The 9 Cheapest VoIP Platforms: Which Is the Best Value?

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Our latest research shows that Google Voice and Zoom Phone are the cheapest VoIP phone services in 2024, with plans starting from as low as $10 per user per month. Google Voice has better security features and a tidy interface, but Zoom Phone has better call management tools, so it really depends on what your company’s priorities are when choosing from two of the best business VoIP providers.

There are other options out there, too. with advanced AI-powered features and packages starting from $15 per user, per month, Dialpad is an excellent option for startups, while Ooma’s low downtime and top-notch customer service options make it one of the most reliable VoIP providers we tested. Read on to learn more about why these providers are among the best cheap VoIP services around.

Use the links above to start comparing prices for the cheapest VoIP systems, or read on for the reviews.

To save you the time and hassle of shopping around, this guide covers eight of the cheapest options on the market, focusing on starting price, overall value for money, and ability to scale over time. Alternatively, if it’s quick quotes you’re after, check out our free VoIP quotes calculator for prices tailored to your business.

On this page:

Google Voice

Zoom Phone

Dialpad

Ooma

Vonage

RingCentral

GoTo Connect

8×8

Net2Phone

$10/user/month

$10/user/month

$15/user/month

$19.95/user/month

$19.99 $13.99/user/month

$20/user/month

$26/user/month

Custom

$19.99/user/month

Free international calling across all plans

Yes – but not on first plan

VoIP scalability refers to a system’s ability to meet your business’s needs during periods of growth. When compiling our research about the cheapest VoIP services on the market, we found that the cheapest systems to set up initially aren’t always the cheapest in the long run.

When a telephone system can evolve alongside your business, you’ll save money and the hassle involved with installing a new product – or expensive add-ons – further down the line. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to spend big – it’s just worth thinking about what options you’ll have if you do end up needing to upgrade. You’ll thank yourself later!

Google Voice is the cheapest VoIP phone service, but there are loads of high-quality, affordable options on the market. Considering both the short and long-term costs of services, our research suggests that these are the eight cheapest VoIP phone services in 2024:

Of the top VoIP providers, we found that Google Voice delivers the cheapest VoIP phone service for businesses in 2024, with plans starting from $10 per user per month. However, there is an important caveat to bear in mind: customers must be subscribed to Google Workspace to use the platform, which costs a minimum of $6 extra per month.

Paying a little bit extra a month for Google Workspace will likely pay dividends, though. Google Workspace gives businesses access to a variety of platforms, allowing for a seamless switch between Google’s VoIP service and its web conferencing solution. Even with the Workspace integration, businesses can get started with Google Voice for as little as $16 per month, which is only marginally cheaper than our next cheapest service, RingCentral.

Google Voice’s entry-level Starter plan offers most features you would expect from a top cloud phone system, too. This plan allows for up to 10 users and domestic locations, businesses can make and receive domestic and international calls, personalize voicemail greetings, search voicemail transcripts like emails, and block unwanted callers.

Google Voice calling features are fairly basic, but will be able to meet the needs of smaller teams. Source: Tech.co testing

Its simple usability helped it secure a solid customer score of 4.4/5. Aside from its obvious name recognition and ease of use, the system really comes into its own with a strong set of security features. Google Voice encrypts all consumer information and stores it in world-class data centers for safekeeping. When compared with services like Vonage, which only ranks 3/5 for security, Google’s commitment to security is pretty extensive.

However, as the cheapest VoIP provider, there are a few drawbacks. While it offers strong security features, we found that the rest of its feature package is lacking. The system even bypasses basic communication and management tools like call queue, call barge, and call recording, making it a poor choice for quite a few businesses. Unless you have fairly basic VoIP needs, we’d recommend you go for well-rounded systems like Ring Central or Dialpad as they offer a much broader array of telephony features.

What’s more, since Google Voice has fairly limited VoIP capabilities and poor integration options, it’s not able to grow alongside businesses as their needs evolve. This makes it much less scalable than most other VoIP providers on this list.

You can read our full Google Voice review to learn more about why it’s our favorite cheap VoIP service.

Pros

Cons

Google Voice is available to businesses at three different price points. We break them down in our table below:

Starter

Standard

Premier

$10/user/month

$20/user/month

$30/user/month

10

Unlimited

Unlimited

Ad-hoc

Automatic

Limit of 10 users and domestic locations per month

Limit on international locations

Zoom Phone is the joint-cheapest VoIP phone service we’ve found, with its most affordable plan retailing at $10 per user, per month. For this price, the most impressive thing is the number of inbound communications tools available, which make the platform excellent value for small and medium-sized teams on a budget that still want heavy-duty features.

