The 10 Best Conference Phone Systems

Three business people sitting at desk talking on conference phone.

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Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to use conference phones, also called speakerphones, since most models easily connect to the modern cloud-based VoIP phone systems, which have replaced landline phones.

Hardware phones for conference calls are a useful investment for businesses, especially in today’s world of hybrid working. A good quality conference phone will ensure that employees and clients who are dialing in can clearly hear your office-based employees, improving communication and reducing the need for commuting into the office.

But which conference phone should you choose? We’ve researched dozens of leading suppliers, comparing features, costs, and more, to bring you the best conference room phones for businesses.

What are the top eight conference phone systems?

  1. Cisco IP Conference Phone 8832 – Best all-rounder
  2. Avaya B100 Series – Most versatile conference phone range
  3. Poly Trio Series – Best premium conference phone range
  4. Poly SoundStation IP 5000 – Most affordable conference phone
  5. Yealink CP960 – Best for remote businesses
  6. Mitel MiVoice Conference Phone – Best for large conference rooms
  7. Yamaha PJP-2OUR – Best portable conference phone
  8. Poly SoundStation IP 6000 – Best for mid-sized conference rooms

These are the providers we recommend based on our research. Use our quote tool to find the best value service for your business.

1. Cisco IP Conference Phone 8832: Best All-Rounder

Price: $550 to $1,700 depending on retailer

The Cisco IP Conference Phone 8832 is a great option for businesses that need a conference phone for a range of different-sized rooms, from large meeting rooms to private offices. It offers excellent call quality in a range of environments, which is why it’s our pick for the best all-arounder.

It comes with a range of built-in call features, including call mute, barge, whisper, hold, and speed dial, making it a versatile all-in-one device. It’s also compatible with modern VoIP software, so it can integrate with your existing phone system.

Highlights

  • 360-degree audio coverage
  • Up to 26 attendees
  • Antiglare, color pixel display
  • SHA-256 encryption

2. Avaya B100 Series: Most Versatile Conference Phone Range

Price: $100 – $550 depending on model and retailer

Affordable and versatile, Avaya B100 Series conference phones provide an excellent range of conference call solutions for boardrooms of all sizes.

The Avaya B100 series of conference phones combines powerful performance features — including 360-degree surround sound, full duplex operation, and built-in recording — with intuitive design components, like a touch-screen display (Avaya B189) and an onboard conference guide. The result is a powerful and user-friendly conference phone for SIP-based large meetings (Avaya B179) and smaller rooms (Avaya B149).

Highlights

The best of the Avaya B100 Series phones’ features are its onboard conference guide, intuitive keypad design, and built-in 360-degree surround sound. Other features include:

  • Full duplex functionality
  • Built-in recording
  • Bluetooth headset and PA-system compatibility
  • Powerful call bridging for up to 5 people and different locations

3. Poly Trio Series: Best Premium Conference Phone Range

Price: $500 – $1,000 depending on retailer and model

For premium performance and premium design, Poly’s (formerly Polycom) Trio range is a series of excellent conference phones.

Stylish, powerful, and built for large boardrooms, Poly Trio devices are next-generation conference phones designed with an eye (and ear) towards power and simplicity. The devices’ vivid 5-inch LCD displays (barring the Trio 8300, which has a basic black and white screen), room-filling audio, and noise-blocking technology make them ideal for large conference rooms, though there are Trio devices available for rooms of all sizes.

Highlights

The stylishly designed Poly Trio conference phones come with a host of features, including:

  • Onboard Bluetooth technology
  • Poly’s HD Voice and Noise Block
  • 360-degree microphone coverage
  • One-touch-to-join meeting integration
Compare tailored, no-obligation quotes from the best conference phone suppliers for you – just tell us what you're looking for!

4. Poly SoundStation IP 5000: Most Affordable Conference Phone

Price: $89 – $450 depending on retailer

Highly affordable, this conference phone is ideal for small conference rooms and executive offices hosting calls with up to 6 participants.

Also from Poly, the Soundstation IP 5000 is a feature-rich conference phone for businesses looking for a high-quality conference call solution on the affordable end of the pricing spectrum. Equipped with a wide range of call handling features, the Soundstation IP 5000 supports calls with up to 6 participants, and is the phone that RingCentral specifies as the preferred conference phone for its phone system clients.

Highlights

The Poly Soundstation IP 5000 comes equipped with a wide range of features, including:

  • Compatibility with a wide range of SIP call platforms
  • Patented Poly Acoustic Clarity Technology
  • Power over Ethernet
  • Advanced call handling, provisional, and security features
  • Compact design for rooms of any size

5. Yealink CP960: Best Conference Phone for Remote Businesses

Price: $159 – $259 depending on retailer

Yealink’s modern CP960 conference phone boasts capacity for up to 20 participants. Paired with Yealink’s CPW90 wireless microphones (seen in the image to the left), which can be placed 66 feet away from the CP960 device and can each pick up voices from 10 feet away, it’s a great solution for large meeting rooms.

One of the most forward-thinking things about Yealink, though, is that it has partnered with Zoom (you know, 2020’s favorite software). As a result, the CP960 comes loaded with Zoom Rooms controller software, and can act as your Zoom Rooms controller, microphone, and speaker for a stellar voice and video conferencing solution.

