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5 Best Cheap VoIP Phone Services Compared (2023)

Are you looking for the best and cheapest VoIP phone services?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone services are helpful for team and customer communication. Sometimes, these services add an extra cost to your budget, and looking for a cheaper option is the way to go.

However, when considering a cheap VoIP phone platform, you may wonder if the quality and features are up to par. And you might be concerned if you’ll be paying for a service that will actually add value to your business workflow.

In this article, we will share some of the best cheap VoIP services that you can use for your small business.

Best Cheap VoIP Phone Services Compared

What Is VoIP?

Making business phone calls without a landline connection is the technology commonly known as VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol.

It’s common among many small and big businesses to use VoIP phone services for their professional communication. You can have a live voice call or send a scheduled message to your teammates, clients, or any of your connections with an internet facility.

But again, what is VoIP, and how does VoIP work?

VoIP is a technology that uses an internet connection to allow you to make phone calls. These are like regular phone calls, but you will not be using a phone connection.

VoIP phone service setup

You can also connect using video calls and group calls. Moreover, you can send voice messages and video messages based on the VoIP service you are using for communication.

Choosing a VoIP phone service provider is easy as there are several options available. However, finding a cheap yet reliable VoIP phone service to set up your business communication can be tricky.

Without further delay, let’s look at our expert pick for the best cheap VoIP phone services.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva

Nextiva is one of the best VoIP phone services on the market. They offer unlimited voice calls and internet fax facilities.

You can access the business phone from your desktop or mobile, making you available to your clients from anywhere.

Moreover, Nextiva provides local and toll-free numbers that can give your business a professional look from the start.

And in case you want help setting Nextiva up, there’s a team of customer support professionals available 24/7, even with the basic VoIP phone services plan.

Additionally, Nextiva integrates with popular email marketing, CRM, and other software. The service also tracks your calls in real-time, giving you the data and reports you need to improve your communication.

Pros of Nextiva VoIP Phone Service

  • Cloud-based phone service
  • Privacy fence with encryption
  • Built-in app for desktops and smartphones
  • Scalable as your business grows
  • Virtual assistant, auto attendant, and voicemail options

Cons of Nextiva VoIP Phone Service

  • Requires a powerful internet connection
  • The mobile app doesn’t include major management features

Why do we recommend Nextiva?

Nextiva is our top recommended VoIP phone service. They offer a complete and reliable phone system for any business size and niche. Nextiva provides HD call quality at an affordable price, making them a top choice for small businesses.

Price: Starts at $17.95 per user/month.

2. Ooma Office Phone

Ooma VoIP phone service

Ooma Office Phone is an affordable VoIP phone service for small businesses. Their service is built for online communication between team members and customers.

The phone service has dozens of features to improve your workflow. Ooma has solutions for different business niches, including dental, real estate, hospitality, insurance, and more.

Some of their most notable features include a virtual receptionist that makes your business look professional on every incoming call. They also let users select an extension to connect with your different teams automatically.

The setup and installation are easy for beginners. If you need help, then Ooma has tons of resources like their business blog, podcast, webinars, FAQs, and more.

Ooma has a call-blocking service to prevent unwanted calls. Moreover, the call recording feature allows you to build an archive of your conversations for learning and other purposes.

Pros of Ooma VoIP Service

  • Unlimited calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
  • Free number transfer
  • Voicemail transcription, call transfer, and call forwarding
  • Complete call logs
  • Mobile app for both iOS and Android

Cons of Ooma VoIP Service

  • Call quality issues
  • Fewer integrations with other services

Why Do We Recommend Ooma?

We recommend Ooma because they have been consistent in their service as a cheap VoIP phone solution for small businesses. Among other phone solutions, Ooma has no hidden charges and offers multiple plans that let you scale when your business grows.

Price: Starts at $19.95 per month/user.

3. Phone.com

Phone.com VoIP phone service

Phone.com is another cheap VoIP phone service for small businesses. They offer voice calls, video calls, text messaging, fax, and conference call features.

The phone service comes with speed test software to ensure the high quality of your calls. It checks for upload and download speeds, jitters, and pings.

Phone.com also includes a premium AI-powered Answer Bot service. This saves you time by checking for spam calls and routing your calls to the right team member every time.

Phone.com can offer local numbers, vanity numbers, and international numbers. You can use the service from anywhere using the desktop or mobile app with a good internet connection.

Pros of Phone.com VoIP Service

  • Video conferencing with up to 100 users
  • Free conference calls are included in all plans
  • Mobile and desktop app
  • Virtual background templates for video calls
  • Call blocking, call forwarding, and call logs

Cons of Phone.com VoIP Service

  • The basic plan doesn’t include unlimited call time
  • Some common features like call analytics and call recording are only available for their Pro plan users

Why Do We Recommend Phone.com?

We recommend Phone.com because their service comes with a built-in speed test that helps improve your communication. Moreover, the VoIP phone service is more affordable when you pay them upfront for the full year.

Price: Starts at $14.99 per user/month.

4. RingCentral

RingCentral VoIP phone service

RingCentral is a popular VoIP phone service for small to large-scale businesses. They offer several communication tools that let you make voice calls, video calls, and conference calls. You are also able to send text messages and faxes.

Their AI tools make your communication more powerful with personalized bot responses. These AI tools can handle routine tasks, route calls, and even provide basic information to callers.

And you can always use the analytics and call logs to monitor the performance of your communication with customers.

RingCentral also comes with team messaging and collaboration tools. They have an inside platform where your team can communicate in real time, share files, and collaborate on projects.

Pros of RingCentral VoIP Service:

  • Voice, video, messaging, and collaboration tools
  • Excellent customer support
  • Local, toll-free, and international numbers
  • Personalized outgoing calls with a customizable caller ID
  • Robust security measures

Cons of RingCentral VoIP Service:

  • Higher costs when you compare it with top VoIP services like Nextiva
  • The learning curve for beginners to set up the phone service

Why Do We Recommend RingCentral?

We recommend RingCentral for their powerful AI tools that can boost your sales and revenue. The service is designed for businesses looking for a powerful VoIP solution with communication and collaboration tools.

Price: Starts at $30 per user/month.

5. Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a cheap VoIP phone service built for small businesses. They provide all the basic features like voice calls and text messaging for your communication with your team and clients.

The service comes with call management features on their desktop and mobile app. You can block spam calls, route calls to team members, and check your call logs.

Grasshopper is made with simplicity and flexibility in mind. They are not bloated with features yet give you the right tools to communicate easily.

Pros of Grasshopper VoIP Service:

  • Quick and intuitive setup
  • Virtual phone receptionist
  • Mobile and desktop apps
  • Call tracking, call forwarding, and other management tools
  • Dedicated business numbers, local numbers, and toll-free numbers

Cons of Grasshopper VoIP Service:

  • Not available globally (limited to the US and Canada)
  • You need to get the Pro plan for common features like call analytics

Why Do We Recommend Grasshopper?

We recommend Grasshopper for their simplicity and budget-friendly pricing, making them a good choice for small businesses. Though the basic plan has limited features, it’s affordable for your initial days. You can also select the annual payment plan and get more discounts on the VoIP service.

Price: Starts at $17 per month/user.

Which Is the Best Cheap VoIP Phone Service?

Nextiva is the best cheap VoIP service. They give you all the necessary features and are affordable for small businesses to set up a communication system.

Ooma and Phone.com are also budget-friendly VoIP services for business communication.

Ooma comes with a virtual receptionist to answer your calls and route calls to the right extensions. They can make your small business presentable to all your callers.

