Best Alternatives to Google Voice 2021

The Google Voice platform offers a range of helpful features for ambitious individuals. But there are plenty of better options available, particularly when it comes to matters of reliability.

Startups and business users need improved sound quality, support, and professional features, too. So, what's the best Google Voice alternative?

Our top replacement is Grasshopper – it's low cost, but still offers improved business professionalism. It's not the only alternative solution, though. Ooma is our top pick for growing startups, for example.

This guide details a range of VoIP phone apps and hosted communications solutions that you can use instead of Google Voice to consolidate and automate your business communication needs.

Ultimately, your biggest decision-making factor will likely be the price. Gathering quotes manually is painful, so do yourself a favor and grab a range of price estimates in moments by using Tech.co's simple comparison tool.

Best Google Voice Alternatives Compared

We've rounded up the top alternative services, listing them along with their per-month starting prices, their star rating, and outlining the key benefit each one can offer your business, whether it's more flexible abilities, more robust support, or better specs.

The Top 10 Google Voice Alternatives are:

1. Grasshopper — The closest productivity-focused alternative to Google Voice
2. Ooma – The best overall calling service for small businesses
3. Telzio — A cloud-based service that's paid by the minute and allows unlimited users
4. GoToConnect – Best choice for those looking for a video-first alternative
5. RingCentral — A feature-rich professional solution that integrates with Microsoft and Google
6. Whatsapp — A free service for smartphones that's popular around the world
7. Nextiva — A highly rated VoIP provider that's easy to use and easy to scale up
8. Phone.com — A well-priced phone service with great support and over 40 PBX functions
9. OpenPhone — An app that redirects professionals' business numbers to their personal phones
10. Line 2 — A simple service with automated features and unlimited calls within the US and Canada

On this page:

• Best Google Voice Alternatives – Review the top options you could switch to
• Switching from Google Voice – What to keep in mind before you make the jump
• Google Voice Alternatives to Avoid – The VoIP services that don't make our ranking

It's a little counter-intuitive, but one of the biggest reasons to move away from Google Voice is if you find your operation increasingly relying on the service. Once a phone app is integral to your daily business, it's time to find a vendor that puts their service front and center, rather than offering it as an afterthought.

The reviews below will help you decide which Google Voice alternative to switch to. You know your business best, so keep your key goals and pain points in mind when comparing your options.

1. Grasshopper

Best Google Voice Alternative

We've rated Grasshopper the best Google Voice alternative. Why? Well, it's low cost. In fact, it's one of the cheapest way to get a business number, boosting your customers confidence in your professionalism.

That's not all though. The apps, both desktop and mobile, make it an easy Google Voice alternative to use, meaning the transition to your new platform will be a smooth one, with no valuable time lost to scouring help pages or getting lost in menus.

If you're looking for a safe Google Voice alternative you can pick up today, Grasshopper jumps ahead of the competition.

That said, a small business looking to significantly upgrade communications in the slightly longer term, might consider our next choice on this list.

2. Ooma

Best for Small Businesses

Grasshopper may have beaten Ooma to our coveted number one spot by a whisker, but we don't think you should overlook this Google Voice alternative.

Let's get the price out of the way first – yes, it's true that Ooma is more expensive than Grasshopper, but we think the feature-rich service more than justifies itself when you take a look at the extensive tools that the company provides. Easy to use app? Check. Virtual receptionist? Check. PureVoice technology to boost sound quality? You got it.

There are plenty of other helpful features, too, including call forwarding that automatically activates in case of a power outrage, and adaptive redundancy and call prioritization to cut down on bandwidth usage.

If you're looking for a slick communications tool to boost your team of 5 to 30 people, Ooma's where it's at — especially for those that are willing to dream big. Don't just take our word for it though, try it for free with a 30-day money-back guarantee (and no contracts after that either).

3. Telzio

Best for Low Call Volume

Need a Google Voice alternative but not quite swimming in calls yet? In that case, Telzio is the VoIP service for you. This cloud-based, feature rich service charges by the minute, and allows for unlimited users.

This means that the service can be as cheap, or as expensive as you like, depending on call volume. It's a great alternative for those companies that want more users, but are looking to maintain a low call volume.

The good news is that there is no fixed term contract, so if your calls suddenly take off, you're free to leave Telzio and go with a Google Voice alternative that offers fixed costs.

4. GoToConnect

Best for Video Calling Intergrations

If voice calls aren't quite suiting your business, and you're looking to branch out into video calls instead, then GoToConnect is a solid, video-focused, service that offers a wide range of video options, including webinars.

Some neat features, such as a Commuter mode and Cloud recording mean that its easier to hold video meetings whenever, wherever, and a free trial option means that you can give it a go before you commit.

If video conferencing is more of interest, then check out our dedicated guide, which compares the big players, such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

5. RingCentral

Best for Established Businesses

RingCentral are one of the biggest and most established solutions in the VoIP world, and with good reason. The company offers an impressive feature set, with packages to suit almost every business.

RingCentral is able to offer integrations with major software applications, such as Google and Microsoft, and offers a variety of hardware options, not to mention a trusted and well regarded support team.

Those looking for video conferencing solutions might be interested in Glip, RingCentral's answer to Zoom. Its free tier offers a generous 24 hour meeting period, for up to 100 participants. There is also a paid-for tier, Glip Pro+, which adds capacity for up to 200 participants, as well as offering analytics and customer support. Glip Pro+ starts at $11.99 per user per month.

RingCentral isn't the cheapest Google Voice alternative but it is certainly a safe pair of hands to entrust your business to.

