Best Virtual Phone Number Companies in 2024 Compared

Whether you want a nearby number for credibility or a toll-free one for a commanding presence, you can get the perfect phone number regardless of your actual location. That’s where the Best Virtual Phone Number Companies come in. Among these, Nextiva and RingCentral stand out as top choices for many due to their cost-effective plans catering to businesses of all scales.

Explore the world of virtual phone numbers effortlessly with Nextiva, one of the Best Virtual Phone Number Companies. Secure a virtual phone number with an area code from any U.S. state, tailoring it to your business needs. Whether it’s a single number or multiple ones with diverse area codes, Nextiva accommodates your preferences.

Setting up is a breeze. Thanks to Nextiva’s swift activation, you can start using your virtual phone number within minutes—from signing up to making your initial call. Simply choose a number, designate call destinations, and you’re good to go. Nextiva’s VoIP plans are feature-rich and user-friendly, requiring no additional equipment for seamless operation.

Our team has extensively researched the best virtual phone numbers, considering factors like quality and reputation. Among the options, Nextiva, RingCentral, Vonage, and Ooma emerge as the standout choices for most businesses:

1. Nextiva: Ideal for many businesses. Sign up now and enjoy a limited-time offer of 25% off, plus a free phone!
2. RingCentral: The best all-in-one virtual phone service.
3. Vonage: Excellent for SMS messaging.
4. Ooma: Optimal for traditional desk phones.

These recommendations are backed by thorough analysis and strict criteria, ensuring you choose from the best in the virtual phone number landscape.

Considering a virtual phone number? Whether you’re a small business starting out or looking to move away from traditional landlines, it’s a budget-friendly choice. Virtual numbers offer flexibility, allowing you and your team to answer calls on your existing devices without the need for pricey equipment or installation fees.

Beyond cost savings, they let you have a local number for areas you serve, even if you’re not physically there. For solo entrepreneurs, a virtual number helps maintain a separation between personal and business calls on your mobile device, presenting a professional image to potential clients.

As your business grows and you bring in new team members, virtual phone numbers provide an easy and cost-effective way to add lines without the complications of traditional phone systems. No extra equipment or hardware needed – just a few clicks, and you’re set.

Nextiva stands out as our top choice due to its affordability and renowned reliability, among various other factors. Whether you’re a small team just starting or a mid-market business transitioning from traditional landlines, it’s a wise decision that ensures clarity.

Nextiva boasts data centers with an impressive 99.999% uptime, ensuring reliable service. Remarkably, Nextiva has experienced multiple full calendar years without any reported outages. This reliability becomes particularly handy during power outages, as communication remains intact with calls automatically forwarded to a cell phone.

Nextiva goes beyond just phone services; it provides users with a virtual phone number and a comprehensive CRM tool. This tool seamlessly integrates into the virtual phone system, facilitating the management of entire businesses. When calls come in, users gain valuable customer insights, including the caller’s name, business information, and account value.

Essential Plan:

1. Starter package with unlimited voice calling, video calling, and faxes.
2. Priced at $18.95 per user per month, billed annually.

Professional Plan:

1. Tailored for smaller teams, featuring unlimited conference calls, video conferencing, and business texts.
2. Starts at $22.95 per user per month, billed annually.

Enterprise Plan:

1. Designed for small to medium teams, includes unlimited video conference participants, recording, and enhanced integrations with apps like Microsoft Teams.
2. Starts at $32.95 per user per month, billed annually.

Rates are based on 20-99 users, and exclusive discounts of up to 25% are available for BuzzAffairs readers. Nextiva ensures top-notch customer service and offers comprehensive training for users at every pricing tier. With competitive pricing, CRM tools, and outstanding customer support, Nextiva stands out as an all-encompassing solution for businesses of any size. For an in-depth analysis, refer to our detailed Nextiva review to weigh the service’s pros and cons.

RingCentral offers comprehensive features beyond a best virtual phone number, making it an ideal choice for business users. Apart from standard inbound and outbound calling, the platform supports two-way texting, faxing, and business chat—all accessible through a user-friendly app. As a cloud phone system, it seamlessly operates on various devices, ensuring functionality on both desktops and smartphones. The interface is intuitively designed, catering to users with limited software experience.

The platform has all the usual phone features you’d expect, like voicemail, call logs, visual voicemail, and voice-to-text. If you go for the premium plans, you also get cool extras like call recording and a fancy auto attendant for better team communication.

The best part? All RingCentral plans let you make unlimited calls in the US and Canada. They also introduced a new feature called RingSense, specifically for sales. It automates tasks, coaches reps, and gives real-time suggestions to help your team succeed.

Here’s a look at RingCentral’s plans and prices:

1. Core: Starts at $20 per user per month
2. Advanced: Starts at $25 per user per month
3. Ultra: Starts at $35 per user per month

These rates are for annual billing, with month-to-month subscriptions available for an extra $10 per month. Each plan includes a virtual phone number and various communication features.

Whether you have a team of five, 50, or 500 people, RingCentral is powerful enough to meet your needs. Save money with RingCentral’s volume discounts, available for businesses with 50 or more users.

