Top 8 Best Internet Phone Services Reviewed for 2023

Krishi Chowdhary

Krishi is an experienced B2B and B2C content writer who reviews and compares different software to help both individuals and businesses find the right programs…

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Last updated: 15 May, 2023

The best Internet phone service ensures high-quality audio and video calls over the Internet at affordable prices. With the best VoIP at your disposal, you can attend to customers in an organized way, boost your sales efforts, and streamline internal communications.

However, finding the best small business phone and Internet service can be a daunting task, considering the endless options available. To make your work easier, we’ve found and reviewed the best internet phone services, considering criteria like pricing, ease of use, integration capabilities, call options, and customer support. Read on to discover why Ooma, 8×8, and Vonage are among the finest.

8 Best VoIP Phone Services Ranked

Ooma tops our list of the best VoIP phone services with features like customizable IVR, high-quality unlimited audio and video calls, and complete cloud-based operation. However, the competition wasn’t easy — here’s what it had to contend against:

1. Ooma — Overall, the best internet phone service with no monthly costs or contracts — just a one-time hardware fee. Beyond this, you’ll get advanced features like call forwarding and parking.
2. 8×8 — Powerful solution trusted by billions for unlimited calling in the US and Canada, plus you’ll get call routing and Ring Groups, audio and video conferencing, in addition to in-depth call analytics.
3. Vonage — An incredibly popular VoIP for companies and field/remote workers. It offers great features such as call routing, flipping, and recording to ensure seamless call management.
4. Phone.com — A seasoned, budget-friendly virtual phone service with custom greetings and call handling capabilities, call blocking, and even call routing — all for a mere $11.99/month.
5. DialPad — A competitively priced virtual phone service that offers unlimited calling on all plans, local numbers in over 70+ countries, and a 100% uptime guarantee for $15/month.
6. Nextiva — The best option for businesses looking for a unified communication solution, unlimited video and voice calls, and advanced call management features like an auto-attendant.
7. MightyCall — An affordable pick for businesses as it includes call routing, custom greetings, whitelisting and blacklisting, and a free business and toll-free number for just $15/user/month.
8. VoIPLy — The cheapest VoIP service that’s ideal for both businesses and homes looking for a beginner-friendly solution that won’t put a dent in your budget. It’ll set you back $8.95/month.

Best Voice Over Internet Phone Services Reviewed

To help you make an informed decision on the best one for your needs, we’ll discuss each of our top VoIP providers in detail below, highlighting their best features, pros, cons, and pricing. Ready?

1. Ooma — The Best Overall Internet Phone Services With Zero Monthly Fees

Ooma is our top pick for the best internet phone service provider. It offers reliable, high-quality phone service that you can count on, both as a residential and business communication solution.

In fact, it’s the perfect choice for those who want to avoid hefty monthly fees while enjoying a reliable VoIP service. With Ooma, all you need to do is purchase the Ooma Telo and start making calls immediately – no long-term contracts or hidden costs.

Also, with Ooma’s HD Voice technology, you can enjoy crystal-clear phone calls no matter where you are. The audio quality will be top-notch, whether it’s a business call or catching up with your family. This is especially important for those who rely on their phones for work or need to stay connected at all times.

Further, Ooma’s Wire-Speed QoS technology ensures that your calls are uninterrupted and of the highest possible quality. This is especially useful for those who need to make or receive business calls while using other internet services like streaming video or downloading large files. With Ooma, you can rest assured that slow connections will never disrupt your important conversations.

Pros

• Services in over 70 countries
• Virtual receptionist with music on hold
• Offers features like call park and call forwarding
• Only a one-time cost needs to be incurred
• One of the best residential VoIPs on the market

Cons

• Limited basic plan features

Pricing

Ooma essentially starts free. All that you have to pay for upfront is the equipment. Then, you can keep adding features to your plan at their allotted price.

