How to get a business phone number: Everything you need to know

Despite the rise of email, video conferencing, and chatbots, the phone remains the king of business communication. A 2023 study found 1,800 business workers, 12,000 consumers, and 600 decision-makers ranked voice as the preferred method of communication.

If you’re looking to find out how to get a business phone number — one you can use exclusively for work — your choices may seem clear on paper. But you might not know that some options allow you to operate your business more smoothly and make customers happier than others.

In this article, we share all the key benefits of getting a business phone system. We also cover the best phone technology you can use and how you can get a business number today. Let’s dive in!

How to get a business phone number in 3 steps

To get a business phone number, follow these steps:

1. Choose a Business Phone Number Provider: Research and select a provider that best suits your business needs. Providers like OpenPhone offer a variety of features such as local and toll-free numbers, voicemail, text messaging, and more.
2. Select Your Business Phone Number: Once you’ve chosen a provider, you can select your new business phone number. With OpenPhone, you can choose a local, toll-free, or vanity phone number.

3. Set Up Your Phone System: After purchasing your number, set up your phone system. This includes setting up auto-attendant, voicemail, and configuring other optional features like call forwarding.

Do you really need a business phone number? Signs point to yes

If you’ve been using your personal phone number for work, you’re missing out on greater peace of mind. Here are five signs it’s time for you to get a dedicated phone number for your business:

1. You need to distinguish between work and personal calls. With a business phone number, you don’t have to worry about accidentally answering a call unprofessionally because you thought someone was calling your cell number. You and your team can see whether an incoming call is for work or business, which means you always start conversations the right way.
2. Customers are calling after you clock out. Instead of fielding calls at all times of the day, a business phone number lets you set business hours to control when clients can reach you. You can also send calls to voicemail with “Do Not Disturb” mode whenever you’re busy without affecting your personal calls.
3. Spam calls are affecting your productivity. You can keep your personal number private by sharing a business number on your website, social media pages, and other marketing channels instead of your personal numbers. 
4. You have a growing team. If you’re no longer a solopreneur, you can assign business phone numbers to your team members so they can contact clients without sharing their private contact information.
5. You need advanced phone features. If you get your business phone number through a VoIP provider, you can set up phone menus, professional voicemail greetings, and integrations to help you deliver a professional phone presence and save your team time. 

How to get a business phone number if you’re overwhelmed with options

Getting a business phone number might be overwhelming, but these steps will help you simplify the process.

1. Select a business phone system provider

Start by researching business phone providers that offer features that align with your business needs and fit your budget. Make sure the phone system is easy to scale, offers reliable customer support, and can integrate with your existing tech stack. The best modern business phone systems let you try out their platform for free. For example, you can try out OpenPhone free for seven days.

2. Choose a phone number

Once you’ve chosen a new phone provider, it’s time to get a specific phone number that reflects your brand and makes it easy for customers to reach you. You may want a local number to establish a presence in a specific area or consider what a toll-free number is and how it can provide nationwide accessibility. If you have a phone number you wish to port over, you should initiate the porting process once you’ve tried out the platform and confirmed the provider is a good fit.

Call me maybe — 5 types of business phone numbers to choose from

Business phone service providers support multiple types of phone numbers for different business needs. You may need more than one type, such as local and toll-free, depending on your customer base.

Let’s take a look at these in greater detail.

1. Local business phone number

Local phone numbers have area codes tied to specific cities or regions. These numbers allow you to build a local presence in the markets you serve. When prospects and customers don’t have your phone number saved, they’re more likely to answer your calls if they recognize the area code associated with the local number.

While traditional phone plans only allow you to get phone numbers with your local area code, VoIP services let you choose area codes from any supported region (including those in other countries like Canada).

Typical cost: $15-$25 per month (pricing varies by provider)

2. Toll-free business phone number

Toll-free numbers allow your business to foot the bill on behalf of its callers. This lets current and potential customers reach out to your business — and not worry about the cost of international calls.

