The Best Virtual Phone Number Apps

Virtual phone number apps are a quick and easy way to separate your personal calls from your business calls without the need for a separate phone or SIM card. Most of these apps are offered by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone plan providers, and we’ve chosen ones that provide affordable phone systems for small businesses.

We researched and tested several virtual phone number apps, and found that the best one is Zoom, specifically its $10 per month Zoom Metered plan. It’s the cheapest option on the market, allowing you to receive unlimited calls, with metered outbound calls. This makes it well-suited to micro-businesses or startups that want to set up a phone line for customers.

For making outgoing calls, Google Voice’s $10 Starter plan is the most affordable option. However, it comes with more basic call management features than Zoom, which is why we’ve recommended a total of five virtual phone number providers that meet a variety of needs.

1. Zoom Metered: Best Starter Plan for Receiving Calls

At $10 per user, per month, Zoom Metered is one of the most affordable virtual phone number plans on the market, but still comes with a robust set of call management features. This makes it the perfect starter plan for businesses that need to set up a customer contact number.

Why we recommend Zoom Metered

With Zoom Metered, you’ll be able to port existing numbers or set up new ones, including toll-free and phone extension numbers. You’ll also be able to receive an unlimited number of calls, at no extra charge, however outgoing calls are metered.

Zoom Metered’s strong points are its excellent call management features. You get access to unlimited IVR auto-attendants, call queues, and customized call routing. These are features that are sometimes missing from more expensive competitor starter plans, with Dialpad’s $15 Starter plan missing call queues, for example.

This makes Zoom Metered an extremely affordable option for businesses that want to set up a virtual phone number that serves as a customer service line. We also found it extremely easy to use when we tested it, so you don’t need to have used a VoIP system before to get the hang of it.

Additionally, Zoom Metered is a great option for businesses that receive a high number of calls. The plan comes with automatic call and voicemail screening, as well as call blocking, perfect for limiting spam calls. Calls and voicemails are also automatically transcribed, so important calls don’t pass under the radar.

Are there any downsides to Zoom Metered?

One major downside to the Zoom Metered plan is that it doesn’t include free unlimited outgoing calls. Instead, domestic calls are metered at a rate of 3.18¢ to 3.18¢ per call, per minute. To get unlimited outgoing calls, you need to upgrade to the $15 per user, per month Regional Unlimited plan.

If you need a virtual phone number to make frequent outgoing calls, the cheapest option is the Google Voice Starter plan. It costs just $10 per user, per month, and includes unlimited outbound calls to the US and Canada. However, it does come with far fewer call management features than the Zoom Metered plan, so bear this in mind if you plan on using this number to receive calls.

2. Google Voice Starter: Most Affordable Option

Google Voice’s Starter plan is the most affordable virtual phone number app for making outgoing calls. At just $10 per user, per month, it includes unlimited ongoing and outgoing calls to the US and Canada.

Why we recommend Google Voice Starter

The $10 per month Google Voice Starter plan is the lowest price at which you can make unlimited outgoing calls, with Zoom and Dialpad only offering unlimited calls from $15 per month. You’ll get access to toll-free and localized phone numbers, as well as the option to port existing numbers, making it a great option for calling clients and customers, wherever they’re located.

We particularly recommend Google Voice to businesses that already use the Google Workspace product, since Google Voice integrates seamlessly with it. The layout of the Google Voice app is also extremely similar to the Google Workspace one, so we found it very easy to navigate while testing the system.

When it comes to call management features, Google Voice isn’t as advanced as other providers on this list, but it still gives users access to customizable call routing, screening, and forwarding. Add to this voicemail transcriptions, and this should be enough to serve the needs of most small businesses who receive a moderate amount of calls.

Are there any downsides to Google Voice Starter?

As we’ve noted, Google Voice Starter comes with limited call management features, which means it’s not the best virtual phone number for a customer service line, or for businesses with a high call volume. The lack of auto-attendant and call queues, for example, could leave customers frustrated if the line is busy when they ring.

A better alternative is Zoom’s Metered plan. At $10 per user, per month, it’s the same price as Google Voice Starter, but has more tools to manage incoming calls.

Google Voice Starter is also not a good option for businesses that don’t use, or don’t plan to use Google Workspace. That’s because setting up Google Voice requires you to migrate your email, calendar, video calling to Google Workspace.

3. Dialpad Standard: Best for Managing High Call Volumes

At $15 per user, per month, Dialpad Standard is only a little more expensive than Zoom or Google Voice. It merges the best aspects of the two competitors to bring businesses unlimited outbound calls and a wide range of call management features, making it a useful virtual phone number app for managing high call volumes in both directions.

Why we recommend Dialpad Standard

On top of giving you access to unlimited inbound and outbound calls, Dialpad Standard gives you access to both toll-free and localized numbers, allowing you to choose the option that works best for your business.

It also makes excellent use of AI to help small teams manage a high number of incoming calls. On the Standard plan, you’ll get access to AI-powered call and voicemail transcriptions and summaries, as well as scorecards that rate customer conversations, for easy analytics. This is a highly valuable tool for small customer service teams.

Other useful features include call routing and forwarding, as well as a customizable auto-attendant, complete with hold music. It is, however, missing call queues, something offered on the $10 Zoom Metered plan.

