The 5 best small business phone systems

With the Big Switch Off fast approaching in January 2027, it’s time for all businesses to leave traditional landlines in the past and move to a digital business phone system. Generally speaking, this consists of one of the best VoIP providers, a desk phone (if you need it), and a VoIP app.

Based on our in-depth research, we’ve determined that bOnline’s Unlimited Calling package is the best business phone system for small businesses. It’s great value for money, with unlimited domestic minutes, and some solid call management features. If this is your first phone system, it’s definitely the way to go.

Of course, every business will have unique needs and pain points, and so we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best business phone systems and what their USPs are. Check out our roundup below to find which will be the best fit for you.

The best small business phone systems: comparison table

Swipe right to see more

0 out of 0

• backward
• forward

BEST OVERALL
Provider bOnline Unlimited Calling	Provider GoTo Connect, Phone System	Provider RingCentral Standard	Provider Google Business Standard, Google Voice	Provider NBC Cloud Voice Enterprise
Pricing from £9.95 per user, per month	Pricing from £18 per month	Pricing from £19.99 per user, per month	Pricing from $20 per user, per month (Google Voice is only priced in US dollars)	Pricing from £17.99 per user, per month
Inbound communication features: Call recording Call monitoring Call queues	Inbound communication features: Unlimited call routing Auto attendants Ring groups	Inbound communication features: Voicemail-to-email Call recording Call monitoring	Inbound communication features: Google AI helps to block spam calls Transcribes voicemails to texts automatically Call forwarding	Inbound communication features: Call queues Call forwarding Call flows
Outbound communication features: Unlimited UK minutes per user	Outbound communication features: SMS functionality CRM compatibility with Salesforce, Zoho, and Zendesk	Outbound communication features: 750 minutes of domestic outbound comms Call conferencing	Outbound communication features: Free calls to anywhere in the US Free calls between Google Voice numbers	Outbound communication features: Team messaging Unlimited UK calling
Click to try Get Quotes	Click to try Get Quotes	Click to try Get Quotes	Click to try Get Quotes	Click to try Get Quotes

1.  bOnline Unlimited Calling: best value for money

bOnline

Get Quotes

• 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".

Show moreless

How much does it cost?

In many ways, bOnline offers the best value for money of all the providers we evaluated. Its Unlimited Calling tier does exactly what it says on the tin: for a very competitive per user price, you get unlimited domestic minutes. Normally £13.95 per month, you can currently get a six-month promo of the platform for just £9.95 on a 12 month contract, and it’s a 12-month promo on a 24 month contract.

This bargain price does come at the cost of some sophisticated extras, like Call Flip for example (where you can transfer a live call without having to put any of the parties on hold). But if you’re on the lookout for a solid starter system that gives you unlimited domestic calling, we’re happy to recommend bOnline as a fantastic entry-level option.

What are the pros?

• bOnline’s Unlimited Calling plan should be your first choice if you’re just getting started with a business phone system, and you need a basic option that gets the job done without breaking the bank.
• It’s great value for money, and doesn’t sacrifice the core functions you want from a phone system. You still get HD voice quality, call recording on-demand, call reporting, out of hours management, and desk phone compatibility.

What are the cons?

• bOnline is compatible with Yealink phones only. This won’t matter so much if you’re getting up and running for the first time, as bOnline can provide these phones. But you might want to look at GoTo instead if you need help integrating your existing hardware.
• the Unlimited Calling plan is missing multi-factor authentication, so if having the highest level of security is a priority for you, we’d recommend taking a look at Google Voice instead.

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

☎️ Which handsets should I get?

You’ll be limited to Yealink phones only with this system, but these can be bought directly from bOnline as part of your phone system setup.

As we’re recommending bOnline’s Unlimited Calling plan as a budget-friendly starter option, you’re probably best off providing your team with a simple Yealink UH34 headset. A solid low-cost option for customer service teams, they cost only £35 (plus VAT) each.

