The 5 best virtual landline providers: our guide for small businesses

A VoIP-based virtual landline is a great cost-effective solution for businesses that don’t need a full phone system. All it needs is a virtual number, and you can start taking calls through a mobile or desktop app from anywhere you want.

Through industry-specific research, we have determined that bOnline’s Starter plan is the best VoIP package for business owners who want to get set up quickly with a low-cost but effective virtual phone line.

Virtual landlines are ideal for micro-businesses with roughly ten employees or fewer, so we’ve geared our recommendations towards small teams like this. These are all entry-level plans that provide a basic virtual landline at an affordable price, but might lack some features needed by smaller to medium-sized businesses.

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BEST FOR SMES
Provider bOnline	Provider Vonage	Provider Dialpad	Provider NBC Cloud Voice	Provider RingCentral
Pricing from £7 per user, per month	Pricing from £10 per user, per month	Pricing from £12 per user, per month (billed annually)	Pricing from £9.99 per user, per month	Pricing from £7.99 per user, per month (paid annually)

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1. bOnline Starter: best for your first virtual landline

bOnline is an easy to set up system that’s great for first time users / Image source: bonline.com

How much does it cost?

bOnline’s Starter plan is a fantastic value for money service that’s ideal for micro-businesses that want a virtual number for a low-cost investment. For just £7 per user, per month, you’ll get a digital phone line and number, and you can receive unlimited inbound calls — an amazing perk.

Three great features:

• Unlimited inbound calls
• Lowest monthly cost on this roundup
• HD video conferencing

Is this the right virtual landline plan for me?

bOnline Starter is exactly what it sounds like: a great starting point for new VoIP users. It’s a solid low-cost, no-frills solution for businesses who just need to get up and running with a virtual number and mobile app.

You get the core features you’d expect from a virtual landline, including voicemail, caller ID and blocking, and call forwarding — though it’s missing some extra features, like call queues, ring groups, and call routing. But if you’re a solopreneur or have a skeleton staff, you shouldn’t find yourself needing these extras, as they’re geared towards bigger teams.

While it makes for an attractive starter-virtual landline, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for businesses with plans for quick growth in place, as they’ll need to scale up their VoIP system to keep up. bOnline has a limited number of plans, and doesn’t support more advanced tools like whisper or barge. RingCentral will be a better bet for scalability, as it provides a further range of plans that will support long-term upgrades.

2. Vonage Express: best for great features at a low cost

Vonage has many advanced featurse, but its softphone is laid out simply with a recognisable and organised dialpad interface / Image source: vonage.co.uk

How much does it cost?

Vonage’s Express plan is good value for money. While its price isn’t quite as rock bottom as bOnline’s Starter plan price, at a tenner a month it still provides a low-cost entry into the world of virtual landlines. Just keep in mind that you won’t have any minutes included in your contract, so calls will be charged on a metered basis. You’ll need to contact Vonage for a quote to find out what your rates will be.

Three great features:

• Desktop and mobile apps
• Call flip
• User permissions for extra security

Is this the right virtual landline plan for me?

Vonage’s low-cost Express plan will get you set up with a desktop and mobile app that you can use to start making and receiving VoIP business calls. Despite the competitive price, you’ll still get access to great call management features like call forwarding and call flip (a VoIP feature that allows you to seamlessly transfer calls without putting anyone on hold).

Vonage Express is also a good option for security conscious businesses. It may be a budget package, but you’ll still be protected by some premium security features, like user permissions and password rules. So if you need to be able to control what sensitive info your employees can see on the system, this is a decent bet.

If you’re planning to streamline your incoming calls on the Express plan, just be aware that it doesn’t come with any virtual receptionist functions. This might not be ideal for businesses like call centres or technical support teams, which receive lots of inbound calls. You’ll have to check out Dialpad’s Standard plan for a package that includes this feature.

3. Dialpad Standard: best for unlimited minutes

For a small fee, Dialpad users can instantly add a new business number and create a new line to direct customer queries to / Image source: dialpad.com

How much does it cost?

Dialpad’s Standard plan isn’t one of the cheapest options we’ve highlighted, and if you opt to pay monthly, it’s very expensive for an entry-level tier. However, it does offer one extremely standout feature: unlimited domestic calling. This alone will be well worth the price of admission for some, but you also get some excellent call management features to boot.

Three great features:

• Unlimited domestic minutes
• Virtual receptionist function
• Wide range of communication channels, including SMS

Is this the right virtual landline plan for me?

It might not quite be a budget option, but we consider Dialpad’s Standard plan to be the best choice on this roundup for managing your calls. This is primarily because it’s the only package on this list to offer a virtual receptionist function. All it’s missing is a call queue – a virtual waiting room for your calls – but aside from this, it’s pretty much got everything you’ll need. Impressive for an entry-level tier.

Dialpad Standard is also the only package on this list that can provide ring groups (if customers ask or dial to be put in touch with a specific team, then every phone of that team’s will ring). This is great for customer service teams who will be assisting with the same queries from customers.

It’s also the only package in our roundup, alongside RingCentral’s Essential plan, to offer customisable call routing. So while it’s on the pricier end of things, when you factor in the unlimited domestic minutes and excellent call management features, Dialpad’s Standard plan is an obvious choice for ambitious customer service teams.

4. NBC Cloud Voice Call Centre Basic: best budget option for call centres

NBC Cloud Voice Call Centre Basic is a great budget option for VoIP calling / Image source: nbccloud.co.uk

How much does it cost?

At less than £10 per user, per month, the Call Centre Basic package of NBC’s Cloud Voice system is a cost effective solution for managing calls without stretching your budget. It’s missing a few of the bells and whistles of its competitors, but it will get the job done.

