8x8
- Interactive voice response
- Access controls/permissions
- Unified communications
At just $12 per month, 8×8 is one of the most affordable services on the list. The plan includes several key features, such as call routing and custom permissions, which make it possible to limit phone access based on a user’s role in your firm. 8×8 is also one of the services to offer a unified communications system, giving employees the ability to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages and participate in video conferences.
The 8×8 service is especially helpful for call centers due to its call recording and call routing features. With call routing, there’s no need to hire additional personnel to handle phone calls, freeing up money to spend on other activities. Call recording makes it easy to record each call and review it later, giving managers the information they need to conduct performance reviews or help agents learn from past mistakes and improve their call-handling skills.
Pros & Cons
One of the main advantages of the 8×8 business phone service is that it includes many helpful features for one low monthly price. The company is also known for excellent call quality. Despite these advantages, 8×8 doesn’t offer voicemail transcription with its VoIP service.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good call quality
Cons
- No voicemail transcription
What Customers Are Saying
Customers appreciate that 8×8 makes it easy to streamline employee communications and stay in close contact with vendors and clients. Users also love that 8×8 enables them to conduct video conferences, prompting one reviewer to write, “Setting up a web meeting is easy, one-click easy, and screen sharing works perfectly.”
Summary
-
Starting Price
-
Type of VoIP
Managed IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Interactive voice response
- Access controls/permissions
- Unified communications
Avaya
- Call recording and routing
- Speech-to-text and text-to-speech transcription
- Interactive voice response
Avaya Cloud Office is a hosted IP PBX system with four plan tiers that vary according to the number of users and features available. Avaya Cloud Office owns all the equipment and is responsible for maintaining it, which helps businesses save space and control their telecommunications costs. The Avaya Cloud Office service plans include several basic phone features, such as call recording, contact management and call routing. Avaya Cloud Office also offers SIP trunking, which eliminates the need to install traditional phone lines.
For firms with employees who travel frequently, Avaya Cloud Office offers several helpful features, including video conferencing and unified communications. With these features, employees don’t have to worry about missing calls or video meetings just because they’re traveling for business. Video conference users have access to several web-based tools to enhance collaboration, along with high-quality audio and video. Avaya Cloud Office also provides extensive support throughout the setup process and any time account holders have questions about additional features and services.
Pros & Cons
Avaya Cloud Office is easy to set up and integrates well with third-party services, such as CRM software. The main drawback of Avaya is its lack of data encryption.
Pros
- Third-party integrations
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Doesn’t have data encryption
What Customers Are Saying
Customers love that Avaya Cloud Office is easy to set up. One user writes, “It is very easy to operate and does not require too much training,” making it a good fit for small businesses. Users also appreciate that Avaya Cloud Office stores a large number of incoming and outgoing calls, making it easier to make business decisions.
Summary
-
Starting Price
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
No
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Call recording and routing
- Speech-to-text and text-to-speech transcription
- Interactive voice response
CallHippo
- SIP trunking
- Voicemail transcription
- Contact management
CallHippo provides several basic phone features, with more features included in its higher-level plans. The Bronze plan, which costs $16 per month, is ideal for small firms, as it comes with one free telephone number. Firms with the Bronze plan have access to some limited team functions, SMS messaging, voicemail and call forwarding. Although the telephone number is free, the Bronze plan doesn’t include unlimited calls. For $20 per month, users can upgrade to the Silver plan, which offers unlimited calling and call queuing, making it ideal for call centers or businesses that handle a high volume of phone calls each day. The Silver plan also includes holiday routing and call reminders.
The Platinum plan costs $30 per month and offers access to additional features. For example, users on the Platinum plan can transfer calls and use three-way calling to collaborate. It’s also possible to create custom caller ID lists and block certain apps.
Pros & Cons
CallHippo is inexpensive and works with mobile devices to give employees additional flexibility. It’s also cloud-based, which ensures it’s always up to date. One of the main drawbacks of this business phone service is that the cheapest Bronze plan doesn’t have unlimited calls.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Works with mobile devices
- Cloud-based
Cons
- Bronze plan has limited calls
- No business SMS texting
What Customers Are Saying
CallHippo receives high marks for its call quality and affordability, with several reviewers noting that the basic plan offers plenty of features for one low monthly price. Customers also love that the service is easy to set up and manage. One user comments, “It’s easy for me to add team members and control their access.”
