The best voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) for international calls allows you to communicate with overseas clients at affordable rates. International calling options include reasonable per-minute charges, minute bundles, and unlimited call plans to specific countries. Providers offer local phone numbers in different territories and a suite of call management features to support the volume of inquiries from international clients.
- RingCentral: Best for extensive third-party integrations
- Zoom Phone: Best for globally distributed teams
- GoTo Connect: Best for wide international coverage
- Nextiva: Best for unified communications
- Ooma: Best for homepreneurs with overseas customers
- 8×8: Best for international expansion
- Grasshopper: Best for occasional international calling needs
Featured Partners
Fit Small Business is committed to providing the best answer to small business questions related to products and services, helping address their technology needs. Our team follows a rigorous editorial policy that prioritizes the accuracy, clarity, and objectivity of our writing and our website’s authority and accessibility.
Leveraging my extensive experience with VoIP platforms, I created proprietary evaluation criteria, assessing each provider’s pricing, usability, and standout features. The methodology section of this article explains how I determined the best options for international VoIP calling.
Best services for VoIP international calls compared
Providers | Monthly starting price (per user) | Key features | Our rating out of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $30 |
| 4.17 |
 | $10 |
| 4.16 |
 | $26 |
| 4.08 |
 | $25 |
| 3.98 |
 | $9.99 |
| 3.98 |
 | Custom pricing |
| 3.89 |
 | $18 (flat-rate) |
| 3.69 |
RingCentral: Best for extensive third-party integrations
Pros
- Features call queues in all plans
- Has a dedicated global plan for distributed teams
- Offers complete call management
Cons
- Advanced international calling features like virtual numbers and unlimited calling require higher-tier plans
- Complex setup, depending on regulatory compliance checks in select global locations
- International per-minute rates vary and can get expensive for small businesses
My expert opinion
Among the VoIP international calling providers here, I find RingCentral the most suitable for companies looking to connect their systems to existing business tools. It integrates seamlessly with over 300 third-party apps, including top CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Productivity solutions like Microsoft Teams and Slack are likewise part of the integration gallery.
The VoIP phone system allows custom integrations through APIs, letting you add RingCentral’s calling capabilities to your business platforms. One downside of choosing RingCentral is that a subscription plan upgrade is necessary to unlock internet fax. This feature is available on Ooma’s entry-level plan, which only costs $19.95 per user per month.
Plans (paid per user) | Core | Advanced | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | $30 | $35 | $45 |
Annually | $20 | $25 | $35 |
All plans include unlimited domestic calling, a call menu, HD video meetings, and an AI assistant. Upgrade to higher plans to access CRM integrations, advanced call monitoring, and customizable analytics. Get started with RingCentral’s 14-day free trial.
- Virtual extensions: Facilitate faster customer service by allowing callers to connect to their desired destination. Assign specific phone lines to different office branches. RingCentral allows up to eight-digit phone extensions.
- Hot desking: Let team members use any phone in your system and have their unique profile settings logged into that device. This is especially useful for employees who travel to and from various company branches.
- Call park: Put a call on hold and place it in a communal parking spot to let colleagues take over and address the customer’s concern. The system sends a notification about a parked call left unanswered for five minutes.
Park a call and let other users address a customer inquiry. (Source: RingCentral)
Zoom Phone: Best for globally distributed teams
Pros
- Supports calls and texts for 150 countries
- Includes the same feature set across plans
- Lets you switch an ongoing call to a video meeting
Cons
- Requires an extra fee for call queue analytics
- Doesn't provide annual billing discounts like other options
- Lacks robust AI capabilities like live coaching
My expert opinion
Zoom Phone ranks among the best VoIP for international calls, providing an affordable and organized way to communicate with regional and overseas clients. It’s especially ideal for globally distributed teams since its highest-tier plan (priced at only $20 per user per month) allows unlimited regional calling within one of the 48 countries supported. These include Australia, France, Brazil, South Africa, and Italy.
The platform lets you add $10 monthly for unlimited global calling. With this, you can place as many international voice-over-IP calls as you need to colleagues and customers.
While Zoom Phone users can access post-call summaries, the platform lacks more robust AI capabilities like live coaching and predictive routing. If you need more of these AI-powered functionalities to enhance your communications, consider RingCentral.
Plans (paid per license) | Metered | Regional Unlimited | Global Select |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | $10 | $15 | $20 |
All plans offer unlimited domestic calls, metered international calling, HD call quality, 24×7 live chat and phone support, and holiday and business hours routing.
