The best alternative to Google Voice is the Zoom Metered plan, which boasts an impressive feature catalog and low price tag. With plans starting from $10 per month, Zoom Metered is the same price as Google Voice – however, you won’t be required to get the mandatory additional $7-per-month Workspace subscription.
While Google Voice is a great platform for making calls over the internet, as well as one of the cheapest VoIP providers on the market, its calling features are quite limited compared with other options on the market.
In this article, we take a closer look at the best alternatives to Google Voice, prioritizing solutions that match the provider’s affordability and slick user experience. We even round up some free VoIP platforms to consider – although they may not be suitable for businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Zoom Metered is the top Google Voice alternative, offering robust functionality and great ease of use for just $10 per user, per month.
- While affordable, Google Voice lacks advanced features like an auto-attendant and integrations that competitors, like Zoom, RingCentral, and Nextiva, provide.
- When looking for a VoIP solution, it’s important to think about your business case. High-volume inbound call centers will benefit from Zoom’s features, while businesses with low call volume might find Google Voice sufficient.
- Paid alternatives to Google Voice have a wide price range, from budget-friendly options around $10 per user, per month, to comprehensive omnichannel solutions costing over $30 per user, per month.
- Google Meet is not a suitable Google Voice alternative, as it can’t be set up to accept external calls for your business.
What Are the Best Alternatives to Google Voice?
The best alternative to Google Voice is Zoom Metered, which is available for $10 per user, per month. Not only does it offer superior features to Google Voice, but you won’t have to pay the additional $7 per month that is required for Google Workspace membership.
Google Voice prices start from $10 per user, per month, which puts it at the cheaper end of the VoIP market. However, you will be required to pay for Google Workspace, which costs $7 per user, per month. What’s more, the platform lacks the features, integrations, and customer support options offered by the industry’s best VoIP providers.
Below, you’ll find our list of the best paid alternatives to Google Voice.
- Zoom Metered – Best Google Phone alternative
- magicJack for Business – Best for teams on a budget
- Zoom Regional Unlimited – Best Google Phone upgrade
- Dialpad Standard – Best for small customer service teams
- net2phone Essentials – Best for call management features
- RingCentral Core – Best for multi-location businesses
- Nextiva Core – Best for omnichannel communication
Click on the links to start comparing prices for Google Voice alternatives today.
| Plan | Price | Desk phone compatibility How many desk phone brands is the service compatible with? | Unlimited calls in US | 24/7 support | CRM integration | Call queue | Call barge | Voicemail screening | ||
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| FEATURED SPONSOR  |  |  | |  |  |  | ||||
| 4 brands | 7 brands | 1 brand | 7 brands | 4 brands | 2 brands | 6 brands | ||||
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| Phone + chat | Phone + chat | | Phone + chat | Add-on | Phone | Phone, chat + email | ||||
| | | | | | Add-on | Add-on | ||||
| | | | | | Add-on | | ||||
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Our research found that Zoom, magicJack, and Dialpad are the best VoIP options overall. They have better features and will cater to both medium-sized and large businesses in a way that Google Voice can’t.
Expert tip for choosing a Google Voice alternative
Google Voice is a great option if you’re already using Google Workspace and want to extend your stay under Google’s reassuring security umbrella. In fact, it’s one of the most secure ways to make a call over the Internet.
However, providers like Zoom have significantly upgraded their security offerings in recent years. I spoke with the Zoom team directly, and they pointed out several improvements they’d made to the platform, such as providing more ways for users to authenticate their accounts.
Now that it’s closed the security gap, it’s actually a much better platform overall than Google Voice – Zoom has way more features for managing inbound calls, so will be a better choice than Google Voice for healthcare, customer service, and retail teams. There’s also 24/7 customer support available, which is always great to have on hand.
Note for reader: At Tech.co, we conduct independent research into all the products, software, and services we write about. This includes devising extensive market research frameworks that allow us to score products. For our VoIP research series, we scored providers against more than 80 different criteria. Find out more in our methodology section.
