Spectrum started as a cable TV provider, so it’s no surprise their phone system still feels a little … well, retro. It might look like a modern solution if you’re coming from outdated telecom services, until you realize you’re paying business prices for home-phone features.
If you’re worried that the service isn’t enough for your business needs, we rounded up the top eight Spectrum Business Phone alternatives for you to pick from. We also explain why small businesses make the switch from Spectrum in the first place. That way, you can avoid the same issues and find a phone system that fits your business needs.
Comparing the best Spectrum Business Phone alternatives
How do the best Spectrum Business Phone alternatives stack up?
Check out the following comparison table to compare features and pricing across all eight platforms:
| Provider | Starting price | Unlimited calling in US & Canada | SMS/MMS to US & Canada | Shared phone numbers | Additional phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Business Phone | $50 per user per month | ✔️ | ❌ | Ring groups only | Cost varies |
| OpenPhone | $15 per user per month | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | $5 per number per month |
| RingCentral | $20 per user per month | Limited toll-free minutes | 25 messages per user per month | Calls only | $4.99 per number per month |
| Nextiva | $30 per user per month | ✔️ | 100 SMS per user per month | Shared call appearance only | Undisclosed fee |
| Ooma | $19.95 per user per month | ✔️ | Requires upgrade | ✔️ | Starts at $9.95 per number per month |
| Vonage | $13.99 per user per month | ✔️ | Local US and Canadian numbers only | Shared call appearance only | Starts at $4.99 per number per month |
| Ultatel | $18 per user per month | ✔️ | 250 messages per user per month | ❌ | Undisclosed fee |
| Phone.com | $15 per user per month | Limited area codes in Canada | Requires upgrade | ❌ | $4.99 per month per device |
| net2phone | $27.99 per user per month | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | Undisclosed fee |
Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of each softphone provider.
1. Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Best Spectrum Business Phone alternative for small and growing businesses
Quo is a virtual phone provider that helps fast-growing businesses build better customer relationships. All you need is your cell phone or computer, the Quo app, and a WiFi connection to start making and receiving calls and texts. You also get reliable call quality that’s built for business.
Getting started with Quo is simple and easy. First, sign up for an Quo account, usually in 15 minutes or less. Then, purchase (or port in an existing US, Canadian, or North American toll-free number) as many local or toll-free numbers as you need. You can even turn your numbers into shared phone numbers, which lets everyone on your team call and text from the same number.
So what happens when all your team members can’t answer the phone? You can set up Sona, Quo’s AI agent, to take messages, answer FAQs, and more. Sona even labels calls as “Handled by Sona” in call views so you can quickly track customer conversations and prioritize callbacks.
Speaking of keeping communication organized, call views lets you sort incoming and outgoing calls. You can filter open, missed, and unresponded calls to keep conversations from falling by the wayside. Plus, Quo’s AI call tags automatically label calls with phrases like “billing issue”. That way, your team doesn’t have to sift through hours of recordings just to find the ones that need follow-up.
You can also use Quo to save more time by automating tasks. That way, your team can focus on the front office interactions that need a human. Here are a few ways Quo can take repetitive work off your plate:
- Connect with tools like Slack, Zapier, and Make to speed up your workflows. It helps with tasks like automatically sending a text message after someone fills out a form on your website.
- Set up texting automations like scheduled messages, saved snippets, and auto-replies so you can answer customers faster without needing to manually type messages.
See why 60,000+ businesses trust Quo’s communication systems by signing up for a seven-day free trial.
Key features of Quo
- Free calling and texting in the US and Canada
- Compatible with devices you already own (phones, computers, tablets)
- 7,000+ integrations via Zapier and Make
- AI call tagging
- Turn any number into a shared phone number
Quo pricing
You can choose from one of three Quo pricing plans:
- Starter: $15 per user per month for business hours, voicemail transcripts, scheduled messages, manual call recording, auto-replies, and more
- Business: $23 per user per month for call transfers, AI call summaries and transcripts, phone menus (IVR), and more
- Scale: $35 per user per month for dedicated onboarding, AI call tags, and priority customer support
2. RingCentral: Best alternative for desk phone rentals
RingCentral was established in 1999 as a “modern” phone system that allowed small businesses to make and receive calls over the internet. Today, it serves larger call centers with communication tools like calling, texting, and video meetings in both mobile and desktop apps.
You can also rent landline phones on any RingCentral plan (just like Spectrum), then enable call monitoring and handling features to keep an eye on your team. For example, you might use RingCentral’s call whispering feature to provide guidance on live calls to train team members.