- Call monitoring: Observe live calls between agents and customers. Use the whisper feature to coach agents without the clients knowing. If you need to address the customer directly, select the “Barge” button.
- Elevate to a meeting: Explain matters in depth by converting a phone call to a video meeting. Select the “Meet” button from the in-call control options to start a session.
- Lock and unlock a call: Keep other team members in a shared line group from accessing a live conversation. Use this feature when dealing with a highly confidential customer concern.
Elevate a call to a meeting for a more in-depth discussion of customer concerns. (Source: Zoom YouTube channel)
GoTo Connect: Best for wide international coverage
Pros
- Offers local, toll-free, and vanity numbers across all plans
- Includes 1,000 toll-free minutes pooled across the account
- Allows free unlimited calls to 50+ countries
Cons
- Lacks international numbers
- Doesn’t offer unlimited SMS
- AI functionalities (e.g., AI receptionist, optimization, quality management) are only available as a paid add-on in the highest tier
My expert opinion
GoTo Connect is my top-recommended solution for companies making a high volume of calls across different locations. It boasts a broad global coverage, letting users make free international calls online to over 50 overseas locations, including Australia, Denmark, Greece, Hong Kong, Mexico, and New Zealand.
The software solution, which scales to a full-fledged contact center, has various VoIP features that help manage call traffic. The auto-attendant directs customers to the right agents, while ring groups ensure no calls are missed.
While GoTo Connect offers free international calls across its plans, it doesn’t provide global numbers. If your priority is to set up a virtual presence overseas, 8×8 is the best VoIP solution.
Plans (paid per user) | Connect Phone System | Connect CX | Connect Contact Center |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | $29 | $37 | $86 |
Annually | $26 | $34 | $80 |
All plans offer Admin GoPilot, an AI-powered assistance for configuring the system. Users also get 24/7 customer support, smart call routing, auto-attendants, and team messaging. Upgrade to higher plans to access AI chat analysis, real-time reports, and intelligent call routing.
- Intelligent call routing: Distribute phone calls to the most skilled agent to address a specific concern. This increases the first contact resolution rate and creates a more positive customer experience.
- Instant response: When you’re not free to take a call, GoTo Connect automatically texts back first-time callers about your availability. This feature lets you engage with customers even when you’re busy and gives them the peace of mind that you received their message.
- Call flip: Switch devices while on an active phone conversation. The call will automatically end on the initial device once you pick it up from the other.
Send an automatic SMS when you miss a call. (Source: GoTo Connect)
Nextiva: Best for unified communications
Pros
- Provides a generous toll-free minute allowance, with a maximum of 10,000 minutes
- Has a unified digital user inbox
- Offers smart call routing
Cons
- Lacks voice features on the entry-level plan
- Doesn’t offer a free trial
- Lacks international and vanity phone numbers
My expert opinion
Nextiva should be your top choice if you prioritize unified communications, letting you engage with colleagues and customers on various platforms. Aside from voice, it also supports SMS, virtual fax, team chat, and video conferencing. With Nextiva’s threaded conversations feature, all communications, regardless of the platform used, are kept in one place, helping you refer to specific messages more easily.
However, note that Nextiva charges international calls per minute. If you frequently contact clients overseas, choose other providers like 8×8, which offer unlimited plans to find cheaper ways to call internationally.
Plans (paid per user) | Digital | Core | Engage | Power Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | $25 | $36 | $50 | $75 |
Annually | $20 | $30 | $40 | $60 |
All plans include 24/7 customer support, geo-redundancy, and messaging apps. Upgrade to higher plans to unlock video meetings, priority routing, and web chat. Contact Nextiva’s sales team to schedule a demo.
- Call presence: Know the availability status of each team member without directly calling or messaging them. The status options are Online, Busy, Do Not Disturb, Away, and Offline. These can be manually or automatically changed.
- Call transfer: Move a call to a colleague who will expertly answer the customer’s query. Nextiva supports warm transfer, allowing users to inform the receiving agent what the call is about, and blind transfer, moving the call without speaking to the other party.
- Call notify: Get notified by email when a qualified call comes through your line. This is especially beneficial for teams receiving high-volume calls but keen to hear back from a specific caller.
See team members’ status via Nextiva’s call presence. (Source: Nextiva)
Ooma: Best for homepreneurs with overseas customers
Pros
- Includes unlimited calling to Mexico and Puerto Rico, extending beyond the US and Canada
- Includes 50-plus standard call features
- Offers a free home phone service
Cons
- Has limited third-party integrations
- Charges a one-time fee of $49.95 upon sign-up
- Lacks international phone numbers
My expert opinion
I consider Ooma the best overall VoIP international call provider for homepreneurs with overseas clients, mainly because of its residential phone plan, which has extensive country coverage. The international calling packages, which start at $17.99 a month, enable you to place as many calls as you want to landlines in up to 70 locations. Supported countries include Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, and the U.K.
