8 Best Softphone Providers for Small Businesses

When it comes to VoIP softphone providers, Nextiva is the top-seeded solution because it’s a feature-rich business phone system and powerful collaboration app. A single platform offers multiple communication channels, including voice, live chat, chatbot, messaging, video conferencing, and email. Nextiva provides call management tools like auto-attendant and intelligent call routing, which quickly direct incoming calls to specific departments or agents.

Nextiva recently introduced its Digital Plan, ideal for digital-only startups needing live website chat, social media messaging, email, and basic reputation management tools. This plan focuses on omnichannel digital customer engagement and excludes voice calling, team collaboration, and workflow automation. Additionally, Nextiva offers the Nextiva One and Cospace apps, which help teams communicate and collaborate more effectively, improving productivity and workflows.

Even with all its productivity and calling tools, Google Voice can be expensive, with its digital plan starting at $25 per user monthly. If you’re a small business looking for a budget-friendly VoIP phone system with essential features, consider Google Voice.

• Call flow builder: Use Nextiva’s menus and route calls based on your operational days and hours. Manage call flows and create a business phone system with routing protocols based on your operational requirements.
• Music on hold: Replace the silence customers hear while in the queue with recorded music. Hearing music informs callers that the call is still active. Consider playing recorded messages sharing information about products and offers instead of music.
• Team chat: Use this group messaging feature to communicate with customers or colleagues. Share files, thread conversations, and create rooms for private discussions for select people.

Collaborate with teammates and send quick messages. (Source: Nextiva)

Zoom Phone is our best VoIP solution for freelancers and is top-rated for user-friendly VoIP softphone software. Its intuitive design, straightforward call controls, and cloud-based infrastructure make it accessible even for beginners and solopreneurs. Seamless integration with Zoom software and popular apps like Google Workspace and Salesforce allows easy transitions across platforms, making call handling and multitasking effortless.

While Zoom Phone comes with voicemail transcription and call recording, it lacks a crucial unified communications (UC) feature—virtual fax. Those looking for an all-in communications solution should consider RingCentral. It’s our pick for call management, and the platform can send and receive faxes using any device. RingCentral has a dedicated app gallery with over 300 business solutions for automation, customer relationship management, and team productivity.

• Video conferencing: Zoom allows users to connect with video, audio, phone, and chat. Its virtual meeting tools include unlimited 30-hour meetings for up to 1,000 participants, team chat, whiteboards, and screen sharing.
• Voicemail transcription: Access your voicemail through the Zoom desktop app. Users will receive an email containing the voicemail’s audio file and transcription.
• Auto-attendants: Efficiently route calls to the correct voicemail, extension, and queue the first time around. All Zoom Phone plans come with multilevel auto-attendant and IVR, with up to 250 voice menus and submenus per account.

Easily check your call history and recordings via Zoom’s desktop, web, and mobile app. (Source: Zoom)

RingCentral stands out among softphone providers for call management, thanks to its advanced features like auto-attendants, call queues, and smart routing, which optimize customer interactions and streamline operations. Beyond these tools, its call monitoring and coaching capabilities, such as barge and whisper, enable managers to listen in on live calls and offer real-time guidance or intervention.

It’s a leading all-in-one business communications solution unifying voice, video, SMS, and fax into one platform. Its entry-level plan includes unlimited domestic calling, business SMS, team messaging, and audio and video conferencing. RingCentral also comes with productivity tools like custom dashboards and real-time analytics.

Considering its extensive features, RingCentral may exceed the needs of a small team or startup. For small businesses seeking a budget-friendly option with virtual numbers, Grasshopper offers a flat monthly fee for multiple users. Its top plan includes up to five phone numbers, unlimited extensions, and users.

• Hot desking: Use shared desk phones with access to your settings, voicemail, and personal extension. This feature is excellent for companies with mobile teams who work in different offices or locations.
• Visual voicemail: Manage your voicemails directly from RingCentral’s desktop or mobile apps. Listen, preview, forward, or delete voicemail messages.
• RingOut: This click-to-call feature allows users to make outbound calls using a landline or mobile phone with your RingCentral number as the caller ID. Consider this a backup connection when your internet connection is unstable.

Record a digital audio message and store it in your virtual mailbox. (Source: RingCentral)

When comparing softphone providers, GoTo Connect is the solution to beat for affordable international rates and unlimited global calling. Teams with overseas clients or partners benefit from predictable costs with unmetered calls to over 50 countries, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Canada, to name a few. Best of all, it has everything from faxing and call queues, to video conferencing with up to 250 people.

While businesses of all sizes can use GoTo Connect, it’s geared toward companies with high call volumes and may be overly complex for small teams, startups, or solopreneurs. For a more straightforward, budget-friendly VoIP solution with basic call and message support, Grasshopper provides flat-rate pricing and shared virtual numbers, ideal for low-volume teams and small businesses.

• Smart call routing: Direct incoming calls based on predefined rules so customers can quickly reach the right department or person. Use this to minimize wait times, streamline call management, and boost customer satisfaction.
• Custom dial plans: Configure unique call flows based on your schedules and needs. This enables teams to personalize their phone system to align with company workflows.
• System health dashboard: Give administrators real-time insights into the performance and status of your GoTo Connect VoIP phone services and give them a leg up to quickly spot and address issues. This level of proactive monitoring helps maintain system reliability and reduces downtime.

