Google Voice for International Calls: Review, Costs & More

Our impartial VoIP testing found that Google Voice is the best international phone call app and a strong pick for small teams, due to its low starting price of just $10 per user, per month, and it being one of the best VoIP providers when it comes to security.

Compared to its competitors, Google Voice has multi-factor authentication, which top providers like Vonage don’t offer, and it also has user permissions on all plans, which aren’t on all of RingCentral’s packages, for instance. This makes it a good fit for professional services businesses, which are likely to communicate sensitive information.

If your small business is already benefiting from Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Docs, Meet and more, it’s a no-brainer to use Google’s secure VoIP service for external calling as well. Or if you use Google products regularly for your personal files but haven’t yet set up Google Workspace for your business, it could be the easiest and best-value transition you make to centralize your operations.

However, you should be aware that Google Voice isn’t very scalable and doesn’t have as many features as industry-leading VoIP services. So businesses in sectors like retail, healthcare, sales, and customer service might be better off choosing an alternative for their calls. The $10/month starting cost is an additional price to the baseline Google Workspace cost (from $6/month).

Be sure to check out our free VoIP price comparison tool to compare custom price quotes and find out which provider is best suited to your business or team’s needs.

In this Google Voice review:

• Google Voice Review
• Google Voice Pricing Plans
• Are Google Voice International Calls Free?
• Is Google Voice Available in all Countries?
• Google Voice Outside the US: Costs
• How to Make Google Voice Calls
• Google Voice Alternatives
• About Our Research 
• Verdict: Is Google Voice a Good Value?
• FAQs

Google Voice Review

Google Voice is a VoIP program that can be used for personal and business use to make international and domestic calls. It’s got a strong customer satisfaction score of 4.4/5, which is impressive compared with some of the best VoIP providers we tested.

On our latest round of testing business phones, Google Voice scores top marks when it comes to security, with everything you need to keep your data secure when using the service, including a wealth of compliance certificates, and account-based security measures such as multi-factor authentication. Only 8×8 and Google Voice score 5/5 for security, so it doesn’t have many rivals in this area.

The fact that Google Voice integrates with various aspects of Google’s Workspace suite means that collaboration is quite easy – for instance, you can use Google Chat to message colleagues, Google Meet for web conferencing, and Gmail for email communications.

Google Voice also integrates with a number of CRM systems like Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, and Salesforce.

When it comes to downsides, Google Voice doesn’t really have any management features, such as transcripts, monitoring, a call-flow designer, or the ability to set up teams and departments. This means it falls behind competitors like Vonage – and many alternatives to Vonage too – in the context of training staff. There’s also no onboarding support – although arguably you won’t need it, as it’s pretty intuitive.

The customer support team has no email service, but includes a 24/7 phone line.

Even with the Google Workspace fees attached, Google Voice is one of the cheaper products on the market, and if you already have Google Workspace, it’s definitely the cheapest by far. Overall, it’s clearly a good value for the money, even if it’s not the most advanced VoIP provider out there.

For more information about our scores, visit the “About our Research” section

Google Voice Plans

Before you buy Google Voice, remember that Google Voice is only available to Google Workspace customers.

Google Workspace plans start from $6 per user, per month for a business start package, which includes a business email, video meetings, cloud storage, and management controls. There’s also a Business Standard plan ($12 per user, per month) with 2TB of storage, a Business Plus plan ($18 per user, per month) with enhanced security controls, and an Enterprise Plan (customizable).

To be completely transparent, we use Google Workspace at Tech.co and are big fans of the service. Here’s what Tech.co Editor Jennifer McIlveen has to say about it:

“Google Workspace makes our daily tasks, file sharing, storage, communication and team calls extremely easy, and knowing the security is top notch is reassuring. Plus, the service is familiar and fast when it comes to user experience, especially for those of us who use Google products in our personal lives.

“It’s also incredibly reliable; in five years of using the tools, we’ve not once had it compromise our ability to communicate or get things done.

“When it comes to our overall Google Voice score against other VoIP providers, this is based on impartial and objective testing, and whether or not it’s the right call for your needs depends on many factors. But if you’re not already a Google Workspace user and are wondering if it’s worth the $6 a month spend to get access to Google Voice as an add-on, my first-hand subjective experience would certainly recommend it.”

When compared to other VoIP services, factoring in the baseline Workspace cost, as well as the monthly Google Voice calling cost, does not change the fact that it’s one of the cheapest options for a small business. And in both our objective testing results given below, and our Editor’s subjective opinion, Google comes out pretty well.

Google Voice has an uptime guarantee of 99.9% and some of the best security features in the business. This is an area where it really excels – Google Voice scored 5/5 for security in our last round of testing, beating every other provider bar 8×8 thanks to a wide range of security certificates and enforced password rules.

If you’re handling sensitive customer data – which is probably the case if you’re managing or working in a professional services team – then it’s an option you should definitely consider.

