Zoom Phone vs Google Voice pricing: $16 vs $27

Zoom Phone US and Canada Unlimited costs $16 per user per month billed annually and includes an auto attendant on every plan. Google Voice Standard, the cheapest Google Voice plan with an auto attendant, costs $20 per user per month, and for a team it also needs a Google Workspace plan billed separately, from $7. So a team that wants callers greeted by a menu pays $16 a seat at Zoom and $27 a seat at Google. For one person the answer flips twice, because since July 2026 Google sells Voice to a single Gmail user with no Workspace at all, and Zoom's cheapest plan meters every outbound minute.

Both rate cards were read at source on September 18, 2026: Zoom's from its own Zoom Phone pricing page, Google's from the Voice product page and the Google Voice Help article on standalone plans. Where a vendor does not print a figure, we say so rather than fill the cell.

Zoom Phone vs Google Voice pricing, side by side

Zoom publishes its Phone rates billed annually and shows no month to month figure for any of the four plans, so we do not quote one. Google publishes monthly prices with no annual contract. The cheapest Google Workspace plan in the US, Business Starter, is $7 per user per month. Google is currently running a six month half price offer on standalone Standard; the list price is $20 and that is the figure we compare.

Is Zoom Phone cheaper than Google Voice?

For a team that needs a phone menu, yes, at every headcount. Zoom's $16 plan carries the auto attendant; Google's menu starts on Standard at $20 per user, and Google states on the same card that Voice for multiple users "requires a Google Workspace plan billed separately".

The last column is the honest one for most Google Voice buyers. If your company already pays for Workspace because that is where your email lives, the Workspace license is not a phone cost, and the real comparison is $16 against $20 per seat. Zoom still wins, by $4 a seat, $40 a month for ten people. The middle column only applies if you would not otherwise buy Workspace, which is rare for a business that is shopping Google Voice in the first place.

Zoom has a matching quirk worth knowing. Its $16 plan is described on its own card as "Phone US and CA Unlimited added to Workplace Basic", and Workplace Basic is Zoom's free tier. So Zoom does not charge a second license underneath, but the meetings you get with it are the free tier's: the plan comparison shows a 40 minute meeting limit on both the Metered and Unlimited plans, against 30 hours on Pro Plus and Business Plus. The extra $4.50 for Pro Plus buys meetings, not phone features. If a big share of your team's Zoom time is first round candidate screens, that is arguably a different purchase altogether: an AI screening interview tool takes those calls off the calendar, and the phone system only carries what is left.

What is the cheapest way to get a business number on Zoom or Google Voice?

For one person with no menu, Google Voice Starter standalone at $10 a month. Google's Help article says these standalone plans let a Gmail user buy Voice "without a Google Workspace account", and lists the limits in the same table: one user, a US number only, a personal @gmail.com address (company domain accounts are not eligible). Starter includes call recording, three way calling, desk phone support and 911. It does not include an auto attendant, ring groups, call queuing or automatic recording.

Zoom's nearest plan is Metered at $10.50 billed annually, which is fifty cents more before a single call, and then $0.0318 for every outbound US minute. The break-even against Zoom's own $16 unlimited plan is about 173 outbound minutes a month per user: the $5.50 gap divided by $0.0318. Most working lines pass that in a normal month, so for anyone who dials out more than a few calls a day, Metered is the more expensive plan, not the cheaper one.

For one person who does want a menu, Zoom at $16 beats Google Voice Standard standalone at $20, and Zoom will also sell that person a toll-free number, which Google does not.

Does Google Voice offer toll-free numbers?

No. None of Google's Voice plans sell a toll-free number, on either the standalone or the Workspace route. Zoom sells additional local, toll-free or international premium numbers at $5 per month each, on top of the local number every Zoom Phone license includes. Zoom does not publish an included toll-free minute allowance, so ask for the inbound toll-free rate before you put an 800 number on a truck or a billboard. If a toll-free line is the reason you are shopping, compare the full toll-free number service costs first, because the number is usually the cheap part and the inbound minutes are not.

Which has better features for a small team?

It depends which three rows you care about, because each vendor wins some outright.

Ring groups and call queues. Google puts auto attendants, ring groups and call queuing for ring groups on Standard at $20 for Workspace teams, and none of them on Starter. The standalone Standard plan keeps the auto attendant but has no ring groups or queuing, which makes sense for a one user plan. Zoom puts the auto attendant on every plan and sells a Customer Engagement Pack at $25 a month for call queue analytics and historical insights, but its pricing card does not spell out which plan carries the queue itself, so confirm that before you sign an annual term. If your front desk needs calls to ring three people at once, Google Standard on Workspace is the plan whose card says so.

