrations: RingCentral has more than 300 third-party API (application programming interfaces) integrations for greater access to information across the software.
- Multilevel IVR (interactive voice response): RingCentral offers IVR tools to configure phone tree menus using its IVR editor. Streamline your call flows using an automated menu system that’s able to resolve simple customer needs.
Learn more about RingCentral in our comprehensive RingCentral review and discover why this is on our list of best business phone systems.
8×8: Best for Companies With an International Presence
Overall Score:
4.28 / 5
What We Like
- Video meetings with up to 500 attendees
- Unlimited cloud media storage across all X-series plans
- Speech analytics
What's Missing
- Limited productivity features for task management
- Unlimited international calling is a premium feature
- Limited features in the base plan
8x8 Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Express: $15 for five users, unlimited domestic calling, auto-attendant, music on hold, voicemail, team messaging, 100 audio/video participants
- X2: $28 for unlimited users, mix-and-match plans, unlimited calls to 14 countries, multi-level auto-attendant, call handling, document sharing, 500 video participants, YouTube livestreaming, customer relationship management (CRM) integrations, analytics
- X4: $57 for unlimited calls to 48 countries, call monitoring, speech analytics, supervisor analytics, and media storage for 130 days
*Annual billing is available for X2 and X4 plans.
8×8 edges out other hosted PBX providers when it comes to expanding into global markets, thanks to its unlimited international calling to 52 countries. While other providers charge per minute, this gets costly for businesses that make numerous international calls. 8×8’s unmetered international calling helps small businesses boost their global reputation and credibility by adding international toll-free services for clients.
Even though it offers international calling, 8×8 does not offer toll-free minutes. GoTo Connect is an excellent option for businesses with low toll-free traffic. Its standard plan comes with unmetered international calling to over 50 countries and offers 1,000 or 5,000 toll-free minutes shared across an account.
8×8 Features
8×8’s single platform provides aggregated analytics. (Source: 8×8)
- 8×8 Frontdesk: 8×8 empowers receptionists and operators by facilitating faster call connection and contact resolution for high volumes of calls. Its easy-to-navigate interface includes various capabilities that improve call handling, such as presence synchronization, shared directory, and call routing.
- Call monitoring: Equip supervisors with call management tools needed to evaluate employee performance. These features enable them to listen and barge in on ongoing calls. Coaches are also able to speak to agents without the caller hearing.
- Team chat: Connect your teams instantly with 8×8’s real-time messaging. It keeps all project and team conversations in one place and provides group chat functionality to share files in public and private rooms.
Interested in learning more about 8×8? Check our comprehensive 8×8 review and find out if its services suit your needs.
Nextiva: Best Hosted PBX With Team Collaboration Features
Overall Score:
4.27 / 5
What We Like
- All plans benefit from 99.999% uptime
- Up to 3 professionally recorded greetings available on select plans
- Entry-level plan comes with toll-free numbers
What's Missing
- Lacks unlimited international calling
- No free professionally recorded greeting in the base plan
- Voice analytics are only available on the Enterprise and Ultimate versions
Nextiva Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Essential: $30.95 for unlimited voice and video calling, voicemail, toll-free numbers, and unlimited internet fax
- Professional: $35.95 for unlimited conference calls for up to 40 participants, screen sharing capabilities, one professionally recorded greeting, multilevel auto-attendant, and unlimited video conferencing for up to 250 participants
- Enterprise: $45.95 for unlimited participants on voice and video conferencing, call and video conference recording, three professionally recorded greetings, and voicemail transcription
*Monthly pricing is based on one to four users. Save up to 27% with annual billing.
Nextiva leads the pack when it comes to providing collaboration solutions. It features CoSpace, a virtual workspace for team collaboration using chat, video, document sharing, and voice calls. Its conversations thread messages across various communication channels, like voice, text, and email, into a unified view.
