Best Small Business Phone Systems in 2024

A VoIP-powered hard phone on a desk in a small business call center.

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Modern small business phone systems are usually Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps. They provide a cheaper, cloud-based solution for calling used anywhere there’s an Internet connection integrated with other communication channels like video, email, and SMS.

Our research and testing of the best small office telephone systems found that 8×8 X2 is the top option, offering unlimited calling to 14 countries, generous customer support, and extensive inbound and outbound features.

But there are plenty of other picks, depending on your business needs and budget. In this article, we review the nine other telephone systems, comparing the factors that matter most to small businesses.

What Are The Top 10 Best Small Business Phone Systems?

  1. 8×8 X2 – Best overall
  2. Zoom Phone Unlimited – Best for features
  3. Nextiva Essential – Best for flexible set up
  4. RingCentral Ultra – Best for external connections
  5. Dialpad – Best for conversational AI
  6. net2phone Office Pro – Best for international calling
  7. Nuacom Unlimited – Best for customer satisfaction
  8. Ooma Office Pro – Best for value
  9. Google Voice Standard – Best for security
  10. Vonage Premium – Best for team collaboration

These are the providers we recommend based on our research. Clicking on any of them in the list above will send you to our free quote-finding tool. Once you provide some details about your business needs, you’ll receive tailored quotes from trusted providers with exact costs.

The Top 10 Best Small Business Phone Systems

These are the best phone systems for your small office business compared at a glance before we dive into our mini-reviews of each provider.

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Zoom Phone Unlimited

Nextiva Core

Net2Phone Professional

Nuacom Unlimited

Vonage Premium

Price (per user, per month)

Custom

Price (per user, per month)

$15

Price (per user, per month)

$30

Price (per user, per month)

$34.99

Price (per user, per month)

$25

Price (per user, per month)

$24.99

Price (per user, per month)

$24.99

Price (per user, per month)

$24.95

Price (per user, per month)

$20

Price (per user, per month)

$20.99

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited inclusive inbound and outbound minutes

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited calls within US and Canada

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited

Domestic Calls

Unlimited to domestic landlines

International Calls

Free calls to 14 countries

International Calls

Free calls to Canada only

International Calls

Free calls to Canada and Puerto Rico only

International Calls

Free calls to the US and Canada only

International Calls

Free calls to US and Canada only

International Calls

Free international calling to 40+ countries

International Calls

Free international calls to 30 countries

International Calls

Free calls to US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico only

International Calls

Free calls to US, Canada and Puerto Rico only

International Calls

None included

Key Features
  • Onboarding support
  • Call queue
  • Ring groups
  • Analytics
  • Customizable call routing
  • Call recording
Key Features
  • Impressive offer of inbound communication features
  • Competitive price point
  • Lots of management features
Key Features
  • Workspace and email integrations
  • Onboarding support
  • Customisable call routing
  • Call-flow designer
  • Setting up teams
Key Features
  • Onboarding support
  • Call queue
  • Ring groups
  • Web conferencing
  • Internal live chat
Key Features
  • Onboarding support
  • Call queue
  • Ring groups
  • Call recording
  • Analytics
  • Call transcripts
Key Features
  • API
  • Onboarding support
  • Customizable call routing
  • Setting up teams
  • Analytics
Key Features
  • 15 minutes onboarding support session
  • CRM, Helpdesk, Internal live chat, and email integration
  • Call queue
  • Ring groups
Key Features
  • Email and Workspace integrations
  • Call recording
  • Customizable call routing
  • Analytics

 

Key Features
  • Analytics
  • Customisable call routing
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • User permissions
  • Password rules
Key Features
  • Onboarding support
  • Call queue
  • Ring groups
  • Call recording
  • Call monitoring
  • Analytics
  • Web conferencing*
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Free Trial
Get personalized phone system prices from the best providers for you

1. 8×8 X2 – Best Overall Small Business Phone System

After our research and testing of the 8×8 platform, it’s clear that it ticks off most of the boxes on a small business phone system checklist.

Namely, we think its X2 plan, offering unlimited users, unlimited calling to 14 countries, and calling features like ring groups and queues, make it a strong choice for businesses with large volumes of callers. And it provides plenty more than that for your small office, too. Here’s why it could be for you (or not) in short before we dive into the details below.

8x8 logo
8x8 X2
4.7
Pricing Custom
Strengths

Boasts some of the most generous customer support in the VoIP-verse

Unlimited inbound and outbound minutes to 48 countries

Offers real-time dashboards and wide range of seamless integrations

Weaknesses

Provider's best features not available for X2 subscribers

Unclear if Customer Success Managers (onboarding support) come at an extra cost

Pricing
PlanPrice (per user, per month)
X2 Custom (previously $24)
X4 Custom (previously $44)
X6 Custom (previously $85)
X7 Custom (previously $110)
X8 Custom (previously $140)

Why is 8×8 X2 a good fit for small businesses?

