Best small business phone systems for 2024

Almost every company needs a phone system to connect with customers, clients, and colleagues. Even if your business already has one, you may need to upgrade it soon. Come January 2027, all landlines will stop working as the UK moves to a VoIP phone network.

According to our research, the best SME phone system is 8×8 X2. Its excellent suite of software / hardware options and range of integrations make it a solid all-round VoIP system.

Our researchers analysed over 15 phone system plans for UK small businesses, focusing on three key factors: telephone system costs, integrations, and scalability. We then crunched the data to produce our ranking of the top five options for SMEs to invest in or switch to:

Below, we list our pick of the best phone systems a small business can choose. Each has its own merits, and we’ll delve into more detail on each system in this page to help you choose.

Business phone systems: at-a-glance

If you need to make a speedy decision on a new business phone, you’ll need the right information at your fingertips. We’ve put together the below comparison table of our top-rated VoIP providers so you can compare fees, features, and benefits in one go.

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BEST OVERALL
Provider 8×8 X2	Provider Vonage Core	Provider bOnline Unlimited Calling	Provider Nuacom Unlimited	Provider GoTo Business
Best for Contact centres selling internationally	Best for Best for resource-stretched teams wanting a virtual receptionist	Best for Budget option with discounted IP handsets	Best for Managing remote sales teams	Best for Remote teams needing a good video conferencing tool
Pricing from Not shared publicly	Pricing from £18 per user, per month	Pricing from £13.95 per user, per month	Pricing from £24.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £15 per user, per month

Want to compare business telephone system costs head-to-head? Compare Costs

8×8 X2 Series: best for contact centres with operations abroad

8×8’s omnichannel approach to managing calls lets you record sales in the 8×8 platform, make on-the-go calls via the mobile app, and make video calls on top of the VoIP hardware.

8×8’s X2 plan is a unified communications solution that we think is also the best phone system for call centres. Its huge hardware and add-ons library makes it one of the best multi-channel tools to use, enabling companies to interact by voice, video, and live chat.

8×8’s desktop app allows users to design a complete work dashboard for agents to manage and monitor calls (including internationally). Alongside this, we also like that 8×8 also integrates with multiple communication channels, including CRM, so you can easily connect with customers wherever they live within your organisation’s database.

What’s included in the 8×8 business phone system?

Desktop app: 8×8 Work is a cloud-based software which runs as a desktop app on your computer. This includes a softphone (a virtual phone that mimics the functionality of a desk phone on your screen) as well as a user portal, from which agents can record calls, and gather analytics such as customer wait time.

Call quality is one key benefit that the 8×8 web app provides. Its network is backed by 99.999% uptime SLA and 35+ public and private data centres. That also means customer data is stored in a secure location that only your agents can access, reassuring you and your customers that the software meets rigorous compliance standards.

Integrations: 8×8 includes links with 12 CRM software brands (including Zoho, Pipedrive, and Freshdesk) and helpdesk integrations (including HubSpot and Salesforce). You’ll also be able to communicate internally with teammates thanks to third-party messaging apps like Slack and Telegram. Plus, X2 can also be used in conjunction with Microsoft Teams, giving you access to video conferencing technology for virtual meetings and 1-2-1s.

Mobile app: Every 8×8 plan comes with the 8×8 Work for Mobile app for your employees to add to their business mobile. Compatible with phones, tablets, and personal desktops, you can use it to chat, call, meet, share from anywhere. Managers can also access admin features through the 8×8 Mobile Admin app.

☎️ 8×8 equipment

8×8 is compatible with four premium phone equipment brands (two fewer than bOnline):

• Polycom
• Cisco
• Panasonic
• Yealink

8×8 users can sign up to the 8×8 Flex Program for discounted IP phone prices. This is a Device-as-a-Service (Daas) payment option that lets you lease equipment for your business, rather than buy the device outright. Prices start from $5 p/m (est. £4.50 p/m). Every plan comes with a five-year warranty, and the option to upgrade at any time.