However, more affordable options are available for those looking for more low-cost alternatives. If this is the case, consider Phone.com; it has the cheapest basic plan of all the business-hosted PBX providers on this list. For a monthly subscription of $14.99 per user, you will get 500 pooled minutes, 1,000 pooled text segments, video conferencing with 10 participants, 50 standard voice features, and one phone number.
Nextiva Features
Set up call forwarding for a specific user, call group, or auto-attendant. (Source: Nextiva)
- Mobile application: Maximize your business calls using Nextiva’s mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones. It allows you to maintain your privacy by keeping your phone number separate from your business line.
- Conversational AI: Make phone calls more natural and convenient for your customers by allowing them to speak in their natural language. AI technology lets callers explain the purpose of their call instead of listening to a long menu of options.
- Video conferencing: Nextiva’s virtual meeting feature enables you to host video conferences from the app with up to 250 participants.
Learn more about Nextiva’s unified communication features in our Nextiva review.
Dialpad: Best for Its Artificial Intelligence Technology
Overall Score:
4.20 / 5
What We Like
- Clean and simple platform
- Voice intelligence (VI) is a feature available in all plans
- Free video meetings for all users
What's Missing
- Only the enterprise plan has extensions
- Toll-free numbers carry an extra fee
- Maximum video conferencing capacity is 100 participants
Dialpad Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Standard: $23 for unlimited messaging, unlimited video meetings, and Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations
- Pro: $35 for local number support in over 70 countries, global SMS, up to 25 ring groups, multiple phone numbers, 24/7 live agent support
- Enterprise: Custom-pricing for 100% uptime, unlimited office locations and ring groups, dial-by-extension, data retention policies, and priority live agent support
*Discounts are available for annual billing, with monthly rates starting at $15 per user.
Dialpad is a cloud-based solution offering standalone products, such as a business phone system, video conferencing, a contact center, and a sales dialer. Dialpad is excellent for businesses looking for hosted PBX solutions with advanced AI technology. Dialpad Ai has built-in speech recognition and natural language processing that’s able to transcribe meetings in real time, detect customer sentiment, and develop post-call summaries.
While Dialpad offers AI features that boost overall productivity and performance, businesses with considerable international calling requirements might want to consider 8×8[ or GoTo Connect. Both provide global support for companies needing free unlimited international calling, drastically lowering calling costs.
Dialpad Features
Receive your voicemails via email (Source: Dialpad)
- Custom IVR: Tailor your call flow using your online dashboard and set your menu options to enable better interactions and call routing. Determine if incoming calls are routed to agents, voicemail, an automated menu, or prerecorded messages.
- Agent coaching: With speech coaching, your supervisors and managers provide agents with instant feedback on their speech quality. Let agents know if they’re speaking too fast or unclearly, so future call interactions with customers improve. Dialpad’s speech coaching feature is available on the provider’s base plan.
- Collaboration: Dialpad’s collaboration capabilities include team chat and contact syncing, analytics, and reporting. Topic-based team messaging is a standard feature available in all Dialpad plans.
Check out our Dialpad review to learn more about its cloud-based communications platform, including its features, pricing model, and customer feedback.
Phone.com: Best for Businesses Needing a Metered Subscription
Overall Score:
4.06 / 5
What We Like
- Plan customizability allows you to mix and match metered and unlimited plans
- Auto-attendant comes standard with every plan
- Plans include one local, toll-free, or vanity number in the United States
What's Missing
- No free trial
- No screen sharing on video calls
- No mid-call device switching capabilities
Phone.com Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Basic: $14.99 for 500 pooled minutes, 1,000 pooled text segments, and one phone number per account; it hosts up to 10 video call participants
- Plus: $19.99 for unlimited minutes and text messages, conversational text messaging, video conferencing of up to 25 participants, voicemail transcription, and auto-attendant
- Pro: $29.99 for call recording, analytics, voicemail transcription, and CRM integration; video conferencing accommodates up to 100 participants with Hi-Fi transcription and whiteboard features
*Save 20% with annual billing
Phone.com provides feature-rich hosted PBX services with metered subscription options, ideal for small businesses with low call volumes or those with seasonal spikes in call volumes. This pricing model allows you to mix and match plans based on your team’s needs. Phone.com offers the Communicator application, which enables users to manage all business communications channels directly from any Windows or Mac desktop computer.
