The 8 Line2 alternatives you need to try in 2025

If you want to make sales calls, provide customer service over the phone, and protect your personal number, setting up a VoIP phone system simply makes sense.

Like most VoIP providers, Line2 makes it easy to create a second line that receives phone calls you don’t want on your personal number. 

But unlike many alternatives, Line2 doesn’t offer features that scale with your business. Instead, it offers features you can find with landlines and traditional cell phones. Plus, Line2 no longer develops platform updates with businesses in mind.

If you’re on the hunt for better options, we’ve got you covered. Here are the eight best Line2 alternatives for businesses:

1. OpenPhone: Best Line2 alternative for startups and small businesses
2. Grasshopper: Best choice for multi-digit extensions
3. Google Voice: Ideal for Google Workspace teams
4. RingCentral: Best alternative that offers desk phone rental options
5. Nextiva: Best for teams that need Oracle integrations
6. Vonage: Best alternative with an API
7. Dialpad: Ideal alternative for contact centers
8. Aircall: Best choice for international calling

The 8 best Line2 alternatives compared

Want to see how the best Line2 alternatives match up to each other? Here’s a comprehensive breakdown, organized by the essential phone features for your business:

Provider	Starting price	Unlimited calling to the US and Canada	Unlimited SMS and MMS to the US and Canada	Shared numbers	Additional numbers
Line2	$13.75 per month	✓	✓	X	$14.99 per number per month
OpenPhone	$15 per user per month	✓	✓	✓	$5 per number per month
Grasshopper	$14 per month	✓	Local numbers only	X	$10 per number per month
Google Voice	$16 per user per month (must have Google Workspace)	Unlimited calls to Canada from the US only	US customers only	Requires upgrade (ring groups only)	X
RingCentral	$20 per user per month	✓	25 texts per user per month	✓	$4.99 per number per month
Nextiva	$18.95 per user per month	✓	Requires upgrade	✓	Requires purchase of additional user seat
Vonage	$13.99 per user per month (1-year contract)	✓	US and Canadian numbers only	Requires upgrade or $4.99 add-on for each call group	$14.99 per number per month
Dialpad	$15 per user per month	✓	US and Canadian customers only	✓	Requires upgrade
Aircall	$30 per user per month	✓	4,000 outbound messages per user per month; MMS only available for US and Canadian numbers	✓	$6 per number per month

Now that you’ve got a sense of how each of these alternatives matches up at a high level, find out where each excels and where they fall short. 

Breaking down the best Line2 alternatives

These Line2 alternatives will help your team with business phone features that enable better collaboration and offer a superior customer experience.

1. OpenPhone: Best Line2 alternative for startups and small businesses

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
• SMS and MMS messaging available
• Shared numbers for team messaging
• Auto-replies, snippets, scheduled messages, and more advanced messaging features
• Call recording, AI call summaries, and transcripts
• Integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier, and more

Cons

• No emergency 911 calling services*

*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this problem. Since VoIP numbers aren’t tied to a physical address, they can’t be used to call emergency services.

OpenPhone is a highly-rated VoIP phone service that offers all the features modern businesses need. From business app integrations to automation, OpenPhone is built to make your business life easier — even before you upgrade. With a Starter plan, you can access features like:

• Free calling, SMS, and MMS in the US and Canada
• Auto-attendant (IVR)
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Call recording
• AI call summaries and transcriptions
• Integrations with email, Slack, and Zapier
• Auto-replies
• Snippets (canned responses)

OpenPhone makes working together as a team to provide the best experience possible easier. Share phone numbers with other members of your team so you can collaborate on conversations and leave internal notes to keep everyone on the same page. Access basic CRM features directly in your contact list, like storing details about past conversations. That way, anyone on your team can easily pick up from where you left off.

With OpenPhone’s stellar uptime history, you don’t have to worry about dropped calls or persistent bugs. But if you do run into an issue or have any questions, our customer service team has your back. 

Don’t take our word for it — here are some recent reviews:

• “The OpenPhone customer service is incredible and they’ve always helped me quickly and with sincerity whenever I had any questions.” (G2)
• “Honestly, I haven’t ran into any issues. The process to get my number ported was simple. Customer service was very responsive every step of the way!” (G2)

In addition to iOS, Android, and desktop apps, OpenPhone works on almost all browsers, so you can take your phone with you on just about any internet-enabled device.

OpenPhone pricing

OpenPhone’s three pricing plans make it easy to choose a plan that gives you exactly what your team needs:

• Starter: $15 per user per month for shared phone numbers, voicemail transcriptions, free calls and texts in the US and Canada, and dozens of ways to streamline your business’s phone communication
• Business: $23 per user per month for auto-attendant (IVR), call transferring, CRM integrations, analytics, and more advanced features
• Scale: $35 per user per month for AI call tags, dedicated onboarding, and priority chat and email support

How to switch and port your number from Line2

Want to port your number from Line2 to OpenPhone so you can keep an existing number? The process is easy, free, and usually takes just 1-2 weeks!

