Google Voice Alternatives 2026: 6 Options, 3 Free
Google Voice alternatives: FreePBX, FreeSWITCH, Telnyx, Quo (formerly OpenPhone) and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•4 min read•Team Chat, Meetings & Phone
Verdict:Google Voice is free for personal calling, so people leave it for one of three reasons: a business line for a team, a number you can program, or a phone system you run yourself. If you run an office with a PBX, FreePBX is a free GPL-3.0 phone server, but you pay for the machine and a SIP trunk and you do the administration. FreeSWITCH is the engineering option when you need custom call logic. Telnyx suits developers who want phone numbers through an API, billed as you use them, with a trial credit and no card. For a small team that needs one shared number and a proper inbox, OpenPhone is the usual step up, starting at $15 per user a month billed annually. Grasshopper is cheaper for a solo professional who wants a separate business line, from $14 a month. Dialpad covers larger teams that want a full cloud phone system at $15 per user a month. The trade-off to check first is the number itself. Moving a Google Voice number to another provider takes longer than the price comparison suggests, so decide whether you keep the number and how callers reach you during the switch.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreePBX | Free (free open-source PBX; you supply the server and a SIP trunk) | Self-hosted | Offices and households that run their own phone system | Docs only |
| FreeSWITCH | Free (free open-source telecom stack; you supply the server and carrier connection) | Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD | Developers building custom call routing | Docs only |
| Telnyx | Free (free trial credit with no card required; pay-as-you-go has a $0 monthly minimum) | Web API | Developers who need phone numbers through an API | Docs only |
| Quo (formerly OpenPhone) | Paid from $15 per user/month, billed annually (Starter; $19 billed monthly) | Web, iOS, Android | Small teams that share one business number | Docs only |
| Grasshopper | Paid from $14 per month (starting price) | Web, iOS, Android | Solo owners who want a separate business line | Docs only |
| Dialpad | Paid from $15 per user/month (Dialpad Connect Standard) | Web browser | Teams that need a full cloud phone system | Docs only |
| RingCentral | See pricing page | Web, Mobile apps | Communication | Docs only |
| Ooma Office | Paid from $19.95 per user/month (Essentials, billed monthly) | Web, iOS, Android | Business Phone | Docs only |
| Nextiva | Paid from $15 per user/month, NEXT Core, annual small-business term | Web browser | Business Phone | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a free number you control on your own server (FreePBX is the pick)
- You want programmable numbers for an app (Telnyx is the pick)
- You need a shared business line for a small team (Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is the pick)
- You want a second business line as a solo practice (Grasshopper is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Google Voice features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Google Voice today: Free (Basic personal plan; needs an existing mobile number); paid from $10 per user/month (Workspace Voice Starter, up to 10 users, needs a Google Workspace plan) (Google Voice pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Google Voice alternatives
Google Voice's free Basic plan needs an existing mobile number and lacks call transfers, recording and desk-phone support. Those start at Starter for $10 a month, and auto attendants arrive with Standard at $20 a month after a six-month $10 offer. For teams the plans need a Google Workspace subscription billed separately: Starter $10 per user (up to 10 users), Standard $20, Premier $30. Ring groups are Standard and up, and international billing locations are Premier only. Google does not offer 1-800 numbers, and you can pick your own number only in the US.
FreePBX
Compared with Google Voice: Google Voice is a hosted number with nothing to run. FreePBX is GPL-3.0 and free to install, but you supply the server and a SIP trunk, so there is a running cost and admin work that Google Voice does not need.
Price: Free (free open-source PBX; you supply the server and a SIP trunk) (FreePBX pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 75 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Offices and households that run their own phone system.
FreeSWITCH
Compared with Google Voice: FreeSWITCH is MPL-1.1 open source telecom software that you deploy with your own carrier. Against Google Voice's hosted calling it gives you full control of call routing and no vendor lock-in, but it demands much more administration.
Price: Free (free open-source telecom stack; you supply the server and carrier connection) (FreeSWITCH pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD. MPL-1.1 (open source).
Project activity: 5.3k GitHub stars · latest release v1.11.3 (Aug 28, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Developers building custom call routing.
Worth knowing: Switch, not a hosted API. Debian copyright file in the repo lists MPL-1.1. SignalWire is its primary sponsor.
Telnyx
Compared with Google Voice: Telnyx has no monthly fee, bills pay-as-you-go and offers a free trial credit with no card. Google Voice is free for personal calling, so Telnyx only makes sense when you need programmable numbers for an app.
Price: Free (free trial credit with no card required; pay-as-you-go has a $0 monthly minimum) (Telnyx pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.
Best for: Developers who need phone numbers through an API.
Worth knowing: Outbound SMS from $0.004 per message; a US local number is $1.00/month. Committed plans start at $500/month.
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
Compared with Google Voice: OpenPhone starts at $15 per user a month billed annually, while Google Voice costs nothing for personal use. You gain shared team numbers, a shared inbox and call logs for a small team, which a personal Google Voice number does not provide.
Price: Paid from $15 per user/month, billed annually (Starter; $19 billed monthly) (Quo (formerly OpenPhone) pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Small teams that share one business number.
Grasshopper
Compared with Google Voice: Grasshopper starts at $14 a month for a virtual business line, where Google Voice gives a free personal number. You get a separate business line with call routing, but you pay for it every month.
Price: Paid from $14 per month (starting price) (Grasshopper pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Solo owners who want a separate business line.
Dialpad
Compared with Google Voice: Dialpad's lowest listed plan is $15 per user a month, so Google Voice's zero cost is what you give up. You get a team phone system with routing across users, where Google Voice covers one account at a time.
Price: Paid from $15 per user/month (Dialpad Connect Standard) (Dialpad pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Teams that need a full cloud phone system.
Other popular options (paid)
RingCentral
Compared with Google Voice: Full business phone system with a 14-day trial for new subscribers and no free plan. A heavier setup than Google Voice, suited to teams that outgrow a Workspace add-on and need a dedicated phone platform.
Price: See pricing page (RingCentral pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Ooma Office
Compared with Google Voice: Per-user business phone service from $19.95 a month on Essentials with no contract, against Google Voice Starter at $10 per user. It does not depend on a Google Workspace plan; taxes and fees come on top.
Price: Paid from $19.95 per user/month (Essentials, billed monthly) (Ooma Office pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Nextiva
Compared with Google Voice: Business VoIP priced at $15 per user per month for NEXT Core on a 12-month small-business term, $5 above Google Voice Starter, with higher tiers at $25 and $75 for added engagement features.
Price: Paid from $15 per user/month, NEXT Core, annual small-business term (Nextiva pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Which one to pick
- You want a free number you control on your own server: FreePBX
- You want programmable numbers for an app: Telnyx
- You need a shared business line for a small team: Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
- You want a second business line as a solo practice: Grasshopper
Limits of this review
Docs-only for FreePBX, FreeSWITCH, Telnyx, Quo (formerly OpenPhone), Grasshopper, Dialpad: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Google Voice. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in Team Chat, Meetings & Phone
- RingCentral alternatives
- Ooma Office alternatives
- Vonage Business Communications alternatives
- Quo (formerly OpenPhone) alternatives
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: Google Voice, FreePBX, FreeSWITCH, Telnyx, Quo (formerly OpenPhone), Grasshopper, Dialpad, RingCentral, Ooma Office, Nextiva. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.