Phone.com has an AI Answer Bot service that checks for spam calls and saves your time by transferring real clients to your team.

We hope this article has helped you find the best cheap VoIP service for small businesses. You may also want to check out our other WordPress guides that can help improve your communication.

Best WordPress Guides to Improve Business Communication

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 5 Best Cheap VoIP Phone Services Compared (2023) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma: Which is Better? (Compared)

Are you comparing Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma to find out the best VoIP provider for your business?

Many small businesses rely on phone services to communicate with customers and Nextiva, RingCentral, and Ooma are among the top business VOIP providers on the market.

In this article, we’ll compare Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma to help you decide which one is the best small business VoIP provider.

Comparing Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma

Comparing Nextiva vs RingCentral and Ooma VOIP Services

Many small businesses use VoIP phone services for sales, customer support, and team collaboration.

Nextiva, RingCentral, and Ooma are considered among the top VoIP providers for small businesses.

They offer toll-free numbers, virtual numbers, cheaper local and international call rates, easier team collaboration, and more.

Business phone services is a highly competitive industry and all of our top three contenders offer similar features and pricing. This makes it difficult for small business owners to choose one of them for their business.

To make this easier, we’ll do a side-by-side comparison of Nextiva, RingCentral, and Ooma for the best business VoIP service providers.

We’ll look into the following criteria.

That being said, let’s take a look at Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma to find out which one is the best small business VOIP provider.

Pricing Comparison

Pricing is one of the top deciding factors for small businesses looking for a VoIP service provider.

All three of our contenders offer very competitive pricing for similar features. However, they use a variable pricing model based on the number of users, plan duration, and features.

This makes it difficult to decide which VoIP service provider is cheaper for small businesses.

Nextiva Pricing

Nextiva has a variable pricing model where your pricing changes based on the number of users, payment duration, and feature plans.

For instance, you can get started for $18.95 per user each month (paid annually) if you have more than 20 users.

Nextiva pricing

If you have fewer than 4 users, then you can get started for $23.95 per user each month (paid annually).

This means that your costs will go down as your team size grows and you need to add more users to your account.

RingCentral Pricing

RingCentral pricing plans use a slightly different pricing model.

Their Essential plan starts at $19.95 per user each month (paid annually) for up to 20 users.

RingCentral pricing

This means that if you have a smaller team of fewer than 20 users, then you can save some money and have room for growth too.

Ooma Pricing

Ooma offers pretty straightforward fees. Their rates differ based on which plan you choose regardless of the number of users.

This means that if you choose the Essential plan, then you will pay at the same rate when your team grows.

Ooma Pricing

Ooma only offers month-to-month payment plans which means you pay as you go and can easily cancel at any time.

Winner: Tie – All three of our contenders offer similar pricing that is very close to each other.

Feature Comparison

Perhaps the most important thing when choosing a VoIP provider is the features they offer.

Nextiva, RingCentral, and Ooma all offer a ton of features with each of their business phone service plans.

However, you’ll need to choose one based on your own requirements. For instance, video conferencing may not be important for some small businesses, while it could be a deal breaker for others.

Another important thing to consider is which pricing plan includes the features you need. As all of them offer different sets of features for each VoIP plan.

Nextiva Features

As one of the best business VoIP providers on the market, Nextiva offers a unified communications platform with the most value-to-money features.

  • Unlimited domestic calls in US and Canada
  • HD voice quality
  • Free local and toll-free number plus number porting allows you to bring your existing number as well.
  • Voicemail, voicemail to email notifications, voicemail to SMS, voicemail transcription
  • Support for desk phones, conference phones, and other telephone devices you may want to use.
  • Apps for browsers, iPhone, Android, and desktop computers
  • Video meetings and conferencing
  • Call logs, call recording, call routing, auto attendant, IVR, and more.

Plus, you can share the same number with different team members.

Contact management features make it super easy to follow up on calls and don’t let the leads slip away.

You can also integrate your own CRM software or use Nextiva CRM for better lead management.

Basically, you can run your own small cloud-based call center at the fraction of the cost with highly advanced features to save you time and resources.

RingCentral Features

When it comes to features RingCentral gives tough competition to Nextiva.

They offer all the business phone features that a small business would need and then some more.

  • Unlimited calling for the US and Canada.
  • Free local and toll-free phone numbers.
  • SMS and voicemail support
  • Team messaging
  • Voicemail to text alerts
  • Video meetings and conferencing
  • Desk phone support
  • You can receive calls on the go using your phone or laptop
  • Real-time call analytics

RingCentral offers all common VoIP phone features like call forwarding, number sharing, call waiting, call management, and more.

It also has integrations for popular CRM software like Salesforce, Zendesk, and more.

Ooma Features

Ooma Office offers a bunch of features in their VoIP plans that will help you grow your small business.

However, some features are available in their more expensive plans. For instance, you can only get access to the Desktop app and text messaging with their PRO plan.

Following are the features you can expect to get based on the plan you choose:

  • Local and toll-free numbers
  • Unlimited local calls to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
  • Call features like recording, call waiting, voicemail, and more.
  • Microsoft Dynamics, Office 365, and Google integrations are available
  • Salesforce Integration (only with Pro Plus plans)

While Ooma offers the most commonly requested features for a VoIP provider, it does lack several features offered by the other top contenders.

Winner: Nextiva

Available Integrations

Integrations help you connect your VoIP phone service to other apps and platforms that you may already be using.

Many businesses need integrations with CRM software like Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot, and more. This helps them easily manage customer relationships and can keep track of leads without losing them.

Let’s see how our top contenders stack up when it comes to integrations.

Nextiva Integrations

Nextiva offers comprehensive integrations suitable for all types of small businesses.

Nextiva integrations

It has ready-to-use integrations for all the top CRM software, productivity suites, team communication apps, and more.

This includes Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft Outlook, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and more.

RingCentral Integrations

RingCentral offers an extensive set of integrations as apps and add-ins that you can add to your account.

RingCentral Integrations

They offer several apps for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Dynamics, and more.

Their integrations also cover the top CRM software that you may already be using including Salesforce, Zoho, HubSpot, and more.

Ooma Integrations

Ooma does not offer as many integrations as Nextiva or RingCentral. Their Pro plan offers integration with Google and Microsoft Office 365.

You’ll need to upgrade to their Pro Plus plan to unlock Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365 integrations.

Apart from that, you can still use it with your own CRM software but it will be less efficient to track contact history and manage leads within your phone or CRM software.

Winner: Nextiva

Customer Support Options

Unlike traditional phones, VoIP phones are a relatively new technology so many small businesses may need a little bit of help to make the most out of it.

This is why customer support is an important aspect to consider when choosing your VoIP phone service provider.

Let’s compare how our top contenders stack up in terms of customer support options.

Nextiva Customer Support

Nextiva customer support is available through 24/7 live chat, email tickets, and phone.

Nextiva customer support

Plus, they have a comprehensive knowledge base that covers all the commonly asked questions by users.

Finding answers in the knowledge base is fast and easiest way to fix things on your own. However, if you need to speak with someone, then you’ll find their phone and live chat support agents friendly and helpful.

Customer support representatives know their stuff very well and wouldn’t mind going to great lengths to help you out.

RingCentral Customer Support

RingCentral offers support through 24/7 phone, live chat, and email tickets. They also have an extensive library of articles, how-to guides, manuals, and more.

RingCentral customer support

Support response times are fast and representatives are well-trained and highly helpful.

Ooma Customer Support

Ooma offers the same customer support options as the other contenders on the list.

This includes 24/7 live chat support, email tickets, self-help articles, and phone support.

