OpenPhone vs. Google Voice: Head-to-Head Comparison

Summary: Google Voice and OpenPhone both provide essential business VoIP features, affordable pricing, and user-friendly interfaces, but Google Voice offers video conferencing while OpenPhone does not. Google Voice also includes unlimited text messaging, while OpenPhone charges an additional monthly fee for texts. On the other hand, OpenPhone has more collaboration tools than Google Voice. Unlike Google Voice, OpenPhone also includes call recording in every plan and offers toll-free numbers.

Google Voice and OpenPhone both cater to small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. Google Voice has a lower starting price than OpenPhone, but works best when combined with a Google Workplace subscription (starting at $6 per user, per month). OpenPhone is right for companies that have several employees using one business phone number.

In the paragraphs below, we’ll take a closer look at how these two providers compare when it comes to features, user interface, pricing, and more.

How We Compared OpenPhone and Google Voice

We used the following criteria to compare Google Voice and OpenPhone:

• Pricing and Plans: We compared each platform’s available pricing, plans, fees, and add-ons to determine overall affordability, scalability, and value
• Voice Calling: We looked at the essential voice calling features like IVR, ring groups, call queuing, and voicemail transcription to determine quality and ease of use
• Collaboration features: We compared each provider’s available team collaboration features such as team chat, file sharing, digital whiteboard, etc.
• Business Text Messaging: We compared the platforms’ SMS/MMS features, pricing, and availability
• Video Meetings: We looked at video meeting participant and time limits, video conferencing features, recording capabilities, and more
• Analytics: We looked for the availability of real-time analytics, KPI tracking, AI analytics, templates, visuals, and available add-ons
• Third-Party Integrations: We evaluated available third-party integrations and APIs
• Security+Network Reliability: We compared provider uptimes, compliance certifications, and security standards
• Customer Support: We researched customer support channels, availability, and efficacy

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: At A Glance

OpenPhone vs Google Voice Pricing and Plans

Summary: Google Voice pricing starts at $10 per user, per month, while OpenPhone pricing starts at $15 per user, per month. In addition to a lower starting price point, Google Voice is more transparent with its pricing packages. Google Voice lists prices for all tiers online, while OpenPhone only lists pricing for its Starter and Business plans. On the other hand, OpenPhone includes more features in its Starter plan than Google Voice, such as call recording, internal threads, and auto-replies.

OpenPhone Pricing

OpenPhone offers three bundled plans with pricing that ranges from $19 to $33+ per user, per month when paid on a month-to-month basis. With an annual discount, prices range from $15 to $23+ per user, per month, Add-ons include additional phone numbers, international calling and messaging, and automated messages.

See our OpenPhone pricing page for more details.

Google Voice Pricing

Google Voice offers three pricing plans for its virtual phone system. Prices range from $10 to $30 per user, per month and there are no annual discounts. Users can add on Google Workspace starting at $6 per user, per month, which will provide access to a number of Google products including Drive, Docs, Slides, Chat, etc. Google Voice users can also make international calls at per minute rates.

See our Google Voice pricing page for more details.

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: Voice Calling 

Summary: Google Voice and OpenPhone both include unlimited domestic calling, with international calling available at per-minute rates that vary by country. Google Voice is more affordable and provides better reliability with a 99.9% uptime SLA, while OpenPhone offers more AI-powered features such as automated summaries and contact suggestions.

Both platforms offer simple call forwarding in their Starter plans and more advanced call routing in upper tiers.

OpenPhone Business or Enterprise users can create different phone menus for each of their phone numbers. When forwarding calls to a department, users can customize whether team members are rung individually, in groups, or all at once. Users can also set business hours with automated text messages sent to after hours callers and specify what happens to calls that go unanswered.

Google Voice Standard or Premier users have access to a multi-level auto attendant that allows them to add greetings and welcome messages using text to speech, upload their own audio, and create a menu of prompts for callers with a drag-and-drop interface. Admins can set business hours and holiday closures with appropriate call handling rules, and they can test the auto attendant before going live.

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: SMS and Text Messaging

Summary: Both Google Voice and OpenPhone allow users to send text messages from their business phone number to numbers in the U.S. and Canada. The main difference between the two providers is that OpenPhone charges a $1.50-$3 per month messaging fee, while Google Voice does not. OpenPhone also allows users to set up automatic text replies and schedule text messages, while Google Voice does not offer these features.

Google Voice users can send text messages using the mobile or desktop app or a browser. A built-in menu on the left hand side keeps all text messages organized and users can search texts for keywords or by contact name. Google Voice does not allow bulk text messaging and splits up messages that are more than 160 characters into multiple texts.

