If you want the short answer, the best VoIP service for small business depends on what kind of calling your company actually does.
Best all-around pick: Nextiva
Best for traditional office-style teams: Ooma Office
Best for Google Workspace users: Google Voice
Best for startup-style collaboration: OpenPhone
Best for international browser-based calling: BubblyPhone
That last category is where many ranking pages get too generic. A lot of them treat every small business like it wants the same all-in-one phone suite. In reality, some teams mostly need domestic office telephony, while others mainly need a lightweight way to place international calls from a browser. If that second use case sounds closer to your team, our Cheapest Way to Make International Calls guide and Best International Calling App guide are the right supporting reads.
Comparison snapshot
Nextiva
Best for growing teams that want voice, messaging, meetings, and routing in one place.
Nextiva currently lists its Core plan at $15 per user per month when billed annually. That includes inbound and outbound voice, business SMS, video meetings, screen and file sharing, call routing, team chat, and a mobile app.
Best for small offices that want a familiar business phone setup.
Ooma currently lists Essentials at $19.95 per user per month, Pro at $24.95, and Pro Plus at $29.95. It is a strong fit for businesses that want a receptionist-style office system without too much complexity.
Google Voice
Best for teams already living inside Google Workspace.
Google currently lists Starter at $10 per user per month, Standard at $20, and Premier at $30. It is attractive because of the low entry price and simple Google-native setup.
OpenPhone
Best for startups and app-first teams.
OpenPhone currently lists Starter at $15 per user per month billed annually, Business at $23, and Scale at $35. It is a better collaboration tool than a classic office phone system.
BubblyPhone
Best for small businesses that care most about international calling and browser-based access.
BubblyPhone fits better when the company wants flexible outbound calling, transparent international pricing, and a lighter setup instead of a full per-seat business phone suite. It uses a credit-based top-up model instead of a fixed monthly subscription: teams add balance when they need it, pay for usage, and their credits never expire.
Use-case breakdown
Best for a standard small office
If your business wants a normal cloud-phone replacement for a local office, Ooma Office is one of the easiest choices.
It works well for:
front-desk call handling
local service businesses
teams that still think in extensions, business hours, and receptionist menus
Best for a growing team
If you want one platform for voice, messaging, meetings, and routing, Nextiva is the strongest all-around fit in this group.
It works well for:
teams that are adding employees
companies that want a single communications stack
businesses that expect to need more structure over time
Best for Google-heavy teams
If your business already uses Google Workspace for everything else, Google Voice is the cleanest low-friction add-on.
It works well for:
very small teams
businesses that want simple admin
companies that do not need a heavy phone system
Best for startup-style teams
If your company likes shared numbers, modern apps, and a collaborative inbox feel, OpenPhone is usually the better fit.
It works well for:
startups
agencies
founder-led businesses
teams sharing one business number across multiple people
Best for international calling and browser-based outbound
This is where BubblyPhone has the clearest advantage.
Many mainstream VoIP comparisons are optimized around unlimited domestic calling and classic office telephony. They are weaker when the real question is:
how do we call clients or suppliers abroad?
how do we call from a browser without a heavy rollout?
how do we avoid paying full seat pricing when international outbound is the real need?
That is why BubblyPhone belongs in this comparison even though it solves a more specific problem than traditional SMB phone suites. It is especially compelling for businesses with uneven call volume, because you can top up more in a busy month, keep unused credit for later, and avoid paying the same seat subscription during quieter months. For route-level savings examples, see 12 Cheapest International Calling Services and How to Avoid International Roaming Charges.
Cost comparison
Nextiva
Starts at $15 per user per month annually for Core. This is strong value if you want bundled SMB communications.
Ooma Office
Starts at $19.95 per user per month. This is a reasonable price for a conventional business phone setup.
Google Voice
Starts at $10 per user per month. It has the lowest entry price among the mainstream suites in this article.
OpenPhone
Starts at $15 per user per month annually. It is affordable for small teams that value collaboration and simplicity.
BubblyPhone
BubblyPhone is strongest when your business does not need a full internal phone suite. It uses a credit-based system: you top up when needed, calling charges come out of that balance, and the credits never expire. If your company mainly needs international outbound calling, that model can be more efficient than paying a fixed monthly seat fee for everyone regardless of how much they actually call.