That said, Dialpad is still a great option, especially for businesses that communicate frequently via SMS. It gives you access to both internal and external SMS messaging and lets you easily convert messages made on Dialpad’s internal messaging app into SMS.

Are there any downsides to Dialpad Standard?

One downside to using Dialpad Standard is that it’s not quite as cheap as some competitor options. At $15 per user, per month, it’s $5 more than both Zoom and Google Voice’s starter plans, although it does offer the benefits of both unlimited calling and strong call management tools.

If you’re planning on using Dialpad Standard as a virtual phone number for a customer service line, its limited training tools might also be an issue if you want to monitor a team. Dialpad Standard gives you access to call recording and call analytics, but you won’t get call barge, whisper, or active monitoring, features available with Zoom Metered.

 4. Net2Phone Essentials: Best Discounts for Large Teams

If you need a virtual phone number app for a large team, Net2Phone’s Essentials plan is a solid choice, since it offers discounted pricing for large teams. For teams of over 25, you’ll pay $19.99 per user, per month, compared to $27.99 for teams of under 10.

Why we recommend Net2Phone Essentials

Net2Phone Essentials is more expensive than the competitors we’ve reviewed so far but is still attractive thanks to its large team discounts. The plan also includes unlimited outbound call minutes to not just the US and Canada, but Mexico and Puerto Rico, making it a great choice for businesses that operate regionally, not just domestically.

Like Zoom, Net2Phone Essentials offers quite a wide range of call management features, including an auto-attendant, customizable hold music, and call routing. Call queues aren’t included, unlike with Zoom Metered, although they are available as a paid add-on, something not offered by Google Voice or Dialpad.

You can also get voicemail transcriptions sent directly to email, which is a great way to prevent them from getting lost or forgotten about. The Net2Phone app also acts as a unified system, consolidating team messaging, SMS, and calls, which can help large teams more efficiently sift through messages (text or audio) quickly.

Are there any downsides to Net2Phone Essentials?

The main downside to Net2Phone Essentials is the price. At $19.99 per user, per month, it’s the second most expensive option on this list, after RingCentral’s $20 Core plan.

You can definitely get similar features for less with Dialpad, or even Zoom’s higher-tier plans. But, if you plan on scaling your operation, Net2Phone is a great option, since it offers integrations with popular CRM tools like Salesforce.

Net2Phone Essentials also has limited training tools, and upgrading to its more expensive plans doesn’t unlock more. Like Google Voice, Net2Phone’s training tools are limited to call recording and analytics. If your business prioritizes customer service training and improvement, Zoom or RingCentral are better options.

5. RingCentral Core: Best for Scaling Up

At $20 per user, per month, RingCentral’s Core plan is the most expensive starting plan for a virtual phone number app on this list. However, we’ve included it because RingCentral is the best provider to choose if you’re looking to scale up into a large operation.

Why we recommend RingCentral Core

RingCentral’s Core plan gives users unlimited inbound and outbound call minutes to the US and Canada, and access to localized and toll-free numbers.

Although it is RingCentral’s starter plan, it still comes packed with several different call management features. These include call queues, customizable auto-attendants, and ring groups, to name a few tools, making it a great choice for small customer service teams.

Its call blocking, and call and voicemail screening features also make it suitable for businesses that receive high call volumes and need to sift through spam.

RingCentral is also the only provider on this list to offer customer live chat integration with popular social media apps Whatsapp and Facebook. This means your team can receive and respond to customer messages made from these apps directly from the RingCentral apps, speeding up response times.

Upgrading will give you access to the biggest library of integrations with CRM tools and Helpdesk software that any VoIP provider offers, which is what makes RingCentral the number one app for growing businesses.

Are there any downsides to RingCentral Core?

RingCentral Core’s main downside is its price. At $20 per user, per month, it’s double the price of Zoom and Google Voice’s starter plans. So, if you’re just looking for a simple app to make and receive business calls with, we recommend these two over RingCentral.

But, if you’re looking for a virtual phone number app that can accommodate your business as it grows, RingCentral is a solid choice.

Buying Guide: How to Choose a Virtual Phone Number App

Here’s what to look for in a virtual phone number app:

• Price: Most providers charge per user, per month, which means costs can quickly add up. If you’re a small business, we recommend sticking to a plan that costs between $10 and $20, and only create accounts for vital employees.
• Call minutes: A lot of plans offer unlimited outbound calls, but if you’re using your virtual phone number to receive calls more than make them, it might be worth opting for a cheaper plan with limited outbound call minutes.
• SMS and messaging: Most providers have a set limit to the amount of external SMS messages you can send. If this is a big part of how you communicate with customers, look for plans with generous SMS policies. For internal communications, we recommend choosing a plan with a team messaging feature, which you can use free of charge.
• Call management features: Basic VoIP app features include a virtual receptionist and voicemail inbox. But, if you’re in a busy office that receives a lot of calls, we recommend you pick a plan that offers call routing and call queues at the minimum. Extra features such as voicemail transcriptions are nice-to-haves, but not necessary if you don’t have a high call volume.

How Did We Compare the Best Virtual Phone Number Apps?