StartUp Guide
- Launch
- 1. Name Your Business
- 2. Domain Name & Business Website
- 3. Business Email Accounts
- 4. Phone & Fax Number
- 5. Business Mailing Address
- 6. Form an LLC
- 7. Employer ID Number
- 8. Business Bank Account
- Build Your Infrastructure
- 1. Select a Business Credit Card
- 2. Bookkeeping
- 3. Business Computer
- 4. Back Up Your Files
- 5. Payment Processing
- 6. Get Small Business Insurance
- Grow Your Business
- 1. Order Business Cards
- 2. Create Basic Marketing Materials
- 3. Promote With Social Media
- 4. Select an Email Marketing Service
- 5. Build Your Team
RELATED LINKS
Business Phone Systems
Pros:
Cons:
- No toll-free minutes provided
- No free trial
Conclusion:
Nextiva's Office Pro Plus offers reasonable monthly rates, and they've done a number of things to improve their service in the last few years, including adding a moblie app, conference bridge and softphone. Nextiva also offers a Pro plan ($34.95 monthly for one user) and an Office Enterprise plan ($44.95 for one user), but the Pro Plus is the best value for most businesses. This plan provides unlimited calling to and from a local number (inbound calls to your toll free number are charged $.025/ minute).
Read Full Nextiva Review

Nextiva's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Office Pro Plus |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$37.95 (1-4 lines) |
$32.95 (5-19 lines) |
|
$27.95 (20-99 lines) |
|
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
No |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$82.95 |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
No |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Send and Receive |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
Yes |
Phone Support |
24/7 |

Pros:
-
Low monthly fee per line for two ore more lines
- Unlimited local minutes provided
- 30-day free trial (for plans with 2 or more users)
- Vanity numbers available
- Free to port existing number into service
- Smart system (ACD) queuing for incoming calls
- 24/7 Phone support (for plans with 2 or more users)
- Mobile applications available for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry
Cons:
- One user plans are expensive and don't offer 24/7 phone support
- US-based support is only available for plans with 20 or more users
- Free trial is only available for plans with 2 or more users
Conclusion:
RingCentral Office is a high quality business VoIP provider, primarily targeting businesses that need at least two users and offer real value to those needing twenty or more user plans. One-user, Standard plans are a bit pricey at $49.99/ month, but two to nineteen users are $34.99/ month/ user or $24.99/ month/ user if you pay annually. Also, you only get 24/7 customer support on plans with 2 or more users. For your monthly payment, RingCentral provides extensive functionality such as voicemail, call forwarding, auto attendant service, conference calling, and Internet faxing. RingCentral is one of two business VoIP providers currently reviewed on ChooseWhat.com to offer a 30-day free trial (again, for 2+ user plans only). This free trial combined with RingCentral’s high quality 24/7 customer support and pre-configured ready to call phones makes it one of the better product offerings on our site.
Read Full RingCentral Review

RingCentral's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Office Standard |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$49.99 (1 line) |
$34.99 (2-19 lines) |
|
$31.99 (20-99 lines) |
|
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
30 days |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$99.00 |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
$30 setup fee |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Send and Receive |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
iPhone, Android, Blackberry |
Phone Support |
24/7 |

Pros:
Cons:
- Additional charge for local numbers ($5/ month for one, $1.75/ month for two or more)
- Costs $15.00 to port existing number into service
- Desktop softphone activation for Windows and Mac costs $19.95 per user
Conclusion:
Jive offers some of the best pricing for unlimited Business VoIP services listed on ChooseWhat.com, starting at $29.95 per user for 1 to 4 users and topping out at $19.95 per user for 50+ users. Jive also has chosen to include all their features into a single pricing model rather than tiered service levels. Over the last few years, Jive has added a feature list that rivals any competition including a conference bridge, caller ID, auto call recording, integration with Salesforce, a multi-level auto-attendant and call queues, The service doesn't include any phone numbers in it's pricing. Cost $1.75/ month each (unless you only get one, then it's $5.00/ month). Although no toll-free minutes are included in the plan, if you choose a toll-free number, they offer an incredibly reasonable rate of 1.9 cents per minute. Also, if you want to use a "softphone), you'll have to pay a one time $19.95 activation fee. Finally, if you already have a number that you want to port into the service, Jive charges a one time $15 fee.
Read Full Jive Review

Jive's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Hosted VoIP |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$29.95 (1-4 lines) |
$25.95 (5-9 lines) |
|
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
30 days |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$85.00 |
Local Phone Numbers |
$1.75/ mo |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
$1.75/ mo |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
$1.75/ mo |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Yes |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
Yes |
Phone Support |
24/7 |

