The Best Cloud Phone Systems for UK Businesses in 2024

The best cloud-based phone system available in the UK is RingCentral. It offers users industry-leading features and scalable plans, making RingCentral an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes, though most will find its Premium plan the best value option of the bunch.

Still, RingCentral Premium’s impressive bouquet of features will cost you more than some options. If you’re after a budget-friendly option, we recommend bOnline’s Unlimited Video & Calling plan, which is around £10 less per user, per month.

As of September 2023, BT has stopped selling broadband or PSTN systems in line with the UK-wide ‘switch-off’ scheduled for 2027. This highlights how it’s now crucial for businesses to switch to a cloud-based phone system sooner rather than later.

In this article, we’ll provide a breakdown of the top seven UK cloud phone system providers, including their features, pros, cons, and pricing. Hopefully, this will empower you to find and select the best provider in the UK for your needs and future-proof your business.

Top 7 Best Cloud-Based Phone Systems

Our research team rated and tested 20 different phone systems, highlighting the seven best providers on the market:

Prices accurate as of July 2024

RingCentral – Best Overall Cloud Phone System Provider

Prices accurate as of July 2024.

Overview

After our extensive research, we’ve concluded that RingCentral is the best cloud phone system provider on the market. In particular, we think its Premium plan is the perfect choice for organisations that want to provide large-scale communications or improve their customer service.

At £5 per month, per user less, its Standard plan is also appealing though we weren’t fans of its lack of advanced call-handling features, including whisper and barge, which is one of the reasons why RingCentral Premium is so appealing. Below we’ll go into exactly why else this is, alongside what could be improved by its offering.

What Do We Like About RingCentral’s Premium Plan?

Here are a few key reasons why it bettered the competition:

• Advanced training features: The foundation of a successful customer service operation is ongoing training. We found that RingCentral offers the best range of training features, including call recording, call transcripts, call whispering and call monitoring.
• Wide range of customer accessibility: RingCentral allows you to connect with your customers in a number of different ways, including calls, SMS, video conferencing and chat. This makes for a better customer experience overall.

• Extensive CRM and helpdesk integration: RingCentral currently integrates with at least 102 CRM apps and help desk integrations like Salesforce, Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Hubspot. This allows greater flexibility in choosing the best integrations for your customer service teams. It also comes with ready-made integrations if needed.

What Could RingCentral Premium Improve?

As with every provider we’ve reviewed, there are some drawbacks to RingCentral Premium that are important to highlight.

• Limited inclusive minutes per user: Most other providers we reviewed offer unlimited domestic minutes. RingCentral only provides 2000 minutes on its Premium plan, which can be limiting for businesses with high call volumes.
• No spam prevention: While this is offered in the US and Canada, it’s not offered in the UK. Look at Google Voice for spam prevention if this is needed.
• Pricing scored low in testing: RingCentral Premium didn’t score the highest for price in our testing. For a lower-priced and better-value pick, we recommend looking at bOnline’s Unlimited Calling & Video plan.

8×8 – Best Cloud Phone System for Unlimited International Minutes

Overview

Coming in a close second to RingCentral is 8×8. Its X4 plan is the best cloud phone system for businesses with international operations that we’ve tested, offering unlimited international calling across an impressive 48 countries.

And it’s not only the X4 plan which presents an appealing choice for international businesses since 8×8’s lowest-priced X2 plan allows calls to 14 countries outside the UK including Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United States.

8×8’s X6, X7, and X8 plans boost back up to 48 countries overall, while also offering a few extra features befitting of contact centres such as skills-based call routing. But for most businesses, we think its X4 plan is the best bet. Here are a few key reasons why the X4 package scored so highly amongst the best cloud phone system plans around.

What Do We Like About 8×8’s X4 Plan?

• Popular software integrations: 8×8 integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce, Freshdesk, Copper, Hubspot, MS Dynamics, Zendesk and Zoho. CRM integration is important as it helps provide a better experience for your customers. There’s also support for external video conferencing platforms and it has an iOS/Android app, too, even though it does lack live chat integration.