Vonage offers many solutions for business communication. They have options for different needs, like unified communications, contact center solutions, and communication APIs. One special thing about Vonage compared to other best virtual phone numbers is its SMS messaging features. With Vonage Unified Communications plans, you get unlimited SMS, unlimited calling, and unlimited team messaging. This means you can send texts and make calls as much as you need from your smartphone or computer. It’s a great way to stay connected and communicate without limits.

Setting up a virtual phone number for messaging on a larger scale is super easy with Vonage. You can not only send regular text messages but also share images, videos, and other multimedia files. Vonage’s SMS is great for talking within your team or with customers.

Vonage uses 10DLC compliance to register your virtual phone numbers, making your business legit and preventing your messages from looking like spam. Vonage is designed to grow with your business, whether you have a small team of five or a larger one with 500 employees.

They offer three plans with pricing based on the features and number of users. Plans start at $17.99 per month per line for five or more users, and it gets even more affordable at $14.99 per month if you have 20 or more employees, providing unlimited calls and SMS messaging. If you need IP desk phone compatibility, CRM integration, and unlimited meetings for up to 100 attendees, you’ll want to upgrade to the Premium plan.

Using a virtual phone number doesn’t limit you to making calls only through apps or computers. Ooma stands out because it allows you to connect that number to a regular desktop phone. Designed for small businesses, Ooma is especially useful for teams working in traditional office setups.

The great thing about Ooma is how easy it is to set up. Even if you’re using new hardware for phones and headsets, everything is ready to use right from the start. Setting up your Ooma phone is a breeze, taking less than 15 minutes without any technical expertise needed. It’s ideal for small businesses without dedicated on-site IT staff, eliminating the hassle of dealing with complicated setup instructions and maintenance. Ooma offers over 50 standard features, including a virtual receptionist, ring groups, call parking, digital faxing, call forwarding, overhead paging, voicemail, and more.

There are 3 Ooma Office plans to choose from, each providing a best virtual phone number upon sign-up:

1. Essentials – $19.95 per user per month
2. Pro – $24.95 per user per month
3. Pro Plus – $29.95 per user per month

For on-the-go calling, Ooma provides a mobile app and a desktop app. However, the entry-level Essentials plan only includes the mobile app, requiring an upgrade to the mid-tier package for desktop application access.

If you desire videoconferencing and call recording, opt for the mid-tier Pro package. The top-tier Pro Plus package caters to sales teams, featuring Salesforce integrations and advanced call management. Enjoy unlimited calling within the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, along with a toll-free number offering up to 500 minutes of inbound calls monthly.

Grasshopper stands out as the ideal choice for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners. What makes it great is that you don’t need to be a tech expert to start using it. Many users appreciate how easy it is to get started.

Moreover, Grasshopper comes with helpful features that enhance its value. There’s no need for hardware or wires, and you can set it up in just five minutes. This quick setup can transform your business from appearing small to being recognized as a professional enterprise almost instantly. With Grasshopper, you can keep your personal and business numbers separate while using a single device. It also allows you to make your small business look larger by using automatic greetings that guide customers to different departments. For an added touch of professionalism, Grasshopper users have the option to pay a small fee for a professional voice actor to record their greeting.

Grasshopper provides flexible options for setting up a local, toll-free, or imported phone number, even allowing personalized vanity numbers like “1-800-FITNESS” or “1-800-PLUMBER.” The service includes desktop and mobile apps, WiFi calling, 24/7 customer support, and various extensions. Business texting and auto-text responses are also part of the package.

The pricing plans cater to one to five phone numbers, with the option to add more. Grasshopper offers a seven-day free trial for users to explore before committing. Plans range from True Solo at $14 per month (billed annually) to Small Business at $80 per month (billed annually). Each plan differs in the number of phone lines and extensions included.

GoTo Connect stands out as a strong phone system that suits many types of businesses. You can have a toll-free number and bring your local numbers to any GoTo Connect plan. This system covers calling, meetings, and working together.

It has features like voice and video meetings, gives you tools like phones and headsets, and gives a mobile app for people who are busy and need to work on the move. With GoTo Connect, you can count on it being available 99.99% of the time, and there’s always customer support around the clock to help.

GoTo Connect, utilized by major companies such as Ford and Michelin, seamlessly integrates with automotive systems like E-Leads, VIN Solution, Purple Cloud, Momentum, and Dealer Socket, making it an invaluable tool for everyone in the auto industry, from dealerships to manufacturers. With features like call forwarding, call cues, and ring groups, GoTo Connect ensures that customers are efficiently directed to the right employee. While customers wait on hold, promotional messages can be played, enabling dealerships to highlight special deals and boost vehicle sales.

An additional noteworthy feature is the video conferencing tools that facilitate virtual training. Users can easily share documents, stream live videos, and send pictures to customers. The support center efficiently manages customer communications across multiple dealerships. GoTo Connect offers two pricing plans—Basic and Standard. The Basic plan accommodates up to 20 users, supports video meetings with up to 150 participants, and provides 40 SMS credits per seat per month, along with basic integrations for tools like Outlook and Google Workspace.

