Our research shows that RingCentral provides the best softphone app for businesses because it offers superior customer support and high scalability. It also integrates easily with a number of the most popular software solutions that your business may already be using.

Other worthy picks include 8×8, for its unbeatable security and large features catalog; and Vonage, which is best for training employees and for its inbound call features.

Whether you're looking for the cheapest VoIP phone service or something more substantial, there are tons of great softphones available thanks to the rise of hybrid work, but not all of them will be a good fit for your business. However, you can use our free comparison tool to find out which ones are. All you have to do is answer a few questions about the size of your business and the features you need most – which takes less than a minute. On this page, we list our top picks.

What Is a Softphone App?

A softphone is a software-based VoIP phone that lets you make and receive calls over the internet, instead of using a traditional physical landline phone. You can use a softphone app on your smartphone or a desktop computer. Softphones are a great fit for any business that offers customer service, sales, or support. Benefits include lower costs, increased features, and more flexibility because staff can place calls from any device loaded with the app.

Softphones are easy to use with handsets and headsets, and no extra hardware is required. Softphones can also be bundled with communication software that will allow a workforce to handle phone calls, video meetings, and more from the same interface. Prices vary, but typical costs range between $10 and $30 per user, per month.

Best Softphone Apps

If you already use one of the best business VoIP providers, you'll probably have a softphone app included with your service package. If, for example, you’re already signed up with RingCentral, it would make sense to stick with its app because it will offer optimal integration with your existing phone system.

Alongside these provider softphone platforms, we’ve also listed several other standalone apps that can be used regardless of which VoIP service you use. We're confident that you’ll find the right solution for your requirements – whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, head of a sales team, or part of a large enterprise. Here are Tech.co's top picks:

1. RingCentral Office – best overall softphone app for businesses
2. 8×8 Softphone App – best for streamlining communications
3. Zoom – best value for money
4. Vonage – best for training features
5. Counterpath Bria Teams – best for team collaboration
6. Zoiper 5 PRO – best for security
7. GoToConnect – best for managing large volumes of calls
8. Line2 – best starter phone 
9. 3CX Softphone – best for Windows users

After collating dozens of hours of research, we put together this article to highlight the best softphone apps for businesses. We've checked which options are best for features like cost, customizability, and security. However, we'd advise getting a free quote tailored to your business (it takes less than a minute!) so you know exactly how much you'll be paying.

The RingCentral softphone application is the best choice for most businesses because it offers the best customer support; the ability to support a rapidly scaling operation; and has strong external connectivity, ensuring it will work alongside your existing software and infrastructure. Of the 12 softphone app providers we tested, it performed the best and received an overall score of 4.7/5.

RingCentral has a vast range of CRM integrations that will let you streamline your calls, and ensure all your data and information is being pulled through to the right places. RingCentral offers more than 96 CRM integrations including Zoho CRM, ServiceNow, and SugarCRM, and syncs seamlessly with helpdesk options like Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, and Freshdesk.

RingCentral's softphone app operates on web, desktop, or mobile (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android). It also provides a seamless, high-quality experience, whether you need it for video or audio call softphone functionality. The app is free, but you'll need to sign up to RingCentral Office to use it.

RingCentral's user interface when making a call. Image: RingCentral

The app is bound to improve your team's communication and collaboration, and is worthy of the top spot on this list. With a 4.5-star average customer rating across the App Store and the Google Play Store, it seems most users would agree with us.

RingCentral lets you switch devices during a call, as well as access files and add guest users – all of which are super useful and make the overall call experience smoother. There are voicemail-to-text and voicemail-to-email options, and you can even listen to your voicemails inside your web browser.

Find out if this is the right provider for your business by using our free comparison tool, which will match you to a softphone app based on your answers to a few quick questions about your business. Or, take a look at the different RingCentral pricing plans for yourself:

RingCentral Office pricing

RingCentral Office is available in three plans: Core, Advanced, and Ultra. The prices discussed below are based on two to 20 users when paid annually.

The Core plan starts at $20 per user, per month for up to 20 lines. If you need more than this – on any RingCentral plan – you'll have to contact sales and get matched to a plan/price. The Core plan includes unlimited calls within the US/CA, voicemail-to-text transcription, messaging, and document sharing. Use business SMS messaging sparingly, though: you'll be restricted to 25 per user per month. Due to the plan's line limit and lack of analytic options, it's ideal for small businesses running relatively simple operations.