Toll-free phone numbers can help you build a global presence and attract customers who live abroad. They can also help you appear more professional since larger businesses typically use them as the main corporate phone number. 

With North American toll-free numbers — which have dedicated area codes like 800, 888, and 844 — you can let customers in 20 countries across the continent call you without paying long-distance fees.

Typical cost: $15-$25 per month (pricing varies by provider). However, make sure you read the fine print with the provider you choose. Some providers restrict toll-free minutes in their plans, and purchasing additional minutes can quickly get expensive. 

3. Vanity business phone number

Vanity phone numbers, often used as commercial phone numbers, are phone numbers spelling out a word or phrase. For example, if your vanity number is 1-800-CALL-SAM, customers can reach you by entering 1-800-225-5726 on their keypads.

Vanity numbers make it easier for people to remember your number — even if they scroll past your ad in seconds — and call or text your business.

Typical cost: $15-$50 per month (pricing varies by provider)

4. VoIP phone numbers

VoIP numbers, also called Voice over Internet Protocol numbers, are virtual phone numbers you can use to reach callers through an internet connection. All you need is WiFi and a device connected to the internet to make or receive calls from almost anywhere in the world.

Keep in mind you can use any of the number types above as VoIP numbers. In other words, you can own a toll-free VoIP number or a local VoIP number — or even have both on the same account.

Plus, phone services like OpenPhone allow you to easily call and text from a business VoIP phone number using your computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. This means you don’t need to buy expensive hardware, and you don’t have to stay tied down to your desk. 

Best of all, compared to cell phone numbers or landline numbers, VoIP phone numbers are just a fraction of the cost. With VoIP providers like OpenPhone, each member of your plan costs $15 per month.

Typical cost: $15-$25 per user per month (pricing varies by provider)

5. International phone numbers

International phone numbers are local numbers in a country outside of the US and Canada. They allow you to set up a local presence and build trust with customers in global markets. They start with a different country code, such as +52 for Mexico.

The main downside is that international numbers can be expensive, and not all VoIP services or traditional phone plans offer them. You’ll have to use a third-party service provider or make a special request to get an international number.

Typical cost: $10-$25 per month (pricing varies by country and provider)

3. Customize business phone settings

Once you’ve selected your business phone number, you can start customizing the settings to optimize your workflow. We recommend setting up voicemail greetings, business hours, a phone menu, and call routing to direct callers to the appropriate department or team member.

Keep reading as we break down the best solutions for business phone systems.

The top phone systems to use to get your business phone number

If you’re looking to test out more than one phone solution before moving forward, you can compare six of the top business phone systems below.

Provider	Price	Unlimited calling to US & Canada	SMS/MMS to US & Canada	Shared phone numbers	Additional phone numbers
OpenPhone	Starts at $15 per user per month	✓	✓	✓	$5 per number per month
Google Voice	Starts at $16 per user per month(must have Google Workspace)	US customers only	US customers only	Requires upgrade (ring groups only)	X
Dialpad	Starts at $15 per user per month	✓	For US & Canadian customers only	✓	Requires upgrade
Ooma	Starts at $19.95 per user per month	✓	Requires upgrade	✓	$9.95 per number per month
Vonage	Starts at $19.99 per user per month (1-year contract)	✓	Local US & Canadian numbers only	Requires upgrade or $4.99 add-on for each call group	$14.99 per number per month
Grasshopper	Starts at $14 per month	✓	Local numbers only	X	$9 per number per month

Here’s a closer look at the top business phone systems for your small business.

1. OpenPhone: The best business phone system for small businesses

*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 business phone system as voted on G2 by thousands of other growing teams.

Every OpenPhone plan includes free calling and texting (SMS and MMS) to the US and Canada. You can also have access to local and toll-free numbers for the US, Canada, or North America.

