Do you want the best business phone service for your WordPress site?
Many small businesses integrate an online phone system into their websites to instantly connect with their users. It’s an additional service to live chat, email support, and other solutions on the market.
With a phone service for small businesses, you can engage your users in no time, but you need to make sure you get the best call quality.
This guide covers some of the best business phone lines starting for free to $30 per month.
10 Business VoIP Phone Providers (Compared & Reviewed)
- Nextiva – Best / easiest business phone service
- RingCentral – Best all-in-one business phone provider
- Phone.com – Cheapest VoIP phone service
- Ooma – Internet phone service
- Grasshopper – Best virtual phone service
- 8×8 – Best hosted business phone service
- Vonage – Best advanced phone service
- Microsoft Teams – Most popular online phone service
- GoogleVoice – Free business phone service
- Voiceshot – Best auto attendant phone system
- CallHippo – Best freemium virtual phone service
1. Nextiva: Best / Easiest Business Phone Service
Nextiva is one of the most popular business phone and call forwarding services for small businesses. It’s known for its ease of use, advanced features, and call management. Nextiva is an affordable service, which means small business websites can easily benefit from it. It has a web-based panel to manage your calls, voicemails, and faxes.
Nextiva has a business VOIP service that enables you to do the free domestic calling, call routing, transfer voicemails to emails, and more. Their VOIP service is advanced yet beginner-friendly and easy to use. Other than that, the primary perk of using Nextiva is that it’ll provide you with a registered toll-free number which means your users can connect with you for free. It also offers other services and add-ons like live chat, call analytics, hold music, CRM integrations, etc.
Price: Starting from $18.95 / month with no setup fees. See our Nextiva coupon to get the best price!
2. RingCentral: Best All-in-one Business Phone Provider
RingCentral is a hassle-free business phone service that can be used by small-to-large scale businesses easily. Like all other top business phone services, RingCentral comes with tons of calling features like a call waiting option, call transfers, a multi-line phone system, call forwarding, conference calls, video conferencing, and more.
It enables you to share screens, make free calls with their toll-free option, and works great with third-party services like Microsoft, Gusto, Dropbox, etc. RingCentral has a simple portal to launch business phone services and manage calls from users.
Price: Starting from $19.99 / month. RingCentral also offers other custom plans to fulfill your needs. See our RingCentral coupon page for the latest deals and discounts.
3. Phone.com: Cheapest VoIP Phone Service
Phone.com is the best business phone service for small businesses. It comes with a call routing service, call forwarding, fax, caller ID, multi-line (conference) calling, and more. Phone.com has both app-based and web-based panels to manage calls online.
They have a cheap business phone line for many European countries and Canada which lets their users expand their businesses to those countries. Phone.com offer integration with many CRM software on the market including Zoho and Salesforce.
Price: It comes with pay-per-minute and unlimited pricing plans. Starting from $11.99 / month per user if paid annually.
4. Ooma: Internet Phone Service
Ooma Office is one of the best VoIP service providers and communication solutions that is customizable for any business. It comes with a wide variety of features that any business owner needs in a phone system.
Some of the great features include:
- Mobile and desktop apps: You can use your phone system easily right from your computer or your mobile.
- Video conferencing: Ooma meetings let you seamlessly do video meetings and easy screen sharing.
- Virtual receptionist: You can play custom messages at the beginning of the call and even route the calls to ring groups.
Price: Starting from $19.95 / month / user. You can also add a complimentary toll-free business phone number.
5. GrassHopper: Best Virtual Phone Service
GrassHopper is the best virtual phone system for small business owners. It comes with all the standard VOIP service features like call forwarding, voicemail, caller ID, etc. It enables you to make calls using a regular phone number. Their extensions can be used to make conference calls, which is great for inbound team meetings.
The web and app-based portal is easy to use. It comes with toll-free numbers for the US, UK, and Canada. GrassHopper has multiple extensions for phone numbers, toll-free numbers, and vanity numbers to make calls online.
Price: Starting from $28 / month (1 number and up to 3 extensions)
6. 8×8: Best Hosted Business Phone Service
8×8 is a popular business phone service on the market. It’s a perfect fit for beginners who’re starting to add an internet business phone system on their websites. 8×8 has fewer features than an average online VoIP solution, but it’s useful for small business owners. Plus, it works with cloud phones and cell phones.
