7 Best Alternatives to OpenPhone Business Phone System

Cloud-based communication platforms like OpenPhone combine voice, chat, and SMS capabilities into one platform. Some providers offer additional digital communication channels, including  video conferencing and social media messaging. Included features like interactive voice response (IVR) improve the customer experience, while  reporting and analytics boost agent performance and productivity levels.

In short?

The right business phone system is the key to success.

What is OpenPhone?

OpenPhone is a cloud-based business telephony provider that offers voice calling and messaging services for U.S. and Canadian customers. With some of the most affordable prices in the VoIP industry, OpenPhone is an excellent option for startups and small businesses looking for cost-effective communication solutions.

While OpenPhone’s platform does not include video conferencing functionality, it offers a range of advanced VoIP features like IVR, analytics, and call whisper for improved business communication efficiency and enhanced customer service capabilities.

Why Look for Alternatives to OpenPhone?

OpenPhone is a difficult provider to beat when it comes to price, and it is a solid VoIP solution with many essential features. However, it is lacking in some areas such as customer support, advanced features, and security. OpenPhone is not yet HIPAA compliant, has no stated uptime guarantee, and only provides customer support via email (except for Enterprise plan users.) If any of these factors are deal breakers, there is no need to settle. We have listed some of our favorite alternatives to OpenPhone in the sections below, outlining pricing, plans, what they provide in comparison to OpenPhone, and where they might fall short.

Best OpenPhone Alternatives

Here’s the list of the best OpenPhone alternatives:

1. Nextiva
2. RingCentral
3. Vonage
4. Dialpad
5. Zoom
6. 8×8
7. Grasshopper

1. Nextiva

Nextiva is a leading provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) for startups and SMBs. Their services include voice and video calling, SMS texting, and team chat messaging, accompanied by top-notch customer service and support. With Nextiva, all customers can take advantage of 24/7, round-the-clock customer service. Moreover, Nextiva boasts exceptional reliability with 99.999% uptime and robust security measures, such as encryption and SOC 2 compliance.

Pricing & Plans

Nextiva offers three pricing plans, outlined below.

Standout Features

Here are some key features offered by Nextiva:

• Call Pop: Automatically displays key caller and account information and interaction history on agent screens when a call is accepted. Data can include on agent screens when the call is accepted, account value, customer experience score, and customer survey responses
• NextivaONE mobile app: Mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones lets users instantly call, conference, chat, video, or share their screen from a cell phone (users can also switch seamlessly between desktop and mobile devices)
• Automations: Nextiva automates repetitive tasks and workflows like appointment reminders, follow-ups, initiating campaigns, and assigning tasks
• Call Analytics: Allows managers to get Gives managers deep insights into agent performance and operations via historical and live call data, real-time call tracking, pre-made templates and custom reporting, push notifications, and employee performance gamification

Why we picked it

Nextiva is slightly more expensive than OpenPhone–but unlike OpenPhone, it also offers 24/7 live customer support, video meetings (which are available in all plans), real-time analytics, and automations. Additionally, Nextiva has stronger security, offering SSO for Enterprise plan users and reliability with a 99.999% uptime. Overall, Nextiva is a better choice for SMBs with a high call volume or that need advanced features such as video conferencing. OpenPhone is still a great option for startups that don’t need or won’t use non-essential phone features.

2. RingCentral

RingCentral is a leading virtual phone system offering business VoIP, UCaaS, and CCaaS solutions. It’s known for its advanced communication suite, RingCentral MVP (Message, Phone, Video). This solution is highly secure and reliable, with end-to-end encryption and a 99.999% uptime service level agreement. One of the most impressive features of RingCentral MVP is its robust video conferencing platform. RingCentral’s pricing may be a challenge for smaller businesses, as its most affordable “Essentials” plan doesn’t include features like video conferencing, internet faxing, call recording, or auto-attendant.

Pricing & Plans

RingCentral offers four different pricing plans with annual and volume discounts. Below is a breakdown.