8×8 pricing

8×8 has previously been very transparent with its pricing. However, in our latest round of research, carried out in October 2023, it stopped sharing its pricing information publicly.

Pricing starts from: 8×8 previously charged £19 per user, per month for its X2 plan, leaning towards the more expensive end of small business phone systems.

8×8 pros and cons

What small business is 8×8 best for?

8×8 is a smart fit for international call centres. Agents can utilise a range of products and integrations to tailor their workflow to different customer needs and time zones. Plus, the X2 plan comes with unlimited calling across 14 countries for low-cost global outreach.

Vonage Core: best for resource-stretched businesses looking for a good virtual receptionist

Every Vonage plan includes access to Vonage Meetings, a video conference service where in-meeting features allow you to chat, collaborate, and host roundtable discussions.

Vonage Core isn’t quite as comprehensive a business phone system as 8×8 X2. But its feature-filled desktop app means it can act as a whole other team member thanks to its excellent call handling features. Users can:

• Set user limits and create a call queue to handly high call volumes
• Build ring groups (so multiple phones ring when a business number is dialled)
• Call barge (join an existing call)
• Call whisper (managers can chat to agents on a call without customers knowing)

All of these features are designed to save on resources, which makes Vonage a really beneficial phone system for smaller teams wanting to make their budget go further. Plus, its own specialist video conferencing tool, Vonage Meetings, means users can host a significant portion of their internal communications direct on the platform.

What’s included in the Vonage business phone system?

Desktop app: Vonage’s main offering is its Vonage Business Communications (VBC) desktop app. Similar to 8×8, this is hosted over the web and can be accessed on Mac and PC. You’ll be given a softphone and access to a user portal. But, unlike 8×8, these calls won’t be free as data charges will apply to domestic calls. International calling is also not enabled.

That said, Vonage is really for managing incoming calls. It comes with lots of nifty perks designed to preserve resources, including call screening to quickly identify spam calls. You can also use it to chat to colleagues through Vonage’s video conferencing tool, Vonage Meetings, and group messaging features.

Integrations: Vonage Core, the system’s best plan for SMEs, charges UK users an undisclosed additional fee for integrations (unlike 8×8). This unlocks 9 CRM/helpdesk software add-ons, including HubSpot and Salesforce. Communication is better (businesses can integrate with Slack, Google Suite and Office 365 for free) but video integrations are lacking. Vonage Meetings means this shouldn’t be a problem for internal calls, but you won’t be able to host client meetings in-app.

Mobile app: The Vonage Business Communications Mobile app is available at every pricing tier and on iOS and Android. Link your business phone number to your mobile device, and you and your employees can make and receive free business calls using Vonage Meetings.

☎️ What hardware will I get?

Hardware: Like 8×8, Vonage does not provide its own phones for customers, but any phone bought through Vonage also comes with dedicated 24/7 support so you can get up and running faster. Vonage is compatible with three major telecoms brands:

• Polycom
• Panasonic
• Yealink

Vonage is less transparent about its third-party hardware pricing than 8×8. However, it does claim that prices are competitive.

Vonage pricing

Pricing for Vonage’s lowest-priced tier, Vonage Express, starts from £10 per user, per month. However, we recommend Vonage Core to benefit from all of the system’s best inbound comms features.

Pricing starts from: £18 per user, per month, making Vonage Core £1 cheaper than our top-rated system, 8×8.

Vonage pros and cons

What small business is Vonage best for?

We recommend Vonage Core to fast-growing, resource-stretched startups looking for a communication tool that can act as their very own virtual receptionist. Vonage Core is unrivalled when it comes to inbound communication features and scalability.

bOnline Unlimited Calling: best for those looking for a low-budget, low-featured solution

The bOnline dashboard lets you view your sales representatives track records when it comes to making, missing, and receiving calls.

bOnline is the ultimate budget phone system for small businesses, with a Starter plan that costs just £7 per user, per month. But it’s the bOnline Unlimited Calling package that we like best, thanks to its plethora of features and hardware bundles that makes it a genuine all-in-one business comms solution – without the hidden fees of rivals like Vonage.

