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Short answer: Basic Google Voice is the only clearly documented ongoing free option in this comparison, but it is a one-user, consumer-oriented U.S. plan. For an actual business phone system, choose Grasshopper for a simple solo line, Quo for shared team numbers and texting, Dialpad for AI-assisted calling, RingCentral or Nextiva for broader communications features, and Zoom Phone if your company already uses Zoom.
A virtual business phone number app gives you a business number that works through an internet connection on a smartphone, desktop, or web browser. You usually do not need a traditional landline or desk phone. The services below are not ranked by one universal performance score: they range from lightweight second-number apps to full cloud communications and customer-experience platforms.
Quick comparison
Prices and feature availability can vary by country, billing term, contract, number type, add-ons, and promotional offer. Annual prices below are not interchangeable with monthly prices, and a starting subscription may not include every feature a growing business needs.
| Service | Published starting point or free option | Number and messaging notes | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Voice | $0 Basic plan for personal use in the U.S.; paid standalone and Workspace plans are separate | U.S. consumer number with domestic calling, texting, and voicemail transcription; one user | Freelancers and very small businesses already using Gmail |
| Grasshopper | Plan-dependent annual pricing; seven-day trial | Business numbers, extensions, and basic call handling; trial excludes texting | Solo businesses wanting a straightforward professional line |
| Quo, formerly OpenPhone | $15/user/month annually or $19/user/month monthly for Starter; seven-day trial | One new or ported local or toll-free number per user; shared numbers and team messaging | Teams sharing calls and customer texts |
| Dialpad | $15/user/month annually or $27 monthly for Standard; 14-day trial | Cloud business calling with AI-oriented workflows; exact features depend on plan and region | Businesses prioritizing transcripts and AI-assisted calls |
| RingCentral RingEX | Live pricing is plan- and configuration-dependent; 14-day trial | Voice, auto attendant, meetings, team messaging, fax, and conferencing; trial SMS unavailable | Growing organizations needing a broad communications suite |
| Nextiva | Core at $15/user/month annually; higher tiers listed at $25 and $75 annually | Voice, SMS, video, routing, chat, reporting, and customer-experience features by tier | Small and midsize businesses wanting unified communications |
| Zoom Phone | Dynamic pricing that depends on country, billing, and Zoom Workplace bundle | Domestic numbers, U.S./Canada calling options, SMS/MMS, fax allowances, and Zoom integrations | Organizations already standardized on Zoom |
One important distinction: only Google Voice has a documented free-forever option in this shortlist. Grasshopper, Quo, Dialpad, and RingCentral offer trials, not permanent free plans.
#1 Best Overall
- Brand New - Individually Boxed
- Charcoal / Flat Black Color
- Also fits Nortel / Aastra / Mitel M8004 phones
- Compatible only with the specific models of business phones listed in the description. This is NOT a universal handset.
- NOT compatible with Nortel Avaya 1100 / 1200 Series or Nortel Norstar M7000 Series phones
1. Google Voice — best free option
Google Voice is the best choice when the priority is paying nothing for a basic U.S. business number and one person can handle the calls. Google’s Basic Voice plan costs $0 for personal consumer use in the United States and requires a personal Gmail account plus a forwarding number. It includes unlimited domestic calls, texting, and voicemail transcription.
For a freelancer, sole proprietor, or side business that already lives in Gmail, this is an unusually low-cost way to separate business calls from a personal mobile number. Try Google Voice first if you only need one number, basic voicemail, and domestic communication.
What the free plan does not provide
- It is designed for personal consumer use, not as a complete multi-user business phone system.
- The free plan supports one user.
- It does not provide the full set of business controls associated with paid standalone or Google Workspace plans.
- Features such as call recording, transfers, auto attendants, support, and administrative controls belong to paid offerings rather than being evidence that the $0 plan is a full business PBX.
Number portability also needs attention. Google says that not every mobile number can be ported into personal Google Voice, and porting an eligible mobile number into personal Voice costs $20. Check eligibility before canceling an existing line.
Choose it when: one U.S. user needs a basic number at no ongoing cost.
Skip it when: you need multiple users, shared call ownership, formal administration, advanced routing, or a business-grade customer-service workflow.