Ooma support

Winner: Tie

Mobile App Comparison

With many businesses switching to a remote or hybrid work model, it is important to consider the mobility of your VoIP service.

This allows remote teams to stay in touch and never miss a call even when away from the desk.

All three of our contenders offer mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. Let’s see how their mobile apps perform against each other.

Nextiva Mobile Apps

Apart from laptop and desk phone systems, Nextiva also offers apps for iOS and Android smartphones.

Nextiva mobile app for iPhone

These apps come with a sleek and easy-to-use interface that allows you to easily make and receive calls, text with team members, manage contacts, and more.

RingCentral Mobile Apps

RingCentral also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS smartphones. These apps are highly intuitive and allow you to easily manage calls while on the go.

RingCentral mobile app

Additionally, RingCentral offers separate apps for Meeting Rooms, which is their video conferencing platform.

Ooma Mobile Apps

Ooma doesn’t offer desktop apps for its Essential plan but it does offer mobile apps for all small business plans including the Essential plan.

Ooma app for Android phones

The app provides easier contact management, and call and text functions. However, user reviews indicate that it does not work very well for many users.

Winner: RingCentral

Conclusion: Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma – Which is The Best Small Business VoIP Provider?

We believe that Nextiva is the best small business VoIP phone provider on the market.

It offers competitive pricing, a ton of features, the best call quality, lower rates for international calls, and a wide range of numbers to choose from (local, international, toll-free, vanity numbers, and more).

→ Click Here to Get Started with Nextiva ←

Note: WPBeginner users can use our Nextiva Coupon to get 20% off when they sign up.

RingCentral comes as a very close second. They offer many of the features offered by their competitors and a slightly better mobile app experience. You can use our RingCentral coupon to get a discount.

We hope this article helped you compare Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma to find out which one is the best VoIP service. You may also want to see our pick of the best email marketing services for small business, or see our article on how to get a free business email address.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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10 Best VoIP WordPress Themes in 2022 (Compared)

Are you looking for the best VoIP WordPress themes?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a modern technology to connect with your users on voice calls. You can offer VoIP software, call forwarding services, networking services, and calling products on your business website with a suitable WordPress theme.

In this article, we will share some of the best VoIP WordPress themes for your business website.

Best VOIP WordPress Themes

How to Make a VoIP Website With WordPress?

WordPress is the most popular website builder on the market used by over 43% of all websites on the internet. You can use it to create any type of website without any technical skills or coding knowledge.

There are two kinds of WordPress websites. WordPress.org, which is a self-hosted platform, and WordPress.com, which is a hosting solution.

We have a complete guide on the difference between WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org for your assistance.

You’ll need the self-hosted WordPress.org to make your VoIP business website. And you’ll also need a domain name and web hosting.

For this, we recommend Bluehost. It’s one of the most popular web hosting companies and an official WordPress hosting partner.

The best part is that Bluehost offers WPBeginner users an exclusive 73% off on web hosting, plus a free domain name and a free SSL certificate.

Bluehost WordPress Hosting offer for WPBeginner Users

Bluehost reduces your initial cost to $2.75 per month.

So you can start your VoIP calling services website without worrying about the budget.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

After purchasing the web hosting, you next need to make a WordPress website and set up your VoIP WordPress theme.

If you need assistance, check out our complete guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Now, look at some of the best VoIP WordPress themes.

1. Astra

Astra

Astra is the most popular WordPress theme on the market. It has a multipurpose approach and lets you create any type of website.

It comes with dozens of starter sites that are fully functional with ready-made pages and content. All you need to do is replace the text and images to launch your website.

Astra fully supports page builders, so you can add your VoIP calling services to get new customers. You can also integrate WooCommerce to make sales pages and collect online payments.

2. SeedProd

SeedProd WordPress Website Builder

SeedProd is the best WordPress website and theme builder. It isn’t your regular theme but a one-stop solution for you to make your website layout from scratch.

It’s beginner friendly and easy to use. You get a drag-and-drop builder to add sections on the homepage of your VoIP software website.

SeedProd also lets you create dedicated VoIP landing pages where you can display features like business call forwarding, auto attendant, and more.

SeedProd site kits make it even faster to set up everything in just a few clicks. And the best part is that you don’t need to hire a professional developer or write any code.

3. Divi

Divi

Divi is a powerful WordPress theme for beginners to visually design a website of any kind, including a VoIP business phone service website. You’ll get the Divi Builder alongside their website templates, so the native drag and drop builder makes it even easier to customize your site.

The Divi website templates are ready-made and come with page layouts, design elements, and more. You need to replace the dummy content with your text and images to start.

It comes with eCommerce modules and elements to sell your VoIP calling services. The theme integrates with popular plugins like WPForms to create an order form for your business.

Also, the Divi Builder has modern tools to edit and customize your content. You can quickly make changes, and Divi Builder will keep a revision history to revert or compare your updates.

4. Ultra

Ultra

Ultra is a highly flexible WordPress multipurpose theme. It comes with a few ready-made templates designed specifically for VoIP software, VoIP app, and VoIP calling services.

It comes with the native Themify Builder to easily customize your VoIP networking website. Ultra theme also includes built-in addons to add more features and options using the drag and drop builder.

The theme offers multiple custom designs for the header, footer, pages, posts, and background. Moreover, you get fonts and color schemes to further optimize the look of your website.

Ultra has many other features, including parallax scrolling, beautiful navigation menus, image filters, and more. It also fully supports WooCommerce to sell your products and services online.

5. OceanWP

OceanWP

OceanWP is an excellent WordPress theme built for all kinds of websites. It comes with hundreds of free and premium website layouts for different business niches.

The theme supports page builders like Beaver Builder or Elementor out of the box. This allows you to set up your VoIP website with OceanWP easily and fast.

When it comes to features, OceanWP includes multiple header styles, a header social menu, a top bar, responsive navigation menus, and more. It also comes with color and typography settings to make your content stand out.

OceanWP has seamless WooCommerce integration that lets you create an online store. You can customize the shop page, product page, checkout page, and other pages using a drag and drop builder.

6. Neve

Neve

Neve is a super fast WordPress theme for your VoIP software website. It has a huge library of starter sites and templates that you can import into your WordPress site in 1-click.

The theme is compatible with popular WordPress page builders on the market. It also fully supports the WordPress block editor and customizer for all changes you need to make before you launch the site.

Here’s a quick difference between WordPress block editors vs page builders for your information.

Neve also includes blog layouts to make a blog page. It adds custom blog controls within the WordPress editor to manage the display of your content and articles.

Other features include custom backgrounds, additional fonts, demo content import, and more. Neve is translation-ready using third-party plugins like WPML and supports all RTL languages.

7. Altitude Pro

Altitude Pro

Altitude Pro is a WordPress multipurpose theme. It’s suitable for online businesses, software companies, digital services providers, and others, including VoIP calling businesses.

The theme has a bold header layout with a dark background, a simple navigation menu, a custom logo, a welcome message, and call-to-action buttons. It’s fully customizable using the built-in theme options panel.

Altitude Pro also includes theme customizer settings for colors, background images, fonts, and more. You can preview the changes in real-time before you publish your site on the internet.

It has WooCommerce support to sell your products and services online. You can set up your online store and use their ready-made widgets to easily add eCommerce features.

StudioPress is now part of WP Engine, the most popular managed WordPress hosting company. You can get this theme and all 35+ other StudioPress themes when you sign up for WP Engine hosting to build your website.

Bonus: WPBeginner users also get an additional 20% OFF. Get started with WP Engine today!

