7 Best Small Business VoIP Services
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.
Marianne is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business phone services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools.
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
The best voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services for small businesses provide a centralized platform for managing communications and customer interactions. They come with affordable pricing, advanced telephony features, and robust integration capabilities. The right VoIP system should provide greater mobility and a high level of customization to fit your ever-growing business needs.
Here are our top picks for the seven best VoIP services for small businesses:
- RingCentral: Best overall for scaling companies looking for an integratable, comprehensive communication solution
- Nextiva: Top choice for teams wanting a phone system with robust productivity tools built in
- GoTo Connect: Great option for businesses needing rich video conferencing capabilities
- 8×8: Best for unlimited international calling plans and global phone number support
- Phone.com: Suitable for small businesses with low call volumes that prefer metered subscription
- Vonage: Excellent choice for organizations looking for flexible, a la carte phone plans and pricing
- Ooma Office: Ideal for solopreneurs and startups looking for a feature-rich solution without upgrading to high-tier plans
Small Business VoIP Services | Monthly Starting Price ($/User/Month) | Key Features | Free Trial | FSB Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $30 |
| 30 days | 4.79 out of 5 |
 | $30.95 |
| 7 days | 4.73 out of 5 |
 | $27 |
| 14 days | 4.7 out of 5 |
 | $15 |
| 30 days | 4.6 out of 5 |
 | $14.99 |
| N/A | 4.54 out of 5 |
 | $19.99 |
| 14 days | 4.23 out of 5 |
 | $19.95 |
| N/A | 4.21 out of 5 |
Take our quiz to find out which small business VoIP service is best for you.
Which small business VoIP service is right for you?
RingCentral: Best Overall Small Business VoIP Service
Overall Score:
4.79 / 5
What We Like
- Toll-free minutes included in all plans
- Robust third-party app integrations
- Call management tools like auto-attendant and interactive voice response (IVR) support high call volumes
What's Missing
- Entry-level plan doesn’t include video conferencing
- Lacks professional audio greetings
- Features advanced capabilities and inclusions that come at higher subscription rates
RingCentral Monthly Pricing*
- Core: $30 per user for a local or toll-free number, unlimited domestic calls and texts, visual voicemail, document sharing, and call management features
- Advanced: $35 per user for video meetings with 100 attendees, unlimited internet fax, unlimited audio conferencing, and multi-level auto-attendant
- Ultra: $45 per user for video meetings with 200 attendees, hot desking, real-time analytics, single sign-on (SSO),device alerts and status reports, and customer relationship management (CRM) integrations
- Free trial: 14 days
*Rates displayed are based on a monthly subscription for one to five users. Save up to 33% by paying yearly and receive volume discounts for 100 or more users.
RingCentral is a cloud-based business phone system known for its comprehensive features and reliability. It is our best overall small business VoIP service, offering a wide range of call management capabilities such as multilevel auto-attendant, call screening, answering rules, and call monitoring. Even for on-the-go users, RingCentral is one of the best business cell phone plans as it provides advanced call handling features.
Upgrading to the Premium plan gives access to analytics and reporting tools, allowing you to gain real-time insights on usage, adoption, and quality of service. Among other providers on this list, RingCentral has the largest number of integrations, with up to 200 third-party applications. It also comes with intuitive and easy-to-use software, making it suitable for users of all skill levels.
While RingCentral has the most competitive list of unified communications tools, its feature-rich platform may be too overwhelming for those looking for a simplified business VoIP solution. In this case, budget-conscious companies with low call volume requirements should consider Phone.com. This RingCentral alternative offers metered plans and a la carte features, and allows for a mix and match of plans for greater customization and cost savings.
RingCentral Features
RingCentral’s visual interactive voice response (IVR) editor lets account admins configure an account’s multilevel IVR with an easy-to-use graphical interface. (Source: RingCentral)
- Analytics portal: Gain real-time insights on adoption, usage, and quality of service with RingCentral’s analytics portal. It supports various call metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), such as the number of refused calls, the average speed of answer, and the number of missed calls with voicemail.
- Multisite management: RingCentral provides the flexibility to support your offices based on their unique operational needs. It simplifies workflows by allowing you to manage users, devices, and phone numbers across all sites directly from the admin portal, reducing the need for external management tools.
- Multilevel IVR: RingCentral offers IVR tools to configure phone tree menus using an intuitive visual IVR editor. It lets you implement flexible IVR menus for handling inbound calls and assign IVR menus to extensions with just a few clicks.
Check out our RingCentral review to learn more about the features and benefits of this platform.