Call recording. Google Voice Starter and Standard record on demand, meaning someone presses a button. Automatic recording, transcription and AI notes are on Premier at $30 per user plus Workspace, which is $37 a seat for a team. Zoom lists call recording on its $16 plan. On-demand and automatic are not the same purchase: if you need every call recorded for disputes or training, price Google at Premier.

Texting and fax. Both include domestic texting. Zoom lists SMS and MMS on all four plans for US and Canada numbers, with "additional registration needed", which is the A2P 10DLC registration every US business texting service now requires. Google includes unlimited US texting subject to its acceptable use policy. Zoom includes 50 pages a month of online fax on three plans and unlimited on Business Plus; Google's Voice cards list no fax.

Monthly flexibility. Google wins this one cleanly. Every Voice plan is monthly with no annual contract, and you can cancel any time (although Google notes that after cancelling a standalone plan you wait 30 days to buy again). Zoom's published Phone rates are all billed annually.

User caps. Google Voice Starter on Workspace stops at 10 users and the standalone plans at one. Zoom Phone licenses run 1 to 99 on the first three plans and 1 to 250 on Business Plus.

Is Google Voice or Zoom Phone better for a Google Workspace company?

Google Voice, if the team is small and simple, and Zoom Phone, if you need a menu on a budget. Voice lives inside the admin console you already use, bills on the Workspace invoice, and a Workspace BAA covers managed Voice users if you handle health data. Standard at $20 is the plan to buy; Starter has no menu and no ring groups. Zoom lists Google and Microsoft integrations on its $16 plan card and costs $4 less per seat with the menu included, but it is a second vendor and a second bill. We compared every option for this setup in the best business phone system for Google Workspace, and the full Google Voice buying picture, including what each tier leaves out, is on our Google Voice for business page.

Zoom Phone vs Google Voice: which should you buy?

Buy Zoom Phone Unlimited at $16 if your team needs an auto attendant and would rather not pay $20 plus Workspace for Google's, if you want a toll-free number, if you fax, or if you already run meetings on Zoom and want one app. Accept the annual term and the 40 minute meeting cap that comes with the free Workplace tier underneath.

Buy Google Voice Starter standalone at $10 if you are one person on a Gmail address who needs a second number that is not your cell, with no menu. Buy Google Voice Standard at $20 if you are a Workspace company that wants ring groups and a menu on the same invoice as email, and value month to month billing over the $4 per seat difference.

Buy something else if neither fits the job. Our own plans are month to month at every tier with no seat minimum: Starter is $15 per user billed yearly ($19 monthly), and Team at $29 ($35 monthly) includes a visual IVR phone menu, ring groups, business texting with no cap on the plan, voicemail to text, call recording with consent announcements, and toll-free or vanity numbers at $5 each. We do not sell video meetings, so if meetings are half the reason you are looking at Zoom, Zoom is the better buy. For the rest of the field side by side, see the Zoom Phone pricing and alternatives and the Google Voice alternatives comparisons, or the business phone system cost breakdown across every major provider.

Frequently asked questions

Is Zoom Phone better than Google Voice?

For a team that needs an auto attendant, a toll-free number or online fax, Zoom Phone is the better value: its $16 plan includes the menu, sells toll-free numbers at $5, and includes 50 pages of fax. Google Voice is better for a single Gmail user who wants a $10 second number, and for Workspace companies that want month to month billing and admin in one console.

Does Google Voice require Google Workspace?

For a team, yes. Google's card for the Starter, Standard and Premier team plans says they require a Google Workspace plan billed separately, from $7 per user in the US. Since July 2026, a single user with a personal Gmail account can buy Voice Starter ($10) or Standard ($20) standalone with no Workspace plan, limited to one user and a US number.

How much does Zoom Phone cost per user?

Zoom Phone costs $10.50 per user per month on US and Canada Metered and $16 on US and Canada Unlimited, both billed annually, with Workplace Pro Plus at $20.50 and Business Plus at $24.50. Metered bills outbound US calls at $0.0318 a minute, so it costs more than Unlimited above about 173 outbound minutes a month. Additional numbers, including toll-free, are $5 a month each.

Does Zoom Phone include a phone number?

Yes. Zoom's US and Canada Unlimited plan card lists a domestic phone number as included, alongside unlimited domestic calling, SMS and MMS, 50 pages of online fax and call recording. Additional local, toll-free or international premium numbers cost $5 per month each and are bought at checkout with a base plan.

Can Google Voice do an auto attendant?

Yes, from the Standard plan at $20 per user per month. Starter, at $10, has no auto attendant on either the standalone or the Workspace route. Standard on Workspace adds ring groups and call queuing for ring groups; the standalone Standard plan includes the auto attendant but not ring groups or queuing, because it serves a single user.