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May 20, 2022

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

The post 8 Best Small Business Cell Phone Plans for 2022 (with Free Option) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 19, 2021

6 Best Online Fax Services for Small Business (2021)

Are you looking for the best online fax service for your small business?

Upgrading to an online fax service offers your business more security, speed, and can improve communication across the board.

In this article, we’ve hand-picked some of the best online fax services you can use along with your WordPress website.

Why You Need an Online Fax Service?

With traditional fax machines you’re limited by the older technology.

However, faxing is still one of the most secure ways to send and receive information. Online fax services combine the power and ease of email with the security of traditional faxing.

Plus, there’s no need to have a physical fax machine or fax modem.

For our business, we often have to send fax when communicating with the government, IRS, and sometimes for high-level bank information.

Online fax services can streamline your faxing process and integrate with the software you’re already using. You can even send faxes directly from your email client of choice.

This means less time spent with your faxing needs, and more time growing your business.

Moving from traditional faxes to an online fax service can help your business in a lot of ways:

Can quickly sign documents electronically with a single click
Manage, store, and search through faxes in one place
Receive and send faxes on the go from your mobile device
Save time by filtering out spam and junk faxes
Enhance your document storage and security
Streamline communication by integrating your faxes with other digital communication

The best part is that online fax is made for remote teams. You don’t need to be in an office to send or receive fax.

That being said, let’s take a look at the best online fax services that you can use to support your small business.

1. Nextiva

Nextiva is the best online fax service for most businesses. It has affordable pricing, flexible plans, and an extensive set of features.

It’s commonly known for its suite of business communication tools and business phone services.

However, Nextiva also offers an excellent online faxing service that’s an excellent fit for most small business owners.

Note: We use the Nextiva business phone service and communication platform on WPBeginner. Their service is always reliable, and they have incredible customer support.

What we really like about Nextiva is that it’s perfect for remote teams. You can send and receive fax documents via mobile, desktop, and tablet without being in the office.

If you have a traditional fax machine, Nextiva can also integrate with that as well. They allow you to migrate your existing fax number to their platform.

With that said, a free toll-free number and local phone number are included when you sign up.

If your company is growing and you need additional numbers, you can add numbers from your dashboard with a couple of clicks.

Online storage is automated as well. Nextiva will save all of your incoming and outgoing faxes for 6 months. You can easily download and share your faxes with other members of your team.

Nextiva is used by organizations like Taco Bell, Stanley Steemer, and the Buffalo Bills. However, the plans are well-suited for small businesses as well.

We recommend getting the unified communication platform that starts at $18.95 per month, and it includes unlimited fax, unlimited voice & video calling, auto-attendant, toll free numbers, and more.

You can also purchase vFax separately starting at $4.95 per month which includes 500 pages, but this plan is limited and doesn’t let you use the full power of Nextiva.

Overall, it’s the best business phone & fax app for growing businesses.

Expert Review: We believe Nextiva is the best online fax service for small business owners. Along with fax, you also get their full business communication platform.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral is another great online fax service for small and growing businesses.

RingCentral is a leader in providing business communication services like phone lines, instant messaging, video conferencing, and of course, online faxes.

RingCentral Fax can work as a standalone service or integrate with the business VoIP and communication platform.

This fax service is best suited for businesses who send a high volume of faxes, like legal offices, or universities. If your company uses outdated physical fax machines, RingCentral can integrate and upgrade your existing fax system.

You’ll also find standard fax features like online cover pages, cloud storage service integration, encryption, and the ability to addon unlimited fax numbers.

There are many integration options available, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Outlook, and more.

It’s also a truly mobile solution. You can set up text messages to alert you of incoming faxes. Or use the mobile app to send, receive, view, and store faxes.

There’s even a built in option to block spam faxes and reduce the total number of junk faxes you receive.

With RingCentral, you can get a large number of pages at an affordable price. The Fax 1500 plan is $17.99 per month for 1500 pages, which breaks down to $0.012 per page.

