The Top 8 Best VoIP Services Compared for 2023

The best VoIP service will make a huge difference for you whether you need to use it for your business or for personal use. You’ll be able to streamline your internal and external business communications and boost productivity, improving customer experience, reducing wait times, and accelerating your processes by automating services and operations. Home VoIP solutions, meanwhile, will give you a huge range of options to make international calls around the world.

However, finding the best of the bunch is like finding a needle in a haystack. That’s why we’ve undertaken the task of finding and reviewing the best VoIP services for your business or home, taking into consideration criteria like pricing, integration capabilities, ease of use, and customer support. Dig in as we discover why apps like Ooma, 8×8, and Vonage are among the best in the business.

Top 8 Best VoIP Service Providers Ranked

There are a lot of great VoIP services on the market with features geared to different use cases. We rate Ooma as the best provider, however, and it comes with a wide range of outstanding features like voicemail-to-text transcription, easy integration, detailed call analytics, customizable IVR, and excellent customer support. Here’s a look at the other contenders on our list:

1. Ooma — 2023‘s best VoIP service provider, with business tools like hotdesking, call routing, and an accessible mobile app. 
2. 8×8 — A powerful AI-driven VoIP service, perfect for businesses needing call waiting, parking, and routing. Great selection of hold music included. 
3. Vonage — Useful dashboard and analytics to improve your business’ call routing and call performance with easy-to-create automations.
4. Phone.com — Great value per-user pricing with complete call recording to help monitor and improve your client and customer satisfaction. 
5. DialPad — Access international numbers in over 70 countries to drive your global expansion. Unlimited SMSs will boost staff productivity, too.
6. Nextiva — Stable audio and video conference calling will drive your internal communications and contact importing makes the changeover seamless. 
7. MightyCall — Instantly understand your teams’ status with an easy-to-use visual dashboard. Create routing rules to optimize performance. 
8. VoIPLy — The best VoIP service for households and small businesses, you can route calls to different numbers based on a priority list. 

Top 8 Best VoIP Solutions Reviewed

In our full reviews, we’ll cover all the providers on our shortlist in detail, providing all the information you need on their features, functionality, pros, cons, and pricing to make an informed purchase decision. Time to get calling…

1. Ooma — 2023‘s Best Overall VoIP Service

Ooma comes out as our top pick for the best VoIP services. It stands out among its competitors with a wide array of features and an unbeatable price point. To top it off, it’s suitable for both home and business users, offering voice quality that’s comparable to traditional phone systems without the hefty price tag.

Let’s start with its most impressive feature – Ooma’s mobile app. With it, your on-the-go workers can easily manage their business phone calls from anywhere at any time. This makes placing and receiving calls easy and efficient, while call quality remains consistent no matter where you’re located. This convenience allows businesses to stay connected even when out of the office, offering an edge over traditional phone systems.

Ooma also offers an incredibly useful Virtual Receptionist that automates incoming call management. With this feature, calls can be routed to the correct department or person with ease, and messages are never missed. This ensures that businesses never miss another opportunity due to mismanaged calls, making it a must-have for any organization.

Finally, Ooma’s Hot Desking feature allows unassigned phones to be transformed into your business phone for the day. This flexibility ensures that no matter who’s using a certain phone, they can access their own VoIP line with ease. With this, businesses have the freedom to move around without being tied down to one desk or office location.

Pricing

Ooma offers a range of pricing plans to suit your business needs:

• Essentials: Over 50 standard features, virtual receptionist, mobile app, and digital fax
• Pro: Everything in Essentials, plus videoconferencing, call recording, and voicemail transcription
• Pro Plus: Everything in Pro, plus call queuing, Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrations, and advanced call management.

You can try Ooma risk-free for a full month, thanks to its 30-day full refund policy.

2. 8×8 — The Best Business VoIP Service Powered by AI

8×8 is trusted by over 2 billion businesses across the globe, with credit to its AI-powered automated workflows that save businesses tons of time. Besides this, it’s best known for its high-quality HD audio and video, available even on its cheapest plan.

Other remarkable features on its cheapest plan include Music On-hold, which lets you keep your callers entertained with pleasant yet professional music while they’re on hold. No one likes waiting — it’s best to engage your callers with soothing music than complete silence.

You’ll also get a basic auto-attendant that’ll cater to your callers and route them to the right agent while you’re busy on another line. It’s like an AI-powered receptionist with the added benefit of higher efficiency and the ability to handle multiple calls at once.

To simplify call handling, 8×8 also provides you with many additional features, such as call forwarding, call parking, ring groups, and more. The call forwarding feature automatically lets you route a call to a different number.