Their services include voicemail, automatic call answering, messaging, number sharing, and more. They offer several plans for their users to provide ease and reliability.
Price: Starting from $15 / month for each user
7. Vonage: Best Advanced Phone Service
Vonage is another small business phone service that can be used for online calling. It comes with all the standard VoIP phones, plus Amazon Chime, video calls, and more. Their premium services have more features and additional advanced technology for their users.
Their web-based administration panel helps regulate calls, create users, and manage online communication in a smart way.
Price: Pricing is based on minutes. Internet calling starts at $0.0127 per minute for incoming calls. Outgoing and international calling is priced higher.
8. Microsoft Teams: Most Popular Online Phone Service
Microsoft Teams is the most popular phone system for making VoIP calls and conducting video conferences in the world.
Teams replaced Skype for Business in 2019 but continue to offer unlimited calling to other Teams users via an internet connection.
It’s powered by Microsoft, which means the product and customer service have a solid foundation. You can meet, chat, call, and collaborate with your teammates and clients with this platform.
Price: Basic version is free to download. Premium business calling plan starting from $4 / month, making it a super cheap VoIP provider.
9. Google Voice: Free Business Phone Service
Google Voice is a flexible business phone service. However, it has fewer options when compared to a fully virtual phone system. It’s handy for smartphone users and business owners using devices that support Google products.
Google Voice isn’t included in the regular Google WorkSpace. You’ll need to sign up for it separately.
Then you’ll get a free phone number that works on mobile phones and the web so you can place and receive calls from anywhere over the internet/wifi. There’s also a mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as a desktop app for the web, so you can make and receive calls on the go.
It has a free US-based number, voicemail service, call recording, and more. Google Voice helps create better communication between business owners and consumers.
Price: A free number to make calls, texts, and voicemails.
10. Voiceshot: Best Auto Attendant Phone System
Voiceshot is an excellent business phone service for small websites. It comes with an auto respondent system to answer calls anytime, which means you’re active even after business hours. Voiceshot allows you to send outbound messages to your users. You can also create custom, interactive outbound texts.
It helps with call scheduling and sends alerts / reminders to you and your users about the call. Other features include emergency call alerts, integrations, and more.
Price: Starting from $12 / month.
11. CallHippo: Best Freemium Virtual Phone Service
CallHippo is one of the most popular virtual phone systems in the world. It has standard business VoIP features like a phone number, caller ID, call forwarding, etc. You don’t need a desk phone to make calls using CallHippo, as everything is managed from their online portal.
It has a simple web-based portal to create users, manage calls, and more. You can also create departments and transfer calls to specific experts. It is among some of the cheap business phone line services for small businesses.
Price: Basic setup is free for up to 2 users. Premium plans with cloud-based business calling start at $16 / month.
What is the Best VoIP Service for Small Businesses?
Here’s a quick recap of the best business phone providers for small businesses.
Business Phone Service | Cost | Known For |
---|---|---|
1. Nextiva | $18.95/month | Easiest business phone service |
2. RingCentral | $19.99/month | Best all-in-one business phone provider |
3. Phone.com | $11.99/month | Cheapest VoIP phone service |
4. Ooma | $19.95/month | Best internet phone service |
5. Grasshopper | $26/month | Best virtual phone service |
6. 8×8 | $15/month | Best hosted business phone service |
7. Vonage | $0.00045/minute | Best advanced phone service |
8. Microsoft Teams | $5/month | Most popular online phone service |
9. GoogleVoice | Free | Free business phone service |
10. Voiceshot | $9/month | Best auto attendant phone system |
11. CallHippo | $16/month | Best freemium virtual phone service |
How to Choose the Best Business Phone Services – FAQs
Before we dive in and start comparing different business phone providers, it’s worth taking a moment to examine if you need to upgrade from a home phone to a business phone service to see if it’s the best bet for your needs.
Having helped hundreds of users to set up a business phone service, we know what it means to have a phone system for small businesses. So let’s start with 5 questions that we used to get asked from our users.
If you’d rather cut straight to the chase and jump over to the comparison, check it out here.
1. What Is a Business VoIP Phone Service?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as internet telephony. VoIP allows users to make phone calls over the internet.
Unlike traditional phone services, VoIP business phone service comes with a wide range of extra features for which you don’t have to pay extra, like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, and more. Plus, you can send documents while you’re conversing with your users.
