7 Best Small Business VoIP Services of 2022
Table of Contents
Business voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services allow your team to communicate and collaborate virtually and track customer and prospect interactions. Providers of the best VoIP for small business offer affordable plans, thoughtful feature sets, and easy-to-use phone systems. This enables small companies and entrepreneurs to quickly set up new numbers or port existing ones for a seamless transition to VoIP.
According to our research, the best VoIP for small business owners include:
- RingCentral: Best overall small business VoIP services for companies wanting a unified communications system built to scale with them as they grow
- GoTo Connect: Great VoIP option for teams needing a reliable phone service with robust video conferencing capabilities
- Nextiva: Best VoIP provider for stable organizations looking for an easy-to-use service with tools to automate workflows they can partner with for an extended period of time
- 8×8: Best small business VoIP services for companies seeking unlimited international calling plans
- Vonage: Best small business VoIP service for teams wanting flexible, a la carte plans and pricing
- Phone.com: Top choice for VoIP services for organizations that prefer metered subscriptions
- Ooma: Best VoIP services for small businesses and solopreneurs needing a robust yet affordable solution
Best Small Business VoIP Services at a Glance
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Small Business VoIP Services
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Starting Price
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VoIP Features
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Free Trial Duration
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Our Rating
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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$29.99 per user, per month
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30 days
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4.75 out of 5
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$24 per user, per month
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14 days
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4.64 out of 5
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$30.95 per user, per month
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7 days
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4.59 out of 5
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$12 per user, per month
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30 days
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4.45 out of 5
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$19.99 per user, per month
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14 days
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4.13 out of 5
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$12.99 per user, per month
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None
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4.03 out of 5
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Free with purchase of $99 Telo device
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60-day Premier trial with purchase of Ooma Telo
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3.89 out of 5
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RingCentral: Best Overall Small Business VoIP Service
What We Like
- Toll-free minutes come with all subscriptions
- User-friendly drag-and-drop visual editor for the auto-attendant
- RingCentral provides a robust training platform for users and administrators
What’s Missing
- Single sign-on (SSO) is only available with upper-tier plans, whereas it’s a standard feature on all GoTo Connect packages
- While easy to use, the sheer number of features makes VoIP setup more complex than other services
- Entry-level plan doesn’t include video meetings, so you’ll need to use the free RingCentral Meeting app or another tool
RingCentral Pricing*
- Essentials: $29.99 per user, per month for a local or toll-free number, unlimited calls and short message service (SMS) in the U.S. and Canada, and 100 toll-free minutes
- Standard: $37.99 per user, per month for unlimited internet fax, video meetings with 100 participants, unlimited audio conferencing with 1,000 attendees, and 1,000 toll-free minutes
- Premium: $44.99 per user, per month for 200 video conference participants, automatic call recording, advanced call handling features, and 2,500 toll-free minutes
- Ultimate: $59.99 per user, per month for unlimited cloud storage, device status reports and alerts, and 10,000 toll-free minutes
- Free trial: 30 days
*Pricing is based on two to 20 users. Save up to 33% with an annual prepayment and receive volume discounts for 100 or more users.
RingCentral unifies business communication and collaboration on a single platform. Your team can use desktop or mobile devices to answer calls, message co-workers, and share documents. Its frequent updates and comprehensive feature set make RingCentral the clear winner for the best VoIP services for a small business.
Since its founding in 1999, RingCentral has been an innovator in the history of VoIP. It has recently upgraded many features to support virtual work, including a picture-in-picture mode and team huddle spaces.
However, RingCentral offers fewer toll-free minutes compared to Nextiva, and its feature-rich platform may be unnecessary for a solopreneur. A solo business owner may prefer an Ooma personal or business plan or another RingCentral alternative.
RingCentral Features
- Team huddle: RingCentral’s huddle spaces let your employees and outside collaborators, including clients and contractors, meet spontaneously in a persistent audio or video call. People can come and go throughout the day, mimicking the traditional office environment.
- Picture-in-picture mode: For mobile phone and tablet users, a video meeting may prevent you from accessing other messages and documents because if you move away from the video, it logs you out. RingCentral’s picture-in-picture mode eliminates this problem by letting users stay in the conversation while working in the background.