You can easily add more users to your OpenPhone account as your business expands. Each user comes with one free phone number so you can support different departments, direct phone numbers for each person, or expand to multiple cities. Any additional numbers are just $5 per number per month. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though; OpenPhone lets your team easily build a professional phone presence and save time by using features like phone menus and auto-replies for texts. If you’re looking to continually improve your customer experience, OpenPhone also lets you record any calls and easily review conversations for potential coaching opportunities using AI-generated call transcripts.

With OpenPhone, you can also integrate with popular business apps to save time on repetitive tasks like sending appointment reminder texts. Don’t want to copy/paste information between different platforms, for example? You can automatically log OpenPhone conversations into your CRM using our HubSpot or Salesforce integration.

Users can also share existing numbers with team members to manage calls and texts. Everyone on a shared number receives the same calls and texts, so they can manage incoming messages without letting conversations fall through the cracks. Collaboration is easy with features like:

• Adding notes to contacts
• Starting internal threads
• Assigning tasks within the platform

Here’s what a few of our customers have to say:

“I needed a toll-free phone number for my business that routed to my mobile phone. OpenPhone was the best app I could find that accomplished this for me. Now I’m able to receive and track all business-related calls within OpenPhone, using my cell phone, but without it interfering with my personal cell phone usage. It’s basically a phone system within your phone.” — G2

“I recently started using OpenPhone for my business communication needs, and I must say it has been an absolute game-changer. It offers excellent call quality, a dedicated business phone number, a user-friendly interface, cross-device compatibility, and a range of useful features. With its affordability and top-notch customer support, OpenPhone is undoubtedly the go-to solution for any business in need of a reliable phone application. I highly recommend giving it a try.” — G2

You can see why OpenPhone is the #1 business phone system rated on G2 by signing up for our free seven-day trial.

Key features of OpenPhone

• Multiple local (US and Canadian phone numbers) and toll-free numbers
• Shared phone numbers
• SMS and MMS support
• Scheduled text messages and auto-replies
• Voicemail to text transcriptions
• Automatic and on-demand call recording options
• Ability to set business hours that control when you’re available to receive calls
• Mobile apps available for iOS and Android
• Web-based app for all browsers
• Desktop apps for Mac and Windows
• Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and email integrations

OpenPhone pricing

OpenPhone understands that your business needs change as you grow. That’s why we offer three different price plans so you can choose the right features for your needs. You can pick the one that fits you now, and if you need to change it later, you can upgrade in minutes. It’s all about making things easy for you as your business grows.

Here’s what our three plans look like up close:

• Starter: $15 per user per month for call recordings, shared numbers, scheduled texts, AI-suggested text responses, and more 
• Business: $23 per user per month unlocks phone menus, call transfer, logs and analytics, HubSpot CRM integration, call transcriptions, and more
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for a dedicated account manager to tailor a plan to your team’s needs

2. Google Voice: The best solution for teams that use Google Workspace 

Google Voice for Google Workspace is popular among businesses already using Google Meet, Calendar, and other G Suite products. Although it offers the basic features to growing businesses (such as voicemail transcriptions and unlimited US calling), it lacks toll-free numbers, auto-replies, and other ways to save time texting. 

Speaking of texting, you should know sending texts through Google Voice is a luxury reserved for US customers. And since Google Voice doesn’t integrate with anything outside Google products, you won’t be able to automate repetitive but essential tasks.

Google Voice makes it more difficult to catch up on conversations, as all calls, texts, and voice messages are in separate folders. Plus, if you’re getting a business number so you and your team can have a better work-life balance, Google Voice may not be for you. This platform doesn’t distinguish between personal calls and business calls, which makes it difficult to know how to respond when picking up the phone.

Key features of Google Voice 

• Call routing
• Custom greetings
• Voicemail transcription
• Integration with G Suite
• Multi-level auto attendants 
• Ring groups (requires upgrade)

Google Voice pricing

Although getting a personal number from Google Voice is free, all businesses are required to have a paid Google Workspace plan (starting at $6 per user per month) in addition to their business number. 