Use inbound call filters to identify spammers, clients, and VIPs and handle calls accordingly. (Source: GoTo)

Ooma is a top softphone for home offices, offering free basic phone service through Ooma Telo along with over 50 essential business VoIP features, such as voicemail, virtual receptionist, and call transfer via the mobile app. Small teams can set up virtual extensions on external devices, like cell phones, ensuring remote employees or those on-the-go remain reachable through their work line even when out of the office.

For $19.95 per user monthly, Ooma provides unlimited domestic calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, a toll-free number with 500 inbound minutes, and core call management features like call forwarding. However, Ooma doesn’t support international numbers; RingCentral is a better option, offering international numbers for domestic or global accounts. Select your preferred country in the admin portal and get an international number.

• Extension monitoring: View and oversee the status of other Ooma Office extensions and perform actions like speed dialing, call transferring, or starting three-way calls with a single button. Standard Ooma Office accounts support up to 20 Extension Monitoring buttons, while Ooma Office Pro accounts allow up to 60.
• One conference bridge: This tool supports virtual meetings by letting multiple participants join a single call line. Users get a dedicated space for collaboration, meetings, or impromptu discussions.
• Shared voicemail boxes: Team members can access and manage voicemails in a single inbox so messages are seen promptly. This is great for efficiently monitoring customer inquiries or managing shared responsibilities.

Users can add extensions with Ooma office and can be assigned one or more devices. (Source: YouTube)

Grasshopper is the top softphone provider for affordability, with a flat-rate pricing model that keeps costs predictable for small businesses. All plans gain access to the same features like call forwarding and custom greetings and vary simply in users, extensions, and shared numbers. One of its standout features is voicemail transcription, which converts voicemails into text so business teams can stay on top of messages without constantly checking voicemail.

As an affordable VoIP phone system, Grasshopper offers an internet-based phone with essential features like call transfers and voicemail. However, it doesn’t come with video conferencing, team chat, and task management. If you need these features, we suggest trying the best overall VoIP softphone, RingCentral. As one of the leading softphones for business, it’s an all-in-one solution with phone, video, SMS, and extensive integrations.

• Voice Studio: Make recording messages easier by using Grasshopper’s voice studio. It provides professional voice talent for your auto-attendant with English and Spanish language options.
• Unlimited extensions: Maximize your monthly plan by using a single number that an entire team can use, such as sales or marketing units. Users can assign a specific extension to each person.
• Instant response: When you cannot answer an incoming call, instant response allows you to send an SMS informing the caller you are unavailable to answer. Use this to make sure you get all potential customers.

Easily set up your main greeting on Grasshopper. (Source: YouTube)

Google Voice is an affordable virtual phone system ideal for entrepreneurs seeking a straightforward solution to separate work and personal calls. Use the personal plan and get features like unlimited texting, unmetered domestic calling, and ring groups with just a Google account and no monthly subscription. The platform integrates seamlessly with Google Meet, Calendar, and Drive, providing users with a smooth workflow across Google Workspace.

The solution is a no-frills, reliable phone system with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, but its virtual phone number options are limited to local numbers. For teams looking for softphone VoIP providers with advanced internal and external communication tools, Nextiva is the best option. It comes with extensive call management and customer interaction tools.

• Workspace integration: Google Voice is part of the Google ecosystem and gives users access to popular applications like Google Meet and Google Calendar. This expands your collaboration tools and allows you to host video conferencing sessions with screen-sharing and hand-raising capabilities.
• Voicemail transcription: Save time and get your voicemail messages in text format. Google Voice transcribes and converts voicemails into text format so users don’t have to play message recordings repeatedly.
• Ring groups: Google Voice alerts multiple team members simultaneously when there’s an incoming call. Configure the ring group feature by identifying the ring order, setting, and business hours and determining who in the ring group makes the outbound calls.

Google Voice gives users a free virtual phone number that works on smartphones and computers. (Source: Google)

eVoice is the ideal softphone for teams seeking a simple platform with multiple phone numbers in its base plan, making managing different departments easy under one account. With three phone numbers, voicemail, greetings, and hold music, eVoice helps maintain a professional image while simplifying call management. Features like auto-attendant and call routing efficiently direct customers to the correct department, delivering excellent service without needing extra staff.

As your business grows, add advanced features like call recording, live receptionist services, voicemail transcriptions, and professional greetings. However, the app functionality is limited, mainly supporting call answering and messaging. For businesses needing more robust mobile capabilities, Nextiva offers a modern, intuitive interface and the Nextiva One app, providing a single workspace for seamless collaboration across all communication channels.

• Merged calling: Small businesses can consolidate multiple calls into one conversation, streamlining communication when managing several clients or team members simultaneously.
• Voicemail transcription: This service converts voicemails into text so users can quickly review messages and respond efficiently without listening to audio.
• Virtual fax: Use a digital alternative to traditional fax machines to send and receive faxes via email. This is especially useful for handling contracts and formal documents remotely.

Manage your incoming calls from your desktop and mobile device. (Source: Google Play)