Best Cloud Phone Systems of 2023

Best Cloud Phone Systems of 2023
Best Cloud Phone Systems


The foundation of a successful business thrives upon a good business-customer relationship. A company providing poor customer support doesn’t run without a limp for long. In this hyper-competitive modern world, reaching customers become vital for a company’s growth.  Not only does a company need to provide a good medium that could channel support, but that medium must be fast and smooth too. This is where cloud-based phone systems come to the rescue. Not only is this cost-effective, but it also has a greater reach too. But with so many cloud-based phone system companies in the market, choosing the right one could feel a bit scary. We understand your concern.

In this article, we’ll reveal to you 10 excellent cloud phone systems to consider in 2023.

RingCentral
Grasshopper
Nextiva
Vonage
8x8
MagicJack
Dialpad
Mitel MiCloud Connect
Cisco Webex Calling
GoTo Connect

RingCentral

Website Ringcentral.com
Rating 3.9 out of 5
Best For All businesses looking for a Unified Communication (UC) system
RingCentral - Best Cloud Phone System
A Screenshot from the RingCentral Dashboard

Founded in the year 1999, RingCentral has been providing cloud-based communication services since then. Although it offers a wide range of services, its forte has always hovered around cloud-based business communication. They provide four plans in the MVP sector and their pricing is based on a per-user basis. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

  • Provides call recording for later documentation and analysis
  • High-quality noise-free calls; they claim their system to be available 99.99% of the time
  • Provides free trial to build trust

Cons:

  • Billing terms can see changes even after the contract
  • It might be a little expensive
  • Sluggish customer service
RingCentral: Simpler Communications

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing details of RingCentral. Note that taking plans for more users will come with a discount.

Plan Pricing
Essentials $19.99 per user/month
Standard $27.99 per user/month
Premium $34.99 per user/month
Ultimate $49.99 per user/month

Grasshopper

Website Grasshopper.com
Rating 4.1 out of 5
Best For Small to medium businesses that need to respond in case the call is not answered
Grasshopper- Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Grasshopper Dashboard

Considering the rise of the internet and the needs of the modern world, the duo of David and Siamak founded Grasshopper, a VOIP service provider, back in 2003. So far, it has served over 400,000 happy customers and is on its way to serving a million more. Here are the pros and cons to look for if you want to choose Grasshopper as your cloud-based communication provider:

Pros:

  • Automatic responses to customers if the line is not picked
  • Noise-free calls
  • Can handle simultaneous calls

Cons:

  • Is not so cheap
  • You might face troubles while canceling accounts
  • Has been questioned for selling client data

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing details of Grasshopper. You can save up to $75 on a yearly plan.

Plan Pricing
Solo $28 per month (1 line)
Partner $46 per month (3 lines)
Small Business $80 per month (5 lines)

Nextiva

Website Nextiva.com
Rating 4.4 out of 5
Best For For businesses that are growing and need to scale themselves
Nextiva - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Nextiva Dashboard

Nextiva is another VOIP service-providing company that was founded in the year 2006. Within six years it had gathered a workforce of 120 people working with. It provides excellent internet communication services that help businesses grow at a tremendous pace. It recently recorded a revenue of over 200 million USD. Here are the pros and cons to consider before choosing Nextiva as your communication company:

Pros:

  • Provides a screen-sharing option, which has become necessary considering the present work culture
  • Excellent customer support
  • Has a good record in enhancing communication within the remote work culture
  • Is cheaper than RingCentral

Cons:

  • Customers have sometimes reported noise during the calls
  • The flow of their service is a bit unreliable

Pricing:

Below mentioned pricing is for a user base of 1-4 and is billed monthly. Taking yearly plans for a higher number of users yield an extra discount.

Plan Pricing
Essential $30.95 per user/month
Professional $35.95 per user/month
Enterprise $45.95 per user/month

Vonage

Website Vonage.com
Rating 4.3 out of 5
Best For Businesses that have industry-specific communication needs
Nextiva - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Nextiva Dashboard

Because different businesses have different structures, they have different communication needs too. For example, a healthcare company cannot run on the communication flow that serves the finance sector. This is where Vonage comes in. It offers specially crafted unified communication that tries to serve a business to its satisfaction and growth. Here are the pros and cons to consider before you choose Vonage:

Pros:

  • Industry-specific plans and solutions
  • Offers mobile app
  • Flexible pricing
  • Good track record with an experience of over 25 years
  • Clear call quality

Cons:

  • Issues with texts and voicemails reported
  • Questionable customer service

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing offered by Vonage.

Plan Pricing
Mobile $19.99 per user/month
Premium $29.99 per user/month
Advanced $39.99 per user/month

8x8

Website 8x8.com
Rating 4.1 out of 5
Best For Businesses that deal with customers through many mediums like chat, video, call, etc.
8x8 - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the 8x8 Dashboard

With an over 2 million user base, 8x8 has been hailed as one of the best companies in the field of VOIP. It was also awarded the Best Value Business Phone of 2021 by US News and World Report. What more? It offers services in different field that enhances business communication. Here are things to consider before buying plans from 8x8:

Pros:

  • The pricing is cheaper than its competitors
  • Provided call monitoring for training purposes
  • International calling can be done
  • Has a good track record with users like Acer, FredLoya, Live Oak Bank, etc.

Cons:

  • Their customer services have been questioned by many
  • You might face problems canceling their plans

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing offered by 8x8.

