The Best Cloud Phone Systems for UK Businesses in 2024

The best cloud-based phone system available in the UK is RingCentral. It provides users with industry-leading call management and training features across its scalable plans. And during our usability testing, we found it incredibly easy to use almost across the board, making RingCentral an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes and with varying experiences of VoIP software.

Still, RingCentral’s impressive bouquet of features will cost you more than some options. If you’re after a budget-friendly cloud phone, we recommend bOnline which costs as little as £7 per user, per month.

With the ‘Big Switch Off‘ of the UK’s landline telephone network scheduled for 2027, your business will need to set up a VoIP phone line sooner rather than later to continue receiving and making calls. Below, we break down the pros and cons of our seven highest-rated UK cloud phone systems to make that choice simpler, including their features, pros, cons, and pricing.

Prices accurate as of November 2024

RingCentral – Best Overall Cloud Phone System Provider

After extensive research, we’ve concluded that RingCentral is the best cloud phone system provider on the market.

It came out on top in our testing and research of each VoIP system, just edging out 8×8. It offers a range of excellent value packages that provide superb call management features for customer support teams, multiple channels to talk internally, and advanced training features for staff.

As a result, we believe it is well suited to organisations that want to provide large-scale communications or improve their customer service. Below we’ll go into exactly why this is as well as what could be improved by its current offering.

Prices accurate as of November 2024.

What do we like about RingCentral as a cloud phone system?

Here are a few key reasons why it bettered the competition:

• Advanced training features: The foundation of a successful customer service operation is ongoing training. We found that RingCentral offers the best range of training features, including call recording, call transcripts, call whispering and call monitoring that lower-cost providers like bOnline do not offer.
• Wide range of customer accessibility: RingCentral allows you to connect with your customers in several different ways, including calls, SMS, video conferencing and chat. This makes for a better customer experience overall than providers with less extensive offerings. For instance, you’ll be limited to 25 or fewer participants in video conferencing via Dialpad’s most expensive plan at any one time, versus up to 200 with RingCentral (or up to 500 with its large meeting add-on).
• Easy platform to use: We found the whole platform very simple to use with all these features, too. For instance, options to call are clearly labelled with icons on the main page and once in the call, you can invite participants via email or their phone number. Transcription notes from calls were word-for-word perfect, too (although I found it annoying that after a call had ended, I couldn’t find transcripts on the platform anywhere since they seemingly aren’t saved anywhere).

• Extensive CRM and helpdesk integration: RingCentral currently integrates with at least 117 CRM apps like Salesforce, Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Hubspot. This allows greater flexibility in choosing the best integrations for your customer service teams. It also comes with ready-made integrations if needed.

What could RingCentral improve?

As with every provider we’ve reviewed, there are some drawbacks to RingCentral that are important to highlight.

• Limited inclusive minutes per user: Most other providers we reviewed offer unlimited domestic minutes, though RingCentral has limits between 100 and 4000 minutes per user, per month, depending on your package. That’s 3 minutes per day for the lowest cost package and just over two hours per day for the 4000-minute limit, so businesses with high daily call volumes could find RingCentral a little limiting.
• No spam prevention: While this is offered in the US and Canada, it’s not offered in the UK. Look at Google Voice for spam prevention if this is needed.
• Pricing scored low in testing: RingCentral didn’t score the highest for price in our research, since it is a little expensive considering those previously discussed calling minute limits. For a lower-priced pick, we recommend looking at bOnline (assuming you can deal with fewer calling features and integrations by comparison).

8×8 – Best Cloud Phone System for Unlimited International Minutes

Coming in a close second to RingCentral is 8×8. It offers the best cloud phone system for businesses with international operations that we’ve tested, with unlimited (unmetered) international calling across an impressive 48 countries for the majority of its packages. That list includes Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Better yet, it offers metered or unmetered bundles for countries of your choosing depending on your requirements and package level. Here’s why else 8×8 is a solid option for your business.

What do we like about 8×8 as a cloud phone system?

• Popular software integrations: 8×8 integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce, Freshdesk, Copper, Hubspot, MS Dynamics, Zendesk and Zoho. CRM integration is important as it helps provide a better experience for your customers. There’s also support for external video conferencing platforms and it has an iOS/Android app, too, even though it does lack live chat integration.