Standout Features

Below are some of the standout features offered by RingCentral.

• Team Messaging: RingCentral’s team messaging space enables users to send instant messages, share files, assign tasks, or jump onto a video call from one unified space. Admins can easily add external or internal contacts to group chat. Persistent video chat rooms can also be set up, allowing remote team members to connect whenever they like.
• Video Conferencing: 200 meeting participants (Standard plan and above), access to video features like noise reduction, AI-generated topics/summaries/highlight reels/transcripts, Presentation Mode, Auto Follow, Whiteboarding, Breakout Rooms, Participant Reactions, Team Huddle, End-to-End Encryption
• Business SMS: Users can send, receive and handle calls, SMS messages, images, attachments, design-heavy texts, and faxes in one place while meeting carrier compliance requirements.
• Dial-by-Name Directory: Allows callers to search for any employee name (first and/or last) and reach team members on any device.

Why we picked it

RingCentral is quite a bit more expensive than OpenPhone. While the difference in price may be worth it to some–especially given RingCentral’s high reliability, 24/7 customer support via phone and chat, and 300+ third-party integrations–it may be out of some businesses’ price ranges. RingCentral is a good option for sales, helpdesk, and support teams already using industry-specific software. It also offers many advanced features that OpenPhone doesn’t have, including robust video conferencing and team chat platforms.

3. Vonage

Vonage is a top hosted PBX provider ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a highly customizable communication solution. Its flagship product, Vonage Business Communication (VBC), offers a comprehensive suite of communication tools, including voice, messaging, and video capabilities. Notably, Vonage’s platform boasts exceptional call quality with a 99.999% uptime. In addition to its reliability, Vonage is also a cost-effective option, with plans starting at $14.99 per user per month–making it an attractive choice for SMBs that don’t require any additional add-ons.

Pricing & Plans

Vonage has a traditional three tiered pricing structure with volume discounts. Many of Vonage’s advanced features are offered as add-ons, allowing more customization than other competitors. Below is a breakdown of Vonage pricing.

Standout Features

Below are some of the key features that Vonage offers.

• Virtual Receptionist: Provides callers with a list of pre-recorded call menu options, prompting callers to direct their own calls without a live agent. Admins can configure call routing strategies for holidays, weekends, individual agent schedules and skill sets, after-hours, and emergencies
• Call Screening: Allows admins to require inbound callers to identify themselves by recording their name so agents can then decide to answer, forward, or transfer the call accordingly
• Business Call Recording: Available as an add-on for $49.99 per month, lets admins create custom and automated call recording rules, store 500 hours of call recordings, download and email recordings, search and replay recordings in the VBC portal
• Secondary Line Appearance (SLA): Available as an add-on for $14.99/month, lets users answer and place calls from different extensions via a single desk phone, hold calls on a specific extension or join other extensions

Why we picked it

Like OpenPhone, Vonage is an affordable option for startups and SMBs that includes essential business features without a lot of extras. The Vonage Business Cloud (VBC) platform is priced only slightly higher than OpenPhone, but, unlike OpenPhone, it has an uptime guarantee of 99.999% and is HIPAA compliant. Vonage is also a more customizable system than OpenPhone due its many add-on features and APIs. For small businesses that need to save money but are planning to scale quickly, Vonage is a better option.

4. Dialpad

Dialpad is a leading VoIP service and unified communications provider that sets itself apart through its focus on innovation. With substantial investments in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP) research, Dialpad’s platform offers a suite of advanced communication features that leverage AI, including real-time voice transcription, post-call summaries, and sentiment analysis. Dialpad is one of the few service providers that has a 100% uptime guarantee, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for its users.

Dialpad’s platform includes voice, messaging, and video capabilities, making it a highly versatile solution. One of the most attractive aspects of Dialpad is its affordability, offering its cutting-edge communication tools at a highly competitive price point compared to its competitors.

Pricing & Plans

Dialpad offers three pricing plans. Below is a breakdown.

Standout Features

Below are some of the key features that Dialpad offers.