Nextiva: Best for Its Team Productivity Tools
Overall Score:
4.73 / 5
What We Like
- Impressive uptime rate of 99.999%
- Dedicated workplace management tool called CoSpace
- Built-in CRM platform
What's Missing
- Entry-level plan doesn’t support conference calling, group video meetings, and mobile messaging
- Higher price point than other VoIP services
- Relatively fewer integrations than RingCentral
Nextiva Monthly Pricing*
- Essential: $30.95 per user for unlimited domestic calling, unlimited 1:1 video calling, 1,500 toll-free minutes, toll-free numbers, auto-attendant, and unlimited internet fax
- Professional: $35.95 per user for video calling with 250 participants, 3,000 toll-free minutes, multilevel auto-attendant, team messaging, and CRM integrations
- Enterprise: $45.95 per user for unlimited audio conference participants, 12,500 toll-free minutes, call recording, voicemail transcription, and single sign-on
- Free trial: 7 days
*Pricing is based on one to four users with monthly billing. Save up to 27% with an annual prepayment and receive volume discounts when adding five, 20, or 100 users.
Nextiva is a business VoIP service that offers a wide range of productivity tools to help teams collaborate, organize content, and automate tasks. Even at its base-level plan, users have access to its team collaboration app called CoSpace. It is a free virtual workspace that enables teams to manage business communications and access various collaboration tools, such as task management, the team calendar, and file sharing.
While most business VoIP solutions on our list let you record your own phone and voicemail greetings, only Nextiva provides a professional voice-over recording. Simply provide the script, choose a voice talent, and let Nextiva handle your request. You may also request a recording for your IVR, after-hours greeting, music on-hold, and auto-attendant.
One of Nextiva’s major downsides is it doesn’t support group video meetings and audio conferencing on its entry-level plan. If you need this, we suggest GoTo Connect, a small business VoIP service with robust video conference capabilities. For its Basic plan, users have access to text messaging, audio conferencing, and four-person video meetings for up to 40 minutes. Explore our guide on the best Nextiva alternatives for more options.
Nextiva Features
Nextiva’s Call Pop tailors customer interactions by obtaining details of past interactions, the level of satisfaction, and how customers feel about the company. (Source: Nextiva)
- Call Pop: When a customer calls in, this feature instantly displays the caller’s most important information, including the last interaction sentiment, experience score, and account value. When you accept the call, the screen switches to their full profile.
- Automation tools: Nextiva offers several automation features for your customer service teams, allowing them to anticipate customer needs before they arise. Some examples of automated customer service systems include automated workflows, chatbots, self-service help centers, and email automation.
- Nextiva CRM: Nextiva comes with built-in CRM software that helps you track and manage all interactions across the customer journey. It includes customer journey mapping, workflow automation, and multichannel support.
Not sure if this is the right fit for your business? Learn more about this VoIP service by reading our Nextiva review.
GoTo Connect: Best VoIP Service for Robust Video Conferencing Capabilities
Overall Score:
4.70 / 5
What We Like
- Free international calling for up to 50 countries
- All plans include unlimited extensions
- Local, toll-free, and vanity numbers available
What's Missing
- Fewer call management capabilities than RingCentral
- Basic plan lacks toll-free minutes and limits meeting capacity to four people
- Only supports up to 30 third-party integrations
GoTo Connect Monthly Pricing*
- Basic: $27 per user for number porting, unlimited extensions, one custom greeting, and 40-minute video calls with four attendees
- Standard: $32 per user for unlimited auto-attendant greetings, hotdesking, internet fax, unlimited call queues, 1,000 toll-free minutes, and 150 meeting participants
- Premium: $43 per user for 5,000 toll-free minutes, 250 meeting participants, call analytics, call monitoring, and contact center tools
- Free trial: 14 days
*Rates shown are based on monthly billing. Contact the sales team to get a discount for team subscriptions.
GoTo Connect is a business VoIP phone service with a full-featured video conferencing system. While it only allows four video participants for its base plan, it still isn’t bad compared to RingCentral and Nextiva, which only allow group meetings on their advanced plans. Make meetings more interactive with its optimized video conferencing features (e.g., custom backgrounds, mobile screen sharing, drawing tools, and keyboard and mouse control).
Another unique feature of GoTo Connect is its toll-free and vanity phone number offering. While providers like Nextiva and Ooma only offer toll-free numbers on their base plans, GoTo Connect lets you pick the right virtual number that best suits your business. It also offers number porting services to help you save time and money when transferring an existing phone number.
