The best UK VoIP providers for small businesses

Our in-house research team has worked rigorously to determine the top VoIP providers in the UK. Analysis across eight different providers lead to us determining that bOnline’s Unlimited Calling package is the best VoIP option for small businesses, thanks to its excellent value for money.

By 2027, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is due to be switched off, and all businesses will need to move to a VoIP-based provider. That’s why we’ve selected each provider’s best plan for small businesses, so you can compare the right options for you straight away, with our choices based on the budgets and needs of SMEs.

If you’d like to compare full systems including compatible phones, visit our page for the best small business telephone systems.

The best VoIP providers: comparison table

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BEST ALL ROUND
Provider bOnline	Provider RingCentral	Provider Dialpad	Provider GoTo	Provider Google Voice	Provider NBC Cloud Voice
Best for A budget-friendly VoIP provider	Best for Improving customer service	Best for Small customer service teams	Best for Multiple locations	Best for Google Workspace users	Best for Call centres who need unlimited minutes
Pricing from £7 per user, per month	Pricing from £12.99 per user, per month (paid annually)	Pricing from £12 per user, per month (billed annually)	Pricing from Bespoke	Pricing from $10 per user, per month (Google Voice is only priced in US dollars)	Pricing from £9.99 per user, per month
Get Quotes	Get Quotes	Get Quotes	Get Quotes	Get Quotes	Get Quotes

You can get quotes from leading UK VoIP providers using our free custom built cost tool Get Quotes

Video: what you need to know about the top VoIP providers

Short on time? Watch our Reviews Writer explain our favourite VoIP options in just three minutes:

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1. bOnline: best budget-friendly VoIP provider

Recommended plan: Unlimited Calling

bOnline

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• Starting price from: £7, per user, per month

• Unlimited Calling plan is good for startups doing lots of cold calling
• Great for new businesses who need lots of features for a small cost
• Low cost starter plan is solid option for micro-businesses

Summary bOnline is a UK-based telecommunications company that specializes in providing solutions specifically with a small business marketplace in mind. With a focus in low-cost, easy solutions, bOnline make the claim to be "the most awarded business VoIP phone for UK businesses with 1-5 employees".

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Why is bOnline a top provider?

We chose bOnline as our number one provider because of its excellent value for money: alongside unlimited UK calls, it provides big features at a small price.

It’s also a great option if you’re looking for a first-time VoIP system. It’s fast and easy to set up, taking around two minutes, and it needs no engineering or installation fees.

How much does it cost?

The Unlimited Calling plan provides exactly what its name promises. There’s currently a promo where you can get the first six months for just £9.95 + VAT per user, per month (on a 12-month contract).

Considering you get unlimited UK mobile and landline calls, as well as 45 calling features, as part of the package, that’s pretty unbeatable value.

What are the key features?

We’ve highlighted the crucial features you’ll get with bOnline Unlimited Calling below:

What are the downsides of bOnline?

Bear in mind that bOnline lacks the advanced security layers the other providers offer, as it doesn’t provide multi-factor authentication. If your business is particularly security conscious, Google Voice might be a better option for you.

What software can I use it with?

bOnline connects with popular software including MS Dynamics, Salesforce and HubSpot – but it costs an extra £9 per month to integrate this software with your VoIP plan.

2. RingCentral: best for improving customer satisfaction

Recommended plan: Standard

RingCentral

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• Starting price from: £12.99, per user, per month

• A range of plans that can suit a wide variety of businesses of different sizes
• Good for growing businesses that need streamlined internal communications
• Great for customer-service focused businesses

Summary Based in California, RingCentral provides cloud-based communication and collaboration products and services, including a cloud-based business phone system. Founded in 1999, it has grown to now serve over 400,000 customers worldwide and is available in 46 countries.

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What makes RingCentral a top provider?

RingCentral helps combine your business phone system with a range of other communication platforms, like team chat and WhatsApp. This allows your staff to seamlessly collaborate, and gives you the option to contact your customers through their preferred channels.

We also consider RingCentral to have the strongest user support options available, including 24/7 unlimited chat and phone support. So if you offer all-hours support to your clients, for example, then this cold be invaluable in an emergency.

How much does it cost?

The key point you’ll need to factor in: RingCentral is one of the few providers on this list that doesn’t provide unlimited calling at this price level. If unlimited minutes is a must-have then bOnline and Dialpad will be better options for you.

What are the key features?

RingCentral Standard excels in combining sophisticated call management tools with a wide range of communication methods. We’ve provided a highlight of the key features:

What are the downsides of RingCentral?