• Excellent Security: 8×8 has all major security features like multiple compliance certifications, multi-factor authentication, password rules, and TLS/SRTP encryption. Protecting your internal data and that of your customers is crucial to the success of your business.
• Lots of training features: 8×8 offers a lot of features its competitors don’t have like custom call lists, auto dialer, call whispering and analytics and reporting. Out of all the providers we tested, 8×8 had the joint-most features available, alongside RingCentral Premium and Vonage Max.
• Compatible with a broad range of third-party desktop phones: Including Polycom, Cisco, Panasonic, and Yealink, ensuring that it is simple to set up. 8×8 also offers onboarding support with its Customer Success Managers, helping new employees adapt to the communication system used by your business.

What Could 8×8 X4 Improve?

It’s not all plain sailing for 8×8 though. While it’s an overall excellent provider, it has some drawbacks.

• Missing live chat software integration: While you’ll still have integration with external video conferencing tools and the ability to use 8×8’s iOS or Android apps, it does lack live chat functionality, which could limit certain businesses.
• Unclear/potentially high pricing: 8×8 doesn’t show its pricing plans anymore, meaning you need to speak to a sales representative. However, in our research, 8×8’s higher-cost plans, including the X4 package, were among the most expensive per user, per month. The upside of this is the range of features and integrations you have access to.

Vonage – Best Cloud Phone System for Small Businesses

Prices accurate as of July 2024

Overview

We always look for providers that offer excellent value for money, especially for small businesses, and Vonage is the best fit for that criteria.

Its cheapest plans are extremely cheap compared to the other providers on this page, coming in at just £10 per month, per user for its Express plan and £18 per month, per user for its Core plan.

The downside to those packages is that they don’t come with great call management, team communication or integration options. As such, we think you’ll be better served by its Pro plan (£20 per month) for advanced calling options like call monitoring, unlimited call queues and a virtual receptionist, or for those requiring call recording and other software integrations like CRM, its Max plan which costs £25 per month, per user.

For us, Vonage Max is the best comparison to the other provider plans we feature on this page. Below, we detail exactly what impressed us about it and where it could do a little better.

What Do We Like About Vonage’s Max Plan?

• Excellent pricing: Vonage’s Max plan is a similar price to the above 8×8 and RingCentral options, coming in at £25 per user, per month. However, we found it offers better value for money given its extent of features which means you won’t end up spending more for add-ons. For instance, it includes CRM integration, unified communication features like video conferencing and team messaging, and unlimited inbound and outbound minutes by default.
• Superb training features: For improving the skillset of staff, Vonage Max matches our top two (RingCentral Premium and 8×8 X4) by providing a large extent of tools. Namely, call recording, monitoring, barging, and whisper functionality, as well as analytics and reporting functionality, are all included.
• Spam prevention availability: Despite the rise in spam calling and texting, very few cloud phone providers offer spam prevention – Vonage does, however, which gives it an advantage over more expensive providers like 8×8.

What Could Vonage Max Improve?

Vonage, despite being good value for money, has some drawbacks.

• Fewer software integrations: While Vonage Max does provide integration with Salesforce, Slack and Office 365, amongst other popular CRM and productivity tools such as calendar invitation integration through its Vonage Integration Suite, the range and depth of other integration possibilities are somewhat lacking. Namely, video conferencing applications can’t integrate with Vonage, though your mileage will vary depending on the complexity of your workflow.
• Less secure than other providers: While it offers spam prevention, Vonage lacks in other security areas. Key security features that are missing include multi-factor authentication and password rules.

GoToConnect – Best Cloud Phone System for Hardware Integration

Prices accurate as of July 2024

We found that GotoConnect is one of the best providers for integrating with your current phone hardware. Let’s explain why and look at some of the other benefits we found.

What Do We Like About GoToConnect?

• Wide hardware compatibility: Our research found that GoToConnect could connect with more phone brands than any other provider we tested, making it an easy choice to integrate into your existing hardware setup.
• Free international calling: GotoConnects Standard and Premium plans both come with free international calling to 50+ countries. This is the highest number of countries of any provider we looked at in our research, although this calling isn’t unlimited like 8×8’s X4 plan meaning you could run out of minutes.
• Great for international teams: Integration with various types of hardware and expert tools for internal communication makes it a prime candidate for businesses where staff are spread across remote locations.

What Could GoToConnect Improve?

GotoConnect, while great for international teams, has some drawbacks.

