We Tested 5 Google Voice Alternatives in 2023 - Here's Our Feedback - Ringblaze Blog (2023)

the field ofCustomer serviceIt is constantly expanding and it seems like new tools are being developed every month to communicate with your customers.

And like chatbotsCRM-Systemeand customer service website features are becoming increasingly popular, many companies still manage much of their supportthrough phone calls.

Phone calls are not allowedmost popular millennial activity, but some customer problems are much easier to handle by achat with a real person in real time.

To make this process easier and more efficient, many companies use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) business phone systems.

The VoIP market has grown tremendously over the past decade, and Google Voice is one of the most popular options for businesses and individuals looking to improve their phone customer service.

What makes Google Voice so popular and how do other providers compare?

In this article we will look at some of the most popular ones.Google Voice alternatives, so you can see which are the best option for your business.

First, let's take a look at Google Voice and understand its position in the market.

Why Google Voice?

Introduced in 2009 when the tech giant acquired the GrandCentral service,Google Voicemarked Google's entry into the VoIP market and promised many useful business phone features for individuals and small businesses.

As a standalone solution, Google Voice might not be the most advanced solution for your business phone needs, but when combined with the rest of the G Suite management console, Google Voice really starts to shine.

If you're a fan of Google's G Suite and enjoy using apps like Hangouts, Google Meet, and Calendar, then Google Voice should probably be at the top of your VoIP list.

Integration with all of these apps is easy and natural (since Voice is part of the same ecosystem), making it easy to schedule things like calls from the calendar and get meeting context in Meet.

Google Voice also offers many standard business phone features, such as B. unlimited domestic SMS, free calls to the US, voice recording and call answering from international locations (although only 11 countries are currently supported).

When it comes to pricing, Google Voice is absolutefree for individualsalthough there are severalbusiness plans.

All plans are billed "per user per month," and you can choose from Starter, Standard, and Premier plans, which cost $10, $20, and $30, respectively.

All plans include free calls to the US from any country, unlimited US SMS, call forwarding, and similar basic features. Some advanced features, like auto attendant andadvanced reportsThey are only available for the most expensive plans.

Best Google Voice Alternatives

Here is the list of the best Google Voice alternatives:

1. Flame ring
2. Hummer
3. conversations
4. Skype
5. sideline
6. own

We tested each of these tools until we got a good grasp of their best features, strengths, and weaknesses. Here are some things we tried:

• Ease of use and configuration
• main properties
• Calling and SMS options (free or paid, national or international, etc.)
• Advanced features (call recording, conferencing, website features)
• call quality
• online reviews
• quality of customer service
• etc.

So let's get into that and start our list!

You might also be interested in our blog article in which we compareRingCentral vs. Grasshopper vs. Google Voice.

1. Ringblaze x Google Voz

As we set out to create an affordable and efficient VoIP solution for small businesses, we had two groups of people in mind: the business owner and the end user.

We wanted to provide the best possible end-user experience and help small business owners increase efficiency and streamline the customer service process.

If you look at Ringblaze's core features, you'll see that we deliver on that promise.

With many advanced features including international calling (which is very important for online business)Flame ringcan help you take your customer service to the next level.

What makes it better than Google Voice?

If you run a customer support team that needs to collaborate on calls or work shifts, you'll find Ringblaze outperforms Google Voice and many others on this list.

Ringblaze makes collaborating easya common dashboardwith which you can easily and efficiently handle all important parts of the customer service process.

You can assign calls to individual agents, leave comments on those calls and even record them.

Your team can also access customer timelines to get a better understanding of each customer's needs, as well as read team noteseveryone can stay inside.

This can be invaluable when you have a team of fast-paced colleagues who often need to fill in for each other.

Another interesting feature that can be very useful if you have an online business isdas Click-to-Call-Widget.

You can easily implement with just a few clicksa "Call us" buttonon your website to catch the attention of your visitors while they are browsing your offer. Instead of searching your website for a contact number, you can insert this CTA button andturn those visitors into leads.

Additionally, Ringblaze allows you to spawna callout widget linkwhich you can add anywhere: your website, your email signature or even your blog post. For example. Now you can clickthis linkand contact me right away to see how it works. I'm serious, try it! Just make sure to call California business hours 🙂

As for other more standard business phone features, it's worth noting that both systems offer unlimited users. However, if you want to get this feature through Google Voice, you'll have to go for one of the two more expensive options, while Ringblaze offers this possibility with their standard plan.

This leads to…

precio ringblaze

Ringblaze pricing is simple: there is only one plan, and all the features you see on the site are included.

If you pay yearly is the price$15 per user per month, and if you pay monthly, it's $19. For that price, you get all the features above and more.

