Net2Phone Review: Smart VoIP That Struggles on Value

Net2Phone is a unified business cloud phone solution that offers a wide range of calling, messaging, and conferencing features – but it comes with a catch.

While its Essentials and Professional plans include the core VoIP tools most teams need, several key features (like customer relationship management (CRM) integrations and call queues) are locked behind add-ons or the top-tier Ultimate plan.

That said, Net2Phone can still be a good fit for small to mid-sized businesses using Yealink or Polycom devices, or those wanting to unify business communication under one platform, provided you’re prepared to pay for the higher tiers (or willing to switch again at a later date).

Net2Phone Review: Key Features and Tools

Net2Phone offers a solid suite of VoIP and unified communications as a service (UCaaS) features, but how comprehensive they are depends heavily on the plan tier.

Call handling and management

All plans include basic call handling features like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail and call screening within Net2Phone’s calling app interface called Sonar. However, features like call queues, extension mirroring and receptionist console access are only available as paid add-ons or on higher tiers, unlike competitors like RingCentral, which include these on mid-tier plans by default.

Things are pretty simple to set up overall, too. Halfway down the settings tab of Messages, for instance, you can customize voicemail greetings, with three different ways to set one.

Elsewhere, you can easily set up specific time frames and date ranges (say, if you are on holiday, or simply away for lunch) for call forwarding, as well as set custom music for when users are on hold with your phone line.

There’s also a variety of call queue settings you can implement for different parts of your business. For instance, as you can see here, there is both a Sales Queue and a Billing Call Queue with different extensions and queue types.

These queue types vary from simply ringing all within the group simultaneously (something you can toggle for different devices and phone lines in separate settings under simultaneous ring) to a round-robin (prioritizes agent who has been idle the longest), linear hunt (routes to individual agents in a predefined order) or linear cascade (subgroups of agents in order).

To organise what your extensions are and where they go, the receptionist console (also called an auto-attendant) allows you to do just that in detail.

Though there are more controls (given this is an advanced paid add-on feature), including specific call queue settings that bypass personal user settings, enabling a directory that allows callers to input three letters of a person’s name to reach them.

There are also specific voicemail inboxes, external number routing beyond the Net2Phone system, playing pre-recorded messages at any point within the call flow and repeating prompts. Better yet, you can create sub-auto-attendants that act as further tiers in your calling tree, should you require this complexity.

All this saw Net2Phone score well across call management metrics in our research. On both small and medium business tiers, Net2Phone received full marks for call routing, ring groups and auto attendants, indicating parity with major competitors like Dialpad and 8×8.

SMS and messaging tools

Net2Phone includes native SMS and MMS support across all its plans – a feature that’s still somewhat rare among VoIP providers. Users can send and receive messages directly via the desktop or mobile apps using their business number, helping teams manage customer communications without switching platforms.

That said, while internal messaging is available, it’s limited to one-to-one chat on the Essentials plan. Group messaging and team channels only unlock on the Professional tier and above. WhatsApp support is also “coming soon” but wasn’t live at the time of writing.

By comparison, this betters the likes of Zoom Phone and Vonage. Both include SMS in the US on paid plans but do not support MMS for images and videos. Net2Phone matches RingCentral too, which supports both SMS and MMS in the US across all plans, with generous usage limits.

AI and analytics tools

AI call transcription and summarisation are available on Professional and Ultimate plans but they’re add-ons at the lower tiers. Similarly, advanced analytics and AI coaching are exclusive to the Ultimate plan.

By contrast, Dialpad includes AI transcriptions on all plans and offers sentiment analysis as part of its core value. For businesses that prioritise staff development and insight-led decision-making, Dialpad’s baked-in AI functionality offers better value.

Still, Net2Phone does have some pretty decent charts and analytics tools baked into its platform. Only accessible to office managers and call center supervisors with the relevant user permissions, it offers seven types of graphical representation: line, gauge, single stat, table, grid, note, and iframe.

All of these can be contained within your own custom dashboards, which can be dragged and dropped into your preferred order or hierarchy and general structure, as you can see happening in the image below.

