11 OpenPhone alternatives: Key features & drawbacks

No business is for everyone. Any honest brand will admit it. While we strongly believe OpenPhone is a best-in-class Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service that meets diverse business needs, we also know some OpenPhone alternatives have unique features of their own.

Not sure if OpenPhone is the right fit? We still want to help you find a solution, even if it’s not us in the end. (Wish us luck. 🤞)

Here’s an honest look at what we do best and how OpenPhone alternatives can help if we’re not exactly what you’re looking for.

Is an OpenPhone alternative right for you?

OpenPhone has a ton of unique features that can help you perfect your business communication. But we know we’re far from the only VoIP provider out there — and that some businesses may need features we don’t offer yet. Here are some OpenPhone alternatives that can help you out if you want to expand your search.

4 OpenPhone alternatives for video conferencing

Video calling platforms like Zoom and Skype are now part of our everyday workflows. They’re face-to-face communication solutions that work well for remote teams. If you want video call functionality integrated into your VoIP app, these OpenPhone alternatives will do the trick.

1. Vonage

Vonage offers unlimited video calls on Android, iOS, and desktop with its Premium plan. You can invite up to 100 meeting guests for $29.99 per month per line.

While Vonage doesn’t exactly offer the sleek, modern business phone experience that you can get with OpenPhone, it’s not a bad starting price for a platform that supports text, phone, and video-based communication — at least compared to some OpenPhone alternatives.

Key features

1. Call recording

Vonage has a useful call recording feature that’s available as an add-on. Or, you can get 15 hours of recorded calls per month with Vonage’s Advanced plan ($39.99 per month per line).

• The OpenPhone solution: Gatekeeping call recording isn’t our style. Keep in mind when comparing Vonage vs OpenPhone, this feature comes standard with all OpenPhone plans.

2. Integrations

In addition to video conferencing, Vonage’s Premium plan unlocks integrations with business tools like Zendesk, HubSpot, and Office 365.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone integrates with the business tools that small businesses need most: email, Slack, Zapier, and HubSpot CRM (coming soon). We’re also constantly developing new features. Stay tuned!

Vonage drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. No MMS

A picture can be worth 1,000 words. You, your clients, and team can’t send each other pictures and GIFs if you use Vonage. 

Come on over to OpenPhone for all the MMS features you’ll ever need:

• Picture text messaging
• Group texts
• The ability to bond over memes

2. Hefty hidden fees

Vonage’s pricing isn’t fully transparent. While you’ll get a fairly good deal for video, you’ll need to pay a lot of add-on fees for more basic needs like outbound phone calls, call recording, voicemail transcripts, and more.

No hidden fees here at OpenPhone. You can learn all about OpenPhone’s affordable pricing before you even reach out, so you’re never caught by surprise.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral offers even more video conferencing capabilities than Vonage. Though its cheapest plan doesn’t support video and it’s pretty pricey, you can still choose from these three plans that include video meetings:

• Standard: Starts at $27.99 per user per month, including video calls for up to 100 participants (for teams with 2-99 users)
• Premium: Starts at $34.99 per user per month, including video calls for up to 200 participants (for teams with 2-99 users)
• Ultimate: Starts at $49.99 per user per month, with no difference from Premium video features (for teams with 2-99 users)

Your video calls can even last up to 24 hours.

Key features

1. Analytics

RingCentral provides real-time analytics, including plenty of business-relevant data, with its Premium and Ultimate plans. You can use this data to help your business perform better.

• The OpenPhone solution: Analytics are available on OpenPhone with much more affordable (and still feature-rich) plans. Get access to analytics and reporting for nearly $13 less per user per month!

2. Visual voicemail

Want to read your voicemails instead of listening to them? All RingCentral plans offer voicemail transcripts that can be sent to you via text or email.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone also offers voicemail-to-text and voicemail-to-email with every pricing plan. An added bonus: You can get your transcripts via Slack, too!

RingCentral drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Clunky user experience

Can we all agree the early 2000s was the worst fashion decade? 💃 Clunky interfaces are as out as skirts with Uggs. One of the biggest drawbacks of RingCentral as a phone solution is the user experience. One G2 reviewer explains that RingCentral has “a confusing interface for adding new phones and users. It is overly complicated.”

OpenPhone offers a modern user interface that your team will love. 

2. Customer support issues

RingCentral boasts 24/7 support, but their turnaround on tickets can feel like no one’s really there at all. According to one G2 reviewer, “Whenever there is an outage, customer service response is slow or non-existent.”

OpenPhone offers highly responsive customer support via email. You can also text us inside the OpenPhone app if you have questions.

