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Our research shows that RingCentral provides the best softphone app for businesses because it offers the best customer support and high scalability. It also integrates easily with popular software that your business is likely to already be using.
Other worthy picks include 8×8, for its unbeatable security and large features catalog; and Vonage, which is best for training employees and for its inbound call features.
We know softphone apps are growing in leaps and bounds thanks to the rise of hybrid work, but not all of them will be a good fit for your business. However, you can use our free comparison tool to find out which ones are. All you have to do is answer a few questions about the size of your business and the features you need most – which takes less than a minute. On this page, we list our top picks.
| Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Best app for | Free Trial | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST OVERALL  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| RingCentral | 8×8 | Zoom Phone | Vonage | Counterpath Bria | ZoiPer | GoTo Connect | Line2 | 3CX |
| $4.95/user/month | $49.95 one-time cost | $175/10 users/year | ||||||
| Overall softphone functionality | Sales teams | Value for money | Retail, training, and customer service | Affordability | Security | Scaling | Value for money | Windows users |
| 15 days | 30 days | None | 14 days | Free plan | Free plan | Free demo only | 30-day money back guarantee | Free plan |
What Is Softphone Software?
A softphone is a software-based phone. Instead of using traditional physical telephone lines, it allows users to make and receive phone calls over the internet. You can use a softphone app from your smartphone or from a desktop computer. Softphones are a great fit for any business that offers customer service, sales, or support. Benefits include lower costs, increased features, and more flexibility because staff can place calls from any device loaded with the app.
Softphones are easy to use with handsets and headsets, an no extra hardware is required. Softphones can also be bundled with communication software that will allow a workforce to handle phone calls, video meetings, and more from the same interface. Prices vary, but typical costs range between $10 and $30 per user, per month.
Best Softphone Apps
If you already have a business VoIP provider, you'll probably have a softphone app included with your service package. If, for example, you’re already signed up with RingCentral, it would make sense to stick with its app because it will offer optimal integration with your existing phone system.
Alongside these provider softphone platforms, we’ve also listed several other standalone apps that can be used regardless of which VoIP service you use. We're confident that you’ll find the right solution for your requirements – whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, head of a sales team, or part of a large enterprise. Here are Tech.co's top picks:
- RingCentral Office – best overall softphone app for businesses
- 8×8 Softphone App – best for sales teams
- Zoom – best value for money
- Vonage – best for training features
- Counterpath Bria Teams – best for affordability
- Zoiper 5 PRO – best for security
- GoToConnect – best for scaling
- Line2 – best for customizability
- 3CX Softphone – best for Windows users
After collating dozens of hours of research, we put together this article to highlight the best softphone apps for businesses. We've checked which options are best for features like cost, customizability, and security. However, we'd advise getting a free quote tailored to your business (it takes less than a minute!) so you know exactly how much you'll be paying.
Expert Tip
Some softphone apps have robust security, collaboration, and team management features that make them ideal for scaling alongside your business – but not all providers offer packages that can cater to rapidly expanding companies. If you're on track to grow significantly in the next year, ensure you're not investing in a VoIP system that's incapable of joining you on the journey.
1. RingCentral Office
Best overall softphone app for business
Price: $20 per user, per month
The RingCentral softphone application is the best choice for most businesses because it offers the best customer support; the ability to support a rapidly scaling operation; and has strong external connectivity, ensuring it will work alongside your existing software and infrastructure. Of the 12 softphone app providers we tested, it performed the best and received an overall score of 4.7/5.
This VoIP solution streamlines your business and spurs long-term growth. In fact, RingCentral was awarded a solid 4.9/5 for scalability in our research thanks to its broad range of management features, such as call transcripts and monitoring. There is also a set of robust security tools needed to secure employee accounts, including multi-factor authentication.
RingCentral's softphone app operates on web, desktop, or mobile (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android). It also provides a seamless, high-quality experience, whether you need it for video or audio call softphone functionality. The app is free, but you'll need to sign up to RingCentral Office to use it.
The app is bound to improve your team's communication and collaboration, and is worthy of the top spot on this list. With a 4.5-star average customer rating across the App Store and the Google Play Store, it seems most users would agree with us.
RingCentral lets you switch devices during a call, as well as access files and add guest users – all of which are super useful and make the overall call experience smoother. There are voicemail-to-text and voicemail-to-email options, and you can even listen to your voicemails inside your web browser.
Find out if this is the right provider for your business by using our free comparison tool, which will match you to a softphone app based on your answers to a few quick questions about your business. Or, take a look at the different RingCentral pricing plans for yourself:
RingCentral Office pricing
RingCentral Office is available in three plans: Core, Advanced, and Ultra. The prices discussed below are based on two to 20 users when paid annually.