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Bronze: $14 per month
- Silver: $18 per month
- Platinum: $30 per month
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
No
-
Call Routing
No
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- SIP trunking
- Voicemail transcription
- Contact management
Dialpad
- Access controls/permissions
- Contact management
- Business texting
Dialpad offers VoIP services to small and medium firms for $15 to $25 per month. The company also offers custom plans for firms with at least 100 users; pricing depends on the number of employees in the firm and what features are included in the customized plan. For $15 per month, the Standard plan includes unlimited calling, the ability to create custom voicemail greetings, unlimited SMS messages, call controls and voicemail transcription. The Pro plan costs $25 and gives users access to off-hours routing and local number support. Customers on the Pro plan can also integrate Dialpad with their existing Salesforce accounts to make it easier to manage customer relationships.
Dialpad offers many basic phone features, including interactive voice response, call recording and call routing. All users receive access to chat support and web support, regardless of the plan selected. For added convenience, Dialpad has multilingual agents to assist customers all over the world.
Pros & Cons
Dialpad makes it easy for employees to transfer calls from their office phones to their mobile devices. The service also offers an intuitive interface, making it easy to find relevant features. Despite these advantages, customers have reported issues integrating Dialpad with third-party apps and using the service on older devices.
Pros
- Easy to transfer calls
- Intuitive interface
What Customers Are Saying
Users appreciate that Dialpad offers a full-featured VoIP service for firms of all sizes. One reviewer states that signing up for Dialpad “has been one of the best decisions our IT team has made” due to the system’s simplicity and reliability. Customers also love that Dialpad has access controls to enhance system security.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Standard: $15 per month
- Pro: $25 per month
-
Type of VoIP
Managed IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Access controls/permissions
- Contact management
- Business texting
FluentStream
- Call routing
- Call recording
- Video conferencing
FluentStream offers a variety of basic phone features starting at $20 per user per month. All plans included unlimited calling, HD quality for voice and video, internet faxing and voicemail transcription. Upgrading to the Advanced plan, which costs $30 per user per month, gives users access to extra features, such as SMS messaging, unlimited video conferencing and analytics. For $45 per user per month, users can integrate FluentStream with their existing CRM systems, conduct post-call surveys and set up return call routing.
FluentStream offers the same level of support to customers on all three plans, with agents available 24/7 to offer technical support. The company also has a 99.99% service uptime guarantee and a personal onboarding process that walks new customers through all the steps involved in setting up the service for the first time. Every plan includes 40 standard VoIP features, such as call recording and call routing.
Pros & Cons
FluentStream offers excellent support and includes online faxing, which is typically a premium service, in every plan. The fact that SMS messages have a limit of 180 characters may be a disadvantage for some companies.
Pros
- Online faxing included
- High-quality support
- Business SMS texting
Cons
- Texts limited to 180 characters
What Customers Are Saying
Customers love the high level of support they receive during and after the sale. One user reports, “They took the time to understand my needs and really build out a structure that worked for me and my team.” Users also report positive experiences with the initial setup and the many features available with the system.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Starts at $20 per user/month
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Call routing
- Call recording
- Video conferencing
GoToConnect
- Call routing
- Unified communications
- Contact management
GoToConnect costs $19.95 to $29.95 per user per month for up to 99 users, with larger accounts paying a lower monthly rate than customers with just a few employees. The company also offers custom pricing for companies with 100 users or more, giving large firms the flexibility they need to design their own telecommunications systems. GoToConnect is a hosted VoIP system, which means customers don’t have to buy or manage any of their own equipment; the equipment is owned and managed by GoToConnect.
No matter how many users are on the plan, everyone has access to dozens of features across four categories: video conferencing, call center, call management and voice. GoToConnect accommodates up to 250 participants on video conferences, offers wait time announcements and unlimited call queues, allows users to turn on do not disturb and includes custom hold music and international calling.
Pros & Cons
A major advantage of using GoToConnect is that it’s possible to host conference calls by having participants call a single number. The onboarding process is also fairly simple; however, with no money-back guarantee, signing on is more of a commitment for businesses.