• Live Speech Coaching: AI-powered tool which displays suggestions to agents while they are on a call, such as reminding them to slow down or speak clearly
• Video Meetings: Dialpad video meetings for up to 10 participants to meet for up to 5 hours are available in all plans (Dialpad Meetings, with up to 150 participants, can also be purchased separately for $15.00/user/month.)  Video features include screen sharing, whiteboarding, in-meeting chat, virtual backgrounds, and a meeting waiting room
• Multi-Level Auto Attendant: Lets admins create a call management system that automatically routes calls to the appropriate agent. Admins can set custom messages to play during set hours, set call flow priorities, and use various routing methods such as longest idle, skills based and first available agent
• Topic-Based Team Messaging: Lets users create dedicated channels based on topics or projects, search by keyword, and share content with internal and external users

Why we picked it

Dialpad pricing is only slightly higher than OpenPhone, but it offers more reliability, better customer support, and more advanced features. As one of the only providers with a 100% uptime, Dialpad is highly reliable. It also features a number of AI-powered tools including real-time call transcription, post call summaries and real-time analytics. These advanced features are included in all plans. Additionally, Dialpad offers live customer support to all users. For these reasons, Dialpad is a great option for organizations with high volume call centers.

5. Zoom

Zoom is a well-known video conferencing provider that has quickly gained recognition in the UCaaS market by offering a comprehensive platform (Zoom One) that includes voice, chat, team messaging, and video communication tools. As a newer UC provider, Zoom does not offer a guaranteed uptime like more established brands, and it lacks some advanced VoIP features, such as sentiment analysis. Nonetheless, Zoom has developed a solid stack of voice, video, and collaboration capabilities, making it a highly attractive option for businesses looking for a reliable and cost-effective communication solution.

Pricing & Plans

Zoom One offers a free plan and four paid plans. It is important to note that voice features are only included in the Business Plus and Enterprise plans.

Standout Features

Below are some of the key features that Zoom offers.

• Call Recording: On-demand or automatic call recording and transcriptions, recording archiving, playback, retrieval
• Call Monitoring: Call monitoring (allowing supervisors to silently listen to agent calls), call whisper (allows supervisors to talk to the agent without the other party hearing), and call barge (allows supervisors to transform agent calls into a 3-way call)
• Video Meetings: Host video meetings with 100 to 1,000 participants with features like meeting lock, waiting room, admin controls,End-to-End Encryption, virtual backgrounds and custom filters, breakout rooms, handraising and polling, pin participant videos, screen sharing, live streaming
• Whiteboard: Real-time team member collaboration with automatic syncing and tools like smart connectors, sticky notes, commenting, and drawing

Why we picked it

For companies that don’t have a need for voice features, Zoom One is one of the few UC providers that is cheaper than OpenPhone and even offers a free version. While OpenPhone plans include voice capabilities without video, Zoom is the opposite in its Free, Pro and Business plans: offering video and whiteboard features without voice. For small remote B2B teams that need a secure internal communication space and not much else, Zoom might be perfect. For teams that do need phone service, Zoom One’s Business Plus and Enterprise plans and Zoom Phone metered and unlimited plans include many advanced features such as IVR and real-time analytics along with live customer support via chat and phone.

6. 8×8

8×8 is a cloud-based communication and call center software platform that provides a suite of features, including voice, video, messaging, and contact center tools at competitive prices. 8×8’s platform is designed to help businesses of all sizes improve internal and external communication by providing a seamless platform stacked with advanced features as well as international calling in up to 48 different countries. 8×8 also offers integrations with various business applications, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and NetSuite, among others, making it a highly versatile and customizable solution for modern workplaces.

Pricing & Plans

8×8 has 6 different versions of its combined unified communications and contact center platform, but the upper three tiers are geared toward contact centers. The three UCaaS plans are outlined below.

Standout Features

Below are some of the key features that 8×8 offers.