To access the international calling plan, however, you must purchase the provider’s analog telephone adapter, Ooma Telo, for $99.99. Moreover, the call management capabilities under Ooma’s home phone package are limited. If you receive a large volume of international calls, it’s better to go for business phone systems with robust VoIP features, like Zoom Phone and GoTo Connect.
Plans | Home Plans:Basic, Premier | Unlimited 60-Country World Plan | Unlimited 70-Country World Plan Plus | Office Plans: Essentials, Pro, Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | Free or $9.99 | $17.99 | $25.99 | $19.95 to $29.95 per user |
- Backup number: When the internet connection is down or the power goes out, Ooma automatically forwards calls to an alternate phone number you set. In times of emergencies, your business remains available for customers needing assistance.
- Call forwarding: Redirect calls to another device or phone number and ensure you don’t miss any customer queries. Depending on your configuration, Ooma alerts your device or a colleague’s phone number.
- Expanded call blocking: Choose among various call blocking modes on Ooma Premier: anonymous callers, suspected spammers, or specific contacts.
Set up call blocking to prevent certain callers from reaching your line. (Source: Ooma)
8×8: Best for international expansion
Pros
- Allows mixing and matching of plans
- Has comprehensive security and compliance measures
- Unmetered international calling to up to 48 countries
Cons
- Lacks pricing transparency
- Has complex plans that make it challenging to select the best option
- Limited app integrations
My expert opinion
8×8 is the best VoIP for international calls, allowing businesses to communicate with clients in over 40 countries and secure local phone numbers in over 100 overseas locations. This makes it the ideal software solution for companies wanting to establish a local impression overseas.
The phone numbers offered cover key business regions. For instance, in Asia-Pacific, you can secure numbers in Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. In Europe, you can have a virtual presence in France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Russia.
The drawback I found in choosing 8×8 is that subscription rates aren’t readily available. Other providers are more transparent with their pricing structure. Zoom Phone is the most affordable in this guide, with a monthly starting price of $10 per user and an international calling add-on fee of $10.
8×8 also offers other communication solutions, namely Contact Center, CX Beyond the Contact Center, Communication APIs, and Unified Communications. However, pricing information for these services is not published online. Schedule a demo or request a quote with its sales team.
- Call queue: Place customers in a virtual line while waiting for an available agent. 8×8’s queues have voicemail boxes, allowing clients to leave a message when they don’t want to wait for a long period in the queue.
- Three-way calling: Hop on a quick huddle with team members or clients through three-way calling. If you need to include more participants, convert the call into a video meeting by clicking the “Meet Now” button in the in-call control menu.
- Conversation IQ: Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), this feature generates trend reports and analysis, giving businesses a peek into customer engagement. As you identify the most common client concerns and sentiments, create better communication strategies that improve customer service quality.
8×8’s Conversation IQ has the ability to automate call transcriptions. (Source: 8×8)
Grasshopper: Best for occasional international calling
Pros
- Quick and easy to set up
- Follows a flat-rate pricing
- Supports an unlimited number of users (in two of its highest plans)
Cons
- No international numbers
- Has more basic call management features than its competitors
- Lacks built-in team collaboration tools
My expert opinion
It might be surprising to see Grasshopper in this guide, but do note that this virtual phone system is a game-changer for businesses that don’t need to make frequent international calls. While international and offshore calls are billed per minute, team members can share seats and pay for one account rather than per user — which, ultimately, is a more cost-efficient option.
Aside from simplicity, Grasshopper stands out for offering non-negotiables when it comes to call management: call forwarding, call recording, voicemail, customer greetings, and detailed reporting. However, teams that require more advanced features like AI transcriptions and automations should look at other alternatives like RingCentral.
Plans (flat-rate) | True Solo | Solo Plus | Small Business |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly | $18 | $32 | $70 |
Annually | $14 | $25 | $55 |
Grasshopper offers a free trial. All plans include mobile and desktop apps, VoIP/Wi-Fi calling, virtual fax, and reporting. Upgrade to higher plans if you need to facilitate call transfers and simultaneous call handling.
- Mobile and desktop apps: Ideal for global and remote teams, Grasshopper’s apps let teams manage business calls and texts from anywhere, through an internet connection.
