When it comes to selecting the right phone service provider, there’s a lot to consider. From standout features and user reviews to the reliability of customer support, every detail matters. But let’s be honest, staying within budget is a big factor. For many businesses, voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) has emerged as one of the most budget-friendly options available, as it eliminates the need for costly hardware and the hassle of setting up a traditional landline.

If you’re looking for the cheapest VoIP phone services, there’s a wealth of options available, and many of them offer outstanding quality, even among the most budget-friendly brands. To explore some of these options, check out the list below and discover a VoIP provider that suits both your business needs and your budget.

  • RingCentral: Best overall low-cost VoIP service
  • Zoom Phone: Best for the lowest monthly price
  • Dialpad: Best for automation and artificial intelligence
  • Phone.com: Best for privacy and compliance
  • Nextiva: Best for enterprises and large-scale teams
  • Vonage: Best for unified communication solutions
  • Grasshopper: Best for solopreneurs
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  • Dedicated local, toll free, and vanity numbers
  • User-friendly mobile and desktop apps
  • Unlimited business text and simultaneous call handling
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Comparing the cheapest VoIP phone services 

“Cheap” is a somewhat loaded term that is commonly defined as “inexpensive due to poor quality or low value.” However, none of the vendors on this list qualify under that definition. Each of these VoIP providers, from the most comprehensive platforms to the most basic offerings, delivers a big bang for your buck. 

So, instead of thinking about the negative connotations of the word, think about how much money you can save by choosing one of the following affordable options. I even included a comparison table with a quick overview to make it even easier to review each of the picks individually.

Providers

Monthly Starting Price (per Line)

Key Features

4.53

$30

  • AI-powered summaries and insights 
  • Hundreds of third-party integrations
  • Multi-level auto attendant and IVR

4.23

$10

  • Metered and unlimited international calling
  • Dial by name directory
  • Call recording

4.12

$27

  • Real-time call transcription
  • HD meetings and call quality
  • Custom call routing

4.0

$18

  • Unlimited audio conferencing
  • Mobile and web apps
  • HIPAA-compliant voice and video

3.93

$36

  • Smart call routing
  • Unified digital user inbox
  • Team chat

3.85

$19.99

  • Unlimited domestic calling
  • Phone number porting
  • Virtual receptionists

3.76

$18

  • Instant response
  • Call forwarding 
  • Unlimited business texting
RingCentral logo.

RingCentral: Best overall low-cost VoIP service

Overall Score

4.53/5

Pricing

5/5

General features

4/5

Advanced features

4.38/5

Ease of use

3.75/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

4.63/5

Pros

  • All plans include unmetered calls, text messaging, IVR, and visual voicemail.
  • AI-powered video features, including automated meeting transcriptions and insights.
  • Extensive integration, API, and developer tool options.

Cons

  • Some semi-standard features (e.g., auto call recording, advanced call monitoring, unlimited internet fax) are unavailable for entry-level subscribers.
  • No unlimited option for international calls.
  • Custom roles and user permissions require upgrading.

Why I chose RingCentral

RingCentral has several key attributes that place it at the forefront of this list. For one, RingCentral comes with some of the most impressive features and offerings, right out of the gate (even for Core subscribers). Unlimited domestic calling and AI functionality are available at every tier, and that’s only the beginning.

Many competitors require upgrading to the second or third paid tier for equivalent functionality, making RingCentral a great option for businesses that want all of the bells and whistles on a base plan. While RingCentral may not be as well-suited for teams that need to support international staff or callers, and while some traditional VoIP features require upgraded plans, RingCentral is an excellent fit for smaller teams operating in North America. Additionally, the extensive integrations and artificial intelligence features make it popular for call and contact centers.

RingCentral IVR editor highlighting the auto-receptionist and editing features.
Use the IVR editor to set up complex call flows. (Source: RingCentral)

  • AI assistant: Enhance your video calls, conferences, and webinars with AI-powered features, including live transcriptions, automated summaries and insights, and searchable notes.
  • IVR editor: In addition to customizable call menus, RingCentral’s IVR tools allow you to visualize call flows by building phone trees and can be integrated into a variety of third-party workflow apps. 
  • Plentiful hardware options: Use some of RingCentral’s certified VoIP phones or bring your own, as several providers support BYOD.
  • Flexible functionality: RingCentral’s software enables a host of convenient features that allow you to reconfigure your setup and make changes on the fly, such as hot desking, call monitoring, whispering, barging, and shared lines.

