10 Best Line2 alternatives for 2023

When making business calls is part of your weekly routine, 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 Line2 alternatives, Line2 struggles to offer calling features beyond what landlines and cell phones provide. 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’s what you need to know about ten Line2 alternatives that may better meet your needs.

10 best Line2 alternatives

When you make the switch to VoIP, you want a modern phone system that supports your business communication needs — not just the digital version of a landline. 

Luckily, Line2 isn’t the only VoIP service in the world. Here are ten Line2 alternatives you can consider:

1. OpenPhone

OpenPhone is a 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 Standard plan, you can access features like:

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

OpenPhone is a dream for team communication, too. You can 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. Your contacts list has basic CRM features built in, allowing you to store details about past conversations. That way, anyone on your team can easily pick up from where you left off. 📱

We have a stellar uptime history, so 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 top-notch customer service 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 offers three pricing plans, so you can get the phone features your business needs (and more) in every stage of growth. Your business phone can truly grow with your business.

Standard

• Starting at $13 per user per month

Premium

• Starting at $20 per user per month
• Unlocks HubSpot CRM integration, round-robin call distribution, call transfer, logs and analytics, and more

Enterprise

• Custom pricing for a custom plan
• Unlocks a dedicated account manager to help tailor a plan to your team’s needs  

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.

How OpenPhone stacks up to the competition

If you want to take full advantage of what VoIP has to offer, OpenPhone is the service you can rely on. Thousands of businesses use OpenPhone to streamline their sales, customer support, team collaboration, and much more. Start your free trial to join them and see why.

2. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a legacy business phone system with thousands of small business customers. Like most VoIP providers they offer WiFi calling, business hours, call transferring, and unlimited calling and texting within the US However, you’re missing out on simple ways to QA the level of service your team provides. Grasshopper does not offer call recordings or any built-in collaboration features.

To even split responsibility for incoming calls, you’re stuck paying an extra $10 per month. Their integration offers are solely the ability to forward calls to Skype or Google Voice.

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper’s plans may seem like fitting a square peg into a round hole. They have three plans:
Solo

• $28 per month
• Includes one phone number and three extensions

Partner

• $46 per month
• Includes three phone numbers and six extensions

Small business

• $80 per month
• Includes five phone numbers and unlimited extensions

Any additional phone numbers beyond the plan you select are $10 per month.

The bottom line for Grasshopper

If you’re looking to save time and stay on the same page, Grasshopper isn’t up to par. Plus, unless you read the fine print, you may discover your Canadian or toll-free number has some major restrictions. For example, you won’t be able to send MMS messages with Canadian or toll-free numbers using Grasshopper. Check out our guide to Line2 vs Grasshopper to learn more about how these two providers compare.

Learn more about Grasshopper

3. Google Voice for Google Workspace

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. Texting is only available to US customers.

But unlike Line2 and OpenPhone, Google Voice isn’t compatible with toll-free numbers. 

In terms of features, Google Voice isn’t as bare-bones as Line2. It offers quite a few business phone features that are only possible with VoIP — but most of those internet-dependent features are pretty Google-centric. With a Starter plan, you can access:

• Voicemail transcriptions
• Call forwarding
• ​Google Fi compatibility
• Integrations with Google Meet and Google Calendar

While Google Voice (the standard consumer app) is capable of call recording, Google Workspace users actually aren’t allowed to use this helpful feature, which can help teams with training, interviews, and much more.

Just like Line2, users report plenty of Google Voice issues, too — poor call quality and issues with ringing are just two common problems you might face. And when your team members try to get help, they’ll find that 24/7 customer support can only be accessed by admins. 🔒

Google Voice for Google Workspace Pricing

Google Voice offers three pricing plans that include minimal upgrades. Upgrading from Standard to Premier only gets you two extra features. And keep in mind you must also have a Google Workspace account — which costs at least an additional $6 per user per month — to subscribe to Google Voice for Google Workspace.

Starter

• $10 per user per month ($16 per user per month with Google Workspace subscription)
• Maximum 10 users

Standard

• $20 per user per month ($26 per user per month with Google Workspace subscription)
• Unlocks auto-attendant, desk phone compatibility, and Ring Groups (for multiple numbers to answer the same calls)

Premier

• $30 per user per month ($36 per user per month with Google Workspace subscription)
• Unlocks advanced call reporting and support for users from international locations

The bottom line for Google Voice

When you read the fine print, you may find that Google Voice’s business plans restrict users where other virtual phone systems don’t. And with no integrations with third-party software, this VoIP phone service will trap you in the Google universe, so you can’t fully streamline your work.
Find out more about how these two phone solutions compare in our Line2 vs Google Voice guide.

