While Zoom is best known for video conferencing, its VoIP phone system offers excellent value with a surprising breadth of customer service capabilities. With unlimited calling and texting in the U.S., the $15 starting cost is one of the cheapest available, and each plan comes with a suite of features that providers typically reserve for higher-tier plans. There’s also Zoom’s Metered plan beginning at $10 monthly per user with per-minute call pricing—this could work well for teams with low call volumes.

Any Zoom plan includes unlimited IVR, call queues and call monitoring with whisper and barge, which enable supervisors to organize inbound call flows and track agent performance. While using the software, I was impressed by Zoom’s AI. Even the basic plan included automated post-call summaries and action items extracted from voicemail messages. Zoom Phone also doubles as a UCaaS platform since it includes team chat and connects seamlessly with Zoom’s video meetings, though the meetings add several dollars to the monthly cost.

Zoom Phone’s main limitation is that it doesn’t offer real-time analytics or live call transcription, features offered by alternatives like RingCentral and Dialpad. Still, it’s a good value for companies seeking team collaboration, call routing and a full-featured VoIP system.

Learn more:Read our fullZoom Phone review.

Zoom Phone’s main desktop app dashboard feels spacious and modern.

When testing Zoom Phone, I was immediately struck by how spacious and intuitive its interface felt—especially on the desktop app. I could quickly jump between my chat messages, SMS texts, voicemails and the central dial pad.

I was also impressed by how subtly the AI features fit within the dashboard and call logs. Zoom’s voicemail transcription was more accurate than I’ve experienced with other providers, and I found the extracted action items helpful (but not overwhelming) for agents managing large numbers of inbound tasks and voicemails.

Zoom Phone AI-based call summaries.

While using RingCentral, I quickly realized that it’s not just a VoIP phone system but a unified communications platform. You can make calls and send texts but also collaborate internally through chat, file sharing and video meetings, which are surprisingly feature-rich. The dashboard left-hand menus make it easy to shift between communication channels, even while on an active call. This means teammates can collaborate and chat while actively serving customers.

RingCentral’s chat rooms have unique features that other UCaaS platforms lack, such as project management tools that let you assign tasks with deadlines. The meetings are some of the most advanced of any video conferencing platform, with AI summaries and captions, plus whiteboards that you can share in team chat conversations.

For all its team collaboration tools, RingCentral still includes a comprehensive phone system on all plans. The multilevel IVR menu and call queues are easy to set up and integrate for custom call handling. RingCentral also supports hundreds of third-party integrations—more than any VoIP phone service alternative. The main downside to RingCentral is its low monthly SMS limit. Still, the system is ideal for teams that want a comprehensive phone system and internal collaboration.

Learn more:Read our fullRingCentral review.

RingCentral’s team chat enables you to create channels, share files and assign tasks.

When testing RingCentral, I was a little disappointed by the main user dashboard’s design, which I thought had an outdated and bland aesthetic. However, I found the team collaboration features easy to use—I instantly understood how to create channels, share files and assign tasks. I also liked RingCentral’s video meetings and found the HD video clearer than alternatives such as Zoom or GoTo Connect.

RingCentral’s customizable analytics overwhelmed me at first because I found myself looking at blank dashboards. However, as I experimented and added KPIs and widgets, I came to consider RingCentral’s analytics some of the most powerful and customizable. If you don’t mind taking some time to build dashboards for the KPIs you want to track, it’s worth opting for the Advanced plan that includes real-time analytics.

RingCentral’s customizable analytics dashboards.

What sets Dialpad apart from competitors is its analytics and intuitive AI features, including real-time call transcriptions. When you make a call with Dialpad, the screen auto-populates with live captions. These transcriptions help supervisors track agent performance and lead to richer insights about customer satisfaction levels.

Dialpad’s analytics dashboards update in real time with call history, giving live insights about customer service. You can track basic KPIs like call volume and agent activity or customize visual dashboards and graphs with select widgets and metrics. While most alternatives only include analytics in high-tier plans, Dialpad offers them in each plan.