3. No solopreneur-friendly pricing

Whether you’re freelancing or launching your own startup, your team of one still needs reliable ways to communicate. But to use RingCentral, solopreneurs need to pay a higher cost per month ($39.99).

OpenPhone supports teams by keeping it simple. Our price for each user is the same, no matter the size of your company. 

3. Dialpad

Dialpad is a business communication system that offers video conferencing and business phone capabilities. Uniquely, you can make unlimited video calls for free — each call can be up to 45 minutes with up to 10 participants. With a Business plan ($15 per user per month), you can host up to 150 participants for up to five hours.

Key features

1. Call controls

Dialpad highlights its ability to transfer, hold, and mute calls with all plans. Plus, you can set up custom off-hours routing.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone offers all of these features to help you best manage your calls. Plus, when you set your business hours, you can create a custom away message, so your callers are never left confused.

2. Auto-attendant

Dialpad lets you set up a virtual receptionist with all plans, so your callers can route themselves in the right direction without the help of a secretary.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone also offers auto-attendant capabilities with all plans — only our pricing starts at just $13 per user per month.

Dialpad drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Expensive toll-free numbers

Beyond having separate pricing plans for phone and video features, Dialpad also charges $15-$17 per month for toll-free numbers. 

With OpenPhone, on the other hand, you can get toll-free numbers included in your plan.

2. Integrations locked away

Dialpad has a number of unique integrations, but even basic ones like Slack and Zapier are locked behind upgrades. You’ll only get G Suite or Office 365 (what are the odds you’re using both?) with a basic plan. 

OpenPhone sets you up for success with Slack, Zapier, and email (including Gmail) integrations with all plans.

3. Incohesive pricing system

Dialpad’s pricing isn’t unified like its platform. Whether you need more than one phone number or the option to text internally, it requires you to upgrade to their Pro plan to access these phone features, starting at $25 per user per month.

OpenPhone offers three simple pricing tiers to ensure you’re not paying twice for the essentials.

4. GoTo Connect

Formerly known as Jive, GoTo Connect is a slightly more affordable option for video conferencing. Even its most basic plan comes with video — and its highest-tier plan even offers real-time video call quality reports.

Key features

1. Shared line appearance

GoTo Connect lets you make and answer calls from other extensions. You can help your coworkers field calls and create a better customer experience.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone lets your team members share phone numbers, with no extensions needed. You can see in the app whenever your team members are on a call or even typing text messages.

2. Hot desking

GoTo Connect highlights its hot desking feature, which basically means you can log into any device and start managing calls.

• The OpenPhone solution: This is a basic VoIP feature — of course we support this!

GoTo Connect drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. No Zapier integration

No Zapier means no easy automations. OpenPhone can hook up with Zapier so you can automate repetitive tasks in your workflow. 

2. Costly call recording

Unlike GoTo Connect, which requires plans of at least $29 per user per month to access call recording, OpenPhone includes call recording with every plan.

3. Limited video and phone features

Compared to other VoIP providers that offer video, GoTo Connect is geared toward audio conferencing, since it severely limits webcam usage.

GoTo Connect plans look like this:

• Basic: $24 per user per month for 40-minute meetings with four participants and four webcams
• Standard: $29 per user per month for unlimited meetings with 150 participants and 25 webcams

But if you’re using GoTo Connect as an audio and phone service, you’ll find must-have features like call recording and call analytics locked behind its more expensive plans.

Instead of trying to be a Jack-of-all-trades, OpenPhone has mastered one: being the best modern business phone possible.

2 OpenPhone alternatives that support desk phones

Desk phones aren’t exactly modern or convenient. Now that business phone apps like OpenPhone are capable of connecting remote teams and replacing entire call centers, companies are shifting away from clunky desk phones. 

But we know the desk phone can still be a helpful tool for some businesses. For example, while OpenPhone is extremely simple to set up and use, employees who aren’t tech savvy may be more comfortable with desk phones than phone apps. These VoIP phone systems allow you to connect digital and desk phone users together.

1. Ooma

Ooma is an OpenPhone alternative that sells its own line of VoIP phones, including some wireless ones. The company even offers instant product recommendations on its website, so you can find the best fit (and best deal) for you without getting on a sales call

Key features

1. Included toll-free number

Ooma plans give you access to one free toll-free number per account. You can also add 19 more toll-free numbers for $9.95 per month each.

• The OpenPhone solution: For each user you have, you can get one toll-free or local number. If you want more numbers than that, you just need to pay $5 extra per month each.

2. Voicemail transcriptions

Ooma offers voicemail transcriptions with an upgrade to its higher-tier plan. Voicemails are automatically forwarded to you via email.