8. Sydney Pro

Sydney Pro

Sydney Pro is a beautiful WordPress multipurpose theme built for online business sites. It has a fullscreen background in the default layout that you can replace with an image slider, video header, or keep the static image.

Besides the default theme design, Sydney Pro comes with dozens of ready-made starter sites to help launch your VoIP networking site quickly. 

The theme has multiple header layouts for different screen sizes and devices. It lets you manage the first look of your site by adding single and dual navigation menus, a custom logo, social icons, a cart button, and more.

Sydney Pro is comfortably compatible with Elementor page builder to add your landing pages and product pages. The theme itself supports WooCommerce features out of the box.

9. Inspiro Pro

Inspiro Pro

Inspiro Pro is an elegant WordPress multipurpose theme. It comes with drag and drop page builder integration to make it easy for you to set up the landing pages for your VoIP calling website.

The theme supports videos out of the box. It allows you to embed self-hosted videos and third-party videos on your site. With this feature, you can share educational videos related to your business.

Inspiro also comes with custom widgets to add multiple features on the homepage and other pages. When it comes to customization, you’ll get a theme options panel within your WordPress dashboard with all options.

10. Struct

Struct

Struct is a fantastic WordPress theme built for online businesses. It’s a perfect choice for your VoIP business site with ready-made features like services management, portfolio management, and more.

It has a fullscreen background layout where you can add a custom image. The homepage lets you add a custom logo, navigation menu, welcome text, and call-to-action buttons.

Struct is fully responsive and designed beautifully for any screen size or device. It also supports WooCommerce features and extensions to sell your services online.

We hope this article has helped you find the best VoIP WordPress themes. You may also want to check out our guides on how to add web push notification in WordPress, and the best email marketing services for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 10 Best VoIP WordPress Themes in 2022 (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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8 Best Small Business Cell Phone Plans for 2022 (with Free Option)

Are you looking for a small business cell phone plan to stay in touch with your customers and team members?

A business cell phone plan gives you the freedom and flexibility to answer calls, communicate with your team, and attend meetings while on the go. It helps you stay connected from anywhere in the world.

In this article, we’ll share the best small business cell phone plans with pros and cons, so you can pick the best solution for your needs.

Best small business cell phone plans

Why Do You Need a Business Cell Phone Plan?

A business cell phone plan is important for many small business owners, so they can keep their business phone separate from their personal phone and easily coordinate with other team members.

With the right cell phone plan, your customer support staff will be able to help out customers and respond to their questions while on the go. This way you can improve retention and create a long-term relationship with your customers.

Similarly, if you have a remote team spread across different locations, then a cell phone plan can improve business communication since you can hold webinars and meetings to keep everyone connected.

As a business owner, you have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a cell phone plan for your company. There are traditional wireless carriers, business VoIP services, and virtual calling systems that provide a business cell phone service.

That said, let’s look at some of the best small business cell phone plans in the market.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva

Nextiva is the best VoIP and virtual business phone service in the market. It’s a cloud-based business phone system that offers a powerful set of features, and it’s super easy to set up.

This is what we use for our business here at WPBeginner.

Nextiva is often referred to as a UCaaS (unified communication as a service) because it brings separate communication channels like video, text message chat, voice, and collaboration tools together in one place.

There are Nextiva apps for mobile phones, tablets, desktop, and even desk phones, so your team can use a separate business phone number or extension without needing two separate devices which helps reduce cost.

Some of the features you get include an auto-attendant feature, HD video conferencing option, nationwide unlimited calling and SMS messages, free number porting, voicemail to email notifications, toll-free numbers, a cloud-based VoIP call center, cloud PBX, call pop with caller ID details, and more.

The VoIP service also helps your team improve communication and automate different workflows. For example, you can set up email automation and create automated replies to quickly respond to business customer queries that come in through your WordPress website.

Another benefit of using Nextiva is that it easily integrates with other communication tools and CRMs like Salesforce, Google Contacts, Zendesk, Oracle Sales Cloud, Zoho, and more.

Nextiva offers 3 business cell phone plans that you can choose from.

  • Essential – The prices start from $18.95 per user per month, and you get unlimited voice and video calling, toll-free numbers, Outlook and Google contacts integrations, and more.
  • Professional – Starting at $22.95 per user per month. In addition to the features in the Essential plan, you also get unlimited conference calls, a screen sharing option, mobile and desktop SMS/MMS feature, auto-attendant, and more.
  • Enterprise – In this plan, you get all the features that Nextiva offers, and it will cost $32.95 per user per month. Plus, you get a call recording option, Microsoft Teams integration, voicemail transcription, and more.

If you’re looking for a small business cell phone plan that doesn’t require getting a separate device and allows for sharing the business phone number with multiple team members, then Nextiva is the way to go.

This is what we use for our business, and many other top organizations like UnitedWay, TacoBell, YMCA, Stanford University, and others also use Nextiva for their business phone.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral

RingCentral is also one of the best business cell phone services that you can use for your website. The VoIP phone service provider allows your support team to handle customer support from anywhere using its Android and iOS mobile app and desktop app.

This way, you can also implement a bring your own device (BYOD) policy and allow your team members to use their own devices to handle work-related tasks from any place at any time.

With RingCentral, you get unlimited phone calls within the US and Canada, voice-to-text features, video conferences, business SMS, internet fax, toll-free number, and more.

There’s also an auto attend feature in RingCentral and advanced call handling features where support agents can see the caller’s interaction history, get real-time analytics, and allow managers or another team member to take over a call.

RingCentral offers 4 business cell phone plans that you can use, and the best part is that you get a 14-day free trial.

  • Essentials – Starting from $19.99 per user per month, you get up to 20 users, a toll-free number, unlimited calls in the US/Canada, team messaging, and more.
  • Standard – In this plan, RingCentral offers an unlimited number of users, business phone numbers in 100 countries, unlimited internet fax, video meetings, 24/7 support, and more for $27.99 per user per month.
  • Premium – It will cost you $34.99 per user per month. You get more features like automatic call recording, hot desking, advanced call handling features, real-time analytics, CRM integrations, etc.
  • Ultimate – This plan is for $49.99 per user per month, and it includes all the features along with device status reports, status alerts, and unlimited storage.

3. Ooma

Ooma

Ooma is an all-in-one virtual phone service for small businesses. With Ooma, you get amazing features to keep you connected with your customers and remote team members.

The phone service offers HD audio, video conferencing, messaging, virtual receptionists, free 1-800 toll-free numbers, and free local phone numbers. The best, you get mobile apps that let you receive calls and answer your customers’ queries on the go.

Besides that, there’s also an Ooma Office suite that works out of the box and is very easy to set up. With Ooma Office, you can attend meetings and video conferences to keep your team connected with each other.

Other features offered by Ooma include voicemail transcription, online fax, enhanced call blocking, call recording, call forwarding, unlimited calling in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, affordable international call rates, and more.

Ooma offers 2 pricing plans for small business cell phones.

  • Ooma Office – It will cost you $19.95 per month per user and you get a lot of features like a mobile app, virtual receptionist, call transfer, call logs, and more.
  • Ooma Office Pro – This plan will cost you $24.95 per month per user and you get additional features like a desktop app, call recording, enhanced call blocking, caller info match, and more.

4. Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a top virtual phone service for small businesses that’s affordable and packed with valuable features.

Using Grasshopper, you can get a toll-free number, a local number, a vanity number, and transfer users to an existing virtual number easily. The cloud-based phone service offers a desktop and mobile phone app, so you can take calls and respond to messages from anywhere.

Other than that, you can set up custom greetings to welcome callers and ensure that you never miss a call by routing customers to another phone or team member. The service also offers virtual fax, voicemail, incoming call controls, analytics, and more.