1. Zoom Metered – Best Google Phone Alternative
Price: $10 per user, per month
Downside: Limited integrations
Key takeaway: Great for small businesses with high call volume
Zoom Metered is our pick of the best Google Voice alternatives. This is because it offers unbeatable pricing (from $10 per user, per month), robust functionality, and great ease of use courtesy of an intuitive, streamlined, and slick platform.
It’s the perfect solution for cost-conscious small businesses that process a high-volume of inbound call, while larger enterprises might find its shortage of integrations too stifling.
Pros
- Very low starting price, ideal for smaller businesses
- Excellent for managing high numbers of incoming calls (spam prevention, hold music, etc.)
- Top tier security protocol with abundance of compliance certificates
Cons
- Limited number of CRM and Helpdesk integrations
- No email support available and you don't get much help with onboarding
- Insufficient analytics tools with a lack of detail in reporting
- Metered: $10/user/month
Why is Zoom Metered a good Google Voice alternative?
Zoom is one of the most popular and robust VoIP providers on the market today, for good reason: its starter plan, Zoom Metered, delivers all the basics that a small business needs to route a ton of incoming calls to any teams or individuals who need to take them.
At just $10 per user, per month, the Zoom Metered plan matches the Google Voice Standard starting price. However, Zoom Metered is actually cheaper than Google Voice, since it avoids the extra $7 per user, per month, Google Workspace fee that’s required in order to access Google Voice at all.
Zoom Metered has a wealth of inbound communication functionality, which includes unlimited domestic minutes, automatic call distribution groups complete with call queueing, spam prevention, and post-call summaries.
It also offers excellent call functionality, including caller ID, voicemail screening, call blocking, voicemail transcriptions, and customizable greetings, along with the previously mentioned call routing tools. And you’ll benefit from team messaging and video conferencing, two options that open up plenty of communication flexibility.
Once you’ve mastered its relatively shallow learning curve, these tools combined can propel a small business team into an efficiency powerhouse. As a result, it’s a top pick for customer service and retail teams in particular, since they handle more incoming calls on average.
Finally, Zoom Metered has great training tools, including call monitoring, call barging, and call whisper, none of which are offered on any Google Voice plans.
It took me a couple of taps to check my voicemail with Zoom Phone. Source: Tech.co user testing
What limitations does Zoom Metered have?
The main drawback with Zoom Metered is that it isn’t the most comprehensive plan on the market. To begin with, outbound minutes are not inclusive, so teams that place a lot of calls to clients or leads won’t be well served. (Google Voice beats it in this area, since all Voice plans include unlimited outbound calls, if placed to the US)
In addition, the stripped-down platform doesn’t offer very many integrations. Users will be limited to this short (but popular) list: Outlook, Salesforce, HubSpot, Bullhorn, Zoho, Gmail, Teams, and Zendesk.
If you’re a fan of Gmail, you’ll likely be happy with the Google integration Zoom offers on all plans: during testing, we found it was great for streamlining workflows and reducing the need for multiple applications.
How much does Zoom Metered cost?
Zoom pricing for the Zoom Phone Metered plan comes in at $10 per user, per month, which is an affordable starting cost. Along with magicJack for Business, Zoom’s starter plan is among our most inexpensive options. In fact, it’s twice as cheap as many other starter plans in this guide.
Should you require an upgrade, Zoom Phone’s three additional plans remain cost-effective: Regional Unlimited is $15 per user, per month, Pro Plus is $18.33 per user, per month, and Business Plus is $22.49 per user, per month.
2. magicJack for Business – Best for Teams on a Budget
Price: $15.99 per line, per month
Downside: Basic functionality without complex features
Key takeaway: Great for microbusinesses that keep it simple
Another great alternative to Google Voice is magicJack for Business. The platform offers fantastic value for money, with a single pricing plan starting at $15.99 per user, per month. This straightforward pricing model will particularly appeal to microbusinesses that don’t have the time or inclination to spend a lot of time considering their VoIP platform.
For that modest outlay, you’ll get your hands on some decent call functionality, including call transfer, call waiting, caller ID, blocking, conference calling, an iOS or Android mobile app, and more.