2. Do You Need a VoIP / Business Phone Service?
A business or VoIP phone system differs entirely from a traditional phone system.
If you’re a small business, you might want to consider purchasing a business phone service from business VoIP providers for the following reasons:
- You can share one number among several users, simultaneously creating unified communications.
- You can use desk phones, mobile devices, or computers to receive and make calls.
- For improved productivity, you can track call duration, hold times, wait times, and overall usage.
- Unlike the traditional phone system, initial and ongoing costs are relatively low.
Basically, you could create a mini call center without the costs of setting up and running one.
3. How Much Does a Landline Cost Monthly?
The AT&T phone plan for traditional landlines comes with a complete feature set like caller ID, call waiting, or voicemail. The plan costs around $35. On the other hand, a VoIP phone service is not only low-cost (starts at $19.99 / month) but also comes with way too many features. You’ll also be able to make as many long-distance calls as you need.
4. How Much Does a Business Phone Service Cost?
It depends. Typically, a business phone service can cost anywhere from $20 per month to $30. There are a few factors that you’ll need to look at to see how much a business phone service would cost.
- The number of users depends on how many users you want to give access to the phone system.
- The phone features conferencing, mobility, integration with dozens of CRM tools, etc.
- Type of phone system includes VoIP, landline, and virtual phone system.
5. How to Get Voice Transcriptions of Business Calls?
You can use a service like Instaminutes or DialPad. Dialpad is a unified communications platform with voice transcription functionality. It comes with AI-powered voice transcription software so that you can automatically transcribe your conference calls and video meetings. You can even get voicemail transcriptions in real-time.
6. What is a Softphone?
A softphone is a software program for making telephone calls over the Internet. It’s sometimes interchangeably used with VoIP. Softphones use a general purpose computer/smartphone rather than dedicated hardware.
7. What is PBX?
PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange. It’s a type of private telephone network for company use where employees can communicate both internally and externally. A PBX network will have features like call transfers, an IVR menu, and many phones installed that are all connected to one network.
8. What are the pros & cons of Business VoIP Phone Service vs. Landline?
Are you wondering which one is the best choice for your business needs – a landline or a business phone service? Let’s take a look at the key differences between them.
- Affordability: As mentioned above, depending on the business features, a business phone service seems to be cheaper than a landline connection.
- Feature set: Not to mention, a business phone service provides too many features out of the box that is super helpful to small businesses.
- Ease of access: With a business phone service, you can receive the call from anywhere at any time with the device of your choice, whereas you need to be at your office to access your landline phone or hire a front desk receptionist to attend to it.
- A reliable internet connection: A business phone service requires a reliable internet connection, whereas a landline doesn’t. During an internet outage, your business phone calls will go straight to voice mail.
While there are plenty of options, we believe Nextiva stands out from the rest due to its affordable plans and out-of-the-box features.
RingCentral is a good alternative to Nextiva. If you’re after a cheaper solution, then Phone.com could be the best choice.
If you’re looking for an app for internal team messaging, you might want to check out Best Online Collaboration Tools for Teams [Free Included]. These tools also help with business communications with clients and external parties.
We also think you might be interested in getting a service for promotional emails and SMS/text messaging. See the Best Email Marketing Services for Small Businesses.
We hope this guide helped you discover the best business phone services. If you liked this article, then you should also check out our guide on the 9 best WordPress help desk plugins for customer support.
All these VoIP systems are quite good for every business type. These are a few more that can be added to these lists such as CallCenterHosting, Aircall, Freshdesk, and more which have some exceptional features and user-friendly pricing quotes. I have tool services from these three and found CallCenterHosting to be much more efficient, pocket-friendly, flexible, and advanced.
Best VoIP solution for Small Businesses services provide you with toll-free numbers, and like a switchboard feature or virtual receptionist assistant.
I was wondering, thanks. Add one interesting Hottelecom service to your list? Low prices, high quality customer service. Do you think this does not happen? It happens)))
RingCentral and Nextiva are some of the best VoIP a business could ask for. Great blog, thanks for sharing this useful information up here. Most companies would agree to the services you’ve enlisted as well!
Thank you for sharing your valuable information. This information is very useful. I suggested one more service, VoIP Office is the Best Hosted VoIP Providers.