But the best value is their Standard bundled plan for $24.99 per month. This plan lets you fax an unlimited number of pages per month, plus it bundles business phone calls, video meetings, audio conferencing, business text messages, and more.

The only real downside is that their fax storage is limited to the last 200 faxes. You’ll either need to delete existing faxes, or store them externally.

Expert Review: We believe RingCentral Fax is best for companies who need to send a high volume of faxes or want to bundle business communications together.

3. SRFax

SRFax is an online fax service that offers the highest levels of security, privacy, and compliance.

The high security standards make it the best choice for healthcare providers. Security is a must when transmitting sensitive information like patient records and medical information.

You’ll be happy to know that SRFax is fully HIPAA compliant for US-based healthcare practitioners and PHIPA compliant for those based in Canada.

Many online fax services offer HIPAA compliance, but usually, these services deliver the bare minimum. The security features that SRFax provides end up exceeding the HIPAA regulations.

For example, you’ll find application security, hardware and organizational safeguards, user authentication, backups, and around the clock physical security.

Plus, faxes are sent using 2048-bit encryption, while the industry standard is 256-bit.

Beyond security, you’ll find standard features like unlimited storage and cross platforms integration.

There are also Windows and Mac-specific clients that let you send and receive faxes from your preferred programs.

The pricing is a little higher, starting with the Lite plan for $7.95 per month for 200 pages. However, if you need strong security the price is worth it.

You can also send international faxes. The international fax rates are based on the country you’re sending or receiving faxes from.

Expert Review: We believe SRFax is the best online fax service for businesses who need the highest levels of security.

4. Fax.Plus

Fax.Plus is one of the best online fax services for small teams. It’s simple to use, and the goal of the service is to save you as much time as possible.

If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your existing fax process while keeping things affordable, this is a great option.

You can even keep your existing fax number for free or add new toll free and local fax numbers.

There are dozens of integrations to manage your faxes within the platforms you’re already using. This means no complicated setup process or wasting time learning the ins and outs of new software.

For example, it integrates with platforms like Microsoft Office, Google Chrome, Slack, Google Drive, G Suite apps, and more.

You’ll also find a bundled iOS and Android app, so you can read, download, and send faxes on the go. The mobile app is as easy to use as the web portal.

It lets you scan documents from your phone, add digital signatures, add notes, organize your archives, send faxes, and more.

You can also optimize faxes with a single click, which makes them easier to read and will send faster.

If you have simple needs and only need to send a handful of faxes every month, then there’s a free plan you can use. This plan lets you send up to 10 pages per month. However, you can’t receive faxes, only send.

Although Fax.Plus is well suited for very small businesses, you’ll find a variety of plans to cater to all types of business needs. The Basic plan is $5.99 per month and lets you send up to 100 pages.

If you’re looking for the best deal, the Business plan lets you send 800 pages every month for $19.99.

Expert Review: We believe Fax.Plus is the best online fax solution for small teams.

5. eFax

eFax is a well-known name in the online fax services space. It’s feature-rich, easy to use, and places a focus on fax archiving and storage.

This makes it a great choice for organizations that need to store faxes for a long time, like financial and legal institutions, universities, real estate offices, accountants, and more.

Although other fax providers offer fax storage and archiving, none go as deep as eFax. This provider offers unlimited storage for your faxes, plus in-depth fax archiving and organization features.

When faxes are saved, additional information is stored, like the transmission time and date, the recipient and sender name, and more. This makes it easy to sort and find the exact information you’re looking for.

Your faxes are stored automatically, plus older faxes won’t be deleted to make room for new incoming faxes.

Basically, with eFax, you’ll never lose a fax, ever again.

The included mobile app is available for both iOS and Android. It lets you archive, search, download, and forward directly from your phone.

Another great mobile feature is the ability to take pictures of documents and send them as a fax, all while you’re away from the office.

You’ll also find standard functionality like support for electronic signatures, multiple users, cloud storage integrations, and the ability to send a fax to up to 20 recipients.