Pros
- Simple pricing options
- Comprehensive mobile app
- Great value for call management features provided
Cons
- Limited features, so it's not an all-in-one communication solution
- Does not provide tools to aid in training new employees
- Few integrations are provided
- One pricing plan: $15.99/line/month
- Add-ons available for around $5-$10/month
- Hardware starts from $54.99 per handset
Why is magicJack a good Google Voice alternative?
magicJack for Business offers excellent value for money, with a single pricing plan that normally costs $15.99 per line, per month. At the moment, however, you can get this plan for as low as $9.99 per line, per month, courtesy of a promotional offer. In addition, users can get a brand-new desk phone for $54.99 — perfect for smaller businesses that are just starting out.
By contrast, Google Voice starts at $10 per user, per month, but requires that pesky additional $7 per user, per month Workspace subscription. Zoom Metered ($10 per user, per month) is cheaper, but doesn’t offer unlimited outbound and inbound minutes, while magicJack does. For bigger businesses that make a high volume of calls, the likelihood is that you would need to upgrade to the next plan up, Regional Unlimited ($15 per user, per month).
It should be noted that magicJack has a few paid-ons, which would up your overall monthly cost. Auto attendant, for example, comes at an extra $10 per month, while virtual fax costs an extra $5 per month and toll free numbers are also an extra $5 per month.
For reference, auto attendant is only available on the Google Voice Standard plan ($20 per user, per month), while it doesn’t have a native virtual fax available on any plan.
Our independent research found magicJack users will get caller ID, call blocking, standard voicemail, custom hold music, call queueing, ring groups, and localized numbers. Users will not get custom call routing or call flipping – in comparison, all Google Voice plans include routing but lack flipping.
magicJack’s Settings, as viewed on desktop, include a toggle for a “Do Not Disturb” function. Source: magicJack
What limitations does magicJack for Business have?
Your trade-off is the platform’s somewhat limited functionality: magicJack lacks team messaging and video conferencing, and its simple call routing tools may do the job, but they don’t match up to Zoom Metered.
The platform has no training tools, either, since it lacks call recording, call monitoring, analytics, call barging, or call whisper functionality. In comparison, our top pick, Zoom Metered, offers all of those tools.
How much does magicJack for Business cost?
magicJack just offers one paid plan, magicJack for Business, which costs $15.99 per line, per month. Users can get started for just $9.99 per line, per month, at the moment due to a promotional offer. However, that’s not the whole story. You’ll also have the option to pay for three add-ons, each of which comes at a monthly fee that ultimately adds up pretty fast.
The paid add-ons include: an auto-attendant for $10 per month, virtual fax for $5 per month, and toll-free numbers for $5 per month. Together, you’ll be charged $35.99 per line per month, if those features are crucial for your business needs.
You can also check out our magicJack pricing and review guide for more information.
3. Zoom Regional Unlimited – Best Google Phone Upgrade
Price: $15 per user, per month
Downside: Limited integrations
Key takeaway: Unlimited outbound domestic calls
If you’re looking to do a bit more with your business, it might be time to start thinking of aiming bigger — this is where the second Zoom Phone plan, Regional Unlimited, comes in.
For $15 per user, per month, you’ll get your hands on some outstanding call management features, hardware integrations, and top-of-the-line security. For its relatively low price point, it’s pretty hard to beat — which helped Regional Unlimited to top our picks for the best VoIP platforms for small businesses.
Pros
- Unlimited domestic calls
- Unlock unlimited calls to 19 extra countries through a paid add-on
- Gentle learning curve and intuitive interface make it ideal for VoIP beginners
Cons
- Limited number of CRM and Helpdesk integrations
- No email support available and you don't get much help with onboarding
- Insufficient analytics tools with a lack of detail in reporting
- Regional Unlimited: $15/user/month
Why is Zoom Regional Unlimited a good Google Voice alternative?
If the Zoom Phone Metered starter plan doesn’t offer the full functionality that you need, it’s time to move up. Our top pick for an upgrade is the next Zoom plan, Regional Unlimited.
Regional Unlimited offers everything that Metered has, with one key benefit: it offers unlimited outbound domestic calls alongside unlimited inbound calls. All Google Voice plans offer unlimited outbound calls, but only if they’re made to the US, so Regional Unlimited surpasses this.
Since the cost is a still-low $15 per user, per month, Regional Unlimited is a value-rich choice for a business that places just as many calls as it receives.
