The Best Cloud Phone Systems for UK Businesses in 2023

Based on our independent research, the best cloud phone system currently available is 8×8. Scoring an impressive overall 4.7/5 in our independent research, we've found that it has a generous range of integrations and is easily scalable. Whether you need a hyperfunctional cloud phone system or you just want the basics, 8×8 is flexible and will merge smoothly into the communication structure of your business.

However, there are plenty of other excellent systems out there to choose from, and our extensive research and experience in the world of cloud telephony has empowered us to select the best seven.

Read our reviews to compare these top cloud phone systems, and don't forget to use our free comparison tool to get tailored quotes from the right cloud telephony services for your business.

Top 7 Cloud Phone Systems

  1. 8×8 – Best overall
  2. RingCentral – Best for customer service
  3. Vonage – Best for small businesses
  4. GoToConnect – Best for international calls
  5. bOnline – Best for desk phone compatibility
  6. Dialpad – Best for conversational AI
  7. Google Voice – Best for security

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0 out of 0

8×8

RingCentral

Vonage

GoToConnect

bOnline

Dialpad

Google Voice

4.7
4.5
4.4
4.2
3.5
3.8
3.0
Best For

Overall cloud phone system

Best For

Customer service teams

Best For

Small businesses

Best For

International calls

Best For

Desk phone compatibility

Best For

Conversational AI

Best For

Security

Pricing

£10 – £36

Pricing

£7.99–24.99

Pricing

£9 – £16.50

Pricing

£10 – £44

Pricing

£6 – £15.50

Pricing

£12 – bespoke

Pricing

$10 – 24

Domestic minutes

Unlimited

Domestic minutes

Up to 2,000 inbound and 4,000 inclusive outbound minutes

Domestic minutes

Unlimited inclusive and outbound minutes to domestic landlines

Domestic minutes

Unlimited inclusive inbound and outbound minutes

Domestic minutes

100 – unlimited outbound (depending on pricing plan), unlimited inbound

Domestic minutes

Unlimited inclusive  inbound and outbound domestic minutes

Domestic minutes

Unlimited inclusive inbound domestic minutes

International minutes

Unlimited to up to 48 countries

International minutes

N/A

International minutes

N/A

International minutes

Free international calling to 50+ countries

International minutes

Not included

International minutes

N/A

International minutes

Free calls to US from any country and free calls to Canada from US

Inbound Communication Features
  • Localised + Toll Free Numbers
  • Virtual Receptionist
  • Voicemail
Inbound Communication Features
  • Virtual Receptionist
  • Voicemail to Text
  • Localised + Toll Free Number

 

Inbound Communication Features
  • Voicemail
  • Spam Prevention
  • Localised + Toll Free Numbers
Inbound Communication Features
  • Voicemail
  • Virtual Receptionist
  • Spam Prevention
Inbound Communication Features
  • Voicemail
  • Voicemail to Text
  • Customisable Hold Music
Inbound Communication Features
  • Virtual receptionist
  • Voicemail to text
  • Spam prevention
  • Ring groups
Inbound Communication Features
  • Voicemail
  • Spam Prevention
  • Voicemail to text
Outbound Communication Features
  • Call Conferencing up to 500 per meeting
  • Call Forwarding
  • Team Messaging
Outbound Communication Features
  • SMS
  • Call Forwarding
  • Set Caller ID
Outbound Communication Features
  • External Video Calling
  • Custom Call Lists
  • Set Caller ID

 

Outbound Communication Features
  • Set Caller ID
  • Call Conferencing
  • External Video Calling

 

Outbound Communication Features
  • Set Caller ID
  • Call Forwarding
  • Call Flip

 

Outbound Communication Features
  • External video calling
  • Set caller ID
  • Custom call lists
  • SMS/Chat
Outbound Communication Features
  • Custom call lists
  • External video calling

Prices accurate as of January 2023

8×8

Best overall cloud phone system

8x8 logo
8×8
4.7
Pricing £10 – £135 per user, per month
Quick overview

With an impressive 4.7/5 rating in our in-depth research, we like 8x8 because it ticks all the right boxes when it comes to business communication needs. With a generous range of integrations, including CRM, Helpdesk, web conferencing, and external live chat, you can easily integrate 8x8 with your pre-existing software infrastructure. This will allow you to bring all of your business tools under the same umbrella.

It also is compatible with a broad range of third-party desktop phones, including Polycom, Cisco, Panasonic, and Yealink, making it a powerful and painless tool to set up. 8x8 also offers onboarding support with their Customer Success Managers, making it a top-notch option for helping new employees adapt to the communications system used by your business.

