The Best Cloud Phone Systems for UK Businesses in 2023

We know how important it is to find a phone system that is affordable, cloud-based and scalable. For value for money, 8×8 is the best cloud phone system currently available because it ticks all these boxes.

In this article, we'll breakdown 8×8's features, pros, cons and pricing, and reveal six other strong alternatives that really stood out as in our independent telephone system research.

This will allow you to compare these providers and choose the one most suited to your needs. If you're in a hurry, you can use our free comparison tool to get a quick, tailored quote. If you'd like know to know more about what each provider has to offer, check out our thoughts below.

What is a cloud phone system?

A cloud phone system is a VoIP system that makes and receives calls over the internet. A cloud-based phone system doesn't rely on traditional phone lines or physical hardware, instead, your business can use a phone system on your laptop, desktop, or smartphone.

This system works by converting analogue signals into data packets which are then transmitted via the internet. Once a call has been placed, a VoIP provider routes the call appropriately. We prefer cloud phone systems to traditional phone lines as they're affordable, reliable, and flexible.

Plus, with the big switch-off looming, we recommend businesses make the move before your phone line is affected. The big switch-off will happen by December 2025 and will affect businesses that are using the PSTN network. You might commonly know this as the network that connects to your landline. By this date, you'll need to have the infrastructure in place to support newer technologies such as VoIP. 

How can I switch cloud phone system providers?

When switching from one cloud phone system to another, assess the limitations of your current provider and choose a new system that suits your business. This could include factors like call volume, number of users, features, and cost.

Compare providers using our free quote comparison tool, once you've completed the form, you'll get a call back so you can ask questions and receive all the information you need before switching.

You can also use our best business VoIP provider guide or look at the various providers on this page to get a better understanding of which providers are the right fit for your business.

Once you've chosen the provider you want to switch to, make the most of their free trial or demo so you can test their call quality, reliability, and features.

Before the switch, backup important data from your current provider.

If you're switching from a cloud system to another cloud system, you might not have to change up your hardware but check this with your new provider to ensure you're fully set up for a smooth transition.

If you're transitioning from a traditional landline due to the big switch off or because you want a cloud phone system, check with your provider what new hardware you will need. Because you're switching to a cloud phone system, you might actually need less hardware but you will need a strong internet connection and devices for the cloud phone system. These devices include a laptop, desktop computer, or smartphone.

If you want to keep your current phone numbers, you'll have to port them to the new provider. This process can take a little time so it's important to plan ahead but your new provider will be able to assist you with this.

Typically, your new phone provider can complete 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.

Top 7 best cloud based phone systems

Our research team has rated and tested 11 different phone systems to find the best provider on the market:

Prices accurate as of September 2023

8×8 – Best overall cloud phone system

With an impressive 4.7/5 rating in our in-depth research, we like 8×8 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 8×8 with your pre-existing software infrastructure. This will allow you to bring all of your business tools under the same umbrella and develop a great customer experience strategy.

We're big fans of 8×8's recent incorporation of AI-assisted features, such as the Intelligent Customer Assistant (launched in April) and the Supervisor Workspace (launched in May). The former allows businesses to automate self-service experiences across channels; the latter acts as a interface that combines analytics, performance management, and team admin capabilities for contact centre leaders.

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. 8×8 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 8×8 does falter is in price. Its previous £10-135 pricing range led it to score 2.5/5 in this category in our research, as it was a more expensive option compared to other providers we look at. To complicate things further, the provider stopped advertising its prices in June 2023 and now only provides them through quoting. If you're looking to tighten your belt, then we'd recommend looking at bOnline or Dialpad instead, which are cheaper and have more transparent pricing.

In the UK, 8×8 have office locations in London and Aylesbury so its customers can be confident that they can access a UK-based account manager within the same time zone for easier communication.

RingCentral – Best cloud phone system for customer service teams

Prices accurate as of September 2023

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.

RingCentral can be integrated with over 250 apps, so it's likely to work well with the systems your various teams already use. Plus, in May 2023, the providers started allowing UK customers to view their domestic rate card in the Calling Rates section under Billing of their account. 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, we don't think RingCentral is 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.

RingCentral have an office in London which can make it easier for customers to access support from an account manager or sales rep as they'll be in the same time zone.

Vonage – Best cloud phone system for small businesses

Prices accurate as of September 2023

Boasting a set of shiny features like dynamic call routing and post-call analysis, Vonage’s embrace of AI in its Professional subscription plan makes it our top phone system for small businesses. It gives you the flexibility you need to keep customers happy and scale up your operations. Its provision of tools, metrics, and data gives you a 360-degree view of the interactions between you 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 8×8 or Google Voice instead.

Vonage has two London offices and while it doesn't have 24/7 customer support, you can get in touch with someone during business hours.

GoToConnect – Best cloud phone system for international calls

Prices accurate as of September 2023

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, we don't recommend GoToConnect 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 8×8.

bOnline – Best for desk phone compatibility

Prices accurate as of September 2023

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.

However, we found 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 8×8 instead.

bOnline's headquarters are based in London so you can access local support when needed.

Dialpad – Best cloud phone system for conversational AI

Prices accurate as of September 2023

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 8×8 or RingCentral instead.

Dialpad have an office in London providing customers with local support from an account manager or sales rep.

Google Voice – Best cloud phone for security

Prices accurate as of September 2023

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 8×8 or RingCentral.

Google has an office in London which can be helpful when reaching out to a sales rep as they'll typically be within the same time zone.

How to find the right cloud phone system for your business?

Cloud-phone systems are ideal for businesses that want an affordable and less-cluttered phone system. Getting clear on your businesses usage of phone systems will help you identify which system is best for you.

If your business uses the phone casually then a cheaper system with basic functions will fit the best. But if your have a customer service department or a call centre then you'll need a more advanced, comprehensive system that can be customised to your businesses needs.

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

• Contact your current VoIP provider – contact your current provider to see if you can upgrade to a better suited 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 ticked your list, contact them to see if you're a good fit. You don't even need to contact them directly, you can check out their website and other reviews.
• Get recommendations – ask other businesses 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 – you can 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 do the hard bit. You'll then be contacted by trusted supplier to provide you with up to date quotes.
• Check out the competition – every businesses has a competitor, checking to see what they're using for their phone system can be a (sneaky) but helpful way to get a great recommendation.

How Do Cloud-Based Phones Work?

Cloud-based phones use cloud servers to make and receive calls and use other phone features such as 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.

Because they work over the internet, cloud phone systems often include extra features such as call forwarding, a virtual receptionist, and virtual phone numbers.

Cloud Phones vs. Traditional Phones

The main difference between cloud phones and traditional phone lines is that cloud phones work over the internet as opposed to physical phone lines. Cloud phones also don't need the hardware infrastructure, you can typically download the software onto devices such as desktop computer or laptop, as long as you have an internet connection you're good to go.

Because there's less hardware and it runs over the internet, 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 and un-install the virtual phone lines.

Methodology: how did we find the best cloud phones for UK 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.