The Core plan starts at $20 per user, per month for up to 20 lines. If you need more than this – on any RingCentral plan – you'll have to contact sales and get matched to a plan/price. The Core plan includes unlimited calls within the US/CA, voicemail-to-text transcription, messaging, and document sharing. Use business SMS messaging sparingly, though: you'll be restricted to 25 per user per month.
The Advanced plan costs $25 per user, per month and adds plenty of useful features including call queues, ring groups, call barge and whisper, call monitoring, analytics, and a selection of integrations for CRM, helpdesk, web conferencing, and both external and internal live chat. Business SMS is 100 per user per month.
The top tier plan, Ultimate, is $35 per user, per month and will grant you access to RingCentral's business analytics platform, plus unlimited storage, device-level analytics and alerts, and other advanced features and reporting functions enterprises need, such as end-to-end encryption for video meetings. Business SMS is 200 per user per month.
RingCentral Office features
- Up to 20 lines are available (sales team must be contacted if you need more)
- Voicemail-to-text functionality
- Business SMS texts
- Document sharing
- Team messaging
RingCentral competes with the best video conferencing platforms on the market.
What's new for RingCentral?
August 2023: Previously “unlimited” business SMS messaging is now capped at 25, 100, or 200, depending on the plan.
Pros:
- Affordable pricing plans
- Dual functionality with phone and video
- Large feature set
Cons:
- Learning curve for beginners
- No flexibility on VoIP provider
2. 8×8 Work
Best for sales teams
Price: $24 per user, per month
8×8
8×8 is an industry-leading VoIP system and our best pick for sales teams, due to its powerful sales, collaboration, and security features.
8×8 team messenger and web conferencing features make it easy for teams to communicate from afar. The provider even lets users share files seamlessly through chat messages with its document-sharing feature – a capability that leading providers like Zoom and DialPad are currently missing.
8×8 also offers a lot of protocols to keep businesses secure, including multi-factor authentication, TLS/SRTP encryption, and compliance certifications. These protections are an asset for sales teams that need to keep consumer data safe. However, if you’re looking for more advanced mechanisms like strict password rules on all plans, we’d recommend choosing Google Voice instead.
The provider is ideal for growing businesses that need to upskill staff quickly, too. From call recording and monitoring, 8×8 offers a number of training features, and its customer support service – which earned a perfect 5/5 score in our research – provides a lifeline to users getting to grips with the service too.
8×8 isn’t perfect though. The provider’s entry price is higher than our RingCentral, making it slightly less appropriate for businesses looking for a budget softphone app.
8×8 Work works on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. However, this is not a standalone softphone and is only available to those with a paid 8×8 X Series subscription or a free 8×8 Express trial.
8×8 pricing
8×8 offers five different pricing plans: the X2, X4, X6, X7, and X8.
The X2 plan costs $24 per user per month and includes features like voicemail transcription, single sign-on and call activity analytics, unlimited calling in 14 countries, and unlimited calling within the US and Canada.
The X4 plan is $44 per user, per month. It offers robust analytics along with unlimited calls to 48 countries, and includes even more communication features than the X2 plan such as call barge and call whisper.
8×8's Contact Center plans – the X6, X7 and X8 – incrementally increase access to additional business features. The X6 plan ($85 per user, per month) lets you access call activity analytics, supervisor analytics, contact center reporting and analytics, and single sign-on. The X7 ($110 per user, per month) adds omnichannel routing of voice, chat, emails, SMS, social media, and messaging applications. The X8 plan ($140 per user, per month) includes features like an auto dialer, quality management, and speech analytics.
8×8 features
- Auto attendant
- Transcription
- Visual voicemail
- intelligent call routing
- Content & file sharing
- On-hold music
- Team messaging
Read more about the softphone in Tech.co's 8×8 independent review.
What's new for 8×8?
August 2023: Prices are no longer available online, and the above estimates are subject to change. You'll have to contact 8×8 for a quote to confirm how much your plan will cost. The X8 plan has an auto dialer.
Pros:
- Great telephone system features
- Easy to use and setup, even for beginners
- Full control over schedule and meetings
Cons:
- Occasional connectivity problems
- No VoIP provider flexibility
3. Zoom
Best value for money
Price: $10 per month
Zoom saw a meteoric rise during the pandemic thanks to its notable ease of use and affordability, making it the go-to option for video chats. It boasts an incredible 3.3 trillion meeting minutes each year.