The Advanced plan costs $25 per user, per month and adds plenty of useful features including call queues, ring groups, call barge and whisper, call monitoring, analytics, and a selection of integrations for CRM, helpdesk, web conferencing, and both external and internal live chat. Business SMS is 100 per user per month. This plan is best suited to small to midsize businesses that are looking to expand, but may be too basic for enterprise-level businesses with large quantities of data.

The top tier plan, Ultimate, is $35 per user, per month and will grant you access to RingCentral's business analytics platform, plus unlimited storage, device-level analytics and alerts, and other advanced features and reporting functions enterprises need, such as end-to-end encryption for video meetings. Business SMS is 200 per user per month. Due to this tier's extensive feature offering, it's a great fit for companies that require advanced calling and growth tools like customer service businesses.

RingCentral Office features

• Virtual Receptionist
• Call Queues
• Call Monitoring
• Video Conferencing
• Team Messaging
• 90+ CRM Integrations

RingCentral competes with the best video conferencing platforms on the market.

What's new for RingCentral?

January 2024: You can now open conversations in individual windows, which means you can message multiple people concurrently. You can also move the windows around and resize them so you can see them both at the same time. 

8×8 team messenger and web conferencing features make it easy for teams to communicate from afar. The provider even lets users share files seamlessly through chat messages with its document-sharing feature – a capability that leading providers like Zoom and DialPad are currently missing.

8×8 is particularly good for managing high volumes of inbound calls thanks to features like a virtual receptionist, a call queue function, and the ability to create ring groups. The call queue is particularly important because it'll all you to keep inbound callers on hold even when an agent isn't available.

The provider is ideal for growing businesses that need to upskill staff quickly, too. From call recording and monitoring, 8×8 offers several training features, and its customer support service – which earned a perfect 5/5 score in our research – provides a lifeline to users getting to grips with the service too. 

8×8 isn’t perfect though. The provider’s entry price is higher than our RingCentral, making it slightly less appropriate for businesses looking for a budget softphone app. 

The 8×8 interface when used on mobile. Image: 8×8

8×8 Work works on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. However, this is not a standalone softphone and is only available to those with a paid 8×8 X Series subscription or a free 8×8 Express trial.

8×8 pricing

8×8 offers five different pricing plans: the X2, X4, X6, X7, and X8.

The X2 plan costs $24 per user per month and includes features like voicemail transcription, single sign-on, and call activity analytics, unlimited calling in 14 countries, and unlimited calling within the US and Canada. International calls come at a premium, however, making it ill-suited to businesses regularly making calls overseas.

The X4 plan is $44 per user, per month. It offers robust analytics along with unlimited calls to 48 countries, and includes even more communication features than the X2 plan such as call barge and call whisper. X4 is a great fit for most global businesses, but those in need of enhanced growth features will be better off upgrading to a pricier tier.

8×8's Contact Center plans – the X6, X7 and X8 – incrementally increase access to additional business features. The X6 plan ($85 per user, per month) lets you access call activity analytics, supervisor analytics, contact center reporting and analytics, and single sign-on. The X7 ($110 per user, per month) adds omnichannel routing of voice, chat, emails, SMS, social media, and messaging applications. The X8 plan ($140 per user, per month) includes features like an auto dialer, quality management, and speech analytics.

These comprehensive packages are designed for businesses that lean heavily on VoIP systems like call centers but will exceed the budgets of most small firms with mid-range VoIP needs.

8×8 features

• Auto attendant
• Call Transcription
• Visual voicemail
• Intelligent Call routing
• Ring Groups
• Video Conferencing
• Team messaging

Read more about the softphone in our full 8×8 pricing and features guide.

What's new for 8×8?

January 2024: You'll now be able to have interactions with customers with the 8×8 integration for CRM platforms Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.

Zoom has been adding to its business offerings over the past few years, and Zoom Phone represents an excellent VoIP option with a solid softphone app. In our research, Zoom Phone ranked highly across most categories, netting an overall score of 4.4/5, taking the third sport in our ranking.

In fact, Zoom Phone was considered the best value option in our VoIP research with a 5/5 value for money score, which is saying something considering the competition. In addition to a low starting price, all of its plans offer an array of inbound communication features, including voicemail-to-text, ring groups, call queues, and spam prevention. This makes Zoom one of the most cost-effective solutions for efficiently managing inbound calls – these features will ensure that your communication workflow is well-organized and running smoothly.