Dialpad’s video meetings have crisp video quality and valuable features like waiting rooms. The 150-participant capacity should be plenty for most teams. The phone system itself includes all the features you’d need to handle inbound calls: unlimited IVR menus, call queues and ring groups.

Since each plan includes AI and analytics, it’s worth it for small teams that want collaboration, live agent assistance and higher-level performance insights.

Learn more:Read our fullDialpad review.

Dialpad uses AI for live call transcriptions and post-call summaries, which supervisors can use to review agent performance.

Dialpad’s modern interface immediately caught my attention and it was pleasant to use. Along the same lines, it has the most visually appealing analytics dashboards of any system I tried, with various bright, crisp and colorful display styles.

It was easy to navigate between channels, and despite the team collaboration and AI features, I didn’t find Dialpad to have a steep learning curve. However, you’re better off with a simpler platform if you’re not looking for bells and whistles like AI or analytics.

Dialpad’s AI-based real-time analytics.

Aircall is one of the most expensive VoIP phone systems. While its lowest-cost plan is $30 per user per month, there’s a three-person minimum, so you’re really paying $90 per month.

Aircall provides unlimited calling and SMS only—no team chat or video. But for its high price, Aircall offers some unique features: a shared call inbox, flexible call distribution rules, multiple simultaneous calls from one number and queue callbacks. These tools give Aircall unique value for customer service and sales teams that want to provide high-level phone service without the ultra-high costs of a complete contact center.

Aircall’s auto-dialer syncs with CRM integrations and lets you rapidly dial down a contact list, streamlining outbound sales efforts. On the customer service end, queue callbacks allow customers to hang up and keep their place in line, leading to better satisfaction. A shared agent inbox allows multiple staff members to chip away at the same queries, keeping wait times low.

The service also offers excellent AI features as an add-on, including advanced conversational analysis like talk-to-listen ratios and agent scoring. If you don’t mind spending premium prices for call center features, Aircall will enable you to provide high-level phone-based customer support.

Learn more:Read our fullAircall review.

Aircall’s power dialer lets sales agents rapidly dial contact numbers from a campaign list.

I found Aircall extremely user-friendly right off the bat. The interface didn’t feel overwhelming despite its abundance of advanced features. Rather, the routing tools, task inbox and AI features felt interconnected. For example, when I finished a call, the screen immediately prompted me to leave notes or add the number to a power dialer campaign list. When I revisited my call log or voicemail, the auto-populated AI summary and tasks were subtly displayed directly under the audio itself without crowding the window.

After a call, Aircall prompts you to leave a note and open or close the ticket.

Intermedia Unite combines team collaboration with useful VoIP tools. Most notably, each plan provides an impressive 33-country unlimited calling area and unlimited SMS texting in the U.S. 8×8 is the only other provider on our list that enables unlimited calling beyond the U.S. and Canada, and its unlimited calling area is only 14 countries.

It includes some solid call center features, such as monitoring, queues and real-time dashboards that let supervisors keep an eye on agent activity and customer service levels. It’s easy to manage these queues, too, as you can manually add or remove new agents in minutes or automate this by agent availability.

While most VoIP providers limit monthly texting to a restrictive 200 SMS per user, Intermedia has no monthly texting limits. This unlocks unique marketing use cases, especially considering Intermedia integrates with marketing-related platforms such as Salesforce.

With video conferencing and team chat, Intermedia does a bit of everything. The software is a good value if you have complex inbound customer service needs and plan to utilize international calling.

Learn more:Read our fullIntermedia Unite review.

Intermedia Unite’s dashboard is simple but easy to navigate.

I had a so-so experience using Intermedia Unite. The first thing I noticed was that its interface felt plain and outdated. However, the features themselves were impressive and easy to use: The analytics dashboards displayed a ton of data, and the drag-and-drop IVR menu was straightforward.

I liked the AI assistant feature as well and found it did a good job summarizing and drafting team chat messages. However, I didn’t feel that the AI assistant had much utility, as I usually like to write these messages myself since they’re so short.

