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Shopify’s pricing starts at $5 per month, going up to $2,300 per month, with three other price points in between, and a custom plan for very large businesses. Overall, Shopify is one of the best ecommerce platforms on the market, but its outstanding ecommerce features come with a hefty price tag.

In this price guide, we’ll break down the pricing plans Shopify currently offers to online merchants. We’ll look at what you get at each price plan, as well as explain billing cycles and additional fees.

Shopify offers a free trial of three days so you can test out a price plan to see whether it’s the right fit, although this is a much less generous amount of time than its competitor, Wix, which gives you 14 days.

If you want a more in-depth breakdown of Shopify’s features (including its point of sale offering), check out our dedicated Shopify review.

Shopify Starter Pricing Plan

The Shopify Starter plan costs just $5 per month, which is very cheap as ecommerce platforms go.  It’s a good value for the money option for online sellers who want to send “shoppable” product links in instant messages over WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, SMS and email. This means your customers click a URL link and buy your product directly or add to a cart and buy some more.

You’ll get access to a basic online store with product pages, a contact page, and Shopify checkout, but customization is very limited. There isn’t  a lot of space for product specs, product videos, lengthy descriptions or customer reviews, so it’s mainly aimed at mobile users coming to you from social media and looking for a quick checkout experience.

You’ll also get a mobile point of sale, which allows you to take in-person payments with just a smartphone (no card machine needed), and access to Linkpop, Shopify’s free landing page app for creating shoppable links to put in social media bios.

Shopify Starter Features

• One user
• Unlimited product pages
• Customer support inbox
• Shopping cart
• Order management
• Analytics

Shopify Starter Transaction Fees

• Transaction fees: 5.0% (if using Shopify Payments)
• Online credit card rates: 5% + 25¢ (if using Shopify Payments)

Who do we recommend Shopify Starter for?

We recommend Shopify Starter for those wanting to test a product or business idea or sell a one-off item without the commitment or investment of setting up a whole online storefront.

It’s ideal for individual sellers who want to share a link to a product via social media or sell face-to-face. Because it’s largely based on social media, it’s best for selling informal, relatively cheap merchandise, such as t-shirts, handmade pieces, or accessories.

We wouldn’t recommend Shopify Starter for selling high value or regulated products such as precious jewelry or medical supplies, as it’s unlikely that customers will trust your website with those purchases.

Once you have established a customer base, you might want to explore growing your storefront with the next tier, Shopify Basic, although be warned, it’s a steep jump from the $5 per month Shopify Starter plan to the $29 per month Shopify Basic plan.

Shopify Basic Pricing Plan

Shopify Basic Features

• One user
• Online ecommerce website and blog
• Up to 10 inventory locations
• Unlimited products
• Order management
• Language translation and currency conversion
• Up to 77% shipping discount

You create your own online shop using the Shopify drag-and-drop website builder and set up payment options in the dashboard view. This means you can display your products, take payments and manage inventory all from one account.

The Basic plan’s analytics features are also now just as in-depth as the Shopify plan’s ones. It’s also retained the standard ecommerce features present in all Shopify plans, including discounts code and gift cards, and abandoned cart recovery, as well as access to Shopify’s in-person POS solution, POS Lite.

What you don’t get with Shopify Basic compared to more expensive plans:

• Additional staff accounts
• Third-party calculated shipping rates displayed at checkout
• Certain shipping discounts
• Shipping insurance

Transaction fees are also higher on the Basic plan than on the more expensive plans, for both Shopify Payments and third party payment providers. The more expensive your plan is, the lower these rates are.

Shopify Basic Transaction Fees

• Third party transaction fees: 2.0% (on top of payment provider’s fees)
• Currency conversion fee: 1.5%

Transaction fees with Shopify Payments:

• Online credit/debit card rates: 2.9% + 30¢
• In-person credit/debit card rates: 2.6% + 10¢
• Amex credit card rates (online): 3.5% + 30¢
• Online International credit card rates: 3.9% + 30¢

Who do we recommend Shopify Basic for?

We recommend Shopify Basic for smaller businesses looking to set up their first storefront. The online ecommerce platform means you can successfully process payments and ship orders.

Despite this plan being intended for smaller businesses, the unlimited product capacity means the sky’s the limit for your store. However, this plan has higher credit card rates, fewer shipping discounts, and more basic reporting features than the more expensive plans. Consider upgrading as your store grows to enjoy these benefits.

The Shopify Basic plan is also more expensive than the low-tier ecommerce plans offered by many competitors, such as Squarespace. However, Squarepace’s ecommerce features aren’t quite as advanced as Shopify’s, so this is a case of “you get what you pay for.”

Just don’t pay for what you don’t need. If you’re a small business that doesn’t plan on massively growing, or doesn’t require the most advanced ecommerce features, Squarespace is probably better value for money than Shopify. Read our Squarespace Pricing Review for more details.

Shopify Plan Pricing

Shopify Plan Features

So what does the Shopify plan have that the Basic plan doesn’t? It’s got:

• 5 staff accounts,
• Up to 88% shipping discount
• Shipping insurance
• Increased customisation when using Shopify API
• Lower transaction fees.

Other than that, you’ll get access to the same quality analytics as you would on the Basic plan, the same international selling support and the same number of inventory locations.

What you don’t get with the Shopify plan compared to more expensive plans:

• A even bigger number of staff accounts
• Enhanced live chat support
• Custom analytics
• Increased checkout capacity (for busy sales times)
• The ability to add markets to localized selling
• Import tax estimates at checkout

And of course, transaction fees are lower the more expensive your Shopify plan gets. This is designed to accommodate businesses with a high sales volume, and is standard practice across the payment processing industry.

Read more about credit card processing fees in our in-depth guide.

Shopify Plan Transaction Fees

• Third party transaction fees: 1.0% (on top of payment provider’s fees)
• Currency conversion fee: 1.5%

Transaction fees with Shopify Payments:

• Online credit/debit card rates: 2.7% + 30¢
• In-person credit/debit card rates: 2.5% + 10¢
• Amex credit card rates (online): 3.3% + 30¢
• Online International credit card rates: 3.7% + 30¢

Who do we recommend the Shopify plan for?

We recommend the Shopify plan for small businesses whose sales are growing quickly.

There’s no question that Shopify’s mid-tier plan has more advanced features than its competitor’s equivalents, but it’s also almost double the price of some. For example, Wix’s Business plan only costs $36, compared to the Shopify plan’s $79.

But, if you plan on growing your business and expanding internationally, the extra cost of using Shopify is worth it, especially since it gives you unlimited products (something Wix doesn’t), and access to comprehensive translation and multicurrency tools.

However, given that Shopify’s Basic Plan has a very similar offering, except with slightly higher transaction fees, you might be better off skipping the Shopify plan and waiting until you’re ready for the Shopify Advanced plan.

If you’re a medium-sized business that isn’t planning on expanding internationally (or to only a few markets), you could give Wix a go. Its ecommerce features aren’t quite as advanced as Shopify’s, but they’re up there, and it costs less. Read our Wix Pricing Review for more details.

Shopify Advanced Plan Pricing

The Shopify Advanced plan costs $299 per month when paying on an annual basis, and $399 per month when payment month-to-month.

This is a massive leap in price from the standard Shopify plan, but it’s one that I think could be worth it for some businesses, thanks to the extra features it gives you access to.

For example, this is the cheapest Shopify price plan at which you can collect estimated duties and import taxes at the checkout, to avoid stinging your customers with unexpected charges on delivery. This type of cost transparency is likely to increase customer satisfaction.

Shopify Advanced Features

• Up to 15 staff accounts
• Enhanced live chat support
• Custom analytics and reporting
• x10 checkout capacity
• Third-party calculated shipping rates
• Add over 3 markets to localized selling for + $59/mo
• Estimate and collect duties and import tax at checkout

At this tier, you’ll also benefit from 1.5% duties and import tax rates (0.85% if you use Shopify’s payment gateway), and you’ll get lower transaction fees than on cheaper plans. The currency conversion fee remains the same as the other price plans, at 1.5%.

Shopify Advanced Payment Processing Fees

• Third party transaction fees: 0.6%
• Currency conversion fee: 1.5%
• Duties and import taxes: 1.5%

Transaction fees with Shopify Payments:

• Online credit/debit card rates: 2.5% + 30¢
• In-person credit/debit card rates: 2.4% + 10¢
• Amex credit card rates (online): 3.1% + 30¢
• Online International credit card rates: 3.5% + 30¢
• Duties and import taxes: 0.85%

Shopify Payments’s online card processing fees on the Advanced plan have increased by around 0.1%, and an extra 10¢ has been added to in-person rates since November.

Who do we recommend Shopify Advanced for?

We recommend Shopify Advanced for established small or medium-sized businesses  that are expanding and looking to sell internationally. You’ll benefit from cheaper transaction fees on this plan, which can make a huge difference to your profit if sales are high.

The increased checkout capacity of the Advanced plans also means it’s less likely your customers will end up in a queue, which can make or break a sale.

The Advanced plan also comes with lower transaction fees, better shipping discounts, and more support with international selling than the Basic and Shopify plans, giving your customers complete transparency, and helping you save money on fees.

The $299 per month price tag all this comes with might seem like a lot, but we think the Shopify Advanced plan is worth the money, and reasonably priced. BigCommerce, one of Shopify’s competitors, has a similar offering for exactly the same price point.

The main difference is that BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees for third-party payment providers, whereas with Shopify, you’re getting a sore deal if you’re not using Shopify Payments. If you’re looking to switch ecommerce platforms and already have a payment provider that you want to keep, it might be cheaper to go for an option like BigCommerce.

Shopify Fees and Costs: Billing Cycles, Ongoing Costs and Hidden Fees

Here’s a breakdown of all of Shopify’s costs and fees:

Shopify Billing Cycles

• You can pay for your Shopify subscription month to month, or in advance for one year, which is 25% cheaper
• You can cancel your Shopify subscription at any time, but you won’t be refunded that month’s or year’s bill
• You can downgrade or upgrade your Shopify plan at any time (except Shopify Starter, as this is the cheapest plan)

Additional Shopify Website Costs

• Domain names: $9-$20 a month to get a domain name that isn’t myshopify.com (if you already have a domain, you can connect it to your Shopify store)
• Template designs: one-off fee from $140 to $400 for a range of templates (or choose from 12 free ones)
• Apps: Variable prices ($9-$100 per month on average) to use apps, either made by Shopify or third-parties, for additional website features
• Emails: First 10,000 per month are free then $1 per 1,000 emails sent, $0.65 per 1,000 after 300,000 emails sent, $0.55 per 1,000 after 750,000 emails sent

Additional Shopify Sales Costs

• Third-party transaction fees: 0.2%-2% depending on your plan (on top of fees you pay to your payments provider)
• Shopify Payments credit and debit card fees: 2.5% + 30¢ to 3.5% + 10¢, depending your plan, the type card, and the type of transaction (fees are competitive on the Shopify Plus plan)
• Duties and import taxes: 0.85%-1.5% (only applicable to Advanced Shopify and Shopify Plus plans)
• Currency conversion fees: 1.5%

Shopify also has a POS solution for selling in-person. The Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans all include POS Lite, a software solution suitable for one location. You can POS software to handle multiple locations with Shopify POS Pro, which costs $89 per month, per location.

To complement this, you can buy card readers and countertop systems from Shopify. Here’s what they cost:

• Tap to pay on smartphone: free, available an all plans as part of POS Lite
• Card tap and chip reader: $49
• POS Go (mobile card reader): $299
• Countertop Kit: $459

Shopify Payments Fees

You can avoid additional fees for using third-party payment providers by using Shopify Payments, the company’s proprietary payment gateway (powered by Stripe).

You’ll pay the following payment processing fees per transaction:

• US card (online): 2.5% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢ depending on your plan
• US card (in-person): 2.4% + 10¢ to 2.6% + 10¢ depending on your plan
• Amex (online): 3.1% + 30¢ to 3.5% + 30¢ depending on your plan
• International card (online): + 1% (so 3.5% + 30¢ to 3.9% + 30¢ for an online purchase with a US card)
• Chargeback: around $15 per incident (may be refunded if appealed)

With Shopify Payments the duties and import taxes rates on Advanced Shopify decreases from 1.5% to 0.85%.

There are no charges for refunds, declined payments or rewards transactions. It’s worth noting that the international card fee with Shopify Payments is better than the standard Stripe fee of 4.4%+ 30¢.

However, Shopify charges an extra 1.5% for foreign currency transactions, whereas Stripe charges 1% as standard.

Shopify Tax Pricing

It’s ultimately your responsibility as a seller to pay the correct taxes on your revenue, but Shopify makes it a lot easier with its automated tax calculation.

Shopify Tax is available at no extra cost for the first $100,000 in sales per calendar year. This includes all sales connected to Shopify, including social media channels you’ve chosen to connect.

After the $100,000 a year in sales threshold, you’ll be charged the following:

• 0.35% per order (all Shopify plans excluding Plus)
• 0.25% per order (Shopify plus)

There are also two maximum fee caps per year, so you don’t have to stress about spiraling tax calculation costs:

• $0.99 per order cap
• $5,000 yearly cap

Free Services Included in All Shopify Plans

Despite these extra fees, a lot of services are still included for free in all Shopify pricing plans, such as the following:

• Website builder (excluding Shopify Starter)
• Web hosting (excluding Shopify Starter)
• SSL certificate
• Unlimited products
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Web shop analytics

Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, Hostinger, and Square are all cheaper on average than Shopify, when it comes to their subscriptions.

BigCommerce is more or less in the same range as Shopify, but your first year with Shopify would be cheaper, thanks to the current deal of your first month priced at $1.

BigCommerce, Square, and Wix, don’t charge additional transaction fees – unlike Shopify – for using a third party payment provider. That could mean you end up paying less with one of these over Shopify, depending on your payment provider’s fees and your business’ sales revenue.

Why You Can Trust Our Research

We have been testing website builders with online payments features for over ten years. We know the priorities of small business leaders like you.

That’s why we rate and evaluate providers based on objective criteria including:

• How easy the platform is to use
• Whether it’s good value for money
• Design capabilities
• Customer support options

Only after putting each platform through over 50 tests do we decide on the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses. More than 30 hours of research goes into deciding the winners, with input from out expert in house research team and focus group users, too.

Ecommerce has grown rapidly in recent years and according to the United States Census Bureau, ecommerce sales make up around 15% of total retail sales. This will only keep growing so the ability to sell online will be essential!

But what is the right ecommerce platform to help you succeed?

Every year our expert insights seem to put market-leading ecommerce platforms through several rounds of hands-on testing against 300+ different criteria to find out who really comes out on top for small businesses. This time round, the best ecommerce platform for small businesses is Squarespace.

Squarespace came out on top in our research in key categories such as value for money, user experience and most importantly in customer testing. However, each business has different needs and that’s why we looked at five other top ecommerce platforms and put them through their paces too.

To help you make a decision quickly, we created an easy comparison of online store tools. And below, you’ll find a side-by-side summary of the top ecommerce platforms followed by individual reviews of each one. Read until the end for some more guidance about how and where to sell online.

Quick Comparison: Best Online Store Tools

1. Squarespace: Best Overall

• Subscription pricing: $23-$65
• Transaction fees: 0-3%
• Overall score: 4.7/5

Squarespace works well as a portfolio website, showcasing the aesthetics of your brand with classy web design. Think of your Squarespace website as a virtual art gallery: lots of white space, few features, and impeccable taste.

Who we Recommend Squarespace For

First of all, we recommend Squarespace for anyone who has never built a website before. It’s the easiest to use out of all the ecommerce website builders we’ve reviewed. Anyone, even with limited online experience, can set up a functional, well designed website.

And polished, slick design is at the heart of Squarespace. We recommend Squarespace for solo entrepreneurs or small to medium sized businesses who operate in any creative industry. Think artists, writers, photographers, content creators or high end luxury brands.

You can sell products, services, subscriptions and digital content, a key feature for musicians, authors and filmmakers.

Where Squarespace Stands Out

The striking beauty of its design templates, optimised for both web and mobile use, is one of the stand out features of Squarespace. It’s never been simpler to create a slick, professional, beautiful looking website with a solid ecommerce backend.

But it’s not just pretty templates. Squarespace also provides easy payment processing with trusted providers like Paypal, Stripe and Square. It’s drag and drop design functionality means you can create an online store easily. Its inventory management and sales analytics are easy to follow.

Its ease of use is important as it allows anyone to set up a website and start selling, breaking down any barriers that come with more complex website builders or coding a website yourself. It’s no surprise it came out on top in User Experience during our latest round of research, with a score of 4.5/5.

Where Squarespace Could Improve

While Squarespace is easy to use, it has drawbacks. What makes it perfect for small to medium sized businesses also makes it limited in other areas. When it comes to payment processing, while it is easy to use, it doesn’t have a lot of providers to choose from. Overall, based on our latest research, Wix ranks higher for sales features in comparison to Squarespace.

Where Squarespace falls down in general is that it doesn’t suit a business that wants to grow beyond that medium stage. Its ecommerce features aren’t as advanced as a platform like Shopify. And, if it comes to the point you feel you’ve outgrown Squarespace, it has some export limitations, meaning it may be hard to move to another website builder if necessary.

Features Worth Knowing More About

We really like the Squarespace App which allows you to update pages, review traffic and update inventory on the go. This gives you great flexibility as a business owner, especially when you have to be in a thousand places at once.

Squarespace also offers beautifully designed email marketing templates to match their slick templates. This means you can keep your brand consistent across all marketing communications.

Squarespace Pricing

There are four Squarespace price plans to choose from, all of which are relatively low cost compared with the larger platforms Shopify and BigCommerce:

You may have noticed Squarespace pricing is similar to Wix, and they’re near competitors because of their focus on design and style. You wouldn’t come to either for complex inventory management and warehouse services, for instance.

Both Squarespace Commerce Basic and Wix Core cost $27 per month, but with Wix you’ll get 5 hours of video storage versus 30 minutes with Squarespace. You’ll also get slightly better selling features from Wix at this price point, including abandoned cart recovery emails, applying discounts automatically, and the ability to accept pre-orders.

But if you want to sell more than 50,000 products, you should choose Squarespace over Wix. And if product reviews are important to you, Squarespace is the better choice once again, as Wix limits these.

2. Wix: Best for Bookings and Services

• Subscription pricing: $23-$712 a month
• Transaction fees: None
• Overall score: 4.7/5

Wix tops our website builder list thanks to the wide range of features, but dips into second place when we consider its sales platform. The reason is its selling features are slightly less generous – Wix limits the number of transactions with automated sales tax, for instance.

Who we Recommend Wix For

Wix is a good all-rounder platform that’s suited to a wide range of small business users. It’s not so complicated that only seasoned professionals can use it – we’d comfortably recommend this for beginners with very little web design or even commerce experience. You’ll get more design control than GoDaddy, but it’s not as complex as Shopify. 

Where Wix Stands Out

Wix is similar to Squarespace due to its focus on ease of use and attractive design. However, where it stands out is its extensive app market, with 250+ free and paid apps to choose from, giving you a lot more functionality in your store. In terms of overall features Wix scored the highest in our latest round of research, with a score of 4.6/5. 

Wix also allows you to create multiple multilingual sites for different countries. This, combined with outstanding shipping options, means the platform is ideal for scaling your business into new markets easily 

Where Wix Could Improve

Wix doesn’t offer unlimited storage space like Squarespace does, meaning it could be a barrier to scaling. It only offers unlimited storage space on its Business Elite, which costs around $159 a month. 

And while Wix is easy to set up and use initially, it can be a little tricky to master it properly. In user testing earlier in 2023, it was noted that it was easy to use but “some things just feel like they are a headache for no reason. This is reflected in our latest round of research as the user experience scores a lot lower than Squarespace and Spotify. 

Features Worth Knowing More About 

We’re excited about Wix’s use of AI, such as the text generator to speed up content creation. AI assists in the set up process too, with Wix suggesting features you’ll need based on your industry.

Here are some examples:

• If you run a restaurant: table reservations, food delivery, menu listings
• Hotel managers: season-specific room pricing, list add-on services at extra cost
• Fitness enthusiast: bookings (in person or online) via Wix Fit, subscriber-only content,  automated reminders
• Creative professionals: membership areas with paywall content, video streaming

Wix is better for the services industry compared to Square, because the latter isn’t set up for paid members-only pages.

Wix Pricing

Wix offers a 14-day free trial period on its premium plans, of which there are three ecommerce-specific options:

Wix is very similar in pricing to Squarespace, with Squarespace Business costing $23 per month (compared with Wix Core at $27 per month). But Wix could prove cheaper as Squarespace charges 3% transaction fees on its Business plan, whereas Wix charges no equivalent fees.

We’ve created a Wix pricing page if you want to look more closely at costs.

3. Shopify: Best for Scaling Your Business

• Subscription pricing range: $5-$2000 a month
• Transaction fees: 5-15%
• Overall score: 4.6/5

Shopify is a comprehensive online selling tool with a website builder – and we’re impressed. The best feature of Shopify is that it will scale as your business grows. That means you’ll start with a clean, well-presented shopfront and you can bulk import products as your catalog expands.

Who we Recommend Shopify For

Shopify is aimed at business-savvy merchants with a very clear business plan. If you’ve sourced your products, decided on your branding, and are looking to scale up your sales, then Shopify has the sales features you need.

We recommend Shopify over BigCommerce for sellers with dozens of inventory storage spots. Why? Shopify can cope with up to 1,000 inventory locations (on all plans), whereas BigCommerce facilitates selling and distribution from just four, five or eight (depending on your plan). Wix has much weaker inventory management features than Shopify.