• Excellent Security: 8×8 has all major security features like multiple compliance certifications, multi-factor authentication, password rules, and TLS/SRTP encryption. Protecting your internal data and that of your customers is crucial to the success of your business.
• Lots of training features: 8×8 offers a lot of features its competitors don’t have like custom call lists, auto dialer, call whispering and analytics and reporting. Out of all the providers we tested, 8×8 had the joint-most features available, alongside RingCentral and Vonage.
• Compatible with a broad range of third-party desktop phones: Including Polycom, Cisco, Panasonic, and Yealink, ensuring that it is simple to set up. 8×8 also offers onboarding support with its Customer Success Managers, helping new employees adapt to the communication system used by your business.

What could 8×8 improve?

It’s not all plain sailing for 8×8 though. While it’s an overall excellent provider, it has some drawbacks.

• Missing live chat software integration: While you’ll still have integration with external video conferencing tools and the ability to use 8×8’s iOS or Android apps, it does lack live chat functionality, which could limit certain businesses.
• Unclear/potentially high pricing: 8×8 doesn’t show its pricing plans anymore, meaning you need to speak to a sales representative. However, in our research, 8×8’s higher-cost plans, including the X4 package, were among the most expensive per user, per month. The upside of this is the range of features and integrations you have access to.

Vonage – Best Cloud Phone System for Small Businesses

We always look for providers that offer excellent value for money, especially for small businesses, and Vonage is the best fit for both of those criteria. Its lowest-priced plans are noticeably cheap compared to the top-rated providers on this page, coming in at just £10 per month, per user for its Express package and £18 per month, per user for its Core plan.

Meanwhile, its more costly Pro plan (£20 per month) and Max plans (£25 per month, per user plans have improved call management, team communication and integration options should your small business grow to need them down the line. Often small businesses’s priorities change rapidly too, so this range of affordable packages is a big appeal to Vonage. Below, we detail exactly what impressed us about it and where it could do a little better.

Prices accurate as of November 2024

What do we like about Vonage as a cloud phone system?

• Excellent pricing: Vonage offers similarly priced options to the above 8×8 and RingCentral options, including its Max plan which costs £25 per user, per month. However, we found it offers better value for money given its extent of features which means you won’t end up spending more for add-ons. For instance, it includes CRM integration, unified communication features like video conferencing and team messaging, and unlimited inbound and outbound minutes by default.
• Superb training features: For improving the skillset of staff, Vonage matches our top two (RingCentral and 8×8) by providing a large extent of tools. Namely, call recording, monitoring, barging, and whisper functionality, as well as analytics and reporting functionality, are all included.
• Spam prevention availability: Despite the rise in spam calling and texting, very few cloud phone providers offer spam prevention – Vonage does, however, which gives it an advantage over more expensive providers like 8×8.

What could Vonage improve?

Vonage, despite being good value for money, has some drawbacks.

• Fewer software integrations: While Vonage does provide integration with Salesforce, Slack and Office 365, amongst other popular CRM and productivity tools such as calendar invitation integration through its Vonage Integration Suite, the range and depth of other integration possibilities are somewhat lacking. Namely, video conferencing applications can’t integrate with Vonage, though your mileage will vary depending on the complexity of your workflow.
• Less secure than other providers: While it offers spam prevention, Vonage lacks in other security areas. Key security features that are missing include multi-factor authentication and password rules.

GoTo Connect – Best Cloud Phone System for Hardware Integration

We found GoTo Connect (previously known as LogMeIn Inc. before its rebranding in 2022) to be one of the best cloud phone systems for integrating with your current phone hardware. Let’s explain exactly why that is and look at some of the other benefits we found about opting for GoTo as your cloud phone system of choice (and some potential drawbacks, too).

Prices accurate as of November 2024

What do we like about GoTo Connect as a cloud phone system?

• Wide hardware compatibility: Our research found that GoToConnect could connect with more phone brands than any other provider we tested, making it an easy choice to integrate into your existing hardware setup.
• Free international calling: GotoConnects Standard and Premium plans both come with free international calling to 50+ countries. This is the highest number of countries of any provider we looked at in our research, although this calling isn’t unlimited like 8×8, meaning you could run out of minutes.
• Great for international teams: Integration with various types of hardware and expert tools for internal communication makes it a prime candidate for businesses where staff are spread across remote locations.