The only downside is that Grasshopper is only available in the USA and Canada. That said, you get a 7-day free trial with 3 premium plans.

  • Solo – It will cost you $26 per month. You get to choose 1 phone number and 3 extensions.
  • Partner – This plan costs $44 per month and offers up to 3 types of phone numbers and 6 extensions.
  • Small Business – You can use unlimited extensions and up to 5 phone numbers for $80 per month.

5. Phone.com

Phone.com

Phone.com is a versatile virtual phone service that’s great for small businesses and startups. It offers affordable pricing plans and lets you mix and match plans based on your business needs.

The VoIP service offers business mobile and desktop apps so that you can handle customer support from an office or on the move.

With Phone.com, you get additional functionality like audio conferencing, call analytics, call recording and screening, call forwarding, text messaging, fax-from-phone option, and much more.

Phone.com offers 3 pricing plans with a monthly billing cycle, and you can combine these plans according to what you need. Plus, each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • Basic Users – Starting from $10.39 per month per user, you get 300 minutes and 1000 text messages. It also includes video conferencing up to 10 participants, document sharing, fax from phone feature, and more.
  • Plus Users – It will cost you $15.99 per month per user and includes everything in the basic user package along with unlimited minutes and business text messages.
  • Pro Users – This plan will cost you $23.99 per month per user, and you get all the features that Phone.com has to offer. Plus, you get advanced call management features like call recording, call analytics, and CRM integrations.

6. AT&T

AT&T

AT&T is one of the largest wireless carriers in the United States, and it offers unlimited domestic mobile data usage, talk minutes, and text messages. It’s a great alternative to VoIP business cell phone plans and you get exceptional call quality.

With AT&T, you get no roaming charges along with unlimited talk time and instant messaging for Mexico and Canada. There are also shared data plans where you can make the data shareable for up to 25 phones, tablets, and other devices.

There is also an international addon that lets you make calls and send messages to over 210 countries. Each mobile plan also comes with 5G and 5G+ access, so you won’t worry about slow internet speeds.

Other than that, AT&T offers a video streaming feature, but the video quality will depend on your plan. It also offers powerful security measures to protect your business. For instance, you get spam and fraud call blocking, identity monitoring, safe browsing, and more.

There are the 3 business cell phone plans offered by AT&T, and you get to choose up to 10 lines per plan. However, the prices go down if you select 6 to 10 lines per plan. Also if you exceed the data limit, then your internet speeds are slowed down to 128 Kbps.

We’ll show you prices for 6 – 10 lines.

  • Business Unlimited Starter – Priced at $30 per month per line, you get basic security features, 5G/5G+, standard definition video streaming quality, 5GB mobile hotspot data per line, and more.
  • Business Unlimited Performance – It will cost $35 per month per line, and you get HD video streaming, 40GB of mobile hotspot data per line, and advanced security features.
  • Business Unlimited Elite – This plan is for $40 per month per line. It offers advanced security features, business fast track, HD and 4K video streaming, and 100GB of mobile hotspot data per line.

7. Verizon

Verizon

Verizon is another wireless carrier that you can use for your business cell phone needs. It also offers some of the best cell phone plans and features like unlimited calling, texting, and data plans within the US.

With Verizon, you get extended high-speed data coverage across the USA and selected international countries. It even offers flexible plans for adding unlimited data for tablets. However, you’ll need compatible devices and ensure that 5G coverage is available in your area.

Besides, the wireless carrier offers different security measures. For instance, you can use its call filter to block spam, protect your device against phishing and web risks, Wi-Fi protection notice, and more.

Verizon offers 3 different pricing plans, and you can choose the number of lines you require. The more lines you add, the lower will be the overall prices.

  • Business Unlimited Start 2.0 – It will cost you $30 per line per month, and you get unlimited talk, text, and data. It also includes 5G/4G LTE, an unlimited mobile hotspot, and a call filter spam blocker. You can also save $5 per month for paper-free billing and autopay.
  • Business Unlimited Plus 2.0 – You can select this plan for $35 per line per month. It includes a 5G ultra-wideband, 100GB of data, and more security features.
  • Business Unlimited Pro 2.0 – This unlimited plan is priced at $45 per line per month. In addition to everything in Start and Plus plan, you get unlimited premium network access and more perks. Since you get unlimited data, there are no overage charges.

8. Google Voice

Google voice

Google Voice is the last business cell phone plan on our list, and it’s a virtual phone service that you can use for your business. With Google Voice, you can work from anywhere, as it works on your mobile device, laptop, and supported desktop phones.

Google Voice also offers ease of use with a simple interface that helps manage your workflows, assignments, and billing from a single platform.

Currently, the cell phone service is only available in the US. However, you get free calling to the US from any country, free calling to Canada from the US and unlimited SMS in the US.

A few other features offered by Google Voice include spam call blocks, voicemail transcriptions, and integration with Google Workspace. You can easily use Google Voice with Google Meet and Calendar.

You can choose from 3 monthly plans for Google Voice.

  • Starter – It will cost you $10 per user per month, and up to 10 users can use the service in 10 domestic locations. However, you cannot use Google Voice internationally if you use this plan.
  • Standard – You can get this plan for $20 per user per month. It includes an unlimited number of users and domestic locations along with all the basic features. You also get auto attendant, Ring Groups, desk phone support, and eDiscovery for calls, voicemails, and SMS records.
  • Premier – Priced at $30 per user per month, this plan offers unlimited users, domestic and international locations, and advanced features like advanced reporting.

Which Small Business Cell Phone Plan is the Best?

If you’re looking for a VoIP business phone service that offers lots of flexibility and features, then we recommend Nextiva.

It’s simple to use, and you can stay connected with your customers and team from anywhere. Plus, it offers mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, so you handle calls, take meetings, organize workflows, and provide a great customer experience while on the go.

RingCentral and Ooma are great alternatives for Nextiva, and they round out the top 3 providers in our list.

On the other hand, if you want to use a traditional wireless carrier, then you can consider using AT&T. It offers unlimited text, talk, and data, along with an addon to include international calling and messaging. Plus, if you’re an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone user, then are no limits to 5G wireless service when using traditional carriers.

We hope that this article helped you find the best small business cell phone plans. You may also want to see our comparison of the best email marketing services and best push notification software for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Beginner’s Guide: What is VoIP and How Does it Work? (Explained)

We are often asked by beginners: what is VoIP and how does VoIP work? If you are a non-techy user, then you may have heard that you could use VoIP to add a business phone number for your website.

VoIP is a more cost-effective way to get a business phone number for your website when compared to a traditional phone line. However before making any decision, you need to fully understand what the technology is all about.

In this beginner’s guide, we will answer what is VoIP, and how does VoIP work behind the scenes. The goal is to help you understand how VoIP can save you money and help you grow your business.

What is VoIP and How it Works (Behind the Scenes)

Here is an overview of what we’re going to cover in this guide. You can click on these links to jump straight to different sections.

What is VoIP?

VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a phone technology that allows you to make and receive phone calls using the internet instead of traditional phone lines.

Unlike landline phone systems that are limited to a single desk phone in your office, VoIP lets you make and receive business phone calls from your laptop, tablet, regular smart phone (using an App), and even VoIP compatible office phone sets.

Since all calls are made over the internet, it’s extremely cost-efficient for both domestic and long distance (international) calls. Most business VoIP providers offer unlimited minutes without any extra cost.

Aside from the cost savings, you also get all the advanced phone features like call waiting, call routing, caller tones, auto-attendant, multiple phone numbers, and more.

