Amy Nichol SmithStaff Reviewer
Amy Nichol Smith spent more than 20 years working as a journalist for TV and newspapers before transitioning to software and hardware product reviews for consumers and small businesses. She has been featured in publications such as L.A. Times, Tom's Guide, Investopedia and various newspapers across the U.S.
Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB
With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts breaks down complex topics for small businesses that want to grow and succeed. His work has been featured in outlets such as Keypoint Intelligence, FitSmallBusiness and PCMag.
Amy Nichol Smith,
Amy Nichol SmithStaff Reviewer
Amy Nichol Smith spent more than 20 years working as a journalist for TV and newspapers before transitioning to software and hardware product reviews for consumers and small businesses. She has been featured in publications such as L.A. Times, Tom's Guide, Investopedia and various newspapers across the U.S.
Rob Watts
Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB
With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts breaks down complex topics for small businesses that want to grow and succeed. His work has been featured in outlets such as Keypoint Intelligence, FitSmallBusiness and PCMag.
Staff Reviewer, Managing Editor, SMB
Updated: Apr 26, 2024, 9:45pm
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
There are several voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services available, but many of them come at a high cost per user, per month. For small businesses with a larger staff, the cost may be too high to consider. Enable your team to connect with clients and leads with free VoIP phone services.
The apps work on most smartphones, and some include desktop or browser versions. The free plans won’t set you back a cent if you keep calls and texts to domestic lines only (United States and Canada). Many VoIP services for phones use ads to keep the apps free to use but usually offer a way for you to pay to remove ads or add-ons to make the app more useful (such as for international calls or voicemail).
There aren’t many free VoIP phone service providers out there catering to smartphone users, so we included a couple of video call options that also have free plans. These services are ideal for freelancers, startups and small businesses on tight budgets. As your company grows, you can upgrade to more robust plans with the best VoIP phone features.
Read more
Best Of
- Best VoIP Service
- Best VoIP Cell Phone Service
- Best Conference Calling Services
- Best Call Center Software
- Best Business Cell Phone Plans
Show Summary
- The Best 4 Free VoIP Phone Service Providers of 2024
- 2ndLine
- TextNow
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Forbes Advisor Ratings
- Methodology
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Featured Partners
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1
RingCentral
Pricing from
$20 per user, per month (paid annually)
Toll-free numbers
Yes
Voicemail transcription
Yes
2
Zoom Phone
Pricing from
Starts at $10 per user, per month
Toll-free numbers
Yes
Voicemail Transcription
Yes
3
Nextiva
Pricing From
$18.95 per user, per month
Toll-free numbers
Yes
Voicemail transcription
Yes
The Best 4 Free VoIP Phone Service Providers of 2024
- 2ndLine: Best overall
- TextNow: Best free VoIP phone service to use on any device
- Zoom: Best for sales teams conducting demo calls for leads
- Google Meet: Best for free video calls for small teams
Best Overall Free VoIP Phone Service Provider
2ndLine
4.6
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Paid plan pricing
Upgrades available, but pricing not published
Unlimited calls
Yes
SMS texts
Yes
Upgrades available, but pricing not published
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
One of the best free VoIP phone services uses your smartphone’s internet connection to create a second line for you to use and it’s aptly named 2ndLine. You can download the app for free from the Google Play store—it’s only available for Android smartphones, which is its biggest downside.
The 2ndLine app is available to U.S. and Canadian users, and you can make unlimited calls and texts to those locations. International calls are available at a cost. There’s a premium version and upgrades for 2ndLine to remove ads and get premium services, but pricing isn’t published.
Using a 2ndLine phone number is private—your texts and calls won’t show up on your phone bill because connections are made via your internet connection (whether you’re using Wi-Fi or cellular data). You also get voicemail with 2ndLine in your Conversations page of the app.
Who should use it:
Although 2ndLine will work for anyone, it’s probably best for freelancers and ultrasmall businesses. Use 2ndLine to separate your personal smartphone number from a business line for free. Upgrade for international calls and to remove ads, if needed.