What could GoTo Connect improve?

GotoConnect, while great for international teams, has some drawbacks.

• Less customer support than competitors: GotoConnect doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support like some of its competitors like 8×8 and RingCentral. It also doesn’t have a live chat feature which also limits the hours in which you can get help.
• Limited software integration: There isn’t the same level of integration as other providers. you won’t have access to external live chat, analytics, video conferencing, many workspace integrations, or CRMs (besides Salesforce). We wouldn’t recommend this provider for businesses that already have a well-established and broad software infrastructure with lots of moving parts. If this is something you need, we recommend RingCentral or 8×8.

bOnline – Best for Unlimited Calling On a Strict Budget

bOnline offers plenty of cheap plans, including its absurdly cheap £7 per user, per month Starter plan, all the way up to its most feature-rich Unlimited Calling plan from £13.95 per user, per month.

In fact, it is much cheaper than all the cloud phone systems we researched and offers a solid range of features for medium-sized businesses, including on-demand call recording or HD video conferencing, as well as the option of unlimited inbound and outbound minutes.

Let’s take a look at the main benefits and potential downsides of bOnline compared to other cloud phone systems we’ve assessed.

Prices accurate as of November 2024

What do we like about bOnline as a phone cloud system?

• Low pricing: Offering unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, mobile and desktop apps, on-demand call recording, and 1-1 HD video meetings (depending on your chosen package), bOnline costs either £7 or £13.95 per user per month for its two core packages. That is, comparatively, a bargain price considering you can get unlimited calling for £13.95 per user, per month; you won’t get unlimited calls via RingCentral no matter how much you pay. In other words, businesses with high call volumes looking to spend less will find bOnline incredibly appealing on the price front. For £15.50 per user, per month, you can also get an IP desk phone packaged for each user, too, which is handy for office-based operations.
• Extensive call management features: With custom call routing, call queues, and ring groups all included, bOnline competes with the best cloud phone systems on this page at a much lower monthly cost. You’ll have to forgo the most advanced call-related training features like call barging and call whispering that 8×8, RingCentral, and Vonage can offer, however, which are especially useful for upskilling and coaching staff. But in terms of call management, there’s little more you could want.

What could bOnline improve?

bOnline does have some potential drawbacks depending on your needs – here are the main ones we discovered in our testing and research of the cloud phone system.

• Limited range of security features: bOnline lacks some of the important security features that other providers offer, such as spam prevention, user permissions, and perhaps crucially for the safety of your user accounts, multi-factor authentication. This could be an issue, especially for businesses that are dealing with sensitive customer and staff information. For a more secure provider, we recommend looking at Google Voice or 8×8.
• Integration costs extra: While bOnline offers more integrations than some of the competitors we tested, it costs £5 extra each month to use them. This includes a £5 fee for each call recording, HD video conferencing, and CRM integration respectively. Most other providers offer these integrations as part of the overall price, so while bOnline is cheap on first look, if you need all of these add-ons, it would end up costing you more.

Dialpad – Best Cloud Phone System for Small Customer Service Teams

After taking into account all our testing parameters, we found Dialpad to be a solid choice for customer service teams with less staff but still experiencing high call volumes. Namely, it offers unlimited inbound and outbound call minutes, SMS, team messaging and Google Workspace/Microsoft 365 integration, even on its $15 per month Standard plan, with integration across a high number of CRM systems on its higher-priced Pro and Enterprise packages.

No matter which package you pick, Dialpad has plenty of AI features to enhance calling, too. Why else could Dialpad be for your small to medium-sized businesses? Let’s dive into our assessment.

Prices accurate as of November 2024

What do we like about Dialpad as a cloud phone system?