As for the actual app, Zoom is notorious for its easy-to-use interfaces. With high ratings across the App Store and the Play Store, there's a good reason why Zoom is near the top of this list. However, for all of Zoom's perks, its security profile lags far behind its competition, missing out key features like multi-factor authentication, user permissions, and strict password rules. Zoom doesn't offer any onboarding support either, which may be a drawback for users getting started with the software for the first time.

Zoom pricing

Zoom Phone has three pricing plans: the Metered, Unlimited, and Global Select. Metered, costs $10 per user, per month, and includes unlimited metered domestic and international calls, multiple device access, and domestic SMS services. This pay-as-you-go package is ideal for solo intruders and small businesses making the occasional international call. However, as its name suggests Zoom Metered charges extra for outbound calls so don't be fooled by its low monthly cost.

the Unlimited plan, costs $15 per user, per month, and contains everything in Zoom's Metered package with unlimited regional calling and the option for users to pay extra for unlimited calling to 19 countries, rather than charging them for each outbound call. This makes the plan best suited to businesses making large numbers of global calls.

Finally, Zoom's Pro Global Select plan, costs $20 per user, per month, and includes everything in Zoom Unlimited with Unlimited Regional Calling in one of the 48 Countries and Territories, with additional direct dial number features.

You may have noticed that Zoom Phone is one of the cheapest on this list. In fact, it's easily the best value, undercutting many providers on price while still providing a lot of features. Counterpath Bria Teams is the only noteworthy softphone app that's more affordable, and it doesn't have nearly as many features. Simply put, if value for money is important to you, Zoom Phone is a no-brainer.

Zoom features

• Spam Prevention
• Virtual Receptionist
• Call recording
• Holiday and business hours routing
• Ring Groups
• Call Whisper
• Integrates with Salesforce, Slack, Microsoft, and Google

What's new for Zoom Phone?

January 2024, Microsoft Teams users can now add Zoom Phone numbers to the platform, and those using the Zoom Phone and Microsoft Teams integration can also remain logged into the app for a week, even if their device is shut down.

December 2023: Zoom says in its December release notes that now, “account owners and administrators can include phone numbers in Microsoft Teams Call queues, Auto Receptionists, and Common Areas devices”.

Our testers also found Vonage to be the best software for onboarding new employees, and it stands out more generally for staff training features thanks to well-crafted tools for handling inbound calls, from call transcripts to call recording. This excellent selection helped Vonage to a 4.4/5 score for overall features, the third highest out of the 12 VoIP providers we tested.

Retailers will find Vonage useful: upskilling employees is important for retail businesses, which often have lower-skilled workforces, some of which will be young or working part-time. Plus, retail teams deal with a higher-than-average number of inbound calls when compared to other industries, so Vonage's wealth of features for dealing with incoming customer calls will be incredibly useful.

Vonage is another good candidate for switchers, since it allows a fast-scaling business to thrive once it has outgrown its previous softphone provider.

Vonage pricing

Vonage offers three plans: Mobile, for $13.99 per user per month; Premium, for $20.99 per user per month; and Advanced, for $27.99 per user per month. All plans mention that “taxes and fees” will be an additional cost.

Mobile includes core functionality like unlimited domestic calls, voicemail, spam prevention, call queue, caller ID, video calls, SMS messaging, transcripts, recording, and analytics. Mobile doesn't include video options or integrations though, making it a poor choice for businesses looking for an all-in-one communication platform.

Premium adds custom greetings, a virtual receptionist, unlimited meetings for up to 100 people, CRM integration, and ring groups, while Advanced adds call recording. Currently Vonage's most popular plan, Premium is a safe option for businesses looking for a versatile inbound and outbound communication tool.

Lastly, Vonage Advanced comes with everything in Premium with additional on-demand call recording, visual voicemail, and call group features, making it ideal for larger businesses with advanced calling needs.

Vonage features:

• Unlimited calls and SMS
• Unlimited team messaging
• CRM integration
• Call recording
• Multi-level auto attendant
• Custom call lists
• Call monitoring

Counterpath Bria Teams is a carrier-grade SIP softphone application for Windows, Mac, and iOS/Android devices. It includes a range of features that are specifically designed for business users, and can be deployed within an enterprise environment.