If you do want the reliability of a traditional desk phone, we’d say to go with the Yealink T31P SIP Desk Phone, a standard entry-level option you can pick up for just £47 (plus VAT).

2. RingCentral Standard: best all-in-one solution

RingCentral

Get Quotes

• 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.

Show moreless

How much does it cost?

RingCentral’s Standard plan is a good value option. It’s one of the cheaper plans in this roundup. However, there is a caveat to this… aside from GoTo Connect, RingCentral’s Standard is the only package on this list that doesn’t come with unlimited minutes. You are limited to 250 inbound minutes and 750 outbound minutes per month.

What are the pros?

• For our money, RingCentral’s Standard plan is the best option for streamlining your communications on a large scale. It includes the core features you might expect, like call screening and call queues, but it also comes with a range of different internal communication methods like team chat, video conferencing, and popular business messaging platforms.
• Combining call features with communication platforms means your staff can collaborate effortlessly with one another, and provide excellent customer service to your customer base. Our latest round of research shows that, more than ever, businesses rely on a range of communication channels, not just a phone line, and RingCentral is a great choice for keeping all these choices under one roof.

What are the cons?

• RingCentral Standard provides some excellent features, but the limited minutes might be a dealbreaker for you. If you want a platform that provides unlimited domestic calling for roughly the same monthly price per user, we’d recommend looking at bOnline Unlimited Calling instead.
• Unfortunately, while it does come with an impressive range of communication channels, there is no SMS function (take a look at GoTo Connect instead if you need this).

RingCentral’s unified RingEX Business Phone System software. Source: ringcentral.com

☎️ Which handsets should I get?

RingCentral has its own certified phones that easily fit into its system and work straight away, without any compatibility headaches.

We’d recommend the Yealink T33G as an entry-level VoIP handset featuring a colour screen and HD voice. You can purchase one outright for £81.

If you want to move up to something slightly more advanced, you can pick up the Yealink T43U for £119. This has dual USB ports for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongles, and uses an OPUS codec, which guarantees higher sound quality.

3. Dialpad Pro: best for managing high call volumes

Dialpad

Get Quotes

• 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 intregrate 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.

Show moreless

How much does it cost?

Dialpad is one of the more expensive options on this list, especially if you elect to pay monthly. At nearly £30 per user, per month, this will add up quickly if you need to sign a lot of your staff members up. It is extremely feature-rich and comes with unlimited domestic minutes, so you do get your money’s worth, but it might price out smaller businesses.

What are the pros?

• Dialpad’s Pro plan excels in handling a large number of inbound calls thanks to its full range of software features. It’s the strongest system on this list for call management, and with call queues, call blocking, ring groups, call forwarding and call flip, Dialpad Pro has everything you’ll need to stay on top of an onslaught of incoming enquiries.
• It also provides an impressive range of communication channels, including call conferencing, team messaging, SMS, and video conferencing. Do keep in mind that you’re maxed out at 10 users on your video calls. So, if you have a large staff that needs to jump on video calls regularly, this might not be the best option — bOnline Unlimited will have you covered instead.

What are the cons?

• While it can support integrations with some big-name CRM and helpdesk solutions (Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot and ServiceNow) you won’t be able to connect with some more obscure CRM and Helpdesk platforms on the Pro plan. RingCentral can integrate with a wider range of more niche systems.
• Dialpad Pro does not come with the reassurance of an uptime guarantee. You’ll need to upgrade to the Enterprise plan to get a 100% guarantee.

☎️ Which handsets should I get?

Dialpad supports a wide range of select phones from Obihai, Polycom, and Yealink, which you can purchase directly from Dialpad.

We would suggest using the Yealink T33G as a low-cost starter phone (if you shop around you can find these generally between £40 to £70), or the Poly OBi Edition VVX range (these generally fall between the £100 to £200 mark) if you want something slightly more mid-range.