There are three plans:

• Starter: $10 per user per month (up to 10 team members) for call forwarding, calls to the US and Canada, and texting in the US
• Standard: $20 per user per month unlocks ring groups, multi-level auto attendants, and ad-hoc call recordings
• Premier: $30 per user per month unlocks all the above features plus automatic call recordings and advanced reporting

Again, keep in mind every plan requires a minimum monthly payment of $6 per user per month for Google Workspace (even if you prefer using other tools). In other words, you’re paying at least $16 per month with Google Voice.

3. Dialpad: The best solution for teams with large contact centers

Dialpad is a VoIP business phone system tailored to call centers and larger teams. It offers an AI-based training feature for call center agents, which can be helpful in their day-to-day work. There are also ways to scale your business with business app integrations and feedback on team members’ speaking speed.

But if you’re a small business just getting off the ground, Dialpad’s extensive range of features may not necessarily streamline your workflows. You have to pay additional costs to perform basic tasks, including charges for porting multiple existing numbers. And if you want access to multiple numbers per user, be prepared to pay for another upgrade ($25 per user per month).

It takes quite a bit of time to learn how to use Dialpad — and according to past users, navigation is confusing at best.

Key features of Dialpad

• Analytics
• Call recording
• Auto-attendant (IVR)
• Relatively low base plan
• Call and voicemail transcriptions
• Provides AI solutions that can benefit call centers
• Integrations with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and Office 365
• Speed coaching, which tells you if you’re speaking too fast or too slow
• Offers unlimited calling and texting to US and Canada with any plan (if you’re based in either country)

Dialpad pricing

Dialpad pricing includes three base plan options:

• Standard: $15 per user per month for unlimited calls, SMS and MMS support, and unlimited video meetings 
• Pro: $25 per user per month to access local numbers in 70+ countries, up to 25 ring groups, CRM integrations, and international SMS
• Enterprise: Custom monthly price for guaranteed uptime and unlimited ring groups (100 user minimum)

And remember: Dialpad charges extra for porting in more than one existing phone number.

4. Ooma: The best option for large retail centers and warehouses

Ooma provides phone systems for residential and business use. Teams working from a retail store may find their paging feature useful since they can easily reach people in wide-open spaces.

The kicker, though, is Ooma’s small business plans come with features you may never use. You may not need analog fax machine support or IP phone paging, but you still have to pay for it on the basic plan ($19.95 per user per month).

Plus, some of Ooma’s best features are hidden behind a paywall. Important features like voicemail transcriptions and texting are only available with an upgrade ($24.95 per user per month). Even their desktop app isn’t accessible until you upgrade, which is not ideal for growing brands. 

To summarize: Ooma misses the mark on many necessary features while including services like overhead paging — something few small businesses need.

Key features of Ooma

• Simultaneous ring
• Music on hold
• Digital fax
• Call transferring
• Voicemail transcriptions (requires upgrade)
• Call recording
• Call forwarding
• Video conferencing
• Voicemail transcriptions

Ooma pricing

Ooma’s plans span from essential communications to more costly options with CRM phone integrations, analytics, and text messaging capabilities.

Check out the three tiers:

• Essentials: $19.95 per user per month for standard phone features along with a virtual receptionist, ring groups, and email audio attachments
• Pro: $24.95 per user per month adds text messaging, video conferencing, Ooma’s desktop app, call recording, and analytics
• Pro Plus: $29.95 per user per month adds Salesforce integration, hot desking, call queuing, and advanced call management

5. Vonage: The best service with an API

Vonage is a legacy VoIP service provider offering two different solutions: an out-of-the-box virtual phone system and a customizable API. Keep in mind their API may not be feasible unless you have technical resources in-house or are willing to pay for a developer.

Vonage’s basic plan comes with limited built-in features for calling and texting, as well as desktop, web, and mobile apps for remote businesses. However, many essential functions (like auto-attendant capabilities, call groups, and CRM integrations) require upgrades to the tune of $10 to $20 extra per user per month.