For instance, even on Zoom Phone’s cheapest plan, you’ll be able to do things like make ring groups, which aren’t on RingCentral’s cheapest plan. There’s also spam prevention, which providers like 8×8 don’t offer at all, on any plans. This makes Zoom Phone a good option for customer service and retail teams, who will typically receive more calls than the average sales team, but make less outgoing ones.

What’s also impressive is that Zoom Phone’s cheapest plan includes features like call recording and call whisper, which can be useful for training staff and improving their on-phone manner, whatever industry you’re in.

Zoom has also greatly improved its security compliance in recent years, particularly when it comes to end users – password rules are now enforced and you can use multi-factor authentication, whatever plan you’re on. However, we’d still opt for Google Voice if security is your main priority.

Tech.co’s Conor Cawley makes a call using Zoom Phone. Source: Tech.co testing

One area where Zoom Phone can’t keep up with the premier VoIP providers like RingCentral is integrations. While Zoom Phone’s free plan integrates with widely-used Outlook, Salesforce, Gmail, and Teams, that’s pretty much it.

That won’t be good news for businesses using a CRM (aside from Salesforce) or a work comms platform that needs a VoIP solution that syncs with their existing software.

The provider is also missing a couple of team management features that often come in handy, namely a task manager and a document-sharing function, which can reduce the time you’d otherwise spend flicking between apps. But if it’s pure communication functionality you’re after and you don’t have much of a budget, this is just as good of an option as Google Voice.

Check out our Zoom Phone review for more information.

September 2024: Zoom unveiled functionality to allow account owners and admins to provision pending users with Zoom Phone licenses, phone numbers, call queues, and more – before their account invitation is accepted. What’s more, admins can control when those users receive email notifications and start making and receiving calls. This way, trusted users are empowered to manage account access as they see fit.

The platform also recently introduced enhanced call parking functionality. With this, users can now park a call in one location, and another user can pick it up in a different location. In total, 15 sites can be added to the web portal.

Pros

Cons

Zoom Phone has three plans on offer, and it’s not just the $10 per user, per month Metered plan that’s excellent value for money. In fact, all Zoom plans are relatively cheap when compared to similar plans offered by the likes of 8×8 and Vonage.

Metered

Unlimited

Pro Global Select

$10/user/month

$15/user/month

$20/user/month

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Requires Zoom Meetings

Requires Zoom Meetings

Requires Zoom Meetings

Dialpad is the second cheapest VoIP phone service we researched, with its cheapest plan priced at $15 per user, per month. This affordable price point makes it perfect for startups and smaller businesses that need to stay connected while keeping overheads low.

Dialpad offers a range of powerful collaboration tools needed to lift your business off the ground, including ring group capabilities and instant messaging features. This makes inbound communication a breeze, and lets businesses manage all communication from a centralized platform.

The provider also has a number porting tool so that businesses can use their existing phone number. For the modest price you’ll be paying for the service, this is a pretty impressive toolkit, as most other feature-rich options we researched cost at least an extra $5 per user, per month.

The provider recently launched an AI coaching hub for early adopters, which makes it easier for managers to track performance, streamline the onboarding process, and improve customer experiences (see below).

Dialpad’s AI Coaching Hub feature is a great way to monitor your team’s performance and identify coaching opportunities. Source: dialpad.com

Unfortunately, DialPad’s low monthly fees mean there are a few downsides. Unlike Net2Phone, international calls aren’t included in the system’s startup costs, which means that businesses making calls outside the US will be subject to additional fees. It receives a score of 3.3/5 for scalability because it lacks call monitoring, call flow designer, and an Uptime guarantee on plans below the Enterprise tier, which means it isn’t able to grow well with businesses. Due to the costs, this is likely to incur businesses down the line, we think Dialpad’s overall value for money isn’t as strong as Net2Phone or Zoom.

DialPad’s training features leave a lot to be desired too, making it less suitable for businesses that onboard regularly.

September 2024: Dialpad recently revealed a new feature that allows agents to view each other’s statuses. It’s a neat way of improving transparency within teams, and could effectively be harnessed by large sales teams, where close communication between members is paramount.