1. Create an OpenPhone account.
2. Submit a request to port your number in the OpenPhone app.
3. That’s it! We’ll take care of the rest.

2. Grasshopper: Best choice for multi-digit extensions

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada

Cons

• No shared phone numbers
• No call recording
• No web app
• No integrations

Grasshopper is a legacy business phone system for small businesses. It offers WiFi calling, business hours, call transferring, and unlimited calling and texting in the US.

One of Grasshopper’s standout features: extensions. You can add single-digit extensions for employees and multi-digit extensions for departments in your team.

However, Grasshopper falls short as a business phone service. It doesn’t offer shared numbers, which means you won’t be able to split responsibility for inbound calls and ensure you don’t miss important calls. Grasshopper doesn’t offer call recording — your team will spend time taking notes instead of paying attention to what customers are saying. It also doesn’t offer any CRM or VoIP integrations, which adds administrative work to your team’s plate.

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper offers three plans — True Solo, Solo Plus, and Small Business. While each plan offers all its features, they’re differentiated by the number of users and extensions you can access. 

Here’s how much each plan costs:

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

3. Google Voice: Ideal for Google Workspace teams

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada

Cons

• No toll-free numbers
• Texting available in the US only
• No integrations outside Google Workspace
• No desktop app

Google Voice for Google Workspace is a well-known Line2 alternative that offers free calling to the US from any country using a mobile app or web app. If you’re in the US, you can make unlimited calls to Canada, too. Google Voice does have the standard VoIP phone features you might expect — voicemail transcriptions, call forwarding, and call recording — but it lacks key features that might force you to consider another alternative. 

Google Voice doesn’t offer toll-free numbers, which makes it difficult for you to provide a professional calling experience if you sell products nationwide. It also doesn’t let you use multiple numbers in the same account, which means you’ll have to juggle sales and customer service calls from the same number. 

Two more drawbacks with Google Voice? You can’t integrate it with non-Google services, which means CRM phone integrations are out of the question. Also, texting is only available to US customers. Plus, you don’t get access to advanced messaging features like auto-replies and snippets, which can slow down your team.

Not to mention, you’ll run into several cases where Google Voice doesn’t work — we’ve documented 10+ issues with the service.

Google Voice pricing

You’ll first need a Google Workspace plan (which starts at $6 per user per month) to even have the option to subscribe to Google Voice for Google Workspace. Once you do, you’ll have three Google Voice for Google Workspace plans to choose from: Starter, Standard, or Premier.

• Starter: $10 per user per month, limited to 10 users in the US
• Standard: $20 per user per month, unlocks unlimited users, auto-attendant, and desk phone support
• Premier: $30 per user per month, unlocks advanced reporting features and support for international users

4. RingCentral: Best alternative that offers desk phone rental options

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada

Cons

• Strict texting limits
• No MMS messages with toll-free numbers
• Limited call recording storage
• CRM integrations require upgrade

RingCentral is one of the older business communication solutions on the market. It’s also accessible online and with compatible desk phones (if your company still uses them).

This platform has dozens of features, from basic call management and SMS options to a contact center add-on for your customer support team. However, their base plan has key limitations you should be aware of if you’re considering signing up.

RingCentral’s base plan limits businesses to sending 25 texts per user per month, after which you have to buy credits to message customers. You also can’t send MMS messages with toll-free numbers using RingCentral. RingCentral also has limitations around storing conversations (unless you pay for their most expensive plan):

• Call recordings are deleted after 90 days
• Only 200 on-demand call recordings can be stored per user
• Users are limited to storing up to 5,000 messages

Even when you upgrade, RingCentral users are far from in love with RingCentral’s customer care. As one G2 reviewer puts it, “When any issues arise, the customer service is terrible. Tickets are closed without actually being resolved and the company’s agents don’t seem to actually read tickets before reaching out.”

RingCentral pricing

RingCentral offers three plans for its business phone solution (known as RingEx) to customers:

• Core: $20 per user per month for unlimited domestic calling and 25 texts per user per month
• Advanced: $25 per user per month includes auto call recording, app integrations like Salesforce and Zendesk, and 100 texts per user per month
• Ultra: $35 per user per month includes unlimited file sharing for recordings, HD video whiteboards and messaging, and 200 texts per user per month

5. Nextiva: Best for teams that need Oracle integrations

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
• Oracle Sales Cloud and Microsoft Dynamics integrations

Cons

• Limited SMS/MMS that requires upgrade
• Call recording and voicemail transcription only available on Enterprise plan

Nextiva is a Line2 alternative for large enterprises. It offers unlimited voice calls in the US and Canada and video calls on its platform. You also get access to features like auto attendants, shared numbers, and desktop and mobile apps in its base plan.