Counterpath Bria is also the most affordable service on this list – even if you opt for the higher tier plan, which includes web conferencing. Naturally, it's missing some advanced features, but if you're working with a tight budget and want a unified communications platform that eliminates the need to switch between different apps or tools, you can't do much better than Counterpath Bria Teams. With one of those higher-tier plans, you'll be able to consolidate all of your communication channels in one accessible platform.

If the standard offering doesn't quite live up to your initial expectations, this softphone application can also be customized with several add-ons to boost its functionality, such as screen share or contact management.

Counterpath Bria Teams pricing

Counterpath Bria offers a lot of pricing plans, but only two of them are aimed at small businesses. The Counterpath Bria Solo retails at $2.95 per user per month, and offers standard audio and video features and HD audio and video support, with support for up to three devices. This plan is ideal for single users like traveling business people.

The Counterpath Bria Teams plan costs $4.95 per user per month and offers basic business phone functionality and beyond, with team messaging features, and call analytics, making it perfect for businesses looking for an effective, yet simple softphone solution.

If you're looking for the best free softphone, Bria is worth considering: The Bria Solo Free plan costs nothing, and delivers standard audio and video calls for one device.

Counterpath Bria Teams features

• Three devices per user
• Transfer and forward functionality
• Meeting recording
• Cloud admin portal
• Team messaging
• HD team voice & video calls
• Chat rooms

Upgrading to Zoiper 5 PRO enables functionality on Windows or Mac as well as iOS/Android devices, provides military-grade encryption for added security, and grants access to a unified communications functionality.

We must admit, however, that the interface is a bit outdated, especially compared to more modern solutions like Zoom and RingCentral. What's more, there are a limited number of CRM integrations available compared to the top providers on our list, and with no API to connect up CRM platforms Zoiper doesn't integrate with, you'll be much more limited in your quest to pull all your customer data together around the same platform.

These factors will inevitably be turn-offs for businesses after an ultra-streamlined and intuitive platform but from a security standpoint, it's still one of the best free softphones you can buy.

The Zoiper 5 PRO interface. Image: Zoiper

Unique to this list, Zoiper is a one-time purchase, after which you can place free calls between Zoiper users, and benefit from no recurring monthly fees. Zoiper 5 PRO also works with Asterisk, Freeswitch, Cisco CallManager, 3CX, Elastix, and most other modern SIP-based PBXs.

Zoiper 5 PRO pricing

Zoiper offers its service for a one-time fee, giving you access to everything forever without a monthly bill. You can expect to pay $49.95 once for Zoiper 5 PRO. Check out some of Zoiper's softphone feature's below:

Zoiper 5 PRO features

• Click 2 Dial CRM integration
• End-to-end military-grade encryption
• Auto answer
• Advanced audio features

Our researchers found that GoTo sets itself apart because of its great security tools, a high customer satisfaction rating, and a good value in relation to its cost.

Plus, team messaging features and an intuitive app interface make it easy to connect with your team. This means the software is better suited for rapidly expanding teams than most of the others we tested. To compare, Google Voice, our overall top pick, only scores 2.9/5 for scalability.

Another benefit of choosing GoTo Connect is the vast array of integrations it comes with. Salesforce, Slack, Google Workplace, and Windows 365 are all supported, as well as GoTo Meeting and other apps in the GoTo brand family. This makes it a good option for teams that contain remote workers, who will benefit from a communications solution that doesn't require a complex, multi-step setup process and is ready to slot in seamlessly alongside other software tools already in use.

GoTo Connect pricing

GoTo Connect offers two pricing plans: Basic and Standard. The Basic plan costs $27 per user, per month, and offers basic call features like number porting, smart call routing, and call forwarding. Lots of call features like ring groups and customizable dial plans are limited, however, capping its use and making it unsuitable for businesses that require more advanced functions.

The Standard plan is just a small jump from there at $32 per user, per month. This tier lets you make calls to 50+ countries for free, and also offers advanced features like call recording and real-time analytics, making it ideal for mid-sized international organizations.

GoTo Connect features

• Port existing number
• Route incoming calls to multiple phones
• Auto attendants
• Call queue
• Team messaging

What's new for GoTo Connect?

December 2023: GoTo Connect will now let users automate SMS communication to their customers based on aspects of their business workflows.

Line2 represents one of the more affordable options on the list, particularly given everything you get with the plan. Even the higher tier plan is more affordable than half the options on this list, and it offers some serious heft as far as analytics, call quality, and telephone features are concerned. You can even set up a vanity number, if that's something that piques your interest.