What's more, Zoom has been adding to its business offerings, and Zoom Phone represents an excellent VoIP option with a solid softphone app. In our research, Zoom Phone ranked highly across most categories, netting an overall score of 4.4/5, taking the third sport in our ranking.
In fact, Zoom Phone was considered the best value option in our VoIP research with a 5/5 value for money score, which is saying something considering the competition. In addition to a low starting price, all of its plans offer an array of outbound communication features, including voicemail-to-text, ring groups, call queues, and spam prevention. That high value-to-cost ratio makes it a standout pick for businesses that aren't happy with their current service and need something that costs less or accomplishes more.
As for the actual app, Zoom is notorious for its easy-to-use interfaces. With high ratings across the App Store and the Play Store, there's a good reason why Zoom is near the top of this list. However, for all of Zoom's perks, it's security profile lags far behind it's competition, missing out key features like multi-factor authentication, user-permissions and strict password rules. Zoom doesn't offer any onboarding support either, which may be a drawback for users getting started with the software for the first time.
Zoom pricing
Zoom Phone has three pricing plans: the Metered, which costs $10 per user, per month; the Unlimited plan, which costs $15 per user, per month; and the Pro Global Select plan, which costs $20 per user, per month.
You may have noticed that Zoom Phone is one of the cheapest on this list. In fact, it's easily the best value, undercutting many providers on price while still providing a lot of features. Counterpath Bria Teams is the only noteworthy softphone app that's more affordable, and it doesn't have nearly as many features. Simply put, if value for money is important to you, Zoom Phone is a no-brainer.
Zoom features
- Call recording
- Single sign-on
- Holiday and business hours routing
- 256-bit authentication encryption
- 24/7 live chat and phone customer support
- Integrates with Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft, and Google
Pros
- Very low starting price ($10/user/month)
- Highly scalable, with features for growing businesses
- Echo and typing cancellation on all plans
- Accepts calls from 40+ countries
Cons
- Weak security features
- Limited customer support options
- Pricing starts at $10/user/month
- Unlimited plan from $15/user/month
- Select plan ($20/user/month) with unlimited calling to 40+ countries
4. Vonage
Excellent training features
Price: $19.99 per user, per month
Vonage is another quality VoIP system with a solid list of features, including call barge, voicemail to text, spam prevention, and the ability to expand user limits. These capabilities make Vonage as scalable as industry leaders like RingCentral and 8×8, which is why our researchers awarded it a near perfect scalability score of 4.5/5.
Our testers also found it to be the best software for onboarding new employees, and it stands out more generally for staff training features thanks to well-crafted tools for handling inbound calls, from call transcripts to call recording. This excellent selection helped Vonage to a 4.4/5 score for overall features, the third highest out of the 12 VoIP providers we tested.
Retailers will find Vonage useful: upskilling employees is important for retail businesses, which often have lower-skilled workforces, some of which will be young or working part-time. Plus, retail teams deal with a higher-than-average number of inbound calls when compared to other industries, so Vonage's wealth of features for dealing with incoming customer calls will be incredibly useful.
Vonage is another good candidate for switchers, since it allows a fast-scaling business to thrive once it has outgrown its previous softphone provider.
Vonage pricing
Vonage offers three plans: Mobile, for $19.99 per user per month; Premium, for $29.99 per user per month; and Advanced, for $39.99 per user per month. All plans mention that “taxes and fees” will be an additional cost.
Mobile will include core functionality: unlimited domestic calls, voicemail, spam prevention, call queue, caller ID, video calls, SMS messaging, transcripts, recording, and analytics. Premium adds custom greetings, a virtual receptionist, unlimited meetings for up to 100 people, CRM integration, and ring groups, while Advanced adds call recording.
Vonage features:
- Unlimited calls and SMS
- Unlimited team messaging
- CRM integration
- Call recording
- Multi-level auto attendant
- Custom call lists
- Call monitoring
Pros
- Huge suite of features
- Very Scalable
- Great for Training Staff
Cons
- No multi-factor authentication
- Customer support could be better
- Quite a few features cost extra
- Pricing starts from $19.99/user/month
- Per user price decreases based on the number of users
5. Counterpath Bria Teams
Best for affordability
Price: $4.95 per user, per month
Counterpath Bria Teams is a carrier-grade SIP softphone application for Windows, Mac, and iOS/Android devices. It includes a range of features that are specifically designed for business users, and can be deployed within an enterprise environment.
It is also the most affordable service on the list – even if you opt for the higher tier plan (which includes web conferencing). Naturally, it's missing some advanced features, but if your budget is a concern or you're a small business, you can't do much better than Counterpath Bria Teams.
If the standard offering doesn't quite live up to your initial expectations, this softphone application can also be customized with a number of add-ons to boost its functionality, such as screen share or contact management.
