Don’t let telephone lines tie down your startup’s global growth. With the Best Phone System for Startups, you can cut down costs significantly while still enjoying stable, crystal-clear call quality worldwide. Explore 160+ new markets, and unlock your company’s true potential.
4,000+ innovative companies run on CloudTalk call center software
Don’t waste money on expensive telephone lines, set-ups, and call costs. Onboard the best phone system for startups in moments without any coding and take advantage of all the benefits the Internet has to offer.
With VoIP, the world is your oyster. Choose from 160+ international, local, mobile, and toll-free numbers and explore new markets effortlessly. Work with the world’s best talent, call like a local around the globe, and supercharge your startup’s growth.
Check 13 of the best Next-Gen Providers in 2023 to help you decide which one fits you the most.
CloudTalk is the perfect phone system for mid-sized companies looking to grow. Typically, it’s used in sales for outbound calls and in customer service for inbound calls.
CloudTalk Voice provides high-quality offers, care, and service, all included in our business phone system solution.
With CloudTalk advanced features, your phone experience will get to a whole new level.
According to our users, CloudTalk Analytics needed remastering in order to give users more precise data. That is why we launched a new version of Analytics with in-depth insights into your calls, including call steps, reasons for missed calls, and much more.
CloudTalk is the perfect phone system for mid-sized companies looking to grow. Typically, it’s used in sales for outbound calls and in customer service for inbound calls.
Based on 400+ CloudTalk reviews on 6 independent software marketplaces & platforms
4.4/5 – 260 reviews
4.4/5 – 840 reviews
4.4/5 – 310 reviews
4.5/5 – 260 reviews
2. Justcall | Most Seamless Calling Experience
JustCall is a cloud phone system that provides businesses with a seamless calling experience. It’s a VoIP solution that offers advanced features and tools to manage customer communications. The company was founded in 2016 and has since grown to serve over 6,000 customers globally.
JustCall doesn’t offer some of the more advanced features, such as auto-attendant, call tagging, or skill-based routing. Additionally, while it does offer some integrations with popular CRM platforms, it doesn’t offer as many as some other competitors.
3. 8×8 | Ideal for Startups Just Starting Out
8×8 is an evergreen telephony solution focusing on integrations and analytics. The provider is well-suited for enterprises, but lower-tier subscriptions also work for smaller organizations. There are many benefits 8×8 can offer its subscribers.
First of all, the provider has done a great job building an Analytics system that can effectively track large-scale business processes. 8×8’s reporting system centralizes all data in a single place, so managers can make their teams more organized and speed up their workflow. You’ll also get real-time reports.
Then, we have the solution’s comprehensive integrations with software like Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and many more. Furthermore, 8×8 users get unlimited calling to 40+ countries. 8×8 telephony software comes with a smart dialer, click-to-call, and call recording.
If you own a business that works globally, there are a few things about 8×8 you might want to consider:
A crucial restriction, mainly for big international companies, is that there are regional constraints on unlimited calling. Users with the basic Express plan can only use unlimited calling in the US and Canada.
MS Office is required: You need an office where you want to call to get a number from there.
Geographical restrictions for SMS: You can only use the SMS feature within the US, and 8×8 does not cover costs for mobile numbers in Brazil.
Integrations: 8×8 doesn’t partner with telco companies, so users won’t have native integration with specific solutions like Whatsapp. Non-native integrations must be set up by the tech team.
Features: 8×8 lacks features like call tagging for more efficient calling processes, call masking for protecting your personal information, and API for connecting with the tools you love. Automation tools like IVR, skill-based routing, or automated callback come only with high-tier plans. You have to pay extra to get call recording.
4. Nextiva | Most User-Friendly
Nextiva is a big player in the VoIP market, providing services to more than 15,000 customers. Nextiva is widely regarded as user-friendly — users can start calling within minutes thanks to a simple and intuitive setup process. Furthermore, the system is hosted by Nextiva, which makes maintenance of the software Nextiva’s responsibility.