Dive into a specific chart and you can often customize each to retrieve and visualize specific details that you need, say for a report. For instance, you can often choose the breakdown (aggregate, per queue, per agent), select specific call queue(s), set an upper limit for single statistics and choose the default colour, too.

Video conferencing

Essentials users get limited video conferencing (up to 10 participants). Full-featured conferencing for up to 100 participants is available on the Professional and Ultimate tiers.

You’ll get features you come to expect from video conferencing tools in return, like background blur, emoji reactions, breakout rooms and screen sharing, as well as others that aren’t always present, like YouTube live streaming and YouTube video sharing.

However, these last two features are only available on the Ultimate plan, unlike Zoom Phone and RingCentral, which offer full conferencing tools on more affordable tiers.

You can join a meeting via iOS/Android app or via a web browser on a desktop/laptop, which is handy for communicating wherever you find yourself.

It also has decent security protocols for these meetings, scoring “Grade A” via SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Labs, which includes encrypted media traffic,  nine-digit passwords for meetings (that can be set to be required for all meetings), guest access control and moderator options to mute or remove participants.

For peace of mind, it’s worth noting that all conference data will be deleted once a meeting ends and Net2Phone states that no data will be shared with other parties.

Integrations, platform and desk phone support

Integrations are one of Net2Phone’s weaker spots unless you’re on Ultimate. Integrations for software like Teams and Salesforce are paid extras for Essentials and Professional users, which is a big miss compared with RingCentral and 8×8, both of which include a broad app marketplace on all plans.

Still, you do have a decent amount of CRM and helpdesk options, including Zoho, Slack, Zapier (which allows for access to others, like SugarCRM, Freshsales and Zendesk) and others. Those figures don’t get anywhere near RingCentral, which has over 400+ native apps, but with around 15 or so covered, it’s probable that your CRM of choice is in the mix.

Plus, should you use a CRM or workspace tool that isn’t covered, or even have your own custom tools, then Net2Phone has custom API options to create custom integrations with its network.

In terms of desk phone hardware support, Net2Phone is primarily designed for Polycom and Yealink devices. These are the manufacturers that Net2Phone recommends and prefers, though it does state that “most IP-enabled phones can be configured to work with our platform”.

That suggests it could still be an option if you have existing hardware from a different manufacturer. You might have to ask first to be sure before opting to sign up for one of its plans.

Either way, Net2Phone has a handy video guide in its knowledge center to help you through the connecting process between such hardware and your software.

Training tools and oversight

A major shortfall is the lack of native call monitoring and coaching tools like barge, whisper and listen, even on the Ultimate plan. Instead, these features are only available as part of a contact center plan, as with GoTo Connect. This places Net2Phone behind the likes of RingCentral, 8×8 and Dialpad, all of which offer these tools at least on mid-range plans.

In practice, this will limit Net2Phone’s usefulness for call centers or any other businesses that invests in coaching and quality assessment features.

How Much Does Net2Phone Cost?

Net2Phone’s pricing sits in the mid-to-premium range, particularly at the lower user tiers. Its structure is tiered by business size, which does let you get some meaningful discounts as your team grows. On the flip side, however, single-digit teams will pay significantly more per user than larger businesses.

Here’s a quick look at Net2Phone’s pricing plans compared for all their respective payment regularity options and team sizes.

Are there extra fees or limitations?

Yes, and that’s where things can get tricky. Some features that are standard on similarly priced platforms are limited or locked behind higher-tier plans here. That includes:

• Video conferencing: Limited in Essentials, fully unlocked in Professional
• AI features and analytics: Only available in Ultimate
• Software integrations and call queues: Require paid add-ons for lower tiers

This can push small and medium businesses toward the Professional or Ultimate plans more quickly than they might expect, especially if they rely on integrations or need richer collaboration features.

It’s a contrast to providers like RingCentral, which includes 400+ integrations from mid-tier upwards, or Dialpad, which bundles transcription and call summaries into its Standard and Pro tiers.

Is Net2Phone good value for money?