Extensive calling features and functionality

With 8×8’s X2 plan, you’ll have unlimited domestic calling plus unlimited international calling to 14 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States domestically).

This surpasses plans like Zoom Phone Unlimited and RingCentral Ultra by a long way and makes it a strong choice for international operations, only behind Net2Phone Business Lite (40+) and Nuacom Unlimited (3o) in terms of the number of countries included for no cost. Upgrade to its X4 plan, and you’ll have 48 countries included, too.

making a call in 8x8 Work software
Making a call and using call management features like call forwarding is incredibly intuitive with 8x8 - Source: Matt Reed (Expert Market)

When calling, you’ll have plenty of outbound features to use when calling, including caller ID, call forwarding, transfer, park, hunt groups, and ring groups. You can also create call queue systems, set up a multi-level auto attendant, and record calls too, with recordings retained for 30 days at a time. That’s far beyond the capabilities of more basic offerings, like Ooma Office Pro.

man on screen in an office on right hand-side, inside 8x8 software
Expert Market's Matt Reed tests out the video conferencing capabilities of 8x8's software - Source: Matt Reed (Expert Market)

Several in-built communication channels

With the X2 plan, video conferencing for up to 500 participants (with live emoji reactions, instant polls, hand raising, virtual backgrounds, and breakout rooms), team chat messaging and SMS messaging come as standard, consolidating all your potential communication methods in one place alongside your VoIP calling abilities. This should allow your team to work remotely and give you more flexibility at reduced costs. By comparison, plans like Dialpad Pro limit video calls to just ten users.

Solid software integrations

Even 8×8’s lowest tier subscription (X2) is integrated with external software, unlike some other business telephone providers. That means over 60 ready-made integrations for CRM, Helpdesk, Web Conferencing, external and internal live chats, email, and more.

This makes 8×8 a powerful tool your team can leverage to create a quick, personalized customer experience (unlike Google Voice Standard which can’t integrate with any non-Google tools) and is only beaten for phone-related integration options by RingCentral.

8x8 calendar integration possibilities, showing iCloud, Google, Office365, Microsoft Exchange and Outlook.com
8x8 can integrate with a number of third-party calendar applications to keep you in the loop with any meetings you may have - Source: Matt Reed (Expert Market)

High scalability

8×8 caters to an unlimited number of users, call queues, ring groups, and a wide range of management features to all give us the opinion that it is an excellent option in terms of its ability to scale as your business evolves.

You can easily upgrade at any time too, and its range of more advanced plans (X4, plus its X6, X7, and X8 contact center packages) gives you the flexibility that a small business will value when operational needs change. The X6 plan and above have features such as an auto-dialer, a 99.999% platform-wide uptime SLA, and an intelligent interactive voice response (IIVR), which could be invaluable as your business grows.

Strong customer support

Better yet, if you need any assistance to help your team adjust to 8×8, provide resources to new staff, or fix any issues with your phone system experience, then 8×8 X2 has the joint-most extensive options and availability of any option we’ve researched (alongside Zoom Phone Unlimited).

Namely, you’ll have access to both a knowledge base and user forum, as well as 24/7 live chat and phone line support for those out-of-hours issues (alongside email support if you aren’t in need of urgent help).

Which small businesses aren’t suited to 8×8 X2?

8×8 has several training features to help train new staff, like barge, monitoring, and whisper tools to coach new staff through calls. However, they are only available with its X4 plan and above. This makes 8×8 appealing in scalability but should you need those tools now – like teams in sales, for example – you’ll need to either plump for the X4 plan or go with a cheaper option on this page that includes it, like Zoom Phone Unlimited.

Similarly, as discussed, while 8×8 offers more countries to call for free than many other phone packages, if you call countries beyond the 14 included, such as China or Japan, the X2 plan may incur additional costs. Again, the X4 plan is better in this regard, or equally opting for Net2Phone Business Lite or Nuacom Unlimited provides a wider country inclusion.

The same can be said for a few other features that may catch your eye, perhaps most crucial of all being 8×8’s 99.999% platform-wide uptime guarantee only being on X4 subscriptions and above. While we don’t think 8×8 offers bad up-times from our experience, for absolute assurance that your phone system will be functional most of the time, an option like Nextiva (which includes this on its Essential plan) may be preferred.

What's New For 8x8 in 2024?

8×8 Work now lets users bulk send SMS messages to up to 50 numbers at once. They aren’t placed into individual message threads either, as 8×8 groups them in a bulk message room so you can see when and to whom each message was sent.

2. Zoom Phone Unlimited – Best Small Business Phone System For Features

The core reason we like Zoom Phone Unlimited is that you get access to all sorts of inbound communication, conversation, and nearly all management features you might possibly need as a small office or hybrid/remote small business. This makes it an impressively functional tool for any small business that is looking to adopt a new unified communications system. Here’s what it offers at a glance.

