How to Get a Business Phone Number? A Complete Guide + Top Providers

A business phone number provides credibility, increases brand recognition, and keeps personal telephone numbers private. It makes it easier for customers to find--and remember-- how to contact your business, differentiates your company from competitors, and builds consumer trust.

In this article, we'll explore how to get a business phone number, available number types, key features, and top providers.

 

What Is A Business Phone Number?

A business phone number is a dedicated phone line that facilitates professional communication and serves as your company’s primary point of contact. The most common types of business phone numbers are local numbers, toll-free numbers, vanity numbers, international numbers, and Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers.

Users can assign specific extensions to individual users or departments, or purchase multiple phone numbers for one business.

Today, most business phone numbers are virtual, meaning they facilitate voice calling via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Instead of the wired PSTN. Virtual phone numbers are accessible from any Internet-connected location or device, offering the flexibility and mobility essential for today’s hybrid workforce.

VoIP numbers also come with advanced call management features like auto attendants, voicemail transcription, ring groups, call routing, and call flip.

Business phone numbers can be purchased from VoIP software providers, transferred between providers via number porting, or purchased directly from reputable phone number brokers.

Having a business phone number makes your company appear more established, lets you keep your personal and professional phone numbers separate, and improves customer communication.

 

Business vs. Personal Phone Number

A personal number works for a side project, but it can’t separate your work and private life or let a team share incoming calls.

	Personal Phone Number	Business Phone Number
Caller ID	Shows your name or personal number	Shows your company name and business number
Privacy	Customers have your private number	Personal number stays hidden, even when calls forward to your cell
After-hours control	Calls ring whenever someone dials	Business hours, voicemail, and routing rules decide when calls reach you
Team call sharing/transfer	Calls stay on one device	Calls can ring groups, transfer to colleagues, or move to extensions
Features	Basic calling, voicemail, and texting	IVR, call recording, call routing, analytics, and integrations
Portability	Tied to you and your carrier account	Belongs to the business and can be ported between providers

 

How to Get a Business Phone Number

Before step 1, decide between a local, toll-free, or vanity number based on who calls you.

Local customers respond best to a familiar area code, callers from across the country expect a toll-free line, and ad campaigns benefit from a memorable vanity number.

Compare the options in the Types of Business Phone Numbers section to narrow down which providers and plans fit.

1. Choose a phone number provider: Decide if you want a more professional alternative to your personal phone number, or if you need the advanced features of a complete VoIP phone system provider that includes business phone numbers in their bundled plans.
2. Check phone number availability: Business VoIP number providers have searchable number databases that tell you whether or not your desired phone number/number type is available. Many will also provide similar alternatives if your desired phone number has already been claimed.
3. Enter payment information: Once you’ve chosen your business phone number, enter your credit card information into the provider website. You can also add on additional features, set up automatic recurring payments, and specify if you want annual/monthly billing.
4. Assign users and configure call flow paths: Once you’ve purchased the business phone number, assign it to specific users, add extensions, and configure voicemail boxes and call flow paths.
5. Use your business phone number: Once you’ve paid for and set up your phone number, you can begin making/receiving calls from it and continue to update features and configurations. You can easily purchase additional business phone numbers, add lines to existing numbers, on the provider website.

 

Top Business Phone Number Providers in 2026

• RingCentral - Best for uniform dialing, advanced SMS, and collaboration features
• Grasshopper - Best for solopreneurs, growing businesses, and small local shops
• 8x8 - Best for SMBs that need international calling
• Nextiva - Best for unlimited voice and video calling, and audio conferencing
• Vonage - Best for teams that need a customizable phone system
• Ooma - Best for basic features and custom extensions
• Google Voice - Best for solopreneurs who need a free second number

 

Compare the providers at-a-glance:

Provider	Starting price	Number types offered	Toll-free included?	Best for
RingCentral	$20-$30/user/month	Local, toll-free, vanity, international	Yes, with pooled monthly toll-free minutes	Uniform dialing, advanced SMS, and collaboration
Grasshopper	From $14/month	Local, toll-free, vanity	Yes, a toll-free prefix can be your plan number	Solopreneurs and small local shops
8x8	Quote-based	Local, toll-free, vanity, international	Quote-based	SMBs that need international calling
Nextiva	$15-$75/user/month	Local, toll-free	On NEXT Engage and NEXT Scale plans	Unlimited voice, video, and audio conferencing
Vonage	$19.99-$39.99/user/month	Local, toll-free, international	No, $39.99/month add-on	Teams building a customizable phone system
Ooma	$19.95-$29.95/user/month	Local, toll-free, vanity	Yes, one free toll-free number	Basic features and custom extensions
Google Voice	Free (personal); $10/user/month (Starter)	US/Canada numbers	No	Solopreneurs who need a free second number

 

1. RingCentral

RingCentral RingEX is a leading business phone system bringing messaging, video, and phone together in a single VoIP software application.

