With BT about to make traditional business phone calls a thing of the past, there’s little wonder why so many of us are looking for the best VoIP provider in the UK. But what is the VoIP buzz all about?
Hosted voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is changing how businesses connect and communicate. Instead of making calls via copper wire or traditional line, VoIP provides voice and video connectivity purely via the internet. You’re ready for the VoIP revolution if you have a working internet connection!
Yet, with so many different user-friendly VoIP phone system providers out there, it’s sometimes tough to know which to choose. In this guide, we’ll break down the best of the best, which scores highest in our test, and the features you should always look for.
Who provides the best VoIP in the UK right now?
Planet Telecom comes out on top for a variety of reasons. From £9.99 per month, it’s the best value, easiest to scale for growing businesses, and arrives with the richest feature and app packages on the market.
What really sets Planet Telecom’s VoIP services apart is that you don’t have to run a large business to take advantage. Their “Starting Out” rate is built with startups and entrepreneurs in mind.
We’ll run through more of PN’s best VoIP features a little further down – and compare them to the broader market, too.
The top VoIP providers: At a glance
With years of experience in VoIP and its fantastic features, you can be sure we know what to look for in the best business connectivity. We’ve lined up seven of the best UK VoIP providers below in a quick table to break down their best features.
Naturally, you’ll probably look for cost savings as a priority. However, be careful when looking into pricing. Some VoIP providers expect you to enter into contracts – so don’t sign on the dotted line until you’re absolutely ready to go!
Keep reading, and we’ll dive deep into our favourite features to give you the complete lowdown.
| Provider | Planet Telecom | BT | The VoIP Shop | Vonage | Sipgate | 8×8 | Virgin |
| Pricing From | £9.99 | £7.89 | £12.95 | £10 | £12.95 | N/A | £16.99 |
| Cloud | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unclear |
| Video Conference | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free Trial | 14 Days | Unclear | Contact | 14 Days | 30 Days | Unclear | Unclear |
| Mobile App | Android and iOS | Yes | Android and iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1. Planet Telecom
Pound for pound, Planet Telecom offers the best value for money for anyone looking to get started with VoIP.
Available from just £9.99 per month, Planet Telecom’s cloud-based VoIP provides a huge catalogue of telephony management features and the scalability to work with third-party CRMs.
With the second and third tiers of Planet Telecom’s VoIP packages, you’ll have access to time-of-day routing, speed dialling, auto attendants via IVR, outbound calling ID, and more.
Planet Telecom is by far the most user-friendly VoIP setup on the market. It’s built to offer plug-and-play functionality, which means no muddling around with confusing hardware or cabling to get started.
It’s also the most refreshingly transparent. There are no nasty hidden fees, and once you’re set up and ready to go, you can manage your setup and all your call features from the comfort of your own Planet Telecom dashboard. You don’t even need a PC, as you can manage calls from your mobile, too.
Best Features Included:
Extensive call routing
Flexible video conferencing
Call recording
Attentive customer support
14-day free trial
Mobile and desktop apps available
2. BT
Given that BT effectively owns the basic telephony infrastructure across the UK, it’s unsurprising they’re leading with their own VoIP phone systems, too.
BT starts their VoIP line with BT Cloud Voice, a simple data call solution that’s based entirely in the cloud and built for up to 99 users. There’s also BT Cloud Work, which offers additional functionality and security measures for large business owners.
BT’s most basic cloud VoIP allows you to add users and devices as your business scales up. It’s available from £7.89 per month (ex. VAT and on a 60-month contract). The service provides call transfers, routing, and online portal management.
Best Features Included:
24/7 customer support available
CRM integration
Call analytics
Call recording
Scalable as your business grows
Industry leading technology
3. The VoIP Shop
The VoIP Shop is a data calling brand that’s been around longer than the VoIP revolution itself! The company’s basic VoIP package, under their ‘Standard Plan’, starts from £10.95 per user per month.
However, the company advises considering their higher tiers if you need a little more flexibility for larger teams or corporate demand.
VoIP Shop offers a range of call features such as sequential ring and anonymous rejection, and also supports integration with a range of CRMs. There are also desktop and mobile apps you can use to take your comms on the go.
Best Features Included:
Free trial on request
Mobile app for remote working
End-to-end encryption
Conference call functionality
Quick setup
High-quality calls
4. Vonage
Vonage confidently states its business VoIP is accessible from any device, meaning you’re immediately ready to go with smartphones, tablets, PCs, and more.
The company’s uptime is amongst the highest in the industry at reportedly 99.999%, and it offers flexible communications that remain secure within industry compliance expectations.
Vonage users can expect a flexible admin portal, a variety of apps, and video collaboration and integration features to collaborate easier with people from afar. It’s available from £10 per person, per month.
Best Features Included:
High focus on security
Multiple apps for various devices
Reliable connectivity
Scalable for various needs
Tool integration
Virtual assistant available
5. SipGate
SipGate takes VoIP back to basics – not that there’s anything wrong with that! The company’s been active since 2004, and in that time, it’s focused on voice calling.
Unlike the other VoIP providers we’ve reviewed so far in our guide, SipGate doesn’t provide video conferencing as standard. However, it does provide voice calling over data that’s scalable to almost any VoIP-ready devices you wish to connect.
SipGate provides a single-account management solution that grows and shrinks when required. It also provides more than 150 different features, with business plans starting from £12.95 per user, per month.
Best Features Included:
Call group setup
‘Bring your own device’ functionality
Visual routing
One-package design
Phone number porting
Free trial available
6. 8×8
8×8 aims to provide all businesses with a contact center experience ‘out of the box’ through a single platform. Its cloud-based business phone system integrates with popular third-party services such as Microsoft Teams.