We’re recommending these phones in particular as Dialpad advises that these models are best supported by its phone system. While other manufacturers and models are compatible, it will take a little more effort to get them set up and integrated.

4. Google Voice Standard: best for Google Workspace users

Google Voice

Get Quotes

• 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.

Show moreless

How much does it cost?

Google Voice is only available to Google Workspace customers. You can get a Workspace Business Starter account for £5 per month, Business Standard for £10 per month, or Business Plus for £15 per month. Just keep in mind that these are priced per user, and it’s billed annually. This will be in addition to Google Voice’s per-user monthly cost, so if you choose this system, it will entail two separate charges.

What are the pros?

• If you’re already signed up for Google Workspace, this one is a no-brainer. You’ll be able to easily sign up to Google Voice, and a big benefit of using it as your business phone system is that you get unlimited domestic calls, but you can call the US for free from any country!
• One of Google Voice’s Standard plan’s standout features is its highly effective spam filtering, which will help you cull some of those annoying nuisance calls. If your team suffers from a large amount of unwanted cold calls, Google Voice is a great defence against them.

What are the cons?

• While it might be good at blocking spam calls, Google Voice’s Standard plan is  slightly less adept at handling large volumes of calls, as it doesn’t come with call queues.
• The Standard plan also has limited integrations with CRM software. It’s a simple solution for Workspace users, but a more sophisticated operation would do better with Dialpad Pro.

Google Voice is an easy option for those already using Google Workspace. Source: voice.google.com

☎️ Which handsets should I get?

Something to be aware of is that Google Voice is only compatible with a select number of Poly handsets.

The desk phones and ATAs you can use with Google Voice are:

• Poly ATA 400 and 402
• Poly Edge B10, B20, and B30
• Poly OBi 300 and 302
• Poly VVX OBi Edition 150, 250, 350, and 450

If you just need a cheap and basic option to get you started with making calls, the Poly Edge B10 has a bargain-basement price for a starter handset (you can usually find them for around the £30 mark).

If you’re willing to splash out on more professional grade equipment, then the Poly VVX range will be more your speed. Just be aware that you’ll be spending hundreds of pounds per handset.

5. GoTo Connect Phone System: best for simplifying your communication channels

GoTo Connect

Get Quotes

• Starting price from: £18, per user, per month

• 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.

Show moreless

How much does it cost?

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for us to advise on the cost of GoTo Connect because they don’t publicly list their pricing structure. They offer a bespoke custom quote based service.

What are the pros?

• Our research found that GoTo Connect’s Phone System is an ideal service if you’re looking to improve internal communication in your business. This is because it combines a great range of call management features (call routing and ring groups, for example) with an excellent fleet of communication channels.
• Ring groups in particular are a helpful tool for your employees to more efficiently find their colleagues who are based in other offices. So, if your organisation is spread across the map, GoTo Connect is a smart choice for you. With specific plans you also can make and receive calls between over 50 countries! Which is a pretty standout feature, but just make sure it’s included with your package.
• GoTo Connect is tied with Dialpad Pro as having one of the strongest ranges of communication methods out of the providers. It has video and call conferencing, team messaging, and along with RingCentral Standard it’s one of the few systems that offers E-fax. It’s also one of the only systems on this list to offer an SMS function (aside from Dialpad Pro).

What are the cons?

• This won’t be the best bet for big customer service teams (or those who want to scale their customer service departments in the future) as GoTo Connect is limited to a handful of CRM integrations. RingCentral will be a better option if you need to integrate one of a more niche range of CRM options.
• Unfortunately, GoTo Connect does not offer unlimited free minutes — you’ll get 1,000 free minutes per month, to be shared between all users.

GoTo Connect software and range of desk phones can help you streamline communications. 

☎️ Which handsets should I get?

A big benefit of using GoTo Connect Phone System is that it supports a wide range of compatible phones.

So if you already have deskphones, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to integrate them with your GoTo Connect phone system. Just make sure you check its website to see if your phone is compatible, or ask GoTo directly for help with this.