But Nextiva falls short with essential features your business needs to offer solid customer experiences. It doesn’t offer SMS or MMS in its base plan, and even if you upgrade to the next tier, you can only access messaging in its mobile apps. 

Nextiva also doesn’t offer call recording and voicemail transcriptions in their base plan. If you want those features, you have to upgrade to their most expensive plan, which starts at $32.95 per user per month for small businesses. 

While Nextiva is a worthy alternative to Line2, it might not be the best alternative because of how expensive it can be for you.

Nextiva pricing

Nextiva offers three plans to its customers:

• 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. Vonage: Best alternative with an API

Pros

• Unlimited calling in the US and Canada
• SMS API available

Cons

• Call recording and SMS automation are paid add-ons
• Toll-free numbers cost $39.99 per month

Vonage is another legacy virtual phone system for businesses. It’s one of the few providers that offer an SMS API that gives businesses greater customizability and control over customer communications. 

Vonage is an example of a provider that offers advanced features like APIs but holds back basic features like call recording and SMS automation from its customers. 

In addition to those features, Vonage locks 16 other features, including voicemail transcriptions and phone menus, behind paywalls.

Another drawback with Vonage is that toll-free numbers are expensive — they cost $39.99 per month.

Vonage pricing

Vonage has three pricing plans to choose from. Unfortunately, Vonage charges small businesses (1-4 users) more per user than larger companies. Discounts are offered starting with the 5th user.  Here’s how much you can expect to pay for 1-4 users:

• Basic: $13.99 per line per month to access free calls and texts in the US and 20+ integrations
• Premium: $20.99 per line per month to access unlimited meetings, multi-level auto attendant, and a CRM integration
• Advanced: $27.99 per line per month unlocks on-demand call recording (15 hours), call group, and visual voicemail

But here’s where Vonage gets you. They consider many features add-ons, so be sure to factor that into your monthly per-line plan fee. Here are some examples: 

• Voicemail transcription: $4.99 per month
• Toll-free numbers: $39.99 per number per month
• Vonage for Salesforce: $4.99 per month
• Call queue: $14.99 per month
• Call recording: $4.99 per month

7. Dialpad: Ideal alternative for contact centers

Pros

• Offers unlimited calling and texting to US and Canada with any plan (if you’re based in either country)

Cons

• Toll-free numbers cost extra
• Key features like Slack and Zapier integrations and auto-replies are locked behind their more expensive tiers
• Shared numbers and international texting require upgrade

Dialpad is a cloud phone system designed for large contact centers. It comes with business phone features like unlimited calling and texting to the US and Canada, caller ID, multi-level auto-attendant, call recording, business hours, and more. 

Similar to Vonage, Dialpad’s drawback is that it’s too expensive. Essential business phone features like toll-free numbers, Slack and Zapier integrations, and texting auto-replies are locked behind its Pro plan, which costs $25 per user per month. Unfortunately, this plan also requires a three-user minimum, bringing the actual cost to $75 per month just to access it. 

Curious about other Dialpad pros and cons? We cover them in this article.

Dialpad pricing

Dialpad offers three plans to businesses:

• Standard: $15 per user per month to access unlimited calling, unlimited AI Meetings for up to 10 participants, and SMS, MMS, and team messaging
• Pro: $25 per user per month to access 24/7 live agent support, CRM integrations (Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zoho, and more), and the Microsoft Teams integration. Note that this plan requires a three-user minimum, which brings its minimum cost to $75 per month.
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing to access 100% uptime, unlimited office locations, and unlimited ring groups (departments)

Find out more about Dialpad’s pricing and some of its hidden fees in this article.

8. Aircall: Best choice for international calling

Pros

• Ability to create a cloud-based virtual call center for remote operations

Cons

• Lack of features like voicemail transcription and auto-replies
• Limited outbound messages per user per month
• No support for MMS messaging and texting internationally

Aircall is a virtual call center for remote teams. While it’s well-suited for larger enterprises with global operations, it’s less suited to small businesses.

Many of its features are also centered around contact centers, like call routing, call whispering, and ring on speakers. 

Aircall also lacks key features that matter to smaller teams. You won’t find scheduled messages or auto-replies, which help small teams operate efficiently. Aircall also has limited texting functionality — you can only send a limited number of messages per user per month, and you can only message numbers in select countries outside the US and Canada.

Aircall pricing

Not only is Aircall more expensive than other VoIPs, but it’s also more prohibitive to small businesses. There’s a three-user minimum on the first two tiers and a 25-user minimum for the enterprise plan. If you’re a solopreneur or run a two-person business, you’ll have to pay extra to meet Aircall’s minimum requirements. 