Many small businesses need a full VoIP platform to operate their sales and marketing team’s outbound calls and their customer service team’s inbound calls from the same system. At the same time, they need a little more functionality than the pared-down magicJack platform offers. Zoom Regional Unlimited is the best plan on the market for those businesses.
Like Zoom Metered, the Zoom Regional Unlimited has expansive training tools, easily beating any of Google Voice’s plans.
Zoom Regional Unlimited offers around-the-clock phone and live chat support alongside a user forum and online knowledge base, with a 99.9% uptime guarantee thrown in for good measure.
The dashboard in Zoom Phone lets users quickly navigate to areas including Messages, Team Chat, Phone, and more. Source: Tech.co testing
What limitations does Zoom Regional Unlimited have?
In truth, there’s not a great deal wrong with Zoom Regional Unlimited. Its biggest drawback is that users will get the same limited set of integrations that Zoom Metered users get, so no customer service live chat integrations or any video conferencing integrations – although video conferencing itself remains available, as do team messages.
At the same time, while help and support options are pretty strong on the whole, they don’t include email. This will be a source of annoyance for companies that conduct a lot of their business via email in order to keep a paper trail. Google Voice, by contrast, does offer email support.
How much does Zoom Regional Unlimited cost?
Zoom Phone’s Regional Unlimited clocks in at a tidy $15 per user, per month. Plus, if your business expands into international calls down the road, there are two further plans to explore — Pro Plus ($18.33 per user, per month) and Business Plus ($22.49 per user, per month).
You can check out our Zoom Phone review for more information about this well-recommended VoIP solution.
4. Dialpad Standard – Best for Small Customer Service Teams
Price: $15 per user, per month
Downside: Lacks call queueing
Key takeaway: Balances unlimited outbound and inbound calls with good call features
Another strong Google Voice alternative is Dialpad Standard. Coming in at $15 per user, per month, the platform actually ranked second during our latest round of user testing, due to its fantastic pricing, great call management features, good range of communication channels, excellent training features, and unbeatable hardware integrations.
Dialpad Standard will be well-suited to most small to medium-sized businesses. It excels at managing high call volumes, while strong integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk ensure that larger companies can get the joint benefit of CRM and VoIP.
Pros
- Excellent, comprehensive suite of features
- Great array of alternative communication channels
- Excellent security
Cons
- Slim range of software integrations with CRM, helpdesk, or PMS
- Lacks some training tools
- No call queue functionality
- Standard: $15/user/month
Why is Dialpad Standard a good Google Voice alternative?
Dialpad Standard is a well-rounded small business VoIP plan: it works for small and medium-size operations alike, with the cost-effective cloud-based approach typical to the industry.
Due to its unlimited outbound and inbound domestic calls, robust set of communication channels, and call management tools, it’s a great option for customer service teams.
Dialpad can be operated from a mobile app, as seen here. Source: Dialpad
In terms of inbound call functionality, Dialpad Standard offers a lot: custom greetings, call routing, voicemail transcriptions, caller ID, call blocking and automatic screening, voicemail screening, call forwarding, call flip, ring groups, and custom hold music. This all adds up to an inbound call functionality that rivals Zoom Metered.
In terms of alternative communication channels, platform supports team messaging, SMS messages, call conferencing, and video conferencing, although video calls are capped at 150 participants.
What limitations does Dialpad Standard have?
Unlike Zoom, Dialpad Standard has limited training features. It does have call recording and analytics, but lacks call monitoring, call barging, or call whispering. The lack of call queuing, too, may be a dealbreaker for companies that constantly handle a large volume of calls.
Four major hardware options are supported for the platform: Obihai, Polycom, Yealink, and Cisco. The Standard plan has next to no integrations, however, as our research team only found a single Google Workspace Calendar integration, and no integrations for popular workplace software such as CRM, helpdesk, or customer service.
How much does Dialpad Standard cost?
Dialpad Standard has two different price points, depending on how frequently you’d like to pay the bill. If you pay for the whole year at one time, you’ll get the best deal: $15 per user, per month.
That cost increases by a full $12 per user, per month to reach $27 per user, per month, when billed monthly, however, so we recommend committing to a year at a time for the best savings.