Zoom logo
Zoom Phone Unlimited
4.5
Pricing $15
Strengths

Impressive offer of inbound communications features

Lots of management features on offer, making it a scalable solution

Competitive price point

Weaknesses

Email, phoneline, and live chat support all come at an additional cost

Pricing
PlanPrice (per user, per month)
Metered $10
Unlimited $15
Global Select $20

Why is Zoom Phone Unlimited a good fit for small businesses?

Low-cost provider

Costing $15 per user, per month for the Phone Unlimited package, and as little as $10 per user, per month for its cheapest plan, Zoom is one of the cheapest phone system solutions you can get on the US market suited to small businesses, according to our research.

Zoom’s cheapest plan ties with Google Voice for the cheapest option we’ve researched, though you’ll need a Google Workspace to use the latter and you’ll have far fewer calling features, too.

Zoom phone pricing
Zoom Phone pricing is considerably more affordable than many other VoIP solutions - Source: Expert Market via Zoom website

Advanced communication features

All Zoom Phone plans have the same phone features, making it an excellent choice for small businesses. Better yet, those features are more advanced than a lot of providers out there, which is a surprise given its comparatively low cost.

For instance, many providers lock away training features at higher price points like Barge, Monitor, and Whisper functions. You can’t get these features on 8×8’s X2 plan, while RingCentral doesn’t offer them on its lowest-priced plan like Zoom. Likewise, Zoom Phone also offers unlimited auto-attendants/IVR (unlike 8×8 X2) and plenty of other useful tools from voicemail with transcription and call recording to call parking, distribution grouped queuing, and custom routing.

Zoom dashboard for Zoom workplace
If you upgrade to a Pro Plus or Business Plus subscription in the future, you'll have access to the Zoom Workplace software shown here - Source: Expert Market

Besides unlimited calls within the US and Canada, Zoom Phone Premium also supports SMS/MMS messages domestically, and you’ll have an internal team chat. There’s no built-in support for video conferencing, however, as you’ll need to set up Zoom Meetings software for that. But should you do that – which should make most sense for businesses already using Zoom for video conferencing – Zoom Phone can easily integrate with it. You’ll then have all your communications in one place with Zoom Workspace software, as seen in the image above.

Solid customer support

All Zoom phone plans get 24/7 live chat & phone support, which means you will be able to get help & advice for your team when you need it. It also has a help center and community zone which acts like a forum, and you can raise a ticket for non-urgent queries. Other providers like 8×8 also offer this, but this extent of support options and availability isn’t always a certainty, especially at Zoom Phone’s low price point.

Extensive app marketplace

Zoom Phone Unlimited also has a vast range of software integrations for users, including CRM, Helpdesk, Web Conferencing, Internal Live Chat, API, Email, Workspace, analytics, and SSO integrations. In terms of pure numbers, it is only rivaled by RingCentral (though we reckon RingCentral still has more VoIP-appropriate add-ons).

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Zoom Phone Unlimited?

International businesses will find this plan unsuitable since you can’t make non-domestic calls. Net2Phone Business Lite, Nuacom Unlimited, and 8×8 X4 (in that order) are our top suggestions for international operations since they all offer wider country inclusions.

Elsewhere, while Zoom Phone integrates with Zoom Meetings, it doesn’t offer the same level of integrated team messaging and collaboration features as plans like Vonage Premium, which integrates team messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing within a single platform.

What's New For Zoom Phone in 2024?

In its latest update for Winter 2024, Zoom has added an AI companion for Zoom Phone. It can write post-call summaries, voicemail prioritization suggestions and more to help with actions after any calls are complete.

3. Nextiva Core – Best Small Business Phone System For Flexible Set Up

Boasting its own first-party hardware and compatibility with third-party desktop phones from Cisco, Yealink, and Polycom, Nextiva is pretty flexible when it comes to setup. This is particularly handy if you prefer to have a desktop phone as part of your VoIP phone system as it supports many different types of hardware. And that’s especially true for small office phone system businesses.

Although Ooma also offers first-party desktop phones, Nextiva drives ahead in this category because it has a wider range of third-party desktop compatible phones, and is our top choice for this reason. But there are other reasons why it could be for you; read on for the details.

nextiva
Nextiva Core
3.9
Pricing $30
Strengths

Competitive price point

Fantastic customer support

Weaknesses

Very limited offering of external connections

Not many management features on offer, which doesn’t help scalability

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Digital $20
Core $30
Engage $40
Power Suite $60

Why is Nextiva Core a good fit for small businesses?

Appealing balance of price and features

Pairing unlimited calling allowance within the US and Canada with essential features for your daily operations like an auto attendant to direct calls, call forwarding to redirect them, and queuing to manage high volume periods, Nextiva Core is a more streamlined offering than some other providers, but with predictable and consistent costs.

It provides several useful functions, including a voicemail with transcription capabilities, as well as communication and collaboration channels like video conferencing for up to 45 participants, plus team chat messaging with presence indicators, and file sharing.