While RingCentral does provide a decent range of communication options, we would have liked to have seen it include SMS, which Dialpad and GoTo both provide.

What software can I use it with?

On the standard plan or higher, RingCentral offers a large ecosystem of integrations, covering everything from analytics to AI.

3. Dialpad: best for small customer service teams

Recommended plan: Pro

Dialpad

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• Starting price from: £12, per user, per month

• Good for small businesses who need help managing high call volumes
• Compatibility with four types of desk phone
• Can integrate with Salesforce, Hubspot, and Zendesk

Summary Dialpad is aimed at both small and large companies, and is using communications AI to provide unified products. They have a global reach, with 11 offices around the world, and serve 30,000 customers including big names like Xero.

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Why makes Dialpad a top provider?

Dialpad Pro offers a full package of call management features that can help small to medium customer service teams seamlessly handle high numbers of calls.

To help your customer service team perform to a high standard, you’ll benefit from features like:

• AI-powered real-time call transcripts
• Quality-of-service reports
• Automatic spam call detection

How much does it cost?

Dialpad Pro isn’t the cheapest plan – it’s roughly about average – but  alongside GoTo Connect it offers the strongest call management features on this list. 

What are the key features?

Dialpad Pro should give your customer service team everything they need to handle high call volumes, and alongside GoTo, it’s also one of the only providers on the list to offer SMS. Here’s a breakdown of the key features:

What are the downsides of Dialpad?

The big thing to keep in mind is that the max number of participants that are supported on a video call is 10. So, if you’re planning on hosting video calls with large teams, we’d recommend looking at NBC or bOnline instead.

What can it integrate with?

Dialpad Pro can integrate with a solid range of big name software, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zendesk, Slack, Salesforce and others.

Just be aware that if you’re using more niche software, RingCentral may be more likely to have the integration you need.

4. GoTo Connect: best for companies with multiple locations

Suggested plan: Phone System 

GoTo Connect

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• Starting price from: Quote-based

• Good for medium-sized businesses to unify their communications
• Helps communication between businesses in different locations
• Compatible with over five brands of desk phone

Summary Based in Boston, Massachusetts, GoTo is a software as a service company that launched its cloud-based phone system and customer engagement software GoTo Connect in 2022.

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Why makes GoTo a top provider?

GoTo Connect provides an impressive suite of call management features, as well as AI tools like meeting summaries, which we recommend as being best suited to a more medium-sized operation.

The smart call routing and ring groups can help your staff and customers quickly get a hold of colleagues who are based in separate offices. Another standout feature is the international calling: you can make and receive calls from over 50 countries for free.

How much does it cost?

GoTo Connect can provide you with a bespoke quote. Our tip would be to contrast this against the pricing we’ve provided for competitors, to get a general idea of what a reasonable cost would be.

What are the key features?

GoTo Connect provides the widest range of communication channels out of the providers we analysed, and you can find a breakdown of the key features in the table below:

What are the downsides of GoTo?

The only major downside is that you’re limited to 1,000 free minutes per month, which are shared across all your users. If having unlimited domestic minutes is a must-have for you, jump down to NBC Cloud Voice instead.

What software can I use with it?

GoTo MarketPlace is the designated integrations store, where you can find programmes like Zapier, Slack and Salesforce and HubSpot. More technically advanced operations can use GoTo’s development centre to build their own APIs.

5. Google Voice: best for Google Workspace users

Recommended plan: Standard

Google Voice

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• Starting price from: $10, per user, per month (Google Voice pricing is only provided in US dollars)

• A low-cost option for Google Workspace users
• Solid spam prevention tools
• Free calls to the US

Summary Google Voice is a VoIP solution provided by Google that was previously only available in the US. Now businesses in the UK can access Google Voice as a paid add-on to Google Workspace.

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What makes Google Voice a top provider?

If you’re already using Google Workspace day-to-day for your business, then using Google Voice as your VoIP provider is something of a no-brainer. It’ll be simple to integrate into your existing workflow, and you’ll get set up quickly.

You’ll also get access to some pretty impressive security features. It has some powerful spam filtering technology, which can help put a stop to any nuisance calls that are slowing down your staff.

How much does it cost?

Google Voice’s pricing is only presented in US dollars.

While it might be an easy, low-cost option for Google Workspace users, we wouldn’t recommend signing your business up to Workspace just to use Google Voice as your VoIP provider.

We’ve included Google Workspace’s pricing, so you can work out the total cost:

What are the key features?

Google Voice Standard gives you access to a solid range of features and unlimited domestic minutes at a cost-effective price, including the below:

Are there any limitations?

