- Start saving up to 30%


- Plans as low as $10/month


- Work from any device
- Call forwarding, analytics, and business texting


- Flexible pricing plans


- Get a new number or bring your own


- Free additional phone lines
What is a business VoIP system, and why does it matter?
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) means using your internet connection - not traditional phone lines - to make voice calls. It converts audio into data packets and transmits them across networks. Businesses of every size use VoIP because it saves money, boosts flexibility, and supports remote operations.
Why should businesses switch to VoIP in 2025?
- Cost savings: VoIP users often see a 50–75% reduction in communication expenses, thanks to unlimited or low-cost calling.
- Higher productivity: Remote accessibility and real-time collaboration tools help teams work more efficiently.
- Scalable and reliable: Systems offer 99.99%+ uptime, frictionless upgrades, and compatibility with mobile devices.
VoIP vs. traditional phone lines
VoIP uses the internet to make and receive calls, while traditional phone lines rely on copper wiring and fixed infrastructure. For businesses, this means VoIP offers far greater flexibility and lower costs, since you don’t need expensive hardware or long-term contracts with carriers. Unlike landlines, VoIP makes it easy to scale as your team grows, connect remote workers, and access advanced features like call forwarding, auto attendants, and integrations with your business tools.
What are the key types of VoIP systems businesses should know?