Where Shopify Stands Out

Shopify is the best for serious online retailers and its Sales Features are unparalleled. In our latest testing, Shopify scores the highest in terms of Sales Features, scoring 4.7/5. It also is brilliant for integrating marketing into your site through apps like Facebook and Instagram.

Where Shopify Could Improve

There are no native features to connect your Shopify store with any of the main online marketplaces. Exceptions are Facebook and Instagram marketplaces as well as a wholesale option called Handshake. For any of the others, you’ll have to connect an app, which comes with monthly fees. For instance, to connect Etsy, you’ll have to pay $19 per month to synch up to 20,000 products.

Another disadvantage we found during our research was a lack of tutorials, which make it hard to familiarise yourself with the platform.

Features Worth Knowing More About

This year Shopify released its AI writing tool Shopify Magic, which we found effective in crafting creative prose for our product descriptions. While Wix has a similar AI text generator, it doesn’t offer the same range of tones of voice as Shopify’s tool.

Similarly, the AI chatbot assistant in the help center was quick and mostly effective at answering my questions about setting up additional sales channels. Its comprehension was not perfect, for instance, it couldn’t understand that the Amazon by Shopify app was no longer supported. Instead, it repeated (outdated) instructions for downloading that very app.

Shopify Pricing

Here’s an overview of Shopify’s pricing plans:

In terms of costs, Shopify pricing is not the most generous on the market – in fact, the free trial period is now just three days. Although it offers a really accessible entry price point (its Starter plan is $5 monthly), that comes with 5% transaction fees when you’re signed up to Shopify Payments. And you’ll likely need apps with – you guessed it – more monthly fees.

You’ll have to pay transaction fees for every sale across all plans. That’s not the case with Wix, which has no transaction fees.  This places Shopify on the pricey end of the ecommerce platform scale.

We’ve gone into more detail in our Shopify review, in case you’re still undecided. Otherwise read on for more options.

4. GoDaddy: Best for Getting Set Up Quickly

• Subscription pricing: $10.99-$20.99 a month(first year)
• Transaction fees: 2.3% + 30¢
• Overall score: 4.2/5

GoDaddy offers one of the fastest ways to get your website online and the best value for money out of all the platforms we tested.

Who We Recommend GoDaddy for?

GoDaddy is suitable for any business that wants to get their website up and running quickly. In terms of their ecommerce function, they aren’t as well known as platforms like Shopify but offer robust ecommerce features. GoDaddy scored an impressive 4.6/5 for Customer Score in our latest round of testing.

Where GoDaddy stands out

GoDaddy scored 4.3/5 for customer support and in our last review of GoDaddy, we similarly highlighted its strength in this area There’s a phone line, with the company readily publishing their number online. With Wix you’ll have to click through online options and request a callback. Squarespace doesn’t even have a customer service number.

In terms of ecommerce features, GoDaddy supports a wide range of payment processing options like Paypal, Stripe and Square. It also Offers a POS system that integrates with your site.

Where GoDaddy could improve

GoDaddy primarily started as a web hosting platform, meaning its e-commerce functionality isn’t as advanced as platforms like Shopify and Wix. It scores a 3/5 when it comes to Sales Features in our latest research. GoDaddy is perfect for a business that wants a small online retail presence or wants to test online retail. However if you want to make online selling the focus of your business, we recommend Shopify or Wix.

Features worth knowing more about

GoDaddy uses an Artificial Design Editor (ADI) so the design process is less time consuming. This is perfect for business owners who aren’t focused on the design of their website.

The downside to this, however, is that you’ve less creative freedom and your site may end up looking like a lot of other businesses. If you need more creative freedom, look at Wix or Squarespace.

GoDaddy Pricing

GoDaddy has three tiers in its pricing plan

On updating this article we found that GoDaddy now has three tiers of pricing instead of four – Basic, Premium, and Commerce.  The Commerce plan is the best option for small businesses and offers features like unlimited products, sales tax calculation, and up to 10,000 email marketing sends per month.

The Commerce plan is currently $20.99 for the first year and rises to $26.99 per month the year after, which is affordable for most small businesses.

5. Hostinger: Best for Local Business

• Subscription pricing: $9.99 a month
• Transaction fees: None
• Overall score: 4/5

Hostinger is an easy to use website builder and ecommerce platform, best for small and local businesses. Its one of the few ecommerce platforms with no transaction fees.

Who We Recommend Hostinger For

We recommend Hostinger for small local businesses who want a simple, straightforward website builder and e-commerce platform that doesn’t take up a lot of time. In our research we found that Hostinger scored really well when it came to user experience, scoring 4.5/5.

Where Hostinger Stands Out

Hostinger has some great ecommerce features like no transaction fees, customisable checkout options and an advanced fraud detection system. These are solid e-commerce features for a small business and all for a relatively low price compared to other website builders aimed at small businesses.

Hostingers AI Website Builder is a useful tool for business owners. The AI builder creates a custom website based on the description you enter and offers AI content creation tools to create engaging, SEO friendly website copy quickly.

Where Hostinger Could Improve

While Hostinger offers some great features at a low price, it is missing out on some key features that some businesses may need to be successful online. In fact, in our latest round of research it only scored a 3.4/5 for Sales features.

At the moment, Hostinger doesn’t offer any POS integration which may be a disadvantage for local businesses with a physical store alongside an online store. It also doesn’t offer any email marketing feature which could limit your ability to grow your business.

Features Worth Knowing About

Hostinger offers 24/7 live support with a typical response time of 3 minutes through its live chat and email. They claim to offer support in 10+ languages which would be useful if your business spans different countries.

Another key feature is its fraud detection systems. Hostinger monitors servers 24/7 so any suspicious activity is picked up straight away, keeping your online store safe.

Hostinger Pricing

Hostinger offers one pricing tier for it website builder and web hosting plan

Hostinger is one of the cheaper plans we’ve looked at. However it has a product limit of 500, which could be limiting depending on the size of your product range. Squares free online plan for example, has unlimited space for products

6. Square: Best Free Plan

• Subscription pricing: $0-$79 a month
• Transaction fees:
• Overall score: 3.7/5

Square is perfect for business owners who need to sell online, in-store or on the road and with its free plan, is the most cost effective way to sell online. On the free plan you can sign up to sell online with no monthly subscription fees.

Square is quite popular in the hospitality industry. It’s ideal for a the brick and mortar restaurant or the burger van at a festival. The Square POS (point of sale) hardware devices are, admittedly, an additional expense. However, Square’s ability to offer a very wide range of payment options for your customers is a big pull-factor.

Who We Recommend Square For

Square is ideal for entrepreneurs and small business leaders who sell in person as well as online. For instance, if you picture yourself selling through your website, but also attending festivals, events, and perhaps selling at a brick-and-mortar location, Square is a good choice.

Square is also the only platform that lets you sell online for free. However there is limitations with this free plan, as there isn’t any abandoned cart emails or the ability to use PayPal.

The Square POS (point of sale) hardware devices are, admittedly, an additional expense. However, Square’s ability to offer a very wide range of payment options for your customers is a big pull-factor.

Where Square Could Improve

The drawback of the Free plan is the basic nature of the editing tools. You won’t have as much design customization as you would with Square Plus. And you’ll have Square-branded adverts on your site.

The transaction fees could also build up over time, so it may not be suitable for bigger businesses who sell a lot of products. Shopify has much lower transaction fees, so may be more suitable if you are growing your business.

Features Worth Knowing More About

Square has recently launched improvements to Square for Retail’s checkout including the addition of a “buy online, pick up in-store” option. We really love that, across all price plans, you can opt for a courier to come straight to your location as soon as a sale goes through.

Shipping is now more streamlined, thanks to a refreshed Shipments Page, from which vendors can manage online, in-store, and subscription order fulfillment.

However, Square is not the best for international sellers as it doesn’t offer multiple currencies. If you need to sell products in multiple currencies, look at a platform like Spotify

Square recently launched AI-generated product descriptions, which help you to publish your new product pages faster. That’s a really valuable time-saver, and means you won’t have to spend time and money on professional copywriters each time you want to launch a new product. range

Square Pricing

Square has three price plans to choose from:

Square’s premium price plans are good value for money, in our eyes. At just $29 per month, Square Plus will send personalized product recommendations to your customers (if they’re logged in). Customers will also get order status text alerts. That’s a surprisingly affordable price point for such a personalized customer experience.

Square’s simple pricing structure (monthly subscription fee + set fee per transaction) is also much easier to understand than Shopify’s multi-layered payment fee structure.

That said, you should be aware of the following payment processing fees with Square:

• AfterPay (you get the full amount upfront, but the customer pays in installments): 6% + 30¢ per transaction fee
• Cash App (digital wallet): 2.9% + 30c per transaction fee
• PayPal: 3.49% + 49¢ per transaction fee
• Google Pay/Apple Pay (via Square Payments): 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction fee

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Platform

The best ecommerce platform for Staples (a brand that happens to use Shopify) isn’t necessarily the best choice for you. Here are the factors you should bear in mind when it comes to selecting an online selling tool:

• Selling location – Wix is better for digital sales, but Square is easy to connect with in-person selling
• Level of technical skill needed – Wix is on the easy side, whereas WordPress/WooCommerce is harder
• International selling capability – Shopify supports multiple currencies, Squarespace doesn’t

After you’ve identified those key features of your business plan, you can move forward with selecting an ecommerce platform. We’ve gone into more detail about which type of user each tool is best suited to, in the reviews below.

What’s the Difference Between an Online Marketplace and an Ecommerce Platform?

It’s easy to get confused about the different types of online selling platforms. But the differences matter. A lot. An online marketplace is owned by a company, and shoppers can buy from many different sellers who list their goods there. By contrast, an ecommerce platform is a tool you can use to build your own online store, and yours are the only goods or services for sale on that website.

Here are the different examples:

As you can see, the marketplace sites (also confusingly known as ecommerce sites), are akin to a shopping mall where you can choose to enter a number of different stores. But the ecommerce platforms are the online version of your physical store.

Should I Use an Ecommerce Platform or Online Marketplace?

Honestly, there’s nothing stopping you from using both. But if you do, you’ll need to ensure you synch your inventory across all of your online sales channels. That way you’ll avoid a situation where you can’t fulfil orders from your website because you’ve already sold out on eBay.

Let’s quickly look at the differences between using an ecommerce platform versus an online marketplace:

The main points of difference are the cost to you (the seller) and product visibility. Let’s look at each of those.

Costs of Ecommerce Platforms vs Online Marketplaces

The main costs of ecommerce platforms are the monthly subscription fee (although Square Online has a free plan), which online marketplaces typically do not charge. Almost all ecommerce platforms charge payment processing fees (except, again, Square Online, which instead charges a flat fee for its premium monthly plans).

Online marketplaces typically take a commission per sale – some ecommerce platforms do this as well, such as Shopify. This is what makes Shopify a pretty expensive ecommerce platform. Some online marketplaces charge a listing fee – eBay and Etsy do this. However, ecommerce platforms do not charge such a fee.

You can also pay extra to “boost” visibility of your product listing on an online marketplace. On platforms like eBay, you are charged only when a click on a paid placement leads to a sale. On Etsy, however, you are charged per click no matter if the viewer buys your item or not. A model like this can cause you to lose out on profit per sale. However, promoted listings can draw in shoppers to browse the rest of your store.

Product Visibility on Ecommerce Platforms vs Online Marketplaces

The supposed advantage of listing your products on marketplaces like Amazon is that buyers are already searching there. Therefore your products should automatically get lots of visibility from eager buyers. But if that were entirely true, there wouldn’t be any need for paid marketplace listings (described in the section above).

Therefore listing your products on a third-party marketplace is certainly no guarantee of better visibility for your wares.

With an ecommerce platform, SEO strategy is vital. That means you need to set your website up well enough that search engines pull in your product pages. However, you may also want to promote your ecommerce store with pay-per-click ads on Google, Bing, Ecosia or other search providers.

Our research shows that Nuacom is the best business phone system for customer satisfaction, earning a score of 4.6/5 in the customer score section from our team of independent researchers.

Nuacom is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system and cloud service designed to provide users with an improved communication experience, making it an effective business solution for customer service.

This Nuacom review will provide you with what you need to know when getting a phone system. We’ll go through the most important criteria for businesses that include: inbound and outbound communication features, pricing, integrability, scalability, and customer support. We’ll compare Nuacom with seven other phone service providers, highlighting its standout features and pros and cons.

You’ll find this Nuacom review helpful, especially when you’re considering migrating to a phone system because we’ve been writing phone system reviews for over a decade.

Nuacom’s Pros and Cons

✓ Pros: Excellent Customer Reviews

When customers are raving about this provider’s service, it simply means that they’re happy with it. Most consumers describe Nuacom’s service as reliable and that it fits their business perfectly. This is why research shows that Nuacom is best for customer satisfaction, scoring 4.6/5 in customer score.

Our researchers gathered consumer reviews across customer review sites such as Capterra, G2, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius. Most of the customers say they are satisfied with the phone service’s simplicity and reliability. We will delve deeper into the customer reviews further on to learn more about what real-world users think about the product.

✓ Pros: Affordable Price

The Nuacom Essential Plan starts at £14.99 per user, per month and it comes with over 50 standard features. It also offers a trial period but Nuacom only gets 3.8/5 for pricing because it lacks some outbound communication features. Some of these are power dialer, predictive dialling, auto dialer, and efax.

Vonage’s basic plan, on the other hand, starts at £9.00 per user, per month. It comes with more inbound and outbound communication features than Nuacom and even though users need to sign up for a minimum of a one-year contract, it scores an impressive 4.3/5 in pricing. However, top provider, 8×8, scores a low 2.5/5 in this category because you still have to upgrade to its £19 per user, per month plan to unlock more features and services.

✓ Pros: Offers Customer Support Channels You Can Rely On

While it doesn’t offer 24/7 live support, its customer support service can be reached via live chat, email, and phone. In addition to this, it also offers a 15-minute onboarding support session during the initial setup. This is why Nuacom ranks fourth, earning a score of 3.5/5 in this category.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect scores lower at 3.4/5 in this category because, just like Nuacom, it also doesn’t offer 24/7 support. Aside from that, live chat isn’t included in any of its plans.

✘ Cons: Limited External Connection Tools

Nuacom only scores 2.9/5 for integrability in our in-depth research because it doesn’t have a couple of important communication tools in any of its plans. These are web conferencing and external live chat software integrations.

RingCentral, however, scores 4.3/5 in external connections because you can choose from over 90 CRM applications to be integrated with your system including Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, and HubSpot. Read our RingCentral review for more information. However, like Nuacom, it doesn’t offer web conferencing or external live chat software programs. These will be available if you upgrade to its Premium or Ultimate Plans.

✘ Cons: Lacks Security Options

When shopping for a business phone system service provider, one important feature to consider is the security options on offer.

How secure is it? Does this phone service follow security best practices by using VPNs, an encrypted network, and tracking call history?

Nuacom scores 3/5 for security because it lacks security options, such as compliance certification and password rules. However, the multi-factor authentication feature will be available when you upgrade to the Nuacom Enterprise plan.

8×8, however, gets a perfect score for security features because it’s compliant across numerous fields, such as HIPAA,  PCI, and GDPR. Plus, it enforces password rules, multi-factor authentication, and user permissions and it provides Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP) data encryption security. So, if security is a big must for you, then 8×8 may be your best choice.

✘ Cons: Lacks Outbound Communication Features

Nuacom scores 3.2/5 in our research. It lacks a lot of key features in the outbound communications sector, such as call transcripts, video conferencing, or the ability to track and create your own SLAs. We will go into detail about features in the Inbound and Outbound Communication Features section.

How Much Does Nuacom Cost?

Our in-depth research shows that Nuacom scores 3.8/5 in pricing because when compared with the other providers we looked at, it lacks a lot of features. It doesn’t include some outbound communication features such as team messaging, call monitoring, call transcripts or video conferencing.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect ranks first in pricing because it offers those outbound communication features missing in Nuacom plus so much more including team messaging and video conferencing yet they only cost £8.95 per user, per month.

Try our free quote-finding tool so you can compare tailored phone system provider rates. Simply answer a few questions, and we’ll match you up with the best providers for you, who’ll be in touch with obligation-free quotes for you to compare.

Nuacom’s Standout Features

Missed Call Email Notification

Missed calls can cost a business. While the missed call email notification isn’t entirely a new feature, not every business phone system provider has it. Usually, phone system providers carry a feature that notifies you when a voicemail is left but none for missed calls.

Normally, you will have to go through the call history for you to track any missed calls, but the missed call email notification feature immediately notifies you through email for any unanswered calls.

Nuacom offers this valuable feature which allows you to never miss an important phone call and provide better customer service which will help in increasing business engagement.

The missed call email notification feature is included in all of Nuacom’s plans.

Instant Callback Widget

An instant callback widget is a useful tool that allows you to easily and immediately connect with those customers who are visiting your website.

Very few business phone system providers have this service. What’s great about this is that it will help you increase your conversion rate, it makes your website standout and this is a perfect opportunity for your website visitors to take action.

A recently added feature is website visitors now having the option to request a call from you which they will come through in less than 15 seconds.

Call Notes

The call notes feature is available on all of Nuacom’s plans, allowing your team to make notes during a call. So, should the call be transferred, you will not have to go back and listen to a long recording. Simply read the summary of the call from the notes generated. This could end up saving you time and money.

What Kind of Business is Nuacom Best For?

As mentioned above, our research has found that Nuacom has an excellent customer review score of 4.6/5, making it our top pick for customer satisfaction.

Our top business provider, RingCentral, only scores 3.5/5 in this section because most of the customer reviews stated how confusing it was to operate.

Having said that, Nuacom is best for businesses that want an easy-to-use, reliable phone service with customer service that other Nuacom users love.

How Does Nuacom Compare with Other Phone Systems?

We’ll go through the key factors you should be looking into when choosing a phone system provider. We, then, compared Nuacom with the other phone system providers to gauge its performance in these fields.

This is an overview of how Nuacom scores in the areas that our researchers have gathered. You will find that competitors such as RingCentral, 8×8, and Vonage display higher scores in most categories thus, leading to the conclusion that these competitors are superior to Nuacom.

Below we discuss why.

Inbound and Outbound Communication Features

We found that Nuacom lacks a lot of outbound communication features, which is why it only scores 3.2/5 in our research. It lacks call monitoring, call transcripts, and video conferencing. However, you do gain access to conversion features, such as call forwarding, call flip, call whisper, and call barge when you upgrade to the Call Centre and Enterprise Plans.

Other than that, none of the collaboration features such as team messaging, document sharing, task management, and video conferencing are available on any Naucom plans. Unlike 8×8, which offers said features in its X2 and X4 plans except for task management. That’s why it ranks first in the features sector with a score of 4.6/5 in our research. Read more in our 8×8 review.

Integrability + Scalability

Nuacom scores 2.9/5 in the external connections category in our research because it only allows you to integrate with very few software programs. Meanwhile, 8×8 has more popular and in-demand software integration programs available for you to choose from. Some of these are Zendesk, Salesforce, and Hubspot which earns them a score of 4.2/5 in this category.

However, our research finds that Nuacom can still easily scale along with your business, scoring a decent 3.8/5 in scalability due to the presence of some important features including call queue and ring groups.  Meanwhile, both 8×8 and RingCentral take first place, scoring a whopping 4.9/5 in this category. This is because both offer more services you can choose from and tailor to your system under the management and collaboration features. Some of which are team messaging, document sharing, and video conferencing which aren’t found in any Nuacom plans.

Customer Support

Nuacom provides a variety of customer support services but it doesn’t offer user forum and 24/7 live support thus, getting an average of 3.5/5 in the customer support score. Unlike RingCentral or 8×8, where both get an average of 5/5 in this category because they have all the essential customer support channels in their plans. These include: user forum, knowledge base, live chat, email, phone line, 24/7 live support, and onboarding support. For this reason, both top service providers score 5/5 in this category.

Does Nuacom Have Good Customer Reviews?

Customer reviews play an important part in decision-making, as 77% of Britons read customer reviews first before purchasing a product. Nuacom receives a lot of great reviews across customer review sites such as G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot and gets 4.6/5 in customer score.

Vonage is one of the largest phone system providers, with VoIP services designed for both small to medium-sized businesses and large corporations. However, our researchers have found that it’s the best VoIP software provider for small businesses, with an affordable and scalable cloud communications platform for smaller companies.

This Vonage review will go through the key factors you need to look into when shopping for a phone system: pricing, inbound and outbound communication features, integrability, scalability and customer support.

Our comprehensive research on Vonage will be the basis to help measure how this phone system performs against the rest of the top 8 providers. We’ll also highlight its standout features plus its pros and cons.

Vonage’s Pros and Cons

✓ Pro: Wide Range of Software Programs and Features for Scalability

Vonage doesn’t just offer lots of CRM tools but helpdesk giants too. Some of these include Hubspot, Office 365, and Salesforce. Vonage also offers key features that will allow you to improve the efficiency of your business. There is no limit to the number of users on any of Vonage’s plans. Although, there’s an additional cost to add communication features, such as call queue, ring groups, call barge, and call whisper. This is why Vonage scores an impressive 4.5/5 in scalability. GoTo Connect, however, scores lower than Vonage at 4.4/5 in scalability because there are only a few software platforms that you can integrate with. Thus, research shows that Vonage has a more scalable system.

✓ Pro: Affordable Plans

Vonage’s least expensive plan starts at £9 and has over fifty standard features plus  24/7 phone support. However, it lacks some inbound communication features such as ring groups, customizable greeting, and virtual receptionist. Despite that, it still scores 4/5 in pricing because it’s still packed with other important communication features such as voicemail, spam prevention, and toll-free numbers.

RingCentral, however, scores 2.3/5 in this category because its lowest plan costs £7.99 per user, per month and it doesn’t offer ring groups and call queue in it, not until you upgrade to their Premium or Ultimate Plans.