Pros and cons
Nextiva
Pros
Broad SMB feature set
Good long-term growth fit
Voice, SMS, meetings, and routing together
Cons
More platform than tiny teams may need
Gets more expensive as needs grow
Ooma Office
Pros
Familiar office-phone feel
Easy setup
Good receptionist and extension style features
Cons
Less differentiated for international calling
Better for conventional offices than browser-first teams
Google Voice
Pros
Lowest mainstream entry price here
Great for Google Workspace users
Easy cross-device access
Cons
Lighter feature set than stronger SMB platforms
Not the cleanest fit for every international calling workflow
OpenPhone
Pros
Modern and collaborative
Good fit for small startup teams
Shared number workflow is useful
Cons
Less suited to classic office call flows
International calling is not the core reason to buy it
BubblyPhone
Pros
Strong fit for international calling
Browser-based access
Better for small teams that do not want a big phone stack
More efficient when international outbound is the main job to be done
Cons
Not meant to replace every enterprise PBX feature
Best as a focused solution, not a one-size-fits-all suite
Best for personal use
For freelancers, solo founders, and one-person businesses, the best option is usually Google Voice or OpenPhone.
Choose Google Voice if you already use Google Workspace and want the cheapest mainstream setup.
Choose OpenPhone if you want a more modern business-number workflow.
Choose BubblyPhone if your real problem is international browser-based calling rather than a full office phone system.
Best for business use
For the broadest mainstream small-business answer, Nextiva is the best overall pick.
It is the safest recommendation when a company wants a real SMB communications platform and expects to grow into it.
Best browser-based option
The best browser-based option in this comparison is BubblyPhone.
That is because it solves a specific small-business problem better than the traditional rankings do: fast, simple international calling without requiring every company to buy a full domestic office-phone suite. The credit-based top-up model is a big part of that fit, because businesses with lumpy month-to-month call demand are not locked into the same subscription cost every month. If you want a broader overview of browser and app-based options, start with the Best International Calling App guide.
Where BubblyPhone fits
BubblyPhone is the best fit when your business needs:
international outbound calling
browser-based access
lightweight setup for a distributed team
credit-based top-ups with non-expiring balance
a practical way to call customers or suppliers abroad without PBX complexity
That makes it especially relevant for:
agencies with overseas clients
import and export businesses
solo consultants
family businesses managing supplier calls abroad
remote teams that mostly need outbound calling, not a giant internal phone system
What is the best VoIP service for small business overall?
For the safest mainstream recommendation, Nextiva is one of the strongest overall choices because it combines calling, messaging, meetings, and routing in a way that scales well for SMBs.
What is the cheapest VoIP service for small business?
Among the mainstream suite options here, Google Voice has the lowest published entry price at $10 per user per month.
What is best for a very small team?
For solo founders and very small teams, Google Voice and OpenPhone are often easier to justify than a full office-phone suite.
What is best if my business makes international calls?
That is where BubblyPhone stands out. Most traditional SMB VoIP tools are stronger at domestic office telephony than browser-based international calling.
Is Ooma better than Google Voice for a small business?
Usually yes if you want a more traditional business phone system with receptionist-style features. Google Voice is better when simplicity and Google Workspace alignment matter more.
Is OpenPhone a real small-business VoIP option?
Yes. It is just optimized for a more modern, collaborative, app-first workflow than older office-phone providers.
Do small businesses always need a full VoIP suite?
No. If your company mainly needs targeted outbound calling, especially internationally, a lighter browser-based option can be the better fit.
Final take
The best VoIP service for small business depends on the kind of business you run.
If you want the safest mainstream answer, choose Nextiva.
If you want a simple traditional office option, choose Ooma Office.
If you want the cheapest mainstream entry point, choose Google Voice.
If you want a startup-style shared-number workflow, choose OpenPhone.
If you want the strongest fit for international calling and browser-based outbound, choose BubblyPhone. Its credit-based top-up model is especially useful when your team has inconsistent monthly call volume and does not want to waste money on fixed subscriptions.
That is the angle most SERP roundups still miss. They rank software categories. Small businesses need someone to rank the actual use cases.