Counterpath Bria Teams pricing
Counterpath Bria offers a lot of pricing plans, but only two of them are aimed at small businesses. The Counterpath Bria Teams plan costs $4.95 per user per month and offers all the basic business phone functionality, whereas the Counterpath Bria Individual retails at $2.95 and is ideal for traveling business people.
If you're looking for the best free softphone, Bria is worth considering: The Bria Solo Free plan costs nothing, and delivers standard audio and video calls for one device.
Counterpath Bria Teams features
- Three devices per user
- Transfer and forward functionality
- Meeting recording
- Cloud admin portal
- Team messaging
- HD team voice & video calls
- Chat rooms
Pros:
- Most affordable option available
- High quality audio and video
- Excellent battery efficiency
Cons:
- Limited messaging features
- Not very customizable
6. Zoiper 5 PRO
Best for security
Price: $49.95 one-time cost
The Zoiper 5 PRO softphone application replaces the now discontinued Zoiper 3, Zoiper Classic, and Zoiper Web apps. It comes as a free version for non-commercial calls on iOS or Android, or businesses can pay a flat rate free of $49.95 for Zoiper 5 PRO – a fully-fledged VoIP package complete with custom branding so you can put your business's logo and name.
Upgrading to Zoiper 5 PRO enables functionality on Windows or Mac as well as iOS/Android devices, provides military-grade encryption for added security, and grants access to a unified communications functionality. We must admit, the interface is a bit outdated, especially compared to more modern solutions like Zoom and RingCentral. This can be a turn off for business's after an ultra streamlined and intuitive platform but from a security standpoint, it's still one of the best free softphones you can buy.
Unique to this list, Zoiper is a one-time purchase, after which you can place free calls between Zoiper users, and benefit from no recurring monthly fees. Zoiper 5 PRO also works with Asterisk, Freeswitch, Cisco CallManager, 3CX, Elastix, and most other modern SIP-based PBXs.
Zoiper 5 PRO pricing
Zoiper offers its service for a one-time fee, giving you access to everything forever without a monthly bill. You can expect to pay $49.95 once for Zoiper 5 PRO.
Zoiper 5 PRO features
- Click 2 Dial CRM integration
- End-to-end military-grade encryption
- Auto answer
- Advanced audio features
Pros:
- Military-grade encryption
- Advanced audio features
- No monthly cost (one-time fee)
Cons:
- Big cost up front
- Outdated interface
7. GoTo Connect
Best for scaling
Price: $24 per user, per month
GoTo Connect is the phone system arm of the GoTo brand, offering a wide range of communication tools for businesses around the world. Our researchers found that this app sets itself apart because of its great security tools, a high customer satisfaction rating, and a good value in relation to its cost.
Plus, team messaging features and an intuitive app interface make it easy to connect with your team. This means the software is better suited for rapidly expanding teams than most of the others we tested. To compare, Google Voice, our overall top pick, only scores 2.9/5 for scalability.
Another benefit of choosing GoTo Connect is the vast array of integrations it comes with. Salesforce, Slack, Google Workplace, and Windows 365 are all supported, as well as GoTo Meeting and other apps in the GoTo brand family.
GoTo Connect pricing
GoTo Connect offers two pricing plans: Basic and Standard. The Basic plan costs $24 per user, per month, and offers a basic phone system for your business. The Standard plan is just a small jump from there at $29 per user, per month, and adds advanced features like call recording and real-time analytics.
GoTo Connect features
- Port existing number
- Route incoming calls to multiple phones
- Auto attendants
- Call queue
- Team messaging
What's new for GoTo Connect?
August 2023: GoTo Connect has discontinued its $43 per user Premium plan.
Pros:
- Lots of integrations
- Multiple device functionality
- Easy to port old number
Cons:
- Connectivity problems
- No search function for contacts
8. Line2
Best value for money
Price: $15.99 per user, per month
This softphone is only available to Line2 Pro subscribers. The Pro Plan provides an affordable, fully-featured solution for VoIP, and offers many great features for mobile workers.
Line2 represents one of the more affordable options on the list, particularly given everything you get with the plan. Even the higher tier plan is more affordable than half the options on this list, and it offers some serious heft as far as analytics, call quality, and telephone features are concerned. You can even set up a vanity number, if that's something that piques your interest.
As part of the Line2 Pro Plan service, the softphone application provides an ideal solution for mobile workers who want to enjoy the full benefits of a VoIP service when they're away from their desks or are out in the field.