Pros
- Conference call hosting
- Simple onboarding process
Cons
- No money-back guarantee
- Limited settings
What Customers Are Saying
Customers appreciate that GoToConnect allows them to route calls to employees’ personal devices without revealing their telephone numbers. Users also report positive experiences with call quality. One satisfied reviewer writes, “The clarity and connection is much crisper and cleaner and the down time is almost none.”
Summary
-
Starting Price
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Call routing
- Unified communications
- Contact management
Intermedia Unite
- Business texting
- Encryption
- Contact management
Intermedia Unite offers two plans for businesses in need of VoIP services: Unite for $28.99 per month and Pro for $38.99 per month. The Unite plan is well-suited to small and medium firms, as it includes unlimited texting in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Users also have access to web and video conferencing, although the Unite plan does have lower attendee limits than the Pro plan. Each user also gets 2GB of storage for voicemails and text messages, making it easier to follow up with customers and vendors.
For just $10 more per month, the Pro plan offers increased limits on the number of users who can attend a web or video conference. The Pro plan also upgrades the amount of storage offered to each user from 2GB to 100GB. For larger firms, integrating the Intermedia Unite Pro plan with Salesforce, Oracle NetSuite and other tools can make it easier to streamline business processes and make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to communications.
Pros & Cons
The main advantage of Intermedia Unite is the high level of call quality. It also has an easy-to-use interface, helping employees save time as they navigate the many available features. One potential drawback is difficulty integrating Intermedia Unite with third-party apps.
Pros
- Good call quality
- Easy-to-use interface
- Unlimited texting
Cons
- Difficulties with 3rd party integrations
What Customers Are Saying
Customers praise Intermedia Unite for providing excellent service long after the initial sale. Intermedia Unite also receives high marks for helping businesses improve productivity at an affordable price. One user writes, “I can get a lot of work accomplished because I have a very good support software and team.”
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Unite: $28.99 per month
- Unite Pro: $38.99 per month
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Business texting
- Encryption
- Contact management
Mitel MiCloud Connect
- Video conferencing
- Business texting
- Encryption
Mitel MiCloud Connect offers three service tiers: Essentials, Premier and Elite. For $20.99 per user per month, the Essentials plan gives businesses access to the basic features they need to communicate with key stakeholders. The plan includes several PBX features, video conferencing and tools to enhance collaboration among employees. Under the Essentials plan, audio and video conferencing tools have a limit of eight users.
Starting at $26.59 per month, the Premier plan includes everything in the Essentials plan, along with video conferencing for up to 50 participants, audio and web conferencing for up to 25 participants, voicemail transcription, integration with CRM software and on-demand call recording. The Elite plan, starting at $38.49 per month, allows businesses to conduct audio, video and web conferences for up to 100 participants. Elite users also have access to always-on call recording and call archiving. All plans include unlimited minutes, making it easier for businesses to control their expenses.
Pros & Cons
MiCloud Connect has many pros, but its unlimited minutes is one of the most important. The service also gives you a personal customer success manager. But with no money-back guarantee, you’ll want to get all of your questions answered during your demo and free trial.
Pros
- Unlimited minutes
- Dedicated customer success managers
What Customers Are Saying
Customers love that Mitel MiCloud Connect makes it easier for administrative professionals to do their jobs. One satisfied user writes, “I am able to see which customer service agents…are away from their desks, and which are on other lines.” Users also appreciate that MiCloud Connect makes it easier for small firms to compete in a crowded marketplace.
Summary
Features
- Video conferencing
- Business texting
- Encryption
Nextiva
- Call recording
- SIP trunking
- Contact management
Nextiva offers three business VoIP plans starting at $21.95 per user per month. All three plans include unlimited calling within the United States and Canada, along with free local and toll-free numbers. Starting at $21.95 per user per month, the Essential plan includes basic productivity and collaboration features. These features include audio conferencing for up to four participants and voicemail to SMS notification. Users also receive 1,000 toll-free minutes per month.
The Professional plan starts at $24.95 per month and gives users access to additional features, such as unlimited peer-to-peer video calling, call recording and voice analytics. Audio conference calls have a limit of 40 participants instead of four. Upgrading to the Enterprise plan, which starts at $31.95 per month, increases the number of toll-free minutes to 10,000 and allows firms to use Amazon Chime to conduct online meetings. Under the Enterprise plan, firms can also conduct audio conference calls with an unlimited number of participants.
