In determining the best VoIP services, Forbes Advisor researched the industry and selected 16 vendors for in-depth analysis. We then ranked these providers using several factors, including pricing, features, ease of use, and customer support. Hard criteria like price and features are weighted higher than more subjective data points like reviews.
Mobile App Score
Since many VoIP services include downloadable mobile and desktop apps, we make a point of checking the App and Play Store star ratings of the products we review, and provide a score from 1 to 5 stars. This category accounts for 4% of the total rating.
customer reviews
Past customers’ experiences account for 10% of the final score. We look at customer reviews from Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). When looking at BBB sites, we broke down the ratings, paying particular attention to the ratio of complaints to reviews.
Service and Support
Our main focus for service and support (4% of the final score) is the availability of live chat and a ready knowledge base. For live chat, higher scores reflect the availability of human support, followed by bot or AI-generated help.
Price
VoIP services typically charge a monthly fee per user. However, some providers may charge a flat rate for unlimited users or minutes. Be sure to check the fine print – some providers charge extra for features like call recording or transcription, while others offer these features for free. We weigh pricing at 10% of the total score.
General characteristics
General characteristics accounted for the second place in the total score, accounting for 24%. This includes standard VoIP service tools such as unlimited domestic calls, SMS/text messaging, auto-attendant, team messaging capabilities and unlimited international calls. We also consider desktop application usability.
Additional features
These features may sometimes be part of the plan, but may also be available as add-ons. While these tools and features aren’t always a core part of a VoIP service, we’ve found them to be critical to providing the best experience for your business.
For example, the most basic features include unlimited calling and voicemail, while more advanced features include visual voicemail, call forwarding, toll-free numbers, and CRM integration. Before making a decision, consider which features are most important to your business.
Expert rating
The previous methodology section constitutes the information section of the total score and accounts for 70% of the score. Expert ratings account for the remaining 30%. Forbes SMB’s editorial team provides subjective assessments based on our research and direct experience with the product or service. The overall rating is the result of four considerations; each section accounts for 7.5% of the expert’s total score
feature
Experts will note features that stand out, lead-in details that may be relevant to customers, or anything that indicates the product or service is worth the investment for potential customers. The more tools and services available and relevant for use, the higher the overall score.
Excellent value for money
Value is not just about whether a service is affordable. The product may cost a little more, but it’s worth the investment in the end because it offers excellent value that its competitors don’t offer. We consider everything that comes with signing up for a plan and what’s missing. We even consider the experience of signing up or contacting customer service to determine whether the final purchase of the reviewed product was worth the money.
Popularity
While we do review and test lesser-known products, we also realize that some products are widely used because of their widespread reputation. For the purposes of our methodology, popularity refers to how easy it is to find the product on Google, the number of customer reviews available, and how many trustworthy review sites have written reviews about the product or service.
Easy to use
Some VoIP products are designed to be very easy to sign up and start using. However, other services are designed for customers with extensive existing knowledge of VoIP-related services. Ease of use factors include everything from how easy it is to create an account and sign up for a plan, to how much time and effort it takes to download the app and start using the product.