That said, Ooma offers two home phone plans: Ooma Basic, which is free with essential features and the ability to initiate calls with Amazon Alexa, and Ooma Premier, which costs $9.99/month with advanced features like call blocking and voicemail-to-email forwarding.

Both plans require an Ooma Telo White device for $129.99 with free shipping and come with a 30-day risk-free return policy. In the end, not paying any monthly fees while still enjoying reliable VoIP service, crystal clear HD voice calls, and a guaranteed wire-speed QoS makes Ooma the best overall VoIP provider.

2. 8×8 — Powerful Solution Trusted By Billions for Unlimited Calling in the US and Canada

8×8 is recognized as the number one business phone system for calls, video chat, and contact centers. Currently, it has over 2 billion trusted consumers in the world.

Its secure HD audio calling feature will give your customers a seamless calling experience. With fewer network interruptions and call drops, your team is more likely to understand the caller’s concern, increasing their overall satisfaction and their chances of calling again.

Our favorite thing about 8×8 is its multiple call-handling features. For instance, its Hunt Group feature lets you automatically route all incoming calls to the correct department. It’s basically the job of a receptionist; only 8×8 will do it more efficiently.

Similarly, you can also create Ring Groups where a particular group of devices rings simultaneously for a call on the same line. This way, whoever’s free can pick up the call first, reducing your chances of missing important calls.

To improve customer experience and call quality, you can also use 8×8’s auto-generated call analytics. It’ll show you how many calls were attended to or missed, overall employee activity, and more. Beyond this, for internal communication, 8×8 provides audio and video conferencing with up to 500 participants simultaneously.

Both the audio and the video are of HD quality. In addition to that, you also get a screen-sharing option to make your meetings more productive.

Pros

• Unique sentiment analysis to detect the customer’s behavior
• Customized scheduled reports
• Several independent third-party certifications
• An unsurpassed speech-based Virtual Agent
• One of the best residential Canada VoIPs

Cons

• Services are limited to a few countries compared to rivals

Pricing

8×8’s basic plan is tailor-made for small teams that want their VoIP service to do a few things but a few things right. Besides allowing up to 5 members onboard, this plan will also give you unlimited calling in the US and Canada, music-on-hold functionality, and an auto attendant.

Enjoy 8×8 in all its glory with unlimited calling in up to 14 countries, ‘hot desking,’ ‘presence detection,’ and advanced call handling and analytics on its enterprise-level plans. Unsure? Enjoy 8×8 risk-free with the lengthy 30-day free trial and see if it’s for you.

3. Vonage — An Incredibly Popular VoIP for Companies and Field/Remote Workers

Vonage supports over 100,000 businesses globally. With over 1.15 million registered developers and guaranteed 99.99% uptime, you’ll hardly ever run into any technical crisis with this VoIP service.

Beyond this, it has an in-built call recording feature that lets you record every customer interaction. These recordings can later resolve conflicts, increase customer satisfaction, and help you come up with ways to improve the overall experience of the caller.

To simplify team management and call routing, Vonage has a feature called Busy Lamp. This tool allows team members to take a call with labels such as “idle,” “ringing,” or “on a call” displayed next to their name. Furthermore, Vonage’s call-flipping feature makes it easy for individual employees to manage the calls.

With just one click, they can flip the call from their work telephone to their mobile phone and vice versa. This way, if the business phone system malfunctions, the call can be seamlessly transferred, keeping the connection intact.

The same benefit is offered by the call rerouting feature. In case of an emergency or technical crisis, you can move the call to another business phone seamlessly without dropping the connection.

Features like these come together to ensure the caller experiences no disruption because of your internal technical issues, which will do wonders for your brand image.

Pros

• Advanced firewall control
• GDPR and HIPPA compliant
• Offers a 99.999% uptime guarantee
• Dynamically control app layout and display

Cons

• Customer service needs improvement

Pricing

Vonage offers one of the best plans for mid-sized teams. For up to 50 members, you’ll only be paying $19.99/month/line and enjoy unlimited calling and messaging plus access to apps for both smartphones and PCs.