The part where 8x8 does falter is in price. Scoring a 2.5/5 in this category in our research, it's a more expensive option when compared with the other providers we look at. If you're looking to tighten your belt, then we'd recommend looking at bOnline or Dialpad instead.

Strengths

The most generous video conferencing features we've seen

Offers a wide variety of call features

Unlimited inbound and outbound minutes to 48 countries

Weaknesses

The most advanced packages are very expensive

Unclear if Customer Success Managers (onboarding support) come at an extra cost

Free trial only gives you insight into the Express subscription

Pricing
PackagePrice (per user, per month)
8×8 Express £10
X2 £19
X4 £36
X6 £85
X7 £105
X8 £135

Prices accurate as of January 2023

RingCentral

Best cloud phone system for customer service teams

RingCentral logo
RingCentral MVP
4.5
Pricing £7.99 – £24.99 per user, per month
Quick overview

RingCentral MVP is our top cloud phone system for customer service teams because it is comprehensive and offers enterprise-level features at affordable prices.

RingCentral's most popular plan, Premium, comes with 2,000 free minutes per person, video meetings for up to 200 participants, advanced call features, such as ‘whisper' and ‘barge'; and multi-site management, so you can use the system seamlessly across different business locations. Plus, RingCentral can be integrated with over 250 apps, so it's likely to work well with the systems your various teams already use. Thanks to all of these great assets, RingCentral scores a 4.3/5 for features and external connections.

However, we do think that RingCentral has room for improvement in its price. Scoring a 2.3/5 in this category in our research, RingCentral isn't the best option for businesses that are looking to save money in their next unified communications investment. If you're looking for a more affordable option, we'd recommend looking at Vonage, bOnline, or GoTo Connect, all of which score above a 4/5 for price in our research.

Strengths

Has great features available for call centres

Comes with solid unified communication features

Offers good value packages for small businesses, too

Weaknesses

Some other providers offer unlimited free minutes

More on the expensive side

Pricing
PlanPrice (per user, per month)
Essentials £7.99
Standard £14.99
Premium £19.99
Ultimate £24.99

Prices accurate as of January 2023

Vonage

Best cloud phone system for small businesses

Vonage logo
Vonage
4.4
Pricing £9 – £16.50 per user, per month
Quick overview

Boasting a set of shiny features like dynamic call routing and post-call analysis, Vonage’s embrace of AI in its Professional subscription plan gives your small business the flexibility it needs to keep customers happy and scale up your operation. Its provision of tools, metrics, and data gives you a 360-degree view of the interactions between your customers and agents. This will enable you to turn insights into actionable items that heighten your return on investment (ROI). Vonage Professional offers a wide range of customer support features and low monthly costs are a recipe for scaling up your operation.

Although these come at an additional cost, Vonage also lets you tap into its wide set of ready-made integrations because it’s compatible with systems like Hubspot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and Office 365. This allows you to unify all your business communications in one spot, giving your agents all the necessary tools to provide the best customer service possible. These features explain why over 700 customer centre customers have turned to Vonage internationally. Thanks to all of these great assets, Vonage scores a 4.4/5 overall in our research, as well as a strong 4/5 for features.

However, where Vonage stumbles is with its security features. Scoring a 3/5 in this category in our research, Vonage doesn't come equipped with multi-factor authentication or password rules. If you'd like to feel reassured on the security front, we'd recommend going for 8x8 or Google Voice instead.

 

Strengths

Customisable dashboards and wallboards give you real-time visibility of KPI progress

Displays a local number when reaching out to customers, improving response rate

Solid customer support service

Weaknesses

Security is not as robust compared to other phone system providers

Some useful training and management features not available at Professional

Pricing
PackageStarting price (per user, per month)
Select £9
Professional £12.50
Ultimate £16.50

Prices accurate as of January 2023

Note

Unfortunately, we can't advise on how much CX Express, CX Elevate, and Vonage Contact Centre cost. This is because Vonage doesn't share this information. Instead, it asks that you get in touch for a personalised quote.

Did You Know?

67% of small businesses said VoIP has helped them improve the handling of phone calls, and 57% said it has helped them perform more effectively when working remotely.

GoToConnect

Best cloud phone system for international calls

GoTo logo
GoToConnect
4.2
Pricing £10.00 – £44.00 per user, per month
Quick overview

GoToConnect is a safe option if you’re looking to get value for your money because it promises a seamless onboarding process, which involves getting your softphone cloud system working within a day. For as little as £10 per user, per month, it has the richest offering of international calls. It gives you access to free international calling to over 50 countries. This makes GoToConnect a fantastic option for businesses that are looking to cater to, or maintain, an international clientele. This rich call offering and its low price earns it a 4.5/5 for price

Regardless of which subscription you choose, GoToConnect gives you access to all the inbound communication features you might need, including ring groups and call queue. These features let you take on increasingly more calls, which is a great asset for scalability. Thanks to this, GoToConnect earns a 4.4/5 for scalability in our research.