Plus, there’s support for international faxing, and every fax is sent through an encrypted SSL connection.

eFax has some of the highest pricing on this list. But, for companies who need advanced search, storage, and archive features, it’s still a great choice. Plans start at $16.95 per month for 150 inbound and 150 outbound faxes.

The best value plan is the Pro plan which costs $19.95 per month and lets you send 200 fax pages and receive 200 pages every month.

However, there is a one-time $10 setup fee on both paid plans that you’ll want to be aware of.

Expert Review: We believe eFax is a great choice for businesses who need advanced search, storage, and archive features.

6. MyFax

MyFax is an excellent online fax service for small businesses and work from home businesses that send and receive a low volume of faxes.

You could use a free fax service to send faxes every once in a while. However, free services can be unprofessional since you can’t change the cover sheet, and you usually can’t receive faxes either.

We recommend using an affordable service like MyFax instead. MyFax is very simple and can also be used to send faxes anywhere in the world.

All plans come with unlimited fax storage, a free fax number, and a library of pre-built cover templates you can customize to match your brand. You can even search through your fax archives.

There’s also an Android and iOS app to take your faxes on the go.

Smaller teams can take advantage of the Home Office plan for $8.33 per month, which lets you send 100 pages and receive 200 pages every month.

There are also more expensive plans if you need to send or receive additional pages. If you go over the page limits, there’s an overage charge of $0.10 per page.

Expert Review: We believe MyFax is the best online fax service for businesses on a budget.

Which is the Best Online Fax Service for You?

After researching all of the top online fax service providers, we believe that Nextiva is the best online fax provider in the market.

You can send a high volume of faxes for a low price. Plus, it comes with powerful features like business phone, video calls, and other collaboration tools.

Those reasons and more are why Nextiva is the best online fax service and business communication platform in the market. This is also why WPBeginner uses Nextiva.

In our research, RingCentral came in a very close second. The online fax service offers a lot of the same features as Nextiva, for a great price. However, you don’t have the same level of flexibility.

You really can’t go wrong with either of these two online fax services.

We also looked at other fax service providers like MetroFax, HelloFax, FaxZero, GotFreeFax, J2 Global, mFax, and more.

However, our goal is to make it easy for you to choose the best online fax provider without causing choice paralysis, so we didn’t review them all here.

Online Fax Services FAQs

After helping hundreds of business owners find the best online fax services for their needs, we’ve come across a lot of questions.

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received about online fax service providers.

How does online faxing work?

Online faxing turns your documents into a file format that’s readable by a fax machine and vice versa.

If you’re sending a document to a fax machine, you’ll enter your recipient’s fax number in your online fax dashboard and attach your file.

The online faxing services translate the document into a file type the fax machine can read and sends it to the recipient over a phone line.

The document is then printed and read as a standard fax or viewed with their online fax service provider.

What is the best free online fax service?

We don’t generally recommend using a free fax service provider, especially in a business setting. Free online fax services allow you to send faxes, but you generally can’t receive faxes or customize the cover sheet.

If you only need to send up to 10 pages a month, then we recommend the Fax.Plus free plan.

This also gives you the ability to upgrade if your faxing needs increase.

What is the safest fax app?

All fax apps are incredibly safe and use encryption to ensure your transmissions are protected. Faxing is one of the most secure forms of communication.

However, SRFax has the highest security protocols out of any online fax app. Their primary focus is providing a secure fax service for healthcare professionals, which needs to comply with HIPAA.

SRFax has strong encryption, spam blocking, user authentication, automatic fax deletion, and more.

Can I fax without a fax machine?

Yes, you can fax without a fax machine. Online faxing services like Nextiva and RingCentral allow you to send faxes via the internet, tablets, and even mobile devices.

You can also send online faxes to a traditional fax machine with an online fax service.

We hope that this guide helped you choose the best online fax service for your small business. You may also want to see our comparison of the best email marketing services, and best AI chatbot 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.

The post 6 Best Online Fax Services for Small Business (2021) appeared first on WPBeginner.