Learn more about Google Voice

4. RingCentral

RingCentral is another Line2 alternative that offers more modern features — notably, video conferencing and CRM integrations — but like Line2, RingCentral requires you to upgrade your way to what your team needs. The starter plan is pretty minimal, offering:

• Unlimited calling and text messaging in the US and Canada (SMS only) 
• SMS support
• Team messaging

You won’t be able to send MMS messages depending on what type of phone number (their toll-free numbers do not support MMS) or account you have. And if you run into any issues on the basic plan, you won’t have access to customer support.

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 has expensive and confusing pricing that changes depending on the size of your team. If you’re first starting out as a solopreneur, you’ll pay $19.99 per month for their lowest tier plan (if you commit to an annual plan, otherwise it’s $32.99 per month). And as you grow, you might lose access to the most affordable plan — even if you’re still a fairly small business. Listed below are the pricing plans when you have 1-20 users.

Essentials

• $19.99 per user per month
• Maximum 20 users

Standard

• $27.99 per user per month
• Unlocks auto-attendants, 24/7 support, video conferencing, virtual fax, and integrations with Office 365, Google Workspace, and Slack

Premium

• $34.99 per user per month
• Unlocks auto call recording, multi-site administration, and custom integrations

Ultimate

• $49.99 per user per month
• Unlocks device status reports and unlimited storage

The bottom line for RingCentral

With RingCentral, you’ll need to pay a lot just to get started, only to pay a lot more to access more enticing features like video calling or call recording. And if you don’t know how to code, don’t even think about sending GIFs, pics, or any multimedia. 😓

Learn more about RingCentral

5. Nextiva

Nextiva is another Line2 alternative with complicated pricing plans that leave out key features most businesses need. Nextiva mainly offers unlimited, one-on-one voice and video calling with its basic plan, but you really need to upgrade to cover crucial needs. With the starter plan, you’ll get:

• Team collaboration and chat messaging
• Unlimited virtual fax
• Integrations with Outlook and Google Contacts

But that’s really it, as far as non-basic VoIP features are concerned. Even the very basic feature of texting isn’t available on their base plan. If you upgrade, texting is only possible from their mobile app, so you won’t be able to send business texts from your computer. 

Nextiva also doesn’t offer integrations with some of the apps widely used by modern teams and small businesses, like Gmail or Slack. Instead, it pairs with costly software like Microsoft Teams and Oracle Sales Cloud. However, key features like voicemail transcriptions and analytics are only offered on higher-tier plans. Using Nextiva you may have no choice but to pay the price for features you don’t need to get the ones you do.

Nextiva pricing

Nextiva offers three plans that are almost double the price of Line2. Here’s what you’ll pay per user per month:

Essential

• $23.95 per user per month
• Includes 24/7 customer support

Professional

• $27.95 per user per month
• Unlocks video conferencing (250 participants), texting, and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk

Enterprise

• $37.95 per user per month
• Unlocks call recording, analytics, voicemail transcriptions, and integrations with Oracle Sales Cloud and Microsoft Teams

The bottom line for Nextiva

Nextiva doesn’t offer a lot of unique features beyond video until you upgrade — and you may have to upgrade twice just to meet your team’s minimum needs.  And if you have a smaller team with fewer users, you’ll be paying more per user than larger businesses.

Learn more about Nextiva

6. Sideline

Sideline isn’t like any other Line2 alternative on this list because it’s essentially a secondary phone line. Unlike Line2, It’s a VoIP app that relies on your cell phone service to make calls or send text messages. You’ll need to pay for Sideline, plus your cell phone plan to use that second number. 

You might consider Sideline if you’re looking for a separate inbox for personal and business communications (a feature that is absent on Line2), or want an upgrade such as:

• Voicemail transcriptions (available with an upgrade on Line2)
• Shared phone numbers (requires the Team Number plan on Sideline)
• Auto-replies
• Browser app

That said, Sideline is not an ideal business communication solution. One of the biggest downsides is that it won’t let you block spam calls. You’ll also need to choose the features most relevant to you because none of the plans offer all of the features, a deal-breaker for most businesses. Unlike Line2, you only get unlimited calling and texting for US numbers with Sideline. No integrations either — that’s right, none.