In addition to the impressive functionality offered by RingCentral, each plan offers a business phone number. When you sign up for a plan, you’ll be asked to choose one of the following types of business numbers — toll-free, local, international, or vanity. International local and toll-free numbers are available in 99+ countries and territories, and local phone numbers are available in over 200 area codes.

Additional numbers are available for purchase. Up to 8-digit extensions with site codes let users add the same dial plan to multiple locations. RingCentral ensures that your calls are protected by encryption. The provider offers features such as call forwarding, call routing, caller ID, call screening, and more to manage every call that comes in.

 

Pricing

RingCentral pricing offers three monthly or annual business phone system plans from $20-$30 per user/month.

All plans include a local business phone number with unlimited domestic calling in the US/Canada. Users can also choose a toll-free phone number with account-wide monthly pooled minutes. The Core plan includes 100 monthly toll-free minutes, the Advanced plan includes 1000 monthly toll-free minutes, and the Ultra plan includes 10,000 monthly toll-free minutes.

Additional toll-free or local numbers are available for $4.99/number/month, additional vanity numbers carry a $30 one-time fee/number, and additional international numbers start from $5.99/user/month.

 

Best For

• Franchise businesses that want to implement a uniform dialing strategy across multiple retail locations
• SMBs needing business phone numbers with advanced SMS/MMS capabilities
• Remote/blended teams looking for advanced UCaaS/team collaboration features like video calling with breakout rooms, team chat, and whiteboarding

 

2. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system geared toward small business owners, designed to help its users save money and look more professional.

Their plans offer dedicated business phone numbers to help keep work and your personal life separate.

Grasshopper offers multiple types of business numbers, including toll-free number prefixes like 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, and 888. You can also choose a vanity number, a local number, or port your existing business or virtual number to Grasshopper. At this time, international phone numbers are not available.

 

Pricing

Grasshopper pricing includes three paid plans billable monthly or annually. Each plan includes core features, but the plans differ in the number of users, phone extensions, and business phone numbers. The only difference is the call recording feature which is included with Solo Plus and Small Business but not True Solo.

• The True Solo plan ($14/month), includes 1 user, 1 phone number, and 1 extension.
• The Solo Plus plan ($25/month) includes unlimited users, 1 phone number, and 3 extensions.
• The Small Business plan ($55/month) includes unlimited users, unlimited extensions, and 4 business phone numbers.

Users can add more extensions or phone numbers for an undisclosed fee.

 

Best For

• Solopreneurs getting a basic business phone number for the first time
• Growing businesses looking for high-value plans offering savings on multiple (or unlimited) phone numbers/extensions
• Small, in-office local businesses/retail shops that don’t need a complicated business phone system with advanced features and automations

 

3. 8x8

​​8x8 is designed to help you work from anywhere. It includes features like call forwarding, voicemail, and call recording that let you stay connected with customers from anywhere.

They have flexible plans to ensure businesses of every kind can meet their needs in the most cost-effective way possible.

 

Pricing

8x8 offers toll-free, local, vanity, and international phone numbers. Pricing is currently quote-based, you will need to contact their sales team to get specific details. They offer pay-as-you-go pricing without commitments or contracts for some of their calling and texting services, but are mostly subscription-based with customized rates based on your size.

For more detailed pricing, you’ll need to talk to their sales team.

 

Best For

• Medium-sized businesses that want the option to scale from a standard business phone system to an omnichannel AI-powered contact center over time
• SMBs that need unlimited international voice calling on a budget
• Teams that want the option of choosing between metered or unmetered call pricing

 

4. Nextiva

Nextiva allows you to connect your phone system with business apps, AI, and automation all on one platform. With its cloud-based VoIP service, 99.999% uptime, and features like voicemail and call forwarding, Nextiva makes a great choice as a business phone number provider.

