Voila! We all know (or should, anyway) that VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. So what’s a protocol? A protocol is basically a rule or set of rules in the way things work. When we refer to VoIP as ‘voice over internet protocol,’ we are simply saying that real-time telephone calls are being made by placing your voice through your computer to an internet server and back again over the internet.
Over the last decade, Internet-based phone service has changed a lot. Businesses now see using VoIP systems as an upgrade over traditional desk phones. This is because VoIP systems are more affordable and easier to maintain than other options. The technology behind VoIP allows you to make calls even if you don’t have an internet connection.
Grasshopper
Grasshopper is also among the best business phone system solutions you can use for better business communications. It allows you to choose from local, toll-free, and vanity toll-free numbers as your business phone number and operate quick calls with your customers.
Grasshopper business phone service features desktop and mobile apps, business texting, call forwarding, simultaneous call handling, custom greetings, virtual fax, and more.
Grasshopper is a virtual phone system that can forward calls to any phone number or mobile device. However, it has a disadvantage that you need a regular phone line for outgoing calls.
Pros:
- You can easily set up Grasshopper business VoIP system for your company.
- Call forwarding to anywhere in the world is possible with Grasshopper.
Cons:
- Your employees need to use the existing landlines or mobile phones to make outbound calls.
Pricing: Starts from $26 per month for 1 number and 3 extensions (when paid annually).
RingCentral
Solid feature set and fair pricing starting at $19.99/mo./user*
We love that RingCentral offers such a wide range of product features. And the plans are fairly affordable, with price matching available and a generous allotment of toll-free minutes. Just look out for a so-so customer service experience.
RingCentral offers a well-rounded work-from-home solution that includes integrated messaging, unlimited videoconferencing, and cloud-hosted VoIP service right out of the box. The service includes a lot of features that other providers charge extra for (such as generous toll-free minutes). And small businesses don’t have to worry about whether they’re getting raked over the coals for their cloud-hosted VoIP service because RingCentral offers price matching on plans with less than 50 lines.
Another thing we love about RingCentral is its reliability. RingCentral promises a 99.999% uptime, meaning both your in-house and at-home employees can rely on your VoIP system to work whenever they need it. Plus, RingCentral plans include unlimited internet faxing, phone conferencing, and videoconferencing for up to 100 participants. Video meetings can even last up to 24 hours—just in case.
Here are a few other features business owners are sure to love:
- Unlimited calls within the US and Canada
- A toll-free or local phone number
- Automatic call recording
- Inbound caller ID
- 2,500 toll-free monthly minutes
- Service in 100+ countries worldwide
- Voice menus in 10 different languages
And if you ever experience trouble with your VoIP system, RingCentral’s customer service team is available 24/7 via online chat or via phone during standard business hours. Keep in mind, though, that usually only larger enterprises get US-based support—small businesses usually get outsourced to overseas customer service representatives. If that doesn’t work for you, though, RingCentral also offers ticket service, an extensive online knowledge base, and weekly webinars to answer common questions.
Ooma
Scalable solutions for remote work with pricing starting at $19.95/mo./user
If your business has transitioned to at-home work, Ooma offers affordable services that are easy to use and can easily grow with your company. While some customers have complained about dropped calls, we think Ooma’s still the ideal VoIP service for businesses working remotely.
With its affordable pricing and scalable solutions, Ooma is one of our favorite small-business phone services. But Ooma’s Office and Office Pro plans also stand out as some of the best VoIP phone service offerings for businesses with at-home employees.
Ooma phone systems are flexible, so you can use your office phone while working at home, place and accept work calls on your cell phone, and even use the Ooma desktop app to place calls on your computer. And Ooma’s plans stay affordable even with an upper-tier plan.
Ooma’s remote features can help your business stay up and running no matter where your employees are. For starters, Ooma’s mobile and desktop apps allow remote employees to make and receive unlimited calls within North America using your business number.
We also like Ooma’s Ring Groups feature, which lets you group extensions together in your phone system so they all ring simultaneously. Then it transfers the call to whichever employee answers first. This allows your customers to get through to a representative as quickly as possible and provides a backup in case one of your employees has to step away to deal with childcare or move the laundry along.
Businesses working remotely should keep in mind, though, that Ooma offers videoconferencing only on the Ooma Office Pro plan. Otherwise, you get a conference line that lets at-home employees collaborate over the phone. That puts Ooma a pace behind some of the other providers on our list, but with providers like Nextiva currently offering their video collaboration tool to businesses for free, it shouldn’t be a major issue.