What’s included in the bOnline Unlimited Calling business phone system?

Desktop app: The bOnline desktop app is great for inbound communication. Its softphone solution offers HD quality and a decent list of features, including unlimited calling, call recording, and voicemail-to-text. A user portal also automates analytics dashboards to give your agents information on everything from time of day call analytics and missed call logs.

Telesales teams stay away. bOnline’s outbound call features leave something to be desired. Dialling features are not offered within the softphone, and our experts were also not impressed by bOnline’s security features. Its lack of compliance certification makes it a poor choice for storing sensitive client information, like bank details.

Integrations: Like Vonage Core, the bOnline Unlimited Calling system charges an additional fee for two major integrations: CRM and helpdesk. However, unlike Vonage, it is much more transparent about the costs. Users must pay an additional £5 per month to access third-party add-ons like HubSpot and Zoho CRM.

This is where the fun stops, however, as the bOnline system offers few other capabilities with no live chat or web conferencing integrations available. This will make it difficult to align bOnline with your existing suite of business communicate tools.

Mobile app: The bOnline mobile app is available for both Android and iOS, and is as comprehensive as Vonage and 8×8. It also offers a good level of administration management, although not as much as 8×8, which recently updated its offering with the 8×8 Mobile Admin.

☎️ bOnline equipment

Hardware: bOnline is the only provider to offer a desk phone as part of its pricing tier with the bOnline Unlimited Calling + IP Phone plan (£15.50 per month). On this plan, users can integrate the system with a desk phone from the top seven premium providers:

• Panasonic
• Yealink
• Polycom
• Aastra
• Alcatel
• AudioCodes
• Htek.

bOnline Unlimited Calling + IP Phone plan costs £15.50 per month, which looks fair when you consider the cost of a new phone like the Yealink T42U (around £80 + VAT). bOnline is also the only brand on this list to also provide broadband. SMEs can bundle their bOnline phone system with the BT Open Network for just £32.90 + VAT a month.

bOnline pricing

We like bOnline’s pricing transparency. As firms grapple to keep overheads low, bOnline doesn’t hide how much it charges, unlike 8×8. You can choose to opt for bOnline Standard (£7 per user, per month), although this comes with certain limitations including a cap on outbound calls. We’d recommend bOnline Unlimited Calling instead.

Pricing starts from: £13.95 per user, per month, making bOnline cheaper overall than Vonage Core and 8×8.

bOnline pros and cons

What small business is bOnline Unlimited Calling best for?

bOnline is a great option for small business owners looking for a smart, budget solution to their business phone system. By purchasing the bOnline Unlimited Calling + IP desk phone tier, SMEs can bundle their hardware and software into one streamlined payment plan.

Nuacom Unlimited: best for managing remote sales teams with 2+ employees

Nuacom Unlimited is available across mobile, computer, and desk phone (the latter of which you’ll get free with every plan).

Nuacom Unlimited is the only phone system on this list to offer a free desk phone with every plan purchased. That instantly makes it an excellent choice for sales firms, which typically have larger workforces and require more hardware and headsets than any other industry.

Combined with a free IP phone, however, Nuacom Unlimited also boasts other hardware and software perks which make it an excellent choice for outbound comms. It’s pricing may not be transparent, but the payoff is Nuacom’s superb telesales features.

What’s included in the Nuacom business phone system?

Desktop app: For sales teams, Nuacom Unlimited is the ideal choice. Its softphone allows users to set caller ID and create custom call lists for targeted outreach. Plus, agents can set up an auto-attendant with a professional greeting message, and use the system’s clever notes feature to summarise call content.

For managers overseeing large teams of sales reps, Nuacom boasts admin controls including the ability to set teams, departments, and branches. User permissions can also control which team member in these groups has access to a call. Plus, bosses can listen to call transcripts, to evaluate employees’ phone manners.