But you should know RingCentral comes with built-in limitations that make it difficult to scale as your business grows. Case in point: you only get 25 texts per user per month and 100 pooled toll-free minutes per month on the base plan ($20 per user per month). The only way to get more is to upgrade — and even then, don’t expect “unlimited” anything.
You also need to worry about RingCentral’s storage limitations. For example, you can only keep 200 on-demand call recordings and 5,000 text messages per user. The only way to get “unlimited” storage volume is to pay for the most expensive plan. Even then, you’re still subject to time-based data retention. This means you’ll only be able to store your call recordings for up to 90 days before they’re all deleted.
RingCentral pricing
There are three different levels of RingCentral pricing:
- Core: $20 per user per month for unlimited calling (domestic), limited storage, 25 texts per user per month, on-demand call recording, and 100 pooled toll-free minutes
- Advanced: $25 per user per month for automatic call recording, CRM integrations (like Salesforce and Zendesk), 100 texts per user per month, and 1,000 pooled toll-free minutes
- Ultra: $35 per user per month for “unlimited” storage, 200 texts per user per month, and 10,000 pooled toll-free minutes
3. Nextiva: The best for teams that use Microsoft products
Nextiva is a customer experience platform that lets you manage interactions across calls, texts, and video. It’s ideal for contact centers that rely on omnichannel communications — since you’ll be able to route conversations from WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more into one inbox.
You can also integrate Nextiva with Microsoft Teams, which is available on the Engage plan for $40 per user per month.
On Nextiva’s base plan, you’ll only get access to 100 SMS per user per month. This isn’t usually enough for growing brands. And if you want to make calls from a toll-free number, you’ll need to pay extra for an add-on or upgrade to the Engage plan.
You can’t even access Salesforce or HubSpot integrations without paying for an add-on — and Nextiva doesn’t publicly list the cost. With other Spectrum Business Phone alternatives, these usually come included with upgraded plans.
Nextiva pricing
Nextiva’s pricing is separated into three plans:
- Core: $30 per user per month for inbound and outbound voice calls, business SMS, video meetings, file sharing, and call routing
- Engage: $40 per user per month for a toll-free number and minutes, customer-to-team SMS Messaging, advanced reporting, a Microsoft Teams integration, and webchats (live and bots)
- Power Suite: $60 per user per month for priority and skills-based routing, supervisor dashboards, and a unified team interface
If you need more features than this, you can upgrade to Enterprise plans, which range between $129 and $199 per user per month.
4. Ooma: Best for unlimited calling in Mexico and Puerto Rico
Ooma is a legacy VoIP phone provider that offers unlimited calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. You’ll also get more than 50 features on the base plan, including simultaneous ring and virtual receptionists.
Similar to Spectrum Business Phone, Ooma Office was designed for more on-premises businesses (i.e., the traditional cubicle). There’s analog fax machine support, which is handy if your company still relies on faxing.
But compared to more modern business phone systems, Ooma Office’s features are a little, well, dated. Many of its best features require multiple upgrades or don’t offer much bandwidth.
For example, there’s no support for business texting unless you upgrade to the Pro plan, which costs $24.95 per user per month. But even if you do upgrade, you’re limited to just 250 messages per user per month. The most expensive plan offers 1,000 messages per user per month. There’s no access to unlimited messages like with other Spectrum Business Phone alternatives.
But the most frustrating limitation is Ooma’s desktop app. Sure, you can access it on the base plan, but you can’t make any calls from your computer unless you upgrade to the second tier.
Ooma pricing
Ooma’s pricing comes in three different flavors:
- Essentials: $19.95 per user per month for unlimited calls in the US, Canada, and Mexico, support for overhead paging, and access to the mobile app
- Pro: $24.95 per user per month for access to Ooma’s desktop app with calling, call recording, video conferencing, voicemail transcriptions, and 250 business texts per month
- Pro Plus: $29.95 per user per month for call queuing, hot desking, team chat, and 1,000 business texts per month
5. Vonage: Best for video conferencing
Vonage Business is a well-known business VoIP provider that offers unlimited domestic calling. You’ll also get access to video conferencing with up to 250 people if you upgrade to the Premium plan.
Vonage lets you send SMS and MMS on its base plan. Plus, you can use APIs to customize your business communications. For example, the Vonage Video API allows you to create video broadcasts for up to 15,000 participants.