Sideline pricing

Sideline’s pricing isn’t just confusing — it’s also hard to find on their website. Each account type comes with different features, but no single plan contains every feature Sideline offers. 

Standard

• $9.99 per month
• Only one user/second number per account

Team Number

• $9.99 per month
• Can either share a number or have a personal second number, but not both
• No advanced features

Enterprise

• $9.99 per line per month
• Unlocks international calling and auto-attendant (IVR) capabilities. Both of these features require an additional cost. 
• Admin controls to manage phone lines

Learn more about Sideline

7. Aircall

Aircall was designed to support call centers and service teams with a cloud-based phone system. As you might imagine, this is less accessible for small to medium-sized businesses and better suited for larger enterprises with 10+ users.

Many of its features are also centered around contact centers:

• Callback queues
• Call whispering
• Ring on speakers

Aircall does offer unlimited SMS, but it doesn’t support MMS messages at all. You won’t be able to send GIFs, images, or other large files to your contacts. Additionally, not all of Aircall’s 100+ integrations are available on the basic plan. You’ll need to pay for the second tier just to access Salesforce — a price point that some small businesses can’t afford.

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 10-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. 

If you choose to be billed monthly rather than annually, you’ll pay:

Essentials

• $30 per user per month
• Three user minimum 
• Comes with IVR, call recording, and click to dial

Professional

• $50 per user per month
• Three user minimum 
• Provides Salesforce integrations, the Power Dialer, and queue callback

Custom

• Custom price for a custom plan
• 10 user minimum 
• Unlocks unlimited worldwide calls and custom analytics

Although the prices above are displayed per user, keep in mind that they are mildly deceptive. In reality, the minimum price you’ll pay per month is dictated by your plan’s minimum number of users. That means the Essentials plan actually costs $120 per month when accounting for its three-user minimum, and the Professional plan costs $210 per month.

The bottom line for Aircall

Aircall is a functional but expensive business phone solution that may sit beyond your small business budget. Although some features can be useful, the lack of MMS support and three user minimum may keep you from maximizing the value of your money. You may want to look for an Aircall alternative that does the job better.

Learn more about Aircall

8. Vonage

Vonage has spent more than 20 years offering phone services to small businesses. However, its legacy solutions leave a lot to be desired — something that becomes very apparent in its standard features:

• Unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada
• Phone number porting
• Customer support

Vonage locks 18 of its tools behind an additional paywall, including mission-critical features like:

• On-demand call recording
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Phone menus

Note that if you’re located outside the US, including EMEA and APAC, some features will be extremely limited or not available at all.

Vonage pricing

There are three pricing plans available from Vonage:

Mobile

• $19.99 per month per line
• Provides the Vonage App Center and unlimited team messaging

Premium

• $29.99 per month per line
• Access CRM integrations, IP desk phone capabilities, and multi-level auto attendants

Advanced

• $39.99 per month per line
• Unlocked on-demand call recording, call groups, and visual voicemail

These prices do not include taxes and fees, so you’ll have to contact the company directly for a full quote.

The bottom line for Vonage

Vonage’s basic plan leaves a lot to be desired. If you want decent features for long-term use, you’ll need to purchase the second tier — which may be too expensive for startups and small brands. And with more than 18 paid add-on services that even include faxing, Vonage’s bloated price tag can exhaust your budget. 

Check out our guide to learn more about the drawbacks of Vonage and the best Vonage alternatives.

Learn more about Vonage

9. Dialpad

Dialpad offers unified communications catered toward enterprise-grade teams and call centers. However, as you can see from this list of basic features, many of their key features are more relevant to contact centers:

• AI-based coaching
• Automated post-call summaries
• Real-time call transcriptions

Dialpad’s features may be enough to get started with, but they aren’t enough to support your small business long-term. You can’t purchase multiple phone numbers for your account unless you upgrade to the Pro plan ($12 more per month than the basic plan), and you won’t be able to access ring groups, CRM integrations, or international texting unless you’re willing to pay for tier two. And since you can’t get 100% uptime unless you’re on the Enterprise plan, you can’t guarantee reliability for your callers and clients.