Highlights

The CP860 boasts a host of features, including:

  • Yealink Noise Proof Technology
  • Pentagon meeting room interface
  • Hybrid UC Meeting, which bridges calls from multiple devices into one call

6. Mitel MiVoice Conference Phone: Best for Large Conference Rooms

Price: $430 – $975 depending on retailer

With 16 built-in microphones, Mitel says its MiVoice Conference Phone boasts four times the audio quality of an average conference device. And with a truly modern design, this compact little machine doesn’t look like your traditional conference phone, either, but still manages to boast a 7-inch full-color touchscreen for easy navigation.

Mitel also offers the MiVoice Video Conferencing Phone, which – as the name suggests – incorporates video meeting technology, without the need to pay for a third-party video service.

Highlights

The Mitel MiVoice Conference Phone comes with an expansive list of features, including:

  • Beamforming Technology that isolates the main speaker’s voice from up to 12 feet away
  • Embedded collaboration services enable you to share documents and presentations
  • 22kHz Wideband Audio
  • One-touch buttons for navigating settings and adjusting volume
  • Multi-lingual support

7. Yamaha PJP-2OUR: Best Portable Conference Phone

Price: $699 from Amazon

The Yamaha PJP-2OUR’s portability and daisy-chaining capabilities make it a high-performing, adaptable conference phone for businesses on the go.

Highly portable with daisy-chaining functionality, the Yamaha PJP-2OUR is a conference phone that fits into any space you need it to. Equipped with essential features including a built-in echo canceller, high-fidelity microphone speaker, and web/audio conferencing support, the Yamaha PJP-2OUR provides an adaptive conference call solution for businesses of all sizes.

Highlights

The Yamaha PJP-2OUR features unique daisy-chaining functionality with duplicate models to accommodate larger rooms, and comes with a host of other features, including:

  • USB connectivity for powering, daisy chaining (up to 4 units), and other device connections
  • Built-in echo canceller
  • High-fidelity microphone speaker
  • Supports audio and web conferencing

8. Poly SoundStation IP 6000: Best for Mid-sized Conference Rooms

Price: $125 – $799 depending on retailer

The Poly SoundStation IP 6000 is an excellent conference call platform for midsize conference rooms with up to 12 call participants.

Ideal for mid-sized conference rooms, the SoundStation IP 6000 offers HD voice quality, full-duplex technology, and interoperability with SIP environments. RingCentral specifies this model as the preferred conference phone for its phone system clients.

Highlights

With Poly’s patented Acoustic Clarity voice quality and built-in Automatic Gain Control, the SoundStation IP 6000 provides excellent audio for up to 12 different call members each at varying distances of up to 12 feet away. Other features include:

  • Full duplex technology
  • Power over Ethernet
  • High-resolution display
  • Compatible with SIP call platforms
  • Optional expansion microphones/lapel microphone support
Compare tailored, no-obligation quotes from the best conference phone suppliers for you – just tell us what you're looking for!

Benefits of Having a Conference Phone

Conference phones are a popular, time-saving alternative to traditional meetings. They enable coworkers who are working from home or in a different office to dial in and join the session, and reduce the need for clients to have to come visit your office.

That’s the obvious appeal of the conference phone – but what other benefits does this introduce? Let’s take a look.

Reduced travel costs

If you don’t need to be in the room for a particular meeting, you don’t need to pay to travel to get there. For example, you can join an important meeting with colleagues or clients based in another country without anyone having to buy a plane ticket.

Superb sound quality

Each of the models on our list was selected because the manufacturers are renowned for their quality design and crystal-clear sound reproduction.

Tech-savvy business owners will delight in the knowledge that satellite speakers can be connected to each of these systems as and when needed to extend the sound range for larger meetings and events.

Strong ROI

Most businesses find that the best conference phones quickly pay for themselves when the savings from reduced travel costs and minimized downtime are factored in.

Increased team agility

Ad hoc meetings become a breeze with conference phone systems. Conference phones allow you to discuss new ideas as and when they arise with minimal prior scheduling, allowing teams to move projects forward faster and more efficiently.

Are Conference Phones Worth It for Small Businesses?

Conference phones are worth it for office-based small businesses that employ remote or hybrid workers or conduct frequent client calls.

That’s because conference phones are, nowadays, essentially speakerphones that make it easy to hold calls with a group of people and ensure those calling in can hear each participant clearly.

Getting hardware phones is just one step in the process of setting up a business phone system. You’ll also need a modern VoIP calling system to operate your hardware with. We’ve compiled a list of the best small business phone systems if you need help choosing a provider.

Verdict

The best conference phones come from top suppliers in the industry, including Cisco, Poly, Yealink, and Mitel.

When choosing a hardware conference phone, we recommend that you take note of the size of your conference rooms, the size of your team, the VoIP software you use, as well as your budget.

If you need help finding a business phone system supplier, you can use our free quotes form and be matched with providers. They’ll be in touch with no obligation quotes for you to compare.

Written by:
Aimee profile image
Aimee is Expert Market’s resident telephone systems and point of sale go-to. If she’s not writing about business products, you’ll find her daydreaming about dog walking on Dorset beaches.
Reviewed by:
Headshot of Expert Market Senior Writer Tatiana Lebtreton
Tatiana is Expert Market's resident payments and online growth expert, specialising in (E)POS and merchant accounts, as well as website builders.