✓ Pro: All Plans Include 24/7 Live Support

All of Vonage’s business phone plans offer 24/7 live support, with user forum, knowledge base, live chat, email, and phone support. Its customer support score is 4/5 because you need to pay an additional fee if you want to take advantage of the onboarding support during the initial setup.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect also gets 3.4/5 because it doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support on any of its plans. Now, 8×8 gets a perfect score in the customer support category because all customer support channels are available in all its plans including those that aren’t included in GoTo Connect but, like Vonage, their onboarding support costs extra.

✘ Con: Limited Security Options

While all data signalling traffic flow through the Vonage platform is encrypted, multi-factor authentication can’t be set up for user accounts and password rules aren’t enforced. This sees Vonage score slightly above average of 3/5 for security in our research. It is, however, compliant in a number of fields, including HIPAA, HITECH, HITRUSTand PCI.

DialPad also scores 3/5 in this category because, like Vonage, it doesn’t enforce password rules, too. Hence, its low score.  8×8 scores a perfect score in security because it offers more security options such as multi-factor authentication, software encryption and compliant in a lot of fields. However, 8×8 doesn’t offer password rules and user permissions in its Express Plan.

✘ Con: Missing Some Important Outbound Communication Features

Vonage gets a score of 4/5 for features in our research because while it offers lots of outbound communication features across all of its business plans, it does fall short. Call conferencing, efax plus CRM and helpdesk software integrations come with additional costs. It’s also missing task management, call transcripts, and a call flow designer.

8×8, on the other hand, scores 4.6/5 in this category because it offers call conferencing, efax and software integrations without any extra charges.

How Much Does Vonage Cost?

These business plans come on a minimum one-year contract, which you may cancel at any time through Vonage’s online portal or customer care hotline. However, if you need to cancel within the contract period, an early termination fee may apply. Apart from that, a call set-up fee may apply if calls were made outside your plan. They are billed per minute where part minutes are rounded off to whole minutes and are billed to the nearest whole penny. Still, Vonage gets a pricing score of 4/5 because it offers great value for money.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect also gets an average of 4/5 in this category because its plans offer more key features and provide 24/7 support and its least expensive plan costs only £8.95. Plus, it offers unlimited domestic and free international calls to over 50 countries without getting tied to a contract, making it best for businesses with international clients.

Vonage’s Standout Features

Smart WAN

Vonage seems to have fully embraced digital transformation by utilising an SD-WAN solution. Vonage’s SD-WAN solution, called smart WAN, allows you to enjoy voice, video, and data without compromising on quality, privacy, and control. It allows your business to continue through disasters, such as power outages, as it creates fail-safes on multiple broadband connections that help minimise disruptions. This will prove beneficial for businesses as it helps reduce overheads. There are other benefits that come with it too, such as enabling cloud usage and improving performance. This is why most phone system providers use SD-WAN software.Businesses that are shifting to remote work would benefit from this. A hybrid business, for example, has started to adopt this technology as part of its network connectivity strategy and security control.

Vonage Reach

With so many people making use of cell phones, it seems only natural that texting is the ideal form of communication and the main reason why phone system providers include this service in their plans. While there is an extra cost for the SMS feature to be added to your Vonage business plan, the additional cost isn’t just for a simple SMS/chat service. Vonage Reach is a powerful communication service platform that allows you to send a text message to one recipient or hundreds of recipients. This feature also allows you to do landline texting, cross-channel marketing and smart targeting which enables you to get more leads and close more deals in a short amount of time.

Volusion

Vonage’s e-commerce platform is Volusion, which has been in the e-commerce industry since 1999. You can request this app to be added to your Vonage plan and setting it up is so simple. You can create your online store in minutes and immediately start selling online.

Through Vonage’s unified communications solution, this integration between Vonage and Volusion will be able to provide a better customer experience and even lower communication costs.

What Kind of Business is Vonage Best For?

Vonage is best for small businesses because it has the ability to create a comprehensive service based on the features and tools it offers on all of its plans and because of that, it can serve as a powerful solution that fuels growth and innovation. With features such as unlimited nationwide calls, free international calls, and SMART WAN software, businesses get the opportunity to fully explore digital transformation and quickly scale digital solutions.  It is worth noting that Vonage’s comprehensive system can meet corporate-scale business communication needs, too.

How Does Vonage Compare with Other Phone Systems?

Our in-depth research allows us to measure Vonage’s performance and compare its ratings with the top phone system providers. Vonage scores fairly well in a few of these categories, but we will do a deep dive into each category below.

Inbound and Outbound Communication Features

Vonage scores 4/5 for features in our research because Vonage is feature-rich especially in the inbound communications services. Most features will be available especially when you upgrade to its Professional and Ultimate plans such as call queue which isn’t usually included in other providers’ plans. However, some outbound communication features aren’t available on any plans, such as call transcripts, call-flow designer, and task management.

Meanwhile, more outbound communication features are available in 8×8’s X2 and X4 Plans, including call transcripts and call-flow designer, which aren’t included in any of Vonage’s plans.

Integrability and Scalability

A scaling strategy can easily be mapped out and accomplished when the communication solutions you have are at a level that allows you to function far beyond the traditional system. Vonage has a line-up of powerful integration software services that you can choose from and integrate with your system. This includes: Hubspot, Office 365 and Salesforce.

However, RingCentral scores a near-perfect 4.9/5 in this category, despite not offering software integrations in its Essentials and Standard plans. That’s because it has a variety of software programs for CRM, helpdesk, web conferencing, and internal and external live chat integrations that you can choose from once you upgrade to its Premium or Ultimate Plans and with a variety of ready-made integrations, business growth is inevitable. Read more in our RingCentral review.

When it comes to scalability, however, Vonage’s good integrability record gives your business the opportunity to scale, earning an average of 4.5/5 in scaling. Aside from that, Vonage offers collaboration features, such as team messaging, document sharing, and video conferencing will allow you to improve the efficiency of your services. Adding communication features, such as call queue, ring groups, call barge, and call whisper will require an additional charge but despite the additional charge, adding these to create an optimal service is what makes it such a scalable system.

Customer Support

There is an additional cost if you need to utilise its onboarding service. Plus, Vonage’s uptime guarantee is only 99.99%, meaning there is a 0.1% chance of downtime per month, which is roughly 43 minutes. This ranks it third in the customer support category where they get a high 4/5 score in our research. However, Vonage has various customer support channels, including a user forum, knowledge base, phone and 24/7 live chat and email support.

8×8, on the other hand, ranks first with a perfect 5/5 in this category because it offers various customer support services, including onboarding support, where they offer free online courses.

Does Vonage Have Good Customer Reviews?

Our researchers have gone through customer reviews across business review sites, such as G2, Capterra, TrustPilot and TrustRadius. Vonage’s average customer score is a solid 4/5.

This is some of what they have to say about Vonage’s service:

Vonage’s affordable and scalable business solutions make it the best value for money. This is why it scores 4.3/5 in our in-depth research.

Vonage is one of the largest phone system providers with VoIP services designed for small to medium-sized businesses and large corporations. It provides the most flexible cloud communications platform for your business needs.

This Vonage review will go through the key factors you need to look into when shopping for a phone system: pricing, inbound and outbound communication features, integrability, scalability and customer support.

Our comprehensive research on Vonage will be the basis to help measure how this phone system performs against the rest of the top 5 providers. We’ll also highlight its standout features plus its pros and cons.

Vonage’s Pros and Cons

✓ Pro: Wide Range of Software Programs and Features for Scalability

Vonage doesn’t just offer lots of CRM tools but helpdesk giants too. Some of these include Hubspot, Office 365 and Salesforce. Vonage also offers key features that will allow you to improve the efficiency of your business. There is no limit to the number of users on any of Vonage’s plans. Although, there’s an additional cost to add communication features, such as call queue, ring groups, call barge and call whisper. This is why Vonage scores an impressive 4.5/5 in scalability. GoTo Connect, however, scores lower than Vonage at 4.4/5 in scalability because there are only a few software platforms that you can integrate with. Thus, research shows that Vonage has a more scalable system.

✓ Pro: Affordable Plans

Vonage’s least expensive plan starts at $15 and has over fifty standard features plus 24/7 phone support. However, it lacks some inbound communication features such as ring groups, customizable greeting, and virtual receptionist. Despite that, it still scores 4/5 in pricing because it’s still packed with other important communication features such as voicemail, spam prevention and toll-free numbers.

RingCentral, however, scores 3.3/5 in this category because its lowest plan costs $22.99 per user, per month and it doesn’t offer ring groups and call queue in it, not until you upgrade to their Premium or Ultimate Plans.

✓ Pro: All Plans Include 24/7 Live Support

All of Vonage’s business phone plans offer 24/7 live support, with user forum, knowledge base, live chat, email and phone support. Its customer support score is 3.4/5 because you need to pay an additional fee if you want to take advantage of the onboarding support during the initial setup.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect also gets 3.4/5 because it doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support on any of its plans. Now, 8×8 gets a perfect score in the customer support category because all customer support channels are available in all its plans including those that aren’t included in GoTo Connect but, like Vonage, their onboarding support costs extra.

✘ Con: Limited Security Options

While all data signalling traffic flow through the Vonage platform is encrypted, multi-factor authentication can’t be set up for user accounts and password rules aren’t enforced. This sees Vonage score slightly above average of 3/5 for security in our research. It is, however, compliant in a number of fields, including HIPAA, HITECH, HITRUSTand PCI.

DialPad also scores 3/5 in this category because, like Vonage, it doesn’t enforce password rules, too. Hence, its low score.  8×8 scores a perfect score in security because it offers more security options such as multi-factor authentication, software encryption and compliant in a lot of fields. However, 8×8 doesn’t offer password rules and user permissions in its Express Plan.

✘ Con: Doesn’t Include Important Outbound Communication Features

Vonage gets a score of 3.9/5 for features in our research because while it offers lots of outbound communication features across all of its business plans, it does fall short. Call conferencing, efax plus CRM and helpdesk software integrations come with additional costs. It’s also missing task management, call transcripts, and a call flow designer.

8×8, on the other hand, scores 4.5/5 in this category because it offers call conferencing, efax and software integrations without any extra charges.

How Much Does Vonage Cost?

You should know that calls from Smart number service will be charged at the Best plan rates. Aside from that, calls from any service other than Smart number, Smart or Best will be charged at Lite plan rates. This gets Vonage an overall pricing average of 3.8/5.

Meanwhile, GoTo Connect gets an average of 4/5 in this category even when its least expensive plan costs $17.95 because it offers better value for money. Its plans offer more key features and provide 24/7 support. Other than that, it offers unlimited domestic and free international calls to over 50 countries without getting tied to a contract, making it best for businesses with international clients.

Vonage’s Standout Features

Smart WAN

Vonage seems to have fully embraced digital transformation by utilising an SD-WAN solution. Vonage’s SD-WAN solution, called smart WAN, allows you to enjoy voice, video, and data without compromising on quality, privacy, and control. It allows your business to continue through disasters, such as power outages, as it creates fail-safes on multiple broadband connections that help minimise disruptions. This will prove beneficial for businesses as it helps reduce overheads. There are other benefits that come with it too, such as enabling cloud usage and improving performance. This is why most phone system providers use SD-WAN software. Businesses that are shifting to remote work would benefit from this. A hybrid business, for example, has started to adopt this technology as part of its network connectivity strategy and security control.

Vonage Reach

With so many people making use of cell phones, it seems only natural that texting is the ideal form of communication and the main reason why phone system providers include this service in their plans. While there is an extra cost for the SMS feature to be added to your Vonage business plan, the additional cost isn’t just for a simple SMS/chat service. Vonage Reach is a powerful communication service platform that allows you to send a text message to one recipient or hundreds of recipients. This feature also allows you to do landline texting, cross-channel marketing and smart targeting which enables you to get more leads and close more deals in a short amount of time.

Volusion

Vonage’s e-commerce platform is Volusion, which has been in the e-commerce industry since 1999. You can request this app to be added to your Vonage plan and setting it up is so simple. You can create your online store in minutes and immediately start selling online.

Through Vonage’s unified communications solution, this integration between Vonage and Volusion will be able to provide a better customer experience and even lower communication costs.

What Kind of Business is Vonage Best For?

Vonage is best for small businesses because it has the ability to create a comprehensive service based on the features and tools it offers on all of its plans and because of that, it can serve as a powerful solution that fuels growth and innovation. With features such as unlimited nationwide calls, free international calls, and SMART WAN software, businesses get the opportunity to fully explore digital transformation and quickly scale digital solutions.  It is worth noting that Vonage’s comprehensive system can meet corporate-scale business communication needs, too.

How Does Vonage Compare with Other Phone Systems?

Our in-depth research allows us to measure Vonage’s performance and compare its ratings with the top phone system providers. Vonage scores fairly well in a few of these categories, but we will do a deep dive into each category below.

Inbound and Outbound Communication Features

Vonage scores 3.9/5 for features in our research because Vonage is feature-rich especially in the inbound communications services since most features are available especially when you upgrade to its Smart and Best plans like the call queue feature, for example, which isn’t included in other providers’ plans. However, it comes with an additional cost of $14.99 per month per call queue plus $0.03 per minute wait time. Plus, some outbound communication features aren’t available on any plans, such as call transcripts, call-flow designer, and task management.

Meanwhile, more outbound communication features are available in 8×8’s X2 and X4 Plans, including call transcripts and call-flow designer, which aren’t included in any of Vonage’s plans.

Integrability and Scalability

A scaling strategy can easily be mapped out and accomplished when the communication solutions you have are at a level that allows you to function far beyond the traditional system. Vonage has a line-up of powerful integration software services that you can choose from and integrate with your system. This includes: Hubspot, Office 365 and Salesforce.

However, RingCentral scores a near-perfect 4.9/5 in this category, despite not offering software integrations in its Essentials and Standard plans. That’s because it has a variety of software programs for CRM, helpdesk, web conferencing, and internal and external live chat integrations that you can choose from once you upgrade to its Premium or Ultimate Plans and with a variety of ready-made integrations, business growth is inevitable.

When it comes to scalability, however, Vonage’s good integrability record gives your business the opportunity to scale, earning an average of 4.5/5 in scaling. Aside from that, Vonage offers collaboration features, such as team messaging, document sharing, and video conferencing will allow you to improve the efficiency of your services. Adding communication features, such as call queue, ring groups, call barge, and call whisper will require an additional charge but despite the additional charge, adding these to create an optimal service is what makes it such a scalable system.

Customer Support

There is an additional cost if you need to utilise its onboarding service. Plus, Vonage’s uptime guarantee is only 99.99%, meaning there is a 0.1% chance of downtime per month, which is roughly 43 minutes. This ranks it fifth in the customer support category where they get an above-average 3.4/5 score in our research. However, Vonage has various customer support channels, including a user forum, knowledge base, phone and 24/7 live chat and email support.

8×8, on the other hand, ranks first with a perfect 5/5 in this category because it offers various customer support services, including onboarding support, where they offer free online courses.

Does Vonage Have Good Customer Reviews?

Our researchers have gone through customer reviews across business review sites, such as G2, Capterra, TrustPilot and TrustRadius. Vonage’s average customer score is a solid 4/5.

These are some of what they have to say about Vonage’s service:

According to our extensive research, 8×8 has the best virtual business phone number app and earns an outstanding 4.7/5 overall score in our analysis. With an excellent 4.8/5 score in our features category, 8×8 will give you a plethora of functionalities at your fingertips. RingCentral follows close behind with top scores in integrability, customer support, and scalability. 

Our team of experienced researchers ranked eight of the best virtual phone number apps by comparing the following key factors: inclusive minutes, inbound and outbound communication features, and prices. We recommend you consider these criteria when searching for the right business phone system for your team. Below you will find a summary of each of the top virtual phone services.

Want the best virtual phone service for your team? Our free quote comparison tool will connect you to the best virtual phone providers. Just answer a few of our questions and will match you with the best providers with obligation-free quotes that are tailored to your business needs. 

1. 8×8: Best Overall Virtual Phone Number App

2. RingCentral: Best Virtual Phone Service for Small to Medium Businesses

3. Vonage: Best Virtual Phone Service for Scaling Businesses

4. Ooma: Best Virtual Phone Service for Low-Cost 24/7 Support

5. Nextiva: Best Virtual Phone Service for a Flexible Setup

6. GoTo: Best Virtual Phone Service for Low-Price Longevity

 7. Net2Phone: Best Virtual Phone Service for Low-Cost International Calling

8. Dialpad: Best Virtual Phone Service for Conversational AI

How Did We Compare the Best Virtual Phone Number Apps?

Expert Market’s experienced researchers extensively analyzed eight of the best virtual phone services in the country, investigating the key criteria that matter most to US businesses:

• Price – the plan’s cost and value for your money
• Integrability – the software’s ability to integrate with other platforms
• Features – the tools that define inbound and outbound communications, conversations, management, and collaboration functionalities  
• Customer Support – the customer support channels available 
• Customer Score – average consumer review scores across the most trusted review sites: G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius
• Security – the security measures the vendor enforces to protect your data
• Scalability – an aggregated score that assesses a product’s ability to scale alongside a growing business

After collecting scores from each of these key factors, we then calculate the final scores and rank them based on their overall performance. 

The new and evolved Inseego (formerly known as Ctrack) has upgraded its roster by including 5G technology, software as a service (SaaS), and telematics. Our independent research reflects this, naming Inseego the best for improving driver safety with a fair score of 3.6/5. 

Here, we’ll delve into Inseego’s pricing, pros and cons, standout features, and how it matches up with the other vehicle tracking providers. We’ll also analyse its vehicle tracking features, ability to reduce fleet costs, and vehicle management features.

With an in-house team of expert writers and researchers, Expert Market has been providing business solutions for years by analysing various providers, like Inseego. So, give our free quote comparison tool a try. Just tell us a few details about your business, and we’ll match you up with our trusted providers to receive personalised quotes.

Inseego’s pros and cons

✓ Pro: Great value for money

Inseego ranks second in our pricing analysis with a score of 4/5, just a few points shy of our top scorer, Radius, at 4.1/5.

As per industry norms, Inseego’s price plans are tailored to your fleet size and contract length. With bespoke pricing setups, you can ensure that your business needs are carefully factored in to ensure the utmost scalability and flexibility. Additionally, your monthly costs may bump up if you wish to add other features, such as Inseego’s advanced AI-12 dash cams (more on that later!). However, if you are wanting to sign up with a company that is more transparent with its pricing, Radius offers the most affordable plans that start from $13 per vehicle per month.

According to the Australian Consumer Law, companies must:

• Repair or reimburse the product in case of a major failure
• Provide compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage
• Replace or repair broken goods that are not of acceptable quality
• Guarantee three to seven years of protection

As such, you are in great hands with Inseego, as it strictly adheres to these warranty guidelines and ensures longer protection for your business. This is more than what Radius offers, as it will only exchange the broken hardware it rents to your fleet. 

✓ Pro: Swift data refresh rates

Inseego provides excellent tracking features on its roster, and its 4.3/5 score in our tracking analysis can attest to this. 

One of the factors in this category is data refresh rates, where Inseego powers through with its real-time updates. It’s a considerable difference from Netstar (4.1/5), which has a refresh rate of 1 to 5 minutes. Data refresh rates determine the speed at which you can track your vehicles. It also helps you stay on top of emergencies or time-sensitive situations, allowing you to monitor your driver’s location and behaviour. Given that Inseego updates your system in real time, you can rest assured that your entire fleet is always up-to-date!

✗ Con: Can’t integrate with fuel cards

Since fuel is one of your fleet’s largest expenses, having access to fuel cards with your vehicle tracking system is a great perk. Fuel cards provide discounts with every purchase, as well as payment security and fuel purchase reports to help you track your expenses. Unfortunately, Inseego doesn’t integrate with fuel cards at all, which means you could be losing out in the long run.

If you wish to unlock this feature, we recommend you check out Verizon. It can integrate with Fleetcor, which works for over 90% of petrol stations across Australia. You can use it at Shell, 7-11, Caltex, Woolworths, BP, and United. Verizon also employs a Vehicle Fuel Log, which helps you track every vehicle’s entire purchase history and is helpful when it comes to calculating fuel taxes!

✗ Con: Limited vehicle management features

When it comes to vehicle management, our independent research shows that Inseego performs poorly in this category, scoring a low 1.9/5 in this category.

It is unfortunate that Inseego doesn’t offer vehicle diagnostics, fleet maintenance records, and maintenance scheduling – three crucial features that will help keep your vehicles in tip-top shape. Vehicle diagnostics help detect any broken parts or faulty systems in your vehicles, whereas maintenance scheduling ensures that your vehicles are properly maintained and regularly checked to prevent any damage. Lastly, fleet maintenance records keep the entire maintenance history of your vehicles, so you can easily detect any repairs or upgrades you’ve made. With these embedded into your vehicle tracking system, you can minimise downtime, boost your fleet’s productivity, and potentially save yourself money. 

If this is a feature you cannot do without, we recommend going with Verizon, which scores a perfect 5/5 in our vehicle management analysis. Verizon automatically updates your records if it detects a faulty system in your vehicles, and you can schedule regular maintenance checks. Additionally, you can create service plan templates to indicate the cost of every maintenance service, plus the intervals at which you should get these done. 

How much does Inseego cost?

Landing in second place with a score of 4/5 in our pricing analysis, Inseego proves to be a great bang for your buck. As per industry norm, it provides bespoke pricing plans depending on your fleet size, contract length, number of assets, and the features you wish to unlock. Our pricing top-runner, Radius (4.1/5), offers the cheapest plans from $13 per vehicle, per month, but this can also rack up based on the same factors. 