• Less customer support than competitors: GotoConnect doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support like some of its competitors like 8×8 and RingCentral. It also doesn’t have a live chat feature which also limits the hours in which you can get help.
• Limited software integration: There isn’t the same level of integration as other providers. you won’t have access to external live chat, analytics, video conferencing, many workspace integrations or CRMs (besides Salesforce). We wouldn’t recommend this provider for businesses that already have a well-established and broad software infrastructure with lots of moving parts. If this is something you need, we recommend RingCentral or 8×8.

bOnline – Best for Medium-Sized Organisations On a Strict Budget

Prices accurate as of July 2024

Overview

bOnline offers plenty of cheap plans, including its absurdly cheap £7 per month, per user Starter plan, but its Unlimited Calling plan is our pick of the bunch.

It is much cheaper than other providers’ similarly feature-rich alternatives and offers a good range of features for medium-sized businesses all with unlimited calling. Unlike its Starter plan, it also offers on-demand call recording and HD video calling, too. Let’s take a look at the main benefits of this plan compared to others we’ve assessed.

What Do We Like About bOnline’s Unlimited Calling Plan?

• Low pricing: Offering unlimited UK landline and mobile calls, mobile and desktop apps, on-demand call recording, and 1-1 HD video meetings, the Unlimited Calling plan is priced at a comparatively bargain-priced £13.95 per user per month. For £15.50 per user, per month, you can also get an IP desk phone packaged for each user, too.
• Extensive call management features: With custom call routing, call queues, and ring groups all included, bOnline competes with the best cloud phone systems on this page at a much lower monthly cost.

What Could bOnline Unlimited Calling Improve?

bOnline has some drawbacks also – here are the main ones we discovered in our testing process.

• Limited range of security features: bOnline lacks some of the important security features that other providers offer, such as spam prevention, user permissions and multi-factor authentication. This could be an issue as you must protect your customer’s data and personal information. For a more secure provider, look at Google Voice or 8×8.
• Integration costs extra: While bOnline offers more integrations than some of the competitors we tested, it costs £5 extra to use them. This includes £5 each month for call recording, HD video conferencing and CRM integration respectively. Most other provider offers integrations as part of the overall price.

Dialpad – Best Cloud Phone System for Small Customer Service Teams

Prices accurate as of July 2024

Overview

We found Dialpad’s Enterprise plan to be the best choice for teams with small staff numbers, but are still experiencing high call volumes.

Other Dialpad packages are still worthwhile choices, including its $15 per month, per user Standard plan which provides unlimited calling, SMS and team messaging, Google Workspace/Microsoft 365 integration and real-time analytics. However, Dialpad’s cheapest plan does miss out on CRM system integrations offered by its Pro ($25 per month, per user) and Enterprise (Bespoke) plans.

No matter which option you pick, Dialpad has plenty of AI features to enhance calling. That includes Voice Intelligence, providing real-time transcriptions, call summaries, and action items from voice conversations, and Real-Time Assist which leverages AI to detect specific keywords or phases during a call and automatically provide relevant information to the user.

But let’s re-focus on why we think Dialpad Enterprise is the best of its plans for small to medium-sized businesses, starting with what we like about it.

What Do We Like About Dialpad’s Enterprise Plan?

• Great for small customer service teams: With unlimited inbound and outbound call minutes, integration with a high number of CRM systems, and robust call management features, businesses with small and static numbers of employees will massively appreciate Dialpad Enterprise’s core functionality. With limited training features, as we’ll come to, it isn’t the best for larger teams or those that are changing size regularly, however.
• Great customer support options: Dialpad can be reached via phone or live chat, and it has a knowledge hub. It doesn’t offer email support. If this is something you require, consider 8×8 or RingCentral, which can be contacted via email.
• Wide range of call management tools: Only matched by RingCentral Premium here, Dialpad Enterprise is one of the top choices for call management. It automatically screens nuisance calls, as well as more expected features such as ring groups and call routing options.

What Could Dialpad Enterprise Improve?

Here are some drawbacks to Dialpad, including:

• Subpar training features: When choosing a cloud phone system for your business, we recommend choosing one that can accommodate your business’s growth. Dialpad has comparatively low scalability potential due to a lack of training features for new staff. It lacks some key features for larger teams, such as call monitoring, barging and whisper functionality which most providers can offer at least one of.
• Fewer communication channels than competitors: Despite Dialpad Enterprise offering SMS support, which the majority of other providers we have tested do not allow, the remaining communication channel options are a little underwhelming. Chiefly, we were disappointed that participant numbers for video conferencing are limited to ten or fewer people at a time.