Nextiva offers various advanced features, including conference calling, voicemail transcription, multi-level attendant, and much more. The provider also integrates with solutions like Zendesk, ConnectWise or MS Teams.
Nextiva’s HIPAA-compliant virtual faxing makes it a great solution for healthcare workers. Medical employees can share information without having to worry about data breach.
Furthermore, 24/7 support means agents are always on hand to assist you.
Although Nextiva is a well-known VoIP solution, there are some issues you should know about when considering this provider:
Businesses that need a robust, secure and reliable enterprise phone system that works across every device and comes with advanced features like video conferencing, mobile app, call recording, and more.
5. Ooma | Best Small-Scale Customer Service Enablement
Ooma is an ideal solution for smaller companies with up to 500 employees or a home phone service. It is mostly used for call logging, alerts, and escalations.
Although the set-up is very simple, and you can seek assistance from guides or customer support, there is no in-person training involved. Ooma also doesn’t offer predictive dialers and telemarketing management these features speed up your workflow and make your sales efforts much smoother. Ooma lacks reporting and analytics capabilities.
Ooma is best for smaller businesses looking for a basic VoIP service.
6. Phone.com | Great Value
Phone.com is another virtual phone service you don’t often hear about. It’s slowly but surely making a name for itself, though, by providing reliable, affordable, and easy-to-use communication software to its customers.
With Phone.com, businesses can easily maintain a professional image and stay connected with customers and colleagues from anywhere.
Phone.com is a cost-effective solution that allows users to save money on phone bills. Additionally, the provider lets users easily manage their accounts, and quickly add/remove phone numbers or users. Finally, Phone.com offers top-notch customer service and support, making it an ideal choice for those looking for a reliable virtual phone service.
While Phone.com’s features certainly offer plenty to its customers, there’s a catch. Many of its best features are locked behind a paywall. Furthermore, the software has a limited number of possible integrations, making it perhaps not the first choice for those looking for a centralized call center solution.
To get additional tools, companies must upgrade to high-tier plans. Examples of such tools would be voicemail transcription, online voice transmissions, access controls, permissions, and even unlimited minutes.
7. RingCentral | Best Omnichannel Experience
When you think about VoIP telephony solutions, RingCentral is probably among the first ones that come to your mind. It’s no wonder the company has been on the market for over 20 years and has built quite a reputation for itself.
RingCentral has a great variety of features and offers HD-quality voice and video. The provider is a good fit for enterprises since it offers an omnichannel experience and lead qualification tools, as well as management, collaboration, and performance features – all in a single software.
Despite all the positives, RingCentral does lack quite a few essential tools that modern businesses require.
features like native sentiment analytics, Speech-to-Text transcription, smart dialers or Skill-based routing are only included in Contact Centre Solution. The same goes for some agent management features, like monitoring.
The Call recording tool and Toll-free numbers are only available as add-ons, for an additional cost.
Furthermore, RingCentral’s implementation can take as much as 90 days and involves an implementation fee.
RingCentral UI is also not always the friendliest to work with.
RingCentral MVP is a flexible cloud-based solution which is ideal for businesses of all sizes.
8. Google Voice | Best Unified Solution
Google Voice has been on the market since 2009. It offers both free and paid versions to customers. Google Voice has many useful features, such as call forwarding, ring groups, and integrations with Google Meet and Google Calendar. The biggest disadvantage of Google Voice is the lack of a desktop application.
The free version of Google Voice offers unlimited calling within the US and Canada, which is ideal for companies with a domestic client-base. The provider also includes Call recording as part of all of their plans. Implementation is fairly simple, too: you can be up and running within minutes. Last but not least, Google Voice’s customer support is there for you 24/7.
In order to access Google Voice, you must have a US phone number.
The platform also lacks popular integrations, like Slack or Zapier.