Although Radius offers the lowest price entry point among all of the top providers we’ve researched, it’s worth noting that Inseego’s fleet management solutions and add-on assets come with guarantees covered by the Australian Consumer Law. It entitles you to have a replacement, repair, or refund of any broken hardware. You may also get compensated if there are major failures in the products provided to you. If you are looking for longevity, Inseego provides three to seven years’ worth of coverage. Since Radius rents the hardware to you, it will only replace the damaged hardware. It is worth noting that Inseego also offers free installation of its tracking system, which means you don’t have to shell out for this additional cost. This makes Inseego a practical choice that gives assurance to every asset and product.

To know more about Inseego’s pricing, check out our free quote comparison tool. All you have to do is answer a few questions about your fleet, and we’ll link you up with our trusted providers. They will then get back to you with custom price quotes for your fleet. It’s as simple and easy as that!

Inseego’s standout features

Power take-off (PTO) systems

Inseego has one of the most impressive theft prevention features, thanks to its power take-off (PTO) systems. PTOs transfer an engine’s mechanical power and send power to other equipment that lacks its own engine or motor. Inseego’s PTOs detect the movement of your truck’s door, so whenever it opens or lifts outside working hours, it immediately sends you an alert indicating out-of-hours movement. 

When compared with Verizon, our vehicle tracking top-runner (4.7/5), Inseego offers more security for your fleet. Verizon’s theft prevention feature is a bit of a grey area, as you can only set specific timers for unassigned vehicles or alerts for out-of-hours usage. So, while this could detect theft, it’s not as proactive as Inseego.

Next-level AI-12 fleet dash cams

Inseego takes dash cams to the next level by using the AI-12 fleet dash cams, which give you total visibility of your drivers and helps enhance their safety on the road. Unlike traditional dash cams, AI-12 cameras combine artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision (MV). MV serves as the eyes of the camera to detect dangerous driving behaviours, such as distracted driving, not wearing a seatbelt, or eating while driving. AI, on the other hand, helps prevent accidents by interpreting the captured footage and raising the relevant alerts. For example, if the camera detects your driver is not wearing a seatbelt or is texting behind the wheel, it will send an alert immediately. If an incident does happen, the dash cams will automatically upload and classify the recap of the incident. You can use this as proof of liability or an avenue for training opportunities.

This MV/AI combination notifies the driver of any potential dangers via real-time audio and visual alerts. It’ll allow them to develop awareness, self-management, and safer driving habits over time. Verizon also offers AI dash cams, although it is worth noting that it does not utilise this combination like Inseego. This earns Inseego extra credit for driver management, deservingly earning the title of the best for improving driver safety among all the other providers we’ve researched.

One-touch panic buttons

Panic buttons are lifesavers in emergencies. With a single click from your drivers, you can receive an instant notification during an emergency. Inseego’s panic buttons are great as they can be installed in a concealed location, giving your driver easy access during an emergency. This is helpful, especially during robberies, since your drivers can alert you or nearby authorities without aggravating the situation. Panic buttons also allow your drivers to send SOS alerts in a snap. Teletrac, the second overall in our vehicle tracking research, does not offer this nor link you up with third-party providers for installation. 

What kind of business is Inseego best for?

Inseego provides advanced AI-12 dash cams that combine AI and MV’s power to improve driver safety. It can help you resolve road disputes, manage drivers, and mitigate the risk of accidents. These dash cams can detect driver behaviour in real time, such as texting while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, smoking, or eating. Once detected by the camera, it will automatically alert you and the driver, so they can self-correct and help prevent accidents. It also provides optimal visibility as it can cover every angle, including driver-facing, forward, wide-angle, side, or rear cameras. 

This is why our research named Inseego as the best for improving driver safety. When drivers are on the road, they face various stressful situations, including dealing with reckless drivers. The dash cam video evidence can be used to quickly defend one of your drivers.

Another invaluable feature that Inseego offers for these fleets is that your drivers can seamlessly sign in and out of shared vehicles using its Driver ID. You can also filter individual driver reports for shared vehicles, providing a clear picture of your team’s activity and performance. As such, we recommend Inseego for larger fleets where the crew often share vehicles.

Want to find the best vehicle tracking provider for your business? Head on over to our free quote comparison tool. Just tell us a few things about your fleet, and we’ll link you up with our trusted providers that’ll provide you with custom, obligation-free quotes for your business. 

How does Inseego compare with other vehicle tracking systems?

Earlier, we mentioned that our research also considers the priorities of our readers, which allows us to gauge which features matter most according to their standards. Hence, we identified that vehicle tracking, ability to reduce fleet costs, and vehicle management are the utmost priorities. Here’s how Inseego performs according to these factors:

Inseego’s vehicle tracking features

Inseego ranks third in our tracking analysis, with a score of 4.3/5. With promising tracking features, it helps you stay on top of your vehicles’ location and performance. For starters, Inseego updates your tracking data in real time, one of the fastest rates among the providers we’ve researched. Because of this, you can monitor your vehicles on the fly. Radius (4.3/5), which shares the third spot with Inseego, offers the next fastest refresh rate at 30 seconds. 

Additionally, its geofence system helps you monitor activity in seconds, and you will receive quick alerts whenever your driver enters a geofence site. It’ll help you increase security and compliance with local laws regarding geofences. 

Inseego’s ability to reduce fleet costs

With fuel prices on the rise, it’s a relief to have a vehicle tracking system that will help you minimise fuel usage. Inseego can help you in this regard with its automatic route optimisation feature. It generates the most efficient routes in minutes and calculates the most profitable journey without sacrificing productivity.

It also streamlines automatic mileage data, providing you with insights on your business or private trips as well as analysing your fuel consumption. Small wonder, then, that Inseego made it to our list of the best route planning software tools on the market.

Unfortunately, Inseego doesn’t provide traffic alerts, which is also a big help when trying to reduce driving time and fuel consumption. In addition to these features, Teletrac also syncs with Google Maps to provide input on which roads are currently jam-packed. So, if this is something you need in your fleet, Teletrac might suit you better.

Inseego’s vehicle management features

Inseego’s score dips down to a low 1.9/5 in our vehicle management analysis because it misses the three critical features when it comes to maintaining your vehicles: vehicle diagnosis, fleet maintenance records, and maintenance scheduling. These three features help keep your vehicles in optimal condition, preventing any downtime that could hinder the efficiency of your operation. It detects damages to your vehicles and syncs this information with your system so that your mechanics can fix the issue timeously. 

If this is a feature you cannot do without in your tracking system, then Verizon, which scores a perfect 5/5 in this category, would be a better choice. It can automatically detect faulty parts or systems in your vehicles and syncs this information with your records. Plus, Verizon allows you to customise your service plans, including the schedule of your maintenance checks and service costs.

However, Inseego makes up for this with its commendable theft prevention feature. Using PTO systems, Inseego keeps your vehicles protected by sending immediate notifications whenever your truck’s doors open outside working hours. It’s more secure than Verizon, as it can only set timers when your vehicles are used outside working hours.

8×8 tops our list of the best unified communications providers, earning an outstanding 4.7/5 overall score in our in-depth research. It continues to impress our experts, scoring the highest in our analyses of these systems’ features, customer support, security, and scalability. With a long list of functionalities, 8×8 can give you the communication versatility you need to thrive. 

If you want to know more about your options, we’ve rounded up the eight best unified communications as a service (UCaaS) providers and compared them based on their communication channels and features. We’ve summarized everything you need to know about each UCaaS provider, from their price and ratings to their strengths and weaknesses. 

If you want a personalized recommendation, use our free quote comparison tool. We’ll connect you with UCaaS providers that match the needs of your business, and they’ll be in touch with obligation-free quotes that are tailored to you. 

What is UCaaS?

Unified Communications as a Service or UCaaS for short is software that brings together various communication channels.

The key features typically found in a UcaaS system include:

• Voice services: an integrated VoIP system can be used to make and receive calls.
• Video conferencing: alongside voice calls, you can also carry out virtual meetings.
• Email: you can connect with customers, clients, and colleagues via email on the software.
• Scalability: you can scale up or down with the software to meet your business needs and budget.
• Integrations: you can integrate with third-party platforms and other software such as VoIP and CRM to streamline your business operations.

UCaaS software helps to improve your business’s ability to collaborate and communicate with each other as well as customers. You can organize and streamline much more efficiently. Keep reading to find an aligned system for your business.

1. 8×8: Best Overall UCaaS Provider

8×8’s pricing is no longer public so the above prices may not be accurate. For a more accurate quote, you’ll need to contact the provider directly. 

When it comes to collaboration tools, we like that 8×8 offers team messaging on all its plans to help establish synergy among your colleagues and partners. As well as its SMS and chat feature, it can also sync with various messaging apps like Fleep, Slack, and Telegram, helping you communicate seamlessly with your team. 

We found that 8×8 also includes task management on its top three plans, helping you keep track of your team and their progress. There is also document tracking and Google Workspace integration across all plans, so you can share, edit and track changes on your documents for easier collaboration on paperwork. 

Best of all, 8×8’s video conferencing can host up to 500 participants per meeting — that’s double what GoTo and Nextiva offer. 

If there’s one thing to improve, it’s 8×8’s price. With a 2.5/5 score in our pricing evaluation, 8×8’s most advanced plan costs as much as $140 per user, per month. If you want friendlier price plans, we recommend Dialpad. Dialpad scores well on both our pricing (4.5/5) and features (4/5) analyses. For as little as $15 per user, per month, you’ll get a comprehensive list of inbound and outbound communication features: virtual receptionist, ring groups, external video calling, and SMS/chat.

2. RingCentral: Best UCaaS Provider for Small to Medium Businesses

With excellent scores in external connections (4.2/5), customer support (5/5), and scalability (4.9/5), we found that smaller businesses can sync a variety of the software they’re already using into RingCentral’s UCaaS interface, making for a simpler set up process. RingCentral can scale alongside your business’ growth, and can offer great support when you have a problem or question about the software.

RingCentral enables you to have unlimited users on the system, and provides unlimited domestic minutes, and local toll-free numbers. This makes it easier to connect with your clients and partners without incurring any cost. It also has an SMS feature, and video conferencing with up to 200 participants per meeting. Plus, it offers a long list of call features, such as call flip and call forwarding, so you can go mobile without worry. You’ll also get collaboration features, such as team messaging, document sharing, and task management to help streamline workflows for your team.  

Based on our user testing, what truly sets RingCentral apart from the other providers on this list is that it offers 250 ready-made software integrations, empowering you to expanding your functionalities and communication channels. All this makes for increased scalability, letting you handle the demands of a growing company.

As for the drawback, RingCentral receives a mediocre 3.5/5 average user review score from sites like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius. With this score ranking seventh out of eight providers, most users’ concerns revolve around contracts renewing automatically and how difficult they can be to cancel.

3. Vonage: Best UCaaS Provider for Scaling Businesses

We gave Vonage a scalability score of 4.5/5, as you can mix and match features, so you only pay for the functionalities you need. Offering an affordable price point and flexible plans, we recommend Vonage for businesses that start small and look to scale up. For example, features like call queue and call monitoring allow you to manage a growing number of calls. 

Vonage enables an unlimited number of users, and provides unlimited domestic minutes, and localized toll-free numbers from its cheapest plan. Plus, ready-made integrations, such as Slack, Hubspot, Office 365, and Salesforce, are available across all pricing tiers. This means, as long as you operate in the US, you don’t have to get a plan upgrade when your business takes off. Vonage also has a document sharing feature and comes with workspace integrations, including Office 365 and GSuite, allowing you and your team to work efficiently. 

That said, some features come at an extra cost, so you will have to pay more to increase the capabilities of your system. This includes features other UCaaS providers, like 8×8, include in their plans, such as SMS/chat and e-fax. Even Unytalk, Vonage’s UCaaS app that allows you to access its technology on your smartphone and other gadgets, costs a fee. Moreover, Vonage doesn’t come with any ready-made email integrations, like 8×8 and RingCentral do, so we recommend these systems if you’re looking for that.

4. Ooma: Best UCaaS Provider for Low-Cost 24/7 Support

Starting at $19.95, we found that Ooma also has the most affordable plans of all the top UCaaS solutions that offer 24/7 live support. This means you don’t have to go over your budget to get quick, reliable assistance from this UCaaS provider.

In addition to this, Ooma provides a fantastic list of unified communications features to improve your team’s communication and productivity. We gave Ooma a 4.5/5 features score, you get a variety of functionalities, like call queues and ring groups. This will prove helpful when handling a large number of incoming calls.

One thing we recommend looking out for is Ooma’s limited collaboration and management features. For instance, Ooma’s video conferencing and analytics features are only available on the Ooma Office Pro plan and up, while team messaging, document sharing, call flip, and call forwarding are only available on Ooma’s higher-priced Enterprise plans. Unfortunately, these are essential UCaaS features that can help your team achieve streamlined communication and efficient workflow. Meanwhile, Dialpad provides these features on its cheapest plan, Standard (at $15 per user per month).

5. Nextiva: Best UCaaS Provider for a Flexible Set Up

Since our last update in May 2023, Nextiva’s plans have been increased by a few dollars each.

Our research found that one of the best things about Nextiva, though, is its award-winning 24/7 customer support. Nextiva received a Stevie award for five consecutive years for excellent customer service, proving how helpful and reliable its support team is. This is because Nextiva’s 24/7 phone support is 100% human, which means more accurate problem analysis and solutions. As a result, there’s a lot of customer satisfaction in evidence across review sites like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius, with an outstanding average customer review score of 4.5/5. 

The drawback is Nextiva’s limited outbound communication features, earning it a lower score of 3.9/5 in our features analysis. Advanced features such as a power dialler, predictive dialling, and call whisper, which enable you to reach your team members and communicate with clients easily, are not available. If you want these sophisticated outbound communication features, you can get them on 8×8’s top three most expensive plans at an additional cost.

6. GoTo: Best UCaaS Provider for Low-Price Longevity

With GoTo, you’ll be getting great value for your money, especially if you’re looking to expand over the long term. For as little as $24 per user, per month, you’ll be able to add unlimited users to your system, and get unlimited domestic minutes, and a localized toll-free number.

GoTo also offers a generous list of inbound communication features like call queues and ring groups, helping you give a hassle-free experience to calling customers. It also boasts video conferencing with up to 250 attendees — the second-largest number of participants after 8×8. Because of all this, combined with strong security measures, our researchers found that GoTo is scalable enough to partner with you from starting your business to growing globally, as it has the capability to evolve as your business expands. Moreover, GoTo is getting glowing reviews from users on sites like G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, and Trustpilot, earning a high average review score of 4.4/5.

On the other hand, GoToConnect could benefit from more ready-made integrations, scoring only 2.6/5 in our analysis of its integrability. As of now, GoTo only offers two out-of-the-box CRM integrations: Salesforce and Zoho CRM. That’s a far cry from RingCentral’s 97 CRM integrations. GoTo also falls short of collaboration features, dropping a few points and earning 3.4/5 in our features evaluation. For example, it doesn’t have workspace integrations, and its document sharing is only allowable through MMS. GoTo also doesn’t have a 24/7 user support channel like Ooma does.

7. Net2Phone: Best UCaaS Provider for Low-Cost International Calling

Since our last update in May 2023, the Office and Office Pro plans have dropped by a couple of dollars each. 

Net2Phone lets you set up virtual phone numbers in over 500 countries and 300 cities. So if you plan to make waves in Europe, the Americas, or Asia, this UCaaS will help you establish your presence without breaking the bank. If you want to operate your business globally without incurring too many fees, we recommend Net2Phone as the UCaaS system for you. 

The main disadvantage of using Net2Phone is its limited software integrations, earning it a low score of 2.8/5 in our analysis of its integrability. While other UCaaS can integrate with CRM software free of extra cost, Net2Phone offers Salesforce and Zoho CRM integrations for an additional $2 per user, per month on its Office and Office Pro pricing plans. And if you upgrade to its most advanced pricing tier, the Office Power plan, you’ll only get ready-made inetragions with SalesForce, Zoho CRM, MS Teams, and Slack.

Net2Phone also misses out on some collaboration tools, including document sharing and task management, that can help you and your team work jointly on projects and paperwork. 

8. Dialpad: Best UCaas Provider for Conversational AI

Although we found that it lacks document sharing, Dialpad does come with G Suite and Office 365 integrations, so you can work closely as a team. It also has chat/SMS, and team messaging integrations like Slack, allowing you to reach your team in an instant. If you want better collaboration, you can use its voice and video conferencing features, which are a standard on all Dialpad’s plans. 

We found that what makes Dialpad unique among UCaaS providers is its focus on futuristic technology. It incorporates machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze conversations, enhancing your communication prowess. For example, Dialpad features real-time assist cards that can analyze and detect trigger words from your call and provide tailored and actionable suggestions to communicate effectively with your customers. 

However, it does lack external integrations, which is why we gave it an integrability score of 2.4/5. Currently, Dialpad only comes with ready-made integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot, Slack, G-Suite, and Office 365. If you use software other than these, you would have to open these apps on a separate window instead of finding them on one interface. That’s a far cry from RingCentral’s 200+ integrations. Nevertheless, Dialpad has an open API, so you can still integrate the software you need as long as you have the technical know-how.

How to Upgrade to a New UCaaS System?

It costs an average of around $25 per user, per month when switching to a new UCaaS system. If you are currently using a system but want to switch, speak to your new provider as they can help you to switch. If you are tied into a contract, check how long you have left, you might be able to ride out the system for a little while longer or your contract terms might allow you to leave the provider without penalty.

The best way to choose your next UCaaS system is to look at the providers on this page which cover a range of business needs or use our free quote comparison tool to get matched with the right system for your business.

The right system for your business will be one that has the features you need such as video conferencing, team messaging, and third-party integrations.

With the rise of technology, it’s easier than ever for drivers to get distracted while behind the wheel. According to a study by the Australian Automobile Association, distracted driving is the leading cause of road accidents in Australia and accounts for approximately 16% of serious casualty road crashes. 

Looking for the most effective ways to improve driver safety and minimise accidents in your fleet? Read on to explore our top seven strategies to manage driver distractions. 

7 ways to manage driver distractions

From a no-phone policy, encouraging regular breaks, and utilising the best GPS fleet tracking systems in Australia, we’ll cover a range of strategies to help your drivers stay focused and alert on the road.

1. Implement a no-phone policy

You may already enforce this, but it bears reiterating: holding a mobile phone while driving is illegal – even when the traffic light’s bright red. This means no talking, texting, reviewing delivery information, or sending you work status updates.

Hands-free devices may appear to be a viable solution to mobile phone distraction. However, research suggests that these devices are not significantly safer than handheld phones because they still create mental distractions that take your driver’s full attention away from the road. No matter how we wish it were otherwise, our brain isn’t good at multitasking, and even hands-free devices can be a dangerous distraction.

While investing in high-quality hands-free devices for your drivers can help, they should still keep the use of these to a minimum. This means encouraging your drivers to review their route in advance (before they start their trip), turn off distracting notifications, and avoid checking messages when they are in motion – even if they’re coming from you.

2. Open communication

Effective fleet management relies on open communication. To make this possible, you have to create a safe environment where drivers feel comfortable reporting problems and discussing their concerns. This can include encouraging your drivers to speak up if they feel fatigued and regularly checking in to ensure they have all the tools they need for a comfortable trip.

You can also encourage them to give you feedback and for their input on how you can better support them. This can include creating a survey or a feedback form to gather their opinions on various aspects of their job – especially the policies you have in place.

Through open communication and regular feedback, you can tailor your approach to driver management that will match the needs of your drivers.

3. Encourage regular breaks

Fatigue is a major cause of accidents on the road, and approximately 20% of road deaths each year are attributed to it. As there are no specific state regulations that address fatigue while driving, you and/or your fleet manager will need to keep tabs on your driver’s fatigue level.

Open communication, as we discussed earlier, helps with this. Encourage your drivers to speak up and let you know when they need a break, assuring them that needing to take a break is not something they should worry about. This can help ensure your drivers feel as if their needs are being heard and addressed.

Additionally, you can also implement preventive measures, such as scheduling regular breaks, providing training on fatigue management, and monitoring working hours – Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) that automatically track your drivers’ Hours of Service (HOS) can help you with this.

Regular breaks are necessary for optimal performance at work. Encourage your drivers to take regular breaks to rest and refocus (especially on long trips) as this can help reduce fatigue and improve overall road safety.

4. Monitor driving habits

Fleet tracking technology can be used to monitor the driving habits of drivers, including phone usage, speeding, and other erratic driving behaviours. Using this data, you can easily identify each of your driver’s problem areas and provide targeted coaching and training to help improve their performance.

However, before you start tracking your fleet, make sure you’re aware of the laws and regulations in your area. Regulations may vary per state, but one rule remains constant: you can’t track employees (or their vehicles) without their consent. To ensure full compliance, our article on Australian vehicle tracking laws can help. 

5. Incentivise good behaviour

One effective way to boost driver morale is to reward good behaviour with incentives. This can include giving recognition and rewards to drivers who demonstrate safe driving practices, such as zero to low accidents or violations. Giving positive feedback to your drivers for consistently following good driving protocols also goes a long way.

Pro tip: Even low-value incentives can lead to a decrease in dangerous driving behaviours. Many fleet management system devices are equipped with powerful driver behaviour monitoring systems that automatically track your drivers’ erratic behaviour. From speeding, idling, and tailgating to distracted and drowsy driving, vehicle tracking devices can help you monitor and automatically grade your drivers. With this knowledge at your fingertips, you can easily set up a rewards system to motivate your drivers.

6. Keep the volume low

We know long-distance drives are best paired with classic tunes. However, it is important to remind your drivers to keep the volume at a reasonable level. This will help to minimise distractions and improve safety. Keeping the music volume low also means that your drivers can hear their environment well, allowing them to detect potential hazards on the road, such as sirens from emergency vehicles and horns from other cars.