At higher user tiers (25 to 99 users), we’d argue that Net2Phone becomes far more competitive. At $19.99 for Essentials and $24.99 for Professional (annually), Net2Phone undercuts 8×8 (around $28) but is more expensive than Zoom Phone ($15), despite offering fewer built-in integrations or automation tools.

It’s even less compelling for micro businesses. At 1 to 9 users, Net2Phone Essentials costs $27.99, which is a steep price for a plan that lacks built-in integrations, full video or AI tools.

If you’re cost-sensitive or need a plug-and-play setup with fewer feature gaps, alternatives like Google Voice (from $10 but requires a Google Workspace subscription) or GoTo Connect ($27 per user flat rate, with full features) might offer better short-term value.

Still unsure about Net2Phone, use our free quote-finding tool. Fill in a few details about your business, and we’ll match you with our top providers who will reach out to you with obligation-free quotes.

Net2Phone Review: Help and Support

Net2Phone offers a range of support channels tailored to meet the needs of US businesses, making the assistance accessible and efficient.

Phone support

• Technical support: Available 24/7 via 866-978-8260 (Option 2).
• Billing inquiries: Reach the accounting team at 866-978-8260 (Option 3).
• Sales: For sales-related questions, call 1-877-729-6671 (Option 2).

Email support

• Technical support: Contact via support@net2phone.com.
• Billing: Inquiries can be sent to billing@net2phone.com.
• Customer success: For strategic account support, email customersuccess@net2phone.com.

It’s unclear what the exact support hours are for these email lines, however. For immediate concerns, using the phone lines is probably a better bet.

Self-service resources

• Support portal: Access a comprehensive knowledge base at support.net2phone.com, which includes articles, FAQs and guides. Walkthroughs are also accessible from within the web app, for easy access.

• Customer training: Net2Phone offers training resources to help users maximize the platform’s features.

Anything missing?

There’s no live chat customer support with Net2Phone, as far as our research tells us, which could be limiting if you want to talk with customer support agents without waiting in a phone queue.

Net2Phone Review: VoIP Alternatives

Below is an overview of the alternative options to Net2Phone, based on the key factors you need to consider when shopping for a phone system.

We’ll compare the best options for medium-sized businesses in the comparison table below, to take an accurate plan-by-plan view, followed by a broader provider discussion below that.

➡️ RingCentral – Best for feature-rich teams needing integrations and training tools

Price: From $15 per user, per month (Core), to $35 per user, per month (Ultimate).
Why choose it: RingCentral includes advanced tools like call whisper/barge, analytics dashboards and 400+ integrations from the mid-tier up. These are only available on Net2Phone’s Ultimate plan and, even then, Net2Phone still lacks coaching features. Still, it does have unlimited international calling, unlike RingCentral.
Best for: Medium or large teams that need full visibility and CRM-linked workflows.

➡️ Zoom Phone – Best value VoIP with expert features (especially for video)

Price: From $15 per user, per month.
Why choose it: Zoom Phone undercuts Net2Phone’s Essentials plan while offering class-leading native video conferencing tools, as well as call monitoring features like call barge and whisper, all from the outset of its lowest-cost metered plan. Net2Phone limits full video tools to higher plans, by comparison, and lacks all those call monitoring features.
Best for: Businesses already using Zoom for meetings that want a superb value VoIP.

➡️ Dialpad – Best for AI smarts and built-in transcriptions

Price: From $15 per user, per month (Standard), $25 per user, per month (Pro).
Why choose it: Dialpad includes real-time AI transcription, sentiment analysis, keyword tracking from live calls, call summaries (with action items) and team analytics on all plans. Net2Phone offers AI only from its Professional plan and we’d argue it has much less complexity than Dialpad (while costing more).
Best for: Small to medium teams wanting affordable AI tools and seamless app use.

➡️ 8×8 Work – Best for international calling and call center features

Price: From $24 per user, per month.
Why choose it: 8×8 offers unlimited international calls, CRM integrations and whisper/barge tools, reportedly earlier in its plan lineup. Net2Phone only includes international calling from Professional and training tools are absent entirely.
Best for: Global support teams needing compliance, coaching and quality tracking.

How We Reviewed Net2Phone