You may notice a surprising amount of extra fees associated with Vonage compared to other remote phone systems, including the cost of extensions, toll-free numbers, and add-ons like automatic call recording. Combined with the fact that most of these features come standard with other providers, Vonage may be an expensive option for growing brands and enterprises.

Still want to give Vonage a try? Be prepared for a steep learning curve. Some users report that customer service isn’t very helpful with onboarding. 

Key features of Vonage

• Unlimited team chat
• Internal team messaging
• Mobile and desktop apps
• Texts in the US and Canada
• Unlimited calling in the US, Canada, and Mexico
• 20 third-party integrations (like Clio or the G-Suite)
• SMS in the US (API required to send MMS messages)

Vonage pricing

Vonage doesn’t offer a transparent breakdown of your monthly costs. Essential features like call recording and auto-attendants require upgrades or add-ons, and you may run into hidden fees depending on the plan you’re on. The amount you pay on Vonage’s base plans also varies based on your team size, with smaller teams paying more per user. Here’s how much their plans cost for teams of 1-4 users:

• Mobile: $13.99 per line per month for unlimited domestic calling, SMS and MMS, and 24/7 customer support
• Premium: $20.99 per line per month unlocks auto-attendants and CRM integrations (HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, and the like)
• Advanced: $27.99 per line per month adds call recording (15 hours max) and voicemail transcriptions

Keep in mind Vonage requires a one-year minimum contract to get started. It also doesn’t offer a free trial for your team, so you can’t try before you buy.

6. Grasshopper: The best choice for teams that prefer multi-digit phone extensions

Grasshopper is a legacy small business phone system provider with an unconventional pricing model. All users can access 100% of Grasshopper’s features, although higher-tier plans come with extra phone numbers and extensions.  

Grasshopper’s most expensive plan is limited to just four phone numbers, which may require switching to another provider as your business grows. Plus, all additional phone numbers cost $9 per month each, which is more than twice the cost of additional numbers on more competitive platforms.

Plus, many users find Grasshopper’s UI to be outdated and clunky at best. 

And while you’re paying a premium to access all of Grasshopper’s functionality, you still can’t plug into integrations, use shared numbers, or record any of your calls automatically.

Key features of Grasshopper

• Local US, Canadian, or toll-free phone numbers
• Business texting support (MMS not available for toll-free numbers)
• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
• Call forwarding
• Custom greetings
• 24/7 customer support
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Virtual fax
• Call reporting
• Incoming call control
• Simultaneous call handling
• Free porting for your existing number

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper bases each of its plans on the number of phone numbers and extensions you get. Monthly costs are expensive — especially for a service not built to scale with your business.

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

5 Business phone benefits 

A business phone is more than just a phone number — it’s a tool you can use to streamline operations and enhance customer satisfaction. Here’s how a virtual business phone benefits your business:

1. Easy to scale as your team grows

Easily expand your phone system as your business grows with a virtual phone system. Business phone systems give you access to US, Canadian, and toll-free numbers. With OpenPhone, each user on your plan receives one free number, and you can add more for just $5 per month each.

2. Work together as a team

With features like shared numbers, call routing, and internal tagging, a business phone system promotes collaboration among team members. This ensures calls and messages are efficiently managed and attended to, helping customers get faster service.

3. Unlock workflow automation

Automation features such as auto-replies and text message templates help save time for team members and set expectations for customers. For example, if you want to make sure clients aren’t left hanging when you miss a call, you can automate texts for callers who don’t leave voice messages. If most of your calls are appointment booking requests, you can include a calendar link in your auto-reply to make your workflow more efficient. 

When you’re available to respond to your clients, you can continue saving time by using templates you can create and save. Simply fill in the blanks instead of typing out the same messages over and over again.