As part of the Line2 Pro Plan service, the softphone application provides an ideal solution for mobile workers who want to enjoy the full benefits of a VoIP service when they're away from their desks or are out in the field. However, although Line2 will let you create ring groups and manage a call queue, there aren't many additional inbound communications features available. If you're expecting large volumes of inbound calls from customers, we'd recommend a provider like GoTo Connect or RingCentral.

Line2 pricing

Line2 offers one one-price plan, with a discount for yearly billing. Billed monthly, Line2 costs $15.99 per month, though it costs just $13.75 per month when billed annually. Either way, you'll get access to unlimited SMS and calls within the US and Canada, call blocking, call screening, voicemail transcriptions and recordings, call forwarding, and caller ID.

Line2 features

• Voicemail transcription
• Auto attendant
• Advanced call usage reports
• Vanity numbers
• Team messaging

The pricing is the unique part of 3CX. It's free for the first year, which is obviously attractive, but it's not without its caveats. The functionality is certainly a bit limited when compared with the other available options like RingCentral and 8×8, and the interface leaves a lot to be desired in terms of staying on the modern style. Still, for the price, it's a solid enough option to get you through the day.

3CX Softphone pricing

3CX offers three paid plan options for most businesses: Small Business, starting at $175 per 10 users, per year; Professional, starting at $145 per 10 users, per year; and Enterprise, starting at $180 per ten users, per year.

Once you pass 10 users, these blanket costs increase: The Small Business plan costs $275 per year for between 10 and 20 users (the cap), and the price of the Professional and Enterprise plans increases per extra user.

Small Business offers call queues, voicemail-to-text, team messaging, listen in, call whisper, call barging, and video conferencing for up to 25 participants. As the name implies, the plan is geared towards businesses with smaller teams with fairly basic softphone needs.

The Professional plan adds advanced features that includes integrations for Microsoft 365 and CRM, call recording, hot desking, SMS, and a cap of up to 100 participants on video conference, making it perfect for growing businesses already leveraging Microsoft software. Finally, Enterprise adds custom phone logos, Microsoft Teams, skill-based routing, and start/stop call recording, but its price is determined on a case-by-case basis.

The service also offers a permanent free plan with live chat, team messaging, WhatsApp, video conferencing features and more. For a complimentary plan, it's offering is quite impressive. But if you're a business user that requires slightly more advanced capabilities like desk phone support and call reporting, it will fall short.

3CX Softphone features

• Integrates with Windows 365
• Call recording
• Auto attendant
• Screen sharing

What's new for 3CX?

January 2024: 3CX won itself a fifth consecutive “leader” award from SourceForge, placing them in the top 5% of highly-reviewed products. 

Best Softphone Apps for iPhone and Android

The best softphone app for iPhone and Android is RingCentral because it allows you to access plentiful features, low costs, and a vast number of integrations, no matter what device you use.

Again, RingCentral isn't the only softphone app that works on the iPhone and Android. You might need a different set of features, a lower price point, or some different integrations that one of the other providers on this list. Every single provider on this list has an Android and iPhone app, so there's no need to check on your equipment ahead of time.

Here's a quick look at the interfaces you'll get from RingCentral, 8×8, and Vonage (our top three picks).

You can also view the ratings and reviews on the App Store and the Google Play Store to further verify that the softphone apps are still maintained and functional, and that the features you need are included on the mobile and desktop versions. They're all free to download, so if the VoIP service offers a free plan or free trial, you can use this to test out the mobile app.

Don't forget to compare softphone providers to see how much it will cost your business.

How We Research VoIP Software and Softphone Apps

Tech.co's in-house research team compared all of the top VoIP software providers against each other. To do this, we broke down all of the core categories that matter most to consumers. We settled on seven main areas of investigation:

• Price – What is the overall cost to the business, given the price and the value offered?
• Features – What can the platform do?
• External connections – Does the platform integrate with any existing communication infrastructure?
• Customer support – How does the provider offer assistance should something goes wrong?
• Security – How secure is your data on the platform?
• Scalability – Can the software keep up with a fast-growing company?
• Customer score – How have other users rated the platform?

Once each provider was tested and researched, we gave them a 5-star rating for each area listed above, as well as an overall 5-star rating that factored in all seven research categories. In the end, RingCentral took the lead, with 8×8 and Vonage close behind.

You can also learn more about our in-depth research process to find out how we rate and rank these softphone apps and VoIP providers.

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