Comparing Google Voice vs Skype as you’re looking for a new phone solution? These VoIP phone services each have their own benefits and drawbacks to keep in mind when making your decision. In this guide, we’ll break down each platform’s pros and cons and, ultimately, how these two platforms stack up.
We’ll also look at one more VoIP service that you may not already have on your radar, but you may be surprised by what it offers.
Switch to OpenPhone: The best Google Voice and Skype alternative
Google Voice vs Skype: How do these solutions compare?
Both Google Voice and Skype provide VoIP solutions for startups and small businesses.
Google Voice is one of the most well-known virtual phone number providers that connects to its other personal and business apps. Skype discontinued the Skype for Business plan, but you can still use its platform to manage your business communications (albeit in a limited capacity).
To help you choose the service that best fulfills your needs, we compare the pricing, features, and integrations of Google Voice vs Skype below.
1. Pricing: Between Google Voice vs Skype, which is the most reasonably priced?
Winner: Skype
With Skype, you can make free audio and video calls with up to 100 Skype users at a time, making it an economical choice for professional communications.
But that free phone number Skype provides is only free when receiving incoming calls.
You must purchase credits or a subscription to call any mobile number or landline.
Skype credits are available in three increments: $5, $10, and $25. They’re prepaid digital calling cards you can use to pay for minutes when dialing mobile phones and landlines.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to Skype monthly plans to call mobile phones and landlines. They are available for calling worldwide or for specific countries. For example, you can buy a subscription to call within the United States for $2.99 per month for up to 2,000 minutes.
Google Voice gives you a free phone number, which you can use to call and text within the US for free. However, you must be based in the US to sign up.
Google Voice’s free plan is also bare bones and doesn’t provide shared access if you’re working together with your team for business communication. For work calls and texting, you’ll need to purchase one of its business plans, referred to as Google Voice for Workspace. Each offers more features and costs between $10-$30 per month.
Though the pricing may seem simple on the surface, you’ll need an active Google Workspace plan to even access Voice. Monthly subscriptions for that start at $6 per user per month.
2. Features: Which provides key business phone features?
Winner: Google Voice
Google Voice and Skype are both simple phone apps that cover select business needs.
Google Voice’s free version offers a limited number of features, like call forwarding, voicemail transcriptions, and usage reporting. But it isn’t intended for team use as a business phone system due to the lack of collaboration features and no way to share a number with your team based on separate login credentials.
Its business version, Google Voice for Google Workspace, may offer more business-specific features like phone menus, but Google Voice auto-replies and toll-free numbers aren’t available on their platform.
Keep in mind both the free and paid versions of Google Voice keeps all voicemail and text messages in separate folders, making it more time consuming to get up to speed with any conversation. If you have existing numbers you want to move over, porting to Google Voice also requires you to jump through quite a few hoops.
Despite all the limitations, Google Voice wins this round against Skype. Because Skype only offers calling, two-way SMS, and Caller ID — nothing else of note.
3. Integrations: What tools can you connect to each platform?
Winner: Toss-up
Want to speed up your workflow? Google Voice and Skype aren’t the right virtual phone systems for the job.
Skype integrates with a few CRMs, including Nutshell, Agile CRM, and OnePageCRM . Google Voice’s integrations are just with Google’s other apps, but no external app is natively supported. If you rely on other software for your small business like Slack or a CRM, you won’t be able to connect those to your Google Voice app.
The best alternative to Google Voice and Skype: OpenPhone
While both Google Voice and Skype can provide a phone number you can access from your computer, tablet, or smart phone, both miss the mark. Skype barely offers more features than a landline phone, while Google Voice forces you to upgrade before providing features like an auto-attendant and ring groups.
Here’s a third provider to consider that can help you communicate more efficiently: OpenPhone. OpenPhone offers plenty of advanced features, integrates with thousands of apps, and has top-notch customer service. Here’s why OpenPhone can be a better fit for your business.
1. Work together with your team from a shared number
Shared phone numbers are available to any OpenPhone account with two or more users — unlike Google Voice, no upgrades required. With a shared phone number, your team can more easily split the responsibility of handling calls and messages. The phone line is also never busy, so teammates can be on separate calls at the same time.
We’ve also got many built-in collaboration features, including team messaging, contact notes, and threads and mentions. That way, you can team up on any conversation with a client.
2. Catch up on conversations faster
As your team communicates with customers and prospects, you can use OpenPhone features like call recordings and voicemail transcriptions to gain insight into every conversation. Having proper context means you’ll be able to follow up with your clients faster.
Plus, OpenPhone lets you see all calls, texts, and voicemail messages in a single conversation thread instead of making you click into separate folders. As mentioned earlier in this guide, Google Voice users need to jump between separate inboxes to build a picture of a conversation. OpenPhone saves you time and even lets you gather more context from your customers by asking them for videos or screenshots (we support MMS messages).
3. Enjoy transparent pricing
Clear pricing is a must-have for growing companies, and with OpenPhone, you’ll know our fees and costs upfront. Our pricing plans start at just $15 per user per month. Each user comes with one US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number. You also get free calls and texts in Canada and the US, shared phone numbers, group messaging, and much more.
Upgrading from the Starter to the Business plan costs just $23 per month per user and unlocks more features, including call transfer, advanced auto-attendant, and CRM integration.
We also offer a few add-ons, like extra phone numbers, international calling, and automated SMS. All add-on fees are transparently listed on our pricing page, so you don’t have to worry about hidden costs after you receive your phone bill.
4. Save time by stacking your tools
Want to save time using the information from your business phone system? With OpenPhone, you can connect your most important tools, like Gmail, Slack, and even HubSpot (with our Business plan). If you have other business tools you want to combine with OpenPhone, you can build your own automations and integrations with Zapier or webhooks
5. Support your growth with a scalable phone solution
OpenPhone is a robust VoIP solution that can scale with your business. As your team grows, you can easily increase the number of users on your account at any time.
Plus, it’s easy to create a new number and assign it to anyone in seconds. No going into a store, no waiting periods, no new contracts. In just a few taps, you can add a separate line to employees’ existing mobile devices. You can get more than one number for specific teams or a number to serve a city; most people are more likely to pick up a call from an area code they recognize.
Google Voice vs Skype vs OpenPhone compared side by side
Curious more about how OpenPhone vs Skype vs Google Voice compare? Check out the chart below that breaks down pricing and features for each platform.
OpenPhone | Skype | Google Voice | |
---|---|---|---|
Pricing | Starts at $15 per month per user | Credit-based pricing | Starts at $16 per month per user (including Workspace subscription) |
Unlimited calling to US & Canada | ✓ | X | X |
SMS, MMS | ✓ | X | ✓ |
Voicemail transcriptions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Business hour settings | ✓ | X | ✓ |
Call recording | ✓ | ✓ | X |
Shared phone numbers | ✓ | X | X |
Auto-attendant (virtual receptionist) | ✓ | X | Requires upgrade |
Auto-replies | ✓ | X | X |
Slack integration | ✓ | X | X |
Zapier integration | ✓ | X | X |
CRM integration | Requires upgrade | ✓ | X |
iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Browser app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Desktop apps | ✓ | ✓ | X |
The best solution to streamline your business communications: OpenPhone
Solutions like Skype and Google Voice offer a VoIP phone service but lack many of the features that can make your workday easier. Use OpenPhone to save time and work together with your team.
Start your OpenPhone free trial to see for yourself how you can easily onboard teammates and streamline client conversations.