This is why most small businesses and even enterprise companies are all switching away from traditional phone providers to a business VoIP provider.

At WPBeginner, we use Nextiva, a leading VoIP based business phone system.

How VoIP Actually Works? (Behind the Scenes Look)

To understand how VoIP actually works, we will take a look at what happens when you make or receive a phone call on VoIP phone.

How VoIP works Behind the Scenes

When you make a phone call using VoIP, their business phone number app or VoIP adapter takes the analog audio signal and turn it into digital signal.

This digital voice data is then sent to the business phone service provider using your internet, and then finally the message is routed to your customer’s phone.

This process happens nearly instantly which is why sometimes VoIP sound quality is even better than regular phone calls.

How is VoIP different than Traditional Phone System?

VoIP works differently behind the scenes from a regular landline phone system.

Traditional telephony systems use the circuit switching method for connecting calls. When you make a call through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), you’re connected to the person on the other end, and they’re connected to you in a circuit.

The ‘Circuit switching’ technology is used for more than a 100 years now. It is reliable and still works, but is not the most efficient or cost-effective.

VoIP uses the ‘packet switching’ method instead. This means that data is only sent when needed. A brief, instant connection is created each time you speak. The connection doesn’t need to go both ways all the time. You and the person you’re talking to will not normally be both speaking at the same time.

Plus, packets of data are sent efficiently. They can use many different paths through the internet. The packages are then put back together when they reach their destination.

The data packets can also be compressed to save space. This lets them travel even more quickly through the internet.

All of this happens very fast. Unless there’s a problem with your internet connection, you will not notice any delay during the call.

Two women talking on the phone

While VoIP may sound quite technical and complicated, the main thing to understand is that VoIP is a more efficient method of transferring data during phone calls.

You probably have already used VoIP before without knowing it, through an app like Skype or Google Voice.

VoIP Pros and Cons Compared

Since we’ve been using a VoIP business phone service in our company for years, it’s fair to say that we know a thing or two about the pros and cons.

Here’s our detailed analysis of the pros and cons of VoIP.

VoIP Advantages – Benefits of Using VoIP

Switching from a traditional telephone company’s service to a cloud based VoIP phone system has many benefits.

Lower Monthly Cost

One of the biggest advantage of VoIP is that you have lower monthly cost on both domestic and international calls.

Most VoIP phone providers will often include unlimited domestic calls for free. International calls are normally very cheap, too.

Aside from that, you’ll also save money on repair and maintenance service expenses that you currently pay your landline phone provider.

Take calls from anywhere – Completely Portable

With VoIP, you don’t need to be in an office, on-premise, sitting by your desk phone to take phone calls. You can take incoming calls from wherever you are using an app on your phone, tablet, or laptop computer.

This is a big advantage for teams that are working remotely or out on the field. It is also great if you’re traveling.

Advanced business phone features

VoIP solutions normally include lots of extra business phone features. For instance, you can set up conference calls easily with VoIP.

Plus, most VoIP service providers offer a virtual receptionist, hold music, call waiting, voicemail to email or text, and much more. You can even get advanced telecommunications functionality like video conferencing.

This may also get you additional cost savings because often traditional telephone service providers charge recurring fees for these add-ons.

Improved Scalability and Flexibility

Another advantage of VoIP is higher scalability. Whether you’re hiring more staff or opening a new branch office in a new city, VoIP makes it easy to grow.

Unlike a traditional phone service that would require to spend money on expensive hardware on dedicated line, VoIP lets you add your team members with just a few clicks inside your account dashboard.

Since VoIP works on all smart phones, you can even cut additional equipment cost and free up desk space by having your team members install the app on their personal phone.

VoIP Disadvantages – Drawbacks of Using VoIP

While VoIP is an amazing technology, it may not be perfect for everyone. There are a couple of VoIP disadvantages that you should be aware of.

You need a good internet connection to make telephone calls

As we explained in the how VoIP works section, you need to have an internet connection to make phone calls.

If your internet is slow, then your call quality may be impacted.

The good thing is that VoIP technology doesn’t use as much bandwidth as you might think. A good connection with less than 70ms ping and at least 500 kbps of upload speed is good enough for VoIP calls.

However if you have a lot of team members in your office, then you may need to look at your bandwidth needs for the number of concurrent calls your business will be making at the same time.

You need to account for power outages

Regular phone service works during power outages. But you cannot make VoIP calls if you don’t have power or access to the internet.

Typically, most offices have wireless internet powered by WiFi routers. These routers need electricity, so if your building experiences power outage, then your internet can also go down which will impact your VoIP service.

The way we mitigate this in our office is by using a battery backup system for our internet router. Since our internet is provided by a different company than our electricity, we never have both outages at the same time.

Furthermore, since our team members use the VoIP app on their phone, they can always use their mobile data to make business phone calls.

You will need to retrain your staff on the new system

Switching to a new telephone system means you need to train your staff on how to use it.

Luckily, most VoIP services are designed to be as straightforward and intuitive as possible. This means it should be easy to train team members on how to use the cloud phone systems, even if your employees are working remotely.

Which is the Best VoIP Phone Service?

Here at WPBeginner, we use and recommend Nextiva as the best VoIP phone service. They offer a free local or toll-free number with all of their plans.

Nextiva

Nextiva comes with all the essential features you need including call routing, unlimited domestic voice calls, unlimited business SMS messaging, voicemail to email/text, number porting, caller ID, caller forwarding, custom greetings, auto attendant, hold music, online VoIP fax, phone extension for team members, and more.

They have an easy to use smart phone app for Android / iPhone (iOS), and a softphone app for your computer.

For Enterprise customers, then even let you convert your existing PBX (private branch exchange) system into a cloud phone system using SIP (session initiation protocol) trunking. This means you can easily transfer calls to different department and employees using your existing system and local area network.

Nextiva also has several useful advanced features. For instance, you can connect your VoIP phone system with real-time live chat and with your CRM system to help you create a unified communications system.

Plus, their support team is extremely helpful, making it really easy for you to get started. This is why we use Nextiva for our business.

Other great VoIP alternatives to Nextiva include:

  • RingCentral – a big, well-known VoIP company that costs a little more than Nextiva. They have all the features you need, and they offer screen sharing and conferencing tools too.
  • Ooma – an easy-to-setup option that offers toll-free numbers plus all the features you’d expect. You get 500 minutes included for free, but need to pay extra for more.
  • Grasshopper – another great business phone service for solpreneurs and small businesses that offers all the essential features.
  • Phone.com – a good IP telephone for businesses working with Canada and many EU countries, as these locations are covered as local calls.

How to Make a Call Using VoIP

To make a call using VoIP, you first need a VoIP business phone service like Nextiva. You also need an internet connection with good bandwidth. This normally means using a broadband internet connection.

Then, you can make a call using VoIP with any of the following devices:

  • Your existing phone handset. This can be connected to the VoIP system using an ATA (analog telephone adapter) which gives it an IP address. Essentially, you just plug your phone into the ATA instead of straight into your wall socket.
  • A special IP phone. This looks and works like a normal phone. It has a handset with buttons that slots into a charging cradle. However, instead of the a RJ-11 phone connector, the IP phone has an RJ-45 connector. This means it plugs into an ethernet port on your router, not into a phone connector. Depending on the season, some VoIP companies may give you a free phone handset.
  • Your computer. You will need an app that lets you make calls over VoIP. This is sometimes called a ‘softphone’. Of course, you will also need a sound card plus a headset, or a microphone and speakers. You will also need internet connectivity, either by ethernet or wifi. Most well-known VoIP companies have apps for both Windows and Mac.
  • Your mobile phone. Again, you will need the right app and a wifi connection. You can also use a mobile data plan with 4G or higher speeds. Most VoIP apps will work on all smart phone such as Android mobile devices and Apple iPhone (iOS).