But that’s not it. Vonage can provide Call Groups, Call Recording, and more — just get a higher-end plan. Try it before getting a paid plan with the free trial — you won’t lose any money while testing the tool.

4. Phone.com — A Seasoned, Budget-Friendly Virtual Phone Service

Phone.com was founded in 2007 and has since garnered a loyal customer base of 50,000+ users. Its VoIP phone features not only simplify communication but also help you deliver stellar performance.

For instance, it lets you create custom greetings that’ll enhance your professional appeal multifold. However, since not every company has the same target audience, it gives you the freedom to create your own phone greetings that’ll resonate with yours the way you want them to.

Similarly, you can also create call queues with Phone.com to minimize the wait time for each caller and help them get connected to the right agent. Call queues, despite being a virtual space, keep track of the order in which the calls come in so that no one has to wait for too long.

Without queues, call routing and waiting would be chaos. That said, Phone.com will also make your life easier with its automated call menus. With this feature on, every caller will get a virtual menu where they can express their concern and choose the department or their preferred mode of assistance.

You can also add custom options on the menu — anything that’ll help your callers and lighten the burden on your team.

Pros

• Unmatched custom call handling
• Online video conferencing without downloads
• A la carte-based pricing structure
• Various call routing options

Cons

• Video conferencing limited to 100 participants

Pricing

Phone.com’s basic plan is a well-rounded package offering video conferences for up to 10 participants, 500 minutes, and 1,000 pooled text segments. However, the real sauce lies in its Pro plan. With a Pro subscription, you’ll get unlimited minutes and text messages and features like call recording and voicemail transcription.

Unfortunately, there’s no free trial with Phone.com, but a cheap monthly subscription ensures that you can try the service out for a full month without putting too much money on the line.

5. DialPad — A Competitively Priced Virtual Phone Service With Unlimited Calling

DialPad is a leading AI-driven VoIP phone service provider best known for supporting local numbers in over 70+ countries. Let’s face it: if you want to expand your reach in an international market, you need a local business number that people feel comfortable enough to call.

That’s where DialPad’s massive database of local numbers comes in — you can expand your business to over 70 countries with buffer-free HD calls. Beyond this, it’s also perhaps the only VoIP service provider that guarantees 100% uptime.

Sure, the other providers also guarantee a stellar 99.99% uptime guarantee. But why take the risk of occasional downtimes and technical crises when you have a service that guarantees zero disruptions at the same price range?

It doesn’t end there, either. DialPad’s biggest USP is the automated call summary feature. It’ll automatically send you an email with some crucial details about the call. The report will include basic call information, such as contact name, call duration, timestamps, and more.

In addition to that, you’ll find a complete transcription of the call and a brief list of “Key Moments.” As a cherry on top, this report is searchable, meaning you can look up a particular segment of the conversation just by searching the keyword. That said, these reports aren’t as detailed as some of the other providers on our list.

Pros

• An easy-to-understand dashboard
• A 100% uptime on the Enterprise plan
• Unlimited video, audio calls, and SMS
• Automated Spam Detection

Cons

• Analytics aren’t as detailed as some other peers

Pricing

If you’re after a feature-packed basic plan, DialPad might just be it. For a mere $15/user/month, you’ll enjoy unlimited calling, SMS, and video meetings on its Standard plan.

For high-end features such as 100% uptime and unlimited ring groups and office locations, upgrade to DialPad’s Enterprise plan. Not sure? There’s also a 14-day free trial for you to take advantage of.

6. Nextiva — The Best Option for Businesses Looking for a Unified Communication Solution

Nextiva understands how difficult it is for businesses to manage multiple apps together. That’s why it centralizes your entire communication system in one easy-to-use platform.

What we love most about Nextiva is the unlimited calling and video calling feature. Sure, even Ooma offers unlimited calling, but it’s limited to the USA and Canada. With Nextiva, you can make countless international calls — a necessity for businesses trying to expand globally.