In comparison with Google Voice, Dialpad Standard is a little under the total cost for the $17 per month you’d pay for a Workspace subscription and Voice starter plan combined.
5. net2phone Essentials – Best for Call Management Features
Price: From $19.99 per user, per month
Downside: Expensive
Key takeaway: Great call features and support
While smaller businesses might be priced out of net2phone Essentials, larger ones will find all the call management and security features that they need to thrive.
Our team of researchers scored this plan pretty highly during our most recent round of testing. In fact, the only providers to better it were Zoom and Dialpad.
Pros
- Excellent call management features
- Built-in onboarding support
- Excellent security features
Cons
- Video conferencing and AI features very limited in Essentials plan
- Toll-free and international numbers cost extra in all plans
- Training features are highly limited
- Essentials: From $19.99/user/month
Why is net2phone Essentials a good Google Voice alternative?
With its higher price tag, net2phone Essentials is a less attractive pick for small businesses, and it delivers the expanded call management functionality that larger businesses need. Another benefit for larger businesses is the pricing model itself, which lowers the per-user cost as the number of users increases.
You’ll get almost the entire suite of call managing capabilities with net2phone Essentials: custom greetings, call routing, voicemail transcriptions, caller ID, call blocking and automatic screening, voicemail screening, call forwarding, call flip, ring groups, and custom hold music are all included. You’ll need to pay for an add-on to access call queueing and localized numbers.
Onboarding support is included, however, making this platform a top pick for any teams that are concerned about a learning curve for software adaptation.
net2phone offers plenty of useful call management features including call routing and ring groups. Source: net2phone
What limitations does net2phone Essentials have?
While net2phone Essentials has a premium price point, it has some pretty strict allowance limits. Like Dialpad and Google Voice, its training tools are limited to call recording and analytics, with no option for monitoring, call barge, or call whisper.
What’s more, it caps video conferencing participants at 10, which is the lowest we’ve seen. Pricier net2phone plans expand this cap to 100 users, but even that is well under the 150 cap that Dialpad Standard imposes.
Its range of integrations is limited as well: the platform bundles in a Google Calendar integration, but the Salesforce and Microsoft Teams integrations are available as add-ons. If your team regularly uses Salesforce or Microsoft Teams, staying connected to net2phone Essential will cost a little extra.
How much does net2phone Essentials cost?
The Net2Phone Essentials plan costs between $19.99 and $27.99 per user, per month. This price range will vary depending on how many users you are paying for, with a total of three tiers. Here’s how the price breakdown works:
- 1 to 9 users: $27.99 per user, per month
- 10 to 24 users: $21.99 per user, per month
- 25 to 99 users: $19.99 per user, per month
Companies with more than 99 users can get in touch with net2phone for a custom quote. Check out our full net2phone review for more in-depth information.
6. RingCentral Core – Best for Multi-Location Businesses
Price: $20 per user, per month
Downside: Limited training features
Key takeaway: Great 24/7 support
Next up on our list of the best Google Voice alternatives is RingCentral’s Core plan, which starts at $20 per user, per month.
It’s a great plan that will particularly suit slightly larger businesses, owing to the breadth of its available integrations, its outstanding 24/7 support options, and ability to streamline communications at scale. Smaller businesses might find themselves a little daunted by the starting price, however.
Pros:
- 24/7 support available
- Call queuing available
- Good range of alternative communication channels
Cons:
- Learning curve for beginners
- Quite pricey for small businesses
- Lack of CRM integrations
- Core: $20/user/month
Why is RingCentral Core a good Google Voice alternative?
RingCentral Core delivers on the core tools needed for a good VoIP system, including the call queueing function that net2phone requires an add-on for, and which Dialpad and Google Voice skip entirely.
Along with call forwarding, transferring, screening, and analytics, these features make RingCentral a good pick for businesses with multiple locations, since they can transfer and queue calls with ease.
This is also helped by RingCentral’s huge range of communication channels. In addition to standard voice call, you’ll get team messaging, video conferencing, SMS, and call conferencing. It’s worth noting that Google Voice includes all of these channels as well, however.