Ringblaze's resume

If you run a business and employ a team of customer service representatives, Ringblaze is a much more advanced solution than Google Voice. You get all the standard business phone system features like international calling, national and international phone numbers, and the advanced collaboration dashboard.

Click-to-call and call recording are also nice additional features.

If you think Ringblaze is the perfect choice for you,Registrationwith a few clicks and request a demo!

2. Grasshopper vs Google Voice

One of the biggest names in the VoIP market,HummerIt's also one of Google Voice's main competitors when it comes to its target audience. Like Google Voice, Grasshopper caters to two main audiences: “sole proprietors” and small business owners.

To appeal to both groups, Grasshopper offers competitive prices and great features for anyone looking to improve customer communication with an easy-to-use system.

What makes it better than Google Voice?

At first glance, Google Voice and Grasshopper share many of the same features: local phone number, call handling options, multiple extensions, etc.

However, there are some subtle differences between these two services that may affect your decision if you think these specific services are important.

For example, making international calls in Grasshopper is only available when you post aInitial payment of $500. On the other hand, Grasshopper also offers integration with G Suite at a lower price than Google Voice.

A key advantage Grasshopper has over Google Voice is theVirtual receptionist. With this feature, you can have an auto attendant or live receptionist who handles your incoming calls just like an internal receptionist.

You can rely on the virtual receptionist to transfer calls, receive messages and use recorded greetings.

It is worth noting that this feature has been praised for the dedicated high-quality voice actors. Many tech review sites have user ratings that highlight how professional and well-trained these receptionists are. So if you work in an industry where looks matter, that's great news!

locust prices

Unlike many of the other services in this article, Grasshopper does not charge per user. Instead, you have a single monthly payment that can varybetween $29 and $89 per month. However, the $29 "Solo" plan only offers one number and three extensions, so you'll have to opt for the more expensive plans if you have a customer support team.

grasshopper abstract

When you look at Grasshopper's pricing model, key features, and all of its online communications, it's clear that it's designed to provide the best possible service to individuals and small businesses.

Compared to Google Voice, Grasshopper is certainly a better and cheaper solution if you are in the small business category. However, if you are planning to transform your business into a medium-sized business, scaling is much easier with Google Voice.

However, Grasshopper is still a great solution for small businesses, with impeccable customer support and strong features to help you improve your call handling. Considering the locust? Check out our in-depth blog articleLocust AlternativesAlso.

3. Google Voice x Skype

One of the pioneers of the VoIP industry,Skypewas founded in 2003 and sold to Microsoft in 2011 in a high-profile takeover deal. It has since become almost synonymous with video calls, so much so that the verb "to Skype" has been included in the Oxford dictionary.

Although known worldwide as the ideal application for video calls, Skype also allows its users to send SMS, call mobile and landline phones and collaborate more efficiently.

To use these features, you need a Skype Number, which unlike Skype is not free.

What makes it better than Google Voice?

Just as Google offers great integration with G Suite and makes a lot of sense if you're a fan of Google Meet or Calendar, Skype would make more sense for fans of Office365 services. If you like Teams, OneDrive, Outlook, etc., you probably want to try Skype for Business as a VoIP solution.

Apart from that, Skype Number has a few more things to offer compared to Google Voice. One of them is himdesktop application- While Google Voice swears by its Chrome extension, it's often much more convenient to have a desktop app available.

Browser-based applications are generally more likely to crash, especially when we know that aCertain browsers can use a lot of RAM.

Skype also lets you create an international number in 26 different countries, while Google Voice only allows 11.

But the main reason why you prefer Skype Number over Google Voice is thatAdvanced Skype featureswhich do not normally fall into the category of business phone systems. This includes conference calls with up to 250 participants, collaboration features, location sharing, real-time translation and much more.

Skype prices

When it comes to pricing with Skype, you have two choices: you can buy credits and spend them on business phone services like texting or making calls; or you can opt for one of their monthly subscriptions.

Note, however, that many features, such as B. Voicemail transcription or Skype number, are charged separately.

Skype summary

If you don't need many advanced features like call recording and like the appeal and reliability of a reputable brand like Microsoft, go for Skype Number. Take a close look at the features available and compare them to the other options on this list.

Línea lateral compared to Google Voice

With over 10 million app downloads,sidelineIt is the number one choice for many small and medium-sized businesses looking to upgrade their phone customer service.

While not technically a VoIP system (since you don't have to use your internet connection), it's a popular business phone system that rivals Google Voice in many ways.

Instead of using your internet connection to send messages and make calls, Sideline offersdepends on your operator's network. This has some advantages, but also some shortcomings, which we'll cover in the next section.