• Great for small customer service teams: With unlimited inbound and outbound call minutes, potential integration with a high number of CRM systems, and robust call management features, businesses with small and static numbers of employees will massively appreciate Dialpad functionality. With limited training features, as we’ll come to, it isn’t the best for larger teams or those that are changing size regularly, however.
• 24-hour customer support options: Dialpad can be reached via phone or live chat 24/5 on its basic plans or 24/7 on its more advanced ones, and it has a knowledge hub with many of the helpful tips we were looking for during our research of the platform. It doesn’t offer email support, however, though given the live chat and phone functionality this wasn’t something we particularly missed. If this is something you require, consider 8×8 or RingCentral, which can be contacted via email.
• Wide range of call management tools: Only matched by RingCentral here, Dialpad is the joint-top choice for call management. It automatically screens nuisance calls, as well as more expected features such as ring groups and call routing options.
• AI smarts: This includes Voice Intelligence, providing real-time transcriptions, call summaries, and action items from voice conversations, and Real-Time Assist which leverages AI to detect specific keywords or phases during a call and automatically provide relevant information to the user.

What could Dialpad improve?

Dialpad does have some drawbacks to consider before taking the plunge on one of its packages, including:

• Subpar training features: When choosing a cloud phone system for your business, we recommend choosing one that can accommodate your business’s growth. As alluded to, Dialpad has comparatively low scalability potential due to a lack of training features for new staff. It misses out on some key features for larger teams, such as call monitoring, barging, and whisper functionality, which most other top cloud phone systems on this page can offer at least one of. Consider RingCentral or 8×8 for all three of these tools.
• Fewer communication channels than competitors: Despite Dialpad offering SMS support, which the majority of other providers we have tested do not allow, the remaining communication channel options are a little underwhelming. Chiefly, we were disappointed that participant numbers for video conferencing are limited to ten or fewer people at a time.

NBC – Best Cloud Phone System for a Low-Budget Small Business

NBC is one of the best cloud phone systems if you are running a small to medium-sized business and the low budgets that tend to entail. You can get an appealing price point on any of its packages with unlimited calling paired with an appealing extent of call management features and internal communication channels.

Still, those looking to expand their teams may be disappointed with its depth of training features – hence our limited recommendation to smaller teams – while a similar lack of CRM integrations could pose a problem for businesses relying on several types of software. Let’s first look at the plus points of NBC for smaller UK-based businesses, followed by areas where it is bettered by the competition on this page.

Prices accurate as of November 2024

What do we like about NBC as a cloud phone system?

• Solid value for money: While, on the face of things, NBC has a similar price point to our favourite providers on this page at around £25 per month, it does so without any additional costs. Granted, that’s because it offers a more streamlined package of features, but it still means you’ll avoid any sneaky costs required from extra payment.
• Extensive call management features: NBC offers all the essential call management tools you’ll need. That includes custom call routing, call queues, and hunt groups, paired with unlimited inbound and outbound minutes. We found it only missed caller ID and voicemail screening; with those in place, it would have achieved a perfect score.
• Several communication channels: Team video and call conferencing for large amounts of users, number porting, and alternative numbers are all crucial features NBC provides for efficient internal and external communication. As with most UK cloud phone providers in the UK, there is no SMS or e-fax functionality but besides that, you’re all set.

What could NBC improve?

However, there are some areas where NBC could do with some improvement:

• No software integrations: A key absence in NBC’s service is the lack of integrations with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and other software applications. This could be a significant drawback for businesses that rely on seamless integration between their VoIP system and CRM tools and see NBC score the joint-lowest score in this category (alongside side Google Voice).
• Poor extent of training features: Call monitoring, barging, and whisper controls, available from providers like RingCentral, 8×8, and Vonage, are all missing with NBC. While these are advanced tools, and the basics like call recording are present, this lack still earns NBC the joint-lowest score from our tested cloud phone providers.

How To Find the Right Cloud Phone System for Your Business

If your business uses the phone for casual customer engagement, then a cheaper system with basic functions will fit the best. But if you have a customer service department or a call centre, then you’ll need an advanced, comprehensive system that can be customised to the needs of your business.

Here are the best ways to find the right cloud phone system:

• Contact your current VoIP provider (if applicable) – Contact your current provider to see if you can upgrade to a better system. Your provider may have added new products or features that weren’t available when you first signed up.
• Contact a new provider – If any of the providers on this page meets your requirements, contact them to see if you’re a good fit. You don’t need to contact them directly, you can check out their website and other reviews.
• Get recommendations – Ask other business leaders in your industry what system they use and if they would recommend it. This is one of the best ways to find out what systems are or aren’t working for your industry.
• Use our quote tool – Use our free quote comparison tool to be matched up with the right providers. Give us a few details about your business and we’ll link you to a provider that is suited to your needs. You’ll then be contacted by a trusted supplier to provide you with obligation-free quotes.