They offer local VoIP numbers in many major cities in most states and area codes in every state across the US.

 

Pricing

Nextiva pricing options include 3 monthly and annual paid plans from $15-$75 per user/month.

All plans include one local phone number, and the NEXT Engage and NEXT Scale plans include a toll-free number with toll-free minutes.

 

Best For

• Teams needing business phone numbers that come with unlimited audio conferencing
• Remote/blended teams looking for a phone number provider offering both voice and video calling
• In-office businesses with existing equipment requiring BYOD compatibility

 

5. Vonage

Vonage makes communications more flexible, intelligent, and personal due to its APIs and a number of integrations. They boast an uptime of 99.999%, advanced call management features and AI features, and flexible pricing options.

Major businesses, such as DHL, Domino’s, and Glassdoor, are among their customers.

 

Pricing

Vonage Business pricing includes 3 paid plans from $19.99-$39.99 per user/month.

All plans include a local phone number with unlimited domestic calling with SMS/MMS, but no plans include a free toll-free number.

Add-ons include secondary line appearance ($14.99/month), mobile unlimited extensions ($24.99/extension/month), additional local phone numbers ($9.99/month), toll-free numbers ($39.99/month), virtual phone extensions ($24.99/month), and international phone numbers.

 

Best For

• Teams that want to build a custom phone system via add-ons instead of opting for a monthly bundled plan
• In-house teams needing a secondary line appearance feature to avoid the expense of additional hardware
• On-the-go teams needing a business phone application tailored to mobile devices

 

6. Ooma

Ooma has features specifically curated for small businesses and those who are running their businesses from home.

The phone service provider is designed to cut its customers’ phone bills in half, as its website states that users save an average of 50% on each bill. Their cost-saving plans also include a free business phone number.

You can sign up for your business number right on the website. It will prompt you to select a country, state, city, and area code. You can choose if you want a default, repeating, or vanity number, and then pick the specific number you want.

 

Pricing

Ooma Office pricing includes three plans from $19.95-$29.95 per user/month.

All plans include a local phone number with 1 user extension plus unlimited calling to the US, Mexico, and Canada. Additional local numbers and toll-free numbers with 500 minutes/month are both available for $9.95/number/month.

Users can upgrade their toll-free calling plans to include 1,500 minutes/month ($15/month) or 3,000 minutes/month ($30/month.)

 

Best For

• Healthcare/medical professionals needing a business phone system with industry-specific integrations
• Teams looking for a flexible number plan offering custom extensions
• Businesses needing only basic phone system features, like conferencing calling, Caller ID, and call recording

 

7. Google Voice

Google Voice gives you a second phone number that rings on the devices you already own, so you can keep business calls off your personal line without buying new hardware.

The Basic plan supplies a free business number, while the paid tiers add multi-user support for small teams. Numbers are available in 14 countries, including the US and Canada. The broad geography coverage makes it a good starting point for international businesses growing sales or support teams overseas.

 

Pricing

• The Basic plan is free.
• The Starter plan costs $10/user/month and supports up to 10 users.
• The Standard ($20/user/month) and Premier ($30/user/month) plans both require a Google Workspace subscription.

 

Best For

• Solopreneurs who need a free second number for business calls
• Small teams of up to 10 users that want a low-cost paid plan
• Businesses already using Google Workspace that only need US/Canada numbers and don’t rely on CRM integrations

 

How to Port Your Existing Business Phone Number

If you already have business phone numbers you'd like to keep, you can transfer them to a VoIP provider via number porting. Porting lets you maintain your existing business phone number while making great use of stronger features, cheaper pricing, or clearer service quality from a new provider

The porting process will eat up anywhere from 7 to 14 business days, timelines truly depend on your current carrier and your account's specific needs. Here's some steps you'll run into during the process:

• Verify eligibility: Not all numbers can be ported. Your number must be active, in good standing with your current provider, and registered in your business name. Toll-free numbers and some international numbers may have additional restrictions.
• Gather required information: You'll need your current account number, PIN or password, billing address exactly as it appears on your current provider's records, and the phone numbers you want to port. Even small discrepancies can cause delays.
• You'll need to submit a Letter of Authorization (LOA): Your new provider will provide the form, which authorizes them to request the transfer on your behalf. Complete it accurately and return it promptly or face annoying processing delays.
• Wait for confirmation: Your new provider will submit the port request to your current carrier. You'll receive a Firm Order Commitment (FOC) date, which indicates when the port will be completed. Don't cancel service with your old provider, you'll need the port to be completed before you do. Otherwise, you'll end up with lost talk time with customers.
• Test your service: On the FOC date, your number will switch to the new provider. Test incoming and outgoing calls immediately to ensure everything works properly. Your old service will be automatically terminated once the port completes.