- Video overlay: Presentation mode lets you share your screen and superimpose your video feed anywhere on the screen, so it feels like you’re presenting in person. It helps you personalize presentations and keep attendees focused.
GoTo Connect: Best VoIP Service for Optimized Audio & Video Conferencing
What We Like
- All subscriptions support calling via desk phones, mobile and desktop apps, and browsers
- GoTo Connect automatically adjusts bandwidth, making it easier for remote teams with varying internet speeds to participate
- Supports up to 250 video meeting participants compared to 200 with RingCentral
What’s Missing
- More expensive than 8×8 and Phone.com
- Basic plan lacks toll-free minutes and limits video conferences to 40 minutes
- Toll-free and vanity numbers only available as an add-on feature
GoTo Connect Pricing*
- Basic: $24 per user, per month for unlimited calling, texting via SMS and multimedia messaging (MMS), 40-minute video calls with four people, and call routing
- Standard: $29 per user, per month for unlimited call queues, 150 video conference attendees, 25 simultaneous webcams, and unlimited auto-attendants
- Premium: $39 per user, per month for 250 video participants, call monitoring, advanced analytics, and contact center tools for agents and admins
- Free trial: 14 days
*Prices are based on two to 10 users, with additional price breaks for 11, 21, 51, and 101 users. You save up to 12% with an annual prepayment.
GoTo Connect is a LogMeIn product offering business voice, video, and messaging services. LogMeIn replaced join.me with GoTo products for web collaboration, but several join.me alternatives exist. Although GoTo Connect lacks some features found with RingCentral, such as whiteboarding, RingCentral’s entry-level plan doesn’t include video.
The GoTo Connect Basic plan supports unlimited 40-minute video meetings, but only for up to four people. We name it as best for video conferencing since the Standard and Premium plans offer advanced video features at an affordable monthly cost. If this is important to you but GoToMeeting isn’t right for your business, check out the best GoToMeeting alternatives.
GoTo Connect makes it easy to schedule recurring meetings, add co-organizers, and switch to a video call from audio or chat with one click. For small business owners, GoTo Connect is a flexible, all-in-one system at an affordable price point.
GoTo Connect Features
- Screen sharing: Keep your team in view on the webcam gallery while you share your screen from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or cell phone. The drawing tools allow you to edit, modify, and markup documents together in real time.
- Bundled plans: With GoTo Connect, you bundle other tools for significant savings. For instance, for only $5 more per user, per month, you can add the password manager, LastPass, online event tool, GoToWebinar, and premium onboarding. The webinar tool comes with many engagement tools, including polls and surveys.
- Public branch exchange (PBX) tools: All GoTo Connect versions come with dozens of general and advanced VoIP features, such as visual voicemail, call flip, presence monitoring, hold music, and a dial-by-name directory.
Nextiva: Best Small Business VoIP Service for Workflow Automation
What We Like
- Unlimited internet fax on all Nextiva packages
- Free professionally recorded voice greetings, one or three depending on plan
- Excellent for companies with multiple locations because even the entry tier lets you set 911 addresses for different sites
What’s Missing
- Entry-level plan doesn’t support audio conference calls, group video meetings, or mobile SMS/MMS texting
- Nextiva costs more for companies with fewer than five employees compared to GoTo Connect or 8×8
- Nextiva’s mobile app is less functional and user-friendly than RingCentral
Nextiva Pricing*
- Essential: $30.95 per user, per month for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, one recording, unlimited one-to-one video, 1,500 toll-free minutes, and Outlook and Google contact integrations
- Professional: $35.95 per user, per month for unlimited group video with 250 participants, audio conferencing with 40 attendees, 3,000 toll-free minutes, and 250 call pops
- Enterprise: $45.95 per user, per month for unlimited audio participants, 12,500 toll-free minutes, unlimited call pops, three recordings, and voice analytics
- Ultimate: $75.95 per user, per month for 12,500 toll-free minutes, three recordings, surveys and analytics, and branding tools
- Free trial: 30 days
*Pricing is based on one to four users, with volume discounts available when adding five, 20, or 100 users. Save additional money with an annual prepayment.
Like RingCentral, Nextiva is considered to be one of the more robust business phone providers in the market today. However, while much of RingCentral’s versatility is due to its extensive offerings of third-party integrations that benefit growing teams, Nextiva’s feature set is better suited for established teams who don’t want to automate sales and service tasks with third-party tools. It also is less expensive as long as you are willing to sign an extended contract.
