Virtual Phone Services for Small Businesses: A Complete Guide

Whether you’re a rapidly growing team or a team of one, there comes a time when switching to a professional phone system is a must. Most modern businesses choose a virtual phone system to call and text clients through their internet connection.

However, some systems can take more work off your plate than others. And if you’re unfamiliar with virtual phone services, making an informed decision could be difficult.

That’s why this article explains everything you should know about virtual phone services — including how they work, how much they cost, and how to get one.

How the top VoIP phone systems compare

Here’s a quick look at the best virtual phone systems (also known as VoIP phone systems) and how they stack up:

Provider	Starting price	Unlimited calling to US & Canada	SMS/MMS to US & Canada	Shared phone numbers	Additional phone numbers
OpenPhone	$15 per user per month	✓	✓	✓	$5 per number per month
RingCentral	$20 per user per month	✓	X	✓	$4.99 per number per month
Google Voice	$10 per user per month (plus $6 per month for a Google Workspace)	Unlimited calls to Canada from the US only	US customers only	Requires upgrade (ring groups only)	X
Dialpad	$15 per user per month	✓	X	✓	$5 per number per month for local numbers, $15 per number per month for international and toll-free numbers
Nextiva	$18.95 per user per month	✓	X	✓	✓
Aircall	$30 per license	✓	✓	✓	$6 per number per month
Grasshopper	$14 per month	✓	Local numbers only	X	$9 per number per month

Different virtual phone solutions suit different needs. As you can guess, a virtual phone that works great for large enterprises might not be a fit for small teams or solopreneurs.

With this in mind, here’s a breakdown of the best virtual phone services — starting with the #1 option for small businesses on G2:

1. OpenPhone: The best virtual phone solution for small businesses and growing teams

*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this problem. For safety reasons, companies like Facebook, Uber, and Google rarely let you authenticate accounts through a virtual phone number.

OpenPhone is the #1 small business phone solution, as voted on G2. We’ve designed our system specifically for small businesses, so your team can save hours, shorten response times, and focus on building better relationships with customers.

It all starts with shared phone numbers, which split responsibility for incoming calls and messages across your team. This ensures conversations never fall through the cracks and your team doesn’t get bogged down by high call volumes.

Need a new number for a different team? Each user on your plan comes with one free phone number. You can get additional phone numbers for $5 per month, which makes it easy to enter new markets or differentiate calls by customer needs (like sales or customer support).

And by the way: you can add unlimited users to your OpenPhone account. We don’t require user minimums to upgrade or downgrade plans. Adding new users is easy, too — all it takes is a quick email invite, and they’ll instantly get access to a number of your choice.

OpenPhone doesn’t just help you make calls and texts: it also makes it easier for your team to scale your customer communications.

For example, text message auto-replies set expectations with customers when your team isn’t available. You can also schedule messages to reach customers in different time zones.

When you’re ready to upgrade, our Business plan ($23 per user per month) can automate even more tasks. You’ll get even more control over incoming calls with advanced call-handling features like group calling, warm transfer, and ring order. You can easily catch up on conversations or coach your team with automatic call recordings, AI-powered call summaries, and transcripts.

OpenPhone also integrates with tools like Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, and the OpenPhone API, so all your business apps work together to help your business thrive. Plus, you can set up an automated phone menu that lets clients route their own calls — no need for a receptionist to do all the work. 

The best part is this is just the tip of the iceberg. See why thousands of businesses use OpenPhone by signing up for a free, seven-day trial.

Key features of OpenPhone

• Free calls and texts to anyone in the US and Canada
• One free US, Canadian, or toll-free number per user
• Shared phone numbers
• SMS and MMS messaging
• Auto-attendant (IVR)
• Text message automations (snippets and auto-replies)
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Business hour settings
• Call recording
• Business app integrations (Slack, Zapier, Google Contacts, webhooks, and email come standard)
• AI call summaries and transcripts 
• Warm transfer, ring order, and group calling

OpenPhone pricing

• Starter: $15 per user per month for unlimited calls in the US and Canada, voicemail transcripts, shared phone numbers, and more
• Business: $23 per user per month for phone menus, AI call summaries and transcripts, group calling, and more
• Enterprise: Contact for custom pricing and unlock priority support, dedicated account managers, and audit logs

How to get a virtual phone number with OpenPhone

Getting a new phone number from almost anywhere in the world is a simple process when you choose OpenPhone as your virtual phone number provider.

Follow these three steps:

1. Create an account with OpenPhone (when you sign up, you get a free, seven-day trial).
2. During signup, choose your city or area code in the US to select your preferred phone number.
3. Once the signup process is complete, you’re all set to use your virtual phone number.

2. RingCentral: Ideal for desk phone rentals

RingCentral is an older virtual phone system that offers calling, texting, and video meeting capabilities to businesses. What sets RingCentral apart is its desk phone rental options, which are useful for businesses with physical offices.