 

Common Number Porting Pitfalls to Avoid

Several mistakes can derail your number port, from cancelling too early to local number limitations, we'll discuss them below. The most common issues include:

• Canceling service too early: Never cancel your existing phone service before the port completes. If you do, you'll lose your number permanently. Keep your current service active until you receive confirmation that the port is complete.
• Information mismatches: Your account information must match exactly what's on file with your current provider. Even the most minor differences in how your business name is spelled or formatted can trigger immediate rejection and cost you precious time.
• Outstanding balances: Pay any outstanding bills with your current provider before initiating a port. Unpaid balances can block or significantly delay the transfer process, your current provider is required to allow you to carry over the number but if they want to make it complicated, they might be able to.
• Contract obligations: Review your current contract for early termination fees. While you're legally entitled to port your number, you may still owe cancellation fees if you're under contract, fees that your old provider will be more than happy to collect as you go.
• Local number portability limitations: Some rural or newly assigned area codes may not support porting to all VoIP providers due to laws and regulations set by governmental or regulatory bodies. Verify your number's portability before committing to a new provider.

 

Types of Business Phone Numbers

Not all business phone numbers are created equal, and the type you choose for your business is a key consideration.

The main types of business phone numbers are: 

• Local Numbers
• Toll-Free Numbers
• Vanity Numbers
• International Numbers
• DID Numbers

 

Local Phone Numbers

Best For: Small businesses that want to establish a local presence in their neighborhood/community while increasing customer answer rate

A local phone number begins with an area code that links a business to a specific physical location (county, city, state). These numbers give businesses a local presence in areas where their customers live. Local, familiar area codes build consumer trust and make customers much more likely to accept calls from numbers they don’t recognize.

For example, if the majority of your customer base lives in Miami, FL, you should select a local number with a 305 number prefix (Miami’s area code.) Businesses can–and should–purchase several local phone numbers across multiple area codes to establish a local presence across the country..

Affordable and easy to set up, local numbers are popular with mom and pop shops, restaurants/bars, salons/boutiques, and hyper-local service professionals like plumbers or real estate agents.

 

Toll-Free Phone Numbers

Best For: Businesses that want to appear more established and trustworthy, businesses that want to provide free long-distance calling for customers 

A toll-free number is a business phone number with a fixed three-digit number prefix indicating the business owning the toll-free number, not the customer calling it, pays for the call. 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833 are all toll-free codes.

Toll-free numbers provide customers with free local and long-distance calls while helping businesses to appear more established–especially valuable for new companies.

Toll-free numbers can be local, international, or vanity numbers, and are available for purchase from RespOrg phone number/VoIP service providers.

 

Vanity Phone Numbers 

Best For: Businesses needing to differentiate themselves from a high volume of competitors within their specific area or industry, businesses focused on brand recognition and reputation management.

A vanity phone number is a customizable personalized toll-free number that lets you spell out relevant words or phrases. (1-800-FLOWERS is perhaps the best-known example of a vanity number.)

Vanity phone numbers are an excellent way to boost name recognition and number memory. Even if someone who hears or sees your vanity number doesn’t need what your business sells now, they’ll know who to call when they do.

However, many vanity numbers are already taken, meaning you may need to come up with several alternatives. They are also more expensive than standard toll-free numbers.

 

International Phone Numbers

Best For: Businesses with a large number of international customers and/or physical locations in different countries

An international phone number is a phone number that establishes a local presence in another country, differentiated by a specific corresponding country code. International numbers can be local or toll-free.

While some VoIP providers include a limited number of international minutes to specific countries in bundled plans, most international calls are charged at the country’s per-minute rates.

 

Direct Inward Dial (DID) Number

Best For: Businesses with a high daily inbound call volume and/or a large number of employees 

A Direct Inward Dial (DID) number is a business phone number that directly connects a caller to a specific agent, call queue, voicemail box, or phone extension–automatically bypassing IVR call menus.

 

Must-Have Business Phone Number Features

​​Your virtual business phone app will only be of service if you find one with the features that will best serve your unique business needs.