Pros:
-
Low monthly fee
- 30-day free trial
- Unlimited local minutes provided
- Unlimited toll-free minutes provided
- Free (800) toll-free number
- International numbers available
- Free vanity numbers
- Free to port existing number into service
- Voicemail to text transcription
- 24/7 Phone support
- Mobile applications available for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry
Cons:
- At the time of the most recent review, there were no notable cons
Conclusion:
Phone.com provides an excellent value for one of the highest quality services we’ve reviewed. At $23.99 per unlimited minute extension per month, Phone.com provides some of the cheapest pricing for unlimited calling in the business VoIP market. The company does, however, charge a base fee of $9.99 per month (first month after the trial is free), which includes 100 metered minutes. This can be used for anything, but it makes sense for a confernece room phone or other non-call heavy line. Additionally, Phone.com provides (800) area code toll-free numbers and vanity numbers for free with your account, going above and beyond many providers. It also provides at no extra cost features such as conference calling, Internet faxing, and mobile applications.
Read Full Phone.com Review

Phone.com's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Unlimited User |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$23.99 (1-5 lines) |
$19.99 (20+ lines) |
|
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
30 days |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$99.95 |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
Free |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Send and Receive |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
iPhone, Android, Blackberry |
Phone Support |
24/7 |

Pros:
- Mobile applications available for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry
- Low monthly fee per line for five lines
- Low monthly fee per line for ten lines
- Unlimited local minutes provided
- International numbers available
- Vanity numbers available
- Smart system (ACD) queuing for incoming calls
- Annual pre-payment discounts available on basic, mid-level and corporate plans
Cons:
- Costs $25.00 to port existing number into service
- Does not provide softphone
Conclusion:
Virtual PBX offers fantastic unlimited business VoIP calling from a local number at a range of $34.99 per user for one user up to $19.99 per user for 50 users or more. 855, 866, 877, and 888 toll-free numbers are also available at no extra cost, but you are limited to 1000 toll-free minutes with your monthly payment. Additional toll-free minutes cost $0.03 per minute. Virtual PBX also offers both international and vanity numbers for a nominal fee if you wish to personalize your number. While it does not offer a free trial to test its service, Virtual PBX gives a 30-day money back guarantee on both service and hardware.
Read Full Virtual PBX Review

Virtual PBX's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Office |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$49.99 (1 line) |
$29.99 (2-19 lines) |
|
$26.99 (20-99 lines) |
|
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
No, but |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$99.99 |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
$25 setup fee |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Send and Receive |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
No |
Mobile App |
No |
Phone Support |
M-F 7a-5p PT |

Pros:
- Mobile applications available for iPhone and Android
- Unlimited local minutes provided
- Save about 25% when you pay for a year in advance
- International numbers available
- Free to port existing number into service
- Smart system (ACD) queuing for incoming calls
Cons:
- No toll-free minutes provided
- $4.99 setup fee for 855, 866, 877, 888 toll-free numbers plus $9.99 recurring monthly fee
Conclusion:
Read Full 8x8 Review

8x8's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Virtual Office Pro |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$29.99 (1+ lines) |
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
$39.99 |
Free Trial Period |
No, but |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
$99.99 |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
$4.99/ mo |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
No |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
Yes |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
iPhone, Android |
Phone Support |
M-Sat 5a-9p PT |

Pros:
- Mobile applications available for iPhone and Android
- Free to port existing number into service
- Voicemail to text transcription
- 24/7 Phone support
Cons:
- High monthly fee for one line
- High monthly fee per line for five lines
- High monthly fee per line for ten lines
- No toll-free minutes provided
- No free trial
- 855, 866, 877, 888 toll-free numbers unavailable
- Internet fax service not available
- Dial-by-name directories not available
Conclusion:
Vonage provides a comparatively expensive Business VoIP service with fewer features than most of its competitors for unlimited calling. Vonage charges $49.99 per line for unlimited calling, which is above our Market Standard. Vonage does not provide a customizable auto-attendant to allow callers to direct themselves to a proper extension when calling your main number. We find auto-attendants to greatly increase the professional appearance of a small business and wouldn’t recommend a service without one. Vonage does not offer toll-free numbers, does not provide or service IP-enabled phones, and requires you to plug a standard telephone into its adapter. We find that standard telephones coupled with analog telephone adapters provide worse quality than IP phones. Vonage’s focus on residential plans has not yet been fully optimized for the small business environment. You can find better quality service among our business VoIP reviews for less money.
Read Full Vonage Review

Vonage's Features | |
---|---|
Reviewed Plan |
Small Business Premium Unlimited |
Monthly Fee (per line) |
$39.99 (1+ lines) |
Included Minutes |
Unlimited |
Activation Fee |
Free |
Free Trial Period |
No |
Basic IP Phone Cost |
N/A |
Local Phone Numbers |
Free |
Toll Free 855, 866, 877, 888 Numbers |
No |
Toll Free 800 Numbers |
No |
Voicemail |
Yes |
Internet Fax |
No |
Conference Calls |
Yes |
Auto-Attendant |
Yes |
Softphone Provided |
Yes |
Mobile App |
iPhone, Android |
Phone Support |
24/7 |