While GoTo Connect offers an impressive unified communications system, it still cannot beat RingCentral in terms of integrations and call management capabilities. In fact, RingCentral is listed as one of our best call management systems because of its robust analytics functionality, popular integrations, and call handling features. If you’re looking for cheaper alternatives, check out our guide on the best GoTo Connect alternatives.
GoTo Connect Features
With the custom auto-attendant, it’s easy to set up dedicated extensions or phone numbers with information, custom greetings, and options for engagement. (Source: GoTo Connect)
- Screen sharing: GoTo Connect enables meeting participants to share their screens from their desktop or mobile device. The drawing tools allow you to edit, modify, highlight, and mark up documents in real time.
- Customized call flows: The drag-and-drop interface is an intuitive admin tool that lets you edit, update, and change call flows easily. It lets you set up multiple auto-attendants and monitor how calls are directed to extensions or departments.
- Custom auto-attendants: Record unlimited customized messages and voicemail greetings with the GoTo Connect desktop or web app. Use it to share important updates and keep callers engaged while they wait in a queue.
Visit our GoTo Connect review for more information on how this unified communications software can help your business.
8×8: Best VoIP Service for International Calling
Overall Score:
4.60 / 5
What We Like
- Unlimited international calling for up 48 countries
- Unlimited cloud media storage across all X-series plans
- Allows mix-and-match subscriptions for different users
What's Missing
- Lacks toll-free minutes
- Collaboration tools are limited to team messaging and content sharing
- Requires users to upgrade to its contact center plan (X6) to access the IVR feature
8x8 Monthly Pricing*
- Express: $15 per user for unlimited domestic calling, auto-attendant, advanced call management, video meetings for up 100 attendees, meeting transcription, and team messaging
- X2: $32 per user for unlimited calling to 14 countries, internet fax, call activity analytics, multilevel auto-attendant, and video meetings for up to 500 attendees
- X4: $57 per user for unlimited calling to 48 countries, supervisor analytics, 8×8 Frontdesk for receptionists, and call monitoring features
- Free trial: 30 days
*Fees displayed are based on monthly billing. Save up to 25% on X2 and X4 plans by prepaying yearly.
8×8 is a VoIP phone system for small businesses with a global customer base and high international call volumes. While most providers, like Phone.com and Nextiva, apply international rates for calling outside the U.S. and Canada, 8×8’s X series plans include unmetered calling to 14 or 48 countries. It also offers the flexibility of phone number support in over 100 countries, allowing businesses to establish a virtual presence across the world.
All 8×8 plans include a multilevel auto-attendant, voicemail transcription, cloud media storage, and call queues. Additionally, it allows video conferencing for up to 500 participants, making it suitable for companies hosting large-scale video meetings. Like Nextiva, 8×8 has its own virtual workspace, called the 8×8 Work app, that lets users chat, collaborate, share documents, or hop on a quick video or audio call.
8×8 doesn’t offer toll-free minutes on all its service plans. If you want customers to call your business without extra fees, consider Nextiva, which allocates more toll-free minutes with every subscription. It ranges from 1,500 on the Essential plan to 12,500 on the Enterprise plan. If you exceed your pool of toll-free minutes, Nextiva charges 2.5 cents per minute.
8×8 Features
The 8×8 Frontdesk comes in an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that lets you manage calls effortlessly with a simple drag and drop. (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 efficiency, such as presence synchronization, shared directory, and call routing.
- Call monitoring: Assist supervisors in improving quality control and evaluating employee performance through call monitoring tools. These features enable them to listen and barge in on ongoing calls when needed. It also lets them speak to their employee without letting the caller hear it.
- Team chat: Connect with your teams instantly with 8×8’s real-time team messaging. It keeps all project and team conversations in one place and provides group chat functionality to share files in public and private rooms.
Check out our 8×8 review to see if this is the right solution for your specific business needs.
Phone.com: Best for Its Metered Plans
Overall Score:
4.54 / 5
What We Like
- Various add-on features, such as a live receptionist, global numbers, and international dialing
- Ability to mix and match metered and unlimited plans
- Volume-based pricing for local, international, toll-free, and vanity numbers
What's Missing
- CRM integration only available on the highest plan tier
- International calling requires a $200 prepayment
- No IVR option
Phone.com Monthly Pricing*
- Basic Users: $14.99 per user for 500 pooled minutes, one phone number per account, 1,000 pooled text messages, 10-participant video meetings, and call handling
- Plus Users: $19.99 per user for unlimited call minutes, one phone number per user, 25-participant video meetings, video recording, and voicemail transcription
- Pro Users: $29.99 per user for call analytics, CRM integration, 100-participant video meetings, whiteboard, and video transcription
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Save up to 20% with annual prepayment and get volume discounts when adding five, 10, or 25 users.