Plans & pricingCoreAdvancedUltra
Monthly$30$35$45
Yearly$20$25$35
Zoom logo.

Zoom Phone: Best for the lowest monthly price

Overall Score

4.23/5

Pricing

4/5

General features

4.5/5

Niche features

3.13/5

Ease of use

4.63/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

4.63/5

Pros

  • The Pay-As-You-Go plan is the least expensive option on this list.
  • The top-tier plan is more affordable than most competitors.
  • Can bundle VoIP services with Zoom Workplace for maximum features and savings.

Cons

  • The entry-level plan meters domestic calls.
  • Toll-free numbers are not included in any plan.
  • Limited integration options compared to other providers.

Why I chose Zoom Phone

Although this is a list of inexpensive VoIP providers, if I had to pick a leading contender in that category, Zoom Phone would be my choice. With a starting monthly price of just $10 per user, you’re paying less than an ad-free streaming subscription to have a dedicated business phone line. You’re also paying roughly half the starting price for most of Zoom’s VoIP competitors. 

However, Zoom offers more than just phone services. By bundling with your Zoom Workplace subscription, you can add video meeting capabilities, AI companion support, and much more. Some of the more advanced call handling, analytics, and other premium features are harder to find with Zoom, making it less suitable for use cases that involve a lot of complex juggling and shuffling of inbound calls. However, for those looking for reliable service at the lowest price, this is the best choice.

Zoom AI companion providing a summary of a text message thread.
Summarize text messages with the Zoom AI companion. (Source: Zoom)

  • AI Companion: Zoom enhances your calls with automated transcripts and summaries, voicemail prioritization, workflow optimization, and more.
  • Unlimited international calling: Although it doesn’t come standard, you can upgrade to unmetered calling to more than 15 countries for a nominal fee.
  • Multi-device support: Use multiple devices and/or apps to both make and receive calls.
  • Phone-video interoperability: With the Zoom Workplace add-on, easily transfer calls to live video meetings, among other innovative integrations. 

Zoom Phone plans

Plans & pricingMeteredRegional unlimitedGlobal select
Monthly$10$15$20

Zoom Workplace + Phone plans

Plans & pricingWorkplace + Phone
Pro Plus
Workplace + Phone
Business Plus
Monthly$21.99$26.99
Yearly$18.33$22.49
Dialpad logo.

Dialpad: Best for automation and artificial intelligence

Overall Score

4.12/5

Pricing

3.63/5

General features

4/5

Niche features

4.38/5

Ease of use

4.19/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

4.38/5

Pros

  • Includes multiple AI features, such as call transcriptions, summaries, and automated action items
  • Free and secure number porting for local and toll-free numbers
  • Team collaboration features, like messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing

Cons

  • Internet fax is an add-on feature
  • Additional numbers and extensions aren’t available on the base plan

Why I chose Dialpad

Automation and artificial intelligence are two technologies that everyone is seeking these days, and Dialpad delivers as a low-cost platform with numerous features that revolutionize conversational intelligence. And while many providers are new to the game, Dialpad made AI its key differentiator as early as 2018.

Whether you need call transcriptions and post-meeting summaries that replace handwritten meeting notes, or sentiment analysis of customer calls, Dialpad automates the process of multiple everyday tasks. These features, along with automated action items, make it easier for you to collaborate with team members on projects and calls. If you transfer your number from another account, there is also free number porting, which is a win for teams interested in making the switch to a lower-cost VoIP service.

Dialpad dashboard with call analytics and reporting.
Dialpad provides real-time call analytics and reporting across plans. (Source: Dialpad)

  • Call transcription: Dialpad’s AI software provides real-time transcription features, enabling you to save time while efficiently documenting your call notes. This technology streamlines the note-taking process, ensuring accurate and quick documentation during conversations. 
  • HD meetings and call quality: With its dual cloud architecture and global voice network, Dialpad delivers HD-quality video conferencing and enhances audio quality for HD calls on both the mobile app and desktop. 
  • Custom call routing: No matter what type of routing you need, Dialpad has you covered with skills-based, fixed order, and automated response menus, to name a few. 
  • Real-time analytics: Each Dialpad plan includes distinct reporting features for both business phone systems and call centers. This includes sentiment analysis, call tagging, and IVR analytics.

Plans and PricingStandardProEnterprise
Monthly$27$35Contact sales for pricing
Yearly$15$25Contact sales for pricing
Phone.com logo icon in a green circle.