Frequently Asked Questions about VoIP Phone (VoIP FAQs)

There are lots of different business VoIP providers, and it can be hard to know which one is the best for your needs.

Over the years we have helped thousands of beginners choose the best VoIP phone platform. We have heard almost every possible question about VoIP that you can think of.

Following are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about VoIP (Voice over IP).

How much do domestic vs international calls cost on VoIP?

Most VoIP services will include unlimited domestic calls for no extra charge. However, some cheaper VoIP services charge based on the number of minutes you use.

The international rates will vary depending on the VoIP provider you use, but these rates will almost always be more affordable than traditional landline rates for international calls.

Can you keep your existing phone number on VoIP?

Yes, when switching from traditional landline phone to business VoIP phone, you can ask for number porting which lets you keep your existing business phone number.

Most good VoIP services let you do this, but please check with them before signing up.

Is there a VoIP backup if your internet connection goes down?

Some VoIP services have a backup in case your broadband connection is down or your power goes out. For instance, Nextiva can automatically forward calls to a cell phone.

Does VoIP offer call routing or extensions for team members?

Yes, most good VoIP phone service providers include call routing, phone extensions, call queue, and auto attendant at no additional cost.

We hope this article helped answer the questions of what is VoIP and how does it work behind the scenes. You might also like our comparison of the best website builder platforms, and best email marketing services to grow your business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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7 Best Virtual Business Phone Number Apps in 2019 (w/ Free Options)

Managing business phone calls from your personal phone number can become very annoying, and it takes away your privacy. Not to mention it doesn’t scale as you hire more people.

This is why many new and established business owners use virtual business phone number apps to get a custom phone number for their business.

A virtual business phone number allows you to use the same number on laptops, mobile phone, desktop handsets, and more. You can easily forward calls, record voice messages, and share the same number among employees.

You can quickly and easily setup a virtual business phone number without any technical knowledge. All you have to do is download the app on your phone or computer, and you can get started.

In this article, we’ll share our pick of the best virtual business phone number apps for small businesses (including free and unlimited options).

Best virtual phone number apps for businesses

When Do You Need a Virtual Business Phone Number?

Whether you run a small business website or an eCommerce store, offering customers a fast way to contact you will help you grow your business.

Most businesses now have an online presence, and customers need multiple ways to reach out.

While communication tools like business email, live chat, or text messages can be useful, nothing beats the personal human connection of hearing an actual human on the other end of the line.

Normally, businesses believe that having a landline number is quite enough. However, they soon realize how ineffective the traditional landlines are when it comes to handling business and customer calls.

And you definitely don’t want to make the mistake of using your personal phone number for business.

This is where a virtual business phone number app can help. It gives you the following benefits over the traditional land and mobile phone numbers.

  • You can use it on your phone with mobile apps, laptops, desk phone, and other devices
  • One number can be shared by different employees at the same time
  • Call routing, waiting, ring tones, vacation responses, business hours can all be managed via the app
  • Voice messages, text messaging, call to email transcription, and cheaper local/international phone calls are just the cherry on top

That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best virtual business phone apps that you can use.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva

Nextiva is the top virtual business phone number service provider on the market. They make it super easy to manage your virtual phone number using their app on your desktop / laptop computer, mobile phone, tablets, or a desk phone.

You can even keep your local number and use it with Nextiva to get HD voice calling over VoIP. They also allow you to get virtual business phone numbers for different geographic locations.

Nextiva has a powerful set of features included in each plan like call forwarding/routing, auto attendant, receptionist, voice mail to email, call queuing, unlimited calls, and call analytics.

Pricing: Starting from $20 per user each month.

2. RingCental

RingCentral

RingCentral is another powerful virtual phone number app provider for small businesses. They offer virtual phone numbers for any region in the US and Canada, toll-free 800 numbers, voice mail, fax, call forwarding, caller tones, and more.

They have easy to use apps for mobile phones to manage all your business calls on the go. You can also share the number with team members, setup auto call routing, create call flows, and ensure that your customers get all the answers they need.

Apart from virtual phone features, RingCentral also offers video meetings with screen sharing, free call minutes, and integrations with popular CRM software, Dropbox, Microsoft, and Amazon cloud services.

Pricing Starting from $19.99 per user per month.

3. Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper provides an easy virtual phone number service for startups and small businesses. It comes with a mobile app that allows you to manage your business phone system on any device and from any location.

They offer virtual business numbers, vanity numbers, local numbers for different regions, 800 and 833 toll-free numbers to choose from.

You can keep business and personal calls separate with the same device and never miss a call. Grasshopper combines all essential features in one package with call forwarding, voice mail, business texting, business VoIP and WiFi calling, automated greeting, and more.

Pricing: Starting from $26 per month for 1 number and 3 extensions.

4. Phone.com

Phone.com

Phone.com is another great option to get a virtual business phone system. They offer affordable business phone services for startups, soloprenuers, and small businesses.

They also offer cheaper call rates to some European countries and Canada by counting those as local call minutes. From features perspective, you get mobile apps, call forwarding/routing, virtual assistant, IVR menus, text messaging, fax, and more.

They offer pay per minute plans which allows you to pay less based on your usage. However, it can easily get very expensive as your business needs grow.

Pricing: Pay per minute plans starting from $12.99 per month. Unlimited plans starting from $29.99 / month per extension.

5. Google Voice (Free)

Google Voice

If you are looking for a free virtual business phone app, then Google Voice would be the best option for you. If you are already using G Suite, then you can integrate it with all other Google Apps you are already using for your business.

Individual users and soloprenuers can use the personal plan to get a virtual phone number and call anywhere in the US and Canada for free.

However, the personal plan does not give you access to many of the business phone features included in their business plan such as auto-attendant, desk phone support, etc.

Pricing: Free for personal use. Paid plans start from $10 per user/per month.

6. eVoice

eVoice

eVoice is a popular business phone company offering international coverage, particularly in the United Kingdom. They offer business phone system, virtual numbers, toll-free numbers, and local numbers for different regions.

Their plans include call management tools, virtual receptionist, outbound calling app, conference calling and more. You can get custom phone numbers for UK, EU, Canada, USA, and many other countries.

You can choose from multiple plans each comes with a different number of users you can add, and set of call minutes. Call forwarding rates are different based on your location and the number you are forwarding to.

Pricing: Starting from £7.50 per month for 1 user.

7. FreshCaller

Freshcaller

Freshcaller is an easy to use virtual business phone app provider. Suitable for small and growing businesses, they offer reasonably priced plans to fit all budgets including a pay per minute plan with unlimited agents.

You can get international numbers, toll-free numbers, use the existing number, mask local number with a virtual number, or choose a vanity number.

It includes all the usual features you need like call management tools, business hours, mobile apps, shared lines, call waiting, SIP connections, and more. Some plans allow you to keep using your local carrier which is useful if you cannot port your local number or the local carrier offers better call rates.

Pricing Pay Per Minute or $19 per agent per month

We hope this article helped you find the best virtual business phone app for your business. You may also want to see our guide on how to get a free business email address, and the best email marketing services for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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How to Choose the Best Business VoIP Provider in 2019 (Compared)

Are you looking to choose a business VoIP provider but not sure which one is right for your needs?

VoIP is a term used for business phone service which allows you to use advanced call management features on your computer or mobile device.

