The Best Cloud Phone Systems for US Businesses

Based on our independent research, the best cloud phone system currently available is 8×8. Scoring an impressive overall 4.7/5 in our research, it has a generous range of integrations and is easily scalable. Whether you need a hyper-functional cloud phone system or you just want the basics, 8×8 is flexible and will mold smoothly into your business’s communication structure. But there are plenty more excellent small business phone systems out there to choose from, and our extensive research and experience in the world of cloud telephony has empowered us to select the best seven.

Read our reviews to compare these top cloud phone systems, and don’t forget to use our free quote-finding tool to get tailored quotes from the right cloud telephony services for your business.

What is a cloud phone system?

A cloud phone system is a business telephone solution based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Instead of being installed on-site using hardware like Private Branch Exchange (PBX), it’s hosted by a third-party provider on a cloud server.

One of the key advantages of cloud-based phone systems is their location independence – they can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, including desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and even certain desk phones.

Compared to traditional landlines, cloud phone systems offer more advanced features and a higher degree of flexibility at a lower cost, while providing a streamlined platform for effective communication within a business.

The Best Cloud Phone Systems

After our extensive research into different phone systems, we’ve determined these are the 7 best cloud phone system providers:

8×8 – Best Overall Cloud Phone System

With an impressive 4.7/5 rating in our in-depth research, we like 8×8 because it ticks all the right boxes when it comes to business communication needs. With a generous range of integrations, including CRM, Helpdesk, Web Conferencing, and External Live Chat, you can easily integrate 8×8 with your pre-existing software infrastructure and bring all your business tools under the same umbrella. It also is compatible with a broad range of third-party desktop phones, including Polycom, Cisco, Panasonic, and Yealink, making it a powerful and painless tool to set up. 8×8 also offers onboarding support with their Customer Success Managers, making it a top-notch option for helping new employees adapt to the communications system used by your business.

The part where 8×8 does falter is in price. Scoring a 2.5/5 in this category in our research, it’s a more expensive option compared to the other providers we look at. If you’re looking to tighten your belt, then we’d recommend looking at bOnline or Dialpad instead.

RingCentral – Best Cloud Phone System For Customer Service Teams

RingCentral MVP is our top cloud phone system for customer service teams because it’s so comprehensive, offering enterprise-level features at affordable prices. RingCentral’s most popular plan, ‘Premium’, comes with 2,000 free minutes per person, video meetings for up to 200 participants, advanced call features such as ‘whisper’ and ‘barge’, and multi-site management, so you can use the system seamlessly across different business locations. Plus, RingCentral can be integrated with over 250 apps, so it’s likely to work well with the systems your various teams already use. Thanks to all of these great assets, RingCentral scores a 4.2/5 for features and 4.3/5 for external connections.

We do think, however, that RingCentral has room for improvement in its price. Scoring a 3.5/5 in this category in our research, RingCentral isn’t the best option for businesses that are looking to save money in their next unified communications investment. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, we’d recommend looking at Vonage, bOnline, or GoTo Connect, all of which score above a 4/5 for price.

Vonage – Best Cloud Phone System For Small Businesses

Boasting a set of shiny features like dynamic call routing and post-call analysis, Vonage’s embrace of AI in its Premium subscription plan gives your small business the flexibility it needs to keep customers happy and scale up your operation. Its provision of tools, metrics and data gives you a 360-degree view of the interactions between your customers and agents, enabling you to turn insights into actionable items that heighten your ROI. Vonage Premium offers a wide range of customer support features and low monthly costs are a recipe for scaling up your operation.

Although these come at an additional cost, Vonage also lets you tap into its wide set of ready-made integrations, as it’s compatible with systems like Hubspot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and Office 365. This allows you to unify all your business communications in one spot, giving your agents all the necessary tools to provide the best customer service possible. These features explain why over 700 customer centre customers have turned to Vonage internationally. Thanks to all of these great assets, Vonage scores a 4.5/5 overall in our research, as well as 4.5/5 for features.

However, where Vonage stumbles is in its security features. Scoring a 3/5 in this category in our research, Vonage doesn’t come equipped with multi-factor authentication or password rules. If you’d like to feel more reassured on the security front, we’d recommend going for 8×8 or Google Voice instead.

GoToConnect – Best Cloud Phone System For Value For Money

GoToConnect is a safe option if you’re looking to get value for your money because it promises a seamless onboarding process, which involves getting your softphone cloud system working within a day. For as little as $24 per user, per month, it has the richest offering of international calls, giving you access to free international calling to over 50 countries. This makes GoToConnect a fantastic option for businesses that are looking to cater to –or maintain– an international clientele. Regardless of which subscription you choose, GoToConnect gives you access to all the inbound communication features you might need, including ring groups and call queue. This great deal earns GoToConnect a 4.3/5 for price and a 4.4/5 for scalability in our research.

