The best virtual phone number providers allow businesses to separate work and personal communications efficiently. They enable users to redirect calls to a preferred device and set it up without technical knowledge. A wide range of call management features are included for better call flow, including extensive number options such as local, toll-free, vanity, and international.
Here are the best virtual phone number providers for small businesses:
- Grasshopper: Best for phone number sharing
- Ooma: Best for hybrid teams
- MightyCall: Best for building global presence
- RingCentral: Best for full-featured virtual phone service
- Nextiva: Best for toll-free minutes
- Talkroute: Best for call centers
- eVoice: Best for personal use
Best Virtual Phone Number Providers Compared
Providers | Monthly Starting Price (per User) | Key Features | FSB Rating |
---|---|---|---|
$17 |
| 4.41 out of 5 | |
| 4.29 out of 5 | ||
$20 |
| 4.22 out of 5 | |
$30 |
| 4.20 out of 5 | |
$30.95 |
| 4.18 out of 5 | |
$19 |
| 4.15 out of 5 | |
$14 |
| 4.13 out of 5 | |
Take our quiz to find out which virtual phone number provider is best for you.
Which small business VoIP service is right for you?
Grasshopper: Best Overall for Phone Number Sharing
What We Liked
- Automatic text messaging
- Flat monthly fee for unlimited users
- Intuitive to set up and use
Where It Falls Behind
- No team chat or video calling
- Lacks app integrations
- Lacks advanced business phone features
Grasshopper Monthly Pricing Save 10% with annual billing.
- True Solo: $17 for one user, one phone number, and single extension
- Solo: $34 for unlimited users, one phone number, and three extensions
- Partner: $56 for unlimited users, three phone numbers, and six extensions
- Small Business: $92 for unlimited users, five phone numbers, and unlimited extensions
- Free trial: 7 days
Note: All plans include business SMS, call forwarding, voicemail, e-fax, call transfers, custom greetings, simultaneous call handling, and reporting.
Traditionally, virtual phone numbers are charged on a monthly per-user basis. At Grasshopper, unlimited users can share multiple toll-free phone numbers and extension bundles along with standard call features. This enables multiple team members to send calls and texts from one phone number, allowing for a more streamlined communication experience.
With flat-rate pricing, businesses don’t have to purchase multiple per-user plans to provide each employee with phone numbers because Grasshopper offers them in bundles. Plus, toll-free vanity numbers have no extra fees, unlike most competitors.
As a virtual phone service, Grasshopper doesn’t offer as many features as most competitors. If you’re looking for a feature-rich solution for managing high call volumes, choose RingCentral. While this provider charges per user, its full-featured unified communications platform includes complete call management, video meetings, and team chat.
Grasshopper Features
- Incoming call control: Customize call schedules and set up extensions based on your business hours. Prevent unwanted callers via call screening and call blocking.
- Mobile and desktop app: Use it for business calls and texts while keeping your personal calls and texts separate. You can also view voicemails and call history.
- Virtual fax: Use your business number to receive faxes on the Grasshopper app or in your email inbox. Only inbound faxing is currently supported, and faxes are sent in PDF format.
Ooma: Best for Hybrid Teams
What We Liked
- Free-forever home phone service
- Entry-level plan includes over 50 standard phone features
- Low-cost international calling
Where It Falls Behind
- Very limited third-party integrations
- Only offers 500 toll-free minutes on all plans, plus monthly fees apply if you exceed that
- SMS, video meetings, and desktop app require a Pro plan upgrade
Ooma Monthly Pricing
- Basic: Free for U.S. and Canada calling, call waiting, call logs, call hold, voicemail, caller ID, and call blocking
- Premier: $9.99 for enhanced caller ID, custom call blocking, advanced voicemail, call forwarding, and multi-ring
Business Phone Plans (per User) Volume discounts apply to over six registered users.
- Essentials: $19.95 for one toll-free number, unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and 50+ phone features
- Pro: $24.95 for SMS/MMS, hybrid ring groups, call recording, call analytics, voicemail transcription, and 25-attendee video meetings for four hours
- Pro Plus: $29.95 for call queues, call screening, 100-attendee video meetings for 12 hours, hot desking, and customer relationship management (CRM) integrations
Ooma is one of the virtual phone number services offering phone plans for residential and business users. This is ideal for hybrid workforces wanting the same phone number provider for home and work use.