If you don’t already have a phone, we’d recommend going with the Cisco IP range. The Cisco IP 7841 is an affordable, easy-to-use four line handset aimed at moderately active business users. They can fluctuate in price, so shop around to find yourself the best deal. You should be able to pick one up for less than £100.

Read more: Our essential guide to business telephone and mobile numbers in the UK

Buying guide: how to choose a phone system for your small business

There’s more to consider than just sorting out a phone line for your operation. Different businesses have different needs, and this applies to your phone system as well. A business with a large customer call centre will most likely need headsets for all its staff, while for a business with staff that travel frequently, a mobile app could be essential.

Compared to outdated traditional landlines, VoIP business phone systems offer a tonne of flexibility and customisation. You have the option of a full suite of executive level handsets and fully-decked out software, or you could get by with just softphone applications and a virtual landline.

There are some basics that you should expect from almost all providers, like a mobile/desktop app, software integrations, desk phone compatibility, number porting, and uptime guarantees. But there are also some more sophisticated distinctions between providers that you should be on the lookout for too.

Here are the top seven factors you should consider before opening your wallet:

1. Usage

Essentially, think about how often you or your staff will actually use your phone system. Consider your business’s size, call volume, and growth plans before choosing a provider.

2. Needs

Work out how many users you’ll need to add to your plan. As almost all business phone systems are priced per user, there’s no point shelling out each month for staff members who never need to pick up the phone. Similarly, there’s no need to pay extra for a plan with unlimited international calling if you only ever make domestic calls.

3. Software integration

Some platforms will charge you extra for features like a virtual receptionist. Others will be limited to specific (or sometimes no) CRM and helpdesk integrations. If your business is heavily reliant on using Salesforce, for example, make sure you pick a system that it’s compatible with.

4. Reliability

We provide our expertise and thoroughly researched insights to bring you recommendations for the best systems. But we do encourage you to conduct further research into customer feedback and industry rankings to judge how reliable a provider is.

5. Customer support

Make sure you evaluate the range of customer support options available from a provider. You should keep a particular eye out for those that provide live chat or phone support, and especially those that offer 24/7 assistance.

6. Try before you buy

Many business phone system providers offer a free trial, or at least a demo, of their software and hardware. We’d always recommend a test drive. Let your employees try it for themselves and get their honest feedback. It’s a great low-risk way of finding out whether a product will fit into your infrastructure, and identifying any potential problems.

7. Scalability

It always pays to be prepared. Don’t just think about what you need right now, but think about what you might need in the future. If you forecast that you’ll be expanding your team or you’ll be receiving higher volumes of calls, go for a system that supports easy upgrades and add-ons that don’t require major cost-intensive upgrades. Your future self will thank you.

Our methodology: how we test business phone systems

Our dedicated insights team has conducted exhaustive research to bring you our top six business phone systems.

We conducted an in-depth communication survey to truly understand the pain points of our audience, and gain more clarity into their specific needs.

We then updated our methodology to reflect the findings of our survey, ensuring you are getting the most helpful and relevant suggestions possible.

We have done this by identifying the eight most important criteria for a business telephone system, which form the basis of our new ranking system.

These criteria are:

• Call management features: How well the software manages incoming calls.
• Software integrations: Your phone system software will almost certainly be used in tandem with other tech and third-party applications. We assess how many other platforms and apps the system is compatible with.
• Communication channels: Your business phone system should offer more than just voice calls. We rate each one on how many other communication methods it provides, such as video conferencing and SMS messaging.
• Training features: How well the system can help train your employees, based on features such as call recording and monitoring.
• Hardware integrations: We assess the number of compatible hardware brands that can be used with the business phone system.
• Customer support: The range and accessibility of the help and support options provided by the phone system provider.
• Security options: What security measures are in place to protect your calls and data.
• Pricing: How much will it cost you? We assess the pricing structures and value for money offered by the system.