Intermedia Unite’s AI assistance provides support with drafting and summarizing chat messages.

Nextiva is a unique VoIP phone system because of the messaging channels it includes: live chat, messaging apps, social media, email and review platforms. For teams seeking to unify social media with theirworkplace communicationstack or those who want to connect with customers across multiple mediums, Nextiva is a clear top choice. It gives most full-fledged contact centers a run for their money despite being less than half the cost.

You can monitor review sites like Yelp and Google Reviews directly from the dashboard, helping you build an online presence and demonstrate that you care about your customers’ experiences. While many competitors only enable messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Nextiva lets you track your mentions and tags across social media channels like X and Instagram, interacting with customers on these platforms—all from the desktop app. You can embed a live chat widget into your mobile app or website, unlocking a touchpoint to catch customers when they’re already shopping or thinking about your services.

The phone system is solid, too. I found it easy to use, with a drag-and-drop design tool for IVR setup and AI-based intelligent routing on high-tier plans. While costly, Nextiva offers a multichannel customer service platform that’s a great value for companies that will use all the touchpoints.

Learn more:Read our fullNextiva reviewandNextiva pricing guide.

Nextiva lets you connect with customers through social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Using Nextiva felt more like operating a contact center than a phone system, but I still found it intuitive. The dashboard’s task inbox aggregates all the inbound messages you’ve received. Nextiva makes it surprisingly easy to respond to inquiries across these touchpoints, which is exciting because it enables new ways to support customers.

The analytics portals and skills-based routing systems are daunting and can require some tinkering to get everything routed to the right person. Still, if you’re looking for a full-on contact center, Nextiva is a relatively user-friendly option.

Nextiva’s multichannel task inbox aggregates social media, review sites, phone and chat.

While 8×8’s UCaaS platform offers middle-of-the-road features for its phone system and team chat, it offers feature-rich video meetings. Its video meetings support up to 500 participants and include collaboration tools such as whiteboards, AI transcripts and AI summaries. The meetings also include unique features, such as polls, that most alternatives don’t have.

The cloud phone system also balances simplicity and functionality—with just the essential routing features, including IVR menus, call queues and ring groups. While 8×8’s phone system lacks advanced call center features like monitoring and analytics, it’s sufficient to customize how you’d like to distribute inbound calls among agents or departments.

Notably, 8×8 includes a 14-country unlimited calling area. While not quite as expansive as Intermedia’s 33 countries, 8×8’s unlimited area is still exceptional.

Unfortunately, 8×8 doesn’t have public pricing on its website—you’ll have to contact sales to get a quote. We reached out and were quoted $25 per month for its Contact Center plan. At $25 monthly, it’s cheaper than Intermedia Unite and RingCentral, making 8×8 an excellent choice for companies prioritizing video collaboration and a simple phone system, with overseas calling to destinations like the U.K., Australia or Italy.

Learn more:Read our full8×8 review.

8×8 meetings let you collaborate on whiteboards and share them in team chat rooms.

My favorite part about 8×8 was the video meetings. The HD video was crisp, the polls were easy to administer and I appreciated the whiteboard templates for sketching ideas. I also found the desktop app dashboard simple to navigate, with basic chat and call controls. Setting up routing and queueing was intuitive with the drag-and-drop studio tool.

However, the dashboard felt plain. While not a big deal, I didn’t think it looked as appealing as the more modern designs of alternatives like Aircall, Google Voice and Zoom.

An active call in 8×8’s desktop dashboard.

Quo is a VoIP phone system with unique capabilities for phone number flexibility. Multiple users can share business phone numbers, and users can jump between numbers with one click. This makes it easier for your team to “wear multiple hats” and interact with customers from different company numbers—such as the one assigned to your customer service line, tech support line or sales line. If one agent is busy or out sick, teammates can easily fill in just by clicking the number from their left-hand menu and checking its task inbox.

The Quo task inbox compiles an agent’s queries across both channels—SMS and voice, including voicemails and transcriptions. While the platform doesn’t let agents chat directly, as UCaaS platforms do, you can create chat threads underneath tasks. I find this feature is potentially even more valuable than designated chat channels, since teammates can coordinate task handling right underneath the tasks they’re communicating about.