This can route calls from an old non-functional number to your new extension. Similarly, the call parking feature will let you transfer a call from one device to another without losing connection or tying up the line.

Pricing

8×8 is easily the cheapest VoIP option in our top 3. The 1-year Express plan is perfect for small teams. Under this plan, you can bring up to 5 members on board and enjoy unlimited calling in the US and Canada. — the latter is also why it’s one of the top residential VoIP products for Canadians as well. 

If your business is expanding and you’d like unlimited calling to up to 14 countries and other high-end features, including hot desking, presence detection, and advanced call handling and analytics, we recommend you get a premium plan.

Try 8×8 risk-free for 30 days and find out if it suits your needs. No risk of losing any money. No hassle.

3. Vonage — Leading VoIP Provider With Tons of Automation Options

Vonage’s fast VoIP system lets you accelerate communication both within your team and with your customers, helping your team make the most of their working hours. With that said, it stands apart from the competition with its highly customizable Admin Portal.

The portal lets you manage the entire phone system of your company from one dashboard. Here, you’ll get detailed analytics of the calls categorized by extension. You can check how many calls are made, answered, and missed, which will help you identify your best performers.

To simplify team management and work distribution, Vonage also offers a unique Busy Lamp feature that displays the current status of each extension in-real time. It supports up to 50 lines at a time and shows which of them are “on call,” “idle,” or “ringing.”

This feature will also simplify call routing. For instance, once a call comes in, it can be easily directed to the extension labeled as “idle,” avoiding all the other lines that are ringing or busy. Beyond this, the Call Announcement feature will tell you who’s calling and for what reason before it connects to any of your team members so that you can decide whether to put the call through.

For instance, if you tag a number as “New Lead”, it’ll flash the label the next time they call, helping you connect them to the right agent as soon as possible.

Pricing

Much like other VoIP services, Vonage has flexible pricing, and what you pay will depend on the size of your organization. If you have fewer than 50 team members, Vonage will only ask you $14.99/month/line on its Mobile plan.

Here, you’ll get both mobile and desktop apps, unlimited calling and messaging, and access to the Vonage app center. To bring more team members on board and enjoy features like CRM integrations, Call Groups, Call Recording, and more, get either the Premium or Advanced plan.

If you’re still not sure, try Vonage risk-free with its free trial, and get a paid plan only when you’re convinced.

4. Phone.com — The Best VoIP Service with Cheap Per-User Pricing

Phone.com serves over 50,000 brands around the world. Its client base includes some of the most reputed industry leaders, such as Zoho and LiftMaster. That said, our favorite thing about Phone.com is its flexible pricing.

It has a pay-per-user pricing under which you only pay for the exact number of team members you bring on board, making it all the more cost-effective compared to competitors.

Another benefit of using Phone.com is that it comes with a free business phone number for every account. This way, you can get started with your first set of phone calls as a company in no time — bid farewell to the hassle of getting a new business number with Phone.com.

Suppose you go for its Pro Plan, even better. Here, you’ll also get call recordings, which is a great way to assess customer satisfaction and employee performance. The data from call recordings can also create detailed insights into your company’s communication strategies.

For instance, a certain approach might drive away leads, while another might act as a lead magnet. The call recording feature will help you identify both.

Along with the call recordings, Phone.com will provide additional call analytics based on your response rate and employee performance, which will help you make key business decisions such as task distribution or promotions.

Pricing

Phone.com is so far the cheapest VoIP on our list, costing just $11.99/month. It’s not only cheaper than 8×8 but also allows for the admission of up to 10 participants for video conferencing, 500 pooled minutes, and 1,000 pooled text segments, which is a compelling package for any small or mid-sized business.

Need unlimited calling and messages and features like call recording and voicemail transcription? Get a premium plan. The reason Phone.com isn’t higher on our list is that it doesn’t come with a free trial. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it for a small monthly fee, thanks to its cheap monthly subscription.

5. DialPad — A Must-Have VoIP Service for Globally-Minded Businesses

DialPad is an AI-powered VoIP platform that centralizes both customer and team communication in one place, helping you streamline your day-to-day team activities. Right from the cheapest plan, you get access to unlimited calling, SMS, and MMS.

Another benefit of using DialPad is that you can get local business numbers from over 70 countries. This feature will significantly help businesses expand into new markets.

If you’re approaching an international market, you’ll have better luck connecting with the locals if you have a local business number that they can trust. On top of this, DialPad is also one of the few platforms to guarantee 100% uptime.

While most other VoIP services only guarantee 99.99% uptime, DialPad goes a step ahead and meets the perfect score. While the difference might not seem significant in terms of numbers, zero network trouble is better than occasional network issues.