Integrations: Nuacom Unlimited is, ironically, limited when it comes to integrations. It won’t charge for CRM and helpdesk integrations (unlike Vonage and bOnline) there is only one option available for sales and service teams: HubSpot. Communication integrations tell a similar story, as Slack and Google Workspace are the only options available.

Mobile app: Unlike rivals like Vonage, the Nuacom Unlimited phone system is hosted seamlessly across both the desktop and mobile app. That means all calls are saved, recorded, and can be listened to on-the-go, directly from the mobile app.

☎️ Nuacom equipment

Hardware: Nuacom allows business users to purchase third-party desk phones from five premium providers:

• Fanvil
• Cisco
• Yealink
• Polycom
• Jabra

Every Nuacom plan includes a free Fanvil X3SP desk phone (RRP £50) with a HD voice microphone/speaker, plus noise reduction functionality; an excellent deal for sales businesses which need to purchase hardware for multiple sales reps. Nuacom’s full hardware pricing list is available online. Expect to pay around £100 for handsets.

Nuacom pricing

Nuacom doesn’t need to be an expensive brand (Nuacom Essentials costs just £9.99 per user, per month) but we recommend sales teams invest in Nuacom Unlimited. It’s a pricier plan, but worth it if you want to access Nuacom’s USP: its outbound communication features.

Pricing starts from: Nuacom Unlimited costs £24.99 per user, per month. That means it has increased by a substantial amount since 2023 (around £10 per plan).

Nuacom pros and cons

What small business is Nuacom best for?

Sales teams wanting an affordable outreach solution. SMEs will get access to unlimited domestic calls, advanced outbound comms features, plus a free desk phone with every plan.

GoTo Business: best for remote teams needing a good video conferencing tool

The GoTo Connect bundle includes a softphone, mobile app, and IP phone integration

GoTo Business is the go-to for businesses (get it?) that need a suite of internal communication tools to manage remote teams. For employees that might work from multiple locations, such as digital nomads, GoTo Business offers a premium hot desking feature for users to share office phones and workstations by logging in to any device using their GoTo account.

What’s included in the GoTo business phone system?

Desktop app: GoTo’s desktop app is also called GoTo Connect. It has the traditional softphone, as well as a suite of core tools to manage departments, tasks, and workload from one centralised hub. But its management features are the standout, as the GoTo user portal simplifies admin controls.

GoTo’s team messaging and one-click video conferencing tools making it easy to arrange ad hoc meetings. Screen sharing also reduces barriers between remote workers and managers, while sensitive messaging is kept secure with encryption. Plus, with the GoTo Standard plan, you’ll have access to real-time analytics to track call count, time of day, call duration, caller geography, and call information.

Integrations: While it may not offer as many partnerships as rivals like 8×8, GoTo does permit integrations for a number of key business priorities including CRM (Salesforce and Zendesk), helpdesk (Zoho Desk), email (Microsoft Outlook), and internal live chat (Microsoft Teams).

Mobile app: You can use GoTo on any device and work from anywhere with its mobile app (available on Android and iOS). Employees also have the ability to port their number through a ring group to ensure important calls are never missed when they step away from your computer or desk phone. 

☎️ GoTo equipment

GoTo is compatible with just over 180 desk phones from the three VoIP phone providers:

• Cisco
• Polycom
• Yealink

GoTo’s hardware is more expensive than rivals (GoTo charges around £400 for a brand new Polycom VVX 601) but it does have more advanced phones available. GoTo also offers its own unique video conferencing hardware called GoTo Room. This can be rolled out across your office, and integrated with Google or Office 365 Calendar.

GoTo pricing

GoTo Professional (£9.99 per user, per month) is a good option for smaller teams of fewer than 10, but you will find it lacks many of the managerial features that had us singing its praises, including being able to lock meetings, record meetings, or create tailored onboarding courses. These are instead available on GoTo Business, our recommend plan for SMEs.