Phone.com: Best for privacy and compliance

Overall Score

4/5

Pricing

4/5

General features

4/5

Niche features

3.13/5

Ease of use

3.75/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

4.38/5

Pros

  • The platform prioritizes privacy, particularly HIPAA compliance, for both audio and video calls.
  • Video conferencing functionality across plans.
  • Mix-and-match subscriptions based on user need, rather than paying the same subscription price for everyone

Cons

  • Inclusion of domestic phone numbers is limited.
  • International phone numbers cost extra on every plan.
  • Some “standard” features, like those offered by other competitors, require upgrading subscriptions or paying for add-ons (if available at all).

Why I chose Phone.com

Premium offerings tend to come with everything but the kitchen sink. Not because everyone will need every feature, but because, for the price you pay, you expect that all the features you do need will be in the list. More affordable options tend to go the opposite route, stripping out anything unnecessary or outside the niche of the target use case. Phone.com is an interesting example of bridging that gap.

This provider’s feature list isn’t quite as broad or deep as that of some of its competitors. But it isn’t the slimmest either. And it offers incredible flexibility regarding pricing, as you can “mix and match” subscription tiers. That way, each user is signed up according to what features they need, and you only pay higher-tier rates for staff who need them. 

Beyond their pricing structure, Phone.com stands out as the only entry in the list to prioritize above-average privacy compliance. Specifically, they guarantee HIPAA compliance throughout the platform. And while your organization may not be directly involved in healthcare, that’s a higher standard for data privacy than most industries and a win for those who prioritize robust security. 

Phone.com voicemail box with transcribed message and recordings.
View voicemail transcriptions in the account dashboard. (Source: Phone.com)

  • HIPAA compliance: Audio and video communications are encrypted and HIPAA-compliant, ensuring enhanced data privacy and security.
  • Video conferencing: All users, including Basic users, have access to video conferencing. While participant numbers have caps, meeting durations are not limited.
  • Voicemail features: Voicemail-to-email notifications are included with every plan, and voicemail transcription is available for all subscribers except those on the basic plan.
  • Live answer: As an add-on service, Phone.com offers live answering and attendant services for those who need them. 

Plans & pricingBasicPlusPro
Monthly$18$27$40
Yearly$15$22.50$33.33
Nextiva logo.

Nextiva: Best for enterprises and large-scale teams

Overall Score

3.93/5

Pricing

2.63/5

General features

4.5/5

Niche features

3.75/5

Ease of use

4.63/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

4.75/5

Pros

  • Live chat, chatbot, and even unlimited SMS are available, depending on the subscription tier.
  • Includes social media management and review management (unique features in this particular list).
  • Group email, productivity tools, and other features are designed to help teams work more effectively together.

Cons

  • Business integrations are an add-on feature on the base plan
  • With many key features reserved for the Engage and Power Suite plans, Nextiva is better suited to meeting the needs of larger teams (with slightly larger budgets).

Why I chose Nextiva

Nextiva is not often the first provider that comes to mind when considering cheap VoIP services, but it is one of the best providers on the market. With a wealth of premium features, a legion of valuable add-ons and upgrades, and an enterprise-focused design, it’s the best fit in this list for larger teams with room in the budget to grow.

Therefore, Nextiva is my top choice for an affordable premium option. While its monthly fees are higher than those of other providers on this list, the annual pricing offers a sufficient discount to make it worthwhile for small business owners. However, smaller teams looking to reduce expenses may find the initial cost frustrating, especially since basic inbound and outbound voice functionality is priced higher. 

Additionally, many of the more desirable features are only available to top-tier subscribers, unlike brands like RingCentral and Zoom, which provide access to these functions at a lower cost. But if top-tier was where you were aiming in the first place, then Nextiva is your best bet.

Nextiva group inbox with conversation history and artificial intelligence assistant.
The unified inbox provided easy access to all account interactions. (Source: Nextiva)

  • Review management: Nextiva offers tools for managing branded social accounts, as well as assisting with online customer feedback and reviews.
  • Unified inbox: Set up a shared inbox account for managing incoming support tickets, customer requests, and other relevant communications.
  • SMS messaging: Nextiva supports both outgoing branded messages to customers and customer-to-team messaging (e.g., text support).
  • Team productivity: Nextiva offers several productivity-boosting features, including team chat.

Plans & pricingCoreEngagePowersuite
Monthly$36$50$75
Yearly$15$25$50
Vonage logo.