Furthermore, DialPad lets you have multiple phone numbers on each account, which lets you categorize the calls better with individual extensions. Here’s an example.

If you have a separate number for catering to new leads and resolving queries of existing customers, it’ll not only reduce the traffic on individual lines but also help you direct the callers to the best-suited employee.

Pricing

We recommend DialPad’s Standard plan for all small businesses since it comes with unlimited calling (both audio and video) and even unlimited SMS.

There’s also the Enterprise plan which is custom priced and offers 100% uptime and unlimited ring groups and office locations. Contact DialPad’s team to get a quote.

With a 14-day free trial, you’ll have ample time to find out whether DialPad is the one for you.

6. Nextiva — The Best VoIP Service for Small Businesses

Nextiva simplifies communication for you by integrating multiple mediums of communication in one easy-to-use platform. Even on its most basic plan, you get access to unlimited calling and video calling — a huge benefit for every company, regardless of its size. After all, you wouldn’t want to pay for every call you make to your leads or clients.

Beyond this, it also lets you set up conference calls with unlimited users. This feature is more prevalent in internal communication. For activities that require mass participation from your team, such as employee training or onboarding, the audio-conferencing feature will come in very handy.

The same applies to video conferencing. Depending on the plan you choose, you can add as many users on the call as you want, and that too, at the same time. Don’t worry. Nextiva’s stable network will easily handle the load without compromising on the call quality.

To simplify getting started with Nextiva, it helps you quickly and automatically import your contacts from Outlook or Google Contacts, so you won’t have to waste time manually transferring the data to your new system.

Once it’s integrated, each time you add a new contact on either of these platforms, a copy of it will be recorded on Nextiva automatically.

Pricing

The biggest USP of Nextiva is that its plans are highly customizable. With that said, the most budget-friendly option is the 3-year Essential plan. Here’s the pricing for 100+ users — if you’re only 5-19 members, you’ll have to shell out a little more:

Need Nextiva to do more for you? Get voicemail transcription, unlimited video conference recording, and up to 3 professionally recorded greetings with the Enterprise plan. Give it a try now with its 7-day free trial.

7. MightyCall — Popular VoIP Phone System With Impeccable Custom Call Greeting

MightyCall has over 30 new-age VoIP features and is also one of the few platforms to offer a free trial. Besides this, unlike Phone.com and others, which provide only one business number per account, it offers 2, regardless of the plan you choose.

To help you maintain harmony in your team, MightyCall also offers Presence Status for each employee, just like Vonage. It tells you if a certain employee is available, away from the desk, or busy on another call. This will help you route incoming calls accordingly.

Furthermore, MightyCall also lets you add extra users to your plan at a nominal fee. If you’re on its Enterprise plan, you’ll be allowed to add unlimited new users. This feature is a godsend for growing businesses that are expecting consistent team expansion in the coming times.

Handling calls is also a breeze with MightyCall’s Call Flow feature. It allows you to create custom rules for the way you want each call to be handled. For example, you can automatically route all blacklisted calls to go to voicemail.

Similarly, the white-listed callers or VIPs can be directly sent to a priority support number. This feature not only gives your business a more professional and streamlined look, but also ensures that no employee wastes their time on unnecessary calls.

Pricing

MightyCall’s Business plan allows for 3 users, unlimited minutes, and unlimited texts and will cost you $15, which is reasonable. Yes, a slightly greater number of users would’ve been better, but it’s still a solid plan for a small, in-house team.

The key attraction of MightyCall is its Enterprise plan, which asks for a flat fee of $150/month and permits unlimited users, minutes, and texts. Try it risk-free with the 7-day free trial now.

8. VoIPLy — The Best VoIP Service for Households and Small Businesses

VoIPLy has grown to be a dominating presence both among businesses and homeowners. Today, over 25,000 users swear by its impeccable service. With that said, its biggest USP is unlimited international calling.

While a lot of other VoIP services offer unlimited calling as well, most of them limit it only to the USA and Canada. But with VoIPLy, you can make countless phone calls to not only these two countries but also 50+ other countries.

Another feature that most businesses will find useful is Ring Groups. Under this, each time you get a new call, all the devices linked to that extension will ring simultaneously or in chronological order so that you never miss out on any important call.

This feature can be exceptionally beneficial for small businesses that are already short on employees. In case you miss the call despite turning on the Ring Group feature, don’t worry — VoIP will direct the caller to your voicemail, where they can leave their details and queries.

This way, you’ll never lose any leads, even when you’re away from the phone. Besides this, VoIPLy can also send you a copy of those voicemails to your email so that you don’t forget to listen to them.