Nextiva group messaging
Within Nextiva, you can set up group SMS text messaging and keep track of any responses within one conversation tab - Source: Nextiva

Great customer support

With a 99.999% uptime guarantee, 24/7 Live Support, live chat, and onboarding support, we like Nextiva Essential because of its range of customer support options available every hour of the week. So you can be confident in knowing that if you have difficulties when using your VoIP system, Nextiva’s customer service will be there to offer a helping hand.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Nextive Core?

If your business uses a variety of third-party tools, and you want to be able to integrate them with your chosen phone system, Nextiva Core may not be for you. It has a very limited offering of integration options you can sync your VoIP system with, only offering basics like Outlook email integration and Google Workspace, and missing out on key CRM, Helpdesk, and Web Conferencing tools. Even Microsoft Teams requires Nextiva’s higher-priced Engage plan, meanwhile, the likes of RingCentral Ultra and Zoom Phone Unlimited offer plenty of options for similar costs.

We’d say it may not be the most scalable option either, should that be a priority for your business. That’s primarily because it has a limited range of call management features. If you choose to go for Nextiva, you’ll only have access to customizable routing, call-flow designer, and setting up teams. You could, potentially, also access call queuing monitoring and advanced reporting, but you’ll need to purchase a higher-cost plan.

What's New For Nextiva in 2024?

Nextiva released several updates in October 2024, including updates to its VoIP phone system which means users can now view all assigned phone numbers and extensions at a glance via the left menu under calls. Previously you had to dive into the calls section to find assigned numbers.

4. RingCentral Ultra – Best Small Business Phone System for External Connections

If you’re a business that values compatibility with your software anatomy above all else, RingCentral is a great option thanks to all the external connections it can link to. In fact, it offers far more integration options than any other provider we’ve researched. Here’s what you need to know about RingCentral Ultra.

RingCentral logo
RingCentral Ultra
3.9
Pricing $35
Strengths

Tightly integrated IVR and automatic call distribution (ACD), allowing you to leverage customer data

Rich menu of management features

Weaknesses

Pricier than other providers

Needs RingCentral Engage to use power and auto dialer, predictive dialing, and custom call lists

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Core $20
Advanced $25
Ultra $35

Why is RingCentral Ultra a good fit for small businesses?

Software integrations

With RingCentral, you can sync your phone system with over 300 different platforms. This includes key CRM and Helpdesk integrations like Salesforce and Zendesk, analytics, and other platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, and Facebook.

These sorts of software make the customer service arm of your business stronger, and it allows you to instantly draw on customer-specific data to provide a frustration-free experience. So even if you aren’t using multiple tools now, it could really grow your operations in the future to be setup with RingCentral.

Scalability

This array of integration options is part of the reason RingCentral Ultra is one of our favorite small office phone systems for scalability. It equips you with all the right tools – call queue, ring groups, web conferencing tools, internal live chat, and pretty much all the call management features you could ever need as a small business.

It also includes multi-factor authentication, password rules, compliance certifications and encryption, which will help shield your operation as you continue to scale up.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to RingCentral Ultra?

Given there are plenty of cheaper options, as discussed on this page, RingCentral Ultra may not be the best choice for keeping costs low. It provides excellent value for money in our view, but it’s not the cheapest compared to the likes of Zoom Phone Unlimited.

Similarly, if your business doesn’t require extensive software integrations or all the features RingCentral can offer, a lower-tier plan may be more appropriate. Consider what features you want now and may want in the future, as well as what tools you already use and plan to use, to make that decision.

What's New For RingCentral in 2024?

Since November 2024, RingCentral has allowed users to set Caller ID Name (CNAM) on a per-number, per-site, or company-wide basis.

5. Dialpad Pro – Best Small Business Phone System For Conversational AI

With one foot in the present and another in the future, Dialpad is known for its innovative use of conversational AI to transcribe calls, flag conversation features with emotions and automate post-call summaries. Other providers have followed suit over the past year, but having embedded its AI-tools first and most deeply, Dialpad is still our pick in this regard. Here’s why else it could be for you.

Dialpad Pro
3.7
Pricing $25
Strengths

Great customer support, including a user forum, knowledge base, and live chat

Offers a solid range of communication features

Fantastic customer reputation

Weaknesses

Not very easy to scale

Doesn’t have an uptime guarantee at the Pro subscription level

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Standard $15
Pro $25
Enterprise Custom

Why is Dialpad Pro a good fit for small businesses?

Range of communication features

With access to call queue, ring groups, and a variety of call management features like call recording, analytics, and call transcripts, Dialpad Pro offers a good range of tools you can rely on to build up your business.

If you choose to keep your operation remote, rather than in your small office business headquarters, you can also use internal live chat and web conferencing features to slash costs.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Dialpad Pro?

Dialpad Pro is a little pricier than some other options on this page, especially given it could offer more external integration connections compared to similarly priced picks like RingCentral Ultra.