August 2024: To reduce the risk of fraud and other security breaches, Dialpad has rolled out multi-factor authentication (MFA) for open-signup customers. This benefits companies in several ways. For example, your end customers will be more trusting of your brand.

Highlights

Key Features

Dialpad offers three main pricing plans: Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. See how they compare below:

Standard

Pro

Enterprise

$15/user/month

$25/user/month

Custom

Unlimited

Unlimited(minimum 3)

Unlimited(minimum 100)

With a decent range of business features, and round-the-clock customer support, Ooma is a simple yet practical VoIP solution. Businesses can access ring groups, customizable call routing, and virtual receptionist features on the Basic plan, which is a great low-cost option for teams managing calls among different departments.

Our independent research saw us compare telephone services against hundreds of data points, and we found that Ooma is the most reliable VoIP provider. With an impressive customer rating of 4.4/5 from clients, because of its excellent user experience and support options, the system is clearly a favorite among businesses.

With Ooma, users can easily add customer information including phone numbers and addresses. Source: Tech.co testing

However, there are some limitations to the service. If you’re serious about data security, Ooma’s features probably won’t cut the mustard. All plans lack basic security tools, like multi-factor authentication and user permissions. Ooma doesn’t display any compliance certifications on its site either. Ooma’s upfront costs are slightly higher than with other VoIP systems too, and if you want to unlock extra capabilities like CRM you’ll have to fork out for the provider’s priciest plan.

Pros

Cons

Ooma offers three distinct plans: Office Essentials, Office Pro, and Office Pro Plus. Learn more about them in our comparison table below:

Ooma Office Essentials

Ooma Office Pro

Ooma Office Pro Plus

Ooma Enterprise Standard

Ooma Enterprise Enhanced

Ooma Enterprise Call Center

$19.95/user/month

$24.95/user/month

$29.95/user/month

$19.99/user/month

$27.99/user/month

$49.99/user/month

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Read our Ooma review for more information.

With an overall score of 4.4/5, Vonage is one of the best business telephone systems our researchers reviewed. It offers users excellent sales and customer service features and solid security tools for the monthly price of $19.99 per user, per month. Vonage is a great system for teams on a budget. The system also has a high score for scalability, meaning it can grow easily alongside your business.

Users won’t have to spend more to gain access to a decent set of features because its entry-level Mobile plan offers voicemail, spam prevention, hold music, and toll-free numbers. The software also provides interactive guided and video tutorials to all of its users, making the learning curve manageable.

Vonage’s Team Messages feature lets you send off one-to-one and group messages, and make video calls. Source: Vonage

Despite Vonage’s list of strengths, it’s unable to beat contenders like 8×8 and RingCentral because the system doesn’t receive high scores across all benchmarks. For instance, it’s received fairly basic reviews from businesses on sites like TrustRadius and TrustPilot, and it lacks basic security features like multi-factor authentication. Basic calling and training features aren’t included in its base price either, which can ramp up the provider’s startup costs which are already higher than competitors like Ooma and DialPad.

Pros

Cons

Vonage offers three pricing plans: Mobile, Premium, and Advanced. See how they compare below:

Mobile

Premium

Advanced

$19/user/month$13.99/user/month

$29.99/user/month$20.99/user/month

$39.99/user/month

$27.99/user/month

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Read our guide to the best Vonage alternatives to see how the VoIP service compares.

We’re massive fans of RingCentral at Tech.co. In fact, after analyzing and cataloging the leading VoIP providers, we found that it provides the best VoIP softphone app and one of the best internet phone services on the market, second only to Ooma.

It receives a 5/5 for help and support and scalability thanks to its onboarding support and the multiple ways to contact customer service. It is a great option for small businesses looking for a comprehensive solution that can grow alongside your business. However, while RingCentral’s plans are affordable, basic capabilities like external interactions and international calls come at a premium, preventing it from appearing any higher on our list.

We used RingCentral’s audio transcription services in a video meeting, and it was nearly perfect. Source: Tech.co testing

October 2024: As part of a suite of recent updates to its integration with HubSpot, RingCentral recently debuted “engagement signals.” With this, users will receive data points regarding their attendees’ engagement, giving them better visibility over their end customers’ behavior.

Alongside this, users can now host historical footage directly on their advanced landing pages. For example, you could generate buzz for an upcoming event by displaying a clip of a previous one.