What’s more, it offers stellar customer support that’ll be there for you round-the-clock over call, email, and chat. No other VoIP service provider offers these many methods to connect with the customer support wing.

Pricing

VoIPLy offers two pricing options:

As you can see, VoIPLy’s residential plan is dirt cheap. Here, you’ll get customized call routing, unlimited calling to 50+ countries, and more such features handmade for residential users — making it the best home phone VoIP solution on the market. Put VoIPLy to the test today with the 30-day money-back guarantee. Don’t like it? Get a full refund.

Top 8 Best VoIP Services Compared

This table brings together all the key details you need about the picks on our shortlist so you can easily compare their features, pricing, and sign-up offers and find the ideal solution for your needs.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that allows for voice communications to be transmitted over the internet. This means that you can place voice calls over the internet rather than making them via an analog phone line.

And VoIP solutions don’t actually require any physical hardware, unlike conventional POTS phones. Telephone services run via digital and analog phones, but VoIP providers transmit your call via high-speed Internet connections.

How Does VoIP Work?

Unlike traditional phone systems that rely on analog phone lines and require circuit wiring and a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system, VoIP converts voice into digital signals transmitted as data packets over the internet.

VoIP uses the real-time protocol (RTP) to ensure the timely delivery of data packets and can be accessed through an Ethernet cable or high-speed Wi-Fi connection.

The technology uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a communication protocol for VoIP calls and other multimedia sessions.

To use VoIP, you may need certain equipment, such as a VoIP PBX (Private Branch Exchange), VoIP phones or IP phones, mobile devices, computers, and network-ready devices with VoIP apps or softphone applications installed.

Why Do I Need a VoIP Solution? VoIP Benefits

Getting an effective VoIP solution in place can provide a range of benefits for you. Here are some of the things that a quality VoIP service can do for you:

Save on Costs

Could you replace your landline with VoIP? Yes, and doing so will save you money. A landline phone system costs businesses $50 per line each month, while VoIP plans are available for less than $20 per line. You can realize significant direct and indirect cost savings by switching to VoIP.

Direct cost savings include lower PBX costs, eliminating copper wiring charges, and reduced calling expenses. Indirect cost savings include increased remote work efficiency, reduced utilities and office space expenses, and improved collaboration among team members. All in all, it can be a great tool to make calling faster and easier, and you can get access to a whole host of features that you would never have been able to use with a landline.

Increased Voice Quality

The quality of voice calls using VoIP technology had improved significantly from its early days when calls were prone to dropping, poor voice quality, and latency. A strong and stable internet connection with ample bandwidth is key to ensuring good call quality with VoIP.

With the help of advanced technologies like noise-canceling microphones and audio compression, VoIP phones deliver exceptional sound quality, allowing for seamless communication without interruptions.

More & Better Features

VoIP services provide a multitude of features, many of which aren’t supported by traditional telephone systems or are only available for an extra cost. VoIP features such as:

• Call forwarding
• Interactive voice response
• Ring groups and queues
• Music on hold and,
• Call recording

All offer an enhanced communication experience and increased efficiency. With a fast and stable internet connection, you can take advantage of these features and boost your competitiveness.

Easy Installation

VoIP installation is simple and hassle-free compared to traditional phone systems. With VoIP, there’s no need for physical phone lines — all you need is an Ethernet connection to the corporate network.

Hosted VoIP services also allow individuals and businesses to focus on their core competencies, as the service provider handles all technical aspects. This makes VoIP an ideal choice for small businesses, start-ups, and homes with limited technical resources.

How to Choose the Best VoIP Service – Factors to Consider

With the vast array of VoIP providers, choosing the best one for your personal and business needs can be challenging. Here are the key factors that you need to consider to make an informed decision:

Cost of Local Vs. International Calls

This is a crucial factor, as the cost of international calls can vary significantly between VoIP providers. Choose a provider that offers a reasonable cost for both local and international calls based on the location of your customers or your loved ones.

Features Availability

Different VoIP providers offer a wide range of features, so it’s essential to choose a provider that offers the features that best meet your needs.

Pay close attention to the core features included in each plan and any additional features that may be sold as separate add-ons, as this can significantly increase your costs.

Third-Party Integrations

A key aspect of choosing the best virtual phone number provider is ensuring it integrates seamlessly with other tools and systems you use, such as CRM software, email marketing services, and other APIs.

Look for a provider that offers robust third-party integrations and APIs to ensure you can get the most out of your VoIP service.

Network Quality

The quality of the VoIP provider’s network is critical to ensuring that your call quality is top-notch. Make sure that the provider you choose has a reliable, scalable network and offers real-time, 24/7 customer service to ensure that you can get the support when you need it.

VoIP FAQs