CMP-01 GOOGLE VOICE
Google Voice pricing in 2026: plans, cost per user, and the Google Voice alternatives for business teams
Google Voice for business costs $10 per user per month on Starter, $20 on Standard, and $30 on Premier. Two conditions decide whether that $10 is real. First, the business tiers sit on top of Google Workspace, so every user needs a Workspace subscription billed separately, and the phone line is an addition to that bill rather than the whole of it. Second, Starter caps at 10 users and does not include the auto attendant or ring groups; those arrive on Standard at $20, which is double the advertised entry price and is the tier most teams actually need. The best Google Voice alternatives in 2026 are Phoner ($15 to $29 per user, month to month, no suite required), Quo, and Grasshopper.
The full ranked field is in the guide to the best VoIP for small business, entry pricing for every provider sits yearly against monthly in the business phone system comparison, and Phoner's plans are listed in plain dollars on the pricing page.
01 · Pick your number
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03 · Incoming call
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WHERE GOOGLE VOICE IS GENUINELY STRONG
Google Voice is genuinely good at what it was built for. The personal tier is free, the business tiers are cheap ($10-20 per user), it plugs straight into Google Workspace, and for a single founder who just needs a second number on their phone it is hard to argue with. Spam filtering is strong, and the apps are clean.
WHERE PHONER FITS
Phoner is an actual business phone system, not a side feature of a productivity suite. You get shared numbers a whole team can answer, ring groups, a visual IVR phone menu, business texting, toll-free numbers, and call recording with consent announcements, from $15 per user per month with no Google Workspace requirement.
In practice the deciding features are usually the IVR phone menu and call routing and ring groups.
Phoner vs Google Voice, line by line
| What you are buying | Phoner | Google Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Price shape | $15-29/user/mo | $10-30/user business; free personal tier |
| Requires another subscription | No, sold standalone | Yes, Google Workspace per user, billed separately |
| Users on the entry plan | Unlimited, no seat minimum | Starter caps at 10 users |
| Contract | Month to month | Month to month |
| IVR phone menu | Visual builder, Team plan | Standard, $20; not on the $10 Starter |
| Team routing and ring groups | Yes, rules you can read | Standard, $20; not on the $10 Starter |
| Business texting | Yes, Team plan | Limited, US only |
| Call recording + consent tools | Recording + consent announcements | Upper tiers, thin controls |
| Toll-free and vanity numbers | Yes, $5/number/mo | No |
| Number porting | Free, number stays live | Yes, fee on personal accounts |
| Apps | iOS, Android, desktop, web | iOS, Android, web |
Swipe sideways for the full table
COMPETITOR FIGURES ARE PUBLIC LIST PRICES AND POSITIONING AS OF 2026. VERIFY BEFORE BUYING.
Phoner's side of the table starts at $15/user/mo on the Starter plan and $29 on Team, the plan most small teams pick, both month to month. Extra local or toll-free numbers are a flat $5/number/mo. Where the two products tie on a row, the difference is usually how visibly the feature is built: see the IVR phone menu page for exactly how Phoner does it.
Google Voice pricing by plan, with the user cap and the Workspace requirement most comparisons leave out
Google publishes three business tiers, and the headline is $10. Two conditions sit underneath it and both change the arithmetic. The business tiers require a Google Workspace subscription for every user, billed separately, so the phone line is an addition to that bill rather than the whole of it. And the $10 Starter tier caps at 10 users and has no auto attendant or ring groups, which is the pair of features most teams are shopping for in the first place. Read from Google's own pricing page on August 9, 2026.
| Plan | Per user per month | How many users it covers | Auto attendant and ring groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Voice Starter | $10 per user | Up to 10 users | No, neither is included |
| Google Voice Standard | $20 per user | Unlimited users | Yes, both |
| Google Voice Premier | $30 per user | Unlimited users | Yes, plus automatic recording |
| Phoner Starter | $15 per user | Unlimited users, no minimum | No, they are on the Team plan |
| Phoner Team | $29 per user | Unlimited users, no minimum | Yes, with a visual builder |
Swipe sideways for the full table
GOOGLE VOICE FIGURES READ FROM GOOGLE'S OWN PRICING PAGE ON AUGUST 9, 2026 · THE BUSINESS TIERS ABOVE REQUIRE A GOOGLE WORKSPACE SUBSCRIPTION PER USER, BILLED SEPARATELY AND NOT INCLUDED IN THESE PRICES · GOOGLE ALSO SELLS INDIVIDUAL PLANS FOR ONE PERSON, INCLUDING A FREE BASIC TIER, WHICH ARE NOT BUSINESS PLANS AND ARE NOT PRICED ABOVE · STANDARD ADDS CALL QUEUING, EDISCOVERY AND SIP LINK · PREMIER ADDS INTERNATIONAL BILLING LOCATIONS AND BIGQUERY REPORTING · PHONER PRICES ARE BILLED YEARLY AND OUR PLANS ARE MONTH TO MONTH AT $19 AND $35 · TAXES AND REGULATORY FEES ARE EXTRA ON BOTH · VERIFY BEFORE BUYING
Where Google Voice runs out, in the order most businesses hit it
The second person who needs to answer
This is the wall almost everybody hits first, and it is a feature wall rather than a seat wall. Google Voice Starter at $10 covers up to 10 users, so headcount is rarely the blocker. What is missing is the machinery that lets several people share one published number: Starter has no auto attendant and no ring groups. The moment your bookkeeper, your partner, or a new hire needs to pick up the same line, you are moving to Standard at $20, which is double the price people quote. Systems built around a shared company number treat routing as the starting assumption rather than an upgrade.