However, there are useful features that softphone providers like Ooma have – such as ring groups, company hours, and localized and toll-free numbers – that Google Voice does not offer. Overall, Google Voice only scored 2.6/5 for features, which isn’t overly impressive when compared to other providers (although it’s a lot cheaper).

Finding out which VoIP software is best for your business is no easy task – and it might not be Google Voice. We’ve reviewed all of Google’s Voice plans in more detail just below, so scroll down if you’d like to take a peek:

Google Voice advises you against making emergency calls with the service when you’re abroad. Source: Tech.co user testing

Google Voice Starter pricing

Google Voice’s Starter plan is available for $10 per user, per month. At this price point, you’ll have a maximum of 10 users and 10 domestic locations. You’ll also get 24/7 support, a user forum, a knowledge base, and a phone line to contact too.

There’s free calling to the US from any other country, as well as free calling to Canada from the US –although Google Voice international calls made from the US to other countries will be at the mercy of international call rates.

In terms of inbound communication, you’ll be able to set up a voicemail, prevent spam and convert voicemails into text messages. In terms of outbound communication, you’ll be able to create custom call lists using Google Contacts.

There’s also call forwarding and some analytics and activity reporting tools. Team collaboration features (Google Chat) and video calls (Google Meet) and email integration (Gmail) are available via Google Workspace applications.

Google Voice is, however, great for security, scoring 5/5 in our testing criteria, with compliance certificates such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018 (Cloud Privacy), ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy), SOC 2, and SOC 3 reports and HIPAA. There is also multi-factor authentication, and password rules so that everyone in your organization has to create a password, as well as user permissions.

Google Voice Standard plan pricing

The Standard Plan is available for $20 per user, per month. There’s no user limit on this plan so, although Google Voice is largely suited to small teams, this plan could feasibly work for larger ones too.

Along with everything available in the Google Voice Starter Plan, customers who opt for the Standard Plan will get a multi-level auto-attendant/virtual receptionist, the ability to set up ring groups, desk phone support, eDiscovery for calls, and voicemail and SMS records.

There’s also customizable call routing and you can integrate with Polycom for desktop phones too, and you can set a customizable greeting for your inbound calls as well.

Google Voice calling features are fairly basic, but will be able to meet the needs of smaller teams. Source: Tech.co user testing

Google Voice Premier plan pricing

Google’s most expensive plan is available for $30 per user, per month. On this plan, you get everything included in the Standard plan, plus localized and toll-free numbers (although Google requires you to have a genuine presence in the location).

This plan also has some more advanced reporting tools via BigQuery, and data regions are going to be coming soon, but are not yet part of the package.

However, basic services from providers like GoTo Connect still have way more features than Google’s priciest plan, like customizable hold music and a call queue, so it’s worth checking out what else is on the market (use our free VoIP comparison tool to save yourself a bit of

time).

Google Voice offers colorful profile images that can be assigned to contacts for a little extra fun. Source: Tech.co testing

Google Voice Hidden Costs

As we’ve already mentioned, perhaps the most expensive hidden cost of Google Voice is that you have to have Google Workspace already. However, it’s not too expensive. Google’s Workspace starts at $6 per user, per month for a package that includes business email, video meetings, cloud storage, and management controls, as well as the full suite of tools such as Keep, Sheets and Docs.

There’s also a Business Standard plan ($12 per user, per month) which comes with 2TB of storage, and a Business Plus plan ($18 per user, per month) with advanced security provisions, not to mention the Enterprise Plan, which is customizable to your needs.

The other “hidden cost” of Google Voice, so to speak, are the international calling rates. These aren’t included within the plan pricing for Google Voice because they vary depending on what country you’re calling. Rates range from as little as $0.01 a minute to $2.50 per minute. 

Are Google Voice International Calls Free?

If you’re operating a phone line in the US, you’ll be charged international rates when making international calls with Google Voice. International rates will vary country-to-country, and in countries like the UK and Australia, it can vary from telephone carrier to telephone carrier.

Google Voice calls to the US from any other country are completely free on all of Google’s Voice plans. You can also make free calls from the US to Canada as well.

How much does it cost to call other countries using Google Voice?

When calling numbers external to the US, Google Voice international call rates will vary depending on the country or territory you’re in. The rates listed below are the rates per minute in US Dollars.

• Canada: $0
• Cuba: $0.70
• Mexico: $0.01 (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey), $0.01 (landline), $0.02 (mobile)
• Brazil: $0.01 (landline), $0.02 (mobile), $0.20 (special services)
• Venezuela: $0.01 (landline), $0.07 (mobile), $0.51 (special services)
• Costa Rica: $0.02 (landline), $0.07 (mobile)
• Argentina: $0.02 (landline), $0.11 (mobile), $1.10 (special services)
• India: $0.02
• China: $0.04 (landline), $0.07 (mobile)
• United Kingdom: $0.01 – $2.50 (depending on carrier/service)

Rates change over time, as well: Venezuela landline calls are now two cents per minute cheaper than when we last updated this page, while calls to India rose one cent per minute. Don’t even get us started on calls to China…

Is Google Voice Available in All Countries?