What’s great about Ooma’s home phone service is it lets you port your existing residential number or get a new one. Then, you can subscribe to Ooma’s business phone plan to use its mobility features, allowing you to forward incoming calls to your home landline or mobile app.
Although Ooma supports video meetings, its team collaboration features are not as good as those of its competitors. For distributed teams, we suggest Nextiva because of its built-in collaboration software that lets you send messages, host conference calls, and share files on a single screen.
Ooma Features
- Overhead paging: Integrate your third-party paging system with your Ooma office phone. This is ideal for delivering announcements and emergency alerts.
- Virtual receptionist: Create a call schedule that sends calls to the automated menu, extension, or voicemail. Use the text-to-speech feature to create custom messages.
- Simultaneous ring: Have multiple devices ring when an individual user receives a call. Supported devices include an analog phone, internet protocol (IP) phone, or mobile phone.
MightyCall: Best for Building Global Presence
What We Liked
- Complete call management features
- Multi-level interactive voice response (IVR) on base plan
- Rich call monitoring capabilities
Where It Falls Behind
- No team chat or video meetings
- Outbound campaign tools are yet to be released
- Volume discounts are only available for Enterprise accounts
MightyCall Monthly Pricing (per User) Core and Pro plans have a minimum of three users, while Enterprise requires 10. Save 25% when you pay annually.
- Core: $20 for two phone numbers, unlimited local calling, unlimited SMS/MMS, call routing, caller ID, voicemail, call queues, custom greetings, multi-level IVR, ring groups, and call recording
- Pro: $25 for call monitoring, real-time analytics, and supervisor workspace
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for 10 users, priority support, and volume discounts
- Free trial: 7 days
There’s a broad selection of voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) providers selling international phone numbers, but only a few sell them for an affordable price. This is why MightyCall is the best virtual phone number provider for companies wanting to establish a local presence in foreign markets as it charges for as low as $10 per number, monthly.
MightyCall also has some of the lowest international call rates in the industry. For as low as 7 cents, you can make calls to New Zealand, Italy, Germany, China, and Singapore.
On the downside, MightyCall has a minimum team size for its paid plans, putting individual users at a slight disadvantage. eVoice is a better fit as it offers a no-frills, single-structure plan, perfect for personal use.
MightyCall Features
- Caller ID name (CNAM): When making a call, this feature will display your business name on the recipient’s phone screen instead of your phone number. With a recognizable caller ID, you have a higher chance of increasing your call pickup rates.
- Multi-level interactive voice response (IVR): Route calls using an advanced voice system with up to 10 submenus. This is particularly useful for offices with multiple departments and voice menus supporting different languages.
- Call notes: Document call summaries by adding comments or notes after a call. Aside from notes, you can add details to customer profiles and share them with the team.
RingCentral: Best for Full-featured Virtual Phone Service
What We Liked
- Robust call management features on the base plan
- Local, toll-free, vanity, and international numbers are available
- Virtual phone numbers can be activated in 100+ countries
Where It Falls Behind
- Vanity numbers are charged monthly with a $30 setup fee
- Very limited SMS allotment per user
- Feature-rich platform can be overkill for small teams
RingCentral Monthly Pricing (per User) Pay annually to save up to 33%. Volume discounts apply for 50+ users.
- Core: $30 for one phone number, 100 toll-free minutes, unlimited local calls, 25 SMS, visual voicemail, call management, multi-level IVR, basic call queues, on-demand call recording, team chat, and 100 video attendees
- Advanced: $35 for 1,000 toll-free minutes, 100 SMS, advanced call routing and monitoring, automatic call recording, hot desking, unlimited e-fax, advanced integrations, and business analytics
- Ultra: $45 for 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 SMS, unlimited storage, and device analytics
- Free trial: 14 days
RingCentral, the market’s leading VoIP phone system, joins our list of the best virtual phone number providers thanks to its all-in-one unified communications solution. Besides its robust calling features, it has one of the largest phone number inventories for local, toll-free, vanity, or international numbers.
This feature-rich provider is the best option if you need a single business communications provider for calls, video conferencing, and team chat. This saves you the time and cost of switching between third-party apps. It also integrates with over 300 third-party software solutions, allowing you to extend the platform’s functionality.
One major disadvantage of RingCentral is its higher-priced subscription plans, starting at $30 per user. A more affordable alternative is eVoice, which uses a single plan model at $14 per user, monthly. It offers four types of virtual phone numbers as well as live answering services, international call forwarding, and unlimited extensions.