However, and ironically so, GoToConnect isn't the greatest at external connections. Scoring a 2.6/5 in this category in our research, you miss out on external live chat, analytics, and workspace integrations. Therefore, GoToConnect isn't great for businesses that already have a well-established and broad software infrastructure with lots of moving parts.  If you want a puzzle piece that will fit in with all the software integrations you need, we'd recommend looking at RingCentral or 8x8.

Strengths

Offers all sorts of inbound communication features

Free international calling to 50+ countries, and unlimited domestic inbound and outbound minutes

Weaknesses

External live chat, analytics and workspace integrations unavailable

Limited number of compatible platforms for external connections compared to other providers

Video meetings can only show up to 25 HD video feeds

Pricing
PackageStarting price (per user, per month)
Basic £10.00
Standard £21.00
Premium £44.00

Prices accurate as of January 2023

bOnline

Best for desk phone compatibility

bOnline logo
bOnline
3.9
Pricing £6 - 15.50
Quick overview

Chosen by over 50,000 businesses and promising a two-minute setup from scratch, bOnline’s  is a great option for your business if you’re looking for a provider that’s a master key when it comes to adapting to your desk phones.

Although it’s not a match for first-party desktop phones – just like all other VoIP providers on this page – bOnline welcomes a wide range of third-party desktop phones. Panasonic, Yealink, Polycom, Aastra, Alcatel, AudioCodes, Htek – they can all become part of your bOnline unified communications phone system, saving you a trip to the hardware shop!

bOnline also has a great customer score, earning an average 4.5/5 from user reviews on platforms like Trustpilot and Capterra. This is an added reassurance to know that other bOnline users have had positive experiences.

The unfortunate news is that bOnline isn’t great for security. Scoring a very poor 1/5 in this category in our research, bOnline leaves your communications more exposed than other providers because it doesn’t offer multi-factor authentication or compliance certifications. If security is your priority, we’d recommend going for Google Voice or 8x8 instead.

Strengths

Widest offering of third-party desktop phone compatibility

Low upfront monthly costs

Impressive range of positive customer reviews

Weaknesses

CRM and Helpdesk integrations cost an extra £5 per month

Missing compliance certifications and multi-factor authentication, compromising your operation’s security

Pricing
PlanPrice (per user, per month)
Pay as you go £6
Unlimited calling £13.95
Unlimited & video £15.50

Prices accurate as of January 2023

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Dialpad

Best cloud phone system for conversational AI

Dialpad logo
Dialpad Talk
3.8
Pricing £12 per user, per month – bespoke
Quick overview

With one foot in the present and another in the future, Dialpad is known for its innovative use of conversational AI. Known as Dialpad AI, this function accurately transcribes your phone calls in real time, and flags whether or not the conversation features happy or frustrated customers. It automates post-call summaries, and allows you to create notes with tips and advice that appear on screen when certain keywords or phrases are spoken during a call. You can also choose to turn off this feature for confidential conversations. This futuristic functionality earns Dialpad a 4.2/5 for features in our research.

The other great thing about Dialpad is its robust customer support. Scoring a 4.5/5 in this category in our research, Dialpad gives you access to a user forum, a knowledge base, live chat, phoneline, 24/7 live support, and 100% uptime guarantee.

However, Dialpad underperforms in the external connections arena. Scoring a below-average 2.4/5 for external connections, Dialpad doesn't offer email, analytics, external live chat, or web conferencing. If this is a top-priority in your VoIP wishlist, we'd recommend looking at 8x8 or RingCentral instead.

Strengths

Great customer support, including a user forum, knowledge base, and live chat

Fantastic customer reputation, with an aggregated review score of 4.4/5

Offers a broad range of features

Weaknesses

Not very easy to scale, scoring a 3.3/5 in our scalability analysis

Limited number of eligible platforms for integrations

Pricing
PackagePrice (per user, per month)
Standard £12
Pro £20
Enterprise Bespoke – request a quote from Dialpad

Prices accurate as of January 2023

Google Voice

Best cloud phone for security

google voice
Google Voice
3
Pricing $10 - 30 per user, per month
Quick overview

With lots of sensitive information traveling back and forth between clients, employees, and managers, having a unified communications system that protects your operation from prying eyes is essential. Scoring a perfect 5/5 for security in our research, Google Voice is a great cloud phone system to adopt.