4. Provide a better customer experience 

A business phone allows you to customize your texting and calling experience for customers more than a traditional cell phone. For example, OpenPhone users can schedule a text in a contact’s time zone without doing any math. OpenPhone shows your contact’s local time zone based on their number’s area code so you can quickly queue up your message for the right moment. 

Just like customers would rather not be messaged in the middle of the night, they also would prefer not to repeat information when they reach out. Phone solutions like OpenPhone display all phone communication with a contact in a single inbox view so you can catch up on conversations and follow up faster. You won’t have to jump between inboxes to see all your call recordings, voice messages, and texts, making it easier to keep up with all your communications.

5. Access call recording and transcripts

Using the call recording feature on your business phone system, you can save and replay unlimited calls to ensure you’re delivering a great experience and identifying where you can improve. Or you can use call recordings to train new team members with examples of quality support.

OpenPhone users can also get a transcription, action points, and a high-level overview of each call. This helps you review calls quickly and keeps your team from having to manually take notes during calls.

How to determine the right business phone system for your needs

You’re looking for a robust business phone system that checks all the boxes. Here are a few considerations to help you choose the right one the first time. 

1. Consider what features your business needs

Depending on your business, some features that might be helpful in a phone provider include: 

• Mobile and desktop apps: By taking business calls and texts with you wherever you go, you can maximize productivity anywhere you choose to work.
• Call recordings: By storing records of past conversations, you can follow up faster and train team members to provide the best experience possible.
• Voicemail transcriptions: Keeping voicemail transcriptions in addition to call records can help you get the right context and assist customers more quickly.
• Phone menus: You can easily route callers to the right person or department while looking more professional (without needing a phone receptionist on standby). 
• Artificial intelligence: Your business phone should make it easier for you to review calls with your customers with AI-generated summaries and transcriptions.

2. Consider the provider’s scalability

As your business grows and your team expands, you’ll want a phone system that grows with you. Changing tools can be a headache, even for small teams. Some things to look for include: 

• Shared numbers: You should be able to add multiple team members to the same business phone number so everyone can split the responsibility for incoming calls and texts.
• Integrations: The best business phone systems allow you to connect with the tools you already use (like CRMs, communication apps, and automation platforms like Zapier).
• Multiple phone numbers: You should be able to add US, Canadian, toll-free, and vanity numbers as your team expands with new departments and locations.
• International calling and texting options: You need ways to reach customers overseas as you develop a global presence. 

3. Consider cost and pricing structure

Your budget will vary depending on your business size and the desired use case for your business phone number. Still, some things to watch out for include: 

• Transparent pricing: You’ll want to find a phone provider with clear pricing based on your plan and the features included. Keep an eye out for any set-up fees, porting fees, and additional fees for things like adding numbers. 
• Equipment costs: If you’re a traditional landline, you may have to purchase additional hardware such as routers, VoIP adapters, or desk phones. However, you can avoid these costs if you choose a VoIP solution.
• Per minute charges: Be sure to check the provider’s cost for international calling and toll-free number calling rates.

Get a business phone number today with OpenPhone

A dedicated business phone number can help you protect your and your team’s privacy, maintain a work-life balance, and operate more smoothly than ever. Choosing the right phone service provider is key if you want to save time and give customers the best experience possible.

Compared to landlines, VoIP services are more cost-effective solutions that allow you to work from anywhere on any device. And OpenPhone is the business phone system that can scale with your company. With every OpenPhone plan, you can access features like:

• Free unlimited calls, SMS, and MMS in the US and Canada
• Unlimited US, Canadian, toll-free, and vanity numbers
• Free phone number porting
• Shared phone numbers
• Auto-replies, snippets, and scheduled texts
• Call recordings
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Custom business hours, voicemail greetings, and phone menus (auto-attendant)

With upgrades, you can unlock features like call transfer, CRM integrations, and call analytics to further improve your business communication.

See for yourself why thousands of businesses use OpenPhone — and get a business number in minutes. Sign up for a free, seven-day trial of OpenPhone.

Business phone number frequently asked questions (FAQs)