The platform is also a great option for operations that need to streamline their communications at a large scale, thanks to a large number of integrations and features, as well as even more powerful, higher-priced plans to move up to as your business grows.
RingCentral’s call pop-up appears on your screen when you’re receiving an incoming call. Source: Tech.co testing
RingCentral Core excels in one area in which nearly all of the other brands in this guide, including Google Voice, come up short: integrations for customer service live chat tools. Nextiva was the only other platform listed in this article that included any integrations, but RingCentral supports the most, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, and Google Business Messages.
Finally, RingCentral offers comprehensive support options. These include a user forum, online knowledge base, and 24/7 phone and live chat support (matching Google Voice), as well as email support within business hours. You’ll also get free onboarding support.
What limitations does RingCentral Core have?
When we tested out RingCentral Core, we found that it wasn’t the easiest platform to use. In particular, we found it a little difficult to download video call meeting transcripts, and struggled to locate our call recordings. This was frustrating, and should deter VoIP novices and smaller businesses that don’t have the time to negotiate a steep learning curve.
Like Dialpad and net2phone, RingCentral Core lacks call monitoring, barging, and whisper functionality, although all these features are included in Advanced, the next RingCentral plan, which costs just $5 more per user, per month ($25 per user, per month).
How much does RingCentral Core cost?
As with Dialpad, those who pay annually can save a bundle on their RingCentral Core bill: the plan costs $20 per user, per month when billed annually, and $30 per user, per month when billed monthly.
The platform offers two additional plans. When you’re ready to upgrade, you’ll pay $25 per user, per month for Advanced and $35 per user, per month for Ultra (with an additional $10 per user, per month for each plan for those billed monthly).
For more information, read our full RingCentral review.
7. Nextiva Core – Best for Omnichannel Communication
Price: $15 per user, per month
Downside: Limited range of training features
Key takeaway: Unmatched omnichannel platform
Rounding out our list of the best Google Voice alternatives is Nextiva Core. Starting at $15 per user, per month, it’s a fantastic all-in-one communications platform that will appeal to larger businesses that want to conduct their inbound and outbound comms in a variety of different ways.
Pros:
- Intuitive, flexible interface that's great for beginners
- Social media integrations for Facebook and Instagram
- Reasonably priced compared with other options
Cons:
- May not integrate with older systems
- Strong learning curve that could benefit from training
- Core: $15/user/month
Why is Nextiva a good Google Voice alternative?
Nextiva is not just a small business VoIP system, it’s an entire omnichannel customer experience platform. It offers ecommerce and social media functionality as well as phone calling functions, and it’s designed to meet your customers wherever they are.
This makes it a poor fit for a business that’s just looking for an entry-level phone service, similar to Google Voice – but a great option for a small business that needs an omnichannel communication platform.
Nextiva’s interface is simple, making it easy to navigate. Source: Nextiva
Along with RingCentral, Nextiva Core is the only plan to include social media integrations for Facebook, and it supports Instagram as well. Users will also get unlimited inbound and outbound calls, and most core call functionality, including caller ID, voicemail transcription, call blocking, call forwarding, and ring groups. Not included? Call queueing.
When you’re connecting with customers on a range of different platforms, it’s essential to have the right internal communications tools to ensure your team stays on the same page. Nextiva Core packs in plenty of these: you’ll get team messaging, video conferencing, SMS, and call conferencing tools, although e-fax is only available as an add-on.
Still, this does one-up Google Voice, which includes all the same channels but lacks the e-fax, even as an add-on.
Ultimately, figuring out whether Nextiva Core is right for your operation should be an easy call. If you want omnichannel support for your customer base, give it a try. If not, move on.
What limitations does Nextiva Core have?
Training options are very limited. Call barging is supported, but fairly common tools, like call recording and analytics, are only available as add-ons. For a tool that is ultimately oriented towards larger businesses, this lack of training features is a little surprising.
As alluded to, customers who are just looking for a basic VoIP platform will find themselves paying for a lot of functionality that they don’t need. While Nextiva Core is pretty reasonably priced (starting at $15 per user, per month), customers with these basic needs would be much better suited opting for a cheaper and more streamlined platform, such as Zoom.
How much does Nextiva Core cost?