2. Grasshopper — best for solo businesses
Grasshopper is a simpler business-number product for a freelancer, home-based business, or small company that wants a professional number, extensions, and straightforward call handling without deploying a traditional phone system. Its current plans are named True Solo, Solo Plus, and Small Business. The plan structure ranges from one user, one number, and one extension to broader user and extension support.
Start a Grasshopper trial if you want to test a conventional small-business phone setup before committing. Grasshopper advertises a seven-day trial with no credit card. The trial includes one non-premium phone number, three extensions, and 50 business talk minutes.
Trial restrictions and texting
The Grasshopper trial is not a free business plan. Premium numbers and text messaging are excluded, and Grasshopper says paid plans are required for unlimited minutes and texting. Business SMS also requires registration before texting can work reliably. That registration step can involve carrier or business-verification requirements, so do not wait until an important customer campaign to discover it.
Grasshopper supports number porting, but you should confirm the exact number type, destination, and porting timeline before submitting a request. The annual prices shown on its pricing page may be promotional or dependent on the selected plan, so verify the checkout total rather than treating a displayed annual figure as a universal month-to-month rate.
Choose it when: you mainly need a recognizable business number, extensions, voicemail, and basic call routing.
Rank #2
- New - Individually Boxed
- Includes 12 foot Handset Curly Cord
- Cord length is 12 feet fully stretched and 22 inches coiled
- NOT compatible with models VVX 250 / 350 / 450
- NOT compatible with Polycom Soundpoint IP Phones 300 301 331 430 500 501 600 601
Skip it when: several staff members need a collaborative inbox for calls and texts or you need deep contact-center reporting and integrations.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match3. Quo, formerly OpenPhone — best for shared team numbers
Quo is the current name of the service formerly known as OpenPhone. It is a strong fit for small teams that need several people to answer the same business number and work from a shared stream of calls and texts. Its desktop and mobile apps provide cloud calling and messaging, while documented features include shared numbers, voicemail transcripts, API access, and integrations.
Quo’s resource-center pricing lists Starter at $15 per user per month when billed annually, Business at $23, and Scale at $35. Monthly pricing is listed as $19, $33, and $47 respectively. The service includes one new or ported local or toll-free number per user. Compare Quo plans when the deciding factor is collaborative ownership of customer conversations rather than a single person’s second line.
Where Quo becomes more useful
- Shared numbers let multiple team members participate in calls and messages.
- Calling and messaging to U.S. and Canadian numbers are documented core capabilities.
- Voicemail transcripts help users review messages without immediately listening to every recording.
- Higher tiers add call forwarding, analytics, AI summaries and transcripts, phone menus, advanced integrations, and AI call tags.
Quo offers a seven-day trial rather than a permanent free tier. The trial gives access to plan features, but texting is unavailable during the trial because number registration is required. International calls and texts are also unavailable during the trial. Those restrictions matter if your evaluation depends on customer SMS or overseas calling.
Choose it when: a small team needs a shared business number and collaborative customer texting.
The Tool Desk
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4. Dialpad — best for AI-assisted business calls
Dialpad is a good candidate for teams that want a modern cloud-phone workflow built around AI-oriented calling features, transcription, and call-related productivity tools. It is more capable than a basic second-number app but generally easier to approach than a large communications deployment.
Dialpad’s documented Connect pricing lists Standard at $15 per user per month when billed annually or $27 monthly. Pro is listed at $25 annually or $35 monthly, while Enterprise pricing is handled through sales. Dialpad provides a 14-day free trial with self-service setup. Try Dialpad if your evaluation is specifically about AI-assisted conversations and transcripts rather than simply obtaining a number.
Do not assume that every AI feature is included in the lowest tier. Dialpad packages capabilities by product and plan, and availability can vary by geography, contract, and add-on. Before buying, check the live comparison for the functions you actually need: transcription, summaries, recording, analytics, integrations, routing, and the number countries you intend to call.
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Rank #3
- READY TO USE – allows comfortable, hands-free phone calls and is ready to use out of the packaging.