But you can also connect Vonage to traditional office landline systems. It supports SIP trunking (Session Initiation Protocol). This technology lets you keep your analog phones but make calls and texts using an internet connection.
That said, you should know you can’t tap into many of Vonage’s features without paying extra or upgrading your plan. For example:
- The VBC Admin Portal requires the Premium plan
- Team collaboration features like ring groups are only available on the highest tier plan
- You can’t access on-demand call recordings without paying for the most expensive plan
Vonage pricing
You can choose from three Vonage pricing plans. The cost of its plans depends on the number of team members you sign up. Here’s what you can expect to pay for four reps:
- Mobile: $13.99 per user per month for unlimited domestic calling, voicemail, SMS and MMS, and access to the desktop and mobile apps
- Premium: $20.99 per user per month for unlimited video meetings, team messaging, third-party integrations, and VoIP desk phone support
- Advanced: $27.99 per user per month for visual voicemail with transcriptions, call groups, and 15 hours of on-demand call recording
6. Ultatel: Best for sending SMS surveys
Ultatel is a cloud-based communications solution that provides unlimited domestic calling in the US and Canada. One of its biggest claims to fame is SMS surveys, which let you gather feedback from customers. You’ll be able to create surveys using pre-made templates, share them through short links in SMS texts, and see how your customers respond with Ultatel’s analytics. Just keep in mind these SMS survey features don’t come cheap — you’ll have to pay for an add-on to unlock them. You’ll also need to contact its sales team for a quote, since Ultatel doesn’t list their pricing publicly.
That said, Ultatel’s base plan is fairly robust. You’ll have access to ring groups and auto-attendants, plus video calls. But as your business starts to grow and you need more features from your phone system, you might find yourself paying extra just to bridge the gap.
One example of this is with CRM integrations like Salesforce. You’ll have to upgrade to the highest plan, costing $34 per user per month. Want to record customer calls? You’ll need to upgrade to the Premium plan. And keep in mind calls on toll-free numbers require an extra $0.03 per minute.
Ultatel might be cheaper than Spectrum Business Phone, but it’s certainly not the most cost-effective system on the market. Considering other business voice services charge as little as $15 per user per month, it might be more than double the cost for features you can get for less.
Ultatel pricing
Ultatel requires an annual contract for the cheapest possible prices. These include:
- Essential: $18 per user per month for unlimited calling in the US and Canada, 250 text messages per user per month, team messaging, basic internet fax, and ring groups
- Premium: $24 per user per month for CRM integrations, call queues, automatic call recording, 500 text messages per user per month, and AI call summaries
- Ultimate: $34 per user per month for priority support, real-time analytics, 1,000 text messages per user per month, and AI coaching and quality assurance tools
7. Phone.com: The best choice for HIPAA compliance
Phone.com is a HIPAA-compliant phone service that lets you make secure video and voice calls with patients, team members, and families. You’ll have access to everything you might expect from a legacy phone system (think mobile and web apps, hold music, and IP desk phone compatibility), plus the ability to upgrade to Phone.com’s cellular network.
But Phone.com is a legacy platform — and it shows. Look closer at its “newer” features, and you’ll see most of them are locked behind a more expensive plan.
For example, there’s no way to send outbound texts on the base plan. Also, call recording is only available if you buy an $8 per user per month paid add-on or you upgrade to the Pro plan. You can’t even access call analytics without upgrading team members to the highest tier, which is more than double the base plan at $33.33 per user per month.
TL;DR: Phone.com offers a few more features than Spectrum Business Phone, like business texting and call recording. But compared to other VoIP service providers that offer all these features on their base plan, it might be a clunky and not-so-cost-effective way to get a better phone system for your team.
Phone.com pricing
You can mix and match team members on the following Phone.com plans:
- Basic: $15 per user per month for unlimited minutes, one phone number per account, IVR, video conferencing, and access to the mobile and web apps
- Plus: $22.50 per user per month for one phone number per user, IP desk phone support, voicemail transcriptions, and enterprise business texting
- Pro: $33.33 per user per month for call recording, CRM integrations, call analytics, and 10-year data retention
You can also add ProSIM to your Phone.com service for an extra $10 per month. This add-on lets you have access to the platform’s cellular network.
8. net2phone Canada: Best for desk phone rentals
net2phone is a Canadian business communication platform designed for small and mid-sized businesses. Like other Spectrum Business Phone alternatives, it offers unlimited nationwide calling. It also supports desk phones.
Don’t already have a desk phone? You can get one through net2Phone, but it’ll cost extra. Poly or Yealink devices are only available as paid add-ons, and net2Phone doesn’t list their prices on its site.