Quo also includes solid and unique call routing tools. You can customize inbound calls to ring agents and numbers in a particular sequence. Further, group calling enables multiple agents to make calls and send messages from the same number simultaneously. If your company has agents that handle multiple numbers or departments, Quo is a strong choice.

Learn more:Read our fullQuo’s (VoIP) review.

OpenPhone’s dashboard lets agents jump between multiple business numbers with one click from the left-hand menu.

Using Quo was unique because of its phone number sharing and multichannel task inbox. While I expected these features to have a learning curve, I got the hang of them instantly because Quo’s interface is simple overall. The left-hand menu displayed my phone numbers, and clicking each one enabled me to jump between them. The multichannel task inbox looked like a chat message log, except it featured texts, missed calls and voicemails.

Quo was user-friendly from an administrative perspective, too. It was easy to assign business numbers to individual agents or groups.

OpenPhone’s multichannel task inbox when receiving an inbound call.

Google Voice is the simplest and most user-friendly VoIP system. Rather than offering a large library of advanced features, it focuses on the most important features: unlimited calling and SMS texting, voicemail, call routing and analytics. U.S.- and Canada-based users can make unlimited calls, and users in 10-plus European countries can make unlimited calls within that domain.

At $10 monthly, Google Voice’s Starter plan is the cheapest VoIP plan available. It has few features but offers unlimited calling and texting, making it an excellent value for companies seeking simplicity. Even the $20 Standard plan, which adds ring groups and auto attendants, is an above-average deal considering the unlimited SMS.

Google Voice is a strong choice for teams that don’t need extra bells and whistles. Since the $30 Premier plan enables unlimited calling to European countries from within Europe, it’s also the best option on our list for international teams or companies based in Europe.

Learn more:Read our fullGoogle Voice review.

While simple, Google Voice’s interface makes it easy to manage calls, texts and voicemails.

The first thing I noticed when using Google Voice was its simplicity. The dashboard is spacious and pleasant to look at but disarmingly basic. Its left-hand menu lets you jump between your missed calls, texts, voicemails and calendar to view upcoming meetings—and that’s it. When I logged in for the first time, I could instantly navigate these features, make calls and notice when I received an inbound call.

If you want to make calls and send texts and don’t need much else, it will be near impossible to beat Google Voice’s pricing.

Sending SMS texts with Google Voice.

Webex Call is a pretty standard unified communication system that bundles voice, SMS, team chat and video conferencing. The interface feels reminiscent of other UCaaS systems like RingCentral and 8×8, except Webex’s Suite plan adds unique video engagement features and an AI Assistant for team chat messaging. Unfortunately, it’s hard to confirm if Webex has a monthly SMS limit, but from what I can gather, it appears to be unlimited.

Webex’s Slido integration improves video meetings by letting you create live polls and Q&As. These features enable more interactive meetings and webinars, but you must stay below the 200-participant capacity. The AI Assistant has surprising versatility: It summarizes video meetings and team chat conversations, plus it can draft, summarize and translate messages. These features help teams whose staff members may speak different languages.

However, the platform’s phone features are a bit disappointing and overpriced. While each plan includes unlimited domestic calling and IVR menus, key features like call queues and monitoring are reserved only for the highest-tier Enterprise plan. I’d recommend Webex for companies that want to boost engagement for video meetings alongside a decent but functional VoIP service.

Webex’s video meetings feature useful tools like whiteboards, AI transcription and live polls.

My favorite part of using Webex was its video meetings because the Slido integration made them more interactive than those of other platforms. I enjoyed how I could create Q&As and polls on the fly, which I could envision as a helpful feature for hosts seeking to gauge input from a large staff.

The phone system was fine but didn’t blow me away. The drag-and-drop IVR creation was simple and quick, but I missed VoIP staples like call queues and ring groups, which Webex lacks.

Creating an IVR routing menu with Webex’s drag-and-drop studio.