In addition, while all the best small business VoIP providers on our list let you record phone and voicemail greetings as part of an auto-attendant system, only Nextiva includes at least one free professionally recorded voice greeting in most plans. To make it even easier, all you have to do is supply the script, select the voice talent and language, and Nextiva handles the rest.
Nextiva provides a local and toll-free number with every subscription, and plans come with 1,500 to 12,500 toll-free minutes. In comparison, GoTo Connect charges an extra fee for toll-free numbers, and neither RingCentral nor GoTo Connect offer toll-free minutes on the entry-level package. Explore our guide on Nextiva to learn if it’s a possible solution for your business.
Nextiva Features
- Voice recordings: Along with the free recording(s) included, you can purchase extra ones for $50 for 50 words. Support your brand and improve caller experiences by ordering professionally recorded voice greetings for special promotions for callers to listen to while on-hold or time-specific messages, such as the holidays or after hours.
- Automation tools: Nextiva offers various automated features for your sales and service teams, allowing them to prioritize callers instead of follow-up tasks. For example, your team will get an alert if a ticket hasn’t been replied to. Assign tasks to team members, send them reminders, and even automatically enroll customers in your email campaigns.
- Customer management: You’ll appreciate built-in tools that enhance the customer experience, such as instant customer insights and advanced ticket management. Both let you view all customer interactions and search for important details.
Learn more about how Nextiva compares to RingCentral in our head-to-head matchup.
8×8: Best Small Business VoIP Service for International Calling
What We Like
- Unlimited cloud media storage available with all X-series packages
- Entry-tier plan supports meeting recording and transcription
- X-series international calling packages allow unlimited calls to nearly 50 countries
What’s Missing
- The 8×8 Work app isn’t as user-friendly as RingCentral’s mobile app
- Although 8×8 is a top-notch provider, its website and resources aren’t user-friendly, making it harder to pick the right plan or set up a VoIP system
- Live customer support isn’t available for 8×8 Express users
8×8 Pricing*
- Express: $12 per user, per month for unlimited voice, video, and SMS texting in the U.S. and Canada, an auto-attendant, on-hold music, and intelligent call routing
- X2: $32 per user, per month for unlimited calling to 14 countries, 30 days of media storage, unlimited internet fax, and call activity analytics
- X4: $57 per user, per month for unlimited calling to 47 countries, media storage for 130 days, and supervisor analytics
- X6: $125 per user, per month for contact center software, 30 days recording storage, skills-based routing, and post-call surveys
- X7: $138 per user, per month for multi-channel contact center features, including email, chat, and social media
- X8: $175 per user, per month for advanced contact center analytics, a predictive dialer, and speech analytics
- Free trial: 30 days
*Pricing is based on a monthly payment. Save up to 25% on X-Series plans by prepaying yearly.
8×8 provides a full unified communications (UC) platform with international calling to 47 countries. Although GoTo Connect offers plans with calling to 52 countries, its unlimited plan doesn’t include mobile numbers and only covers specific area codes within those regions. In contrast, 8×8’s coverage extends countrywide, so you don’t get unexpected charges on your phone bill.
Likewise, 8×8 also offers the cheapest entry-level phone plan with an auto-attendant, visual voicemail, and audio or video conferencing for up to 100 participants. 8×8 also recently upgraded its X-Series plans, allowing you to connect with up to 500 active participants. Each attendee can share their screen, share video, and present.
However, 8×8 doesn’t offer toll-free minutes with its plans, whereas Nextiva does. Learn how these two providers stack up by reading our 8×8 versus Nextiva review.
8×8 Features
- International presence: Along with international calling, 8×8 offers phone numbers in more than 120 countries, even if you don’t have a physical location there. Your global customers can call a local number or international toll-free number and reach your team. Plus, 8×8 services support 46 languages.
- Inline replies: 8×8 comes with a unique feature that lets you reply without opening your 8×8 Work app. Instead, you send a quick message from your iOS notification screen.
- Moderation controls: Handle large conferences with advanced controls, such as a participant lobby, custom attendee permission, a meeting lock, and the ability to delegate hosting duties.