RingCentral Features
- Team huddle: Host impromptu audio and video meetings where participants can come and go as they please. Participants can hop in or out of the conversation at any time.
- Visual voicemail: Displays your voicemails in a list, including the duration, contact name, and voicemail transcription. You can save the message, return the call, or select other responses.
- RingOut: Users with an unstable internet connection can make calls via landline or mobile phone using a RingCentral phone number while keeping their landline or mobile number hidden.
Nextiva: Best for Toll-free Minutes
What We Liked
- Generous toll-free minute bundles
- Easy to set up and use
- Robust team collaboration features
Where It Falls Behind
- Lacks vanity and international numbers
- Limited app integrations
- Expensive to scale up
Nextiva Monthly Pricing (per User) Pay yearly and save up to 22%. Volume discounts apply to five users or more.
- Essential: $30.95 for one phone number, unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada, 1,500 toll-free minutes, unlimited e-fax, video recording, auto-attendant, call log, hold music, team chat, and 45-minute video calls
- Professional: $35.95 for 40 conference participants, 3,000 toll-free minutes, 1,000 SMS/MMS, CRM integrations, and multi-level auto-attendant
- Enterprise: $45.95 for unlimited participants, 12,500 toll-free minutes, 2,000 SMS/MMS, voicemail transcription, and single sign-on
If you’re looking to provide customers with a free and convenient way to call your business, Nextiva is your best option with its exceptionally generous toll-free minute allotment. The entry-level plan includes up to 1,500 toll-free minutes, but it can go as high as 12,500 toll-free minutes if you subscribe to the Enterprise tier.
Similar to RingCentral, you can do more than phone calls with Nextiva as it works as a unified communications (UC) solution with solid collaboration capabilities like task management, file sharing, and team chat. It also functions as a customer experience management tool, with sentiment analysis, automatic surveys, and call notes.
Unfortunately, Nextiva doesn’t have vanity phone numbers at this time. If this is something you need, we highly recommend Grasshopper, which offers toll-free vanity numbers at no extra charge.
Nextiva Features
- Call flow builder: Provides a digital canvas for designing your automated phone menu. Configure your business hours, call routing, announcements, and extensions.
- Call presence: Display the real-time phone status of employee extensions so you can easily determine if they are on a call or not. Status indicators include busy, unavailable, or ringing.
- Team chat: Nextiva offers an integrated messaging app for group chats, video meetings, and virtual presentations. This enables users to collaborate over a scalable office phone system.
Talkroute: Best for Call Centers
What We Liked
- Unlimited inbound and outbound calls to the U.S. and Canada
- Pro plan includes five custom professional voice-over clips
- All-inclusive plans with additional users only costing $5 per user, monthly
Where It Falls Behind
- No auto-attendant on the base plan
- Most key features are locked behind advanced tiers, such as call recording, reporting, and submenus
- Lacks native integrations—largely depends on Zapier
Talkroute Monthly Pricing Additional users per plan cost $5 per user, monthly.
- Basic: $19 per user for 1 user, one phone number, 500 SMS, unlimited local calls, call forwarding, voice mailbox, custom greetings, caller ID, and 100 video attendees
- Plus: $39 for 3 users, two phone numbers, unlimited SMS, three mailboxes, call menu, business hours, simultaneous ring, call transfer, and screen sharing
- Pro: $59 for 10 users, three phone numbers, 10 voice mailboxes, multi-level auto-attendant, multi-digit extensions, call recording, scheduled call forwarding, voice studio, and reporting
- Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote, 10+ phone numbers, 20+ mailboxes, and account management
- Free trial: 7 days
Talkroute works for small call center teams that prefer a virtual phone system over a full-fledged contact center platform. It has call center features capable of handling moderate call volumes. Higher subscription tiers like Plus, Pro, and Enterprise support three, 10, or over 20 users, respectively, so there’s no need to purchase a monthly subscription for each agent.
Unlike most virtual phone providers, Talkroute stands out for its complete call management capabilities, specifically for routing and forwarding incoming calls. It has unlimited inbound and outbound calls to the U.S. and Canada (toll-free minutes included), allowing you to serve local customers without overage charges.
Similar to Grasshopper, Talkroute doesn’t support international calling and has no international number option. Companies in need of these services will find MightyCall to be the best alternative for establishing an international presence for less money.