• The OpenPhone solution: Voicemails are automatically forwarded to you via text, even with a standard plan. You’re using a business phone app, after all — we’ll get you your transcriptions where you’re already looking (but we also offer voicemail-to-email and Slack).

Ooma drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Required upgrade for desktop app

When you’re working on your computer all day, a desktop app can be the most convenient tool. But with Ooma, you can only manage calls using a mobile app with its starting plan ($19.95 per user per month). In order to access a desktop app, you need to upgrade to Ooma Office Pro, which costs $24.95 per user per month. Ooma doesn’t support browser-based calls or shared phone numbers.

OpenPhone offers Android, iOS, desktop, and web apps to all users, so you can simply log in to whatever device is most convenient.

2. Limited upgrades

Ooma only has one plan above its most basic, which only has six additional features. If you need more, there’s not much you can do. With OpenPhone, you can reach out to us for a custom Enterprise plan with the features you need. 🙌

3. Expensive desk phones

If you are looking to use desk phones, keep in mind that most of Ooma’s desk phone products will cost $100 each on top of the VoIP plan. Meanwhile, OpenPhone’s feature-rich phone app can just be downloaded onto employees’ existing cellphones or computers. 📱

2. Nextiva

Nextiva desk phones are available at a similar price point to Ooma’s. The company offers call conferencing hardware, too.

Key features

1. Integrations

Nextiva offers Outlook and Google Contacts integrations with its basic plan, or you can upgrade for integrations like HubSpot, Zendesk, Oracle Sales Cloud, and more.

• The OpenPhone solution: You won’t have to pay the price for enterprise-level solutions. Instead of catering to large-scale businesses like Nextiva, which integrates with costlier services like Outlook and Oracle, OpenPhone offers key Gmail, Slack, and Zapier integrations.

2. Voicemail-to-email

Nextiva highlights that it offers voicemail-to-email with its lowest-tier plan, which means you’ll get an audio recording straight to your inbox.

• The OpenPhone solution: Why not an audio recording and a transcript? Unlike Nextiva, which requires you to pay over $37.95 per month to access transcriptions, we’ve got you right off the bat.

Nextiva drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Pricing that’s not small business-friendly

If you have a team of 20 or more, Nextiva plans may seem affordable. For this team size, plans start at $18.95 per user per month (when paying annually) or $25.95 per user per month (when paying monthly). And each plan comes with unlimited video calling.

But Nextiva actually charges small businesses more. If you have under 20 employees, you’ll have to pay $21.95–$30.95 per month per user.

OpenPhone is much less confusing when it comes to pricing plans. Our pricing plans are not only affordable for small teams (starting at $13 per user per month), but you definitely won’t pay more just because you have fewer people.

2. Unlimited SMS not standard

Texting is a pretty basic business communication tool these days that customers love, but Nextiva doesn’t offer SMS with its standard plan. OpenPhone offers unlimited SMS and MMS in the US and Canada with zero upgrades needed.

3 OpenPhone alternatives with different pricing structures

OpenPhone offers three affordable pricing tiers that allow you to unlock features as you need them. But we know this pricing structure doesn’t work for every team. If you’re looking to get every phone feature included with your service or for a longer trial period, here are some options for you.

1. Telzio

Telzio is a mobile and web app that includes all its features with every plan — and you can add unlimited users to it without paying more.

Key features

1. Unlimited in-house support

Telzio offers support via email, phone, and website chat during business hours. These channels are also accessible by the general public.

• The OpenPhone solution: We’ve got your back on email and inside the OpenPhone app. Let us know how we can help. 

2. User permissions

Telzio allows you to customize users’ permissions based on their job. You can add or remove users’ access to select features.

• The OpenPhone solution: On OpenPhone, admins and owners can add or remove users from select phone numbers at any time without losing access to key features like call recording.

Telzio drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Expensive plans

Telzio’s pricing plans are built for a very specific group of people who want a ton of phone features, but don’t make many calls or send many texts each month. The starting price for this business phone system is $50 per month for no SMS and just 1,000 minutes.

OpenPhone is a feature-rich platform that offers unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada, so you don’t have to worry about counting your minutes.

2. No desktop app

Anyone else’s browser have way too many tabs? Unlike Telzio, OpenPhone offers a desktop app in addition to web and mobile apps to help you close at least one.

2. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a well-known VoIP app for small businesses. It includes all its features standard with every plan. And unlike Telzio, it doesn’t require you to track your minutes or SMS volume. Instead, Grasshopper’s cost is based on how many phone numbers and extensions you want:

• $28 per month for one phone number and three extensions (for one user)
• $46 per month for three phone numbers and six extensions (recommended for 1-3 users)
• $80 per month for five phone numbers and unlimited extensions 

Key features

1. Instant response

Busy? Grasshopper lets you send an automatic text to new callers only, so they’re not left totally hanging. However, your admin must approve setting that up before anyone on your team can use auto-replies.

• The OpenPhone solution: With OpenPhone, you can use SMS automations in far more ways than one. Set up auto-replies or even automate SMS with our Zapier integration!

2. Free porting

If you have an existing US or Canadian phone number you want to use, or a toll-free number, Grasshopper supports free porting, so you don’t have to tell all your contacts about your number change.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone offers free porting for local US or Canadian and toll-free numbers, too — and switching over is a breeze. Just create an OpenPhone account and submit a request to port your number in the OpenPhone app. We’ll do the rest.

Grasshopper drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. Call recordings

Comparing Grasshopper vs OpenPhone, one of the biggest features Grasshopper doesn’t provide is call recording.  

Using OpenPhone, you can even set up auto-recording for all your calls.

2. Pricey additional numbers

Grasshopper doesn’t offer a lot of phone numbers, so if you have a growing team, you’ll end up having to pay for more at a rate of $10 per month. OpenPhone grows with you. Every new user can get their own number free — and any additional are just $5 per month.

3. No web app

Sometimes, your browser is the most convenient place to manage calls, but Grasshopper doesn’t offer that option. Meanwhile, OpenPhone offers a web app in addition to desktop and mobile apps.

3. Line2

Line2 is an OpenPhone alternative that offers monthly plans starting at $15.99 per month.

But the reason why there’s no per user per month pricing may disappoint you: Line2 isn’t built for teams.

Key features

1. Money-back guarantee

Line2 advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get started worry-free.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone offers a free trial instead. We want you to experience the platform and get to know us before we ask for a payment.

2. Call scheduler

When you’re out of the office, you can have your calls forward to another number with an upgrade.

• The OpenPhone solution: Call forwarding is also available on OpenPhone with all our plans, so you never have to miss a sales opportunity. Alternatively, you can also have your calls go to voicemail after hours. Or, simply have other users who are sharing your phone number take the lead — no extra setup required.

Line2 drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. No team support

Line2 isn’t really built for teams or growing teams. Despite offering multiple lines, you’ll be the one fielding all those calls. 

OpenPhone allows you to share phone numbers with anyone you add to your plan.

2. Multiple lines on mobile only

Line2 lets you use up to five lines on its mobile app.

OpenPhone lets users access all their phone numbers from mobile, desktop, and web.

3. Get the business phone features you need

Line2 has pivoted away from serving businesses. With OpenPhone, our platform is designed to help growing companies easily their phone communication.

2 OpenPhone alternatives for international businesses

We know not every business is located in the US or Canada. And even if you are, your customer base may be in a totally different country. You may want to get local business phone numbers in your clients’ countries to build trust, or you may want to find a service that offers totally free international calls. Here are two OpenPhone alternatives that may be able to help.

1. Aircall

Aircall is one of the very few VoIP services to offer unlimited international calls. But rates aren’t super transparent. You’ll need to contact the company to get rates for the top-tier plan that includes this feature. What you can expect is for this plan to be pretty pricey — upward of $50 per user per month when billed annually. Aircall doesn’t have transparent monthly rates either.

Unless you’re making a massive number of international calls every month, you’re probably better off opting for OpenPhone’s affordable monthly plans and international rates.

Key features

1. Shared call inbox

Aircall lets you collaborate on calls and see a complete history of everyone’s calls for complete transparency.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone allows you to collaborate on calls too, and takes transparency up a notch. You can see exactly when your team members are on calls (or texting), so you never accidentally reach out twice.

2. Call commenting

To help with call collaboration, Aircall also allows you to comment on prior conversations or voicemails, so team members can follow up.

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone offers team messaging, so instead of just being able to collaborate on calls, you can collaborate on other important projects, too. You can also comment on any message or call recording in OpenPhone to collaborate in context.

Aircall drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. No native SMS or MMS

SMS and MMS are essential tools nowadays, thanks to the popularity of text. However, Aircall doesn’t offer SMS or MMS with any plan. To send and receive texts, you need to pay for and integrate with third-party tools (the cheapest option starting at $16 per month).

OpenPhone offers unlimited SMS and MMS in the US and Canada, standard with every plan.

2. Minimum users

Aircall requires a three-user minimum for its two most affordable plans. For its top-tier plan, there’s no transparency about user minimums. But if you’re a team of one or two, paying for nonexistent people isn’t fun.