Regardless of the subscription you purchase, you are promised a wealth of compliance certifications, multi-factor authentication, password rules, TLS/SRTP encryption, and user permissions. Google Voice also has a solid 4.4/5 customer score, which reflects that the reviews that users have left on platforms like Capterra and G2 have been largely positive.

The downside of being a Google Voice user is that you have limited access to important features, which is why it scores 2.6/5 for features in our research. For instance, you can only use analytics and reporting management features, and you miss out on virtually all inbound communication features. Therefore, if you’re looking for a highly functional solution, we’d recommend going for 8x8 or RingCentral.

*Prices for Google Voice are only advertised in USD

Strengths

Very generous range of security features

Previous customer experience has been positive

Fantastic fit for Google-loving users

Weaknesses

Few management and inbound communication features on offer

Not the most scalable solution, scoring 2.9/5

Pricing
PlanPrice (per user, per month)
Starter $10
Standard $16
Premier $24

Prices accurate as of January 2023

Methodology: how did we find the best cloud phones for businesses?

Our team of independent researchers have conducted an in-depth dive into 10 of the most used and top-rated phone system suppliers on the market. Prioritising all the possible features that businesses might need from an cloud phone system, we’ve narrowed it down to the top seven providers that shine through because of their integrations, scalability, features, and customer support – all of which can help you strengthen the communication arm of your business.

We’ve also aggregated customer reviews from platforms like Trustpilot and Capterra to assure you that our knowledge is not only robust on paper, but also in practice. Regardless of which choice you make to meet the demands of your business, our research-backed recommendations will match you with the top players in the VoIP-verse.

Verdict

So there you have it – our list of the best cloud phone systems for businesses in the UK.

Our all-time favourite cloud phone system is 8×8. Scoring an impressive overall 4.7/5 in our research, it has a generous range of integrations and is easily scalable. Whether you need a hyper-functional cloud phone system or you just want the bare-bone basics, 8×8 is flexible and will mould smoothly into your business's communication game plan. However, if you know 8×8 isn't the best fit for your company, RingCentral is also part of our Hall of Fame. It outcompetes 8×8 in external connections with a superior 4.3/5 in this category in our research, which tells you it will swiftly adapt to your pre-existing software infrastructure.

If you're still not sure which system is right for you, don't worry – our free quote-finding service is here to help. Simply tell us about your needs, and we'll match you up with the best UK cloud phone system suppliers for you. They'll then be in touch with free, no-obligation quotes that have been tailored to you. It's the quickest, easiest way to compare the right options for your team.

Did You Know?

VoIP makes it easy to accommodate calls anywhere, allowing companies to increase productivity by up to 20%.

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FAQs

What is a cloud telephone system?
The software in a cloud phone system is hosted in the cloud, rather than on your own servers. This means you and your team will be able to access and use the system anywhere and on any device with an internet connection. In other words, it's totally mobile, and you won't be limited to using it at your workplace. This is what makes cloud telephony so great for remote and hybrid working.
How does a cloud phone work?
Because a cloud phone system is hosted in the cloud, your data is stored securely on a server that you and your team can access via the internet. Therefore, any device that can access the internet – including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and IP desk phones – can be thought of as cloud phones.

IP desk phones are usually plug and play, and can be easily installed with the phone system software. With other devices, such as smartphones, it's usually a case of downloading the phone system app, and then simply logging in.

Is a cloud-based phone system VoIP?
First of all, let's clarify what VoIP actually is. Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is a technology that carries phone calls over the internet, rather than over traditional landlines. All cloud-based phone systems utilise VoIP tech to make calls over the internet, and so in that sense, they can also be called VoIP systems.

That said, it's important to understand that not all VoIP systems are cloud based. Some can be hosted on your own servers, rather than in the cloud.

Learn more in our comparison of the best VoIP providers in the UK.

How much is a cloud mobile phone?
This depends on which mobile phone you want, and which cloud phone system you choose. Cloud phone system prices range from £8 per user, per month to over £100 per user, per month – but you'll need to factor in the cost of the mobile phones you choose. Alternatively, you can have your employees use their personal smartphones to access the business cloud phone system when they're working remotely.
Written by:

Fernanda is a Mexican-born Expert Market writer, specialising in providing in-depth insights about business software to help businesses of all shapes and sizes thrive. From VoIP systems to project management software, she’s passionate about helping businesses find the tools and methods that will help give them an edge over their competitors. Fernanda has ample journalistic experience, having written for a multitude of online magazines about topics ranging from Latin American politics to cryptocurrency.