Unfortunately, Google Voice is not available in every country – in fact, it’s only available in a select few places. Currently, the countries Google Voice is available in are:

• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy

• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden*
• Switzerland
• UK
• US**

*In Sweden, Google Voice is only available in Stockholm, Malmö, and Göteborg.

**In the US, Google Voice is available in every state except Alaska and Hawaii. It is also unavailable in US-controlled territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.

How Much Does it Cost to Use Google Voice Outside of the US?

Right now, Google Voice is cheaper in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Starter plan is still $10 per user, per month, but the Standard plan is $16 per user, per month and the Premier plan is $24 per user per month.

In terms of Google Voice call rates, you’ll still be bound by the international call rates of the countries you’re calling to (unless you’re calling to the US, which is free), but there are some added stipulations.

For example, if you’re using Google Voice in Australia, you’ll be charged international call rates plus 10% VAT. If you’re using Google Voice in the United Kingdom, you’ll be charged 20% VAT on top of country-specific international call rates.

Google Voice let me record calls easily, all I had to do was tap 4 to start and stop the recording. Source: Tech.co user testing

How to Make Google Voice International Calls

Here, we’ll give a brief step-by-step on how to make international calls using Google Voice, as well as general domestic calls. It’s a pretty easy process whatever device you’re using, and it’s a pretty similar process both ways. Functionally, there’s nothing special about making an international call apart from putting in the dialing figure.

Remember though, if you’re inside the US and phoning someone outside of the US, you will be charged the international calling rate for that country. In countries like the UK, prices will also vary depending on the telephone carrier.

Mac/Windows

1. Head over to voice.google.com.
2. Log in to your account.
3. Check you have enough calling credit to make your call.
   1. Do this by clicking the “Gear” icon in the top-right corner and selecting the “Payment” option in the sidebar menu.
4. Click the “Dial” icon and use the keypad to enter the number you’re calling
5. Press the “Phone” icon to commence the call.
   1. When you make an international call, you will be provided with a voice message stating the rate per minute for your call.

Android

On Android, you can use the Google Voice app for Android.

1. Open the Google Voice app on your Android.
2. At the bottom, press “Calls”.
   1. If the number that you’re calling is saved as a contact, use the search bar to find it.
   2. If the number isn’t saved as a contact, tap “Dial” and enter the number.
   3. For international calls, enter the country code prior to the phone number.
3. Tap “Call”.

iOS devices (iPad, iPhone)

1. Open the Voice application and log in to your account, if needed.
2. Tap the “Dial” icon, and punch in the phone number of the person you want to call.
   1. For international calls, enter the country code prior to the phone number.
3. Tap the “Phone” icon to start your phone call.

Google Voice Alternatives

Although Google Voice provides a baseline service that works for many use cases – especially professional services due to the built-in security – there are a lot of situations where another provider will prove much more useful. Here’s a whistle stop tour of some of the best alternatives to Google Voice (which you’ll also find listed in the table, just below).

Nextiva is similar provider whose software would be well-suited to professional services, but Google Voice scored much better for security (3/5 for Nextiva, vs 5/5 for Google Voice).

RingCentral came out on top in our last round of testing with an overall score of 4.7/5 and excelled in our review of its features (4.4/5) security (4/5), customer support (5/5), and scalability (4.9/5).

8×8 ran it close with an overall score of 4.6/5, and was the best-rated provider when it came to features (scoring 4.9/5) – it also scored 5/5 for customer support and 4.9/5 for scalability. Meanwhile, Vonage also performed amicably and concluded testing with a 4.3/5 overall rating, and had a better customer score (4/5) than both 8×8 and RingCentral.

About Our Research

With so many websites reviewing products and services, it’s not always easy to know who to trust – or who’s even used the software they’re passing judgments on. At Tech.co, we take our research very seriously and have an insights team that gathers data on all the products we write about, putting them through rigorous tests to find out how easy they are to use, and what features they have.

If we don’t have the data, we don’t write about it – that’s our guarantee. We can’t make recommendations about what VoIP software is right for your company unless we do that. It’s a lot of work, but it’s all in the name of accuracy, objectivity and ultimately, helping you work out exactly what product is best for your business.

VoIP Software testing criteria

Before testing VoIP software like Google Voice, our researchers created a framework with which to assess providers. Broadly, the framework consists of 6 central criteria upon which each provider was assessed, which are listed and explained below:

• Price – scores are based on what each provider offers, and at what price point.
• External Connections – does the provider offer a mobile app, desktop phones, or any integrations such as CRM platforms? Scores are based on the quantity and quality of integrations on offer.
• Features – what features are included in the software, and how well do they work in practice? Scores are based on our full usability test of the products’ features.
• Customer Support – what customer support options are on offer, and do they function well? Scores are based on our full usability test of the products’ customer support features.
• Security – are adequate security provisions provided for the product to be considered safe? Based on a full usability test of the products’ security features.
• Scalability – when a business grows, will the VoIP software be able to grow with it? Security, management & collaboration features, user limit and other select criteria all considered.

FAQs