Cheap VoIP

If your business is still using a traditional PBX (private branch exchange) phone system and you’re looking for something that’s more remote-friendly and affordable, then you might be looking into VoIP (or voice over internet protocol) phones.

But VoIP pricing plans can vary as widely as the features they offer. And sure, there are those “free” and “basic” packages that cost you only a few dollars a month. But what do you actually get with these plans, and how much do you really end up paying?

Truth is, beyond the phone system itself, “cheap” VoIP options often nickel-and-dime you for things like basic conferencing options, outbound calls, and call recording.

Let’s break down how to choose an affordable VoIP service for your business—that takes into account both short and long-term costs.

What is VoIP?

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol (sometimes also known as IP telephony) is a type of telephony technology that lets you make phone calls over an Internet connection.

With a VoIP phone system or provider, you’re typically able to keep your existing phone numbers and you don’t need any special hardware or expensive IT help to get set up and start making calls (beyond your own cell phone or a computer).

How a cheap VoIP service can help your business

Switching to an affordable VoIP service can provide small businesses and startups especially with significant advantages—both in cost savings and operational efficiency. Here are just a few of the key benefits:

• Lower costs because it replaces expensive PBX hardware and maintenance with a predictable monthly subscription that scales with your team. As a bonus, it also saves you time because it consolidates all your calls, messages, and video meetings into a single app, reducing the need for multiple tools and IT overhead.

• Remote-friendly flexibility. VoIP lets you make and receive calls from anywhere using mobile or desktop apps.

• Advanced productivity tools. Ai-powered features such as real-time transcription, call summaries, and smart call routing can significantly streamline your daily work.

• Integrated workflows. Most VoIP phone services have native integrations with CRMs, helpdesks, and other business apps.

What to consider when choosing the best cheap VoIP provider 

When it comes to finding the best bang-for-your-buck VoIP provider, there are several things to consider:

The price tag

If you’re looking for a cheap enterprise VoIP option, then price may be the most important component of any package. But focusing on just the initial phone bill can be misleading because with VoIP, you really do get what you pay for.

For example, a free app may say it’s “free” (and this goes for options that cost a few bucks a month too) but it may not come with features you need for work, like long-distance calling or visual voicemail.

For businesses on a budget, the key is to find the best balance between costs and required features. In other words, where is the pricing range sweet spot where you can find the best value? If you look at the standard range of freemium products to the standard enterprise package of about $30 per user, this value can often be found in the $15 to $25 range (in our estimation).

Hidden costs

After install and setup are completed, what’s next? Will staff training be required? If so, how long is the onboarding process, and how expensive? If admins require weeks or months of training, then this is costing your company money too.

Don’t forget to consider ongoing support fees, software updates, and any charges for adding new users or features over time. These expenses can quietly add up, so it’s important to account for them when comparing “cheap” VoIP options to ensure you’re getting true long-term value.

Customer reviews

One of the best ways to gauge if a VoIP service is worth its price is to glean insights from customer reviews, case studies, or testimonials. If a product fits your budget, but has tons of customers complaining online about the service being down frequently, then you know why it was so cheap in the first place.

For example, G2 is one of the biggest sources of customer reviews for VoIP options. If a “cheap” VoIP service sounds too good to be true, reviews are where you’ll find out if it really is.

Payment or subscription plans

Most VoIP providers offer different payment and subscription plans which can be billed monthly or annually. The subscription cost is normally charged per user as per “seat.”

Be aware of additional costs for things like setup and implementation, adding more users or call recordings. Often, pricing will escalate greatly for add-ons, so read the terms carefully before signing up with a provider. And many times, these are basic features that should have come bundled with the software anyway.

For example, Dialpad Connect starts at $15 per seat and gives you all your essential VoIP business phone system features, which includes things like unlimited calling, custom voicemail greetings, custom call routing, and real-time Ai-powered call transcriptions.

The features

VoIP providers all have so many features. Some, like unlimited calling, caller ID, free calls, auto-attendant, CRM integrations, and softphone desktop or mobile apps, are just necessities. Others might be more nice-to-haves. 

To determine if a feature is truly essential, consider how it will impact daily operations and your team’s productivity. Ask yourself whether it solves a real business problem, improves customer experience, or saves time—if it doesn’t, it’s probably a nice-to-have rather than a must-have.