Dialpad Pro syncs with 25 different CRM, helpdesk, web conferencing, email, workspace, internal live chat, and SSO, giving you access to platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot, G Suite, and Slack. However, there are only 3 CRM software on that list, there are no options for API integrations and many of the integrations come at extra cost (for example Zoho CRM costs $4.99 per month to integrate).

What's New For DialPad in 2024?

A few months ago, Dialpad added an AI Voice Isolation feature to easily reduce background noises from calls from construction outside your window to the crunching of crisps near the microphone.

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6. Net2Phone Professional – Best Small Business Phone System For International Calling

All the systems we discuss here provide unlimited US calls at no extra cost – but what about calls to other countries? Most systems 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 world is completely free, allowing you to maintain and expand your international reach.

We’ll detail how else Net2Phone caters to international operations shortly, but here’s an overview of its benefits and downsides for small office businesses first.

Net2Phone logo
net2phone Professional
3.6
Pricing $24.99
Strengths

Net2Phone will supply you with free upgraded desk phones when you switch to the system

The company provides free, 24/7, US-based customer support via phone or email

The system is very user friendly, and includes a simple management console that makes it easy to make changes to your system

Weaknesses

Very limited software integrations compared to competitors

Doesn’t offer call flip, barge, or whisper

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Essentials $19.99
Professional $24.99
Enterprise Custom

Why is Net2Phone Professional a good fit for small businesses?

International calling capabilities

Besides offering free calls to over 40 countries, Net2Phone Professional can also give you virtual phone numbers and dial tones in over 50 countries and, even more specifically, 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 by Net2Phone’s own international presence as its offices and data centers around the globe host more than 33 billion international minutes every year – so we’d say it’s a pretty safe bet if you’ve got plans to expand internationally in the coming years.

Comprehensive feature set

Net2Phone has you covered with a complete set of communication tools in one place. Namely, it provides things like video conferencing, internal chat messaging, text messaging, voicemail-to-email transcription, and WhatsApp integration. It’s also got some AI smarts, too, providing helpful features like call transcription during calls and summaries after you put down the phone.

net2software call recording section of the software
You can easily access the call recording section within Net2Software's interface and playback any calls you've saved - Source: Net2Software

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Net2Phone Professional?

One area that Net2Phone Pro struggles with compared to other phone systems is software integration options. There is only a limited set of ready-made integrations such as Slack, Zapier, Google Calendar/Contacts, as well as custom API integrations. Other tools, like essential CRM options like Zoho and Salesforce plus other popular options like Microsoft Teams, are available as add-ons for reportedly $2 per user per month. By comparison, you can get much more included without extra spending with 8×8 and RingCentral.

It’s also not the most feature-rich choice, since it’s missing a bunch of important call management features – you only really have access to customizable call routing, setting up teams, and analytics. Even though you have access to ring groups, you miss out on call queues (which is a paid add-on), complicating the management of a large number of incoming calls. There is no training functionality at all either, like call barge or whisper, since these are only available on its contact center plans which start from $60 per user, per month.

In this sense, it isn’t the most scalable choice. You do have access to team messaging and video conferencing tools, which helps with remote working, but you’ll still be limited compared to the likes of 8×8 or Zoom.

What's New For net2phone in 2024?

Nextiva introduced its “Single-Pane-of-Glass View” in August 2024. It harmonizes its key calling, conferencing, and messaging features in one place to make for a much more integrated software package.

7. Nuacom Unlimited – Best Small Business Phone System For Customer Satisfaction

Based on our in-depth research, Nuacom has the highest customer satisfaction in the VoIP sector, earning an average of 4.6/5 from its users from sites like Capterra, Trustpilot, G2, and TrustRadius. And for that reason, we believe joining key clients like Credit Union and Volkswagen as Nuacom customers should be an appealing choice for your operations. Next we’ll look at why else it could appeal to your team.

nuacom scorecard 2
Nuacom Unlimited
3.5
Pricing $24.99
Strengths

Impressive collection of positive customer reviews

Unlimited user limit

Generous inbound communication features

Weaknesses

Lacking some communication tools, like video conferencing

Few integrations

Not transparent about its compliance certification, and does not provide multi-facet authentication or password rules

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Unlimited $24.99
Enterprise Custom

Why is Nuacom Unlimited a good fit for small businesses?

Free hardware

Unlike all the other providers on this page, Nuacom provides complimentary VoIP phones for each team member on its Unlimited plan. That massively reduces initial hardware expenses if you were planning on purchasing desk phones.

Reliable call management features with personalized onboarding

With unlimited mobile and landline calls, Nuacom Unlimited seamless communication without additional costs, supporting both mobile and landline connections.

Handily, there are a few features to make your life easier, too. For one, you can program its IVR for time-based call routing that sets opening hours and custom time-based rules. That should funnel calls appropriately based on business hours.