Plan Pricing
Express $15 per user/month
X2 $24 per user/month
X4 $44 per user/month

MagicJack

Website Magicjack.com
Rating 3.3 out of 5
Best For Small businesses and individuals
MagicJack - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the MagicJack Dashboard

Founded in the year 2007, this company has been a name among small businesses looking for a cheaper communication environment. It offers a mobile app and a small USB device. As a business just starting up MagicJack can help you handle communication at a cheaper price. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

  • Simple plan that is easy to understand
  • Conference calling, call blocking, and call holding
  • Call hold music
  • Voicemail and call forwarding are also provided

Cons:

  • Poor customer support has been an issue
  • Call dropping has been reported by its users
  • No unlimited international calling

Pricing:

MagicJack is one of the cheapest cloud phone systems. Have a look at its pricing.

Plan Pricing
1 Year $43
2 Year $79
3 Year $109

Dialpad

Website Dialpad.com
Rating 4.4 out of 5
Best For Small to medium businesses
Dialpad - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Dialpad Dashboard

With call and SMS support in over 50 countries, Dialpad has been rising in the cloud phone system sector. Founded in the year 2011, this company offers industry-specific solutions to serve different communication demands. So far, it has served over 25,000 customers. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

  • Unlimited international calling to over 50 supported countries
  • Supports a remote culture
  • Affordable and beneficial for startups and small-scale businesses

Cons:

  • Poor call quality has been reported
  • Call drops

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing details of Dialpad.

Plan Pricing
Standard $21.50 user/month
Pro $27 user/month
Enterprise Contact Sales

Mitel MiCloud Connect

Website Mitel.com
Rating 3.8 out of 5
Best For All businesses
Mitel MiCloud Connect- Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Mitel MiCloud Connect Dashboard

MiTel, a company owned by Searchlight Capitals, provides companies with its cloud business communication services. Back in the years, it had sold a few of its technologies to RingCentral, which is another VOIP service-providing company. Apart from services, it also offers communication devices that help businesses reach their maximum potential. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

  • Easy-to-use interface that helps non-technical users
  • No setup fee
  • Great call and chat quality
  • Helps set up an excellent remote work culture

Cons:

  • Doesn’t provide a free trial
  • Consulting charges are there
  • Poor UI on iPhones

Pricing:

Contact sales support for business-specific quotations.

Cisco Webex Calling

Website Cisco.com
Rating 4.4 out of 5
Best For All businesses
Cisco Webex Calling - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the Cisco Webex Calling Dashboard

Cisco is one of the most experienced companies in the field of cloud communications. Founded in the year 1995, Cisco offers business solutions for all types of communications like video conferencing, voice calling, screen share, webinars, etc. If you are a large-scale business looking to set up a unified cloud communication, here are the pros and cons to look before:

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Free trial available
  • Screen-sharing and other cloud communication features
  • Online meeting and collaboration environment setup
  • Provides quality communication

Cons:

  • Poor quality file transfer
  • Technical user interface
  • Audio jitters have been reported

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing details of Cisco Webex Calling.

Plan Pricing
Basic Free
Starter $14.50/license/month
Business $20.30/license/month
Enterprise Contact sales

GoTo Connect

Website App.goto.com
Rating 4.4 out of 5
Best For Businesses looking for specific communication needs
GoTo Connect - Best Cloud Phone System
A screenshot from the GoTo Connect Dashboard

Based in Boston, this company was founded in the year 2003 as a remote access and screen-sharing company. Today, it has reported over $1.3 billion in revenue, 10 million users, and 3,500 employees. This SaaS company has been helping big businesses connect no matter where they are. Here are the pros and cons to look for:

Pros:

  • Excellent user interface
  • Good integration with Salesforce, Slack, etc.
  • Quality calls and customer support

Cons:

  • Chat function might see some issues sometimes
  • The mobile app user interface needs to be improved
  • Some calls might fail to get through

Pricing:

Have a look at the pricing details of GoTo Connect.

Plan Pricing
Basic $27.00/user/month
Standard $32.00 /user /month
Premium $43.00 /user /month

Conclusion

As a business trying to tackle competition and thrive in the modern world, having an excellent communication system becomes important. A slight delay in communication could mean a big chunk of customers wincing away. The cloud phone system is an excellent solution that provides remote communication using different mediums like voice, chat, screen-share, etc. If you are a small-scale business looking for a cheaper communication setup, you may go for 8x8 or MagicJack. If you have specific demands, you may go for GoTo, Vonage, Dialpad, MiTel, etc. Cisco can be trusted for its experience and deep history. Before choosing a cloud-based phone system, always make a list of what your requirements are; it’ll help you narrow down your search and select the company that best suits your business structure.

FAQs

What is a cloud phone?

A cloud phone system is a phone service that allows users to make and receive calls over the internet, instead of relying on traditional phone lines.

What are the benefits of a cloud-based phone system?

Key benefits of a cloud-based phone system are:

  • Easy implementation
  • Cost efficiency
  • Advanced call features
  • Increased productivity
  • Reliability and security

How does the voice quality of a cloud-based phone system compare to a traditional phone line?

Depending on factors such as internet speed and network reliability, the voice quality of a cloud-based phone system can be similar to or better than that of a traditional phone line.

Can a cloud-based phone system be used by businesses of all sizes?

Yes, a cloud-based phone system can be used by businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.

How secure is a cloud-based phone system?

The security of a cloud-based phone system depends on the measures put in place by the provider and the user.

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