1. Hosted (Cloud) VoIP
- Vendor owns infrastructure; you subscribe and lease or buy phones.
- Benefits: affordable, simple setup, low-tech burden.
- Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses wanting fast deployment.
2. On-Premise VoIP
- Business owns hardware and handles upgrades/maintenance.
- Benefits: high customization, robust security potential.
- Best for: Larger organizations with IT resources and unique telecom needs.
3. Managed VoIP
- Hybrid model - customers own hardware, vendor manages setup and support.
- Benefits: balanced control and convenience.
- Best for: Businesses seeking control but with managed maintenance.
Key features to compare when selecting a business VoIP provider
- Ease of setup & usability: Fast onboarding with intuitive interfaces.
- Reliability & uptime guarantees: Look for SLA-backed 99.9%+ uptime.
- Customization & integrations: Support for CRM, MS Teams, Salesforce.
- Mobile apps & remote access: Flexibility to handle calls on the go.
- Video conferencing & screen sharing: Useful for remote teams and client collaboration.
- Pricing transparency & value: Compare per-user costs and feature inclusions.
VoIP features that boost productivity
VoIP goes beyond calling with tools like voicemail-to-email, video conferencing, call recording, auto attendants, and CRM integrations. Today, many providers add AI features such as noise reduction, call transcription, smart routing, and even virtual receptionists that can answer and direct calls automatically. Some providers offer AI-driven analytics and meeting insights - helping businesses improve communication, boost customer service, and free teams to focus on what matters most.
Security and Reliability
Modern VoIP systems are built with security and uptime in mind. Leading providers use encryption to protect calls and data, along with firewalls and monitoring to prevent unauthorized access. Reliability is ensured through redundant servers and uptime guarantees, so businesses can stay connected even during outages. With proper internet bandwidth and a trusted provider, VoIP can be just as secure and reliable - if not more so - than traditional phone services.
Key takeaways
Choosing the right VoIP system in 2025 can transform your business communications, reducing costs, improving flexibility, and enabling remote collaboration. Whether you're a startup looking for ease of use or an enterprise in need of advanced integration and security, there's a VoIP model that fits. Focus on key features like mobile access, video tools, call quality, and pricing transparency.
Our Top 3 Picks
- 1Tailor VoIP solutions to your industry's unique ...
- No. of users - Unlimited
- Pricing - From $13.99/month/user
- Best for - Remote companies seeking mobility
Free QuoteTailor VoIP solutions to your industry's unique d...Free QuoteRead Vonage ReviewVonage - Best for reliability with 99.99% uptime
Vonage Business emerges as a veteran in the UCaaS landscape, delivering a robust mix of VoIP, SMS, live chat, and video functionalities. This experience translates into a smoother operation than you might find with newer platforms, offering a reliable and refined communication solution for businesses of all sizes.
The platform has 41 built-in features that enhance collaboration, customer engagement, productivity, and employee experience. Agents get tools like Call Announce, which previews the caller's identity and purpose, while managers can access the Busy Lamp Field, showing which lines are active.
Kevin Peña, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Headsets.com, says, "Since moving to Vonage Business Communications, we have team members working in both home and office stations. They’re able to log in from wherever they are that day seamlessly. We can log in to our VBC accounts and make or receive calls from a cell phone just as easily as an office phone. It’s a simple, user-friendly interface that keeps calls, voicemails, and messages all in one place."
Why we chose Vonage: It offers unique industry-specific solutions for sectors like healthcare, retail, education, and finance. Take healthcare, for instance: the platform enables you to route patients directly to the most suitable medical professional for their particular needs. Also, features like the VisuWell app center integration ensure HIPAA-compliant virtual visits, enabling medical professionals to connect with patients on almost any device.
Our experience: When we integrated Vonage into our operations, the fully customizable virtual AI receptionist saved us a lot of headaches. It allowed us to set up dependable call routing for holidays, lunch, after-hours, and emergencies. With the AI virtual assistant, managing customer engagement became significantly easier for our agents.
Vonage Pros & Cons
PROS
Video conference with up to 200 participantsNo user limit on lower-tier plansCan flip live calls between devicesCONS
Mobile plan lacks single sign-on for in-app authenticationLocal phone number costs an extra $4.99/month - 2A leading business VoIP platform
- No. of users - Unlimited
- Pricing - From $20/month/user
- Best for - Internal team collaboration and task management
A leading business VoIP platformRead RingCentral ReviewRingEX - Best VoIP provider overall
RingCentral’s RingEx cloud communication service is designed for teamwork. It combines all the essentials—VoIP calling, SMS messaging, team chat, and video conferencing into one streamlined package. Enhanced with real-time AI and conversation intelligence, this unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform transforms how teams collaborate, making every interaction smarter and more efficient.
You can set up a custom-built phone system with ease and invite users via email. You also get features like voicemail transcription, call recording, and adaptive Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus to enhance self-service routing. Beyond core functions, RingEx offers over 300 app integrations, seamlessly fitting into your existing communication workflow.
Its HD video meetings require no downloads to join and are supported by AI tools like live captioning and in-meeting transcriptions. Smart features also reduce background noise and keep the camera focused on the speaker.
According to Emma Grotluschen, Senior Manager of Customer Service at Swanson, RingEX Contact Center enables their entire team "to improve [their] customer service operation." She adds, "The reporting capabilities help us continually monitor and improve our performance, and [with] the automatic call recording, our supervisors tripled the calls they can review."
Why we chose RingCentral: You can tailor phone settings like automatic call recording for individual agents and even customize phone numbers, business hours, and caller IDs. Another standout feature is the ability to set basic or advanced call routing rules. Plus, you can adjust ring durations and forward calls with a pre-recorded phone menu. This ensures that customers always connect to the right person without any hassle.
Our experience: When we tested out RingEx, the setup process was remarkably smooth. We appreciated the ability to port both our existing numbers and shared lines without issues. Our agents found it quick and easy to establish new business lines on their personal mobiles, laptops, and desk phones. The RingEx app made syncing everything a breeze, allowing for a hassle-free transition across all devices.
RingCentral Pros & Cons
PROS
Unlimited domestic calling in the US and CanadaUltra plan offers unlimited storage for files and recordingsOffers whiteboard and annotation video meeting capabilitiesCONS
Multi-site admin and management features not available on Core planNo unlimited international calling options - 3Reveal hidden call patterns and user behaviors i...
- No. of users - Unlimited
- Pricing - From $10/month per user
- Best for - Businesses looking for an advanced phone-only solution
Reveal hidden call patterns and user behaviors in...Read Zoom Phone ReviewZoom Phone - Bring your own carrier functionality
Zoom Phone offers a solid VoIP option for small businesses on a budget. It balances cost with various features, making team collaboration easier through messaging, file sharing, and searchable conversations. It also works well with major third-party apps like Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce, which help reduce workflow friction and boost productivity.
For more demanding needs, Zoom Phone offers comprehensive call center capabilities. These include unlimited queues, advanced call distribution, voicemail transcription, and intelligent IVR routing. The system allows effortless call switching between devices, ensuring you stay connected regardless of platform.
Plus, the Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) feature offers flexibility. It lets you keep your current PSTN provider while leveraging Zoom's advanced features. This means you can maintain existing contracts and phone numbers while upgrading your setup.
Why we chose Zoom Phone: Zoom's new analytics tools provide deep insights into call performance and usage patterns. You can monitor detailed metrics for call queues, including SLAs, volume, wait times, and call outcomes. The system also offers Mean Opinion Scores for inbound and outbound calls, allowing you to assess quality across individual sites or your entire network.
Our experience: We've been using Zoom Phone's AI Companion to streamline our meetings and it's transformed how we handle follow-ups. Instead of scrambling to take notes, we now receive concise post-call summaries that capture key points and actions. The voicemail task extraction feature also organizes our call-back priorities directly from our voicemails, ensuring we never miss a beat.
Zoom Phone Pros & Cons
PROS
Offers 24/7 phone and chat supportFeatures add-ons for unlimited calling in 19 countriesSwitch between any advice with multi-device callsCONS
Power Pack analytics are an extra $25 a monthHD video with noise cancellation limited to Business Plus plan