Small businesses are evolving. The days of brick-and-mortar businesses are slowly dwindling, replaced by eCommerce shops and online offerings of the digital age. Consequently, a lot of eCommerce website builders some with AI website building capabilities have sprung up to support this transition. Today's small business owners need to be tech-savvy to survive against large corporations that have taken over the market share.
So what's a small business owner to do? The answer is simple - you need a phone system for your company! But not just any phone system - you need one that is affordable, easy-to-use, scalable, and has strong call quality.
In this post, we'll look at Google Voice Vs. Ring4, and help you determine which of the two is the best small business phone system.
Ring4 vs. Google Voice Pricing
When it comes to pricing, both companies offer a free option that businesses can use. With Google Voice, you get a free personal phone number to make free US domestic calls and texts. The free number is not designed for business use, but rather is intended for independent users who utilize Google's other complimentary services.
Ring4 offers free video meetings for up to 10 participants. This free service is designed for small businesses, and is an excellent feature that allows small businesses to integrate with other platforms like Slack, Google Calendar, and Zendesk for video conferencing. The best part is there is no software to install.
When it comes to paid plans, Google Voice offers three options. Each of these plans is priced based on the number of features and what your business needs are. The lowest-priced plan is the Starter plan which is $10 per user, per month. You are limited to 10 users with this plan, however.
The next pricing option is the Standard plan which costs $20 per user, per month. Their final pricing plan is $30 per user, per month and offers the most features for each user.
Ring4 has one primary pricing plan: their business professional plan which starts at $8 per user, per month for annual billing or $9.99 per user, per month when billed month to month. This plan comes packed with impressive features that will cover most of the needs of a small business.
Instead of paying more for features you don't need, as with other phone services, Ring4 offers its additional features such as international calling, shared call recordings, and shared call transcripts a la carte.
Your business only pays for what it needs and what it uses. No more paying higher prices for features that you'll never use.
Ring4 Features Vs. Google Voice Features
Google Voice has many decent features for businesses to use. You can receive voicemail transcription, send text messages, and make free US domestic calls with this service.
Some of the other popular features include call forwarding, a mobile app, and Google calendar integration.
Ring4 offers most of the same Google Voice features and more. Ring4 adds video conferencing, an admin console to manage your teams, and the ability to have multiple phone numbers, which is a limitation of Google Voice.
Ring4 is great for companies that have remote teams or virtual call centers. The platform has easy-to-use features that allow you to have multiple phone numbers for your business. With the Ring4 Admin Console, you can manage all your user's information in one place, so it doesn't get mixed up with other users.
Ring4 Vs. Google Voice Ease of Use
Both Ring4 and Google Voice are designed to be easy to use for any team or a business owner. Google Voice is easy for most users because they are already familiar with many other Google products like Gmail.
Ring4 offers an easy-to-use system as well that most users will feel very familiar with. The system also integrates with many Google products like Google Calendar and Google Chrome, and you can set up a business line in less than 30 seconds.
While both of these services offer easy-to-use mobile apps that allow you to make calls and send text messages from your phone, only Ring4 gives you an individual mobile phone number.
Ring4 allows you to do video conferencing in the same hub, unlike Google Voice that does not offer video conferencing. If you want to use video conferencing with Google, you must download or use a different application such as Google Meet.
It can be very confusing and frustrating for your team if they have to switch between applications. Having everything in one central hub like Ring4 makes it easy for your team to be efficient and take fewer steps.
This means more time is spent helping customers and less time learning new technology.
Who is Ring4 and Google Voice Designed For?
Ring4 is great for many small businesses that are looking to have multiple phone lines. Ring4 is also designed for companies with remote teams looking to scale and grow. And, the price won’t change just because you add more users - you will still enjoy one flat rate per user, per month.
Google Voice is intended for single-user and small companies that would like a simple plan to handle their personal phone calls and text messages.
Ring4 is designed for companies with 1-250+ users because it offers the most features and options at one low price compared to competitors.
For quick reference, here’s a comparison table that may help you decide between Ring4 and Google Voice:
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Ring4
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Google Voice
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Price
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Starts at $8/user/month
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Starts at $10/user/month
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Mobile App
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Yes
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Yes
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Voicemail
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Yes
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Yes
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Voicemail Transcription
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Yes
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Yes
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Unlimited U.S. Calls and Texts
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Yes
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Yes
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Video Conferencing
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Yes
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Yes - Integrates with Google Meet
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Customer Support 24/7
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Yes
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Yes
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Call Recording
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Yes
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Yes
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Mobile phone numbers for team members
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Yes
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No, but can forward calls to personal mobile number
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Which Small Business Phone System Should You Choose?
Ring4 offers numerous features with transparent pricing, and no surprises. You can even use Ring4 with Google products to get the best of both worlds.
Google Voice is a decent option, but at times it seems like they just want you to spend more money for features that you may not need, want, or use.
With Ring4, everything is all in one place and easy to use. Your team won't have to learn anything new when using Ring4 because it's all the same technology they are already used to. And, there is no hardware needed to get started. Download the app, sign up, and you’re in business!
Ring4 also offers more features with a central hub, making your team much more efficient in handling phone calls and messaging. From video conferencing to individual phone numbers, voicemail transcription to call recording and more Ring4 is the VoIP you need.
The ease of use, great price, and wide range of features make Ring4 the winner over Google Voice for small businesses, hands down. But, rather than take our word for it, click here and learn more about how it works. Or, sign up for a free account today!