Pros & Cons
- Private phone number
- Upgrades available
- Voicemail included
- Unlimited free texts and calls (U.S. and Canada)
- International comms available at added cost
- For Android only
- Pricing not published
- Lots of bugs reported from users
- Ads after every call on free version
Best Free VoIP Phone Service To Use on Any Device
TextNow
4.5
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Paid plan pricing
99 cents to $39.99 per month
Unlimited calls
Yes
SMS texts
Yes
99 cents to $39.99 per month
Yes
Yes
Editor's Take
TextNow offers two ways to use its mostly free VoIP phone service. Download the app for either iOS or Android phones and use Wi-Fi to make unlimited domestic calls and texts. You can also use an unlocked smartphone with TextNow’s SIM card (an activation kit costs 99 cents) to use its cellular network when you don’t have access to Wi-Fi. As a bonus, you can download a version of the app to use on Windows and Mac computers, or via a browser.
Pay 99 cents per hour of unlimited data, $4.99 for 24 hours of unlimited data or $39.99 for a month of unlimited data (with speeds ranging from 300 MB to 10 GB).
Who should use it:
Whether you use TextNow’s app on your mobile phone or PC, it’s easy to get free unlimited domestic calls and texts for personal or business use.
Pros & Cons
- Unlimited free calls and texts (U.S. and Canada)
- Available for iOS and Android
- Data plans available
- Low-cost activation kits and SIM cards
- Use your phone number or get new free phone number
- Remove ads for monthly fee
- Low international rates
- Free plan uses Wi-Fi only
- Lots of add-on fees
- Voicemail, sending photos and video costs extra
Best for Sales Teams Conducting Demo Calls for Leads
Zoom
4.3
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Paid plan pricing
$120 to $240 per year
Unlimited meetings
Yes
SMS texts
No
On Zoom's Website
$120 to $240 per year
Yes
No
Editor's Take
To start, Zoom is not a free VoIP phone service—strictly speaking, you can only use Zoom for phone calls if you choose the Zoom Phone service for business, which costs $120 to $240 per year, depending on the plan you choose. However, you can use the Zoom app on any device for unlimited individual or group video calls.
On the free plan, you’re able to set up or join any Zoom meeting, but if you’re hosting, you’re limited to 40 minutes per group meeting or 30 hours for one-on-one video calls. Although there’s no SMS text messaging, you can use group and private chat within meetings. You can even record meetings, but you’ll have to save it locally to your device on the free plan.
Who should use it:
Zoom is a great option for businesses that prefer video calls to phone calls to conduct business. It’s a good choice for sales teams that do short demos for leads and for teams that need to meet often.
Read more:
Read our full Zoom review.
Pros & Cons
- Unlimited group or one-on-one video meetings
- Chat available in meetings
- Local recording available
- Available on any device
- No SMS texting
- No dialing into meetings on free plan
- No free phone service
Best for Free Video Calls for Small Teams
Google Meet
4.3
Our ratings are calculated based on fees, rates, rewards and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Paid plan pricing
Starts at $6 per month, billed annually
(included as part of the Google Workspace pricing plan)
Unlimited meetings
Yes
SMS texts
No
Starts at $6 per month, billed annually
(included as part of the Google Workspace pricing plan)
Yes
No
Editor's Take
Google Meet isn’t a free VoIP phone service, but it can serve a similar purpose if you don’t mind using video (of course, you can always turn video off). You can set up an unlimited number of meetings with up to 100 people in a single group meeting. One-on-one meetings can last up to 24 hours, and group meetings have a one-hour duration. Google Meet is available on any device or browser.
What’s missing from Google Meet is similar to Zoom: You cannot accept dial-in callers on the free plan and you can’t save recordings to the cloud. There’s also no way to send SMS text messages, but you can chat within a meeting or use Hangouts to send a message. Google Meet makes it easy to schedule a meeting from your Google calendar, and you can invite external guests to a meeting.
Who should use it:
Small teams that need to collaborate with each other or with clients can make Google Meet work easily for those purposes. It’s 100% free to use and limitations are manageable for most needs.