You also get automatic call recording, which isn’t a given with most VoIP providers on the market, so no matter if you remember or not a recording of your conversation will be saved and ready for review.

Handily, your team will get specialized onboarding tailored to the features your team needs, as well as training sessions to facilitate a smooth transition to Nuacom and effective use of the system.

list of countries included in nuacom unlimited for free calling
You can get free international calling with the following 30 countries from the US with Nuacom Unlimited - Source: Nuacom

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Nuacom Unlimited?

Compared to other providers like 8×8 and Vonage, Nuacom has a limited offering of external connections. On the Unlimited plan, you can only sync your telephone system with Hubspot, Slack, and Google Workspace (you need an Enterprise plan to unlock all the integration options it offers). This means should you use a CRM besides HubSpot, customer management data won’t be able to be shared with your phone records, and vice versa.

It’s not the most scalable option going, either. With a requirement to have at least two users, Nuacom does come equipped with a call queue and ring groups, which can help you manage a large call volume. However, you’ll be missing out on several call management features, like call monitoring, call-flow designers, and setting up teams. Perhaps crucially, you also won’t have access to video conferencing, which can complicate keeping your team connected when working remotely.

What's New For Nuacom in 2024?

Nuacom has introduced its own AI helper, offering things like call emotion and sentiment indicator, AI-generated call transcriptions, and a ‘Call Talk Time Indicator’ so that you can skim through recordings quickly.

8. Ooma Office Pro – Best Small Business Phone System For Ease of Use

Offering one of the simplest and quickest phone systems to get up and going, it’s pretty obvious why we think Ooma Office Pro is the best small business phone system for ease of use. Although it is quite limited in terms of external connections, it’s a good option if you’re after a VoIP system you can get to using right away without much experience.

Ooma Office Pro
3.5
Pricing $24.95
Strengths

Roster of features specifically tailored toward small businesses that work remotely or from the office

Not tied to a contract – can use the system for as long as needed and can be easily canceled on demand

Competitive pricing that won’t break the bank

Weaknesses

Very limited offering of external connections

Not suitable for operations calling outside of US, Canada, Mexico or Puerto Rico

Fewer calling features than competitors

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Essentials $19.95
Pro $24.95
Pro Plus $29.95

Why is Ooma Office Pro a good fit for small businesses?

Simple setup and interface

What we do like about Ooma is that its system is incredibly easy to set up. Ooma can supply dedicated desk phones that work out of the box, and they can be configured in less than 15 minutes.

The user interface for its desktop software app is intuitive too, with contacts, calls, voicemails, and meetings all having their own tab on its right-hand navigation bar (with the likes of faxes and messages tucked away in more features.

Ooma desktop call log and contact button on UI
If you dive into the calls section of the Ooma desktop app, you can view your call log and easily call back a contact you need to get in-touch with - Source: Expert Market

Solid value call management

Call routing features such as a virtual receptionist, ring groups, and others like call blocking mean customer interactions and call handling are streamlined with Ooma Office Pro. Call blocking is particularly notable, as Ooma uses algorithms to reduce spam and unwanted calls which is seemingly unique to the provider, according to our research.

Office Pro also enables the recording of audio and video calls and transcribing voicemails at a lower cost than options like RingCentral Ultra. You won’t get call queues, advanced training features like call monitoring (whisper, barge, monitor), or team messaging found with RingCentral Ultra and Zoom Phone Unlimited, but it’s still an excellent selection of tools. Most of these features are found with Ooma Office Pro Plus, however, so you could always upgrade down the line.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Ooma Office Pro?

Similar to net2phone Office Pro, Ooma Office Pro has a very thin offering of software integrations. The only options you to sync it with are Gmail and Outlook for email integrations, and Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for Workspace integrations. We recommend looking elsewhere if you are in the market for the Swiss army knife of unified small business communications.

Relatedly, this may prevent larger enterprises from picking Ooma, since they typically require these deeper integrations, as well as more advanced features Ooma misses out on like call center functionalities and detailed analytics.

Lastly, like many packages on this page, Ooma Office Pro may not be cost-effective for companies with significant international communication needs since everywhere besides the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, is set on a metered calling rate.

What's New For Ooma in 2024?

Ooma has updated its interface for meetings so that you can now view scheduled (upcoming) meetings, recent (past) meetings, and rooms to host video conference meetings, as of September 2024.

9. Google Voice Standard – Best Small Business Phone System For Security

If you value protecting your data, there is little better choice than the global operations of Google and its Google Voice phone system. Read on to learn exactly why that is and whether Google Voice Standard and its integrated Google workflows are for your team.

Google Voice logo
Google Voice
3.5
Pricing $10 - $30
Strengths

Fantastic integration with Google Workspace for Google users

Top-rated security features, including HIPAA and ISO certifications

Budget-friendly pricing from just $10 per user per month

Weaknesses

Difficult to integrate with other non-Google systems

Customer support is quite restricted compared to other providers

Limited range of available features

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Starter $10
Standard $20
Premier $30

Why is Google Voice Standard a good fit for small businesses?

