Google Voice is a popular cloud communication tool for individuals and companies that makes it easy to make and receive calls or texts, often regardless of where you are in the world. Voice is featured frequently as one of the best voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) system options on lists across the web, but there may be features lacking that would make it necessary for professionals to seek out Google Voice alternatives. With that in mind, we reviewed similar VoIP services to find choices to serve as a better digital communications solution for your business.
Google acquired the phone management service GrandCentral in 2007. Two years later, the product was relaunched as Google Voice and its popularity as a free and easy way for Google users to send calls from their devices has grown. Although initially available as a personal communications option, Google Voice has become increasingly associated with business phone systems and communications in recent years. For instance, Voice is part of the suite of services made available with a Google Workspace subscription.
Learn more: Read our Google Voice review.
When selecting a preferred alternative to Google Voice, there may be factors that play a greater role in your decision than others, be it service plan pricing, unlimited calling, or the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The chart below highlights popular VoIP providers, their best features, and the reasons why customers should consider them.
After weighing alternatives for Google Voice, we chose these options based on a key feature or benefit that we thought it had which would make it a superior option to Voice if your business is prioritizing that specific component. The details are broken down in the following sections and charts.
When going head to head on strictly cloud phone service options, Google Voice and Dialpad provide a similar range of features. By signing up for either, you can expect unlimited calling, texting, and a local number at no extra cost. However, Dialpad has a broader range of service tools available to customers. For instance, in addition to voice and text, Dialpad users get features, such as team chat, video conferencing, and internet faxing. Moreover, Dialpad improved much of its cloud communication software through AI technology. Dialpad AI gives real-time transcriptions, call summaries, and more.
In comparing the features of both products, it is clear that Google Voice as a stand-alone VoIP service doesn't have as many features, even as add-ons, as what you can get with Dialpad. Moreover, Google's integrations are limited to in-house apps. Dialpad will link your system to a range of popular third-party integrations. If you want a modern, streamlined business phone system that applies AI in a way that saves time, Dialpad is a great alternative to Google Voice. It also boasts a lot of useful features while staying relatively affordable for most companies.
Google Voice and Dialpad each have three service plans. Although Voice is the more budget-friendly solution, Dialpad is still relatively affordable for businesses. Its pricing becomes even more cost-effective when you go with an annual plan for your VoIP business phone system.
While Voice and RingCentral have decent calling and texting capabilities, RingCentral has toll-free numbers and minutes. It also provides a greater range of unified communication features (UCaaS), such as video meetings with up to 100 participants, unlimited internet fax, and visual voicemail. While Google Voice's features are spread across a trio of plans, RingCentral's cloud communication tools are more scalable, letting businesses create an all-in-one UCaaS hub through RingEx plans or engage customers through RingCentral's contact center solutions.
Google Voice functions well as a low-cost, simple-to-use VoIP service, a good starting point for individuals or very small teams, but companies seeking more robust features, access to popular integrations, and who overall want a more scalability-friendly service should consider RingCentral as a reasonable alternative to Google Voice.
Learn more: Read our in-depth comparison of Google Voice vs. RingCentral.
RingCentral and Google Voice each offer three tiers for business phone services. While Google Voice plans are month-to-month and more budget-friendly, RingCentral provides monthly and annual pricing options. RingCentral also offers additional solutions for companies in need of video conferencing or contact center features. As for strictly business VoIP, you can compare prices in the table below.
Businesses most concerned with the cost of building a reliable virtual business phone system may prefer Zoom Phone as a Google Voice alternative. As with Voice, Zoom is priced at $10 per month. However, Zoom Phone customers also have the option to sign up for an annual agreement instead of paying month to month. Zoom is also preferable for businesses that want the option of a toll-free number. That said, toll-free numbers do not come standard with accounts; you will need to buy one as an add-on.
Both Google Voice and Zoom Phone connect well with in-house digital communication solutions, although Voice is largely limited to strictly Google integrations. Zoom Phone, meanwhile, integrates with popular third-party apps, such as Slack, Salesforce, and Microsoft Teams.
Zoom Phone and Google Voice have the same prices, although Zoom offers an additional service tier and the option to choose an annual subscription rather than pay month by month. If you prefer unlimited domestic calling, then you will need to start with the US & Canada Unlimited plan as the Metered service option, while the least expensive, is very limited. More details can be found in the chart below.
As a VoIP service, Google Voice is most suitable for small businesses that only need essential cloud business phone features at a lower cost. However, enterprise-level companies may prefer Vonage. The service has voice and text, unlimited calling, and toll-free and international numbers. It also provides a greater range of unified communication tools, such as video meeting and team chat support. Vonage places a special emphasis on customer experience or customer experience (CX) while making it easy to understand which of its many features come as a standard part of its cloud phone plans or require an add-on purchase.
Vonage is more growth-friendly than Google Voice, and the quality of its VoIP plans may make it a better fit for large or enterprise-level companies. Businesses that want to work with an established cloud communications brand that's used to catering to large brands may want Vonage as an alternative to Google Voice.
Though competitively priced, Vonage is slightly more expensive than Google Voice's plans, with the Advanced plan as the exception if you pay year over year. Vonage's annual rates for its tiers are priced close to what you pay with Voice. The chart below breaks down tier pricing.
Not every business owner wants to commit to long-term business phone system contracts. Such agreements can get especially frustrating when prices change due to discounts terminating or unexpected adjustments to month-by-month charges. Google Voice's monthly rates mean that you do not have to think about annual contracts. Companies that want to pay month by month will likely prefer Ooma Office as an agreeable alternative to Voice. Although some Ooma Office plans cost slightly more than Google Voice, Ooma's business phone plans are priced competitively and come with collaboration tools that Voice lacks. For instance, Ooma Office gives you the choice of a local or toll-free number.
ALthough you need to upgrade to Pro for video conferencing and Pro Plus for team chat, neither of these features come standard with Google Voice, which is a VoIP service largely limited to voice and text. If you want more service features while also enjoying no-contract, month-to-month pricing, Ooma Office is a great alternative to Google Voice.
Both Google Voice and Ooma Office are ideal for business owners who prefer a monthly rate without feeling obligated to agree to annual contracts. The services offer transparent monthly pricing. Although Ooma Office has a higher starting cost, the services get closer in price as you upgrade, until you reach Ooma's Pro Plus tier, which is slightly less than Premier, Google Voice's most expensive VoIP service plan.