If sending faxes is a big part of your business, you might want to consider eVoice. It’s a simple virtual phone service that’s affordable. With eVoice, you can handle calls professionally. It makes your business seem bigger, and you can use personalized, professionally recorded greetings. eVoice offers a 24/7 auto attendant and lets you choose a local phone number.

It has 4 plans, but they all have the same features:

1. Call forwarding
2. Inbound online fax
3. Custom greeting
4. Unlimited extensions
5. Web portal and mobile app
6. Voicemail
7. Advanced call routing
8. Virtual answering service

This means you get all the features no matter which plan you choose. Where eVoice really stands out is with faxing. You can create and send online faxes directly from eVoice. For an extra $1.95 per user per month, you can add outbound faxing to any plan. This feature lets you set up alerts for new faxes, including email and text alerts, and create custom cover sheets. It’s an easy way to use eVoice without worrying about missing important features.

When it comes to the cost, each plan has a specific number of users:

1. Elite: $14 per user per month
2. Elite 6: $13 per user per month (for six users)
3. Elite 10: $10 per user per month (for ten users)
4. Elite 11: $13.50 per user per month (for 11 users)

Interestingly, the plan for ten users offers the lowest cost per user, which is unusual. Normally, virtual phone systems give better discounts as you add more people. Though the cost difference is small, it’s worth noting if you plan to have more than ten users.

For businesses looking for a virtual phone number that connects with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Google Voice is an excellent choice. It works on smartphones, desk phones, and computers. Google Voice is known for being simple to use with a straightforward setup process.

Google Voice makes managing billing, porting, and assigning numbers easy within Google Workspace. It connects with apps like Google Calendar and Google Meet. You can also make calls directly from Gmail using Google Voice. It provides a unique phone number for your Gmail calls, making it more recognizable to customers. The AI transcribes voicemails and filters out spam before calls connect. Additionally, there’s a “do not disturb” mode for times when users want to relax.

Pricing is separated into three plans:

Starter – $10 per user per month

1. Up to 10 users
2. Up to 10 domestic locations
3. Unlimited texting in the US
4. Call forwarding
5. 24/7 support

Standard – $20 per user per month

1. Unlimited users
2. Unlimited regional and domestic locations
3. SIP Link
4. Multi-level auto attendant
5. Ring groups

Premier – $30 per user per month

1. Unlimited international locations
2. Automatic call recording
3. Advanced BigQuery reporting

Google Voice is a simple and best virtual phone number service and should be used by people who love Google Workspace. If you’re familiar with other Google Apps, this will be an easy learning curve.

Choosing the right and best virtual phone number company involves considering a few important factors. If you understand these factors, making the right choice becomes much easier. Keep these considerations in mind when making your decision:

1. Setup Time: For established businesses, a quick onboarding process is crucial to avoid disruptions. Missing calls for an extended period can lead to lost sales and damaged client relationships. Avoid companies with a complicated onboarding process. Solopreneurs starting their first business line have more flexibility with setup time since they can continue using their cell number.
2. Hardware Obligations: Virtual phone number companies use hardware, software, or a mix of both. Starting businesses may prefer a software-only service, making onboarding simpler. Larger businesses with a physical location might lean towards hardware or a hybrid service for a more professional office setting.

2. Team Size: Consider your team’s size as a critical factor. Virtual phone number companies often specialize in different team sizes, and pricing scales based on the number of users. Larger teams should choose providers with features for big teams and user-based pricing. Smaller businesses should opt for companies catering to smaller audiences, often with usage-based pricing plans to save money. Be mindful of potential restrictions on the number of users allowed in entry-level plans, and anticipate how your needs might change over time. Adding more users could prompt a move to a higher plan tier.

Not all virtual phone number services provide the same types of numbers. If you need a specific type, like a local or toll-free 800 number, you should choose a provider that offers it. Some people might want a special vanity number. While many providers offer this for an extra cost, not all of them do. Check if you need extra lines or extensions and if the provider offers them.

Most people getting a virtual phone number want a new one, but some might want to keep their existing number and switch providers. If that’s the case, choose a company that can smoothly transfer your number without much downtime to avoid missing calls.

Regarding costs, many plans offer unlimited calling within the US and Canada, but understand how you’re being charged. You might have to pay extra for toll-free calls or SMS messaging. Some providers give free toll-free minutes, while others are better for businesses with high-volume messaging.

Billing structures vary; some charge per user, and others per line. For instance, Nextiva and RingCentral charge per user per month, while Grasshopper offers plans supporting unlimited users based on lines and extensions. Regardless of the billing structure, signing up for annual billing cycles instead of monthly payments can often save you money.

Picking a virtual phone number company is straightforward. Various companies cater to different needs, so consider the mentioned criteria before deciding. Nextiva stands out for its user-friendly interface and powerful features, making it a top choice for many organizations. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, Grasshopper is a great option. For specific industries like automotive, GoTo Connect offers tailored features worth considering. Keep it simple and choose the one that best fits your needs.