OpenPhone is solopreneur-friendly. Just add or remove users as you need to — no pressure!

2. Freshcaller

If you’re in need of local numbers all around the world, Freshcaller can provide them in over 90 countries. You’ll be able to present yourself as a local business to build trust and stronger business relationships, no matter where you are.

Key features

1. Call recording

Call recording is available with Freshcaller’s basic paid plan (with extra charges).

• The OpenPhone solution: OpenPhone offers call recording with all plans, included at no extra cost.

2. Advanced call metrics

You can get basic call metrics with any plan, or you can upgrade to Freshcaller’s Estate plan ($45 per user per month) to access advanced metrics.

• The OpenPhone solution: Access complete analytics capabilities for just $25 per user per month. No need to pay extra just for one feature you need.

Freshcaller drawbacks that OpenPhone solves

1. No unlimited calls

Freshcaller’s biggest downside is its pricing model. No matter what plan you have, you can expect to pay per minute for every phone call. Some plans do include 1,000-5,000 calls per month (for $19-$99 per user per month), but if you’re managing calls from multiple lines per day, this won’t last you long.

There’s no counting down your minutes with OpenPhone. Every plan comes with unlimited calls in the US and Canada, and you can make international calls at affordable rates, too.

2. Poor customer service

Freshcaller has a reputation for poor customer service, according to online reviews like this one:

“I had tickets open for weeks without anyone ever attending to them. It is also not possible to get anybody on the phone.” (Review from G2)

Meanwhile, our team won’t leave you hanging for weeks at a time. Hear about OpenPhone’s reliable service from our customers:

“Excellent customer support with no 45 minute waits to speak to a representative.” (Review from G2)

“For anyone thinking of switching to OpenPhone, just know this is a stress free product. Any problems you run into will be efficiently handled by their exceptional customer service team.” (Review from G2)

Why choose OpenPhone?

OpenPhone is a feature-rich VoIP phone service that offers mobile apps, desktop apps, and a web app — all included with every plan. No matter what device you’re on, you can jump on our convenient business phone system to keep clients happy and stay in the loop with your team.

Here are some of our clients’ favorite OpenPhone features.

Shared phone numbers

When you want to create the best customer experience possible, it makes sense to have a central phone number for your business or specific teams (like sales or customer service). However, some VoIP services limit each phone number to one user.

OpenPhone not only allows you to share phone numbers but also allows you to see when your team members are typing text messages or on a call. This allows you to build a remote call center and collaborate better on client communication.

For phone numbers you don’t want to share, you can still set up call forwarding or routing when you’re away.

Integrations and automation

OpenPhone offers integrations with essential business tools like email, Slack, and HubSpot. You can even automate your text messages by connecting with Zapier. 🙌 Plus, you can set up auto-replies and instantly receive voicemail transcriptions as texts.

Unlimited calls and texts

No matter what plan you have, OpenPhone offers unlimited calling and text messaging (SMS and MMS) in Canada and the United States. You can easily work with clients and team members in both countries — and you can even get local numbers for more legitimacy. Toll-free numbers are also supported.

Need to communicate with stakeholders even further abroad? OpenPhone also supports international calls at affordable rates.

Call recording

Many VoIP providers offer call recording as a premium feature, but call recording comes standard with every OpenPhone plan. You can start recording your business calls to improve your service quality, train team members, and even resolve disputes.

Startup-friendly pricing

When you’re running a startup or small business, your budget is far from unlimited. Many VoIP subscriptions can make it feel like your revenue is flying away. 💸 But OpenPhone offers some of the most affordable rates in the industry, with plans starting at just $13 per user per month — no hidden fees.

Customer support

Our customer support team is always ready to help via email or SMS. If you need help with porting your phone number, setting up auto-attendant (IVR), and more, we have your back.

Our team also welcomes and actively adapts based on feedback. So if you’d love to use OpenPhone instead of the alternatives but really need an extra feature before you make the switch, feel free to suggest it! We’re constantly developing new features with our clients and potential clients in mind.

Is an OpenPhone alternative right for you?

Few VoIP services on the market offer starting prices that are close to OpenPhone’s. And at competitors’ higher rates, you won’t always get more features. But no two businesses have the same needs. If you’re looking for features like video conferencing, desk phone support, or more local number options, OpenPhone alternatives may be better suited to you.

But if those features aren’t your non-negotiable priorities, we invite you to start a free trial of OpenPhone to see if it’s the right fit. Experience our sleek interface, integrations, shared phone number experience, and more for yourself.

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.