Class-leading security measures

Although Google Voice offers the bare minimum of management features — just analytics and customizable call routing — it does have pretty much every single security feature you’d need to feel confident your operation is properly protected.

All data transmitted between Google Voice clients and Google’s servers is encrypted, safeguarding information during transit. Any user content, including text messages and voicemails, is then stored securely in Google’s data centers, which employ robust security protocols.

Users can enable two-factor authentication with strong password rules and set up recovery options to enhance account security.

It also protects against unwanted spam calls and messages to reduce the risk of phishing and other malicious activities towards your business. Google Voice utilizes advanced algorithms to detect and block spam calls and messages, reducing the risk of phishing and other malicious activities.

Google Voice voicemail
In Google Voice, you'll get a transcript of voicemail messages sent to your profile - Source: Expert Market

Superb conference call capabilities

As you are likely to already know, Google Voice also includes web conferencing and internal live chat if you’re happy to use the super popular Google Meet and Google Chat services.

Meet offers features like screen sharing, real-time captions, and integration with Google Calendar while Chat supports direct messages and group conversations which can appear as pop-ups while using Google Voice.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Google Voice Standard?

Since it requires Google Workspace to use Google Voice, and the phone system only integrates with Google’s suite of tools, businesses that don’t use Google Workspace will find this plan won’t integrate with their existing way of doing things.

Similarly, while it has excellent security, Google Voice is simply less advanced compared to other phone systems. It hasn’t received a notable update in a couple of years and lacks call management and analytics features you come to expect of even basic plans, including call queues and multi-level auto attendants or training features like monitoring and whisper.

While you may find Google’s basic call management tools suitable, international businesses may be disappointed that despite Google’s global reputation, Google Voice users only get a free allowance for American, Canadian, and Puerto Rican numbers.

What's New For Google Voice in 2024?

Besides ongoing updates for maintenance and support, Google Voice hasn’t been updated in quite a while so there are no new updates to report here.

10. Vonage Premium – Best Small Business Phone System For Team Collaboration

Boasting a set of shiny team collaboration features like team messaging, document sharing, and video conferencing, we like Vonage because it helps keep your entire team on the same page, with a healthy workflow, that helps optimize the operation of your business. Let’s dig into what else it does well and not so well.

Vonage logo
Vonage Premium
3.5
Pricing $29.99
Strengths

Customizable dashboards and wallboards give you real-time visibility of KPI progress

Displays a local number when reaching out to customers, improving response rate

Solid customer support service

Weaknesses

Security is not as robust compared to other phone system providers

Some useful training and management features not available at Professional

Pricing
PlanStarting price (per user, per month)
Mobile $19.99
Premium $29.99
Advanced $39.99

Why is Vonage Premium a good fit for small businesses?

Team collaboration tools

As noted, Vonage Premium has several comms channels and features to facilitate team collaboration including live team chat with file sharing and media exchange across both desktop and mobile apps, and video conferencing for up to 200 users at a time.

It also integrates seamlessly with over 20 third-party software including CRMs and Slack, which is a solid array of choices (albeit behind leaders in this area like RingCentral and Zoom) including Hubspot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and Office 365. This means that teams can streamline workflows further and collaborate within a unified platform pretty simply with Vonage. Previously this cost extra too, but now it is included with the Premium plan.

Which small businesses aren’t suited to Vonage Premium?

With Vonage Premium, it isn’t a case of anything being particularly out of joint but that other providers specialize in areas that Vonage Premium is somewhat middling at. For instance, small businesses with limited budgets will find they can get a cheaper phone system with the likes of Zoom Phone Premium.

On the flip side, Vonage Premium lacks some advanced call center functionalities such as automatic call distribution (ACD) and predictive dialing that RingCentral Ultra could offer. The same goes for more specialized integrations, with RingCentral also being a solid choice in this regard with over 300 tools to fit into your phone system versus Vonage’s 20.

Vonage is another plan that isn’t suited to international calls too, since none are included in its offering, meaning you’ll be paying a metered rate that varies by country.

Get personalized office phone system prices from the best providers for you

Should I Switch My Small Business Phone System?

If you already use a small business phone system and are looking to switch, you should consider these two factors.

Switch cost

Signing up with a VoIP provider for your office phone system, like the ones we featured on this list, is very straightforward. If your current contract is running out, you can dive right into your potential providers’ features and choose based on that.

However, if you’re thinking of leaving your current provider early, you do have to check if you’ll incur an early termination fee by doing that.

Take this cost and divide it by the number of months you still have left in your contract. If it’s more than the monthly cost of the provider you’re looking to sign up with, it’s cheaper to wait it out and switch later.

Business plan

You also need to consider your expectations for your next small business phone system and those go hand in hand with your company’s current business plan.