How Do Cloud-Based Phones Work?

Cloud-based phones use cloud servers to make and receive calls as well as other phone features, like voicemail. Cloud-based phone calls are converted into data packets and transmitted over the internet. This makes cloud-based phone calls cost-effective and fast, which is why they’re a popular choice with businesses.

Cloud phones vs. Traditional phones

Using the internet instead of physical phone lines to make and receive calls, cloud phones are a different proposition from traditional landlines. They also don’t need a hardware infrastructure, which means you can just download the software onto devices like a desktop computer or laptop to make and receive calls –as long as you have an internet connection.

Cloud-based phone systems are typically much cheaper than traditional phones. It’s also much easier to scale your business up or down with a cloud phone system as the provider can quickly install or uninstall virtual phone lines.

Can I use my own devices with a cloud phone system?

Yes, cloud phone systems offer you the flexibility to use your own devices rather than being limited to proprietary phones. There are several ways you can use your own devices with the system:

1. Softphones: Cloud phone providers offer desktop and mobile apps that can transform your computer or smartphone into a virtual phone. This will allow you to use all of the phone system’s features (learn more about what a softphone is in our handy guide).
2. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Many providers allow you to connect your own desktop IP phones or conference room phones to the cloud system. However, they must be compatible with the system.
3. VoIP adapters: You can connect traditional analogue phones, fax machines, and other devices to the cloud phone system using VoIP adapters or IP gateways.
4. Mobile integration: Your mobile phone can often be integrated with the cloud PBX to make and receive calls through the system.
5. VPN phones: Some providers support the connection of remote phones via an on-site VPN router or IP PBX gateway for full integration.
6. Limited integration: Options like call forwarding to mobile phones or sending incoming calls to user-defined numbers.

Each provider’s capabilities may vary, but most allow you to use your own devices in some form. However, it’s worth noting that native IP phones (offered by the provider) usually offer tighter integration and access to advanced features.

Cloud phone systems and integrations: What to look out for?

Here are some of the most common and desirable integrations to look for when evaluating a UK cloud phone system:

• CRM Integration: Tight integration with popular CRMs like Salesforce, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics to enable features like click-to-call, call logging, and customer data pop-ups.
• Accounting Software: Integrations with Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks to synchronize contacts, capture call logs, and associate calls to clients/projects.
• Email Integration: Connecting with email platforms like Gmail and Outlook to enable calling from within your email.
• Internal and External Live Chat: Connecting with messaging platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams helps maintain communication among your team.
• Calendar Integration: Syncing calendars to display busy or available statuses, schedule calls, and set reminders.
• Web Conferencing: Integration with web conferencing allows you to seamlessly initiate and join virtual meetings.

It’s important to check that the cloud phone provider you select can integrate with the software you already use. Cross-check the included third-party integrations of the provider with your existing software for a smooth transition.

How Can I Switch Cloud Phone System Providers?

When switching from one cloud phone system to another, assess the limitations of your current provider by looking at call volume, number of users, features, and cost.

1. Compare providers using our free quote comparison tool. Once you’ve completed the form, you’ll be contacted directly. You’ll be able to ask questions about the products and receive transparent information about the provider before you switch.
2. Once you’ve chosen the provider, we encourage you to install the free trial or demo to test call quality, reliability, and features.
3. Before the switch, backup important data from your current provider.
4. If you’re switching from one cloud-based system to another, you might not have to change your hardware. Ensure you confirm this with your new provider for a smooth transition.
5. When transitioning from a traditional landline, tell your provider about the hardware you have and ask what hardware is needed. When making the switch to a cloud phone system, you might need less hardware, but you’ll need a strong internet connection and devices. The devices include laptops, desktop computers, or smartphones.
6. To keep your current phone numbers, these need to be ported to a new provider. This process can take a little time, so it’s important to plan.

Typically, a new cloud phone provider completes the switch within one working day. So, it’s best to try and schedule this on your least busy day to prevent any major interruptions.

How We Test VoIP Phone Systems and Services for Businesses