Unlike the old school bulky phone setup, business VOIP is a perfect phone solution for small businesses. You can cut down phone costs while enjoying all the powerful tools to grow your business.

In this article, we will explain what is business VoIP, and how to choose the best business VoIP provider for your company. Since we had to choose a VoIP provider for our own business, we will also share our best VoIP phone providers for small and growing businesses.

Best business VoIP services compared

What is VoIP?

VoIP or Voice over IP is a term used to describe internet phone service. Unlike a traditional phone service which uses the landline, VoIP services use the internet to receive and make calls.

Benefits of using VoIP

Following are just some of the benefits of using a business VoIP phone system:

  • You can receive calls using computers, VoIP phonesets, and even cell phone.
  • You can share one number with several employees.
  • You can easily track call duration, hold times, wait times, and overall usage.
  • Most business VoIP services come with call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call routing, and more.
  • You can use the same number anywhere you want.
  • It gives you a business phone number, so you don’t have to share your personal cellphone number with clients.
  • Business VoIP offers cheaper local and international calls.

The business VoIP technology offers a lot of flexibility and freedom, and it has made it easy for businesses of all sizes to have a business phone number. Whether you’re a small 1 person company, a growing 10 people team, or established business with over 100+ people, you can use business VoIP.

However if you don’t choose the best business VoIP provider, then you can run into some serious challenges.

For example, the voice quality on VoIP calls varies depending on the internet connection and the service provider you’re using. Unlike landlines, you’ll loose VoIP connection during a power outage or internet disruption, but this shouldn’t impact most small businesses if you’re well prepared.

Having said that, let’s discuss when is the right time to start thinking about a business VoIP solution.

Does Your Business Need VoIP Business Phone Solution?

In any business, giving people a way to contact you is helpful in building trust and boost your sales.

When starting a website, most business owners add a contact form, which makes it easy for users to contact you via email.

However depending on the industry, sometimes customers may prefer more instant communication.

This is why many businesses offer live chat or phone number on their websites. Giving users more than one way to communicate with your business can improve customer support and result in more sales.

Whether you run an online store to sell products or a business website to sell services, a VoIP based business phone service can help you grow your business without the high costs.

Your website visitors can easily call you to request a quote, ask a pre-sale question, or even request support.

In short, business VoIP phone enables you to better manage and track your calls, collect customer information, and build stronger relationships with your customers.

How to Choose The Best VoIP Service Your Business

There are a lot of large companies offering business VoIP services, and it’s a very competitive space. The abundance of choices and highly competitive nature of advertising makes it difficult for business owners to choose the best VoIP provider for their business.

If you are just starting out, then you may be looking for the cheapest VoIP business phone service. However, you need to be careful when going down this route because they may lack certain features, which you’d later discover to be essential for your business.

Then there are some business VoIP services that are not easy to implement, transfer, or simply too expensive.

When comparing business VoIP providers for our business, we looked for a balance of features and reasonable cost. Here’s a quick checklist that we used:

  • Cost of local vs international calls. Most business VoIP services offer different plans for international calls. You need to choose a provider based on the geographic location of your customers.
  • Features available in the VoIP plans. Many companies offer different features while some sell them as separate add-ons which would increase your costs.
  • Mobile apps and features that you can share among multiple users.
  • Third-party integrations that you can use to connect your VoIP service to other tools like your CRM software, email marketing service, and more.

That being said, let’s take a look at our pick of the best business VoIP providers.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva

Nextiva is the best business VoIP service on the market. We can say this confidently because while researching for a VoIP service for our own business, we ended up choosing Nextiva.

Their business VoIP service offers all the essential features needed by a growing business including call routing, free domestic calling, voicemail to email and text, online fax, and more.

Other standard features include free number porting, caller ID, call forwarding, custom greetings, hold music, and more.

They also offer a free local or toll-free number with their plans.

We were able to quickly setup professional sounding welcome message with directory and phone routing which helps make our small business compete with the big guys.

What we really liked about Nextiva was their support team was extremely helpful from pre-sales all the way to onboarding and setup.

Even though we didn’t need any fancy desk phone sets, they gave us a full demo and showed us how we can easily use Nextiva with traditional desk phones or conference phones as our business grows.

The best part was they went above and beyond even though we’re a relatively small customer for them considering they help large businesses like Taco Bell, Ashleys Furniture, Conan, and others.

Pricing: Starts from $20 / per user / per month. Unlike other business VoIP providers, they don’t require annual contracts. However you can get discounts on buying pre-paid packages, and you can also get lower rates when you add more users to your plan.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral

RingCentral is another excellent business VoIP provider. With RingCentral, you get all the standard feature you would expect from a reliable business VoIP provider like call forwarding, advanced routing, call waiting, caller ID, hold music, and more.

They offer easy integrations with third-party services like Dropbox, G Suite, Salesforce, and more.

Other notable features include online meetings, video calls, screen sharing, conferencing, and an easy to use web-based administration panel.

We first discovered RingCentral organically because they are very well known and a fairly large company in the business VoIP space. While their feature offering is great, their pricing is a bit on the higher end unless you sign the annual contract.

Pricing: Starting from $34.99 / per user every month for the first user. Their monthly pricing drops significantly when you add the second user to $24.99 per user every month. You can also save 40% by switching to the annual plan.

3. GrassHopper

Grasshopper

GrassHopper is a popular business VoIP service suitable for startups and growing businesses.

They offer virtual phone numbers over VoIP platform, allowing call forwarding to any numbers or devices. The downside is that you’ll need a landline for outgoing calls.

They offer all the features you will expect like call waiting, forwarding, hold music, advanced routing, voicemail to email, and more. You can manage it from a computer using your web browser or mobile phone apps.

It works with local, toll-free, vanity numbers, and you can choose from the US, Canada, or UK based numbers.

Pricing: Starting from $29 per month with 1 number and up to 3 extensions. They offer a 10% discount if you sign an annual contract.

4. Phone.com

Phone.com

Phone.com is another popular choice among small business VoIP service providers. They include many European countries and Canada in their local call minutes. If you are operating in those locations, then it could be a cheap business VoIP service for your needs.

Their service includes call forwarding, routing, waiting, custom greetings and music, conferencing, and more. You can also integrate your VoIP plan to popular CRM software like Salesforce or Zoho.

Pricing: Starting from $12.99 per month with 300 monthly minutes. Their unlimited plan starts at $29.99 per month per user extension.

5. Vonage

Vonage

Vonage is famous for offering residential VoIP however they also offer business VoIP services for small to medium-sized businesses as well as enterprise clients. They offer a wide range of business communication tools including VoIP.

It includes all the usual features such as call forwarding and routing, caller ID, waiting, and more. Apart from that, they also offer team messaging and chat, conference calling, CRM integration, automatic call attendant, call recording, and more.

They offer different plans each with different features and limitations.

Pricing: Their base plan starts from $19.99 per month per line.

Which is the Business VoIP Provider for You?

Above we have shared the best business VoIP providers in the market today. Each of them offer a slightly different product and service at different prices.

When looking for a business VoIP solution for our company, we did extensive research to compare each of these companies, their ratings on top user review websites, and even what their employees were saying about them.

At the end, we ended up choosing Nextiva for our business.

We recommend using Nextiva as the best business VoIP provider. Their plans are suitable for businesses of all sizes with an impressive set of features and great customer service.

They offer fair pricing, do not require annual contracts, and their customer service is top-notch.

RingCentral came as a close second. They offered a lot of the same features, but at the end it came down to pricing where Nextiva clearly won.

We hope this article helped you find the best business VoIP provider for your business. You may also want to see our list of most useful tools to manage and grow your website.

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