Google Voice also has certain feature limitations. You won’t get Toll-free numbers, Smart dialer, Automated Call Distribution, Call monitoring, Contact management, IVR, nor reporting and analytics.
Google Voice is best suited to companies that are just starting out. In fact, the provider is often listed as one of the best virtual phone services for small businesses, but all sizes will find something to benefit from.
9. eVoice | Most Streamlined Experience
eVoice, or eReceptionist in Europe, is a little-known VoIP solution with quite a limited user base. It focuses on a similar group of entrepreneurs and SMBs like Grasshopper. But can it offer something that the other providers can’t?
What customers value most about eVoice is its fairly affordable price point, value for money, and streamlined design, making it easy for anyone to pick up and use.
This provider comes with its first significant hurdle right from the start – it’s unavailable for European customers. It lacks advanced features, including smart dialers, caller ID, advanced analytics, and 3rd party integrations.
10. Grasshopper | Great Operational Efficiency
Grasshopper is often the go-to VoIP solution for smaller businesses looking for call center software to streamline their operations worldwide. But is their business model so SMB-friendly? Let’s see.
However, Grasshopper’s simplicity has a downside: The solution lacks several core VoIP features users may expect, including:
Furthermore, a few users complain that the app could benefit from deeper reporting features.
11. OpenPhone | Great Global Communications
OpenPhone helps small to large businesses set up international phone lines to manage internal and external global calls or messages. You can handle all your call center interactions while working from anywhere.
OpenPhone has an intuitive user interface with applications that work on any platform. Features like call recording, customizable IVR, and extensions make OpenPhone a great solution for customer support teams.
OpenPhone lacks many features essential for sales teams, such as auto dialers, click-to-call, and open API support that can help users expand the range of available integrations. Customers often complain about the low number of apps the software connects with. Additionally, the Standard option only includes calling and messaging the U.S. and Canada.
12. GoTo Connect | Best for Scale-Ups
GoTo Connect is a frequent go-to choice for scaling businesses. Let’s take a closer look at this VoIP provider’s offering, examine its strengths and weaknesses, and determine whether it delivers on its promises.
GoTo Connect does not provide advanced call center features such as Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), skill-based routing, or smart dialers. It also does not provide local phone numbers for all countries, which may be a disadvantage for some businesses.
GoTo Connect is an ideal solution for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a unified communication solution that can support remote teams. It’s also suitable for businesses that need an easy-to-use interface for call management and administration, as well as excellent customer support.
13. Dialpad | Best Voice Intelligence
Unless you’re new to the VoIP telephony market, you’ll surely have heard of Dialpad. It’s a reliable, unified telephony solution with simple built-in AI, and advanced analytics. A live chat, phone hotline, and knowledge base make it a great deal for customer support teams.
Dialpad’s main advantages are voice intelligence and uptime between 99% and 100%. You’ll get conference video calls, sentiment analysis, voicemail transcriptions, call tracking metrics, Speech-to-Text for an automatic call recording, and much more.
With Dialpad, you can call to the US and Canada for free and from anywhere in the world. Inbound and outbound calling within your country is also free of charge. The provider has a modern, well-organized UI, plenty of training videos and a well-built mobile application.
While Dialpad does offer a Power dialer, it lacks a Smart dialer and a Predictive dialer. The Power dialer feature is limited, as it only works in conjunction with Salesforce. Unlike the CloudTalk app, the Dialpad app only allows users to only dial phone numbers manually.
The Preferred agent feature only works through API.
Dialpad also lacks a visual flow editor for its Call flow designer. Furthermore, you can’t send SMS messages outside of the US and Canada, although this feature will soon become available to those in the UK.
The provider offers a pretty limited integration stack, and Voicemail drop comes only with Dialpad Sell.
Any size of sales organization looking to drive agent efficiency and speed up ramp times.
CloudTalk offers a wide range of enterprise-level call center software features at a startup-friendly price.