- FIRM HOLD - strong adhesive backing creates a long-lasting application to hold the shoulder rest in place
- COMPATIBILITY – For home or office use with a wide variety of telephone styles
- BLACK FINISH - sleek, black finish complements phones and accessories
Skip it when: you only need an inexpensive one-person number or you cannot verify that the desired AI and regional features are included in your plan.
5. RingCentral RingEX — best for feature-rich business communications
RingCentral RingEX is better understood as a broad business communications platform than as a minimalist virtual-number app. It combines phone service with features such as auto attendants, online meetings, team messaging, fax, conferencing, and administrative controls. That breadth makes it more suitable for a growing organization than for someone who only wants a second number.
RingCentral offers a 14-day trial for new subscribers. The trial supports up to 20 phone lines and includes the RingEX suite, but SMS is unavailable during the trial. External calling is unlimited within the U.S. and Canada; international calling uses separate plans or bundles. See RingCentral pricing only after deciding which calling regions and add-ons your organization needs.
Budget for the complete configuration
The headline plan is not necessarily the total cost. RingCentral lists optional extensions such as AI Receptionist, conversational intelligence, call-queue tools, and business SMS tools. These may be useful, but they can change the price and administration effort substantially. Compare the cost of users, numbers, toll-free service, international calling, recording, SMS, meetings, and any queue or AI features rather than comparing only the base subscription.
Choose it when: you need auto attendants, meetings, messaging, fax, integrations, and more formal call administration.
Skip it when: your business is one person with a simple call-and-text requirement and does not need a larger communications suite.
6. Nextiva — best for unified communications and customer experience
Nextiva combines business phone service with team collaboration and customer-interaction capabilities. Its offering is broader than a basic virtual-number app, making it a better match for a small or midsize business that expects to add messaging, video, routing, reporting, or contact-center workflows.
Nextiva lists Core at $15 per user per month when billed annually. Core includes inbound and outbound voice, business SMS, video meetings, screen and file sharing, call routing, team chat, and a mobile app. Engage is listed at $25 per user per month annually and adds customer-to-team SMS, toll-free calling and minutes, advanced reporting, inbound call-center functions, live chat, and chatbot features. Scale is listed at $75 per user per month and adds a broader customer-experience platform with AI transcription and summaries, skills-based routing, and journey orchestration. See Nextiva plans when the business phone is only one part of a larger customer-communication strategy.
Nextiva states that landline, wireless, virtual, VoIP, and toll-free numbers can be transferred. Still, porting depends on the specific number and account information, so confirm eligibility and timing before disconnecting the old provider.
Choose it when: voice, SMS, video, collaboration, reporting, and customer-service functions should live in one platform.
Rank #4
- Handset for the T40P/T40G/T41P/T42G/T41S/T42S/T42U/T43U
- One handset in charcoal color - HANDSET CORD NOT INCLUDED
- Authentic Yealink HD Headset - 1
- Headset World USA is an Authorized Yealink Partner. Our listing is Authentic Yealink products.
Skip it when: your needs stop at a low-cost personal number, or higher-tier customer-experience features would be unused overhead.
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7. Zoom Phone — best for businesses already using Zoom
Zoom Phone makes the most sense when Zoom is already the organization’s collaboration hub. Phone can sit alongside Zoom meetings, chat, administration, and related workplace tools instead of creating a separate communications ecosystem.
Zoom’s product documentation describes U.S. and Canada unlimited-calling options, domestic SMS and MMS, online fax allowances, domestic phone numbers, call recording, post-call summaries, voicemail prioritization, task extraction, and integrations with Salesforce, Slack, Contact Center, Microsoft, and Google. Explore Zoom Phone if your company already pays for Zoom Workplace and wants phone service managed in the same environment.
Zoom’s pricing presentation is dynamic. The final amount depends on the reader’s country, billing cadence, selected calling plan, and whether Phone is added to Zoom Workplace. International calling may be metered or separately priced on relevant plans. Check the live pricing selector for your location rather than copying a single U.S. bundle price into a general comparison.
Choose it when: your team already uses Zoom and values unified meetings, chat, phone, and administration.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsSkip it when: you do not need Zoom Workplace or your business wants a stand-alone, low-cost second number.