You can set guidelines for acceptable volume levels and remind drivers to keep the volume down while driving. More importantly, caution them against fiddling with the radio while driving, so no changing tunes and adjusting the volume.

7. Provide training

Regular training sessions for drivers on the dangers of distraction and how to avoid them can help increase awareness and improve driver behaviour. You can also tackle the updated laws on driving in your state, set penalties for erratic driving behaviour, and motivate good conduct with exciting incentives.

Pro tip: cover absolutely everything! While some causes of distracted driving are obvious (mobile use), some aren’t as easily detectable (adjusting the air conditioning setting). Everyone has the responsibility to be vigilant on the road – that means you, your drivers, our government, and even pedestrians. It takes the whole community to create safer roads. 

We know it’s a lot, but the good news is that you don’t have to do it all alone. With the help of technology, you can stay on top of your fleet management business and better manage your drivers. There are many vehicle tracking devices that provide power fleet management tools that can help you improve driver safety. If you’re interested in investing in a fleet management system, you can check out how much vehicle tracking systems cost in Australia. 

What are the top 5 distractions while driving?

According to the New South Wales (NSW) Police Force, the top five driver distractions are:

1. Mobile phone use

Using a mobile phone while driving impairs your driver’s ability to react quickly and make safe decisions on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), sending or receiving a text message takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. Additionally, texting while driving requires mental and physical attention, which means that your driver isn’t focused on the road – a sure recipe for disaster!

2. Adjusting vehicle settings

Adjusting the vehicle settings while driving, such as the radio or air conditioning, is a common bad habit that many people don’t even realise is dangerous. 

When your driver is adjusting the radio, they may take their eyes off the road to find the desired station or volume. Similarly, when adjusting the air conditioning, your driver may need to reach for the controls, which can take their focus away from the road. Furthermore, adjusting vehicle settings can also lead to your driver taking their hands off the wheel, which is something that should be avoided at all costs.

3. Passengers

Studies reveal that the crash risk of drivers may increase when passengers are present. According to a study by Monash University, young drivers are especially at a higher risk of crashing when they have friends in the car. They may engage in conversation, laugh and joke, or even try to impress their friends with their driving skills. All of these distractions can take their attention away from the road, increasing the risk of a crash.

4. Eating, drinking and smoking

According to Finder’s Safe Driving Report, the most prevalent dangerous driving habit is eating while driving, with 45% of drivers engaging in this behaviour.

Eating and drinking on the road is dangerous as it diverts your driver’s attention away from the road and limits the number of hands available for steering. This increases the risk of accidents and makes it harder for your driver to respond swiftly in an emergency situation. 

Smoking is another serious offender. According to a study by Monash University, smoking contributes to 0.9% of distraction-related crashes, equating to about 12,780 crashes over the five-year period they examined.

5. External distractions

Drivers face multiple distractions, not just from inside the vehicle but also from outside sources. Along with monitoring other drivers and pedestrians, your drivers must avoid rubbernecking. Furthermore, your drivers must also pay attention to the weather and traffic conditions, as these can change quickly and have a significant impact on their driving.

What are the dangers of distracted driving?

Distracted driving can have significant financial impacts on your business. Vehicle use is the primary cause of work-related traumatic injuries, and according to Work Safe Australia, workplace injuries can cost the Australian economy $61.8 billion annually. The costs associated with distracted driving can include decreased productivity, medical expenses for injuries, and the cost of repairs to damaged vehicles. 

Additionally, collisions may lead to higher insurance premiums, as well as potential reputational damages to your business. According to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the yearly financial cost of road accidents in Australia is estimated at $30 billion.

Next steps

As a fleet manager, managing driver distractions and improving road safety can be a challenging task. However, you can address this by: providing training and education on safe driving practices, implementing strict safety policies, encouraging regular breaks to avoid fatigue, and implementing a rewards system to encourage safe driving behaviour.

While managing driver distractions may seem daunting, utilising technology can make it much easier. Many vehicle tracking systems are now equipped with powerful monitoring systems that can track and monitor driver behaviour, allowing you to promote safer driving behaviours. If you want to know how much you need to invest in fleet tracking systems, you can use our free quote comparison tool. Let us know what you need for your business, and we’ll connect you with leading providers who will be in touch with tailored, obligation-free quotes.

Our researchers analysed eight of today’s top business phone systems and ultimately determined that Dialpad’s VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system offers superior conversational AI capabilities.

Enhanced with natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning features, your phone system will be smart enough to analyse your conversations and help you get better engagements with your team and clients. So, delve into this Dialpad review, and discover more about its list of features.

If you’re canvassing a phone system for your business, you should consider five key factors: inbound and outbound communications features, integrability (external connections), scalability, pricing, and customer support. As you read further, you’ll find out where our team of experts places Dialpad against its competitors in these categories. At Expert Market, we have been comparing the best phone systems for over a decade.

Dialpad’s Pros and Cons

✓ 24/7 Reliable Customer Service

Dialpad comes in second out of eight competitors with an outstanding 4.5/5 customer support score. This is because Dialpad caters to various customer support channels to help you resolve any issues with their system.

You can find easy fixes to common system problems on its online community forum and insightful knowledge base articles.

If that’s not enough, Dialpad’s Pro and Enterprise plans provide reliable 24/7 live support through chat and phone. So, if you experience any system issue, you can easily reach its customer support team at any time, on any day of the week. For Standard plans, you can still call its 24-hour customer service on weekdays — which is still quite dependable, especially for companies that only operate five days a week.

If you want better customer support, check out 8×8. What gave 8×8 the perfect 5/5 customer support score was its 99.99% uptime guarantee and 24/7 live support across all plans.

✓ Impressive List of Features

Scoring 4.2/5 in our features analysis, Dialpad doesn’t scrimp on inbound and outbound communication features. Even with a standard account, your team will enjoy a barrage of inbound communication capabilities, including a virtual receptionist, spam prevention, ring groups, and localised toll-free numbers.

For outbound communication features, Dialpad provides HD-quality external video calling and call conferencing. This allows you to converse with multiple people at the same time in and out of your team.

Transparency and organisation are also easier to achieve with fancy management features like call recording, call transcripts, and reporting capabilities.

Moreover, it’s packed with smooth collaborative features, such as team messaging and task management, to help your team work seamlessly.

These features are all powered by AI-based Voice Intelligence (VI), so you’ll have highly efficient communication tools when interacting with your team and clients.

However, Dialpad lacks call barge and call whisper, which can be found on 8×8’s plans. Because these features affect your business phone system’s scalability, 8×8 gets an excellent features score of 4.6/5. Find out more in our 8×8 review.

 ✓ Stellar Customer Reviews

With an overall score of 4.4/5 across G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius, Dialpad ties with GoTo Connect at first place for customer reviews. Hence, it’s easy to say that Dialpad is a highly reliable business phone provider. If you want to see actual customer reviews, scroll down below.

 ✘ Limited External Connections

Dialpad offers limited external connections, earning a low score of 2.4/5 in this category.

Dialpad doesn’t come with desk phones. Regardless, you can still connect its system to third-party handsets, including Cisco, Yealink, and Polycom. You can also download Dialpad’s high-rated mobile app for iOS and Android, helping you communicate with your team on the go.

However, Dialpad still offers fewer ready-made software integrations than its competitors. CRM and helpdesk integrations are possible but are limited to Salesforce, Zendesk, and Hubspot. Plus, live chat integrations are only available for Slack, while analytics and email integrations are missing.

On a positive note, Dialpad has an open API, making way for any software integrations as long as you have the technical know-how.

If you want more comprehensive software integrations, RingCentral has the highest integrability, earning a 4.3/5 external connections score. With up to 250 software integrations, you can easily adapt RingCentral to your daily work operations. 

✘ Low scalability

Another drawback you should note is its scalability. Dialpad got an aggregated scalability score of 3.3/5, which is not bad. However, when compared with the other seven providers, Dialpad only takes fifth place.

Dialpad offers unlimited users and local numbers across all plans, which will be fantastic if you want your business to scale. Nonetheless, Dialpad is short on advanced features, such as call barge and call whisper, which you can get on all 8×8 and RingCentral plans. 

Meanwhile, Dialpad offers excellent collaborative features like team messaging, task management, and video conferencing. Still, it would be better if it offered document sharing – a crucial collaborating feature other providers, like RingCentral and 8×8, have.

The good thing about Dialpad is that it is complete in compliance certificates in line with UK’s data protection act and the UN’s data protection and privacy legislation. It also provides user permissions and strong encryption.  However, Dialpad doesn’t have multi-factor authentication and password rules like Google Voice does. Not to mention, Dialpad provides few software integrations unlike RingCentral, so it will take much tweaking for the system to adapt as your business grows. 

Dialpad’s Pricing

In our research, Dialpad scores 4/5 and ranks third in pricing, trailing behind GoTo (4.5/5), Vonage and bOnline (both scoring 4.3/5).This is because Dialpad offers excellent value for your money with superior features at a reasonable price.

Dialpad’s Standard plan is £12 per user, per month, which already offers a generous list of inbound and outbound features, enhanced by conversational AI. Plus, you’ll get unlimited users, unlimited inbound and outbound domestic calls, and number porting. Meanwhile, our research found Goto Connect ranked first with an excellent pricing score of 4.5/5. For their cheapest plan (Basic plan), you’ll get unlimited users, unlimited domestic minutes, and a pack of advanced features (e.g., call queue, ring groups, and call flip) for just £8.95 per user per month. 

In the middle range, we have Dialpad’s Pro plan at £20 per user per month. For the added cost, you’ll also get 24/7 support, a call queue, local numbers in more than 50 countries, and software integrations, including CRM, Helpdesk, API, email, and workspace integrations. On the other hand, we have GoTo’s Standard plan. At £18.95 per user per month, you’ll get access to more functionalities, such as e-fax, call recording, and call analytics or reporting. What’s more, you’ll also get free international minutes for more than 50 countries. 

Finally, at a tailored price, the Enterprise plan gives everything in the above, plus unlimited office locations, SSO integrations, and a 100% Uptime guarantee for enhanced phone system performance with no downtime. Meanwhile, GoTo’s Premium plan upgrades your technology with features like call barge, call whisper, and call monitoring, which makes supervising calls a lot easier. 

Other competitors that offer better value for your money are Vonage and bOnline, with both scoring 4.3/5 and tying in second place. Vonage’s Select plan is priced a little over GoTo’s cheapest plan, with £9.00 per user per month. All the same, bOnline offers the most affordable pricing plan (Pay as you go plan) at £6 per user per month, paid annually.

Dialpad’s Standout Features

Conversational AI

Dialpad’s advanced deep learning and AI technology take your traditional chatbox up a notch. Dialpad’s Conversational AI searches databases, FAQ pages, and unstructured resources (e.g., PDF documents and past customer conversations) to give your clients appropriate answers. It can also generate intricate dialogues and integrate rich media content into your website.

Voice Intelligence (VI)

Dialpad’s Voice Intelligence (VI) features go beyond your traditional VoIP system. Its machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities offer to transcribe and analyse your calls automatically. So, there’s no need to jot down minutes when speaking with your team or clients; the live transcription feature will do all the note-taking for you, which you can send to all meeting participants. And, if you want something off the record, it’s easy to switch this feature off.

Real-Time Assist Cards

Dialpad’s advanced Vi feature can detect trigger words from your conversation and automatically populates Real-Time Assist (RTA) cards. These RTA cards will give your call support and sales team customised tips to communicate effectively with your clients. These suggestions are tailored to your situational needs, helping you satisfy your client’s needs.

What Kind of Business is Dialpad Best For?

Dialpad may not be as feature-packed as the other business VoIP systems in our research, but there’s one thing Dialpad does best: powerful software-driven communication. With innovative deep-learning and conversational AI capabilities, Dialpad is perfect for any organisation that embraces modern AI communication technology. It will thrive in businesses that value communication for a more collaborative work environment and high customer satisfaction. Equipped with reliable multi-language support, Dialpad will do well in organisations that outsource or have offices abroad. So, if your team is looking for a VoIP system that offers ground-breaking communication tools, Dialpad will undoubtedly impress you.

How Does Dialpad Compare with Other Phone Systems?

Let’s take a deep dive and see how well Dialpad fares against seven key competitors: 8×8, RingCentral, Vonage, GoTo Connect, bOnline, Dialpad, Nuacom, and Google Voice.

1. Dialpad’s Inbound and Outbound Communication Features

Boasting an impressive set of communication features, Dialpad ranked third out of eight phone system providers with a 4.4/5 features score.

You can enjoy multiple advanced inbound features across all pricing plans, including a virtual receptionist, voicemail-to-text, and ring groups. You will have to upgrade to either the Pro or Enterprise plan to gain the call queue functionality. Other than that, you can get the complete inbound communication feature pack with its Standard pricing plan. Not even 8×8, which got the highest features score, can offer a better features list for inbound communications.

Dialpad also offers seamless outbound communication features, such as external video calling, custom call lists, and call conferencing. However, some features are missing. This is where 8×8 shines, earning a 4.5/5 features score. 8×8 offers advanced features, including a power dialer, predictive dialling, and auto dialling for its higher plans at an additional cost. 

That said, one unique thing about Dialpad is that its communication tools are enhanced by AI-based Voice Intelligence (VI), giving you more productive interactions with your team and clients. It has the best voice intelligence out of the eight business phone providers.

2. Dialpad’s Integrability and Scalability

Minimal integrability and scalability are where Dialpad’s rank takes a dip. For example, Dialpad only offers four ready-made software integrations, whereas RingCentral has up to 97 CRMintegrations (read our RingCentral review for more). RingCentral also offers various external live chat integrations, such as Whatsapp and Facebook, while Dialpad offers none. Moreover, Dialpad doesn’t have analytics platforms, while RingCentral has 57. Since scalability factors include software integrations, Dialpad’s capability to scale is compromised, too. 

3. Dialpad’s Customer Support Channels

Dialpad’s customer support scores 4.5/5 and ranks second among eight business phone system brands in the UK. That’s because of the various customer channels, including user forums, knowledge base articles, and live chat across all plans, helping you easily find answers to your phone system questions. You’ll also get a phone line and 24/7 support when you avail its Pro or Enterprise plans. However, RingCentral and 8×8’s customer service tied in the first rank because they offer 24/7 live support across all pricing plans.

Does Dialpad Have Good Customer Reviews?

To back up our research, we look at reviews from real-life users of the product. With an accumulated customer review score of 4.4/5 from G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius, we know how the positives outweigh the negatives. The negatives we did see mostly revolved around technical glitches where some features failed. But most reviews are promising and make you look forward to what Dialpad has in store for your business.

Our research found that the best VoIP provider in the UK is 8×8. It is a comprehensive solution that offers a broad range of impressive features, unlimited minutes, an extensive range of software integrations, and robust security measures. It is best suited for expanding businesses because its plans are scalable, meaning they can grow alongside the business. RingCentral is our second-best UK VoIP service, offering lower-cost packages, but with fewer features.

On 5 September 2023, BT OpenReach stopped selling WLR products because all UK landlines will be phased out in 2025, making it crucial for businesses to switch to a VoIP phone system. We have selected seven of the top UK VoIP providers that could fit seamlessly into your business communication.

Read on to find out what each of these providers do best, worst, and what they cost.

What is a VoIP system?

VoIP stands for ‘Voice over Internet Protocol,’ which means the phone connection operates over Wi-Fi and not via physical phone lines.

VoIP systems can be used on laptops, desktop computers, tablets, or smartphones. It can also be used with office phones, and the best office phones are usually compatible with major VoIP systems. If portability is a priority, tablets and smartphones can also make VoIP calls.

A Wi-Fi connection will ensure your calls are cheaper, long distance calls are clearer, and it will offer more reliability than a standard phone line. Some providers also offer HD voice quality, which means they can sound clearer than standard phone calls.

VoIP phone systems enable much cheaper domestic calls, and low price-per-minute international calls, too.

Soon it will be necessary for all businesses to be online due to the Big Switch Off in 2025, when all UK landlines will officially be turned off.

1. 8×8 – Best all-round business VoIP provider in the UK

8×8 VoIP Pricing

Since our last update, 8×8 no longer publicly lists its pricing, so you’ll have to contact its sales team directly for a quote. From what we do know about its pricing, affordability is not 8×8’s forte. We scored it a 2.5/5 for price in our analysis, placing it as one of the most expensive phone systems on the market. That being said, 8×8 is bursting with more standout features than its competitors.

It is worth noting that it does offer five pricing tiers for different-sized operations, the latter three are best suited to larger call centres. As of February 2023, 8×8 no longer offers the Express plan, which was its cheapest option. The lowest tier is now its X2 package.

Check out our full-length 8×8 review for more information.

8×8 VoIP Features

From the X2 plan upwards, we like that 8×8 provides all of the most important features for productive comms with customers and clients. This includes unlimited minutes and local numbers to ring groups, call queues, visual voicemail, auto-attendant, business SMS, and team messaging.

This is why we rated 8×8 a stellar 4.6/5 for features, the highest rank in this category, outshining GoToConnect, Nuacom, and bOnline, whose features are comparatively limited.

It’s also worth noting that 8×8 can integrate with a solid range of CRM systems: Salesforce, Copper, Freshdesk, Hubspot, MS Dynamics, Pipedrive, Zendesk, Zoho, 1CRM, Bullhorn, Copper, and Sugar. Integrating with one of these is a great way to develop a great customer experience strategy.

8×8’s security features also impressed us, ensuring users have multiple compliance certifications, multi-factor authentication, password rules, and TLS/SRTP encryption. While we awarded it a perfect 5/5 for this category, it does fall short in the department of spam prevention, where GoTo and Vonage excel.

If you choose to invest in 8×8 now, you can avoid switching providers later down the line because its plans have the capacity to grow with your business, earning it a 4.9/5 for scalability.

We gave 8×8 another perfect 5/5 for customer support. It has a user forum and a knowledge base to explore, a 24/7 live chat function, and a phone line for urgent matters. Email support is also available for your queries that aren’t time sensitive.

Despite offering numerous customer support options, it achieved lower overall scores on consumer review websites with an average rating of 3.5/5 when compared with 4.6/5 and 4.5/5 for Nuacom and bOnline, respectively.

One of our favourite features of 8×8 is that it’s one of the most generous VoIP providers when it comes to call conferencing and video meetings, with a capacity for a whopping 500 people to join in at once. This is ideal if you often hold company-wide meetings, or you’re looking to scale your business at pace.

2. RingCentral – Best business VoIP provider for customer service teams

RingCentral VoIP Pricing

At first glance, RingCentral is an affordable option and is cheaper than 8×8. However, it receives a lower score for pricing (2.3/5) because it offers less value for your money. As you’ll see in our analysis below, the majority of RingCentral’s standout features are only available with its premium packages.

While other providers offer unlimited minutes right from the off, 8×8 has limited minutes on its entry-level plans. If you want a system that is great value for money, GoToConnect and bOnline offer more cost-effective plans.

Pricing correct as of April 2024

RingCentral VoIP Features

RingCentral’s great range of features accommodate numerous incoming calls, including a virtual receptionist, local toll-free numbers, customisable greetings, and hold music on all of its plans. With this broad range of features, we gave it a 4.3/5 for this category.

When you upgrade to a Premium or Ultimate plan, you can set up ring groups and call queues that will help organise your callers with ease. We found that RingCentral’s external video calling and SMS features can also enhance your team’s accessibility to customers.

A really important factor for small businesses looking to upscale their operations is whether a provider can grow with you. RingCentral’s scalability is on par with 8×8, scoring a near-perfect 4.9/5 in our research, offering team messaging, task management, and software integrations (on Premium and Ultimate), helping streamline your internal and external communications.

We believe that RingCentral excels with its customer support, earning a perfect score of 5/5. It has 24/7 live support, a knowledge hub, a user forum, as well as phone and email support. Its 99.999% uptime SLA guarantee means your system will stay connected and your customers will be able to get hold of you.

Training is critical in the world of customer service – your team’s phone manner is all important. RingCentral comes with features that can help with this, including call transcripts, call recording, call monitoring, call whisper, and call barge. It is worth noting that these are not included in RingCentral’s cheapest packages, so you’ll have to pay a little more for the full range of training and monitoring tools.

It’s worth mentioning that RingCentral comes with ready-made integrations with helpdesk, workspace, email, conferencing, and messaging platforms. It’ll make it easy to manage customer data and unify your comms. Once again, most of this is only included with RingCentral’s Premium and Ultimate plans.

We think RingCentral is hot on 8×8’s heels in many aspects, with a breadth of features that come closer to 8×8 than any other provider. It just falls short of matching it, missing benefits like unlimited domestic minutes, and features that include custom call lists. Plus, ready-made integrations are available on fewer of its plans. However, it does match 8×8’s shining customer support offering and provides just as much scope to easily scale your business. It also matches 8×8’s relatively moderate score on consumer review websites, with an average rating of 3.5/5, compared with Nuacom and bOnline’s higher respective scores of 4.6/5 and 4.5/5.

For more details on features, read our RingCentral review.

RingCentral’s key features for businesses

*inclusive minutes per account, per month

One thing to be aware of is that RingCentral’s Essentials plan only provides VoIP system essentials, but not a lot more. RingCentral’s higher tier packages have video conferencing, CRM integrations, and generous inclusive minutes.

That said, once you do have access to CRM integrations, you’ll almost definitely be able to link RingCentral with your system of choice – it can integrate with 97 different CRM apps!

