Business phone systems have evolved beyond making and receiving calls to diverse communication channels that give your business the needed flexibility to connect with customers in any way they want.
This comparison guide covers everything from features, pricing, support, trial periods to overall ratings to help you choose the phone system that best suits your business.
How to Choose the Best Small Business Phone System
There are several factors to consider when choosing a phone system for your small business. First, you want to ensure the system has all the features your business needs. Some companies only want standard calling features like caller ID and voicemail, while others want more advanced features like ring groups and automated attendants.
Also, are you looking for a system only to talk over the phone, or a unified communications system with video conferencing functionality? You also want to consider the phone system’s reliability. If you are going for cloud-based solutions, you need to ensure uptime is guaranteed up to 99.999%.
Another thing to consider is the company’s type of customer support. You want a phone system provider you can easily reach out to when you have problems, preferably through multiple channels.
Small Business Phone System Comparison Factors
Below are the factors you can use to compare small business phone systems:
Product Features
There are basic and advanced product features. Primary features include Caller ID, Call Recording, Ring Groups, Call Forwarding, Voicemail, Voice Conferencing, Instant Messaging, etc. Advanced features can consist of Call Routing, Automated Attendant, UCaaS, Real-Time Analytics, CRM integration, Third-party IP phone support, Video and Web conferencing, etc.
Pricing
There are many pricing factors to consider before investing in a business phone system. The ideal way is to consider the payment model options, overall costs, including hardware, installation, platform charges, SIP Trunking charges, subscription, and other hidden expenses.
Support
Another important comparison factor to consider is available support. Some business phone systems provide a live demo or free trial before purchase for you to decide if the product is worth the price. 24-7 technical support is available through phone, web, or online resources.
Small Business Phone System Comparison Guide
Here, we’ll look at small business phone systems with their features, pricing plans, and trial periods:
| Product | Features | Pricing(/user/month) | Support | Trial Period | Review |
| ULTATEL | Call features – Call monitoring, call whispering, call waiting, call queuing, call forwarding, customized music on hold. Voice mail features; Advanced call analytics – call reporting; Unlimited calling, etc | Professional: $15.95 to $27.95 Premium: $19.95 to $31.95 Ultimate: $29.95 to $41.95 | 24/7 customer support via phone and email. 99.999% guaranteed uptime. | 14 days (For up to 9 users) | 4.7 out of 5 |
| Nextiva | Call analytics Automated voicemail transcription, CRM Integration, Mobile app capabilities, Customer journey analytics | Essential: $24.95 Professional: $29.95 Enterprise: $39.95 Ultimate: $60.95 | 24/7 phone, email, app, and chat customer service with every plan. | 7 Days | 4.1 out of 5 |
| RingCentral | Unlimited calls and business SMS within the U.S. & Canada Voicemail-to-text Real-time analytics CRM integrations, device status reports | Essentials: $29.99 Standard: $32.99 Premium: $42.99 Ultimate: $52.99 | 24/7 customer support for Standard, Premium, and Ultimate plan | 30 Days | 4.0 out of 5 |
| Ooma Office | Unified communication solutions; Business software applications; Call center features | Ooma Office: $19.95 Ooma Office Pro: $24.95 Ooma Enterprise: $27.99 Ooma Enterprise Call Center: $49.99 | 24/7 customer support to chat by phone or online. FAQs, user manuals | 30 Days | 3.8 out of 5 |
| Grasshopper | Basic functions; Call extensions and call transfers;a virtual receptionist service. | Solo: $29.00 (1 phone number, 3 extensions) Partner: $49.00 (3 phone numbers, 6 extensions) Small Business: $89.00 (5 phone numbers, unlimited extensions) | 24/7 U.S.-based customer support by phone, chat, email, and social | 7 Days | 3.8 out of 5 |
| Vonage | Microsoft Teams integration, Apps, CRM integration, Unlimited calls and SMS, multi-level auto attendant | Vonage Mobile: Starting at $14.99 Vonage Premium: Starting at $24.99 Vonage Advanced: Starting at $34.99 | Phone, chat, and website;Mobile and desktop apps | 14 Days | 3.7 out of 5 |
| 8×8 | Unlimited domestic calling, Video conferencing, chat, Auto-attendant, visual voicemail, Advanced call management; Skills-based routing | Express: $12 X2: $32 or $24 with annual prepayment X3: Contact 8×8 for pricing information X4: $57 or $44 with yearly billing X6: $125 or $95 with annual prepayment X7: $138 or $105 with yearly billing X8: $175 or $133 with annual prepayment | 24/7 telephone, web, and chat support to all plans except Express; Online forums and FAQs. | 30 Days | 3.7 out of 5 |
1. ULTATEL
ULTATEL stands out as a VoIP phone service for small businesses for its deep understanding of small-scale enterprise communication needs. ULTATEL’s array of special features provides a solution to the call volume management problem small and medium businesses struggle. With CRM integration, analytics, reporting tools, and other unlimited offers, you get to enjoy more benefits without the additional costs.