Line2 pricing
Line2 offers one price plan, with a discount for yearly billing. Billed monthly, Line2 costs $15.99 per month, though it costs just $13.75 per month when billed annually. Either way, you'll get access to unlimited SMS and calls within the US and Canada, call blocking, call screening, voicemail transcriptions and recordings, call forwarding, and caller ID.
Line2 features
- Voicemail transcription
- Auto attendant
- Advanced call usage reports
- Vanity numbers
- Team messaging
Pros:
- Mobile office with business-grade features
- Competitive pricing plans
- Easy to use interface
Cons:
- No VoIP provider flexibility
- Complicated login process
9. 3CX Softphone
Best for Windows users
Price: $175 per 10 users, per year
3CX integrates with Windows 365 seamlessly, and the entire app can be set up in a just a few clicks, which is always great for beginners. However, if you're working with any operating system other than Windows, feel free to move along.
The pricing is the unique part of 3CX. It's free for the first year, which is obviously attractive, but it's not without its caveats. The functionality is certainly a bit limited when compared with the other available options like RingCentral and 8×8, and the interface leaves a lot to be desired in terms of staying on the modern style. Still, for the price, it's a solid enough option to get you through the day.
3CX Softphone pricing
3CX offers three paid plan options for most businesses: Small Business, starting at $175 per 10 users, per year; Professional, starting at $145 per 10 users, per year; and Enterprise, starting at $180 per ten users, per year.
Once you pass 10 users, these blanket costs increase: The Small Business plan costs $275 per year for between 10 and 20 users (the cap), and the price of the Professional and Enterprise plans increases per extra user.
Small Business offers call queues, voicemail-to-text, team messaging, listen in, call whisper, call barging, and video conferencing for up to 25 participants. The Professional plan adds advanced features that includes integrations for Microsoft 365 and CRM, call recording, hot desking, SMS, and a cap of up to 100 participants on video conference. Enterprise adds custom phone logos, Microsoft Teams, skill-based routing, and start/stop call recording.
The service also offers a permanent free plan with live chat, team messaging, WhatsApp, video conferencing features and more. For a complimentary plan, it's offering is quite impressive. But if you're a business user that requires slightly more advanced capabilities like desk phone support and call reporting, it will fall short.
3CX Softphone features
- Integrates with Windows 365
- Call recording
- Auto attendant
- Screen sharing
What's new for 3CX?
August 2023: 3CX has changed its plan names and dropped the 120-user cap that its Professional plan once had. It has also made the prices for its Enterprise plan public, creating more transparency.
Pros:
- Integrates with Microsoft 365
- Easy to use, intuitive user interface
- Free for first year
Key Features:
- Outdated interface
- Confusing, albeit affordable pricing model
Best Softphone Apps for iPhone and Android
The best softphone app for iPhone and Android is RingCentral because it allows you to access plentiful features, low costs, and a vast number of integrations, no matter what device you use.
Again, RingCentral isn't the only softphone app that works on the iPhone and Android. You might need a different set of features, a lower price point, or some different integrations that one of the other providers on this list. Every single provider on this list has an Android and iPhone app, so there's no need to check on your equipment ahead of time.
Here's a quick look at the interfaces you'll get from RingCentral, 8×8, and Vonage (our top three picks).
You can also view the ratings and reviews on the App Store and the Google Play Store to further verify that the softphone apps are still maintained and functional, and that the features you need are included on the mobile and desktop versions. They're all free to download, so if the VoIP service offers a free plan or free trial, you can use this to test out the mobile app.
Don't forget to compare softphone providers to see how much it will cost your business.
How We Research VoIP Software
Tech.co's in-house research team compared all of the top VoIP software providers against each other. To do this, we broke down all of the core categories that matter most to consumers. We settled on seven main areas of investigation:
- Price – What is the overall cost to the business, given the price and the value offered?
- Features – What can the platform do?
- External connections – Does the platform integrate with any existing communication infrastructure?
- Customer support – How does the provider offer assistance should something goes wrong?
- Security – How secure is your data on the platform?
- Scalability – Can the software keep up with a fast-growing company?
- Customer score – How have other users rated the platform?
Once each provider was tested and researched, we gave them a 5-star rating for each area listed above, as well as an overall 5-star rating that factored in all seven research categories. In the end, RingCentral took the lead, with 8×8 and Vonage close behind.
You can also learn more about our in-depth research process to find out how we rate and rank these softphone apps and VoIP providers.
Verdict: What Is the Best Softphone App?
You've made it this far, which means you're definitely in need of a softphone app to improve communication at your business. RingCentral isn't the only worthwhile option. If you want to take the next step towards signing up, you can fill out our free survey and get matched with the best softphone app provider for your business's needs.
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