NBC – Best Cloud Phone System for a Low-Budget Small Business

Prices accurate as of July 2024

Overview

NBC’s Cloud Voice Complete Mobility is one of the best packages if you are running a small to medium-sized business and the low budgets that tend to entail. While NBC’s Cloud Voice Call Centre Basic package is just £10 per user, per month, we think Cloud Voice Complete Mobility’s accompanying desktop and mobile applications are a more apt, feature-rich comparison to the other cloud phone providers on this page.

Let’s look at the plus points of NBC’s Cloud Voice Complete Mobility plan for smaller UK-based businesses.

What Do We Like About NBC Cloud Voice Complete Mobility?

• Solid value for money: While, on the face of things, NBC has a similar price point to our favourite providers on this page at around £25 per month, it does so without any additional costs. Granted, that’s because it offers a more streamlined package of features, but it still means you’ll avoid any sneaky costs required from extra payment.
• Extensive call management features: NBC offers all the essential call management tools you’ll need. That includes custom call routing, call queues, and hunt groups, paired with unlimited inbound and outbound minutes. We found it only missed caller ID and voicemail screening; with those in place, it would have achieved a perfect score.
• Several communication channels: Team video and call conferencing for large amounts of users, number porting, and alternative numbers are all crucial features NBC provides for efficient internal and external communication. As with most UK cloud phone providers in the UK, there is no SMS or e-fax functionality but besides that, you’re all set.

What Could NBC Cloud Voice Complete Mobility Improve?

However, there are some areas where NBC’s Cloud Voice Complete Mobility plan could do with some improvement:

• No software integrations: A key absence in NBC Cloud Voice Complete Mobility’s service is the lack of integrations with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and other software applications. This could be a significant drawback for businesses that rely on seamless integration between their VoIP system and CRM tools and see NBC score the joint-lowest score in this category (alongside side Google Business Plus).
• Poor extent of training features: Call monitoring, barging, and whisper controls, available from providers like RingCentral Premium, 8×8 X4, and Vonage Max, are all missing with NBC. While these are advanced tools, and the basics like call recording are present, this lack still earns NBC the joint-lowest score from our tested cloud phone providers.

How To Find the Right Cloud Phone System for Your Business

If your business uses the phone for casual customer engagement, then a cheaper system with basic functions will fit the best. But if you have a customer service department or a call centre, then you’ll need an advanced, comprehensive system that can be customised to the needs of your business.

Here are the best ways to find the right cloud phone system:

• Contact your current VoIP provider (if applicable) – Contact your current provider to see if you can upgrade to a better system. Your provider may have added new products or features that weren’t available when you first signed up.
• Contact a new provider – If any of the providers on this page meets your requirements, contact them to see if you’re a good fit. You don’t need to contact them directly, you can check out their website and other reviews.
• Get recommendations – Ask other business leaders in your industry what system they use and if they would recommend it. This is one of the best ways to find out what systems are or aren’t working for your industry.
• Use our quote tool – Use our free quote comparison tool to be matched up with the right providers. Give us a few details about your business and we’ll link you to a provider that is suited to your needs. You’ll then be contacted by the trusted supplier to provide you with obligation-free quotes.

How Do Cloud-Based Phones Work?

Cloud-based phones use cloud servers to make and receive calls as well as other phone features, like voicemail. Cloud-based phone calls are converted into data packets and transmitted over the internet. This makes cloud-based phone calls cost-effective and fast, which is why they’re a popular choice with businesses.

Cloud Phones vs. Traditional Phones

Using the internet instead of physical phone lines to make and receive calls, cloud phones are a different proposition from traditional landlines. They also don’t need a hardware infrastructure, which means you can just download the software onto devices like a desktop computer or laptop to make and receive calls –as long as you have an internet connection.

Cloud-based phone systems are typically much cheaper than traditional phones. It’s also much easier to scale your business up or down with a cloud phone system as the provider can quickly install or uninstall virtual phone lines.

Can I Use My Own Devices With a Cloud Phone System?