What makes it better than Google Voice?

The most important benefit you get with Sideline is the call quality and reliability.

We all know how unpredictable an internet connection can be, especially when using Wi-Fi. Your connection can slow down or even drop out at any time, putting your connection at risk and angering you with your ISP.

Sideline solves these problems by using your carrier's network, so you can leave your Wi-Fi connection at any time without sacrificing call quality. However, this comes with a potential downside: sideline.Use your operator's protocolto make these calls. If you are on a limited minutes plan, this could be a deal breaker for you.

Luckily, most modern plans come with unlimited minutes, so you're probably safe here. Plus, you get unlimited SMS, customizable voicemail, group messaging, and other standard features.

second prizes

Sideline has a unique pricing model: the Standard plan costs $9.99 per month and the Pro plan costs $9.99 per line per month. This means that the Standard plan only offers one phone number, while the Pro plan lets you have unlimited numbers, but this affects the price.

Summary in the margin

If you consider call quality and reliability very important, Sideline is one of the best entries on this list. Compared to Google Voice's browser-based service, it's much more stable and unlikely to break.

Ooma vs Google Voice

Founded in Palo Alto in 2004,ownSince then it has become one of the most recognizable names in the VoIP business.

It offers a range of features that can range from basic to very advanced depending on the plan you choose. This makes Ooma very scalable: the more affordable plans are great for small businesses, while the more expensive advanced plans cater to larger businesses.

What makes it better than Google Voice?

Compared to Google Voice, it's clear that Ooma ismost modern telephone system, with a much wider range of features. Depending on the plan you choose, Ooma may offer a desktop app, a virtual receptionist that can play recorded messages and transfer and record calls.

One particularly cool feature is "Multi-Ring", which allows multiple devices to ring when an Ooma user receives a call. You can easily add a device and ensure your team can receive calls on the go.

If you're a larger organization, the benefits of Ooma are even more apparent: you get video conferencing, landlines, and deep API integrations with services like Zendesk, G Suite, Salesforce, and more.

Ooma prices

Ooma offers three pricing plans: Office Pro at $24.95, Enterprise at $34.99, and Call Center at $79.99. All these prices are per user per month.

Although it is clear that the call center is plannedaimed at large companiesFor those who can afford it, note that even the Office Pro plan comes with features like a virtual receptionist, call forwarding, music on hold, and text messaging.

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In features alone, Ooma far outperforms Google Voice.

So if you want to invest in an advanced VoIP business phone system with lots of useful features, give Ooma a try. However, if you run a small business with a customer support team, you may end up paying more for features you don't need.

Common Question: Google Voice vs Hangouts: What are the differences?

Because they both allow you to make and receive calls over an internet connection, and because they're both Google products, Google Voice andconversationsthey are often difficult to distinguish. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners use one of these services and at first glance they look very similar.

However, there are some key differences between the two that might influence your decision to go with one or the other.

1. Hangouts does not provide a number

Unlike Google Voice, Hangouts doesn't have a separate number that you can use to make or receive calls. Instead, Hangouts can only be used to call other people and take their calls through the app itself.

So Google Hangouts isn't a great solution if you want to give your customers an easy way to communicate with you.

2. Google Voice does not support video conferencing

On the other hand, Hangouts has an advanced video conferencing feature that can support up to 150 participants in a single call. This can be very useful for team collaboration and organization.

While Google Voice has some collaboration features, it lacks video conferencing options.

3. Hangouts is not a business-oriented solution

After all, Hangouts isn't really software that's used to engage customers or promote your business. It's a great tool to organize your team, bring people together and work more efficiently. From a business perspective, this is where the benefits of this software end.

In addition, there is the possibility that Hangouts, also as a collaboration tool,will be obsoletemuch soon. You can finddifferent sourcesonline, mentioning that the Meet and Chat apps have now virtually replaced Hangouts as more advanced apps. Google will likely invest more in these two apps.

So if you are looking for a business VoIP phone solution, Google Voice is the best choice. You can use Hangouts for internal organization, although it's better to use the Chat and Meet apps for this purpose as well.

Verdict: The best alternative to Grasshopper

For small to medium businesses with a team of customer service representatives, Ringblaze is our choice.

It offers many standard features including some advanced ones like call recording and click to call website functionality which can be very useful. The team collaboration features are also second to none and you can take advantage of them when your team works in shifts and manages many different clients.

A big advantage is also the price plan with clear and transparent information.Registrationand find out why we believeFlame ringis one of the best Google Voice alternatives out there.

Originally published January 24, 2021. Updated May 4, 2022.