Dialpad pricing

Dialpad’s pricing plans have three tiers. Billed monthly, you’ll pay:

Standard

• $15 per user per month
• Get unlimited video meetings and web and chat support

Pro

• $25 per user per month (three user minimum)
• Unlocks local number support in 70+ countries, multiple phone numbers per account, and CRM integrations

Enterprise

• Custom price for a custom plan
• Access unlimited office locations, unlimited ring groups, and integrations with Okta and OneLogin

The bottom line for Dialpad

Compared to other Line2 alternatives, Dialpad directs nearly all of its advertising at enterprise-level brands — and the leaner features on its Standard plan confirm it’s more interested in call centers than small businesses. If you’re just breaking into the market or trying to grow your brand, one of Dialpad’s competitors may be a better fit.

Learn more about Dialpad

10. iPlum

iPlum provides a cloud-based phone solution that comes with two choices: 

1. ‘Metered’ plans that provide 200 monthly credits for calls and texts
2. ‘Unlimited’ plans that offer a bit more flexibility

With iPlum, one minute equals one credit and applies to both inbound and outbound calls. Toll-free calls take two credits if they’re inbound and one credit if they’re outbound. It costs one credit to send a text message. 

You may want to opt for an unlimited plan to get around these credit limitations. However, iPlum’s ‘unlimited’ plans aren’t really unlimited. If you look at the company’s privacy policy, you’ll see they only provide up to 2,500 credits (minutes) per month, forcing you to buy more if you exceed the limit. 

iPlum lets you choose between a US, Canadian, or toll-free number for your business. However, you can’t have more than one number on your iPlum account, and you can’t turn it into a shared number to collaborate with the rest of your team. Once you pick a number, it will be the only one you can use.

iPlum’s features include:

• Auto attendant (IVR)
• Auto-replies
• SMS and MMS support
• Unlimited domestic calls

Some of iPlum’s best business features cost extra per month. Voicemail transcriptions and call recordings are $4.99 per month each. Access to REST API is an additional $1.99. Interestingly enough, iPlum also charges $3.99 extra for security and backup features, which has a second tier of ‘enhanced backup’ for another $6.99 per month. Few other service providers charge extra for this peace of mind.

iPlum pricing

iPlum has one of the most competitive price tags in the industry. However, its plans are quite confusing. You can only purchase one US local number, Canadian local number, or toll-free number for your account. You also have to choose between unlimited (2,500 credits per month) or measured (200 credits per month). You’ll always pay monthly for measured plans, but unlimited plans could be paid annually for a discount.

If you’re paying per month, here’s what you can expect to pay:

US

• Unlimited: $11.99 per month per user for 2,500 credits
• Measured: $5.99 per month per user for 200 credits

Canada

• Unlimited: $14.99 per month per user for 2,500 credits
• Measured: $6.99 per month per user for 200 credits

Toll-Free

• Unlimited: $19.99 per month per user for 2,500 credits
• Measured: $9.99 per month per user for 200 credits

The bottom line for iPlum

iPlum may be a cheaper phone solution, but frankly, so are its features. Its price point is offset by paywalled features and per-minute pricing, even when paying for unlimited plans. If you don’t want to pay extra for ‘unlimited’ calls and texts, or if you want security features that don’t require add-on fees, you’ll be better off looking for another platform.

How we determined the best alternatives to Line2

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

• Reliability – Call drops and system downtime can endanger your reputation and directly impact your top line.
• Value for money – What monetary or non-monetary value does the VoIP system generate for the business? Will the system have a positive ROI?
• Budget – It’s never a good idea to choose the cheapest alternative, but budget is still important for all businesses, small or large.
• 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? 
• Ease of use – Steep learning curves can discourage employees from accepting the VoIP system. Is your VoIP phone system easy to use?
• 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 stand-out design. 

Line2 largely replicates the features that your standard cellphone already offers — with the added option of answering calls on your desktop — instead of taking advantage of all the unique features that VoIP enables. 

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

• Unlimited 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 is a pretty bare-bones VoIP service that doesn’t offer many perks outside of what outdated landlines can provide. It’s also not built for business, which could be problematic for your growing brand. And if you’re looking for integrations, Line2 won’t be able to help you at all.

OpenPhone: The best Line2 alternative

Finding a Line2 alternative that offers more features and better value can feel like searching for the end of a rainbow. The good news is, it’s not an impossible feat. Take a look at the comparison chart below to see how OpenPhone compares to Line2 and other competitors — we’re pretty proud of what we have to offer.

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

Emily Liu

Emily is a freelance business and marketing writer based in the desert, though her writing is anything but dry. Her passion is writing compelling, human-friendly content that helps growing businesses perform better.