Yes, cloud phone systems offer you the flexibility to use your own devices rather than being limited to proprietary phones. There are several ways you can use your own devices with the system:

1. Softphones: Cloud phone providers offer desktop and mobile apps that can transform your computer or smartphone into a virtual phone. This will allow you to use all of the phone system’s features (learn more about what a softphone is in our handy guide).
2. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Many providers allow you to connect your own desktop IP phones or conference room phones to the cloud system. However, they must be compatible with the system.
3. VoIP adapters: You can connect traditional analogue phones, fax machines, and other devices to the cloud phone system using VoIP adapters or IP gateways.
4. Mobile integration: Your mobile phone can often be integrated with the cloud PBX to make and receive calls through the system.
5. VPN phones: Some providers support the connection of remote phones via an on-site VPN router or IP PBX gateway for full integration.
6. Limited integration: Options like call forwarding to mobile phones or sending incoming calls to user-defined numbers.

Each provider’s capabilities may vary, but most allow you to use your own devices in some form. However, it’s worth noting that native IP phones (offered by the provider) usually offer tighter integration and access to advanced features.

Cloud Phone Systems and Integrations: What to Look Out For?

Here are some of the most common and desirable integrations to look for when evaluating a UK cloud phone system:

• CRM Integration: Tight integration with popular CRMs like Salesforce, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics to enable features like click-to-call, call logging, and customer data pop-ups.
• Accounting Software: Integrations with Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks to synchronize contacts, capture call logs, and associate calls to clients/projects.
• Email Integration: Connecting with email platforms like Gmail and Outlook to enable calling from within your email.
• Internal and External Live Chat: Connecting with messaging platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams helps maintain communication among your team.
• Calendar Integration: Syncing calendars to display busy or available statuses, schedule calls, and set reminders.
• Web Conferencing: Integration with web conferencing allows you to seamlessly initiate and join virtual meetings.

It’s important to check that the cloud phone provider you select can integrate with the software you already use. Cross-check the included third-party integrations of the provider with your existing software for a smooth transition.

How Can I Switch Cloud Phone System Providers?

When switching from one cloud phone system to another, assess the limitations of your current provider by looking at call volume, number of users, features, and cost.

1. Compare providers using our free quote comparison tool. Once you’ve completed the form, you’ll be contacted directly. You’ll be able to ask questions about the products and receive transparent information about the provider before you switch.
2. Once you’ve chosen the provider, we encourage you to install the free trial or demo to test call quality, reliability, and features.
3. Before the switch, backup important data from your current provider.
4. If you’re switching from one cloud-based system to another, you might not have to change your hardware. Ensure you confirm this with your new provider for a smooth transition.
5. When transitioning from a traditional landline, tell your provider about the hardware you have and ask what hardware is needed. When making the switch to a cloud phone system, you might need less hardware, but you’ll need a strong internet connection and devices. The devices include laptops, desktop computers, or smartphones.
6. To keep your current phone numbers, these need to be ported to a new provider. This process can take a little time, so it’s important to plan.

Typically, a new cloud phone provider completes the switch within one working day. So, it’s best to try and schedule this on your least busy day to prevent any major interruptions.

How We Test VoIP Phone Systems and Services for Businesses

We tested 20 market-leading VoIP products and services, evaluating them in terms of functionality, usability, cost, security options, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to UK businesses.

Our rigorous testing process involves us scoring and rating each provider across eight main categories of investigation. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting’ to ensure the product’s final score reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers.

Scoring Criteria with Respective Weighting

• Call Management (25%): an analysis of a given platform’s call management features, including call routing functionality and the presence of a virtual receptionist.
• Communication Channels (20%): assessment of the tools available within a VoIP platform for internal communication, including team messaging, video conferencing, and SMS capabilities.
• Training Features (20%): the ability of the VoIP service to support the training of employees, from call review features like call recording and call data reporting, to live call coaching features like call barge or call whisper tools.
• Pricing (10%): the pricing structure of VoIP systems, such as monthly subscription fees, call rates, setup fees, and any additional charges for add-on features or services.
• Software Integrations (10%): the VoIP service’s ability to connect and integrate with external software systems, such as integration varying CRM, helpdesk, and external video conferencing platforms.
• Hardware Integrations (5%): the ability of a VoIP service to integrate with different phone brands.
• Customer Support (5%): the extent of assistance and resources provided by the VoIP service provider to customers including technical support, online resources, and access to customer support representatives.
• Security Options (5%): the measures and features implemented by the VoIP service to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and protection of voice communications and data.