However, small business owners should note that Phone.com only allows up to 100 video participants on its highest plan tier. If you need virtual meeting solutions with a larger participant cap, check 8×8. It allows up to 500 meeting participants per session, and its platform comes with features such as virtual backgrounds, livestreaming, cloud recordings, and calendar integrations.
Phone.com Features
Phone.com’s call handling dashboard (Source: YouTube)
- HD voice: Make sure you and your partners and customers understand each other clearly with Phone.com’s standard HD voice for incoming and outgoing calls.
- International numbers: Starting at $4.99 per month, Phone.com provides numbers in international territories. These allow your global customers to reach you at numbers within their jurisdiction.
- Add-on options: Pick and choose only the services you need by adding features to your Phone.com account. These include faxing, shared lines for common areas, call recording, and live receptionists.
Read our Phone.com review and find out what makes it one of the best voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services for home offices.
GoTo Connect: Best for Its Rich Video Conferencing Capabilities
Overall Score:
3.75 / 5
What We Like
- Unmetered international calling for up to 52 countries
- Local, toll-free, and vanity numbers are available
- Offers conference bridge technology
What's Missing
- Basic plan lacks toll-free minutes and limits the meeting capacity to four people
- Only supports up to 30 third-party integrations
- Doesn’t offer cloud storage
GoTo Connect Monthly Pricing (per User)*
- Basic: $27 for call routing, unlimited extensions, one auto-attendant recorded greetings, one ring group, one call queue, four-participant video meetings for 40 minutes, team chat, and audio calls
- Standard: $32 for 1,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited calls to 52 countries, unlimited custom greetings, unlimited ring groups, hotdesking, internet fax, call recording, and 150 video participants
- Premium: $43 for 5,000 toll-free minutes, 250 video participants, call analytics, call monitoring, a supervisor dashboard, and agent effectiveness reporting
*Discounted pricing is available for volume purchases.
GoTo Connect is one of our best international VoIP services, and it topped our hosted PBX solutions list for video conferencing features. Its basic plan includes video conferencing of up to four participants with four simultaneous cameras for up to 40 minutes. Higher plans allow for unlimited meetings with up to 250 participants. It also features a one-click jump to meetings and file and screen-sharing capabilities.
While GoTo Connect’s base plan comes with local, toll-free, and vanity numbers, it offers limited business messaging. As an alternative, try RingCentral. As one of our recommended hosted PBX providers, RingCentral offers extensive business messaging services that include unlimited texting, international SMS, multimedia messaging, and in-feed previews.
GoTo Connect Features
GoTo Connect’s call flow editor (Source: YouTube)
- Personalized auto-attendants: Record unlimited custom messages and voicemail greetings using the GoTo Connect desktop or web application.
- Visual call plan editor: Automate your call handling process using the custom call flow editor that allows you to create rules for routing and transfers between extensions, agents, and departments.
- Number porting: GoTo Connect allows you to transfer your existing landlines and mobile numbers from your current provider to GoTo Connect’s service. This allows you to move from traditional PBX to hosted PBX without losing your phone number.
Learn more in our GoTo Connect review and find out what makes it an excellent VoIP phone solution for budget-conscious companies. GoTo Connect is one of our recommended best video conferencing software for small businesses.