Open Phone text messages are also sent using WiFi and messages are text history can be easily accessed from a single inbox. OpenPhone also supports MMS messages including images, videos, PDFs, and other files

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: Video Meetings and Team Collaboration

Summary: Only Google Voice currently includes video conferencing capabilities. However, users will have to purchase a separate Google Workspace subscription to take advantage of advanced features, longer duration times, and larger participant caps. OpenPhone does offer 1:1 team chat functionality with file sharing, as well as shared inboxes and threaded conversations.

Google Voice includes an integration with Google Meet, an innovative video conferencing platform with 1080p video, emoji reactions, breakout rooms, and moderation controls. With a Google Workspace subscription plan, users have access to premium features like studio lighting (video enhancement), meeting recording, live caption, attendance tracking, and a 1,000-participant maximum. Colleagues can also start a video chat directly from Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides to collaborate on specific projects.

Other Google Workspace collaboration tools include digital whiteboard and team chat with threaded rooms and guest access.

OpenPhone does not have a video conferencing tool, but team members can communicate via internal threaded conversations that allow them to collaborate on queries behind the scenes and use one number simultaneously to present a unified voice calling experience.

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: AI-Powered Tools and Analytics

Summary: Both OpenPhone and Google Voice include historical call logs and activity reports. Neither platform offers real-time analytics. OpenPhone has more customizable reporting, while Google Voice offers more advanced automations with the Gemini add-on.

OpenPhone’s call center analytics include historical call logs and team activity reports. Users can track call and text volume over time, monitor service level agreements, drill down into individual user data, and view heat map displays of busy times. OpenPhone also offers a number of AI-powered features including automated call summaries, automated message responses, and contact suggestions based on data gathered from voicemails.

Google Voice uses Google AI to block spam calls and transcribe voicemails automatically using natural language processing and speech analytics. Google Voice users can also add on Gemini, Google’s AI-powered assistant, to handle a number of tasks. Gemini can summarize meetings and calls, create custom backgrounds for video calls, take meeting notes, caption a video meeting, etc.

Google Voice includes historical usage and activity reporting for all users. However, only Premier plan users have access to Big Query, which allows them to analyze large sets of data for deep business insights, conduct advanced searches, and build reports across all Google apps.

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: Third-Party Integrations

Summary: OpenPhone does not include many out-of-the-box integrations–but it still offers more than Google Voice, which has none. Google Workspace users, however, have access to an app marketplace with thousands of pre-built integrations.

OpenPhone only offers six pre-built integrations. Three integrations are included in all plans (Slack, Zapier, and Google Contacts) while Salesforce, Gong, and Hubspot are added in for Business and Enterprise plan users. OpenPhone users can build custom integrations using Webhooks which, at the time of this writing, is in Beta. OpenPhone also has an option to add on SMS via API for $0.01 per segment or via Zapier for $0.01 per segment.

Google Voice does not include any integrations, but Voice users that are also Google Workspace subscribers have access to thousands of ready-made integrations along with the ability to build custom solutions with APIs and UI toolkits or low/no code apps, workflows, and automations using AppScript or AppSheet.

OpenPhone vs Google Voice: User Experience

Summary: Both OpenPhone and Google Voice are user-friendly with intuitive dashboards that are easy to install and navigate. OpenPhone’s dashboard is better suited for teams that share a single number, while Google Voice is better set up for situations where each agent has a separate number.

The Google Voice dashboard is intuitive and easy to use, especially for those already familiar with Google products. Agents can make, receive, and forward calls from the dashboard. They can also quickly access call logs, contacts, voicemails, texts, and their calendar from the same space. The administrator dashboard allows supervisors to purchase business phone numbers, add/remove users, monitor usage, assign numbers, and more.

OpenPhone’s interface is unique but just as easy to use. Business phone numbers are set up as a shared inbox which team members can join or leave. Several agents can be on the same number simultaneously, or the number can be completely private.

From within the shared inbox, OpenPhone agents can view the entire customer history including calls, voicemails, and texts.

Which Should You Choose: OpenPhone or Google Voice?

OpenPhone and Google Voice have many similarities, but their ideal customer bases differ slightly. Here’s a quick breakdown of the strengths and drawbacks to each platform if you’re still not sure which one is the right fit.

OpenPhone and Google Voice Alternatives

The choice between OpenPhone and Google Voice really comes down to whether you want a business phone system that will also track and organize interactions (OpenPhone),or whether you already have a system of productivity tools and you simply need to add voice capabilities (Google Voice). If your productivity tools include Google Drive, Meet, or Worspace, Google Voice will integrate seamlessly with a familiar interface.

Other affordable business VoIP solutions include Ooma Office, which has the advantage of unlimited calling in Puerto Rico and Mexico, Zoom Phone, which includes call monitoring and task management features, and Grasshopper, which offers flat monthly rates without per user fees. For medium-sized businesses and enterprises, RingCentral offers superior security to both OpenPhone and Google Voice, and GoTo Connect includes toll-free minutes and unlimited international calling in every plan.