The auto attendant sits above the entry tier
A caller who hears "press one for service, press two for billing" is hearing an auto attendant, and on Google Voice that lives on Standard rather than the $10 Starter plan. That is a fair design decision, but it means the price people quote when they recommend Google Voice is rarely the price that gets you a menu. Compare on the tier that has the feature you actually need.
Confirm emergency calling in writing on whichever tier you buy
Emergency calling on an internet-based line depends on a registered physical address, and Google has historically documented 911 service against the Standard tier rather than the entry plan. The plan detail we captured on August 9, 2026 did not state emergency calling either way, which is exactly why this belongs on your list of questions rather than in a comparison table. For a home office the answer may not change your decision; for premises where staff or customers are present it should. Whichever provider you pick, confirm you can register an E911 address for every location before you commit.
Texting is thinner than most buyers expect
Google Voice supports US texting, but businesses that lean on it run into limits around group conversations, MMS behavior, and shared visibility of a thread. If customers text your business number and more than one person needs to see and answer those threads, test that specific workflow with real messages before you standardize on it. This is the second most common reason teams move.
The Workspace subscription underneath the $10
Google sells two different things under the same brand and buyers routinely compare the wrong one. There are individual plans, including a free Basic tier, for one person on their own number. Then there are the business tiers, and those require a Google Workspace subscription for every user, billed separately. So the honest cost of a Google Voice business seat is $10 plus whatever Workspace costs you, not $10. If your company already pays for Workspace, that is a sunk cost and Google Voice is excellent value on top of it. If it does not, the comparison against a standalone phone system at $15 is not the comparison the pricing page implies.
Moving the number out, including the personal tier
Business numbers port out normally with a recent bill and the account details. Personal Google Voice numbers require an unlock step and a small fee on Google's side before a port will process, which catches people out. Do the unlock first, then submit the port. Porting into Phoner is free and the number keeps ringing on Google Voice until the cutover.
Who should pick which
PICK GOOGLE VOICE IF
Pick Google Voice if you are a single founder already paying for Google Workspace and you only need the basics: one number, voicemail, and calls on your phone. At that size its price is unbeatable.
THEIR LIST PRICE: FREE PERSONAL; $10-20/USER BUSINESS
PICK PHONER IF
Pick Phoner when a team answers the phone: shared numbers, ring groups, a phone menu callers can navigate, business texting, and toll-free numbers, without needing Google Workspace at all.
PHONER: $15-29/USER/MO, MONTH TO MONTH
Leaving Google Voice does not mean a new number
Your number is yours and moves with you. Phoner's free number porting takes about 1-2 weeks, and the line keeps ringing on Google Voice until the moment it switches over. Set up your phone menu and ring groups in Phoner while you wait, then the cutover is invisible to callers.
PORT ORDER · GOOGLE VOICE → PHONER
Sign up for Phoner and submit the port with a recent Google Voice bill.
Keep answering on Google Voice. The number never goes dark.
In 1-2 weeks calls ring your Phoner apps. Cancel the old account.
PORTING FEE: $0 · DOWNTIME: NONE
Common questions about switching
Can I move my Google Voice number to Phoner?
Yes. Porting to Phoner is free and usually completes in 1-2 weeks. Your number keeps working the whole time, so callers never hit a dead line. Note that personal Google Voice charges a small unlock fee on their side before a port out.
Does Phoner need Google Workspace like Google Voice does?
No. Phoner is a standalone business phone system. You sign up with any email, pick a local or toll-free number, and answer from the iOS, Android, desktop, or web app. Nothing else to buy.
How much does Google Voice cost for business?
Google Voice for business is $10 per user per month on Starter, $20 on Standard, and $30 on Premier, read from Google's own pricing page on August 9, 2026. Those business tiers require a Google Workspace subscription per user underneath them, billed separately. Starter also caps at 10 users and has no auto attendant or ring groups, so the tier most teams need is Standard at $20.
Can multiple people answer the same Google Voice number?
Not on Starter at $10, which includes neither ring groups nor an auto attendant. Both arrive on Standard at $20 per user, inside a Workspace organization where each person also needs their own licensed Workspace seat. If two or more people must answer one published number, price Standard rather than Starter, then compare it against products designed around a shared company line.
Is Google Voice good for a small business?
It is good for one person who needs a professional second number, voicemail, and calls on their phone, and at $10 the price is hard to beat. It is a poor fit once a team shares the number, once callers should hear a menu, or once texting threads need to be visible to more than one person.
What is the difference between Google Voice and a business phone system?
Google Voice gives one person a number with voicemail and call forwarding. A business phone system gives an organization a published number that several people can answer, with a phone menu, ring groups, business hours, transfers, and recording. The distinction shows up the first time a caller needs to reach whoever is free rather than one named person.
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