Pricing starts from: £15 per user, per month, making GoTo Business a middle-of-the-road system on the business phone cost spectrum.

GoTo pros and cons

What small business is GoTo best for?

GoTo is more of an internal communications system than an external one. It is best-suited to companies with multiple branches or employee bases across the UK and in need of a video and phone system that can keep them working closely as a team.

How we evaluate and test our business phone systems

All of our review guides are written by humans and based on extensive testing and research. Our team of experts worked alongside an independent analyst to spend weeks using each system and applying it to specific business scnearios.

We update our research at least once a year to ensure our advice is trustworthy and aligned with sector trends. We also combine our findings with insights from real small business users for an extra trust layer. Our criteria covers:

• Call features to judge how well it suits specific needs
• Additional communication methods such as video or text
• Training features to bring new hires up-to-speed
• Integrations with software and hardware
• Customer support to help users who encounter an issue
• Security features to protect calls and data
• Pricing to evaluate the provider’s value for money

Buying guide: how to choose the best phone system

Every business has different phone system requirements. Some firms need to ensure their system has a mobile app because their staff are out on the road. Other offices won’t need this if they have strict rules on contacting staff out of hours.

VoIP systems offer the most flexibility when it comes to designing a phone system that suits you. That’s because they offer a full suite of hardware and software choices, compared to outdated landlines. In our reviews above, we’ve discussed each provider’s:

• Desktop app (including softphone and user portal)
• Mobile app
• Software integrations
• Desk phones

You can safely assume that every provider has all of the above. But what truly distinguishes a system is its feature allowance, which can influence things like scalability, suitability, and pricing model. Here are five things to look for when comparing VoIP phone systems:

1. Assess your business needs and usage patterns – think about how, and how often, you will use a business phone system. Determine the number of users that your organisation will need to add to a plan, the frequency of calls you will make per day, and special features you may need. As well, consider your software licenses. If the workforce is reliant on HubSpot, it would make sense to find a system that integrates with HubSpot.

2. Evaluate pricing models and costs – compare each provider’s pricing plans based on monthly subscriptions, hardware costs, and additional features. Consider factors like your business size, call volume, and growth plans to determine the most cost-effective option. Some plans can include free or discounted hardware; another potential perk to look out for. Many also offer cheaper fees if you choose an annual, rather than monthly, contract.

3. Research provider reliability and customer support – check online reviews, customer feedback, and industry rankings to judge the reliability of a provider. Most will advertise their Service Level Agreement (SLA) which commits to a certain level of uptime. Another tip? Evaluate their customer support options. Brands with live chat or phone support will be more likely to give you prompt assistance when it’s needed.

4. Test the VoIP software and hardware – many VoIP providers (including 8×8) offer free trials or demos to allow you to test their software and hardware before committing. Use trials to evaluate call quality, features, ease of use, and compatibility with your existing devices and infrastructure. Following these test runs, seek feedback from employees who have been using the system regularly to check you have gained their buy-in.

5. Consider scalability and future growth – it pays to be prepared. If, in future, you expect to expand your team or increase its call volume, select a scalable solution that can easily add new features without requiring major upgrades or hardware replacements. 8×8 is a great option for this reason; it allows business users to upgrade their desk phones at any time so agents will always have the latest model.

What do I do next?

Each phone system listed in this guide has its unique benefits and features. Nonetheless, our overall winner is the 8×8 X2 Series. Not only is it a reliable, trusted brand for contact centres, it also boasts the widest range of integrations to fit alongside your small business toolset.

• Vonage Core for small startups needing an automated receptionist
• bOnline Unlimited Calling for tight budgets
• Nuacom Unlimited for sales teams, with great outbound comms
• GoTo Business for managing staff (especially hybrid and remote teams)

Now you feel confident about the providers that can help your company, it’s time to choose the right one for you. Simply click on our free comparison form and fill out a few simple questions. In one minute, you’ll be on the way to installing one of the best business phone systems in the UK.