Nextiva Core starts at $15 per user, per month when billed annually, an entry price that puts it on a par with Dialpad Standard and Zoom Regional Unlimited. In other words, it’s pretty reasonably priced, but not as cheap as Zoom Metered.
Billed annually, the platform’s two other plans cost $25 per user, per month, for the Engage plan, and $75 per user, per month, for the Power Suite CX plan.
Read our full Nextiva review for more information.
What’s the Best Free Google Voice Alternative?
Now that we’ve looked at paid providers, it’s only logical to ask: is there a free alternative to Google Voice? Well, the best free alternative to Google Voice is Facebook Messenger, which offers a familiar interface and is incredibly simple to use. Other options include Line, Just Call, and WhatsApp, but their business features are limited.
Facebook Messenger
+ Doesn’t cost anything
+ Most people already use Facebook and should be familiar with Messenger
+ Can use to contract individuals or groups
– Not many features
– Not secure
– Relies on the person you’re trying to contact having Facebook Messenger
Line
+ Available on most platforms including iOS, Android, and Windows
+ Includes in-app payment system
+ Widely used in countries such as China and Japan
– Very little recognition in the US
– Very basic features
– No customer support
+ Free to use
+ WhatsApp for Business option
– Not built for business functionality
– Mobile app lacks analytics and menus
– No hold music
– Business-specific plan requires messy integration with dedicated API
Skype
+ Free calls to other Skype users
+ Compatible with multiple devices
– Calls to landline or mobile incur a fee
– Cluttered interface
Free VoIP services may seem a great solution, but in reality, they will only serve your business in the short term, especially if you’re looking to grow. They offer few features, can look unprofessional, and almost never offer the level of support that a paid-for VoIP platform does.
To find the best deal for your needs from a range of recommended VoIP providers, use our free price comparison tool.
What Do Customers Have to Say About Google Voice?
“I use Google Voice for my VoIP and it is easy to use,” says Tim Connon, founder of ParamountQuote Insurance Advisors. “I really like the call forwarding and the fact that I can have it tell me it is from my Google Voice number on my mobile phone. I also like the user interface and how basic it can be, which keeps things simple.”
However, it’s not all plain sailing with Google Voice. “My biggest dislike of it is the fact that not all inbound calls come through in real-time,” Connon explains. “I will receive a missed call on my Google Voice phone and never even hear it ring. That is my biggest frustration with Google Voice. I would hope it gets fixed soon.”
Bonnie Whitfield, Human Resources Director of Family Destinations Guide, said Google Voice was “cost-effective” and eliminated her company’s need for “traditional phone lines and equipment,” which she said saved her business “money on phone and communication expenses.”
However, Whitfield said that she’s found the voicemail transcription service offered by Google Voice isn’t always useful. “While it is a convenient way to quickly read and respond to voicemails, I have found that the accuracy of the transcription is not always up to my standards,” she said.
Pros
- Excellent security features – Google Voice has industry-leading security safeguards, including compliance certifications, and features like user permissions and MFA to protect your company’s data.
- Cheaper than competitors – Google Voice is on the cheaper end of the VoIP market, and undercuts RingCentral, 8×8, GoTo Connect, and various other top VoIP systems.
- 24/7 live support available – If you’re experiencing technical issues, Google has staff on hand to help, whatever time of day.
Cons
- You have to have a Google Workspace subscription – starting from $7 per month. Purchasing this beforehand is the only way you’ll be able to access Google Voice.
- Not very scalable – Growing businesses may find Google Voice sufficient to start with, but there aren’t enough management and high-level comms features to scale up this software.
- No localized or toll-free numbers – Google Voice doesn’t offer this important feature, but all the VoIP providers we tested do.
Should I Choose Google Voice Anyway?
Google Voice will still be worth using for many businesses. The provider has excellent security options, a native integration with Google Workspace, and its starting plan is cheaper than pretty much every other provider’s starting plan, easily beating relatively cheap picks like Dialpad or net2phone.
We’d recommend Google Voice if:
- Your business handles sensitive information like personal, financial, or medical data
- You want to get started with a VoIP system for as little as possible
- Your business makes a lot of international calls
- You’re already subscribed to Google Workspace
However, Google Voice isn’t perfect. It lacks some pretty basic call management features, and provides poor onboarding support for starters. Its entry price of $10 per month doesn’t factor in the cost of a Google Workspace subscription, either, making its value offering slightly poorer than it initially seems.