Unfortunately, RingCentral’s best features — like automatic call recording, device analytics, and CRM integrations — are locked behind higher tiers. This forces you to upgrade before you’re ready or pay for features you don’t need (like unlimited internet fax, for example).

RingCentral’s base plan is also quite limited. You only get 25 texts per user per month, 100 pooled toll-free minutes, and limited storage for all texts, voicemails, and call recordings.

The bottom line? RingCentral is both confusing and expensive for small business owners. If you’re looking for a simpler virtual phone service, you’re better off searching for a RingCentral alternative.

Key features of RingCentral

Key features of RingCentral

• Free unlimited calls in the US and Canada
• One free US, Canadian, or toll-free number per user
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Business app integrations (requires upgrade)

RingCentral pricing

• Core: $20 per user per month for unlimited domestic calling, SMS and MMS, visual voicemail, and more
• Advanced: $25 per user per month for unlimited internet fax, automatic call recording, and CRM integrations (think Salesforce and HubSpot)
• Ultra: $35 per user per month for unlimited storage, unlimited AI video meetings, and custom analytics and alerts

3. Google Voice: Great for solo businesses

With so many people using the Google ecosystem, it’s no wonder why Google Voice is such a popular virtual phone service. The free version isn’t built for business use, but you can use a paid plan to access auto attendants, ring groups, and Google integrations.

Unfortunately, the paid version of Google Voice wasn’t built for team collaboration. There are no shared numbers, for example, which makes it harder to hand off customers to colleagues or assign follow-up tasks. 

And like RingCentral, Google Voice makes it hard to keep in touch with international customers. It doesn’t offer toll-free numbers or international texts outside the US and Canada. Texting is also only available to US customers of Google Voice. 

Want to connect with Slack, HubSpot, or Zendesk? No dice: Google Voice doesn’t offer integrations outside the Google ecosystem.

If you expect your business to grow in the future, Google Voice will be an obstacle rather than an asset.

Key features of Google Voice

• Free unlimited calls to the US or to Canada from the US
• Free unlimited texts in the US
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Call forwarding

Google Voice pricing

• Starter: $10 per user per month (max 10 users) for calls in the US and Canada, call forwarding, voicemail transcriptions, and more
• Standard: $20 per user per month for multi-level auto-attendants, ring groups, and ad-hoc call recording
• Premier: $30 per user per month for automatic call recording and advanced reporting

Keep in mind that every Google Voice plan requires a Google Workspace subscription, which starts at $6 per user per month.

4. Dialpad: Top choice for large contact centers

Dialpad is a cloud-based VoIP phone service that offers multiple AI-powered calling features. The most unique is AI speech coaching, although it also offers post-call summaries and AI-powered voicemail transcriptions (which users say are inaccurate without a Company Dictionary).

But while Dialpad advertises AI features on every plan, its essential features require businesses to upgrade to higher-tier plans.

On the base Dialpad plan, you can’t:

• Access integrations with popular business apps like Slack or Zapier
• Have more than one number if you’re working solo
• Text internationally unless you upgrade

If you’re looking to offer customer support nationwide, expect to pay more with Dialpad — toll-free numbers start at $15 per number per month. Porting in more than one toll-free number requires an undisclosed fee.

The kicker? Dialpad doesn’t offer unlimited SMS/MMS messaging on any plan. You’re limited to 250 messages per month, after which you’re charged for every message sent and received.

Key features of Dialpad

• Free unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada
• Free video conferencing (up to 10 participants and 45 minutes)
• Shared phone numbers
• Live speech coaching
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Business app integrations (Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams come standard)

Dialpad pricing

• Standard: $15 per user per month for SMS/MMS, team messaging, visual voicemail, and more
• Pro: $25 per user per month for multi-level auto-attendant, 24/7 support, CRM integrations, and more
• Enterprise: Custom quote for 100% uptime, unlimited ring groups, and unlimited office locations

5. Nextiva: For teams that need Microsoft and Oracle integrations

Nextiva is one of the better virtual phone services for enterprises. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft and Oracle — provided you’re willing to upgrade immediately.

Unfortunately, Nextiva’s integrations aren’t the only thing locked behind a paywall. Most of its essential features require one or more upgrades to access, which makes them less ideal for startups and small businesses.

For example, SMS/MMS messaging is only offered on Nextiva’s higher tiers, and even then, you can’t send unlimited text messages on any plan. The most expensive plan only offers 2,000 messages sent and received per user. If you do the math, that’s only ~30 messages each of your team members can send a day.

Want to record incoming phone calls? You can only do so  on the most expensive plan. This is nearly twice the cost of Nextiva’s base plan and comes with features your business might not need (like the Azure Active Directory Integration).

Even toll-free minutes come with limitations. You only get a max of 1,500 on the base plan, which you’ll burn through quickly if your business is growing. If you have the budget, Nextiva might be right for you, but if you’re looking for a more affordable option, you should go elsewhere.