Vonage: Best Small Business VoIP Service for a La Carte Pricing
What We Like
- All subscriptions support more than 20 software integrations through the Vonage App center
- Vonage supplies business phone numbers in more than 50 countries
- Tons of powerful and unique add-ons, including smart numbers that integrate with bot-enabled workflows
What’s Missing
- Limited information about how plans compare online, so you may need to talk to a sales rep to see which one is right for you
- Add-on features end up costing more monthly than services through another provider
- Free business number isn’t included unless you commit to a one-year plan
Vonage Pricing*
- Mobile: $19.99 per user, per month for unlimited calling, SMS texting, team messaging, and mobile and desktop apps
- Premium: $29.99 per user, per month for unlimited video meetings with 100 participants, multi-level auto-attendant, customer relationship management (CRM) integrations, and desk phone compatibility
- Advanced: $39.99 per user, per month for 15 hours of on-demand call recording, visual voicemail, and call groups
- Free trial: 14 days
*Pricing is based on one to four users, but volume discounts apply when adding five or 20 users. In addition, a free business phone number comes with an online purchase and a one-year commitment.
If you want VoIP services that are ideal for your small business but don’t want a bunch of features you don’t use, Vonage is a good option. It offers plans with more than 50 VoIP features along with various add-ons, allowing you to customize your phone system. Add-on pricing starts at $2.99 for a spam shield, and includes other options, like call recording, visual voicemail, information technology (IT) services or a conference bridge.
Like RingCentral, Vonage’s entry-level plan doesn’t support desk phones. Instead, consider GoTo Connect, which works with more than 180 office phone systems, including Yealink.
On the other hand, if you want a toll-free number and minutes, Nextiva could work better. Check out our expert review to compare Nextiva and Vonage.
Vonage Features
- Call continuity: Vonage offers a standout feature that lets you continue your phone conversation even if your internet or electricity goes out. If a call abruptly ends, Vonage automatically directs your caller to a backup number.
- Add-ons: There are dozens of add-ons available per user or for your whole company. The most popular options include spam shield, visual voicemail, conference bridge, and call recording. For example, for an additional $49.99 per month, you can automatically record all company calls. Vonage also provides application programming interfaces (APIs) for cloud or on-premise solutions.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant: The artificial intelligence (AI) tool is an excellent add-on for small businesses. Create scripts to assist customers with basic questions, then the assistant uses natural language understanding (NLU), machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) to analyze customer interactions and sentiment.
Phone.com: Best Small Business VoIP Service for Metered Plans
What We Like
- Ability to mix and match metered and unlimited plans
- All plans support up to 300 audio participants, whereas Nextiva only allows 40 people on its Professional package
- Choose from vanity, toll-free, and local phone numbers on all plans
What’s Missing
- The Phone.com user interface (UI) is less intuitive and modern-looking compared to systems like GoTo Connect
- Some users say call recording quality isn’t as good as the actual audio calls
- Metered plan doesn’t work on IP desk phones
Phone.com Pricing*
- Basic Users: $12.99 per user, per month for 300 pooled minutes, 1,000 pooled text messages, 10 video conferencing participants, and mobile and web apps
- Plus Users: $19.99 per user, per month for unlimited minutes and text messages, 25 video conference participants, and video recording
- Pro Users: $29.99 per user, per month for CRM integrations, call analytics, 100 video meeting participants, recording transcription, and whiteboarding
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days
*Pricing based on monthly payments for one to four users. Save up to 20% with annual prepayment and get additional discounts when adding five, 10, or 25 users.
Phone.com is the only provider on our list of the best VoIP for small business providers offering a metered plan. Like 8×8, you can mix and match packages, allowing you to choose unlimited versions for high-volume users and metered plans for everyone else.
You can also buy extra shared minutes, starting at $18.50 for 500. Plus, all packages come with an automated attendant and call logs. Although Phone.com is an affordable alternative to other services, it lacks deep integrations. If you want to connect your customer relationship manager (CRM) or help desk tools, look at RingCentral or GoTo Connect.
Phone.com Features
- Affordability: Phone.com is the least expensive provider when adding five or more users. The metered plan cost drops to $8.99 for 25 or more users, compared to $12 for 8×8 Express. Likewise, the top tier plan ranges from $21.99 to $29.99 compared to more than $30 for other business VoIP services.