6. WhatsApp

Best Free Google Voice Alternative

Want to branch out from Google Voice but don't want to have to pay for the privilege? WhatsApp is a good alternative, at least in the short term.

Best used by small teams who have been making use of Google Voice (the free package), WhatsApp offers a secure and international business solution, although there are limitations, and feature-wise, it pales in comparison to some of the others listed here.

It's not intended as a business solution, but it can do the job, for free. We don't recommend relying on it long term, however.

7. Nextiva

Best for Intuitive Analytics

Like RingCentral, Nextiva is another brand whose name carries a lot of weight in the VoIP world – long established and serving many companies.

Of course, just because it's been around a long time doesn't mean you should give it your businesses, but there's plenty of reasons why it's so highly regarded, and it's a combination of a high level of professionalism, and world class analytics options.

With the tools provided by Nextiva, companies can drill down into the minutiae of their customer service to find out the where they're winning, and those tricky pain points.

As it's a well-established, large provider, its pricing isn't as appealing as others in our list, but you do get a high level of service.

8. Phone.com

Best Mid-Range Google Voice Alternative

Phone.com is able to offer a robust solution to customers looking for a low-cost provider in the medium term.

The price is the draw here, at $10 per user per month, its bound to be an attractive prospect to smaller businesses, especially with its impressive list of 40+ features.

In the longer term though, you're likely to get more value out of a more established provider such as Ooma.

9. OpenPhone

Best for Mobile Start Up Teams

Another cheaper option, OpenPhone is a sound choice for those looking to operate a mobile number that can be shared across a team as a central point of contact for customers.

In addition, OpenPhone also offers a few features that will help save your team time when receiving calls, such as auto reply and business hours restrictions.

10. Line 2

Best for On the Go Individuals

Line 2 is best for those looking for a mobile number for business use on the go, out of the office. Line 2 is able to offer a simple set up for those who want to separate personal and business numbers.

Line 2 works with major carriers, and doesn't rely on the internet. It's also a low-cost solution for those businesses with a close eye on their budget.

Google Voice Alternatives to Avoid

We've given you some great Google Voice alternatives, but we think there are some that shouldn't be on your shortlist, too:

Just Call

We'll start with the positives for Just Call – you can access international and local numbers, and there's a decent set of features available including call routing, SMS and CRM intergrations.

Why didn't it make our list? Well, each additional international or local number after the first one needs to be purchased as an extra. If the base price was cheaper we could forgive this, but it's not, meaning that your costs could soon rack up.

Just Call don't even have a free trial option, just a first month trial at an introductory price.

PhoneBooth

PhoneBooth has some positives going for it – it doesn't have a monthly contract, allowing for more flexibility, and the feature list is decent.

However, the features available aren't as good as the likes of Ooma or RingCentral, and they cost around the same.

Also, first impressions with this supplier aren't great. There are no international rates given on the website, and no contract or support mentioned at all.

OnSip

There's an elephant in the room with Onsip, and it's the price, which is rather elephant-sized at just shy of $50 per user, and that's without any hardware included!

Not only  that, but the costs don't stop there, as every call to the US, UK and most other countries is charged for, while most other VoIP providers will at least include domestic calls in the price.

Then you get into the extras. Want call recording? That's another $4.95 per user. Hold music? $19.95. Dial by directory? $9.95.

To be fair to OnSip, the ‘Ultimate Plan' removes some of these charges, but still doesn't include features as standard such as queuing and reporting.

SaySo

SaySo is part of the OnSip brand, and is a free solution that is for customers calling from your website. On the surface, a nice offering, especially as it includes video calls. The tech is branded with SaySo's logo, although you can remove it. However, this is where it gets pricey, as it'll cost you $49.95.

For the paid version, any of the competitors listed in our top 10 can offer the same features at half the cost, and then some.

SaySo may appeal to some, but it has a very narrow scope.

Switching from Google Voice

Although Google Voice has adequately supported numerous businesses for several years, competition is increasing from other firms who can deliver improved features, better quality, and increased reliability.

Here are the key considerations to make when switching.

Your Account

With Google Voice there are two types of account. The first is a light version which includes voicemail and other useful features, such as personalized greetings and transcription. The second is a full Google Voice account, which requires you to either port or create a telephone number. This functionality will allow you to forward calls to numerous phones, distribute text messages from your computer, and a host of other features.

The more advanced account can be slightly more difficult when it comes to switching. If you decide to change your provider you will either need to swap your Google Voice number to a new line or change your telephone number entirely. However, your new provider can take care of this for you once you've gotten everything set up.

Porting your Number

Whether you have ported a number into Google Voice or you have created a number when you signed up, you likely want to continue using this number with your new provider. Before you can do this though, you will have to unlock the number, which is a simple process that is either free or a mere $3 depending on how you set up your number.

Once you have gone through the steps to unlock the number from Google Voice, you can move your number to your new provider. If your new provider requests an account number to complete the porting process, just give them your Google Voice number.

It may take a few days to port your number to the new provider, but you can still use your Google Voice number while you wait.

Final Thoughts

Google Voice is a super useful tool for those looking for a free way to call, but if you have a business with a demanding customer service function, there are plenty of VoIP alternatives that will better serve your requirements. From call forwarding and automated voice recordings through to integration with CRM systems, many of the alternatives to Google Voice are perfect for a growing business, offering the functionality and reliability that the modern day business needs to operate successfully.

Now you've read this far, it's time to take action and find your best VoIP provider. Use our comparison form for a free, no obligation quote.