Essential features to consider in cheap VoIP services

With so many calling features, it helps to know which ones you should expect to be included in the basic plan. Here are a few non-negotiables that should be included as part of even the most basic tier of your VoIP provider’s plans:

Ability to keep your number

With Dialpad Connect, for example, you can port over your existing business numbers without any interruption in your service so your customers and clients don’t have to worry about updating your contact info.

Easy setup and management

Pricing plans don’t always tell the big picture of implementation costs. Can your existing resources complete the setup and activation on their own? What about adding phone numbers for new hires? You can do all of that in your Dialpad dashboard in just a few clicks:

Call recording

When you’re looking at business VoIP providers, call recording is a sometimes overlooked—but valuable—feature. Use it for call quality assurance, to help with coaching on customer calls, and to help sales reps and customer service agents take ownership of their performance (just to name a few). It’s also useful for compliance purposes, especially in regulated industries where your conversations may need to be documented. On a related note, recorded calls can serve as a reference for resolving disputes or clarifying complex customer requests, which reduces errors and improves overall service.

Real-time transcriptions

While live transcriptions used to be a nice little bonus, it’s now become a pretty standard baseline feature that’s included with good VoIP phone systems. If you do frequent customer calls or training sessions on calls, then having transcripts is especially helpful. Dialpad Ai can transcribe all your calls—in real time, more accurately than almost all leading competitors—and also extracts interesting questions, phrases, and keywords for actionable items.

International calling

Generally, it’s better to choose a business VoIP service that doesn’t charge you by the minute for local outbound and incoming calls (because there will be such a high volume of calls). If you have an international presence, though, then you’ll want affordable international calls too. (Dialpad offers unlimited calls within the US and Canada—on even the most basic plan.)

Voicemail

Not everyone can be reached every moment of the day. Voicemail and custom voicemail greetings come free with Dialpad Connect, but not all VoIP services—what if you’re in meetings all day and can’t listen to every voicemail? Dialpad also has a visual voicemail feature, which transcribes your voicemails so that you can read them when you’re on the go (or stuck in a meeting):

Virtual fax

Again, this is a nice-to-have and may be more of a niche requirement, but if you’re in an industry that still uses fax (like law, insurance, or healthcare), it becomes a must-have. With Dialpad, you can send a fax online right from the same app that you use to make calls and have video meetings. (You can also use Dialpad to receive faxes on any device via your main company number.)

Instant messaging and SMS

Other than phone calls, text messaging is another important channel that customers and prospects tend to be responsive to. Your VoIP provider should have an SMS and instant messaging feature so that you can have that internal and external communication with not only coworkers but also clients, patients, and other people outside of your company.

Conference calling

Today, any decent VoIP option should offer the ability to make conference calls for free—if your provider is charging extra, it’s time to consider moving on (or having a conversation with their sales or customer success team). You should be able to have three-way calls and conference calls easily on your softphone app. Created by the team behind Google Voice, Dialpad lets you have voice-only conferencing and also video calls.

Unified communications

If you use other communication channels like video conferencing and messaging, then you’ll probably want a VoIP provider that has a UCaaS (unified communications platform) product. This means you’ll be able to not only make phone calls, but also have HD video calls and send SMS messages—all in the same place, even without needing to download the app:

A well-designed softphone app

A good softphone app allows employees to make and receive calls, send messages, and manage contacts without being tied to a physical desk phone. For businesses, this flexibility supports remote work, reduces hardware costs, and ensures teams stay connected no matter where they are.

With Dialpad, you get a desktop and mobile app that works across iOS, Android, PC, and Mac that lets your team work from anywhere, on any device.

Why go with Dialpad for your business VoIP needs?

Dialpad Connect has all of the essential features you need to communicate with customers, clients, prospects, teammates, and stakeholders both inside and outside of your business. Here are just a few of the features you get:

• Multi-level auto attendant

• Worldwide customer support and a detailed knowledge base

• Call routing

• Call forwarding

• Number porting

• Toll-free number support

• Call waiting

• Desktop and mobile apps

• A wide range of integrations

• And much more

With a range of prices and clearly laid out plans, it's designed for businesses at every size—and budget. Pricing starts at just $15 per month, per seat.