Pros

Cons

RingCentral offers three pricing plans: Core, Advanced, and Ultra. Learn about the prices and features below:

Core

Advanced

Ultra

$20/user/month

$25/user/month

$35/user/month

20 lines max. (for more, contact sales)

20 lines max. (for more, contact sales)

20 lines max. (for more, contact sales)

100 participants

100 participants

200 participants

GoTo Connect is another safe bet for businesses in need of a budget-friendly VoIP solution. Businesses are able to access a raft of useful calling features for $26 per month with its Phone System plan, like number porting, call forwarding, and unlimited extensions, but global businesses are better off upgrading to its Standard plan, as it includes international calls to 50+ countries.

Our research shows that it also offers top-tier security features, including multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption (E2EE), and user permissions on all its plans. GoTo Connect is far more secure than most other VoIP providers – except for Google Voice, which is the most secure system we tested.

However, GoTo Connect’s features aren’t as competitive as others on the list. For instance, the service lacks basic functions like call transcription, call monitoring, predictive dialing, and custom call lists, and it offers the worst external connections out of any other VoIP service we reviewed. Therefore, just like Net2Phone, its shortage of standard VoIP features make it less suited to large businesses than RingCentral and 8×8.

Use the GoTo Connect app to make calls, video calls and to view call history. Source: GoTo Connect

October 2024: GoTo Connect recently unveiled a suite of new features and updates. Among them, users can now create, manage, and delete multiple inboxes, giving them the flexibility to organize campaign and channel information by individual or team.

Not only this, but the platform now enables users to connect their organization’s email server to an inbox queue so that they can handle all of their business communications from within the GoTo Connect inbox.

Pros

Cons

GoTo Connect offers three plans: GoTo Connect Phone System, GoTo Connect Connect CX, and GoTo Connect Contact Centre. Scroll down to learn more.

Phone System

$26/user/month

Unlimited

250 participants

Our research ranks 8×8 as second for business and security features, with plans that start from $24 per user, per month.

We found that 8×8 is the best VoIP option for streamlining communications because it combines a variety of channels in one platform, letting users connect via voice calls, video conferences, instant messaging features, and more. The solution is extremely scalable too, making it a great option for businesses hoping to expand in the future.

However, the provider’s affordable Express plan is no longer available, driving its entry price up to $24 per month. This isn’t as affordable as other providers like RingCentral or Google Voice, but if you’re after a multi-level communication platform that’s highly scalable, 8×8 is a great option.

The dial pad and contact profile screen in 8×8. All in all, the interface is very tidy. Image: Tech.co testing

8×8’s expansive tool kit aside, the system has only been able to achieve a value score of 2.5/5 because basic features like analytics and call transcription are reserved for users with premium plans, unlike with systems like Ooma. The provider’s higher tiers cost as much as $140 per user, per month, pushing the system’s average price far above most of its rivals.

If your business is growing and you’re preparing to scale up your VoIP solution, 8×8 offers varying pricing plans. Its value offering improves over time too as it’s advanced features provide businesses with the best RoI. If you’re after advanced capabilities like training features, quality management, and omnichannel support, however, you’ll need to upgrade to one of 8×8’s priciest tiers.

As part of its summer 2024 updates rollout, 8×8 has given users the tools to take their enhance their self-service interactions with the power of AI. With this, end customers can now enjoy a deeper level of personalization, as well as human likeness, next time they go through self-service.

Added to this, 8×8 has made some adjustments to its meetings feature. For example, late arrivals can now benefit from “late arrival summaries,” while IT admins have been given greater control over app settings and caller info pop-ups, meaning a better user experience and improved security.

Pros

Cons

8×8 offers two main VoIP plans: X2, and X4. To learn more about the provider’s VoIP packages, read our guide to 8×8’s prices and features, or check out our comparison table below.

Editor’s Note: 8×8 recently removed the prices on their plans that we’ve included in the table below. Now, you’ll have to contact sales if you want an exact quote. However, we’ve left the pricing up on our page to give you a sense of the step changes.

X2

X4

X6

X7

X8

Not listed

Not listed

Not listed

Not listed

Not listed

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Unlimited

Pricing from: $23.99/user/month

With Net2Phone’s cheapest plan for teams of 25-99 weighing in at $24.99 per user, per month, the system’s price point is marginally steeper than its rivals. However, after reviewing the provider’s full package, our researchers awarded the system a value score of 4.5/5, making it one of the best value VoIP systems on this list, and a great choice for international businesses.