Nextiva also ensures that even if you miss a call, you have a way of getting back to the lead with its voicemail transcription feature. Each call you miss goes straight to voicemail, where the caller can leave details of their queries.

If you don’t have the time to go through each voicemail chronologically, let Nextiva transcribe them for you. This will give you the freedom to choose which message you want to listen to first.

If you’re using multiple Nextiva products along with its VoIP service, the Single Sign On feature that comes in its Enterprise plan will be your friend. It’ll let you log into all your Nextiva products with just one set of login credentials.

Just like Ooma, Nextiva, too, lets you integrate your account with Salesforce for better team communication. If you want to integrate your calling system with a CRM tool or marketing platform, Nextiva will help you merge your contact list with HubSpot.

Pros

• Offers features like file sharing, team chat, and notes
• Multiple tools can be accessed through a single dashboard
• Compatible with MacOS, Android, Windows, and iOS
• Top-notch detail-oriented call analytics

Cons

• Customer support needs improvement

Pricing

Nextiva is a champion of customizability. The number of users combined with the duration of your plan will decide how much you pay. The most value-for-money pick is the 3-year Essential plan for 100+ members:

For advanced features such as voicemail transcription, unlimited video conference recording, and professionally recorded greetings, get the Nextiva Enterprise plan. On top of all this, you can try it risk-free for 7 days with the free trial.

7. MightyCall — An Affordable Pick for Businesses + Includes a Free Business Number

MightyCall is one of the few VoIP platforms that offer a free demo for new users, plus lets you test the tool and its 30+ VoIP features for free under the 7-day free trial. With that said, its biggest USP is the Business Hour Call Routing.

Under this feature, you can set up a forwarding number to receive all your business calls post-working hours so that you don’t miss a single call from your VIP leads and clients.

Speaking of call routing, MightyCall also lets you create a predefined call flow to streamline the process and connect the callers with the right department. For instance, you can customize all calls from the blacklist to go straight to the voicemail and the calls from your whitelist to go to the priority support line.

Thanks to this feature, you can also set up custom greetings for different callers based on their background and payment tier. Note that every MightyCall plan also comes with a free business and toll-free number.

This feature highly benefits new businesses that don’t have a company number yet. If needed, you can also add additional business numbers to the same plan for a small fee. The same rule applies to extra team members.

Overall, MightyCall is designed for both small businesses and large enterprises. So, depending on the plan you choose, you can have up to unlimited users for an additional fee.

Pros

• Excellent multi-level IVR
• CNAM function to display company name
• Offers dial-by-name directory
• Top-notch call recording features

Cons

• No web-based fax

Pricing

Looking at MightyCall’s first plan, it’s easy to conclude that it’s best for a small team since only 2 members are allowed, not to mention the 500 call minutes and 100 texts aren’t very lavish either.

With that said, we recommend you go for the Enterprise plan that’ll fetch you unlimited minutes, texts, and users, and that too, at a flat fee per month. What’s more, you’ll also get a 7-day free trial, giving you enough time to judge whether MightyCall is your cup of tea.

8. VoIPLy — The Cheapest VoIP Service That’s Ideal for Both Businesses and Homes

VoIPLy is an industry-renowned budget VoIP service provider that caters to both businesses and homeowners. Regardless of the plan you choose, what remains constant throughout is its HD voice quality.

Clear conversation with no background noise is certainly a must-have for every business aiming to build strong customer relationships. This feature remains true for even conference calls, both internal and external.

Adding multiple callers without dropping or disrupting the original connection is super easy with VoIPly. Another benefit of using this leading virtual phone number service is its responsive customer support team available over email, chat, or call.

After all, your business phone system keeps you connected to your customers — it has to stay up, and you can’t compromise on that. Beyond this, it often gets tough to keep track of all the voicemails that come in, especially for large businesses. And this is where VoIPly’s voicemail-to-email transfer feature comes into play.