Free plan versus free trial: do not confuse them
| Offer | What it means | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Google Voice Basic | Ongoing $0 plan | Personal consumer use in the U.S., one user, and fewer business controls |
| Grasshopper | Seven-day trial with no credit card | One non-premium number, three extensions, 50 talk minutes, no texting |
| Quo | Seven-day trial | No texting during trial because registration is required; no international calls or texts during trial |
| Dialpad | 14-day trial | Check plan, geography, and feature allocation before relying on advanced tools |
| RingCentral | 14-day trial for new subscribers | Up to 20 lines, but SMS is unavailable during the trial |
A trial lets you evaluate an application before billing begins; it does not establish a permanent free business line. Record the trial end date, understand whether billing begins automatically, and test the functions you need while the trial is active.
How to choose the right virtual phone app
1. Decide whether you need a second number or a phone system
A second-number service may be enough if one person answers calls, reads voicemail, and sends occasional texts. A phone system becomes more important when calls must ring several people, follow business hours, route by department, provide an auto attendant, record calls, generate reports, or preserve a shared customer history.
- One person and minimal cost: Google Voice Basic, if its consumer limitations are acceptable.
- Solo business with extensions: Grasshopper.
- Shared calls and texts: Quo.
- AI and transcripts: Dialpad, with plan verification.
- Complex business communications: RingCentral.
- Unified communications and customer experience: Nextiva.
- Existing Zoom environment: Zoom Phone.
2. Confirm the number type and porting rules
Ask whether the service can provide the local area code you need, a toll-free number, or both. If you are transferring an existing number, gather the current carrier name, account number, account PIN or password, billing name, service address, and a recent bill. Keep the old service active until inbound calls and texts work on the new platform.
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Porting is not identical across providers. Google documents a $20 fee for porting a mobile number into personal Google Voice and says some mobile numbers are ineligible. Grasshopper and Quo advertise porting support, while Nextiva states that landline, wireless, virtual, VoIP, and toll-free numbers can be transferred. Those broad statements are not a guarantee that every individual number will qualify.
Best Value
- Brand New - Individually Boxed
- Black Color
- NOT compatible with all models of NEC phones, only the specific models listed below
- This is NOT a universal handset.
3. Treat business SMS as a separate requirement
Calling and texting are not always activated at the same time. Carrier registration may be required before a business can send application-based SMS. Grasshopper explicitly requires SMS registration for texting; Quo’s trial blocks texting until number registration is complete. Phone.com also documents registration-related carrier requirements.
Ask these questions before choosing a provider:
- Can the number send and receive SMS, MMS, or both?
- Is registration required, and how long does approval usually take?
- Are group messages, short codes, attachments, or international texts supported?
- Are messages shared across users, and can administrators retain them?
- Are texting limits or per-message charges separate from the base plan?
4. Check international and emergency calling
International availability is highly plan-specific. Quo documents U.S. and Canadian calling and messaging, but international calls and texts are unavailable during its trial. RingCentral documents unlimited external calling in the U.S. and Canada, while other international calling uses separate plans or bundles. Zoom’s relevant plans can meter or price international calling separately.
Emergency calling deserves a separate check because a mobile or desktop VoIP app is not automatically equivalent to a traditional fixed line. Before deployment, verify whether the provider supports emergency calling in your country, how the registered service address is maintained, what happens when a user works remotely, and whether the app displays an emergency-calling limitation. Confirm the exact policy for each shortlisted provider and each user location.
5. Compare integrations and AI features at the plan level
Google Voice is a natural fit for a Gmail-centered solo workflow. Quo documents API access and integrations, while RingCentral, Nextiva, and Zoom Phone target broader business workflows. Zoom lists integrations with Salesforce, Slack, Contact Center, Microsoft, and Google. AI functions such as summaries, transcripts, call tags, receptionists, and journey orchestration are not interchangeable: verify whether each is included, metered, limited, or sold as an add-on.
6. Calculate total cost, not just the advertised starting price
Build a one-year estimate that includes:
- Number of users and extensions.
- Monthly versus annual billing.
- Local, toll-free, premium, or additional numbers.
- Domestic minutes, international minutes, and international texts.