While Net2Phone may not be the cheapest VoIP phone service we reviewed, its entry-level package includes free desk phones and unlimited domestic and international calls to over 40 countries. Since these benefits typically cost VoIP customers a premium – with providers like Google Voice charging as much as $2.50 per minute for calls to certain territories – Net2Phone is more likely to save businesses money in the long term.

View your monthly call data with Net2phone’s VoIP analytics feature. Source: net2phone.com

The service isn’t perfect though. Net2Phone ranks poorly on scalability, coming in seventh place behind providers like RingCentral, 8×8, and Vonage. This means that while the provider’s system is great value overall, it’s lack of basic web conferencing, analytics, and external communication integrations make it less suitable for growing businesses.

Net2Phone’s feature set is pretty limited too. While the plans offer basic VoIP functions like call voicemail, call forwarding, and business SMSs, it foregoes standard external coms, call management, training, and conversation features. Net2Phone offers very limited integration options too, making the system less suited for larger enterprises and those with specific business call requirements.

Pros

Cons

Net2Phone offers three packages for small businesses: Office, Pro, and Power. The price of these plans depends on the size of the teams, with larger teams receiveing a slightly lower price per user. The prices of the plans below are for teams of 25-99 people.

Essentials

Professional

Enterprise

$19.99/user/month

$24.99/user/month

No public pricing

5-19

5-19

5-19

Be sure to check out our Net2Phone review for more information.

If you aren’t happy with your current VoIP provider, it might be sensible to switch to another service that better suits your needs. After you’ve decided which VoIP provider you’d like to switch to, notify your current VoIP provider and decide on a service end date. Once your contract comes to an end, you should be able to get your new VoIP service up and running on the same day that you sign up.

If you want to keep your current number, there shouldn’t be any noticeable disruption to your phone service. However, we do advise that you port your number ahead of time because the process typically costs extra and takes at least one business day to complete.

New to VoIP? Learn more about the benefits of VoIP.

For businesses looking to scale back on costs, there are a couple of free VoIP services on the market. Zoom is probably the go-to option, as it’s easy to use and you can host calls that last up to 40 minutes.

However, most businesses looking for a VoIP solution will want Zoom’s PBX solution, which you can buy as a standalone product (Zoom Phone) or as part of the Zoom One Business plan. It’s got outbound and inbound call features that will suit sales and service teams, rather than the free video calling software, which will only be suitable for very small teams or freelancers.

Google Voice can be used for free providing you’re only calling numbers in the US, but this is only suitable for personal use, which is why we didn’t include it in the earlier section. Of course, you can also use Google Meet to make calls over the Internet if you have a Google Workspace subscription, but that costs $6 per user, per month.

Tech.co’s Jack Turner and Isobel O’Sullivan testing Zoom. Source: Tech.co user testing

A few VoIP companies, such as Dialpad, RingCentral, and GoTo Connect offer free trials, which means you can work out whether the software is actually worth purchasing without spending anything.

As a general rule of thumb, free VoIP systems normally offer limited business features and have strict user caps. This means they won’t fit the needs of most businesses.

At Tech.co, we take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have confidence that we’re giving you the clear, useful recommendations.

The process of reviewing a range of software or services as broad and ever-evolving as the VoIP industry starts with a market research project, to identify the key platforms and what they really do for businesses. After narrowing down our pool of providers, we look more closely at things like layouts, features and end-user security options, among other areas of inquiry.

We repeat this process regularly to ensure we’re providing up-to-date information. Throughout the past few years, we’ve continuously refined our VoIP system testing methodology, which now scores each product in seven main categories of investigation and 16 subcategories. This covers everything from the communication features, team management tools and customer support options to the product’s pricing and true value for money.

Learn more about how we test products here.

Based on entry price alone, our research shows that Google Voice is currently the cheapest VoIP phone service on the market. Undercutting the runner-up by $5 per user per month, it is a safe bet for smaller teams looking for no-frills business phone software. If you’re after a budget VoIP service that doesn’t sacrifice quality, 8×8 and DialPad are also great alternatives — with 8×8 ranking #1 for business features and DialPad providing an excellent customer experience.

Even with our guidance, we understand that whittling through the competition isn’t easy. This is why we’ve developed a unique tool that lets businesses compare the prices of VoIP providers with just a few clicks. Click on the button below to find a budget-friendly VoIP provider in minutes.

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