Google Voice is a little less equipped to handle high volumes of calls (it’s missing features like call queues and call flip). This makes it less suitable for customer service teams – Dialpad will be a better option. And some features are only available in the US.

What software can I use with it?

This is unfortunately a big blindspot for Google Voice. Outside of a forum answer confirming that Salesforce is compatible, there’s little evidence of what software integrations Google Voice can support.

6. NBC Cloud Voice: best for call centres needing unlimited calls at no extra cost

Recommended plan: Enterprise

NBC Cloud Voice

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• Starting price from: £9.99, per user, per month

• Low-cost entry level tier for businesses just starting out
• Unlimited calling with the Enterprise and Mobility plans
• Can help small businesses manage large call volumes

Summary National Business Communications is a UK based telecoms company that is specifically geared towards helping small businesses. Cloud Voice is its VoIP technology, and is backed by the BroadSoft solution by Cisco.

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Why did we pick this provider?

NBC Cloud Voice’s Enterprise plan provides a solid suite of call management features. It offers almost everything you’ll need to stay on top of high call volumes, including:

• Call queues
• Out-of-house management
• Call flows
• Multi-site support

You do also get the option to pay for additional advanced features, like an AI auto-attendant (from £2.99 per month) or call recording (which is an extra £5 per month).

How much does it cost?

The Enterprise plan represents one of the more costly mid-tier options, but you do get unlimited UK landline and mobile calls built into the package, and the option for a handset starting at an extra £5 per month.

What are the key features?

NBC Cloud Voice Enterprise provides a solution to a very common problem amongst SMEs: managing high call volumes without breaking the bank. It does this with over 40 features. We’ve highlighted the key specs below:

What are the downsides of NBC Cloud Voice?

The Cloud Voice Enterprise plan only comes with a desktop app, not a mobile app. You only get the Cloud Voice mobile app if you pay for the most expensive plan: Complete Mobility.

So if you’re looking for a more affordable plan that includes a mobile app, we’d recommend bOnline instead.

What software can I use with it?

NBC Cloud Voice is unfortunately limited when it comes to integrations. The Enterprise plan allows for integration with Microsoft and Google, but that’s about it.

RingCentral is compatible with a much more varied range of software, so if you’re looking to integrate CRM or helpdesk, it’ll be a better provider for your needs.

Buying guide: how to choose a VoIP provider

By January 2027, all traditional landline phones will be replaced by VoIP telephone lines in the Big Switch Off. But different businesses have different needs. Some smaller businesses might just want a simple app-based virtual landline, for example.

You still need to know what to look for in an overall VoIP provider, though. Here are the main factors to consider:.

• Step 1. Decide on your “must-haves”: there are basic call features that every business will need (like voicemail), but other tools you should keep in mind are: desktop and mobile apps, software integrations to improve workflow, training tools to increase staff efficiency and shorten onboarding time, and strong help and support options.
• Step 2. Decide on a budget: going for the cheapest option isn’t always the best idea. You might need to splash out on more advanced features, like analytics and reporting. Or it may be worth opting for a more expensive plan that includes unlimited minutes.
• Step 3. Think about communication channels: you’ll need to think about both your internal and external communication channels. Is video conferencing a critical part of your day-to-day communications? How do you want to be able to contact your customers?
• Step 4. Consider contract length: running a startup is always a tumultuous prospect, so we’d recommend looking for shorter term contracts. You don’t want to be locked into an agreement that you won’t actually end up using. VoIP providers tend to sell contracts on a 12 or 24-month basis.

Read next: Essential guide to business telephone and mobile numbers UK

Our methodology

Our dedicated research team conducted a detailed survey to give us a better understanding of our users’ communication needs.

This, alongside our team’s industry expertise, has helped us to identify the eight most important factors small businesses should consider when choosing a VoIP provider:

• Call management: features for handling calls
• Pricing: cost and value for money
• Hardware integrations: the types of phones and devices it can be used with
• Software integrations: what other applications it can be used with
• Communication channels: which other types of communication are provided
• Training features: assistance with onboarding staff
• Security options: the measures in place to protect your sensitive data
• Help and support: the range of support options that are available

Do you want more information on taking calls online and how it works? You can head over to our dedicated article on what VoIP actually is.

In summary

bOnline is our top recommendation for small businesses looking for a VoIP provider. Its Unlimited Calling plan manages to combine an array of calling features with unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, while still remaining cost-effective.

Though just keep in mind there could be a provider that makes more sense for your specific workflow. For example, if you’re already using Google Workspace then Google Voice will be a quick and simple solution.