Vonage: Best for unified communication solutions

Overall Score

3.85/5

Pricing

4/5

General features

4/5

Niche features

2.5/5

Ease of use

3.75/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

5/5

Pros

  • Unlimited domestic calling across plans with SMS and MMS messaging.
  • Virtual receptionist and IVR to automatically route calls through the phone system.
  • Access to unified communication and collaborative tools, like team messaging and meetings.

Cons

  • Most features are à la carte, which can cause additional features to add up in cost.
  • Limited unified communication features on the base plan.
  • More difficult to set up than other providers on this list.

Why I chose Vonage

Although Vonage is known for its unified communication as a service (UCaaS) provider, its business phone plans still rely on VoIP technology to make calls across the internet. In many ways, VoIP supports UCaaS by providing more affordable phone services, with less money spent on things like hardware and international calling.

In this sense, Vonage provides the best of both worlds, offering the low prices of a traditional VoIP provider along with unified communication features. However, most of these features, such as team messaging and Vonage meetings, are only available on the highest-tier plans. If that’s what you’re looking for, there are other providers, like RingCentral and Phone.com. If you want to pick and choose your VoIP and UCaaS features, then Vonage’s customizable plans and add-on features will be perfect for you.

Vonage dashboard with team messaging chat thread.
Use the desktop and mobile app to stay in touch with your team. (Source: Vonage)

  • Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Instead of needing to start from scratch, you can use your VoIP phones or allow employees to access the phone plan using their own devices, such as smartphones, laptops, or tablets, thereby saving money on purchasing new hardware.
  • Virtual receptionist: Automate the process of answering and transferring calls using a simplified IVR that functions like a traditional front-desk receptionist. 
  • Spam Shield: Block calls and messages from unwanted numbers to keep your lines open for genuine business clients and customers, rather than spammers. 
  • Team messaging: Use the Vonage Business Communication (VBC) apps to chat with team members, share files, and collaborate on projects. 

Plans & pricingMobilePremiumAdvanced
Monthly$19.99$29.99$39.99
Yearly$13.99$20.99$27.99
Grasshopper logo.

Grasshopper: Best for solopreneurs

Overall Score

3.76/5

Pricing

4.38/5

General features

4/5

Niche features

1.25/5

Ease of use

4.19/5

Customer support

5/5

Expert score

3.63/5

Pros

  • Provides a dedicated business phone line without using your personal number or purchasing an additional device.
  • Leverage automated greetings, professional voice talent, and caller ID to make an excellent first impression.
  • Plans are designed around solo professionals and small businesses.

Cons

  • No options for video calls or conferencing are available.
  • International calling can only be enabled after 60 days of service.
  • Can receive faxes, but cannot send them.

Why I chose Grasshopper

Not every operation is large and complex enough to warrant a multi-faceted phone system. Sometimes, the team is very small, perhaps even just one person. And sometimes, all you need is a way to separate business calls from personal ones, without having to purchase a separate phone.

Grasshopper provides that, and much more. Its entry-level tier provides nearly all of its functionality, with most of the benefit for upgrading coming in the form of increased user counts and limits. And with lower-than-average costs, and several unique perks and add-ons to help your business sound as professional as possible, there’s plenty to love about Grasshopper’s VoIP services. 

This makes Grasshopper an excellent choice for solo professionals and small teams; however, the lack of video and unified communication features makes it less effective for remote teams that rely heavily on digital tools for collaboration. In that case, you might want to consider Phone.com for its affordable price and video-conferencing features.

Grasshopper mobile and desktop app screens with voicemail greeting recording.
Record voicemail greetings in the Grasshopper mobile app. (Source: Grasshopper)

  • Virtual business line: With a dedicated business number and a full-fledged virtual phone service, you can keep your personal and professional communications separate while using the same device for both.
  • Cross-platform functionality: Use your phone, your desktop, your tablet, and more to take calls, send and receive messages, read incoming faxes, and the like. 
  • Professional custom greetings: Let your callers know that you’re the real deal with custom greetings. You can even check out Grasshopper’s Voice Studio to have something recorded for you by professional voice actors, in English, Spanish, and French.
  • Small-team focus: Built to serve individuals and small teams, Grasshopper’s features can help you make the most of your human assets. Call forwarding, call blasting, instant response, simultaneous call handling; the list goes on.

Plans & pricingTrue soloSolo plusSmall business
Monthly$18$32$70
Yearly$14$25$55

How to choose the best cheap VoIP service

If you’ve never heard it before, let me be the first to tell you: there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution, least of all in software (so don’t let any vendor tell you otherwise).