Phone.com is a small business VoIP phone system offering metered and unlimited pricing options at a lower price. It is one of our best cheap VoIP services, offering a diverse set of subscription options to ensure users will only pay for what they need. The entry-level Basic Users plan includes 500 pooled minutes and 1,000 pooled text segments, making it ideal for businesses with low call volume.
Apart from its affordable plans, Phone.com offers a la carte services, allowing users to purchase specific features that they actually need. Add-on features include a live receptionist, international dialing, global numbers, call recording, and custom phone numbers. For high-volume users, Phone.com offers additional minute bundles to avoid overage charges.
Unfortunately, CRM integrations are limited to Pro users. If you want to avoid the cost of upgrading to high-level plans to access out-of-the-box integrations, consider 8×8. Its entry-level Express plan includes integrations with key CRM, service, productivity, and support applications.
Phone.com Features
Phone.com’s call handling rules let you configure how incoming calls should be handled. (Source: Phone.com)
- Voice tagging: Before answering a call, this feature will specify what the caller selected in the list of menu options. For example, if the caller enters “Business Line,” you will hear the voice tag “Business Line” and then the call will connect.
- Call handling: Create a set of options to properly route inbound callers to their desired destination. Options include auto-attendant, dial-by-name directory, forwarding, and scheduled routing.
- Live receptionist: Add a professional touch to your business with a live answering service specializing in taking calls for various industries. Monthly plans start at $90 for 50 minutes with no setup fee.
Head to our Phone.com review to learn more about its features and see if it’s the right choice for your business.
Vonage: Best VoIP Service With a la Carte Services
Overall Score:
4.23 / 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*
- Mobile: $19.99 per user for unlimited calls, text messaging, team messaging, mobile and desktop apps, and an app center with up to 20 third-party integrations.
- Premium: $29.99 per user for unlimited video meetings with 100 attendees, multilevel auto-attendant, CRM integration, and desk phone compatibility
- Advanced: $39.99 per user for 15 hours of on-demand call recording, call group, and visual voicemail
- Free trial: 14 days
*Pricing is based on monthly billing, but volume discounts apply when adding more than five users. A free business phone number comes with an online purchase of up to 99 users.
Vonage made it to our list of the best VoIP services for small businesses because it allows users to add features and integrations to their plans as needed. Flexible service plans ensure you never end up paying for the features you don’t need and give you the freedom to add functionalities as your business needs change.
Add a call recording feature to your Mobile plan by including it in your subscription for $49.99 per month. Other premium tools include business inbox, conference bridge, virtual fax, paging groups, and a virtual assistant. Meanwhile, paid integrations range between $4.99 and $25 per month, depending on the software. Premium and advanced subscribers have the option to add internet protocol (IP) desk phones like Yealink and Polycom with their services.
On the downside, Vonage doesn’t include toll-free numbers and minutes in its service plans. Toll-free numbers are a premium feature, so users have to pay $39.99 per month. In this case, Nextiva works better as it offers complimentary toll-free numbers and minutes on all plans.
Vonage Features
The Vonage admin portal includes an account summary page that displays all the company’s current extensions. (Source: Vonage)
- Admin portal: Manage your phone system and monitor account activity from one intuitive portal. Designated administrators have the ability to track overall system trends, audit all changes made to an account, and add extensions or premium features.
- App center: Vonage makes it easy to find and integrate the tools you need, all within a single, familiar interface. It offers a self-service ecosystem of essential third-party solutions and productivity tools that enable more efficient workstreams.
- Business inbox: Address customer needs faster and organize customer requests in one unified inbox. This integration enables businesses to connect with customers in their preferred channels, whether voice, SMS, MMS, or Facebook messenger.
Read our Vonage review to determine if it is the best choice for your small business.