3. Vonage – Best VoIP provider for small businesses

Vonage is another global VoIP provider, with data centres in the US, Singapore, Sydney, Frankfurt, and Dublin. International data centres can be a plus for global teams, but if you deal with sensitive data, you may feel more comfortable signing up with a provider that is based in the UK or EU and subject to data protection laws. It also has a globally distributed network of offices, including one based in London. It is not clear whether it has a London-based call centre.

Vonage VoIP Pricing

Vonage’s value for money is its key strength, earning a score of 4.3/5 for pricing. With prices ranging from £10 to £25 per user, per month, Vonage’s monthly fees are incredibly low for such a comprehensive system. It gives users unified communications features, including video conferencing and team messaging, which are available on all plans. Another reason why it’s a fantastic option for small businesses with tight budgets.

Read our Vonage review for more.

Pricing correct as of April 2024

Vonage VoIP Features

With unlimited users and unlimited inbound and outbound domestic minutes, we like that Vonage allows you to get up and running with fewer limitations on the amount of calls placed via your system. This feature is available on all plans at no extra cost, so even smaller budgets can benefit.

Small businesses are often looking to grow, so it’s important to choose a provider that can grow alongside you. Vonage excelled in our scalability comparison, scoring 4.5/5 on this front. The ring group, call queue, and call routing features on Vonage’s advanced plans will help your team handle the growing volumes of calls, while call recording, monitoring, and analytics will help you train new staff and ensure the quality of your business’s comms is top-notch.

Vonage offers a decent amount of customer support options, including a user forum, a knowledge base, live chat, email, and phone support. For immediate support, it’s best to use the live chat function, which is available between 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, or on Saturdays from 9am until 5.30pm. Finally, Vonage’s 99.999% uptime guarantee means it’s unlikely that your income stream will be unexpectedly affected by downtime, which is a huge plus.

As we’ve mentioned, Vonage offers great value for money. In this respect, it almost beats all of the VoIP providers on this list. The exceptions are bOnline, which offers a very similar level of value for money (bOnline is cheaper than Vonage, but also less robust); and GoTo, which offers the best bang for your buck.

Vonage is quite popular with its users, earning a high overall score of 4/5 on consumer review sites.

Read our in-depth analysis of the best phone systems for small businesses.

Vonage’s key features for businesses

One of our gripes with Vonage’s plans is that many key features require an additional cost. This isn’t ideal when other VoIP providers include things like CRM integration and onboarding support for free. That said, Vonage’s monthly fees are already cheap enough that paying extra on top shouldn’t break too far into your budget.

4. GoToConnect – Best business VoIP provider for startups

GoToConnect VoIP Pricing

Since our last update, GoToConnect no longer offers transparent prices. You’ll need to contact their sales team to get a quote. The prices shown below are the last-known transparent prices, and if bang for your buck is what you’re after, GoToConnect might be the right choice. Earning a top score of 4.5/5 in our pricing analysis, GoTo offers the best value for money of all the VoIP providers on this list.

Check out our in-depth GoToConnect review.

GoToConnect VoIP Features

GoTo’s Connect system includes unlimited domestic inbound and outbound minutes on all plans. With its Standard plan, GoTo includes free international calling to and from 50+ countries, while still providing solid, unified communication features for collaboration across the board.

As your customer base grows, you’ll need a VoIP system that can help you communicate with potential customers and clients as professionally as possible. With GoToConnect, you can set up a virtual receptionist, customisable on-hold music, recorded greetings, and voicemail. This will give callers a polished experience when they get in touch.

We like that you can set up local numbers so that customers don’t have to pay to phone you. All of these features are available on GoTo’s cheapest package, which is great for budget-conscious new businesses.

You likely won’t stay the size of a startup forever. Fortunately, GoToConnect offers an unlimited user limit and call management features that ensure the system is scalable. This is why we gave it a scalability score of 4.4/5 in our analysis.

GoTo is let down by its customer support, only earning a 3.4/5 in this category. Its support team can be reached by email or phone and agents are available around the clock to answer queries. However, there are several steps to go through before the support number is available and they do not offer live chat. It seems GoTo encourages the use of its knowledge hub, which can be accessed at your convenience. When compared with 8×8 and RingCentral, which both offer live chat, GoTo could offer more straightforward support options to quickly squash any system issues.

Our research found that GoToConnect makes it easier to scale than if you chose Nuacom, Dialpad, or bOnline. Its strongest advantage is the fact that it offers better value for money than all of the providers on this page.

As mentioned, GoToConnect didn’t fare so well when we compared integrations. Only Dialpad has a smaller range of ready-made integrations than GoToConnect – the other providers on this page all come ready to integrate with a larger range of software. It’s also worth noting that GoToConnect’s set of features isn’t as comprehensive as those you’d get with 8×8, RingCentral, Dialpad, or Vonage.

When compared with its competitors, GoToConnect does well, with an average customer review score of 4.4, better than 8×8, RingCentral, and Vonage.

GoToConnect’s key features for businesses

The first thing you might notice here is that even GoToConnect’s cheapest plan comes with the vast majority of the features we know to be the most important for businesses, proving it is great value for money. However, it doesn’t include international minutes, but these are unlikely to be integral to the operations of a UK startup.

That said, there are a few other weaknesses to pluck out from our key features analysis. GoToConnect provides free CRM integration, but it can only integrate with Salesforce or Zoho. When compared with RingCentral, which can integrate with 97 different CRM systems, GoToConnect comes off as a little stingy.

Finally, it’s worth noting that GoToConnect’s video conferencing platform will only allow up to four participants per call on the Basic plan. This will be enough for you if your team is no larger than this, but you may need to upgrade to the Standard plan for larger, video-based meetings.

5. bOnline – Best business VoIP provider for desk phone compatibility

bOnline is aimed at UK-based small businesses. It has earned an ‘excellent’ rating on Trustpilot partly due to its helpful customer service based out of its offices in Surrey. While its team may be UK-based, its data is not. With ‘geographically dispersed’ servers, we can’t be 100% certain of the locations. Therefore, if your company deals with sensitive or personal data, you may feel more confident dealing with a provider that stations its servers in the UK or EU.

bOnline VoIP Pricing

One of our favourite things about bOnline is its pricing, earning a good score of 4.3/5 in our cost analysis. Ranging from just £7 to £15.50 per user, per month, it’s one of the cheapest VoIP providers you’ll come across. With unlimited minutes available on most plans, as well as free Yealink T31P desk phones on the Unlimited & Video package, bOnline offers excellent value for money.

Pricing correct as of April 2024

bOnline VoIP Features

With a bOnline system, we found that you’ll have a high chance of avoiding extra spending as it is compatible with seven desk phone providers, whereas the average provider is compatible with an average of four. If you already have desk phones in use, it’s important to choose a system (like bOnline) that can neatly slot into your existing setup. Otherwise, you may have to purchase brand new phones. It’s important to note that Cisco is not included on bOnline’s list of compatible phone brands. So, if you already have Cisco phones on your premises, bOnline may not be your best choice.

Unfortunately, bOnline scores rather low in terms of scalability. It lacks some key features for management purposes, such as call monitoring functions and transcription, so it may not be the best fit for expanding teams or startups looking to grow.

Due to a lack of compliance certifications and multi-factor authentication, we gave bOnline a 1/5 for security, which is the lowest on the board.

You can reach bOnline’s customer support via phone line and live chat, but there is no email or 14/7 availability, which brings its score down to 3/5. However, it does provide a 99.999% uptime guarantee, which means that it’s unlikely your operations will come to a halt due to a lost connection.

Among its competitors, bOnline stood out to us when it comes to price, offering as much bang for your buck as Vonage (bOnline offers fewer features, but it is also cheaper). Here it’s beaten only by GoToConnect, the best VoIP provider for value for money.

Despite its shortcomings, bOnline boasts an excellent reputation among existing customers, with an average rating of 4.5/5 on consumer review sites – the second-highest score in our research, beaten only by Nuacom.

bOnline’s key features for businesses

*Inclusive minutes per user, per month

bOnline’s cheapest package, Starter, is really basic, offering very few key features we’d recommend for businesses.

This plan should only suit you if you’re a one-man operation, have a pretty small customer base, and are just looking to set up a professional phone number. If you run a larger business, you’ll find much more value in bOnline’s other plans.

Take note: bOnline charges £5 per month for CRM integration on its Pay As You Go and Unlimited Calling plans. This is a pain as other providers include ready-made CRM integrations in their packages. However, these two bOnline plans are pretty cheap to start with, so an extra fiver shouldn’t eat into your budget. Helpfully, bOnline can integrate with 11 different CRM systems, including Salesforce, MS Dynamics, and Hubspot.

6. Dialpad – Best business VoIP provider for conversational AI

Dialpad VoIP Pricing

We found that Dialpad’s pricing reflected the featured offered, so it scores a reasonable 4/5 in our pricing analysis. Starting at £12 per user, per month, Dialpad is certainly affordable, but its plans don’t offer quite as much value for money as GoTo, Vonage, or bOnline. You should also take note of the fact that its Enterprise plan comes with custom pricing – this will be worked out on a case-by-case basis, so you’ll need to contact the provider directly for a tailored quote.

Read our full Dialpad review for more information.

Pricing correct as of April 2024

Dialpad VoIP Features

Our research highlighted that Dialpad offers standout features that can streamline your workflow, such as the use of conversational AI. This feature is most helpful for businesses with sales teams, call centres, or contact centres because the tool helps your team quickly make sense of high volumes of calls, with instant visibility over outcomes, the next steps, and access to in-the-moment coaching. Dialpad includes unlimited outbound and inbound call minutes, which is a huge plus.

When choosing a VoIP system for your business, we recommend choosing a system that can accommodate your business’s growth. Dialpad only scores a 3.3/5 for scalability, meaning it lacks some key features for larger teams, such as call monitoring or integrations with other software systems. There is a call centre add-on that may mitigate some of these shortcomings.

Dialpad can be reached via phone, live chat, and it has a knowledge hub, which earned it a solid 4.5/5 for customer support. It doesn’t offer email support. If this is something you require, consider 8×8 or RingCentral, which can be contacted via email.

We noticed Dialpad has the fewest ready-made integrations of all the providers on this list, meaning there isn’t seamless integration with other software. It’s also not as easy to scale as 8×8, RingCentral, Vonage, GoToConnect, or Nuacom. This means you may outgrow your plan when your business expands.

However, we like that Dialpad offers a great selection of customer support channels, earning a customer support score of 4.5/5. This is only beaten only by 8×8 and RingCentral. Its variety of features is solid and, once again, 8×8 and RingCentral are the only VoIP providers that offer a comprehensive array of features. Dialpad finally one ups the giants when it comes to price and customer satisfaction – Dialpad’s prices are cheaper, and its average customer review score (4.4/5) is higher than 8×8’s and RingCentral’s (both 3.5).

Dialpad’s key features for businesses

Dialpad’s Pro and Enterprise plans provide a lot of the important features needed by businesses, such as call queues, CRM integration and an uptime guarantee (on its Enterprise plan). Alongside GoToConnect and Nuacom, Dialpad is one of the only providers we analysed that offers ring group functionality on its cheapest plan, which is plus for users.

However, there are limitations worth highlighting. Firstly, ready-made CRM system integration is only available with Salesforce, Zendesk, and Hubspot, which is something to be aware of if you use another system for your customer relationship management. That said, the software does have an open API, so you may be able to create your own integration with a CRM system of your choice.

While it’s a necessary feature for larger businesses, it’s a little disappointing that the uptime guarantee is only included on Dialpad’s Enterprise plan. With a 100% guarantee, you can rest easy in the knowledge that your system should never go down. It’s a shame this excellent promise isn’t replicated for Standard and Pro users.

Finally, Dialpad only enables you to set up one local number per system user. If you’d like your integral team members to be contactable on a variety of numbers, this is not possible with Dialpad. If this is a priority, you should look at RingCentral or 8×8.

7. Nuacom – Best business VoIP provider for customer satisfaction

Nuacom scores an extremely solid 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating, thanks to its excellent Ireland-based customer support team. It’s a cloud-based system, which means its data is stored in various locations rather than in one geographic area. If your businesses works with sensitive or private data and want it protected by UK or EU law, this may not be an ideal choice.

Nuacom VoIP Pricing

As of August 2023, Nuacom’s pricing is no longer public, so you’ll need to contact them for an accurate quote. 

In our cost analysis, Nuacom was not our top VoIP provider out there for value for money. When Nuacom’s prices were public, its Unlimited plan started at £14.99 per user, per month, making it the most expensive entry-level VoIP package we looked at. The price then jumped to £29.99 per user, per month on the Call Centre plan, which is quite a big leap to take for growing businesses that want to move onto the advanced packages. That said, Nuacom is still cheaper overall than 8×8 and RingCentral, so it earned an above average score of 3.8/5.

Check out our in-depth Nuacom review.

Nuacom VoIP Features

We like that Nuacom provides unlimited inbound and outbound domestic minutes on all of its plans. With Unlimited, its entry-level plan, you’d expect nothing less.

If you’re looking to upscale your business, your phone system needs to follow suit. Nuacom receives an above average score (3.8/5) for its scalability. It lacks security features such as compliance certifications, multi-factor authentication, and secure password rules, which are important for larger teams that need to protect business and customer data.

In terms of customer support, Nuacom can be reached via email, phone, or live chat, and it has a user forum and knowledge hub.

Overall, Nuacom only provides users with a fairly average system. With 3.8/5 for scalability, it is easier to scale than Dialpad and bOnline, but not as easy to scale as 8×8, RingCentral, Vonage, or GoToConnect.

We scored Nuacom a rather humble 3.2/5 for features as it has a minimal offering when compared with the other top VoIP providers on this list. It lacks any collaboration features, so it can’t be used for in-house communication. This is a pretty hefty limitation and means you’ll have to rely on another system for this.

Of all the UK VoIP providers we analysed, Nuacom has the best overall review score from its customers. Its average user ratings across software review sites G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and TrustRadius is a phenomenal 4.6/5.

Nuacom’s key features for businesses

With Nuacom, you can set up ring groups and call queues even on the cheapest plan, which is generous considering that most VoIP providers only offer these features with their advanced plans (GoTo is the only other provider on this list that makes these features available straight away).

On the flipside, one downfall for Nuacom is that it doesn’t come with any video conferencing capability. In fact, it doesn’t provide any unified communications features, with no sign of team messaging or document sharing tools either. Nuacom may be all about the VoIP phone technology but, nowadays, it’s reasonable for you to expect a comprehensive collaboration platform from your VoIP provider, so you don’t have to pay more to sign up to additional systems. It seems Nuacom is a little behind on this front.

It’s also interesting that Nuacom’s uptime guarantees are optional. We presume they’re add-ons that you can pay extra for, or negotiate to be included in your package.

Top-rated VoIP providers in London

While not essential, using a London-based VoIP provider can be beneficial if your HQ, operations, and customers are based in or around the UK’s capital. You may benefit from improved call quality and shared business hours with customers, meaning you can offer more convenient customer service. You’ll also be safe in the knowledge that your VoIP provider is 100% compliant with UK regulations when it comes to data protection.

Based on our research, here are some of the best London-based VoIP providers and their selling points:

• Gamma – One of the largest VoIP providers in the UK with a big presence in London. Offers hosted PBX solutions, SIP trunking, mobile integration, and cloud UC.
• Voipfone – This provider is popular for its low-cost VoIP lines and call plans.
• Voipstudio – Another provider that offers virtual PBX hosted in London with SIP trunking, number porting, and no long-term contracts.
• TalkTalk – This well-known telecom provider offers VoIP solutions for London-based businesses bundled with broadband.

If you want to maintain your 020 area code, it’s good to know that a VoIP provider can issue you with a 020 area code even if it is not located in London. This is a huge plus if you are taking calls from various locations but want to maintain the legitimacy of a London number.

Luckily, all of the providers on our list have a London office despite some of them having an international presence.

Fore more guidance, check out our picks for the top business phones for law firms. For other provider reviews, check out our review of XLN.

How did we find the best business VoIP providers in the UK?

We researched the top seven providers to determine the best VoIP system in the UK. We rigorously tested each provider against a number of criteria that are deemed essential when purchasing the ideal VoIP system. This includes:

• Pricing – a significant factor when choosing a product is whether it’s good value for money. Cheaper isn’t always better, so we take a comprehensive view of factors. This includes the price itself, whether a free plan is available, and whether or not the best features are available across all plans.
• Features – in this category, we take an in-depth look at the product to gain an insight into what it actually provides and what you can actually do with the product.
• External connections – it’s important to know whether a provider can seamlessly integrate into your existing business communications infrastructure.
• Customer support – network connectivity can be a troublesome element to business operations, so we want to know what options are available to get you back on track when something goes wrong.
• Security options – confidentiality is critical for both your clients and your business, so we looked into which internal security features were provided and how secure each provider is.
• Scalability – when your business grows, you want your software to accommodate this. Scalability takes into account the ease of upscaling your plan with your provider so that you don’t have to make a switch later down the line.
• Customer score – taking stock of what existing customers really think of the product, we looked at average scores across G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and Trust Radius.

True enough, heavy vehicles are one of the most powerful vehicles you can have in your fleet. They can drive longer distances and carry more cargo – the thing is, they also require extensive upkeep and monitoring. So if you’re looking for a vehicle tracking system that can help you with that, Netstar is the one. Even though Netstar scores a good overall score of 3.7/5, our research has singled it as the best for heavy vehicle fleets.

In this review, we’ll look at how Netstar satisfies the key features you need in a vehicle tracking system: vehicle tracking, ability to reduce fleet costs, and vehicle management. We’ll also look at its pricing, pros and cons, standout features, and match it up with the other providers we’ve researched. 

Expert Market’s team of skilled researchers and writers utilise independent research to drive you closer to the right business solutions, starting with our free quote comparison tool. You only have to answer a few questions, and our trusted providers will be in touch with personalised quotes for your fleet. 

Netstar’s pros and cons

✔ Pro: Competent driver management features

Scoring 4.5/5 in our driver management analysis, Netstar offers impressive driver management features to help you manage your drivers while they’re on the road. For starters, you can review up to a year’s worth of driving history data on the Netstar Dashboard. It’s the only provider that archives your data for an entire year, giving you the convenience to go back to a specific date and replay the entire journey. Even Teletrac, which scores a perfect 5/5 score in this category, cannot retain data as efficiently as Netstar. However, it does allow you to replay your driving history through an interactive map.

Netstar also levels up driver messaging. Once you pair your in-vehicle display with a compatible Garmin device or Mobile Data Terminal, you can assign jobs, send messages, and receive real-time responses. This invaluable feature allows you to spend more time on other avenues of your business while still maintaining a solid connection with your fleet managers and drivers. 

Lastly, Netstar includes Driver IDs on all of its plans, unlike Verizon, which you will need to pay additional fees to unlock. Driver IDs contain crucial information that gives you a comprehensive view of each of your drivers, including departure time, driver behaviour, and working hours. Without this, you’ll only be able to track your vehicles, and you won’t have any perspective on how your drivers are faring. 

✔ Pro: Satisfactory tracking features

Netstar scores 4.1/5 in our tracking analysis, a quality score that is backed by its array of features that help you stay on top of your fleet. An added bonus here is that Netstar’s tracking features also help you reduce fleet costs and enhance your security. 

Its automatic route optimisation feature is powered by its location data that designs and implements the most efficient routes for you. It can help you minimise your driving time and cut down fuel costs, which is one of the biggest fleet expenses. This is a notable difference from Radius, which scores 4.3/5 for tracking, as it doesn’t offer automatic route optimisation. 

In addition to automatic route optimisation, Netstar also keeps an eye on your mileage data to reduce fuel costs. Its telematics solutions utilise your mileage to improve fuel efficiency and minimise emissions. Netstar also has real-time traffic alerts, unlike Inseego (4.3/5). Traffic alerts inform you which roads are currently jam-packed, allowing your driver to avoid delays – saving you time and money.

✔ Pro: On-point asset tracking system

Netstar has a commendable theft prevention feature that uses pinpoint accuracy to help you protect your assets and recover quickly if need be. Netstar’s asset tracking system uses GPS technology and an Australia-wide 4G network to give you real-time updates about your trailers, containers, skip bins, tools, high-value equipment, and more. The tracking device is also easy to use, waterproof, UV-resistant, and durable enough to withstand the harsh Australian environment. It has a long battery life and can be mounted on assets that are exposed to rain, dust, and seawater.

On the other hand, Verizon, which scores a perfect 5/5 in this category, has a grey area regarding theft prevention. It only allows you to set alerts and time limits on your vehicles, which can detect out-of-hours usage, but it’s not solid enough to pass as theft detection. 

✗ Con: Not the best value for money

A peek into our pricing analysis shows that Netstar is not the best bang for your buck as it only scores 2.7/5. It offers bespoke pricing plans depending on your fleet size and chosen features but, given its set of features, we’d recommend opting for our top scorer in our pricing analysis, Radius, which scores 4.1/5. Its entry point is at $13 per vehicle, per month, and you can optimise its pay-as-you-go option for up to two years. This is a less restrictive commitment compared to Netstar’s rolling contracts. The contract starts with the Initial Period, and it will continue indefinitely unless you cancel your subscription before the Initial Period ends.

✗ Con: Only offers basic product features

Netstar sits in fourth place in our product features analysis with a below average score of 2.3/5. While it has the essential product features, like hardwired options, cloud-based options, and on-board diagnostics, these are still basic when compared with Verizon, which has a near-perfect score of 4.9/5 in our product features category.

Netstar does not have cargo and engine temperature sensors, which helps detect temperature changes to prevent overheating and engine damage. This is a helpful feature, especially for trucks that travel long distances as they are more prone to overheating. Verizon, on the other hand, uses point diagnostics to detect temperature changes. 