We wouldn’t recommend Google Voice if:
- You make a high volume of outbound calls to other countries, since only outbound calls to the US are free
- You don’t want to pay $7 per month extra for Google Workspace
- You want a VoIP platform that grows alongside your business
- You recruit new staff often, and want useful onboarding and training features to match
The voicemail interface in Google Voice includes an auto-transcription functionality. Source: Tech.co testing
Google Voice vs Google Meet
Communicating with Google services has become quite popular in recent years, particularly with the pandemic spurring the remote work boom that had everyone signing into video chats to stay in touch with their team. As a result, you may be thinking that Google Meet could be a good alternative to Google Voice, as it provides an affordable way to talk to others.
However, the reality is that Google Voice and Google Meet serve very different functions. Google Meet is a video conferencing platform at its core, which means you can’t really set it up to replace your business phone system. Yes, it’s a great way to stay in touch with people on your team, but you can’t set it up in a way that could accept outside calls for your business.
In summary, Google Meet is not a suitable Google Voice alternative, which means you’ll have to look at one of the aforementioned competitors above to get your business phone system set up today.
How To Switch From Google Voice
To switch from Google Voice, start by checking what type of account you have. Google Voice has a light version, but only a full account requires you to port or create a telephone number. If switching from a full account, you’ll either need to swap your Google Voice number to a new line or change your telephone number entirely, which a new provider can do for you.
You likely want to port your number to your new provider. First, you’ll have to unlock the number, which is a simple process that is either free or a $3 charge, depending on how your number was set up in the first place. If your new provider requests an account number to complete the porting process, just give them your Google Voice number.
Switch from Google Voice: Find the best provider for free today
Methodology: How We Test Google Voice Alternatives
We take our hands-on testing and impartial analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations.
After conducting an initial exploration to identify the most relevant, popular, and established business phone platforms on the market, we selected 10 top VoIP systems and took a deeper dive into their plans to find out more about the features and functionality on offer.
Based on years of market research, product testing, and user needs analysis, we've established a VoIP system research methodology that scores each product in eight core categories of investigation, which are broken down into 44 further subcategories.
With this framework, we cover everything from internal communication tools and security options to niche training features, and it ensures we can accurately assess each product's value for its price, and suitability for different types of businesses.
Our main research categories for VoIP phone systems are:
- Call management features: The presence and quality of call handling features, including basic features such as call forwarding and voicemail, as well as more advanced features like auto-attendant and interactive voice response (IVR).
- Communication channels: Features designed to support communication other than calling, including integrations with websites and social media platforms.
- Training features: The presence and quality of features designed to support onboarding and training, like call barge, call whisper, and performance dashboards.
- Customer support: The assistance and resources provided by the VoIP service provider to customers, including online resources, knowledge bases, and access to customer support representatives and AI chatbots.
- Security options: The measures and features implemented by the VoIP service to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and protection of voice communications and data.
- Pricing factors: The pricing structure associated with the VoIP service, including factors such as monthly subscription fees, domestic and international call rates, setup fees, hardware costs, and extra costs, like add-on features or services.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, which are merely “nice to have.” After hundreds of hours, our process is complete, and the results should ensure you can find the best solution for your needs.
Learn more about our research testing process
Verdict: Which Google Voice Alternative Is Best for You?
Zoom Phone is the best Google Voice alternative. The starter plan can be purchased for exactly the same price as Google Voice – $10 per user, per month – but it has significantly more training, team management, and on-call features.
All in all, Zoom Phone is the best VoIP provider in terms of value, and the only one with a pricing structure that matches Google Voice’s affordability.
Not everyone has the cash to fork out for a higher priced alternative, and there’s really no better option for smaller businesses looking for a familiar but functional VoIP system that’s right at the lower end of the market when it comes to pricing.
If you want a quick way to find the best deal on a Google Voice alternative, just use our free comparison tool – the questions take less than 60 seconds to complete and it’ll help you narrow down the providers already catering to businesses of your size in your industry.