Ooma Office: Best VoIP Service for Solopreneurs
Overall Score:
4.21 / 5
What We Like
- One free toll-free number is included in the entry-level plan with 500 minutes of inbound calls
- Budget-friendly international calling rates
- Fundamental dialing features like 7-digit dialing, ring groups, and call flip are available at the base plan
What's Missing
- Lacks video meeting capabilities on the basic plan
- Integrations are limited to Google, Office 365, and Salesforce
- Desktop app is only available in Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus
Ooma Office Monthly Pricing
- Essentials: $19.95 per user for unlimited domestic calling, virtual receptionist, online fax, text messaging, mobile app, one toll-free number, and music on-hold
- Pro: $24.95 per user for desktop app, 25-person video meetings for up to four hours, call recording, Google and Office 365 integrations, call analytics, and voicemail transcription
- Pro Plus: $29.95 per user for call queuing, hotdesking, 100-person video meetings for up to 12 hours, and Salesforce integration
Ooma is a VoIP system for small businesses looking for a feature-rich solution without upgrading to expensive plans. This puts Ooma among our list of the best VoIP service for home offices, as all subscriptions include 50 standard phone features, a toll-free number, and unlimited domestic calling.
Ooma compares favorably to VoIP providers like 8×8, providing international calling services for those looking to expand globally. It has one of the cheapest rates for international calling, starting at just 1.4 cents per minute.
Despite Ooma’s multiple functionalities, this provider is missing plenty of popular integrations. If your company works with several apps, we recommend RingCentral, which integrates with over 200 leading business solutions. App categories include automation, productivity, customer support, healthcare, and developer tools.
Ooma Office Features
Your virtual receptionist allows you to send an incoming call to a menu, a specific extension, or a voicemail box. (Source: Ooma)
- Overhead paging: Ooma lets you integrate your third-party paging system into your telephone setup. You will need an adapter to connect your paging system with Ooma Office. Once it’s plugged in, you’re ready to make announcements using your existing setup.
- Simultaneous ring: Improve customer interactions by allowing multiple devices to ring even if everyone isn’t at their desks. When a call comes in, all the devices connected to the extension will ring, whether it’s your IP phone, mobile phone, or even your Ooma Office mobile app.
- Virtual receptionist: A professional call handling system lets you direct incoming calls to the right extension and answers common questions about your business. It includes several configuration options for personalized greetings, key-press menus, business hours, and a holiday calendar.
How We Evaluated the Best Small Business VoIP Service
The best VoIP for small business services includes various tools for efficiently handling incoming and outgoing calls while supporting a wide range of budget requirements. For this guide, we compared seven well-known providers with VoIP services and unified communications features. We analyzed them based on cost, key features, and performance.
Learn how we evaluated the best small business VoIP service by clicking on the tabs below:
30%
Pricing
30%
General Features
20%
Advanced Features
20%
Expert Score
30% of Overall Score
Small businesses have different budget considerations when choosing a VoIP service provider. In this case, we examined the cost of VoIP solutions based on the availability of free trials, type of discounts, and lower annual pricing. We gave higher points to providers with lower costs than more expensive alternatives.
30% of Overall Score
Every company that provides VoIP services has to offer standard calling features to help users manage inbound and outbound calls. We looked at overall VoIP features, such as an automated attendant, conference calling, SMS, and voicemail. We also checked whether each platform includes a desktop and mobile app or not.
20% of Overall Score
We gave points to providers that offer additional key features, such as toll-free numbers, voicemail transcription, and software integrations. We also examined which systems allow international calling and video conferencing.
20% of Overall Score
Using our firsthand experiences with each provider, we came up with our expert score by examining their unique features and ease of use. We also considered user reviews to determine the popularity and value for the money of the best VoIP services.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a difference between a VoIP business phone system & a virtual phone system?
Yes. Typically, a full-fledged VoIP system, like the ones featured in this guide, will include some extended capabilities, like unified communications as a service (UCaaS) features. A virtual phone system tends to focus on calling features but not on things like video conferencing or team chat. For a more in-depth breakdown, check out our VoIP vs virtual phone system guide.
Do I need dedicated phones for VoIP calling?
One of the best features of VoIP is how versatile it is. Using a provider like Ooma, you even have telephone adapters so that you can call from your traditional landline devices. If you don’t have landline phones or IP desk phones, you’ll also find that most providers allow for the usage of smart devices for calling via dedicated apps.
Are these kinds of business phone systems secure?
This depends on your provider and their dedicated encryption practices. Take a look at our guide on encryption at-rest and in-transit to learn more about VoIP security.
Bottom Line
As technology progresses and remote work becomes the new norm, more companies are recognizing the value of VoIP services. Their cloud-based services offer significant cost savings, enhance remote collaboration, and increase customer satisfaction because of their wide range of functionalities and integrations.
Based on our ratings, RingCentral is the best VoIP phone system for small businesses. It offers the most robust call management features and third-party integrations. It also supports companies with high call volumes and scaling businesses that require a complete phone solution. Visit RingCentral for a free demo, or sign up for its free trial today.