Another thing Netstar missed is fuel card integration. While its tracking features help you cut down fuel costs, fuel cards are a convenient addition to your fleet as it tracks fuel expenses and generates fuel efficiency reports. It also gives you handy discounts on fuel, which is a great perk considering the rising petrol prices. With Verizon, you can integrate fuel cards from Fleetcor, which works with 90% of fuel sites across Australia, including Shell, Coles Express, Caltex, Woolworths, BP, United and 7-11.

How much does Netstar cost?

Netstar ranks fourth in our pricing analysis with an above average score of 2.7/5. It offers tailored pricing plans based on fleet size and chosen features. Unfortunately, Netstar does not display its plan packages online for its Australian clientele, but our analysis into its prices showed that it’s a rental service, so you do not have sole ownership of the tracking systems. Another downside to Netstar’s pricing is the contract duration. It’s basically a rolling contract that begins with an Initial Period, and will continue indefinitely unless you cancel the contract before the Initial Period ends. 

Among all the other providers we’ve researched, Radius offers the best value for money. Ranking first in our pricing analysis with a score of 4.1/5, Radius’ plans start at only $13 per vehicle, per month. Its flexible contracts and pay-as-you-go payment methods give you more wiggle room and do not lock you up with long-term contracts. Lastly, Radius offers automatic vehicle diagnostics, retains fleet maintenance records, and monitors your engine and cargo temperature – a valuable set of features that Netstar misses. However, Netstar has a more intricate system of tracking your assets to prevent theft, since Radius can only detect out-of-hours usage instead of using GPS tracking to pinpoint the location of your stolen vehicles. So, if you are looking for budget-friendly options with permissive contract options and satisfactory features, Radius is our best bet.

If you want to find the best prices for your fleet, you can use our free quote comparison tool. You just have to tell us a few things about your fleet, and we’ll link you up with top providers. They will then be in touch with tailored quotes.

Netstar’s standout features

Built-in NHVR-approved Electronic Work Diaries

Work diaries are log books legally mandated by the Heavy Vehicle National Law for heavy vehicle drivers to keep track of their work and rest periods. With Netstar, you have built-in electronic work diaries, a cloud-based log book that automatically calculates your work hours. It also sends automated alerts to let you know if it’s time for a break, so you do not work past the recommended driving hours. And since Netstar’s electronic work diaries are approved by National Heavy Vehicles Regulator (NHVR), it’s much faster and easier to track employee hours and stay compliant to the law. 

Verizon also offers work diary solutions, although it only allows you to partner with Logmaster, a mobile app that you can use to record driving hours and information. It is worth noting that you don’t have to pay additional fees to make use of this perk with Netstar. 

Remote worker safety solutions

Netstar employs a remote/lone worker solution, a vital feature that ensures your drivers are safe, even when they are working alone or in a remote location. It works through a GPS tracker and SOS duress button, which alerts you in case of emergencies. This complies with the Work Health and Safety Regulations. You can configure your alerts through email, messages, or on your Netstar dashboard. This feature is unique to Netstar and provides an upgraded version of the driver safety scores that Verizon employs to monitor driver performance and behaviour.

Unique AVM IDs

Our deep dive into Netstar shows that its unique selling point is its Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) ID, which improves its tracking capabilities. The AVM ID assigns a unique number that you can use to track the location of your driver or vehicle. It’s a helpful tool in case of lost or stolen vehicles, as it uses GPS technology to track specific vehicles and locations accurately. It provides a highly detailed input of your fleet than Radius, which only detects whenever your vehicles are driven outside the regular working hours.

What kind of business is Netstar best for?

Our independent research names Netstar as the best for heavy vehicle fleets, with an overall score of 3.7/5.

Netstar offers NHVR-approved electronic work diaries that help heavy vehicle fleets stay compliant without sacrificing efficiency. Work diaries are specifically designed to monitor the driving hours of heavy vehicle drivers, like trucks and buses, so that they do not overwork themselves and drive towards danger. It monitors their driving time, departure time, and break periods. 

It’s worth noting that driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of road accidents in Australia, accounting for 20 to 30 per cent of the total cases. By providing these electronic work diaries, Netstar helps you save more time filing work diaries and instead allows you to focus on your driver’s safety and productivity. 

How does Netstar compare with other vehicle tracking systems?

Earlier, we mentioned the key factors you should consider when choosing a vehicle tracking system: vehicle tracking features, ability to reduce fleet costs, and vehicle management features. With an overall score of 3.7/5 in our independent research, here’s how Netstar matches up with the other providers we’ve looked into:

Netstar’s vehicle tracking features

Netstar ranks fourth in our tracking analysis, scoring 4.1/5. While it may offer live/active tracking, sends you alerts and notifications about your driver’s behaviour, and helps with identifying geofences, we’re hitting the brakes at its data refresh rate. It’s notably slower at one to five minutes when compared with our top-scorer, Verizon (5/5), which has a refresh rate of 30 seconds. Faster refresh rates mean you can enjoy real-time tracking updates on the status of your vehicles and where they are on the road.

Netstar’s ability to reduce fleet costs

Netstar has a commendable automatic route optimisation feature, which uses location data to design and implement the most efficient routes for you. Radius, despite having a much higher 4.3/5 score for tracking compared to Netstar’s 4.1/5, does not provide automatic route optimisation.

Netstar also uses telematics to monitor your mileage. This can help you save money on petrol expenses, increase efficiency, and minimise emissions. Another commendable feature that Netstar offers is real-time traffic alerts, a helpful perk that informs you which roads are currently congested so you can avoid delays on your journey.

Netstar’s vehicle management features

Netstar does not offer vehicle diagnostics, an important feature that could help you detect any issues with your vehicles straight away, helping avoid extended periods of downtime. As such, Netstar’s score drops to 3/5 for vehicle management. On this note, Radius proves to be a better option. Scoring 4.7/5 in our vehicle management insights, it automatically syncs the data into your vehicle diagnostic reports and lets you know immediately once a faulty system lights up in one of your vehicles. However, Radius does not retain fleet maintenance records, as it only allows you to set self-reminders to sync the data instead of syncing it automatically.

We also applaud Netstar’s theft prevention feature, which uses GPS technology and an Australia-wide 4G network to detect your assets anytime, anywhere. On the other hand, Verizon scores a perfect 5/5 for vehicle management, but it only allows you to set alerts and time limits on your vehicles to detect theft attempts.

Does Netstar have good customer reviews?

Netstar has a pretty impressive set of features, but there are very limited customer reviews available to back it up. Here’s a user review we got from Capterra, where Netstar scored 2/5:

Telematics is a powerful fleet management tool that allows you to gather a wide range of information on your vehicles, such as location, movement, fuel consumption, diagnostics, and maintenance status. Since its inception in the 70s, it’s fast become every fleet manager’s best friend, providing the lowdown on everything that’s happening in your entire fleet and helping you reduce fleet costs, maximise your profits, and stay on track with compliance.

In this article, we’ll delve into the world of telematics, explore what it is, how it works, and the many ways it can benefit your business. We’ll also cover the costs involved in a telematics system and address some frequently asked questions to help you better understand how telematics can be applied to your business. If you want to boost your fleet’s productivity and streamline your business using telematics, then read on.

What is telematics? A simple definition

“Telematics” is the hybrid child of “telecommunications” and “informatics.” Today, telematics is widely used in fleet management and has become an essential tool for managing commercial fleets

Telematics is the use of the Global Position System (GPS) and other wireless monitoring devices to gather information on your vehicles and other mobile assets. Telematics keeps you in the loop of everything that’s happening in your fleet, such as driver speed and behaviour, fuel consumption, engine diagnostics, and maintenance status.

This data is relayed to your fleet manager and will be used to make better decisions about how to effectively manage your vehicles and your drivers. With telematics, you can send, receive, and store a variety of data on your whole fleet.

How telematics works

At the core of a telematics system is the telematics device, which is typically a SIM-enabled GPS tracking device installed in your mobile assets or your vehicle’s onboard diagnostics (ODBII) port. Each device gathers a wide range of information on your vehicles and wirelessly relays and stores this data in a secure cloud-based hub, which you and your fleet manager can access via your PC or mobile.

Telematics helps you track and monitor a wide range of data including the location, speed, movement, and status of your vehicles. This information is then automatically compiled into an uncomplicated dashboard so you can have valuable insight into your fleet’s performance. With this information, you can better manage your drivers, reduce fuel costs, and improve overall fleet efficiency. 

Meanwhile, your drivers can review their route, tasks, and driving performance via their mobile or tablet. Some telematics providers also offer in-cab audio alerts for risky driving behaviours such as distracted driving and speeding. 

To learn more about the best telematics devices available on the market right now, you can check out our curated list of the best GPS fleet tracking systems for Australian businesses. 

How can a telematics system benefit my fleet business?

Whether you have one or a hundred vehicles, telematics can help ensure your workforce remains running smoothly and efficiently. Here are a few ways in which telematics can help you manage your fleet better: 

Real-time location tracking

The most basic offering of a telematics device is tracking the location and movement of any and/or all vehicles in your fleet. Telematics lets you know where your vehicles are in real time and provide you with reports of their movement throughout the day. It also allows you to set up geofences or virtual borders to limit the movement of your vehicles. 

It’s like having a private detective for each of your vehicles. With telematics, you can rest assured that your vehicles are where you want them to be. Just note that this sleuth device must abide by certain laws – even Sherlock can’t bypass the rules. 

If you’re not sure if it’s ok to install a GPS device in your vehicles, you can check out our updated Australian vehicle tracking laws. Spoiler alert: the rules differ per state, but it is legal to install a GPS tracking device. However, you must inform your drivers about it and give them ample notice before subjecting them to Big Brother’s watchful eyes. 

Vehicle safety

In addition to providing 24/7 visibility of your fleet, many telematics devices are equipped with powerful alerts for device tampering, unauthorised usage, and out-of-hours driving. Considering one car is stolen every 12 minutes in Australia, theft prevention alerts can save your business from huge losses. With the right telematics device, you can get alerted as soon as the attempt takes place, and you can alert the authorities to where your vehicles are via its real-time location tracking abilities. 

Driver behaviour monitoring

To improve driving habits and reduce accidents, telematics can be used to monitor erratic driving behaviours, such as sudden braking, speeding, and excessive idling.

Wondering what we mean by “excessive” idling? Well, it could mean your driver leaving your vehicles on during short breaks or leaving your truck running the whole weekend. Yikes!

With telematics, you can monitor your drivers’ habits, and better manage them by setting up alerts and scoreboard systems that give a performance overview of each of your drivers. 

Job management

Telematics devices can make job management and dispatching a breeze for both fleet managers and drivers. Imagine sending and receiving job assignments with the help of an AI butler that organises all the paperwork for you, from client details and recommended routes to proof of delivery, and even client reviews. It’s then all stored in one place for easy access and review. 

Improve customer service

Telematics can be used to track the location of your delivery fleet in real time, allowing for better delivery times and improved customer service. It also enables you to send your customers the ETA of your drivers, keeping them informed about where their packages are. 

Simplify compliance

If you’re a business owner, compliance is probably at the top of your major fleet concerns. Telematics can help you comply with electronic logging device (ELD) regulations, which mandate the use of electronic devices to record your drivers’ hours of service (HOS).

This is to ensure your drivers only work the appropriate amount of hours, and do not overwork – extremely important considering the most significant contributor to traumatic injuries at work is vehicle use. This will help you avoid hefty fines and penalties.

Reduce fleet costs

Many telematics devices are equipped with auto-route optimization features that lead to higher productivity, less time spent on the road, lower fuel waste, and reduced emissions. 

With auto-route optimization, your vehicles are automatically rerouted to the quickest and shortest path toward your destination, while dodging traffic congestion and construction sites. 

Additionally, telematics also allows you to monitor your fuel consumption so you can identify where you need to make adjustments and where you can improve fleet productivity and fuel efficiency. 

Automate maintenance

Another prime factor that can reduce fleet costs is preventative maintenance. Telematics can help monitor the status of your vehicles and provide alerts when maintenance is needed, so you can keep your vehicle in optimal condition, minimise downtime, and avoid costly repairs. 

Many telematics devices are equipped with powerful features to help you stay on top of your preventative maintenance schedule, including automatic alerts and diagnostic reports. These let you know when there’s a minor issue with your vehicles, so you can take action and prevent small wear and tear from becoming a bigger problem. 

Furthermore, telematics devices keep digital logs of all your service history repairs and maintenance records, so you don’t need to bother taking down notes and keeping manual receipts. 

How much does fleet telematics cost?

The cost of your fleet telematics system will vary according to your contract length, fleet size, and the depth of features included in your package. In Australia, a basic vehicle tracking system can be rented for around $10 per vehicle per month, while advanced versions cost upwards of $30 per vehicle per month.

Depending on your supplier, you may also have to pay upfront device costs. Additionally, you may have the option to purchase the telematics equipment or lease it, so it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each option and determine the best fit for your business. 

Is that a sigh we hear? Don’t worry, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about vehicle tracking systems cost, so you don’t drown in endless research. 

Next steps

With the power of telematics, you’ll be able to gather a wide range of data on your fleet by installing a SIM-enabled GPS tracking device in your vehicle or mobile assets. The GPS, sensors, and other wireless tracking devices will allow you to track and monitor the location, movement and engine status of your vehicle as well as monitor your driver and their behaviour – a plus that ensures you stay on top of ELD compliance.

All of this data is then sent and stored in a secure cloud-based location which you and your fleet manager can access in real time via PC or mobile. Telematics can also help you gain a competitive edge by providing you with a comprehensive data set to help you optimise your fleet.

If you want to take your fleet management game to the next level, you can use our GPS quote comparison tool. Simply let us know about what you need and we’ll connect you with leading providers who will then get in touch with you with tailored, obligation-free quotes. 

Numbers are essential in fleet management as they help give you an accurate overview of your fleet’s performance. As such, it’s crucial to have a system that helps you monitor the hours, speed, and distance travelled by your fleet. Fortunately, we have tachographs for this.

A tachograph records all of the aforementioned data and ensures that your drivers follow the recommended driving hours, to ensure their safety while on the road. For a deep dive into tachographs and whether they’re the missing piece for your fleet’s puzzle, read on. 

For the ultimate fleet management solutions for your business, our free quote comparison tool can help you get started. Just answer a few questions about your fleet, and our trusted providers will get back to you with tailored, obligation-free quotes.

What is a tachograph?

Let’s jump head first into our tachograph deep dive. Simply put, a tachograph is a device that keeps track of the speed at which a vehicle travels as well as the distance and the time it has travelled. It also records the rest times and availability of your drivers. This simple extra helps ensure that your drivers are nowhere near driver fatigue, which accounts for 20 to 30 per cent of all car crashes in Australia.

It is worth noting that tachographs are only legally required for fleets under the domestic UK, EU, or AETR (International Road Transport Agreement) laws. It’s also required for vehicles that carry over 3.5 tonnes of goods and transport nine or more passengers (including the driver).

While this is legally mandated for every fleet, there are exemptions to the rules. In specific, limited cases, your fleet can be laid off the tachograph mandate if:

• Your fleet uses lighter work vehicles, such as vans, non-commercial vehicles, or private minibuses
• Your permitted speed is no more than 40km/h
• Your truck’s maximum gross vehicle weight is 3.5 tonnes

Analogue vs digital tachographs

This crash course would not be complete without an introduction to the two types of tachographs: analogue and digital. Before we jump into these two, it’s worth noting that all commercial vehicles that were first registered on or after May 1, 2006, need digital tachographs installed in their vehicles. Otherwise, you need analogue tachographs. 

Analogue tachographs

Analogue tachographs first came into distribution in 1985, and were widely used as the sole log book solution before digital tachographs were welcomed into the ring in 2006.

Using three styli, lines are traced into a tacho (a circular, wax-coated chart) to record your driving data. These lines will then log your speed, distance, and activity, including manual entry spaces for your daily working hours, rest periods, and activities outside the vehicle.

The tacho rotates throughout the day, encompassing a full 24-hour period. Keep in mind though, you should not leave the tacho running for more than 24 hours as this is deemed illegal according to EU Regulation 561/2006. Doing so will record a second trace into the first one, and it will be much harder to decipher the overlapping traces. Another key difference of analogue tachographs is that it cannot send signals to your drivers whenever it’s time to replace the tacho, so you must always stay on top of the rotation hours.

There are two ways to retrieve data from analogue tachographs: you can do it through manual analysis or electronic scanners linked to a PC. As analogue tachographs are easy to tamper with, it’s still best to factor in human interpretation. Even minute things found in the wax surface, like dirt, dust, and scratch marks, can be incorrectly interpreted as trace marks and alter your driving data.

Digital tachographs

You can think of digital tachographs as an upgraded version of analogue tachographs. They’re much easier and faster to use and more secure because they only send encrypted signals. Digital tachographs save digital information about your drivers and vehicles into a smart card (akin to a driver’s license), which contains the driver’s photo, name, date of birth, and the card’s expiration date. 

And instead of replacing tacho cards every 24 hours, you only have to download the data of your digital tachographs every 90 days. As for the driver cards, data must be downloaded every 28 days for analysis and legal verification. Here’s everything you can retrieve from digital tachographs:

• Vehicle registration number
• Vehicle speed in 24 hours
• Driver and co-driver information
• Number of times a driver card is inserted each day
• Distance travelled via odometer readings
• Driving time, rest hours, break time, and work availability
• Tachograph calibrations
• Enforcement checks

Before your digital tachographs can record data, all smart cards must first be examined and authorised. Once you’re given the green light to insert the smart cards into the tachographs, it will automatically detect when the vehicles are moving and digitally capture the data. The data will then be transferred to the smart cards for interpretation. If you need immediate reports, you can print it instantly from the machine, just like how a receipt works. It is worth noting that, as per the law, you may only remove the smart card at the end of the shift!

Do I need tachographs for my fleet in Australia?

Tachographs are convenient tools for tracking the work hours of your drivers. However, if you’re operating in Australia and not in the EU and UK, then tachographs are not for you. You’re still legally required to use a log book, though, except it should be a National Drivers Work Diary.

What is a National Drivers Work Diary?

The National Drivers Work Diary is a log book that heavy vehicle drivers use to track their work and rest periods. It ensures that drivers comply with the Heavy Vehicle National Law and adhere to its driver fatigue guidelines. 

It was first launched in 2013 as a Paper Work Diary, but the good news is that there’s an Electronic Work Diary (EWD) available today. Whichever you use is up to your discretion as they both perform the same function: help your drivers record their work and rest times. However, there are some notable differences between the two. 

For starters, Paper Work Diaries require a great deal of manual handling. This means that the driver must remember complicated rules and regulations to calculate their own work and rest times. On the other hand, electronic work diaries will calculate your work and break hours for you – even sending automated notifications when it’s time for a break. Additionally, paper diaries can easily be lost or damaged, unlike EWDs, which keep your data intact in the cloud.

Do I need driver log books for my fleet?

Just like a tachograph, National Drivers Work Diaries have certain requirements. All drivers who operate fatigue-regulated vehicles must adhere to anti-fatigue compliance by using a National Drivers Work Diary. Fatigue-regulated vehicles include:

• Vehicles that weigh more than 12 tonnes
• Buses of more than 4.5 tonnes that can carry more than 12 adults, including the driver

Aside from fatigue-regulated vehicles, the Heavy Vehicle National Law also requires you to carry a National Drivers Work Diary if you:

• Drive more than 100km from your home base
• Operate under basic and advanced fatigue management
• Are a primary producer or driver for primary producers that operate fatigue-regulated vehicles more than 160km from your home base.

If you find yourself crossing over these thresholds, you may be able to benefit from route planning software, which can help you optimize your route and save on petrol costs.

However, there are a few instances that allow drivers to be exempt from this part of the law. Drivers with literacy and print media impairment may apply for an exemption permit. This permit lets them choose an alternative method of recording their work and rest times. These are then transcribed into their work diary by a nominated scribe. It must be noted that all permit applications should come with an explanation letter backing up the reason for exemption. It could be from a psychologist, speech therapist, physician, or specialist that could examine your driver’s literacy and language capabilities. 

Next steps

In a nutshell, a tachograph records the speed, distance, and travel times of your vehicles and ensures that your drivers are not driving over the recommended hours. This helpful tool prevents driver fatigue, which may lead to road accidents. It is also legally required for fleets that operate in the EU and UK. 

Fleets that operate in Australia also require a system for tracking driving hours, but instead of a tachograph, it should be the National Drivers Work Diary. This log book records driving and rest times for drivers who use fatigue-regulated trucks and buses.

Did you know that vehicle tracking systems are also helpful tools for tracking driving hours? You can use them to track your vehicles, reduce fleet costs, optimise routes, and manage driver behaviour. They can also help you protect and maintain your vehicles. Simply put, vehicle tracking systems are the upgraded versions of tachographs and work diaries. They help you log hours and maximise the efficiency of your fleet!

If you are interested in a vehicle tracking system, our free quote comparison tool can help you get started. You only have to answer a few simple questions, and we will match you up with our trusted providers. They will then get back to you with tailored quotes.

Earning an excellent overall score of 4.7/5 from our independent testers, Worldpay stands out among merchant service providers for offering the most comprehensive range of customer support channels, and speedy 30-minute fund transfers. It can also integrate with the largest range of third-party business software, boasting over 100 ready-made integrations. However, Worldpay’s card machines are more expensive than others we’ve evaluated.

With payment gateways, virtual terminals, and card machines on offer, Worldpay is one of the biggest names in payment processing. In fact, it’s used by over 250,000 UK SMEs, processing 26 million transactions per day.

Our latest round of research extensively compared UK merchant service providers, focusing on specific criteria including pricing, features, payment processing, and customer support. Worldpay impressed us, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best provider for your specific needs. If you’d like personalised recommendations, try our free quote comparison tool to quickly compare tailored prices from the most suitable providers for you.