• Visual voicemail: Automatically sends voicemail transcripts and recordings  to user email addresses, includes Do Not Disturb feature that sends calls straight to voicemail and lets agents return calls, share, or forward voicemail messages directly within the voicemail dashboard
• Team Chat: Unified team chat space automatically adds contacts from the company directory, integrates with other platforms such as Slac,  and allows users to launch video and audio calls directly from any chat thread
• Multi-level Auto Attendant: Admins can create multiple nested call menus to direct inbound callers, drag-and-drop call flow design tool, custom greetings and business hour routing available
• Video Conferencing: Enterprise-grade security (including end-to-end encryption) with meetings for up to 500 participants, including features like mobile app access, virtual backgrounds, host delegation, meeting lock and lobby, dial-in access from 50+ countries, cloud recording, YouTube live streaming, audio sharing, branded meeting interface, desktop and mobile screen sharing

Why we picked it

8×8’s Express plan is priced similarly to OpenPhone, and like OpenPhone, the Express plan does not come with 24/7 live customer support. 8×8 does, however, include HD video conferencing and team chat, which aren’t offered by OpenPhone. 8×8 also has better security than OpenPhone, including HIPAA compliance. On the other hand, OpenPhone offers some features–like call recording–in its most economical plan that 8×8 only offers in higher priced plans. OpenPhone also does not set a limit on the number of users for any of its plans, while the 8×8 Express plan is limited to 5 users.

7. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a VoIP phone service and communication platform designed primarily for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. The platform provides a range of features, such as toll-free or local business phone numbers, call routing, voicemail, and call recording. It also offers an easy-to-use mobile app that allows users to manage their business phone calls and messages on-the-go.

Grasshopper offers low prices and charges a flat monthly fee instead of charging per user like most competitors. Grasshopper is popular with small businesses and solopreneurs who need a professional phone presence but don’t need or have the resources for a full-scale UCaaS platform. By providing essential features such as call forwarding, voicemail, and call recording, Grasshopper helps small businesses and entrepreneurs create a professional image and manage their business communications efficiently. However, the number of phone lines is limited to 5, and Grasshopper provides only the most basic VoIP phone features.

Pricing & Plans

Grasshopper includes all features in all plans and charges a monthly flat fee instead of per user. Plans differ according to the number of phone lines and extensions. All plans allow for an unlimited number of users. Below is a breakdown.

Standout Features

Here are some of the key features that Grasshopper offers:

• Business SMS: Agents can send/receive text messages using their business phone number, use an instant reply feature to automatically text missed callers back, and automatically provide call back details or other key information
• Call Forwarding: Call forwarding redirects incoming calls to other phone numbers or services such as voicemail, a home phone, or a colleague’s smartphone
• Live virtual receptionist: (Add-on only) Live, US-based agent virtual receptionist service via a collaboration with Ruby Receptionist to answer incoming business phone calls, take and share call notes, and collect customer information.
• Voicemail transcription: Converts voicemails to text so they can be read on a computer, iPhone, or Android device

Why we picked it

Out of all the providers on this list, Grasshopper is the most similar to OpenPhone. It offers similar pricing, does not include video conferencing and has a similar level of reliability and security. The main difference between the two providers is that Grasshopper limits the number of lines and extensions for each plan, while OpenPhone does not. Unlike Grasshopper, OpenPhone includes an auto-attendant/IVR feature. Grasshopper is therefore better suited to freelancers and solopreneurs with a low call volume, while OpenPhone is a better solution for small businesses with a moderate call volume.

Which OpenPhone Alternative Should You Choose?

Choosing the right communications platform for your business depends on various factors, such as the size of the business, budget, required features, and level of security and reliability necessary.

For businesses that require a simple voice solution at an affordable price, OpenPhone is an excellent option. Dialpad and Zoom are suitable for businesses that need reliable video conferencing alongside collaboration and VoIP features. For those who prioritize security, RingCentral is a great choice, while Nextiva is an excellent option for those who value exceptional customer service. This is not an exhaustive list, and other notable providers include Aircall, Google Voice and Ooma. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, there’s undoubtedly a perfect fit for your business out there.

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