Upgrading for more is a bit “par for the course” with net2phone since most of its best features are locked behind more expensive pricing plans. For example:
- net2phone’s Zapier integration is only available if you upgrade to the Professional plan, which costs $34.99 per user per month.
- You can’t get unlimited calling minutes to international countries on the base plan, so you may not want to sign up or port in unless you upgrade to Professional.
- Call summaries and call transcripts require paid add-ons, although the exact number isn’t listed on the pricing page.
net2phone pricing
The cost of net2phone depends on your team’s size. Smaller teams pay more per user per month, which can get expensive fast for startups and small businesses.
Here’s what you’ll pay for a team of one to nine users:
- Essentials: $27.99 per user per month for unlimited calls in Mexico, Canada, and the US, call recording, texting support, and basic integrations with Google Calendar and Contacts
- Professional: $34.99 per user per month for group messaging, extension mirroring, AI call summaries and transcripts, international calling in 40+ countries, and integrations with Zoho, Slack, and Zapier
- Ultimate: Custom pricing for advanced analytics and reporting, and integrations with Salesforce and Microsoft Teams
Why businesses move to Spectrum Business Phone alternatives
Spectrum Business Phone (not to be confused with SpectrumVoIP) is a business VoIP package offered by Spectrum.
Each plan provides access to basic phone services. You’ll get access to features like call transfers to team members and voicemail inboxes for missed calls, plus unlimited phone calls in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. If you have customers overseas, you’ll also have 2,000 long-distance minutes to Mexico.
Spectrum Business Phone might appeal to some businesses looking to upgrade from traditional PBX systems. But compared to modern VoIP platforms, it’s fairly bare bones, expensive, and difficult to scale.
See for yourself:
No shared numbers for texting
Spectrum Business Phone can help you set up sequential and simultaneous ring. However, it doesn’t allow team members to share phone numbers for texting. This limits how your team can work together when solving customer problems.
This is more complicated compared to modern business phone systems like Quo. The platform lets everyone on your team share the same number to manage outgoing and incoming calls and texts.
No texting support
Need to send messages to colleagues and clients? This isn’t possible with Spectrum Business Phone. There’s no way to send SMS or MMS at all.
This means:
- You can’t keep in touch with pre-existing customers via text if you port your number to Spectrum.
- You can’t send things like photos, videos, or documents — so forget about sharing product demos, event flyers, or visual support with customers.
No mobile or desktop apps
Unlike many other business phone services, Spectrum doesn’t offer any desktop or mobile apps on its Phone plan. This means you can’t make or manage calls unless you’re physically at your desk, which isn’t ideal for modern employees who need to work outside the office.
Phone menu requires a paid add-on
Spectrum Business Phone includes one phone menu for free. If your team needs more than that, you’ll need to pay $15 per month for each additional one.
This can get expensive if you need different call menus for multiple departments or reps. Costs add up even more if you want menus to change before or after business hours.
Toll-free minutes cost extra
Spectrum Business Phone doesn’t include toll-free numbers with its phone plan. If you want one, you’ll need to pay $2 per number per month, plus $0.04 for every minute used.
This can get pricey fast if your team handles a high volume of incoming calls or supports multiple toll-free numbers.
Spectrum Business Phone pricing
Spectrum Business Phone costs $50.00 per user per month. It includes unlimited local and long-distance calling, call waiting, anonymous call rejection, voicemail, call logs, and call hold.
You’ll also need to budget for add-ons:
- Directory Listing: $5.00 per month per listing to publish extra numbers
- Phone menu: $15.00 per month
- Remote Number Forwarding: $15.00 per month to forward calls to a different number
- Seasonal Suspension: $10.00 per month to pause service while keeping your number
- Toll-Free Usage: $0.04 per minute
Quo: The best Spectrum Internet Phone alternative
If you’re thinking about migrating from a legacy business phone system, a platform like Spectrum Business Phone might seem like an upgrade. But the truth is there are business phone systems offering a much better bang for your buck — including a VoIP system like Quo.
Quo can help you call and text customers from a shared phone number managed by everyone on your team. You can download our mobile, desktop, or web app to take work with you on the go while still having access to high voice quality. Then, tap into dozens of built-in AI features without needing to pay extra for pricey hardware or an internet bundle. You’ll also be able to buy as many toll-free and local numbers as your business needs.
See what makes Quo the best Spectrum Business Phone alternative by signing up today for a seven-day free trial.