Getrodeo.io is a fast-growing project management SaaS startup based out of Amsterdam and New York, helping companies increase employee happiness and productivity through professional project management.
However, the startup hit a rough patch when it started expanding internationally in 2016 and discovered its current call solution couldn’t support worldwide operations. That’s when Rodeo came across CloudTalk.
The requirements were clear – Rodeo needed a VoIP system that could help streamline the sales process with smart features and CRM integrations and trivialize onboarding while still offering a stable experience.
We were able to outfit Rodeo with a Pipedrive CRM integration quickly, adding on a user-friendly interface and a call recording feature to help them evaluate agent conduct and improve operations even further. And the results?
The team observed several improvements in their business since they started using CloudTalk. Daily outbound calls radically increased, the Pipedrive integration automated several time-consuming processes, wait times fell significantly, and customer satisfaction skyrocketed.
Boost Efficiency
Maximize your daily productivity by streamlining your workflows and automating repetitive tasks with advanced automation features. Leverage 3rd party integrations to create your own custom centralized solution and do your best work without interruptions.
Enable Remote Work
Let your employees work wherever they’re most comfortable and boost their productivity. Onboard your phone system for startups on your favorite smart device while keeping your private and professional identity separate, and work anywhere and anytime.
Create Better Customer Experiences
Don’t let limited resources hinder delivering excellent customer experiences. Make up for your lack of agents with advanced automation tools and self-service tools, and keep your customers happy.
Choosing the right business phone system is crucial for startups as it sets the foundation for effective communication and customer service. When evaluating phone systems, VoIP, or different solutions for communication for startups, consider the following factors:
1. Scalability: A business phone system that offers scalability is essential for startups as they grow and expand. Look for solutions that can easily accommodate increasing call volumes and adapt to changing business needs.
2. Cost-effectiveness: Startups often have limited budgets, so it’s important to choose a phone system that offers affordable pricing plans and doesn’t require significant upfront investments. Cloud-based phone systems, like CloudTalk, are a popular choice as they offer cost-effective subscription models without compromising on features.
3. Features and functionality: Identify the key features and functionality that are important for your startup’s communication needs. This may include call routing, voicemail, call analytics, CRM integration, and more. CloudTalk offers a wide range of features designed to enhance productivity and customer service.
A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) phone system is a telephony system used by businesses to manage incoming and outgoing calls. It serves as the central hub for routing and connecting calls within an organization. With a PBX system, businesses can have multiple extensions, transfer calls, set up voicemail, and implement various call handling features..
A VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system is a technology that allows voice communication to be transmitted over the Internet instead of traditional phone lines. It enables businesses to make and receive calls using an internet connection, providing cost savings and flexibility. VoIP phone systems offer a wide range of features, such as call routing, voicemail, call recording, and integration with other business tools. Learn more about the differences between PBX and VoIP.
The cost of a VoIP phone system for small businesses can vary depending on the features and services offered. A small business can expect to pay between $20 and $50 per user per month for a VoIP phone system. However, it is important to consider the value of features and potential savings compared to a traditional phone system. To learn more about VoIP phone system pricing, read our article.
There are several factors to consider when looking for a small business phone system. Look for scalability, flexibility, and call management options. Consider the reliability and customer support offered by the provider and choose the best provider for your needs.
A PBX system, or Private Branch Exchange, is a type of phone system that allows businesses to manage incoming and outgoing calls. It includes features such as call forwarding, call waiting, and voicemail and advanced features such as auto-attendants and call recording. What are the benefits for small businesses?
GET STARTED
Discover how CloudTalk can provide you with unparallel control over your customer’s experience and start matching their expectations today
IT & Operations
Sales
Customer support
Company-wide
Software & Tech
Financial Services
Professional services
Education & E-learning
Remote teams
Business phone system
Calling for HubSpot
Small businesses
Medium & Large businesses
Zendesk
Pipedrive
Salesloft