Here’s a breakdown of Aircall’s plans:

• Essentials: $30 per user per month, includes 4,000 SMS messages per user per month, up to one year of storage for call recordings (by request), and a max of three teams per account (three user minimum)
• Professional: $50 per user per month, includes everything in the Essentials plan plus access to Salesforce integration, unlimited call recording storage, and up to six months of advanced analytics (three user minimum)
• Custom: Custom pricing unlocks API developer support, ‘unlimited’ international outbound calls, and prioritized customer support (25 user minimum)

How we determined the best alternatives to Line2

We put Line2 alternatives to the test and evaluated them based on six factors:

1. Reliability – Call drops and system downtime can endanger your reputation and directly impact your top line.
2. Value for money – What monetary or non-monetary value does the VoIP system generate for the business? Will the system have a positive ROI?
3. Budget – It’s never a good idea to choose the cheapest alternative, but budget is still important for all businesses, small or large.
4. Third-party integrations – Manual transfer or recreating business data can come with a significant cost. Does the VoIP system offer integrations that will allow quickly pulling data from your existing tool stack? 
5. Ease of use – Steep learning curves can discourage employees from accepting the VoIP system. Is your VoIP phone system easy to use?
   
6. Customer support – You’ll run into problems once in a while. How quickly does help come when you need it the most?

What you need to know about Line2

Founded in the late 2000s, Line2 is a no-frills VoIP service that offers business phone basics — no more, sometimes less. The cloud-based system is easy to use, though more due to familiarity than the standout design. 

Line2 largely replicates the features your standard cellphone already offers — with the added option of answering business calls on your desktop — instead of taking advantage of all the unique business communication features that VoIP enables. While it primarily served businesses in the past, it now focuses on functioning as a second phone number app for personal calls and text messaging.

The features offered with Line2’s basic plan aren’t going to blow you away:

• SMS and MMS support
• Call blocking
• Call screening 
• Voicemail transcription
• Voicemail recordings
• Call forwarding
• Caller ID

You can make unlimited calls in the US and Canada, but like a typical cell phone carrier, Line2 charges extra for any texts outside the US. 

Setup only takes minutes — make an account and download the app — but if you’re looking to connect your business phone with other apps you use via software integrations, you won’t find the option on any of Line2’s plans.

Another caveat to consider when choosing Line2: Even its key features aren’t all that reliable. According to many Line2 user reviews, performance issues and bugs are common. Take these reviews, for example:

• “I continually have issues with dropped calls, call quality, my phone not ringing when someone is calling me.” (G2)
• “On Windows 10, it will not save my microphone and headset settings. This means that I frequently (for every call) have to hang up on people, go into settings, set the microphone and speakers back to my headset, and call them back. This is inconvenient for people I know and can call back, but devastating if I’m trying to conduct business.” (Capterra)
• “Poor call quality on ALL calls. Impossible to get my business number back from them.” (Capterra)

Line2 pricing

Line2 offers two pricing options depending on the frequency you prefer to pay your bills:

Monthly

• $15.99 per month billed monthly 

Annual 

• $13.75 per month billed annually

Why businesses turn to Line2 alternatives

Line2 offers a VoIP system that gets you past the limitations of physical desk phones or your cell phone number, but it doesn’t get you far enough. Here are four reasons why businesses choose a Line2 alternative:

1. Share responsibility for incoming calls and messages: Unlike traditional phones, VoIP phone systems allow your team to share numbers for taking calls and sending messages simultaneously. Since Line2 doesn’t offer shared numbers, businesses that want to leverage this VoIP feature go elsewhere.
2. Take more work off your plate: Small teams have to do more with less, which is why automated features like auto-replies, scheduled text messages, and Zapier come in handy. Line2’s lack of automated workflows forces businesses to choose a VoIP alternative. 
3. Maintain work-life balance: Tired of your phone ringing in the wee hours of the night? Business hours features let businesses send custom voicemails or auto-replies to customers trying to contact you when you’re unavailable. It’s another essential feature that gets businesses to try another phone solution.
4. Provide personalized customer interactions: Line2 works fine as a second phone number for your business, but if you want to build deep customer relationships, you need a solution that helps you build personalized customer interactions. Features like custom properties, contact notes, and CRM integrations help businesses get there, which is why they opt for a Line2 alternative.

OpenPhone: The best Line2 alternative in 2024

Among the various Line2 alternatives we’ve shared here, one of them stands out. 

OpenPhone is more than your average business phone. We help businesses of all sizes manage their sales and support communications so that teams can build highly personalized customer relationships. 

Start your free trial to experience how OpenPhone goes above and beyond with team collaboration features, integrations, crystal-clear sound quality, and much more.