What’s notable about 8×8 is that it’s not purely app-based, but will also work within browser windows on desktop. It also provides features such as visual voicemail and screen sharing.
Pricing for 8×8 is available on a quotation basis, which means you’ll need to reach out to their customer care team for full details.
Best Features Included:
Call recording
Local number portability
Call transfer features
Access controls for different roles and authorities
Fax and SMS integrations
Web browser functionality
7. Virgin
Given BT’s place in the VoIP market, it’s unsurprising that Virgin competes with their own business telecoms service. Virgin provides ‘Cloud Voice’ packages in the shape of three different licenses – ‘standard’, ‘enhanced’, and ‘premium’.
Virgin’s standard license provides smaller businesses (or back office teams) with IM functionality, remote mobile licensing, IVR mapping, and a bespoke soft client for users to get to grips with. Their enhanced license provides further features such as call recording.
It’s worth noting that setup costs for Virgin VoIP are at least £299, with per user per month costs rolling in from £16.99. However, you do also get full training on the system included.
Best Features Included:
Two-hour training program
Handy soft client
Extensive call routing features
Remote / mobile license
Three tiers available for very different needs
What to look for in the best VoIP provider in the UK
It’s all well and good learning about what makes each of the VoIP solution providers tick – but what’s best for you? You should always look for a digital telephony provider that builds solutions around the way your business communicates.
Here are a few of the most important points to look for when choosing a VoIP provider for your business in the UK.
Pricing
Let’s be clear. Different VoIP phone system providers price up based on the features they have to offer. Costs will always vary! However, you’ll need to look for a provider that makes it abundantly clear how you’re going to pay for such a service.
For example, look closely at per user, per month rates (PUPM). Are they inclusive or exclusive of VAT? Will you need to sign up for a contract?
Look for a VoIP provider that enables you to add users per month without hidden fees or contracts.
Free trials
Not all VoIP providers offer free trials. However, getting used to the system before you buy is a great way to know whether or not it’s good value for money!
Try-before-you-buy is particularly beneficial for small businesses, who may not wish to commit to an extensive comms setup without knowing how it works first.
Whether 14 days or 30 days, always try to look for a free trial so you get a chance to acclimatise before you buy.
Customer care
It goes without saying that – traditional phone or VoIP – customer care is everything. If you’re new to VoIP and need help at short notice, you’ll want to be able to call or IM an expert who can get you on the right track.
Do also look for VoIP providers who offer 24/7 or at least emergency support hours. If your network goes down – and with the right provider, it hopefully won’t – it’s great peace of mind to have someone at your side to get you back up and running ASAP.
Look for VPN providers with customer care services through email, chat, and telephone. Sometimes, it just helps to speak to someone over the phone!
Encryption
In a world where hacking attempts and malicious attacks on our hardware and data are becoming more sophisticated, it’s always worth looking into security measures as a priority.
Voice call, video, and IM encryption ensure that no one but you and your callers have access to the conversations unfolding. Look for end-to-end encryption if you can, too. This standard ensures that absolutely no one can see or use the data you share with your callers and clients.
Remote access
We’re still in the middle of the remote working boom! While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly brought mobile working to more people’s attention, post-lockdown, millions want to continue working from home and in the field.
Therefore, why not look for a flexible VoIP communications solution that lets your staff take their work away with them? Whether on mobile phones or tablets, a flexible VoIP provider with mobile licenses will provide incredible ease of movement.
Simply connect your field agents to the same apps, and they can keep in touch even on the other side of the country. Remote VoIP connectivity is a major plus for hybrid companies, too, who blend office and home working as the ‘new normal’.
Call features
Voice calling over data connection is only the main facet of VoIP. As a business customer, you should always demand features for managing calls and comms such as call forwarding, IVR mapping, voicemail, and smart routing.
The best VoIP providers not only grant you such features, but also allow you to manage all of your calls and analytics from dashboards and admin panels. After all, no one likes working in the dark!
The best VoIP brands will also help you block anonymous and nuisance phone numbers, meaning you can keep your own phone line clear and exclusive for people who genuinely want to do business.
Third-party integration
Finally, it’s now expected from most VoIP providers that there should be some form of third-party integration. This means you should expect your VoIP setup to work seamlessly with your existing apps, programs, and hardware.
This isn’t always a given, however. The best VoIP provider in the UK should let you install your own VoIP phones, bring software such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams into the mix, and even integrate with your existing CRM.
Not all VoIP providers are so flexible – which means it really does pay to look carefully at the competition.
Conclusion
Now we’ve taken you through everything you need to know about shopping around for a VoIP provider, it’s time to crown our winner of the best VoIP provider in the UK. As you already know, that’s Planet Telecom!
Planet Telecom doesn’t just provide powerful, scalable solutions for businesses moving away from traditional phone line connectivity. It does so within a genuine interest in promoting everyday cost savings, and keeping setup clear and simple.
As you can see from some of the competition out there, VoIP can get quite confusing. That’s why Planet Telecom scores so highly – it’s simple, it’s ready to go, and it provides you with all the data analytics you need.
Given that BT is about to switch off traditional telephony by 2025, now is the time to look into a free VoIP trial with a leading provider. Right now, that’s Planet Telecom.
Simply register your interest today and you’ll get access to a free 14-day trial. That’s more than enough time for you and your team to get to know how VoIP works and how it could benefit you. If you’re already a VoIP customer, you’ll soon see why Planet Telecom comes top of the table every time.