Vonage: Best for Businesses Needing Flexible Phone Packages
Overall Score:
3.55 / 5
What We Like
- All plans include over 50 business phone features
- Customizable plans with optional add-on features
- Intuitive desktop and mobile interface
What's Missing
- Lacks a feature comparison list, so you have to contact the sales team to get a detailed breakdown
- Adding a toll-free number requires an additional monthly fee, while other providers include this in the service package
- Charges $9.99 per month for tech support
Vonage Monthly Pricing (per Line)*
- Mobile: $19.99 for unlimited calling, texting, and team messaging
- Premium: $29.99 for unlimited meetings for up to 100 participants, multilevel auto-attendant, CRM integrations, and IP desk phone capabilities
- Advanced: $39.99 for on-demand call recording, call groups, and visual voicemail
*Pricing is based on one user. Vonage has a one-year minimum contract with cancellation subject to early termination fees.
Of all the PBX companies we reviewed, Vonage is the best option for small businesses looking for a low-cost, customizable phone system. Not only does it offer an affordable entry-level plan, but Vonage also offers a wide range of add-on features, such as HD voice, IT support, and automatic meeting recording, that may be added based on need. This means you have more control over what you pay for and only spend on features you use.
RingCentral is the best bet for those who want more from their phone systems through integrations. If you currently have multiple software solutions you’d like to integrate with your PBX phone system, RingCentral has over 300 third-party integrations available. Do more with your business software and integrate it with your phone system for seamless customer database and data access.
Vonage Features
Vonage’s AI Studio creates natural language call flows. (Source: YouTube)
- Optional add-ons: Vonage offers a range of additional features on top of basic VoIP services and app functionality. These include add-ons like toll-free numbers, call recordings, and visual voicemail.
- Vonage boomerang: Move all your calls from specific numbers to your Vonage number. Vonage automatically connects calls from your contact lists with all phone charges applied to your Vonage account.
- Receptionist console: The console views all call activity and uses call control tools, such as call park, call transfer, and call queue. Handle up to 50 concurrent calls and play a custom greeting or music to incoming callers.
Discover all Vonage has to offer in our expert Vonage review, where we run through its VoIP, collaboration, and productivity features.
How We Evaluated the Best Hosted PBX Providers
To come up with this list, we looked at dozens of hosted PBX providers for businesses interested in lowering their calling expenses and maximizing the capabilities available through internet-based phone systems. From there, we narrowed the list of providers focusing on pricing, basic and advanced features, value for money, and user feedback.
Learn how we evaluated the best hosted PBX service providers by clicking on the tabs below:
25%
Pricing
25%
General Features
25%
Advanced Features
25%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
We compared the different hosted PBX pricing options offered by providers to see which offers the most call functionality for the best price. The rates and packages vary greatly, especially since providers also offer annual pricing and volume discounts. We ranked subscription plans according to price, available free trials, and other pricing discounts.
25% of Overall Score
We looked into platforms providing the best call management solutions that improve the customer experience. We reviewed providers with auto-attendant, call analytics, IVR, toll-free minutes, unlimited calling, and voicemail-to-email.
25% of Overall Score
Some virtual PBX providers offer advanced features on different plan tiers, whereas others consider these basic features included in all plans. We analyzed business SMS and video conferencing options available for each provider. We also gave points to those offering virtual extensions.
25% of Overall Score
We examined the overall value of each provider’s offerings, including its ease of use and standout features. Additionally, we reviewed their value for the money and the popularity of the best hosted PBX solutions.
*Percentages of overall score
Are you interested in learning more about VoIP for business? Read our guide on how to set up a VoIP phone system with top providers to consider.
Bottom Line
Hosted PBX providers offering services that enhance your communication system are critical for businesses managing a distributed workforce. With a cloud-based phone system, it’s easier to connect with your teams and reach your customers from wherever they are.
RingCentral topped our list with a score of 4.36 out of 5, making it the best hosted PBX provider. This provider stands out for its low price, robust call functionalities, and extensive third-party integrations. Check out this popular service and avail yourself of its free trial to determine if it’s suited to your business needs.