Features:
- Call features – Call monitoring, call whispering, call waiting, call queuing, call forwarding, customized music on hold;
- Voice mail features – voicemail to email, voicemail transcription;
- Advanced call analytics, call reporting;
- Unlimited calling, unlimited inbound internet faxing, and unlimited ring groups, and so on
Pricing (per user/month):
- Professional: $15.95 to $27.95
- Premium: $19.95 to $31.95
- Ultimate: $29.95 to $41.95
Support: 24/7 customer support via phone and email. 99.999% guaranteed uptime.
Trial Period: 14 days (For up to 9 users)
Reviews: 4.7 out of 5
Ready to get started and select the right plan for you? GET A QUOTE NOW.
2. Nextiva
Nextiva provides businesses with a unified platform that combines business phone, video conferencing, collaboration, and customer management.
Features:
- Call analytics
- Automated voicemail transcription,
- CRM Integration,
- Unlimited virtual faxing,
- Mobile app capabilities, customer journey analytics
Pricing (/User & Up):
- Essential $24.95
- Professional $29.95
- Enterprise $39.95
- Ultimate $60.95
Support: Nextiva offers 24/7 phone, email, app, and chat customer service with every plan.
Trial Period: 7 Days
Reviews: 4.1 out of 5
3. RingCentral
RingCentral is an all-in-one communications platform specializing in VoIP services.
Features:
- Unlimited calls and business SMS within the U.S. & Canada
- Voicemail-to-text
- Advanced call handling
- Real-time analytics
- CRM integrations, device status reports
Pricing (/User & Up):
- Essentials $29.99
- Standard $32.99
- Premium $42.99
- Ultimate $52.99
Support: RingCentral provides 24/7 customer support for Standard, Premium, and Ultimate plan but not for Essentials plan.
Trial Period: 30 Days
Reviews: 4.0 out of 5
4. Ooma Office
Ooma is a cloud-based software platform that provides VoIP phone services for small and enterprise companies.
Features:
- Unified communication solutions
- Business software applications
- Call center features
Pricing (/User):
- Ooma Office: $19.95
- Ooma Office Pro: $24.95
- Ooma Enterprise: $27.99
- Ooma Enterprise Call Center: $49.99
Support: Customer care agents are available 24/7 to chat by phone or online. Ooma also provides online customer support, FAQs, user manuals, troubleshooting tips, and online resources.
Trial Period: 30 Days
Reviews: 3.8 out of 5
5. Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a cloud-based phone system designed for small businesses. It has calling features but isn’t a true unified communications service that combines with email and video conferencing.
Features: Besides basic functions, it offers calling features such as extensions and call transfers, and a virtual receptionist service.
Pricing:
- Solo: $29.00 (1 phone number, 3 extensions)
- Partner: $49.00 (3 phone numbers, 6 extensions)
- Small Business: $89.00 (5 phone numbers, unlimited extensions)
Support: Grasshopper offers 24/7 U.S.-based customer support by phone. Support via chat, email, Twitter, and Facebook is more limited in availability.
Trial Period : 7 Days
Reviews: 3.8 out of 5
6. Vonage
Vonage is an all-in-one system that provides voice, text messaging, video conferencing, team collaboration, and more, fully integrated into a single interface.
Features:
- Extensive Microsoft Teams integration,
- Reliable uptime of 99.999%,
- Mobile and desktop apps,
- CRM integration,
- Unlimited calls and SMS, multi-level auto attendant
Pricing (per user per month):
- Vonage Mobile: Starting at $14.99
- Vonage Premium: Starting at $24.99
- Vonage Advanced: Starting at $34.99
Support: Vonage customer support is available via phone, chat, and website hub. Mobile and desktop apps for remote workers.
Trial Period: 14 Days
Reviews: 3.7 out of 5
7. 8×8
8×8 is a business phone system that combines video conferencing, messaging capabilities, and audio phone calls.
Features:
- Unlimited domestic calling,
- Video conferencing, chat,
- Auto-attendant, visual voicemail,
- Advanced call management, meeting recording & transcription,
- Skills-based routing
Pricing (per user per month):
- Express: $12
- X2: $32 or $24 with annual prepayment
- X3: Contact 8×8 for pricing information
- X4: $57 or $44 with yearly billing
- X6: $125 or $95 with annual prepayment
- X7: $138 or $105 with yearly billing
- X8: $175 or $133 with annual prepayment
Support: 8×8 offers 24/7 telephone, web, and chat support to users of any plan except for Express. There are also online forums and FAQ sections on the 8×8 website.
Trial Period: 30 Days
Reviews: 3.7 out of 5
Bottom Line
Every business is different, so choosing a phone system can be somewhat difficult. However, with this comparison guide, we hope you can examine the features and functionalities and be able to go for the one that best fits your business operations.