Nextiva
Scalable for multiple locations with pricing starting at $17.95/mo./user*
If you operate more than one office or have employees scattered around your areas working from home, Nextiva is easy to scale without breaking your budget. However, this option may not be best for companies that need low-cost international calling features.
Nextiva is great for midsize businesses on a budget because it delivers an impressive balance of pricing and features. Nextiva’s mobile app and desktop app allow your employees to ditch the clunky office phones of the past, and the service’s online management platform makes it easy to juggle multiple lines—even when your employees are all working from different locations.
Nextiva service also provides a number of helpful features for businesses working from home. For starters, there’s the Nextiva app, which lets you use your business phone number to make calls remotely from your desktop or mobile devices. Nextiva’s team collaboration tool, Cospace, also lets your team collaborate via video chat, so you can keep everyone one the same page.
Word to the wise, though: Nextiva’s pricing can be a little complex, so make sure you click around the website’s pricing page to find the accurate pricing for your business. The website lists the Essential plan at $17.95 per month, for example. But if you click the tiny question mark next to the price, you find out that price is only for prepaid 36-month contracts on plans with 100 or more users. If you’re a small business on a month-to-month plan, you’ll actually wind up paying $30.95 per month for the same package.
That being said, we think it’s impressive that none of Nextiva’s plans cost more than $45 per month—especially considering all the VoIP service features you get. And for businesses with at-home employees, features like unlimited videoconferencing (with a Professional plan or higher), screen sharing, and team messaging make it easier to get work done even when everyone’s physically distant.
Dialpad
Dialpad is one of the most innovative VoIP services for businesses of all sizes. Their customers range from startups to global enterprises like Motorola and WeWork.
Dialpad is much more than a VoIP phone system. You can also use it to have video meetings, send instant and SMS/MMS messages, and more, all from one user-friendly desktop and mobile app. Even the most basic plan comes with unlimited calling in your country, the US, and Canada, and unlimited text messaging in the US and Canada.
What sets Dialpad apart is its AI: Voice Intelligence (Vi). Vi can transcribe calls in real-time and even automatically trigger helpful Assist cards for agents dealing with tricky questions from customers.
Pros:
- Easy to set up; add new users, manage phone numbers, and more, right from your online dashboard.
- Very competitively priced, with generous features included in even the least expensive plans.
Cons:
- For 24/7 phone support, you’ll need to sign up on their Pro or Enterprise plan.
Pricing: Starts from $15 per user per month.
Zoom Phone
Zoom Phone – Best Business Phone System with Video Conferencing
Zoom Phone, a new entrant to this year’s rating, earns our No. 3 spot. It’s also our top pick for Best Business Phone System with Video Conferencing. Parent company Zoom, well-known for its free video meeting service, launched Zoom Phone in January 2019. The cloud phone service acquired its 2 millionth customer in September 2021.
Zoom Phone has three service plans. All have mobile and desktop apps, voicemail transcription, call recording and transcription, 24/7 support, and integration with Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft, and Google. You can add video conferencing by bundling Zoom Phone with Zoom Meetings & Chat plans. Higher-tier plans have contact center capabilities.
Starting at $10 per user per month, Zoom Phone is the least-expensive VoIP service in our rating, however, this entry level plan charges for outbound calls and texts. You can lease VoIP phones from Zoom or adapt your legacy PBX phone system for use with the service.
Vonage
Vonage is an excellent business phone system service and VoIP provider. It is a powerful cloud-based VoIP service that offers high-quality communications with voice, video, and messaging.
Additionally, it collaborates with Amazon Chime to offer top-notch web conferencing, chat, screen share, file sharing, etc.
Vonage also integrates well with other cloud-based popular apps like Office 365, G Suite, Salesforce, etc., and helps to increase your productivity.
Pros:
- Vonage Business keeps your business calls up and running 24/7. They claim 99.999% uptime reliability.
- It has lower international call rates.
Cons:
- Setting up Vonage requires some technical skills, non-tech users can have some problems in the beginning.
Pricing: Starts from $19.99 per month per user.
Conclusion:
Not all online VoIP services are right for your business. There are so many VoIP providers out there that you can easily get confused when looking for a solid VoIP service. A lot of them have similar plans and rates but they offer different features and services.