- Add-ons: Although Phone.com doesn’t offer as much variety as Vonage, you can add inbound faxing, a shared line for common areas, and call recording. It also features a live receptionist to answer your overflow or after-hours calls for $90 per month.
- Video conferencing: Phone.com subscriptions let you have unlimited video meetings with up to 100 participants for any length of time. You can share your screen and documents, chat during the session, and even livestream to YouTube with the Pro package.
Ooma: Best Small Business VoIP Service for Solopreneurs
What We Like
- Basic personal plan comes free with device purchase and includes 5,000 outbound calling minutes
- All business packages include a conference bridge, which is an add-on feature with other providers
- Ooma connects with your smart home devices, like Amazon Echo and Google Nest
What’s Missing
- Personal plans require an investment of $99 for the Ooma Telo hardware
- Business plans are pricier than 8×8 Express or the metered Phone.com package
- Ooma home mobile apps receive less positive ratings than the Ooma office app
Ooma Pricing*
- Ooma Basic: Buy an Ooma device and pay no monthly fee for calling in the U.S., voicemail, call waiting, and call hold
- Ooma Premier: $9.99 per month plus the purchase of an Ooma device for expanded free calling to Canada and Mexico, two phone numbers, and three-way conference calling
- Ooma Office: $19.95 per user, per month for unlimited calling and SMS texting, a virtual receptionist, call flip, and on-hold and transfer music
- Ooma Office Pro: $24.95 per user, per month for video conferencing, call recording, voicemail transcription, and enhanced call blocking
- Ooma Enterprise: $27.99 per user, per month for attended transfer, advanced call flows, hotdesking, and call monitoring
- Ooma Enterprise Call Center: $49.99 per user, per month for time-of-day routing, call flow editor tool, and intelligent call routing
- Money-back guarantee: 30 days for Ooma Office and Office Pro
- Free trial: Basic personal plan comes with a 60-day free trial of Ooma Premier
*Enterprise plans require a contract.
Ooma differs from other small business VoIP systems because you can use the Basic plan free, without a monthly fee, by purchasing equipment. Ooma also provides packages for small businesses and enterprises, including contact center services. Like other VoIP services, the business versions also work on your cell phone, making it possible to reduce the number of business cell phone plans your business needs.
While personal plans lack business features like call routing and call recording, they could be ideal for solopreneurs needing a home office phone line. By buying an Ooma Telo, you can eliminate your monthly phone bill and simply pay monthly taxes and fees on the VoIP services. However, personal plans don’t include advanced analytics. For more usage details, consider a business plan or one of the best Ooma alternatives.
Ooma Features
- Online portal and call logs: Set up your phone preferences and view a list of inbound and outbound calls from your online portal. From here, it’s also possible to listen to voicemail.
- Home devices: Ooma offers three devices for residential plans. Ooma Telo is hardwired to your router, whereas Ooma Telo Air connects wirelessly to your internet. The third option runs over a cellular network, making it an excellent choice for those with sporadic home internet.
- Phone numbers: The Basic plan comes with one local phone number in your choice of ZIP code. Choose the Premier package to get two numbers or pick a business plan to select a toll-free or local number.
How We Evaluated the Best Small Business VoIP Services
The best business phone systems for VoIP come with all the tools your company needs for inbound and outbound calling while offering a range of plans to suit your budget. We reviewed various small business VoIP services based on the types and cost of subscription plans and available features, such as mobile and desktop apps.
With a score of 4.75 out of 5, RingCentral is the clear winner for the best VoIP for small business. It provides top-rated mobile apps, unlimited calling and texting in the U.S. and Canada, and voicemail-to-text. Plus, it can scale with advanced features as your small business grows. RingCentral offers four plans and a 30-day free trial for up to five users.
Learn how we evaluated the best small business VoIP services by clicking on the tabs below:
Bottom Line
The best small business VoIP services provide a unified platform for voice, video, and chat. They also come with apps so your team can communicate and collaborate using any device. Both VoIP and virtual phone systems help your company improve customer experiences using features like virtual receptionist and professional greetings.
RingCentral is the best VoIP for small business. It offers local, international, and toll-free numbers, and all subscriptions include toll-free minutes. RingCentral continually updates its features, ensuring that your team can access the latest tools for virtual meetings. Get started today by signing up for a 30-day free trial.