- Business texting: Lets users send and receive unlimited text messages to customers and clients, enabling them to separate personal and business phone numbers.
- Simultaneous call handling: Grasshopper forwards calls to different extensions, allowing teams to take multiple incoming calls.
Configure Grasshopper’s call forwarding menu to never miss any call. (Source: Grasshopper)
How I evaluated the best services for VoIP international calls
To assess the best VoIP providers for international calls, I considered each provider’s subscription costs, calling capabilities, usability, and customer assistance. This extensive evaluation also includes my expert opinion on the platforms’ value for money and popularity. Learn how I arrived at the best VoIP for international calls by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
Pricing is a major consideration for small businesses; thus, I scored providers based on how accessible their subscription plans are in terms of affordability. I checked the costs of the entry-level and second-tier plans and whether annual discounts are available. I gave more points to those offering free trials and the option to choose between metered and unlimited international calling.
30% of Overall Score
The general features assessed focused on the essential VoIP capabilities businesses take into consideration, such as uptime guarantee, mobile app, number porting, auto-attendant, and call recording. Because this is an assessment of the best international calling providers, a key factor in this evaluation is how broad the country’s coverage is for free unlimited calls.
15% of Overall Score
The advanced features include VoIP features that support global communications and team productivity. These include international numbers, international SMS support, third-party integrations, and built-in team chat. Software solutions with video conferencing tools that accommodate more than a hundred participants got more points.
10% of Overall Score
I evaluated ease of use by determining the expertise required to set up and operate the business phone system. I also assessed whether the providers have an intuitive interface.
10% of Overall Score
The variety of customer communication channels was part of this evaluation. I gave more points to providers with email, phone, and ticket submissions. I also considered the hours these channels are active and operational.
15% of Overall Score
In my assessment of VoIP service providers for international calling, I considered key factors like standout features, value for money, and ease of use. I checked user ratings on third-party review sites to gauge the platform’s popularity.
How to choose the right VoIP for international calling
Choosing a VoIP to address your specific business communication needs (for instance, international calling) is crucial. Since money and time will definitely be involved, make sure you don’t skip these steps before making the big decision.
Evaluate plans and pricing
For most businesses, especially small businesses and solopreneurs, budget is a major consideration (or sometimes a limitation as well). Make the most of your potential investment by looking for plans that offer unlimited domestic and international calling (if you plan to make frequent long-distance calls).
I also find it helpful to compare per-minute rates for the countries you’re targeting to reach (as fees may vary). Don’t forget to check coverage as well, as some providers may cater to a broader list of countries.
Review feature and tool inclusions
To maximize your financial investment and ensure a positive impact on your operations, look into the tools and services a provider offers. Some of the most critical services you might need during the early stage of setup and implementation include number porting and security features.
When it comes to call management, check for features like call forwarding and routing. AI functionalities have also become more popular in business communications, offering automation, enhanced audio/video quality, and advanced analytics.
Businesses that rely on various business systems (e.g., CRM software, accounting tools) should choose a VoIP provider that connects with existing platforms. Also, as you look into features and tools, take note of device compatibility to fully utilize the VoIP system.
Evaluate customer support
Like any other service or subscription, before signing a contract, you should have an understanding of how its customer service works, which should align with your expectations as a consumer/client. Consider VoIP platforms with 24/7 support and live chat for your peace of mind. Bonus if they can provide dedicated support.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Making cheap international calls is possible by leveraging internet-based services like VoIP and Wi-Fi or data-based calling. VoIP providers like Ooma offer competitive per-minute rates and unlimited calling plans.
The easiest way to make free international VoIP calls is through app-to-app calling, where both parties use the same app to make calls over the internet. WhatsApp and FaceTime are some of the most popular instant messaging apps that offer free international calls over the internet.
Google Voice is free for any user with a Google account and an existing US phone number. However, you will be charged per minute if you use your US number to make calls internationally. If you’re outside the country, the call will consume the minutes in your mobile plan and extra roaming fees will apply.
Bottom line
VoIP solutions offering international calling enable businesses to build rapport with customers abroad and establish a strong global presence. Many come with advanced routing and queueing capabilities, which help streamline call management and facilitate distributed workload among agents.
RingCentral emerged as the best overall because not only does it allow extensive app integrations that make the calling experience more efficient, it also offers advanced AI features. The platform provides AI-powered call transcription, AI receptionist, and robust sentiment analysis.
Aside from per-minute international calling to 40-plus countries, you also get toll-free numbers, internet fax, and advanced call management tools. Get started today by signing up for a free trial.