Here, you’ll automatically receive an email so that you have a record of your voicemails. Plus, you’re reminded of them so that you don’t forget to play them. And to top it off, another perk of the voicemail-to-email feature is that, in case the original voicemail database is deleted, you’ll still have a copy of them in your email.

Pros

• Number porting is effortless
• An in-built effective and fast caller ID
• A 30-day money-back guarantee
• A simple, affordable pricing structure
• Best small business internet service

Cons

• Installation might take time

Pricing

We like how simple VoIPLy keeps it, here are your options:

Note that all the plans tag along with unlimited calling to 50+ countries. Considering the price tag, we’d recommend trying it free for 7 days and taking advantage of the 2 months free with the home and business solutions.

Best Internet Phone Providers Compared

Here’s a table highlighting the key differences between each of our top picks. Dig in to arrive at a quicker decision on the best one for you:

What is VoIP?

With VoIP, you can make calls using various devices and platforms, including traditional telephones, smartphone apps, computer software, and specialized VoIP phones.

This versatility has made VoIP a popular choice for businesses, who can now enjoy a unified and diversified communication system that includes voice, video calling, text chat, SMS, and more, all through a single platform. This type of solution is often referred to as UCaaS or Unified Communications-as-a-Service.

Why Use An Internet Phone Service Over a Traditional Phone Line? 

Let’s look into several reasons you should choose to use a Voice over Internet Phone service (VoIP) over a traditional phone line:

Affordability

VoIP is often more cost-effective than traditional phone systems as it operates through an internet connection and doesn’t require additional hardware or wiring. This can result in lower monthly bills for users and reduced upfront costs.

Flexibility

VoIP allows users to make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection, making it a more flexible option for individuals or businesses who need mobility. This can be especially useful for remote workers or businesses with multiple locations.

Advanced Features

VoIP systems have various advanced features like call forwarding, call recording, and voicemail to email. These can improve communication efficiency and allow individuals and businesses to manage their calls better.

Integration With Other Technologies

VoIP systems can be easily integrated with other technologies like video conferencing, instant messaging, and others to provide a unified communication platform. This can streamline communication and improve collaboration.

Easy to Install and Maintain

As was already said, VoIP replaces outdated landlines with the power of the internet to make calls. So, without the burden of phone lines, installing and maintaining VoIP is quite simple for anyone. Starting is easy; all you have to do is put in the required accessories, and it’ll immediately work.

How to Choose the Best VoIP Phone Service 

Wondering how to choose the best VoIP phone service? Here’s how you can go about it and the key factors you should consider when making the choice:

Reliability and Quality of Service

This refers to the dependability and stability of the VoIP service. The quality of the service will depend on factors such as the reliability of the internet connection, call routing, and server availability.

Choose a top VoIP service provider with a strong track record of reliability and quality of service to ensure that calls are clear, stable, and connected without disruption.

Features and Functionality

A good VoIP phone service should provide a comprehensive range of features, such as call forwarding, call waiting, conference calling, and voicemail. Consider what features are important to you and your business, and choose a service that provides the features you need.

Cost

Cost is an important consideration when choosing a VoIP phone service. Look for a provider that offers affordable and flexible pricing options, such as pay-as-you-go or subscription-based plans. Compare prices and options to get the best value for your money.

Customer Support

Reliable customer support is crucial when choosing VoIP phone service. Look for a provider offering round-the-clock support and options such as live chat, phone, and email support.

Security

As with any service, the quality of the customer support you receive is critical to how effectively your VoIP service operates. Look for a provider that uses encryption to secure call data and provides secure authentication methods to prevent unauthorized access to the system.

VoIP FAQs

Written by Krishi Chowdhary | Editor

Krishi is an experienced B2B and B2C content writer who reviews and compares different software to help both individuals and businesses find the right programs for their needs. Krishi's specialized writing educational material on customer relationship management (CRM) software and project management tools, but he also covers many other software topics for Techopedia, including antivirus programs.

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