However, and ironically so, GoToConnect isn’t the greatest at external connections. Scoring a 2.6/5 in this category in our research, you miss out on external live chat, analytics, and workspace integrations. If you want a puzzle piece that will fit in with all the software integrations you need, we’d recommend looking at RingCentral or 8×8.

Ooma – Best Cloud Phone System For Onboarding New Staff

One of the biggest sticking points for businesses is merging new staff into the workflow of your business, so finding a VoIP system that is intuitive and offers generous support during the onboarding process is crucial. Our in-depth research reveals that Ooma is a great choice for ensuring you can easily onboard new staff.

Alongside a broad offering of customer support features, including user forum, knowledge base, live chat, and 99.999% uptime guarantee, you also are assigned a Customer Success Hero. Just as the savvy name indicates, Customer Success Heroes are designed to help you throughout the installation and day-to-day operation of your VoIP system. This way, you can rest assured that your employees will get all the guidance needed to to take advantage of Ooma’s techy perks and features. Thanks to this range of generous customer support features, Ooma was awarded a 4.5/5 for customer support in our research and a 4.3/5 overall.

The unfortunate piece of news is that Ooma performs pretty poorly on the security front. Scoring a 1/5, Ooma doesn’t come equipped with multi-factor authentication, password rules, or user permissions. If this sounds like a turn-off, we’d recommend looking at 8×8, which scores a 5/5 for security.

Nextiva – Best Cloud Phone System For Large Offices

If your offices are on the larger side of the spectrum, we’d recommend going for Nextiva because of its generous collaboration and inbound communication features, and flexible setup. Boasting its own first-party hardware and compatibility with third-party desktop phones, including Cisco, Yealink, and Polycom, Nextiva is a solid choice if you want to have a range of options for what your VoIP system looks like.

On top of that, we think Nextiva is a good fit for large offices because of its high-ranking customer support – offering knowledge base, live chat, 24/7 live support, 99.999% uptime guarantee, and onboarding support. Nextiva scores a strong 4.5/5 in this category. This means that as you’re taking on new employees and teaching them the logistical ropes of your business, you will have reliable support on the backend.

The part where Nextiva trips slightly is for scalability. Scoring a 2.9/5 in our research, it misses out on a bunch of important management features like call transcripts and call-flow designer. If this is an absolute must for your business, 8×8 could be the way to go.

Net2Phone US – Best For Low-Cost International Calling

All the systems we’ve discussed here provide unlimited US calls at no extra cost – but what about calls to other countries? Most systems will charge extra fees for them, but Net2Phone stands out because it comes with unlimited calling to more than 40 countries. This means speaking to clients and teams across the globe is completely free, allowing you to maintain and expand your international clientele.

Net2Phone can also give you virtual phone numbers and dial tones in over 50 countries and 300 cities, so if you’d like to establish a presence in places like Europe or Asia, your contact options are easily taken care of. We’re also quite impressed that Net2Phone has international offices and data centers, and hosts more than 33 billion international minutes every year. Thanks to these assets, Net2Phone US scores a very respectable 4.2/5 in our research.

However, if you’re looking to make the transition to Net2Phone US, keep in mind it scores a slightly-above-average 2.8/5 for external connections in our research. This can make scalability trickier and cause operational hiccups as you try to consolidate your unified communications structure. If you want a system that can easily melt into your pre-existing software infrastructure, we’d recommend going for RingCentral or 8×8.

Cloud phone system benefits

These are the top reasons your business should consider using cloud phone systems…

Cost savings and scalability

Cloud-based phone systems offer significant cost savings compared to traditional landlines. By eliminating the need for on-premise hardware, your business can reduce upfront costs and ongoing maintenance expenses. You can easily adjust your communication needs by adding or removing phone lines and features, allowing you to scale up or down as required without incurring additional costs. This flexibility makes cloud phone systems a cost-effective choice for businesses of all sizes.

Flexibility and mobility

Your business can enjoy the flexibility to work from anywhere with an internet connection, whether employees are in the office, working remotely, or on the go. This is because they can access their business phone system using various devices. Mobile apps and call routing options enable seamless communication on smartphones and tablets, ensuring that important calls are never missed. This mobility empowers your business to stay connected and productive regardless of your physical location, increasing efficiency and responsiveness.

Enhanced features and integration

Cloud phone systems offer a wide range of advanced features that go beyond traditional landlines, including voicemail-to-email transcription, call recording, auto-attendants, and integration with other business tools like customer relationship management (CRM) systems and collaboration platforms. Such integration allows for streamlined workflows, improved customer service, and increased productivity. With enhanced features and integration capabilities, your business can elevate your communication capabilities and better meet the evolving demands of your customers and employees.

Methodology: how did we find the best cloud phones for businesses?