Pros & Cons
- Unlimited meetings
- 24-hour limit for one-on-one meetings
- One-hour limit for group meetings
- Works on any device or browser
- No SMS text messaging
- No free phone service
- No dialing into meetings on free plan
Forbes Advisor Ratings
| Company | Company - Logo | Forbes Advisor Rating | Forbes Advisor Rating | Paid plan pricing | Unlimited calls | SMS texts | Learn More CTA text | Learn more CTA below text | LEARN MORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.6 |  | Upgrades available, but pricing not published | Yes | Yes | View More | |||
 | 4.5 | | 99 cents to $39.99 per month | Yes | Yes | View More | |||
| Zoom |  | 4.3 | | $120 to $240 per year | Yes | No | Learn More | On Zoom's Website | |
 | 4.3 | | Starts at $6 per month, billed annually (included as part of the Google Workspace pricing plan) | Yes | No | View More |
Methodology
The most important factor for choosing the best free VoIP phone service provider is finding one that’s truly free. We found very few options available that fit all the criteria, so we bent a little on the factors we used to rank these free VoIP phone services. We focused on free plans, plus the affordability of paid plans, unlimited calls or meetings, device compatibility and overall value:
- Free plan: The key factor for all VoIP services we considered is that they offer a truly free way to call others using a smartphone or desktop app.
- Affordable paid plans: Using a free plan usually means having to deal with still or video ads in between calls or banner ads on text message screens. So, we also looked at the cost of paid plans, add-ons or how much a company charges to remove ads.
- Unlimited calls and texts: We considered how each free VoIP phone service limits you and found most allow unlimited calls, texts or video meetings for domestic outbound communication. Most services also offer low international rates for calling or texting outside the U.S. and Canada.
- Device compatibility: Although we consider it best to offer a mobile app for iOS and Android, we didn’t knock off too much from the score for having one, but not the other. And we gave credit to those that offer a desktop or browser option because it’s helpful to businesses that don’t invest in smartphones for employees.
- Overall value: When comparing features, limits, add-ons, paid plans, customer reviews, ease of use and functionality, you get the overall value of a VoIP phone service provider.
Learn more about how we review VoIP products and services.
Get Started With The Leading Cloud Phone System
Message, video, and phone on any device
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a free VoIP service?
There are several free VoIP services, including 2ndLine and TextNow. You can also use Zoom or Google Meet as VoIP options for video calls.
What is the least expensive VoIP service?
You can’t get less expensive than free, but if you want a paid VoIP plan, consider the best cheap business VoIP services, which include RingCentral, Nextiva and 8×8. Paid plans range from $12 to $21.95 per user, per month.
How do I get VoIP phone service?
You’ll need to make sure you have a Wi-Fi connection on your smartphone to use one of the free VoIP phone services. If you prefer 2ndLine, you can use it with your cellular data when Wi-Fi isn’t available. With TextNow, you can use a compatible unlocked smartphone with TextNow’s SIM card to get a low-cost cell phone and VoIP service.
Is VoIP cheaper than regular phones?
It can be. Most small businesses require internet in their offices and VoIP takes advantage of this technology so you can make and receive phone calls over that internet connection. VoIP phone services tend to be more affordable because of this. Hardware is also more affordable—you don’t even need to invest in desk phones—you can use VoIP softphones with a headset to make calls from your PC or use VoIP on your smartphone via an app.
Are VoIP cell phones secure?
In general, using a VoIP cell phone is very secure. However, there are steps that you can take to increase the security levels even more. These include verifying that your VoIP provider offers an encrypted connection, implementing a session initiation protocol (SIP)-capable firewall that filters all incoming calls for any content that puts your system at risk and having your information technology (IT) staff create a virtual local area network (VLAN) for all of your internal calls to take place, keeping them from being put at risk from outside sources. Make sure that your staff remains diligent when using their VoIP phones so that they can avoid risks, such as voice phishing, also known as vishing.
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circ*mstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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