  • If cost-cutting and rightsizing are your top priorities at the moment, go for economical providers like Zoom Phone and Ooma Office;
  • If you’re aiming to scale up, then providers such as 8×8 and RingCentral will serve you better;
  • Or if you’re looking to amp up efficiency with the best technology available, AI-assisted providers like Dialpad can really expand on what a VoIP system can do.

The Best Features Of A Small Business Phone System

As a small business, there’s three main aspects and pain points that you’ll want to be addressed by your new small business phone system.

  • Money: you’ll want to find a provider with low up-front monthly fees, inclusive domestic minutes, a provision of multiple communication channels like messenger and video, and solid customer support
  • Integrability: at this stage of growth, your business will likely already have an existing IT infrastructure. As such, you’ll want a provider that can seamlessly integrate into your business’s operation like ready-made integrations for CRM, Workspace, email, web conferencing, internal messaging, external messaging, and onboarding support. You’ll also want a system that is compatible with multiple brands of desktop phones.
  • Scalability: you want to avoid adopting a system you’ll outgrow with time so you’ll want to go for a provider that offers unlimited amount of users, call queue, ring groups, a solid set of management features to help organize business-wide communications, internal messaging, video conference, and good security features.

How Much Does A Telephone System For A Small Business Cost?

The price of a phone system can vary depending on several factors.

Cost factorDetails
Monthly costsExpect to pay between $20–$50 per user, per month for cloud-based VoIP systems. Varies by lines, call minutes, and features.
Example plansZoom Phone: From $10/user/month, domestic & international calls.
RingCentral: From $20/user/month, unlimited US calls.
Upfront hardware costsDesk phones cost between $80–$500 (depending on the model).
Training costsFree self-service resources in some cases, or charges for personalized training and on-site support in others.
Scalability costsCosts increase as the business grows. Plans from the likes of 8×8, Zoom, and RingCentral are scalable with adjustable subscription fees.

Methodology: How Did We Compare The Best Phone Systems For Small Businesses?

We've researched and tested 10 market-leading VoIP phone systems, evaluating them in terms of functionality, usability, cost and security options, so we can make the most useful recommendations to US businesses.

Using our in-house research framework and ranking process, we evaluated each VoIP system across seven core categories of interest, each weighted differently, and then combined the results to come up with a final score.

Our main testing categories for VoIP products and services are:

  • Cost: The pricing structure associated with the VoIP service, such as monthly subscription fees, call rates, setup fees, hardware costs, and any additional charges for add-on features or services.
  • Call features: The functionalities and capabilities offered by the VoIP service, including basic features such as call forwarding and voicemail, as well as advanced features like auto-attendant and conference calling.
  • External connections: The VoIP service's ability to connect and integrate with external systems or devices, such as compatibility with existing phone systems or integration with mobile devices.
  • Customer support: The assistance and resources provided by the VoIP service provider to customers, including technical support, online resources, and access to customer support representatives.
  • Security options: The measures and features implemented by the VoIP service to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and protection of voice communications and data.
  • Scalability: The ability of the VoIP service to accommodate the growth and changing needs of an organization, e.g. capacity to handle a growing number of users or support multiple locations.
  • Reputation: External customer opinion; the feedback and ratings given by customers who have used a particular VoIP product – the market position and reputation a VoIP software holds.

 

Verdict

Even though you’re spoilt for choice with ten great small business phone system providers out there, our top-rated recommendations are 8×8 X2 and Zoom Phone Unlimited.

Whether they’re the right choice for your small office business is, of course, up to you. But we believe they offer affordable packages and come with modern, unified communications features, and they’re more flexible and easy to use both remotely and in the office – all points to consider if you’re a small business!

Whether you’re feeling ready to make a choice, or you’d still like to ask more questions to providers, you can fill in our quick and free comparison tool to fast-forward you into adopting your new small business phone system. Simply answer a few questions about the needs of your business and we’ll match you with the phone system providers you should know about. They’ll be in touch with free, tailored, no-obligation quotes and answers to your questions.

The Best Phone Systems For Small Businesses: FAQs

Do small businesses still use landlines?
Increasingly less! Thanks to their competitive prices and a wide-ranging menu of features, it comes as no surprise that small businesses are choosing to make the transition to VoIP across the US.

VoIP systems are more intuitive, better at dealing with a large number of inbound callers, and offer a lot of flexibility as you can make calls using the internet.

Written by:
Matt Reed is a Senior Writer at Expert Market. Adept at evaluating products, he focuses mainly on assessing fleet management and business communication software. Matt began his career in technology publishing with Expert Reviews, where he spent several years putting the latest audio-related products and releases through their paces, revealing his findings in transparent, in-depth articles and guides. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism from City, University of London, Matt is no stranger to diving into challenging topics and summarising them into practical, helpful information.
Reviewed by:
James draws on his 4+ years experience as a researcher to offer specialized advice on a wide range of categories from CRM to Fleet Management. He believes all businesses can grow if they use the right tools and services.