Talkroute Features
- Voice Studio: Talkroute provides voice talent services to get professional sounding prompts for your phone system. Submit a script through a website form and wait for three business days to receive your voice-over recording.
- Multi-digit extensions: Set up three- or four-digit extensions to route calls to the right destination, play recorded messages, or send callers to voicemail.
- Call reporting and analytics: Detailed history reports provide critical call information, such as date, time, duration, caller ID, and status. Filtering options are available for retrieving call data.
eVoice: Best for Personal Use
What We Liked
- Single plan structure allows easy scalability
- Live receptionist plans combine VoIP with live answering service
- International call forwarding
Where It Falls Behind
- No desktop app, which most providers have
- Lacks unlimited SMS
- Vanity number activation takes 72 hours
eVoice Monthly Pricing Get two months free with annual billing. Volume discounts apply depending on the number of users.
- Elite: $14 per user for 30,000 call minutes, unlimited extensions, and three local or toll-free numbers
Standard features include call forwarding, auto-attendant, after-hours greetings, call queuing, call routing, call screening, caller ID, hold music, and voicemail.
eVoice is one of the few virtual phone providers that use a single plan structure for straightforward pricing. It works for solopreneurs who don’t have plans of scaling soon and prefer a no-frills phone solution. It uses an a la carte approach, so you can add features depending on your specific requirements.
eVoice has live receptionist plans, combining its virtual phone platform with its live receptionist services. This is ideal if you’re just starting your business and want to outsource your answering service and establish a professional image.
On the downside, business SMS in eVoice is a premium add-on feature. If your company frequently conducts business via SMS, Grasshopper is a better choice. Text messaging is free when you sign up for their services.
eVoice Features
- International forwarding: Forward your phone calls globally without purchasing an international phone number. This allows you to reach new foreign markets even if your business is in the U.S. or Canada.
- Sequential ring: Directs incoming calls to multiple departments or team members in any preferred order. The call will continue to ring multiple phone numbers until someone picks up.
- After-hours greetings: Plays a prerecorded message to callers when they call your business after hours. Use it to create an away greeting, including alternative ways to contact you.
How We Evaluated the Best Virtual Phone Number Provider
Many VoIP providers have an extensive selection of virtual phone numbers for small businesses. However, not all of them have an extended inventory of phone numbers, a quick setup process, and robust calling features. We narrowed down the list of providers to the best seven, considering several factors like pricing and niche features that some small businesses need.
Learn how we evaluated the providers of the best virtual phone number for businesses by clicking on the tabs below:
15% of Overall Score
Budget is a key consideration when getting a virtual phone number for business. For this reason, we considered subscription fees and annual or volume user discounts that would make a provider more economical.
25% of Overall Score
Besides getting the best virtual phone number, general features are also important. We considered call management capabilities that affect the virtual calling experience. We also weighed useful communication features like unlimited calls, video conferencing, and a mobile app.
20% of Overall Score
15% of Overall Score
10% of Overall Score
We looked at the types of support channels the provider offers, including phone, live chat, and an email ticketing system. We awarded additional points if all support channels are available 24/7.
15% of Overall Score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The monthly starting cost for virtual phone numbers ranges from $5 to as high as $25, depending on the type and provider. Many VoIP systems offer them for free as part of their monthly subscription plan, but users can add more phone numbers as needed. Additionally, providers like Google Voice offer a local number and VoIP services for free.
Yes. VoIP providers offer a virtual phone number for sending and receiving standard SMS over the internet without needing a mobile device. Your virtual phone number is unique to your business, so you can respond to customers anywhere in the world.
Yes. A reverse phone lookup service can determine if a caller uses a virtual number as it has access to a public database of registered phone numbers. You’ll find plenty of free and paid reverse lookup services online, like Truecaller and Spokeo. Another way is to ask your VoIP provider to conduct a caller ID lookup to find information associated with the phone number.
Bottom Line
Having a virtual phone number enables business users to define their identity and keep their work and personal communications separate. Whether you want to be instantly recognized or have an in-country presence internationally, there are options available for you. Each provider has unique features, so it’s critical that you evaluate your organization’s needs before choosing a provider.
Based on our criteria, the best virtual phone number provider for small businesses is Grasshopper. It provides local, toll-free, and vanity numbers per subscription, and higher tiers are offered for a fixed monthly price for unlimited users. All-inclusive plans include features for phone and text messaging-based interactions. Sign up for its seven-day free trial to learn the provider’s ins and outs.