How much does Worldpay cost?

For pricing, our researchers gave Worldpay 3.95/5, which is less than what they gave Retail Merchant Services (5/5) and takepayments (4.1/5), making these two providers better value for money than Worldpay. takepayments and Retail Merchant Services offer completely bespoke pricing, so you never pay more than what you need.

Read our takepayments review for more information.

Compared to other providers we discussed in our market-wide merchant account comparison, Worldpay has relatively expensive price plans, which could be a big investment for small businesses. However, while it’s not the cheapest option to take card payments, we found that its pricing structure is flexible.

This means you could end up spending less than the above prices, depending on your specific needs and sales volume.

Confused about costs? Don’t be. The easiest way to get an exact price for your business is by using our free cost comparison tool. Simply answer a few questions, and within minutes, we’ll match you with the best merchant account providers for your needs. They’ll contact you directly with free, no-obligation quotes to compare.

Worldpay offers a number of different services including online payment gateways and in store card machines. Let’s break down how they are priced.

Payment gateways

Worldpay’s pricing has changed since our last update to this page in early 2023, including the introduction of new gateways Worldpay eCommerce, Business Gateway, and Corporate Gateway.

Virtual terminals

A virtual terminal is also available for £9.95 per month.

Card Machines

As well as online payments, Wordplay offers a range of card machines for in-store transactions, including countertop, portable and mobile card machines. Here are the three main card machines they offer.

• Desk 5000 countertop card terminal suits a retail business with over the counter and till payments and is fixed to a location with a cable.
• Axium DX8000 portable payment machine suits restaurants, pubs and cafes as it allows you to take payments both at the till and customer tables.
• Move 5000 mobile card machine suits a business with no fixed premises such as a food or coffee van or where customers are visited on site.

Worldpay’s card machines start from £17.50 per month. The transaction fee charged will depend on your transaction volume.

Transaction fees

Worldpay’s transaction fees range from 0.75% to 2.75%, depending on whether you pay monthly or pay-as-you-go, and whether it’s a credit card or debit card payment.

Retail Merchant Services offers the cheapest fees, ranging from just 0.4% to 0.79%, while takepayments offer bespoke fees. Dojo and Barclaycard offer flat transaction fees of 1.4% and 1.60%, respectively.

Set up fee

Like Dojo, takepayments, and Retail Merchant Services, Worldpay has no set up fees. Plus, Worldpay’s reasonable transaction fees – starting at just 0.75% could help you cut costs in the long run.

Early termination fee

With Worldpay, you simply need to pay out the existing contract, which is far more affordable and straightforward than its competitors. With Retail Merchant Services, you need to pay out the existing contract, but you can pay up to £1,000 in admin fees if you provide improper notice. Meanwhile, takepayments charges £30 per month for each month remaining of your contract, along with an early termination fee of £40.

Worldpay: Pros and Cons

Pro: Offers the most integrations of all providers (100+)

Worldpay is the best merchant account for integrations, offering over 100 across 26 categories. This gives you the flexibility to bolster your business in different areas, whether you want to connect your Shopify store, or integrate accountancy software to help you manage your finances more easily. Also, Worldpay’s virtual terminal, which allows you to sell online, helped the provider be deemed one of the best payment gateway providers by our experts.

Pro: 5/5 Customer Support score, including 24/7 phone support

According to our researchers, Worldpay is the only provider to offer each of the four customer service subcategories: knowledge base, phone, email, and live chat. It’s also the only merchant account to offer 24/7 phone support. This level of support is vital if you want to ensure minimum downtime for your business.

Pro: 4.5/5 Features score

Worldpay offers an impressive range of features, including a variety of reports on sales, settlements, and invoices. It’s also incredibly quick with fund transfers, paying out in as little as 30 minutes. Its rivals take at least 24 hours.

Worldpay supports over 120 currencies, which is far more than Retail Merchant Services (100) and Barclaycard (96). takepayments can support over 170 currencies, but only via direct API codes, which can prove challenging if you’re unfamiliar with the process. This is why our researchers gave Worldpay 5/5 in the Taking Payments research category.

Con: Not the cheapest provider we tested

Worldpay is an excellent merchant account provider, but with that quality comes a relatively high cost. The £17.50 per month terminal fee can feel quite expensive when combined with the £9.95 +VAT per month account fee. However, you’re paying for one of the biggest and most trusted brands in payment processing.

Con: Slightly longer contract than its competitors

Worldpay’s contracts are 18 months, which is the same as takepayments, but longer than Dojo (6 months), and Retail Merchant Services (bespoke contracts). This could be an issue if you want to leave Worldpay, because you’ll need to pay out your existing contract. However, if you don’t want to commit for that long, you can opt for Worldpay’s pay-as-you-go contract, giving you more flexibility.

Worldpay’s key features explained

Let’s take a look at Worldpay’s best features in more detail.

Payments

Worldpay scored a perfect 5/5 in our Taking Payments research, transferring funds in as little as 30 minutes, as part of the Worldpay Dynamic Payout Same-Day Funding feature. This is one of Worldpay’s best features, ideal for fast-paced businesses that need quick access to funds. This is faster than Retail Merchant Services, which takes three to five business days to transfer funds.

Meanwhile, Worldpay accepts over 120 currencies, which is perfect for businesses trading in different territories. And in terms of payment options for your business, Worldpay offers three products:

• Card machines: You can choose between fixed, portable and mobile card machines, depending on the type of business you run.
• Payment gateways: Worldpay offers three different payment gateway packages, with different features for online payments available with each.
• Virtual terminal: Worldpay also offers a virtual terminal that enables you to take payments over the phone.

Integrations and reporting

All customers now have access to Worldpay Dashboard Lite, which provides reports on card sales, invoices, and settlements. Previously, in our last update in January 2023, it was £4.99 per month to access this feature. To make invoicing even easier, you can integrate your Worldpay account with accounting software, such as QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting, or you can install the recently added integration, Invoice Payments by Bolt, to help you send personalised invoices quickly and easily.

When it comes to integrations, Worldpay is the best there is, offering over 100 across 26 categories.

Security

Worldpay offers PCI compliance via SaferPayments, costing an additional £29.99 per year. Also, Worldpay will cover loss of funds arising from third-party fraud on guaranteed transactions, under the Worldpay Merchant Guarantee Service. It also provides credit checks to give you added peace of mind.

Ease of use

In our research, Worldpay gained the third-best Customer Score, 3.8/5, which looks at the provider’s online customer reviews. This shows that Worldpay customers find the software relatively easy to use. In terms of connectivity, Worldpay’s mobile card machine comes with a SIM card that connects with EE, 02, and Vodafone networks. You can also use wifi as a backup connection. Worldpay’s portable card machine runs on wifi only.

Help and support

Worldpay offers the most comprehensive customer support of any provider we tested, scoring 5/5 in this research category. It offers a knowledge centre, and support via phone, email support, and live chat. It’s also the only provider to offer 24/7 phone support.

What kind of business is Worldpay best for?

Worldpay is best for SMEs looking to grow quickly, offering all the features you’d need to take high-volumes of payments and scale across different countries. For example, Worldpay transfers funds within 30 minutes, supports over 120 currencies, and has price plans from just £19 per month.

Worldpay is also the best merchant account provider for integrations, which gives your business the flexibility to streamline its workflows across 26 categories, including accountancy, finance, security, and more. Meanwhile, Worldpay offers comprehensive customer support, scoring 5/5, which is ideal for helping your business scale with minimum downtime.

If you’re a small business looking to grow, have a look at our best credit card readers for small businesses.

If you’d like to know more about Barclaycard, have a look at our review of the Barclaycard card machine.

Does Worldpay have good customer reviews?

Overall, customers are impressed by Worldpay’s customer service, often describing a seamless experience that makes processing payments that much easier.  However, some customers mention a lack of intuitiveness on the Worldpay website…

Our methodology

At Expert Market, our independent team of researchers takes a deep dive into all the topics we write about. They find the best providers or services on the market, rigorously test them first-hand, then collaborate with our team of writers, allowing us to create research-backed articles about the best merchant account providers.

For this article, our researchers tested five different merchant accounts and compared them in specific areas, rating them out of 5 in these categories:

• Pricing – its transaction fees and hardware costs
• Features – its range of core features, from invoicing to integrations
• Taking Payments  – its range of tools designed for handling transactions
• Customer Support – the available customer support options
• Customer Score – aggregate of consumer scores on sites like G2 and Trustpilot

The top digital marketing company in the US is Jives Media, offering a wide mix of digital marketing services with proven success. It’s followed by WebFX and Ignite Visibility, each impressing us in their respective markets (SMBs and larger business, respectively).

With rising inflation, it’s more important than ever to win new business. Digital marketing can increase traffic to your website, leading to more inquiries and new clients.

Using our research and expertise, we found and reviewed the top digital marketing agencies in the US for you below.

Short on time? No problem. Use our 🎁free marketing callback to find the best agency for your needs, saving you time and money. If you don’t have the time or resources to manage a digital marketing strategy, you’ll need ongoing, expert help.

Read on to find out which of the best digital marketing agencies can help grow your business.

Choose an answer above to get connected with a marketing expert and grow your new business leads.

1. Jives Media

Best all-around digital marketing agency

2. WebFX

Best for small-to-medium businesses

3. Ignite Visibility

Best for mid-to-enterprise businesses

4. Rise Interactive

Best for ecommerce brands

5. Disruptive Advertising

Best for big PPC marketing campaigns

6. Siege Media

Best for SEO-focused content marketing

7. Hibu

Best for tracking performance

8. Nowsourcing

Best for videos and infographics

9. Straight North

Best for display advertising

10. 97th Floor

Best for campaign data analytics

What will the best digital marketing agencies do for your business?

Digital marketing companies specialize in knowing the latest marketing trends, leveraging tools and strategies to help your business beat the competition. Using their expertise, they can increase your brand’s visibility online, helping you get new customers, increase sales, and drive traffic to your website while you focus on other areas of your business. Basically, these companies will help you grow your business in the most efficient ways they see possible.

This is what the top digital marketing companies will do for your business:

• Identify your best opportunities – they’ll ask about your business and target audience, identifying the tools and channels that will provide the best ROI (return on investment).
• Create and implement a bespoke strategy – they’ll create and share unique content, and run campaigns to help your brand stand out and get sales.
• Track campaign progress – with regular reports, you’ll always know exactly how your campaigns are performing.
• Evaluate results – by evaluating campaign results, agencies can identify the which strategies or channels are getting the most revenue for your business.
• Generate sales, leads, and traffic – whether it’s to get new customers or drive traffic to your website, the whole point of digital marketing agencies is to smash your goals through marketing strategies.

The agency’s creative license is up to you. They can either handle one or two channels, such as your social media and email accounts, or they can implement bespoke strategies across multiple channels, from SEO and PPC to social media management and video creation. Just think of digital marketing agencies as an extension of your marketing team.

Still wondering whether digital marketing is worth the investment? Email marketing return on investment (ROI) averages $36 for every dollar spent, according to email marketing agency Litmus.

Statistics are less clear on PPC (pay per click) advertising methods such as Google Search Ads. But there’s a reason certain keyword phrases can reach hundreds of dollars in value. Bidding on paid ad placements is often a core pillar of corporate marketing strategy.

How to choose a digital marketing agency for your business

When choosing the best digital marketing agency for your business, you should look out for the following:

• Competitive pricing – most agencies hide their pricing online, but our 🎁free quote request tool will help get you an accurate quote.
• Success stories from clients – check the agency’s website and search for case studies that prove the agency’s skills and credibility.
• Industry awards – check for awards from prestigious events that prove the company’s track record.
• Specialisms in certain channels – think about your specific industry and find an agency with experience working with similar clients.
• Marketing services – find out which services the agency offers. Does the agency advertise on the channels you need, such as SEO and PPC?
• Customer service – research online and look for reviews or comments discussing positive communication with their clients

As well as these considerations, you should also ask these questions during your consultation with the agency:

1. “Can you show me some previous campaign examples?” – this should give you an idea whether the agency has the experience to help your business.
2. “How long have you been in business?” – the marketing industry is competitive and always changing, so if the agency has been around a while, it’s a sign they’re doing something right.
3. “Why should I choose you rather than your cheaper competitor?” – find out what makes the agency stand out from their competition. This is where it your research will come in handy. If you’re hearing the same services offered at the same quality for less money elsewhere, than ask why that is.

AddPeople is a digital marketing agency based in Manchester, helping small-to-medium-sized companies across the UK grow with budget-friendly campaigns. With over 4,000 clients across 100+ industries, it has the team and experience to help modern businesses thrive online – but is it right for you? Keep reading to find out.

Short on time? No problem. Get a free quote from trusted digital marketing agencies with our free comparison tool. Simply answer a few questions, and we’ll match you with our short-listed agencies who’ll contact you with tailored quotes in a matter of minutes. It couldn’t be easier.

Alternatively, keep reading this Add People review to learn more about the agency’s pricing, pros and cons, and digital marketing products, helping you decide whether it’s the best agency for your small business.

How much does Add People cost?

Add People charges clients on a quote-by-quote basis, meaning you only pay for what you need. The price you pay depends on the number of channels that Add People advertises on, such as Facebook, Twitter or Amazon, and the type of marketing models the agency uses, such as PPC or SEO marketing.

To calculate your bespoke price, Add People will ask about your business and decide which channels and marketing models will bring the most ROAS (return of ad spend) for your business. They’re the experts, but the overall choice of what they do is up to you.

Remember, the easiest way to get a clear price is with our free cost-finding tool. Answer a few questions about your business, then we’ll match you with trusted, short-listed agencies who’ll contact you with free, no-obligation quotes in a matter of minutes. It’s quick, easy, and free to use.

The pros and cons of Add People

Pro: Suitable for SMEs across all industries

Add People has worked with over 4,000 SME clients from over 100 industries, proving its ability to help any type of business. Whether you run a bakery or basketball shop, Add People should have the right experience to create a cost-effective digital marketing campaign that helps your business grow.

Pro: Offers lots of digital marketing products, including Amazon advertising

Unlike most agencies in the UK, Add People offers Amazon-specific marketing. This involves promoting your brand to Amazon’s 35 million monthly users, getting your products seen by Amazon customers who are ready-to-buy, increasing the likelihood of sales.

Add People uses PPC marketing to get your products appearing on the first page of Amazon results. If Add People gets your campaign right, your products could be found right next to the industry’s biggest names.

Pro: Google Premier Partner

As a Google Premier Partner, Add People has proven itself as one of the top digital marketing agencies in the UK, meeting Google’s Partner requirements. Those requirements include: having at least 50 account strategists – with at least 50% of them demonstrating proficiency in Google Ads, and managing at least $10,000 USD in ad spend in the past 90 days. In short, they know what they’re doing.

Con: Doesn’t offer TikTok advertising

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media channels, meaning you could be missing out on potential customers there. However, Add People offers advertising services across the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, which should be enough for most SMEs.

Con: Some online reviews mention poor customer service

Despite Add People’s impressive track record in helping clients grow online, there are some online reviews that mention poor customer service. This is something to consider if you value quick and clear communication with your agency.

Add People’s key features explained

Here we discuss Add People’s digital marketing products in more detail…

PPC (pay-per-click)

PPC is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your brand. Why? because you only pay for the clicks you get on your ads. Earning partnerships with Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon, Add People has a proven track record in PPC campaigns.

Using a bespoke PPC strategy, Add People can promote your business on Google, YouTube, Amazon marketplace, and specific websites that your audience typically visits. If you already use PPC, you’ll also benefit from a PPC audit to help you boost revenue, which is a nice touch.

Ecommerce advertising

This marketing product is designed for SME ecommerce brands. Add People provides a dedicated account manager who creates a bespoke, product-focused campaign, promoting your items to people on Google and Amazon. The focus here is on your products, not your brand per se.

Add People can also tweak your website or online store to help you get more conversions, with its CRO (conversion rate optimisation) team. If you’re getting lots of website traffic, but few sales, this is what you need.

SEO (search engine optimisation)

SEO is vital for small businesses, helping your brand and products get seen by search engine users. Google and Bing use algorithms to show websites that they view as relevant, trustworthy, and authoritative, and Add People can create a bespoke SEO campaign to help your brand outrank the competition and get more clicks.

If you already use SEO, Add People offers an SEO audit – and actionable advice – to help you get even better results.

Social media marketing

Advertising on social media is one of the most effective ways to promote your brand, exposing your business to millions of people around the world. Thankfully, Add People ticks this box.

The agency can create a bespoke campaign for your brand on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more, depending on which platform your audience uses most. If Add People does this correctly, it should help increase brand awareness and boost revenue. In today’s social media age, this type of marketing is essential for SMEs that want to keep ahead of the competition.

What kind of business is Add People best for?

We’d recommend Add People for SMEs across all industries, but is it right for your specific company? Read on below to see why it suits different types of businesses…

Small-to-medium-sized businesses

Its most relevant products for SMEs include its local SEO package, designed to help build brand awareness in your local area and increase traffic to your website. Also, its social media advertising product can expose your brand to millions of monthly users, bringing more traffic and revenue to your site or online store.

Ecommerce brands

Add People offers Amazon-specific advertising, ideal for small ecommerce brands that want to start selling high-volumes of products. This type of advertising exposes your products to millions of people browsing Amazon who are ready-to-buy, boosting visibility of your products and, hopefully, increasing the likelihood of making a sale.

B2B (business-to-business) brands

Add People offers LinkedIn advertising, which is essential for B2B brands. LinkedIn’s business-focussed audience makes it the ideal platform to advertise your B2B services or products because LinkedIn users are more likely to be interested in your business-related products than generic website users would be.

B2C (business-to-consumer) brands

For B2C brands to succeed, they need to advertise on social media, search engines, and online marketplaces. This is something Add People does well. The agency can use SEO and/or PPC to promote your customer-focussed brand on platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Add People can also use display advertising to market your brand on specific websites that your audience typically visits.

Price

Like Add People, most digital marketing agencies charge on a bespoke quote basis, which makes it hard to compare pricing. After all, the overall cost of digital marketing depends specifically on what you need. Given that Add People focuses on helping small businesses, you can assume it offers more affordable quotes than global agencies targeted at larger companies, such as Loud Mouth Media.

Features

When it comes to matching the best digital marketing agencies, Add People does impress. Like most agencies, including Loud Mouth Media and Pearl Lemon, Add People offers PPC, SEO, Ecommerce marketing, and social media advertising. However, unlike video production agencies, such as Casual, Add People doesn’t offer TikTok advertising or video creation.

Add People has generally positive customer reviews, scoring an ‘Excellent’ score on Trustpilot from over 1,440 reviews. Specifically, reviews mention the quality of Add people’s dedicated account managers, and Google Ads expertise. However, some reviews mention poor customer service…

The best digital marketing agency in the UK is Loud Mouth Media. As a multi-award-winning agency and Google Premier Partner for 2022, it’s ranked within the UK’s top 3% of agencies. But that’s just one agency on our list.

According to our research, the top three digital marketing companies in the UK are:

1. Loud Mouth Media – best for fully-managed digital marketing services
2. Pearl Lemon – best for SMEs looking for strong SEO
3. Novi Digital – best for PPC

With so many agencies across the UK, choosing the best one for your business can feel daunting. But that’s where our free comparison tool can help. Simply answer a few questions, and we’ll match you with our trusted, short-listed agencies who’ll contact you with tailored quotes in a matter of minutes – it couldn’t be easier.

Digital marketing is more important than ever, especially for small businesses looking to keep up with the competition, helping your business reach new customers and boost sales. However, if you don’t have the time or skills, it can be difficult to get right – or to get done at all. That’s why it’s a good idea to find digital marketing experts to handle everything for you while you focus on other areas of your business.

If you’d like to read more about the best digital marketing agencies in the UK, read on.

Loud Mouth Media

Best for fully-managed digital marketing services

Pearl Lemon

Best for SMEs looking for strong SEO

Novi Digital

Best for PPC, especially for B2B businesses

Casual

Best for video marketing services

Spin Brands

Best for social media management

Yodel Mobile

Best for mobile and app marketing

Yell Digital

Best for advertising on Yell’s large directory

Add People

Best for budget-friendly campaigns

What will the best digital marketing agencies do for your business?

Digital marketing can help you:

• get new customers,
• build your brand,
• and increase traffic to your website.

But only when it’s done correctly.

The best digital marketing agencies can help you achieve that success while you focus on other areas of your business, which is why it’s a good idea to compare quotes from agencies that come recommended. To get started, use our free comparison tool to find the perfect agency for your specific needs.

The best agencies will create a bespoke strategy to suit your specific audience, advertising on the most suitable channels, such SEO, PPC or social media (or multiple channels combined), helping you get customers and boost sales. Nowadays, with customers online more than ever, you can’t afford to go without digital marketing if you want to keep up with the competition.

Is it worth the investment? Absolutely. Email marketing has an ROI (return of investment) of 4,200%, which means for every £1 you spend, you’ll return £42. And for every £1 a business spends on Google Ads (PPC marketing), they’re guaranteed to double their investment according to Main Street ROI.

How to choose a digital marketing agency for your business

When choosing the best digital marketing agency for your business, you should look out for the following…

• Competitive pricing – this can be hard to find online, but our cost comparison tool can help
• Success stories from clients – positive case studies can prove the agency’s skills
• Industry awards – the more awards, the better the agency
• Specialisms in certain channels – find an agency that’s tailored to your industry
• Services – does the agency advertise on the channels you need, such as SEO and PPC?
• Customer service – look for signs of positive communication with their clients using online review sites like Trustpilot or Capterra

As well as these considerations, you should also ask to see previous campaign examples, and ask how long their clients typically stay with them. Agencies with long-term clients are clearly good to work with.