Three great features:

• Keep your existing number
• Handsets from £5 per month
• Low monthly cost

Is this the right virtual landline plan for me?

This is the second-cheapest package on this list – coming in behind our number one pick, bOnline’s Starter plan – but you do get something of a budget service for the budget price. You get the basic features you’d expect from a virtual landline provider, like voicemail (and voicemail-to-email), call forwarding, out of house management, and customisable hold music (it’s always nice to give your customers something to listen to while they wait).

If you need to set your employees up with a no-frills package that does the basics and won’t break the bank, then Cloud Voice Call Centre basic is a solid option for you. NBC can also provide handsets starting from £5 per month as part of your package, but you should be aware that there’s no mobile app. This is strictly for desk-bound teams, not employees on the move, which is why we recommend it for budding call centres.

A big problem for some team-based businesses is that this package doesn’t provide any internal communication channels, such as messaging and video conferencing, other than phone calls. Another issue to be aware of is that the Call Centre Basic plan doesn’t come with caller ID. This could be a pretty big problem for companies that want to build good relationships with repeat clients.

5. RingCentral Essentials: best for businesses that operate 24/7

For an entry-level system you still get some great functionality with RingCentral Essentials / Image source: support.ringcentral.com

How much does it cost?

We’ll tell you straight away — this isn’t the cheapest option. In fact, it’s the most expensive option in this roundup. It does come with some pretty strong call management features though (we think only Dialpad’s Standard plan beats it out on this front).

Three great features:

• Call flip
• 24/7 help and support
• Team messaging

Is this the right virtual landline plan for me?

RingCentral’s Essentials plan offers some impressive functionality for an entry-level package, including customisable call routing, which enables you to set specific criteria for how calls are handled based on things like location or the time of the day. This is a great feature if you have staff that use their personal mobiles, and you want to set parameters for when they can be contacted. The only other package to offer this is Dialpad’s Standard plan.

Where RingCentral Essentials performs the strongest in our view, though, is with its help and support options. It offers the most contact channels out of any platform on this roundup, including a user forum, knowledge base, live chat, email service, and phoneline. But what makes it really stand out from the competition is that it provides this support to you 24/7.

So, if you’re operating around the clock (you run an all-hours helpdesk, for example) and you need to make sure you can get support in the event of any technical hiccups with your virtual landline, you might consider the price tag of RingCentral Essentials worth it for this peace of mind.

Our methodology: how we test virtual landline plans

Our research team conducted an intensive survey of the Startups audience, with the specific goal of finding out more about their communication needs and pain points.

We used the results of this survey to determine and identify the six most important criteria for a successful business virtual landline, and analysed a variety of popular packages in each of these key areas.

We then gave each of the different criteria an appropriate weighting, to make sure we are giving you the most helpful suggestions possible.

The most important criteria we investigated was call management: how well the software manages incoming calls, and what tools it comes with to achieve this.

The second most important criteria was pricing: is it a good deal? We assess whether you’re getting your money’s worth or not.

The remaining four criteria we understood to be less impactful, but still important to consider:

• Hardware integrations: Which hardware brands can be used with the virtual landline.
• Communication channels: We researched how many other communication channels are provided, such as video conferencing and SMS messaging.
• Security options: What security measures are in place to protect you and your clients’ sensitive data.
• Help and support: Which customer support options are available to help you maintain your virtual landline?

Our buying guide: how to choose a virtual landline

Your virtual landline is the bridge between you and clients, so it’s a critical thing to get right. Here are they key factors to look for in your new virtual landline package:

Cost effectiveness

Make an assessment of the ‘must-haves’ for your virtual landline. It’s always tempting to look for the cheapest option available, but there’s no point choosing the budget entry for your remote team only to find out it doesn’t come with a mobile app. Confirm what you need before you buy, and don’t just go for what’s cheapest on paper.

Call management features

In a lot of ways, these are the backbone of your virtual landline. These are the tools that will help you effectively manage and streamline your incoming calls. While you might not need the advanced features of a full business phone system, it’s still important to have the basics like voicemail, call screening, and localised and toll free numbers.

Mobile and desktop apps

Virtual landlines will often be used by remote – or at least hybrid – workers, and those who are on the go. If this applies to you, it’s critical to make sure that the provider and plan you’ve selected includes a mobile and desktop app that you and your employees can download to your devices and use to make and receive calls.

Reliability and customer support

VoIP systems are a lot more reliable than the old copper wire landlines — but that doesn’t mean they’re infallible. As with any technology, things can go haywire. If you’re operating in a high-pressure environment, like a call centre or sales floor, you need to know you can rely on your virtual landline. Look for platforms that offer a range of reliable support options so you can seek help quickly. You should also check to see whether your platform has an uptime guarantee.

Security

When doing business over the phone, you’re going to be responsible for both your clients’ and employees’ sensitive contact information. Look for providers that offer airtight security, and check that they have all the correct compliance certifications, and can offer failsafes like multi-factor authentication.

Minutes

Most entry-level packages won’t include unlimited minutes, and some include no minutes at all. In this case, you’ll be subject to a metered rate, similar to a traditional phone bill. Keep in mind that this won’t be included in your per-user monthly cost: it will be a separate charge. Make sure you ask your provider for a full breakdown of the call charges before signing up.

Scalability

You might run a fledgling micro-businesses now, but what about five years from now? You don’t want to be locked into a package that doesn’t provide options to easily scale up to tiers that allow for more advanced tools, such as CRM integrations and unlimited minutes. Make sure you’ve chosen the best phone line provider that will allow your VoIP system to grow along with your business.