Pros & Cons
A major advantage of using Nextiva is that employees can use the service to make calls from their cell phones, preventing communication delays when employees are out of the office. Nextiva also offers call routing to improve call handling. One drawback of this service is that the onboarding process is somewhat lengthy.
Pros
- Make calls remotely
- Call routing
Cons
- Lengthy onboarding process
What Customers Are Saying
Customers appreciate that Nextiva is easy to learn, even for employees in non-technical roles. Nextiva also receives high marks for the excellent service provided to new and existing users. One satisfied user writes that the Nextiva rep “had the patience of a saint” when it came to answering questions and preparing custom quotes.
Summary
Features
- Call recording
- SIP trunking
- Contact management
Ooma Office
- Unified communications
- Call recording
- Call routing
For $19.95 per month for the standard package, Ooma Office gives businesses access to a virtual receptionist and several basic phone features. For example, Ooma Office gives businesses a unified communications solution with access controls and the ability to manage hundreds of contacts. The base plan also makes it possible for users to transfer calls to each other, access the service via a smartphone app and play music while a caller is on hold.
Ooma Office also offers an upgraded plan for businesses that need additional features. In addition to the features included in the standard plan, Ooma Office Pro includes improved call blocking, call recording and voicemail transcription. Businesses on the Pro plan also have higher usage limits for audio conferences, the ability to monitor extensions and call parking, which makes it possible to put someone on hold and have any employee pick up, regardless of which line the call came in on.
Pros & Cons
Ooma Office has many pros, including the ability to customize it according to each firm’s needs and the fact that the company makes regular upgrades. Despite these advantages, some users have reported problems using the service over Wi-Fi, and certain features are premium add-ons, increasing the overall cost of the service.
Pros
- Regular upgrades
- Customization options
Cons
- Advanced features cost extra
What Customers Are Saying
Customers love that Ooma Office has a support team based in the United States, which makes it easy to get help during regular business hours. The service has also been praised for offering so many features at such an affordable price. One reviewer even states that Ooma offers way more features than many of its more expensive competitors.
Summary
-
Starting Price
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Unified communications
- Call recording
- Call routing
Phone.com
- Business texting
- Video conferencing
- Contact management
Phone.com offers plans with a limited number of minutes as well as plans with unlimited calling built in, giving businesses the flexibility they need to control their telecommunications costs. For $12.99 per month, the Base plan provides 300 minutes and 2,000 text messages, making it ideal for small firms with just a few employees. Upgrading to the Plus plan for $19.99 per month increases the number of monthly minutes to 500 and the limit on text messages to 3,000. The Pro plan, which costs $29.99 per month, includes unlimited calls and text messages. All three plans come with one local or toll-free number.
Every plan includes several basic phone features, such as hold music, audio conferencing, call routing, call blocking and call screening. It’s also possible to use Phone.com to handle incoming calls without the assistance of a receptionist. Additional phone numbers and minutes are available for a monthly fee, along with video meetings and a live receptionist service. All plans also include a video meeting service.
Pros & Cons
Pros of the Phone.com VoIP service include its affordability and the fact that it can be highly customized to suit each firm’s needs. However, Phone.com doesn’t have user permissions, which may be a drawback to some companies that want to customize their workflow.
What Customers Are Saying
Customers praise Phone.com for working across a wide variety of platforms and devices. One user reports that Phone.com “works perfectly on my android, Mac, and IP desk phone,” making it easier to manage calls. Phone.com also receives high marks for offering many must-have features at an affordable monthly price.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Basic user: $12.99/user/month
- Plus user: $19.99/user/month
- Pro user: $29.99/user/month
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Business texting
- Video conferencing
- Contact management
RingCentral
- Call routing
- Unified communications
- Access controls/permissions
RingCentral’s VoIP service starts at $19.99 per user per month, giving business owners access to the services they need at prices that fit their budgets. The Essentials plan includes some of the most important phone features, such as unlimited calls in the United States and Canada, unlimited SMS messages and the ability for team members to message each other within the system. Upgrading to the Standard plan gives users access to video in addition to everything included in the basic Essentials plan.