• Mobile App: A mobile application is one of the most important features to consider in your phone service. It allows you to take your conversations with colleagues and customers on the go.
• Call Forwarding: This feature gives you the flexibility to direct your calls to any other number that you need them to go to.
• Auto Attendant: Auto attendants are automated menus that use a voice prompt to navigate your customers’ calls to the right department. These are a great way to manage calls and ensure your customers don’t have to be on hold for too long.
• Voicemail Transcription: Finding a VoIP service that offers voicemail-to-email or voicemail-to-text would be a benefit to your business, since it would automatically provide you with notes from any voicemail.
• Call Recording: While voicemail transcription offers a hard copy of your voicemail, call recording will make sure you don’t forget a thing from any outgoing or incoming calls. Be sure to follow applicable call recording laws.
• Call Parking: This feature will allow you to put a caller on hold in the cloud and enable any employee to pick the call back up. That way, the most qualified person can handle the call without having customers on hold for too long.
• Analytics: This will give you all the data you need to make sure that your employees are as effective as possible on their calls.

 

Benefits of Using A Business Phone Number

Business phone numbers are affordable, feature-rich, easy to set up, and improve your overall business reputation. They also prevent you from having to give out your personal telephone number, provide high call quality, and ensure customers know exactly how to reach your company.

Let’s take a closer look at the top business phone number benefits.

 

Improved Business Reputation

Getting a business phone number instantly makes your company appear more professional and trustworthy. Though you might have used your personal number during the startup phase, as your business grows, you need a new phone number specifically for customers.

Toll-free and vanity numbers especially make your brand appear more established–and customers like knowing they won’t be charged for the call.

 

Access To Advanced Calling Features

Upgrading to a business phone number revolutionizes the customer and agent experience by providing access to advanced VoIP features you can’t get with a traditional phone line.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) facilitates customer self-service via pre-recorded call menu prompts, call forwarding automatically directs unanswered calls to additional numbers for the same agent, and integrations let users access their favorite third-party tools without switching apps.

Today, phone number providers are leveraging AI to offer even more powerful features, including automated post-call summaries, real-time call transcription, and in-call next-best-action suggestions via Agent Assist.

These advanced capabilities speed up the support process and automate routine processes to prevent agent burnout.

 

Better Call Quality 

42% of customers won’t call a business back after experiencing poor audio quality–and agents lose roughly 3 full work days each year due to phone call audio issues.[*]

VoIP phone numbers provide a better overall call quality than traditional landlines thanks to multiple points of presence, SLA-backed guaranteed uptimes, and built-in noise cancellation.

 

Greater Privacy

While you might give out your home or cell phone numbers to VIP clients, it’s best to avoid mixing professional and personal conversations. Having a business phone number protects your personal information–and means customers can’t contact you outside of business hours.

If you need to be able to communicate with customers outside of work, the call forwarding feature forwards  business calls to your personal device without displaying your private number.

 

Ease of Setup

Buying a business phone number is an incredibly easy process. You can select and purchase your number online from a service provider and configure basic call flow rules in just a few minutes.

No physical installation is required, and you can use existing equipment like desktop computers and smartphones to make and receive calls.

 

How Much Does a Business Phone Number Cost? 

Most plans that include a business phone number run about $14-$30 per user/month, and extra local or toll-free numbers usually add $5-$10/month each. The advertised rate rarely covers the full ownership cost, so budget for these extras:

• Setup fees: $20 to $150 per user, one time. Providers often waive them for annual contracts or during promotions, so ask, especially when adding many users.
• Porting fees: $10 to $30 per number. Some providers include one free port with a new account.
• Toll-free minutes: You pay for inbound calls, typically $0.01 to $0.05 per minute. Plans often bundle 100 to 10,000 minutes a month and charge overages beyond that. If you hit the cap every month, an unlimited plan is likely cheaper.
• International calls: $0.01 to $3.00 per minute depending on the country. If you call abroad regularly, a flat-rate international package beats pay-as-you-go. Check that your most frequent destinations are included.
• Overage charges: "Unlimited" plans often have fair use caps on SMS, fax, call recording storage, or toll-free minutes. Read the usage policy and set billing alerts.
• Early termination fees: Breaking an annual contract can cost up to twelve months of service. Start month-to-month and switch to cheaper annual billing once you trust the provider.

 

FAQs