Key features of Nextiva

• Free unlimited video calls and voice calls in the US and Canada
• Auto-attendant
• Virtual fax
• Business app integrations (Google Contacts and Outlook come standard)

Nextiva pricing

• Essential: $18.95 per user per month for unlimited calling within the US and Canada, video conference recording, auto attendant, and contact integrations
• Professional: $22.95 per user per month to access SMS/MMS messaging, voicemail transcriptions, and HubSpot and Zendesk integrations
• Enterprise: $32.95 per user per month to access call recording and Salesforce and ServiceNow integrations

6. Aircall: Best for teams with a lot of international calls

Aircall is a virtual phone platform serving global call centers. You can get international numbers in more than 20 countries, which is useful if you’re selling or expanding to countries outside the US.

But if you’re not running a global call center, Aircall’s pricing may be prohibitive. There’s a three-user minimum for each of their plans, which means the cheapest you’ll pay is $90 per month — even if you’re a solopreneur. 

Aircall also charges you more than comparable VoIP solutions. For example, if you need unlimited call recordings and AI call summaries, you’d pay a minimum of $150 per month with Aircall.

Key features of Aircall

• Call routing
• Auto-attendant (IVR)
• SMS
• Toll-free numbers
• Call recording
• CRM phone integrations

Aircall pricing

• Essentials: $30 per license for unlimited calls within the US and Canada, essential telephony features including IVR, call recording and click-to-dial, and SMS (three-license minimum)
• Professional: $50 per license for the Salesforce integration, mandatory call tagging, and advanced analytics and call monitoring (three-license minimum)
• Custom: Custom price for unlimited calls worldwide, custom analytics, and custom onboarding (25-license minimum)

7. Grasshopper: Best for companies that need multi-digit extensions

Grasshopper is a small business phone system designed with startups and solopreneurs in mind. Every plan comes with at least one extension, which lets you forward incoming calls to any number of your choice.

Unfortunately, Grasshopper doesn’t have shared numbers. There’s no way to manage calls and texts together as a team.

Grasshopper also doesn’t have several features most businesses need from their phone service. There are no call summaries, no call recording tools, and worse, no ways to automate repetitive tasks through integrations.

These can be dealbreakers for growing businesses looking for ways to save time, not waste more.

Key features of Grasshopper

• Free unlimited calls and texts in Canada and the US (except Alaska and Hawaii)
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Custom greetings
• Call forwarding

Grasshopper pricing

• True Solo: $14 per month for one user, one phone number, and one extension
• Solo Plus: $25 per month for unlimited users, one number, and three extensions
• Small Business: $55 per month for unlimited users, four numbers, and unlimited extensions

Keep in mind additional numbers are $9 per month.

Virtual phone systems: 5 key benefits you should know

If you’re new to virtual phone systems, you may not be aware of all the benefits they offer.

Here’s a quick primer so you know what to expect:

1. Easily set up a virtual phone: With the right provider, you can pick a new number and start calling customers in minutes. 
2. Take calls anywhere with an Internet connection: Virtual phones let you and your team break free of having to take calls in a fixed office location. Work remotely and take calls wherever you’re connected to the Internet.

3. Gather context by taking calls on your computer: Virtual phones let you take calls from any device, including your computer. Update contact notes and review your conversation history easily if you need to get up to speed during a call. 
4. Get phone numbers customers recognize: It’s easy to build trust with new customers using local numbers. You can also use toll-free numbers to build trust with customers nationwide. Toll-free numbers ensure anyone in the NANP region (which includes 20+ countries) can call you for free.
5. Save money on your monthly phone bills: Virtual phones are a fraction of the cost of physical cell or desk phones. Traditional phone systems with custom PBX hardware often run into thousands of dollars per year, while VoIP phones cost less than $1,000 per year for a team of five.
   
   For a full breakdown of business phone system costs, check out our comprehensive guide. 

How to choose a virtual phone service

After going through dozens of business phone solutions, here are the factors we evaluated that determined the top options:

• Value: Your business phone system should save your team time and provide clear boundaries between personal and work hours.
• Call management: Your team doesn’t necessarily need a human receptionist. The best virtual phone services offer phone menus and other automatic call routing options.
• Scalability: The service you use should make it easy to add colleagues and extra phone numbers as your team grows.
• Reliability: The best virtual phone services help you avoid dropped calls and other issues that spring up after dialing customers.
• Hardware requirements: With virtual phone services, you don’t have to pay extra for special hardware. You can use calling and texting services from any device, including your desktop computer, laptop, or smartphone.

Get the best virtual phone service with OpenPhone

Ready to get the best business calling and texting experience? Switching to a virtual phone service provider is the first step — and signing up for OpenPhone is the best decision you can make. 

OpenPhone easily scales with your team so your small business can get the support it needs. Our platform offers plenty of automations and integrations to streamline every inbound call or text so you can focus on building better relationships with customers.

Try out OpenPhone yourself for free for seven days by signing up for a free trial.

Virtual phone services FAQs