For a firm with dozens of employees, upgrading to the Premium plan, which costs $44.99 per month, makes it possible to hold video meetings with up to 200 participants. This plan also includes automatic call recording, integration with third-party applications, advanced call handling and real-time analytics. The Ultimate plan offers unlimited storage, device status reports and other advanced features for $59.99 per month, making it ideal for larger firms.
Pros & Cons
RingCentral is easy to set up, and the company does frequent upgrades to ensure customers always have access to the latest features. RingCentral also offers online faxing with every plan. In spite of these advantages, there may be some support delays.
Pros
- Online faxing
- Simple setup
- Regular upgrades
What Customers Are Saying
Customers love that RingCentral is always adding new features, prompting one user to write that the “functionality has increased” substantially since she signed up for the service. Users also report positive experiences using RingCentral to help employees maintain a high level of productivity while working remotely.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Starts at $19.99 per user/month
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
Yes
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Call routing
- Unified communications
- Access controls/permissions
Verizon
- Contact management
- Call recording
- Call routing
Verizon offers a variety of basic phone features starting at $35 per month. These features include contact management, call routing and call recording, all of which make it easier for businesses to manage incoming and outgoing calls. Verizon’s VoIP plans also come with interactive voice response and access controls/permissions to ensure each employee has the appropriate level of access to the system. Each plan features unlimited calling, eliminating the hassle of tracking minutes and paying costly overage fees each month.
The Verizon VoIP phone service has several features to help businesses increase efficiency. For example, click-to-call allows employees to select a telephone number from the recent calls list and dial it automatically, eliminating the need to dial by hand. Three-way calling makes it easy for employees to meet by phone, even if some of those employees are working from home or calling in from a conference site.
Pros & Cons
Verizon’s business phone service is inexpensive, especially considering all the features included. Another advantage is that Verizon has a nationwide network, ensuring a high level of reliability. The plan doesn’t include business texting though, which may be a drawback for some companies.
Pros
- User controls/permissions
- Unlimited calling on all plans
- High network reliability
What Customers Are Saying
Customers appreciate that Verizon’s VoIP service makes it possible for small businesses to compete effectively with their larger competitors with lower operating costs. Verizon is also known for providing reliable service. One user states that Verizon VoIP is so reliable that he’s “never lost connection” under a variety of conditions.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- $35.00 per line/month (up to 5 lines)
-
Type of VoIP
Hosted IP PBX
-
Business Texting
No
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Contact management
- Call recording
- Call routing
Vonage
- Unified communications
- SIP trunking
- Contact management
Vonage offers three VoIP plans for businesses of all sizes. The Mobile plan, which starts at $19.99 per line per month for one to four users, is ideal for remote teams and small businesses. For firms with five to 19 users, the price decreases to $17.99 per line per month. Additional discounts are available for firms with 20 users or more. Pricing for the Premium plan ranges from $24.99 to $24.99 per line per month for firms with up to 99 employees. Firms with the Advanced plan pay $34.99 to $39.99 per line per month.
All plans include unlimited calling, unlimited team messaging and unlimited SMS messages. Vonage VoIP plans include a variety of helpful features, such as contact management, call routing and call recording. With Vonage, it’s possible to create a unified communications system that ensures customers and vendors can get in touch with employees whether they’re in the office or on the road.
Pros & Cons
Vonage is easy to integrate with third-party applications, simplifying the process associated with customer relationship management. The company also provides reliable service. In spite of these pros, Vonage lacks customizable user controls and permissions, which may make it harder to plan your workflow. .
Pros
- Third-party integrations
- Reliable service
Cons
- No user controls/permissions
What Customers Are Saying
Users love that Vonage integrates well with several third-party applications, prompting one satisfied customer to write that she loves the “clear collaboration with [her] outbound calls, email communications, marketing and sales CRM systems.” Vonage also has a good reputation for offering advanced business features.
Summary
-
Starting Price
- Mobile: $19.99 per line/month
- Premium: $29.99 per line/month
- Advanced: $39.99 per line/month
-
Type of VoIP
Integrated Access
-
Business Texting
No
-
Call Routing
Yes
-
Interactive Voice Response
Yes
Features
- Unified communications
- SIP trunking
- Contact management