- SMS registration or carrier-related requirements.
- Call recording, AI, analytics, auto attendants, queues, fax, and contact-center add-ons.
- Porting fees and any cancellation or setup charges.
- Optional desk phones or headsets.
Per-user pricing can look inexpensive for one person and become substantially more costly when every employee needs a seat. Conversely, a broader bundle may be better value if it replaces separate meeting, messaging, fax, or customer-support tools.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do you need a desk phone?
Usually not. Cloud phone services are designed to work through mobile and desktop apps, and Vonage explicitly documents that its mobile and desktop apps are included while hardware phones are optional. A computer headset is often the most useful accessory for a person taking calls at a desk.
If you work in a noisy environment, an optional USB headset with microphone can provide a more consistent hands-free setup than a laptop microphone and speakers. A physical SIP desk phone may suit a receptionist or an employee who prefers a handset, but compatibility is provider-specific; confirm that the exact phone, provisioning method, and selected app are supported before buying.
A practical trial and setup checklist
- Confirm geography. Check that the provider offers numbers, calling, texting, and emergency service for every country where users will work.
- Choose a number type. Decide whether you need a local, toll-free, or ported number and whether the desired area code is available.
- Start with the smallest suitable plan. Avoid paying for contact-center or AI features until you know the team needs them.
- Install every endpoint. Test the mobile app, desktop app, and web app on the devices employees will actually use.
- Test call routing. Place inbound and outbound calls, voicemail, business-hours rules, forwarding, extensions, caller ID, and simultaneous ringing.
- Test messaging separately. Send and receive SMS and MMS, check shared visibility, and begin registration early if the provider requires it.
- Test integrations. Confirm that the CRM, calendar, collaboration tool, or help desk receives the events and transcripts you expect.
- Test failure scenarios. Try a weak Wi-Fi connection, cellular fallback, a logged-out user, a closed app, and a missed call. Confirm what customers hear.
- Test porting only with a safety plan. Do not cancel the old service until the port is complete and calls and texts have been verified.
- Record the billing date. Save the trial end date, renewal term, user count, add-ons, and cancellation procedure.
Worthy alternatives outside the main seven
The seven services above cover the requested use cases, but the wider market includes other valid options. Vonage Business Communications is a broader cloud communications product with mobile and desktop apps and optional hardware. 8×8 Express advertises a 30-day free trial and starts at $15 per month, making it relevant for readers who prioritize a longer evaluation period. Phone.com is another business-phone option with documented carrier-registration considerations for messaging. These are alternatives to investigate, not additional rankings in this list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the only free-forever virtual business phone option in this comparison?
Basic Google Voice is the only clearly documented ongoing $0 option among these seven services. It is intended for personal consumer use in the U.S., requires a personal Gmail account and forwarding number, supports one user, and lacks many controls found in paid business plans. The other free offers discussed here are trials.
Can I keep my existing business phone number?
Often, yes, but eligibility varies by provider and number type. Google documents a $20 fee for porting an eligible mobile number into personal Google Voice and notes that some numbers cannot be ported. Grasshopper, Quo, and Nextiva also document porting support. Keep the old account active until the transfer and inbound/outbound testing are complete.
Do virtual business phone apps require a desk phone?
No. These services generally work through smartphone, desktop, or web apps. A USB headset can improve desktop calling, while a SIP-compatible desk phone is an optional endpoint only when the provider supports that hardware.
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Quo is the clearest fit in this shortlist because it is built around shared numbers, team calling and messaging, voicemail transcripts, and collaborative workflows. RingCentral and Nextiva can also support larger teams, but they bring more communications and customer-experience features than a small shared-inbox use case may require.
The Bottom Line
Choose Google Voice only when a one-user, U.S., consumer-oriented free number is enough. Choose Grasshopper for a simple solo-business line and extensions, Quo for shared team calls and texts, and Dialpad for AI-oriented calling workflows. Move to RingCentral or Nextiva for broader communications and customer-service administration, or choose Zoom Phone when Zoom already anchors your workplace. Whichever service you select, verify number porting, SMS registration, emergency calling, international rates, and add-on costs before moving your main business number.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