The fact is, just like how no single hat can fit every head size and shape, each business has its own unique needs and circumstances. Even within the same industry, one use case can vary wildly from another. However, there are still a few common threads and overlapping factors that are worth keeping in mind if you need help guiding your search. I’ve covered some of the top priorities below in the tabs.

Although this is an article about cheap VoIP providers, since the starting price of many of these plans is so close together, it’s the number of business lines you’re paying for that will determine much of the overall cost. 

If all you need is a dedicated line for your freelance business, you’re in a very different market than someone looking to connect 2,000 call center workers. Some providers serve one market better than the other, so judge accordingly.

While the cost ranges are (comparatively) close together in this market, there are some noteworthy outliers. Most providers that offer something affordable have price ranges between $15 and $60 per line, per month. Costs higher than that are entering more “premium” market ranges, and costs lower than that are rare and usually come with some pretty stiff limitations, such as metered minutes.

Now, most B2B tech has wider price differentials than that, and prices are often much higher for tools like CRMs, PM platforms, marketing automation, and the like. Even so, what seems like a slight price difference for a small team can become a significant one after scaling up. A choice between $20 per line per month and $40 per line per month is nominal for a team of one to five users. By the time you’re paying for 50 different lines, the gap is already $1,000 per month. 

Though I’m sure we’d all like to leave terms like “long-distance” and “international calling” in the past, they still occasionally come into play in contexts like this. Some VoIP providers still charge extra for international calls, and what constitutes “included” or “add-on” services can vary as well. This applies to both the person calling in and the business line that answers on the other end.

In other words, you’ll want to be aware of how your team is distributed across geopolitical boundaries. Similarly, you’ll want to know where your customers are calling you from. Because otherwise, an “affordable” solution may prove to be anything but.

Not everything in our tech stack needs to be interoperable. But some things should, and a few things must. Unfortunately, concerns about compatibility, integration, and user experience can be major deciding factors, ruling out vendors with otherwise compelling offerings. Just keep an eye out, and double-check before you sign on the dotted line.

If you need to be able to juggle calls, park them and pick them up, transfer them, switch them around, and otherwise accomplish some telephone-based wizardry, then mark that as a major priority. Most VoIP services will provide some measure of functionality in this regard, but not all do, and some make you subscribe to higher tiers for it.

Find out how much you’ll have to pay to get access to the advanced features you want, like intelligent routing and call flow editors, and compare that against competitors (who may include those functions standard, or at a lower price).

How did we make these picks? Well, we tried our best to follow the same process of inquiry and due diligence that we would if we were signing up for tools like these ourselves. We start with initial investigation of the prominent players in the space, based on search results, customer feedback, trusted 3rd-party reviews and lists (such as those found at Gartner and G2), word-of-mouth recommendations, and the like.

From there, we review the websites and marketing materials of the leading candidates to get a sense of their target markets, the promises they make, and the solutions they offer. We compare those value propositions against those of their peers, and those mentioned in customer feedback to identify what’s most important to the people who are using these tools.

Then, we assemble a grading rubric based on these factors, and evaluate the top contenders for a given niche. The rest is pretty straightforward, as we take those results and render them in a much more readable form (i.e. the article you see above). 

FAQs

That depends on the minimum core functionality you need for your business. As long as a single VoIP line well serves you and you don’t mind metered minutes, the least expensive option on our list is Zoom Phone. But Phone.com and Grasshopper are also great options for solopreneurs and small teams.

VoIP is somewhat hard to come by for free. Some solutions will call themselves free, but like a mobile game with a bad user experience, you won’t get very far before they start shaking you down. A few offer truly free VoIP services, although these options still tend to have some frustrating limitations, such as user counts and metered usage.

Define “popular.” Jokes aside, we don’t have clear numbers on customer bases for things like that. However, some of the brands we mention in the list above have industry-leading brand recognition, such as RingCentral, Zoom, and, of course, Nextiva.

In short: yes. Like any phone service, it’s going to be difficult to make or receive calls without a carrier of some kind. That’s also true for VoIP. There are some partial workarounds, such as leaning heavily on email and video calls, for example. However, all of them share one major flaw: they lack a public-facing avenue for customers to stay in contact. A phone number can be listed on GMB, for instance, and anyone with a phone can reach you. Even sending an email requires a few extra steps beyond that.