Google Voice vs RingCentral–How Do They Evaluate?

In case you want one or two numbers so as to add to your current telephone, Google Voice is an inexpensive selection for private and light-weight enterprise use.

Want greater than that? You’ll discover it far too easy.

RingCentral is a extra sturdy, scalable, and complete telephone system–but it surely’s additionally much more costly, tougher to make use of, and more difficult to implement. Most companies will nonetheless be higher off with RingCentral. Nevertheless, model new companies, freelancers, and solopreneurs might be able to avoid wasting cash and get what they want from Google Voice.

Google Voice and RingCentral In comparison with Their Closest Opponents

Nextiva is our favourite enterprise communications platform. It hits the candy spot between value, options, ease of use, and total reliability. In case you had been initially contemplating Google Workspace for your small business, it’s value paying only a little extra for Nextiva—it’s considerably higher as a result of it’s extra scalable. It’s additionally cheaper and simpler to make use of than RingCentral. It primarily combines the convenience of use of Google Voice and the comprehensiveness of RingCentral into one product.

RingCentral is an efficient selection you probably have distinctive wants, like push-to-talk or eight-digit extensions. It delivers high-quality audio and video calling capabilities from the identical platform that features texting, staff chat, and inside collaboration options. It really works finest for midsize and bigger organizations in search of extra superior options.

Google Voice provides bare-bones calling capabilities totally free. People can join, declare a quantity, and begin making and receiving calls with out paying something. Google Voice additionally has light-weight enterprise plans for solopreneurs and freelancers. Except for having some expanded calling options built-in into your Google Workspace apps, it doesn’t do a lot compared to Nextiva or RingCentral.

Try our opinions of the finest digital telephone quantity firms and finest enterprise telephone programs to be taught extra about our prime picks on this area. 

Google Voice and RingCentral Similarities

Limitless calling: Google Voice and RingCentral each supply limitless calling to the US and Canada with each plan. So with both possibility, you gained’t have to fret about operating out of minutes or protecting observe of metered charges for home calls. Your whole staff could make as many calls as they want with out it impacting your base subscription value. 

Voicemail transcriptions: Each RingCentral and Google Voice plan comes with built-in voicemail transcriptions. This occurs robotically, and it’s a good way to shortly display screen a caller or test your voicemail in conditions when listening to the audio model isn’t an possibility. Let’s say you’re in a gathering or on one other name, you possibly can nonetheless entry your voicemail with out disturbing anybody else. 

No {hardware} necessities: Each platforms leverage softphone expertise to energy the system. This implies you can also make and obtain calls out of your current smartphones and computer systems with out having to buy any extra {hardware}. It’s a good way to maintain prices down, and each instruments work nice throughout all platforms—together with iOS, Android, desktop, and even internet apps. 

24/7 help: RingCentral and Google Voice each supply 24/7 help to enterprise prospects. With RingCentral, 24/7 help is offered through telephone and reside chat. For Google Voice and Google Workspace, there are a selection of help choices to select from, together with telephone, e mail, and reside chat. Though the provision of every help channel varies relying in your subscription kind, you possibly can nonetheless get assist 24/7. 

Good for distant and hybrid work: As cloud-based VoIP telephone programs, RingCentral and Google Voice work very well for any distant, cellular, or hybrid work environments. Customers can entry their telephone programs from anyplace—at house utilizing their laptops, on the go from their smartphones, and within the workplace by means of a desktop laptop. No one is tied to a bodily desk or location, making each of those an excellent selection for the fashionable workforce. 

Name forwarding: You’ll be able to arrange customized name forwarding choices from Google Voice and RingCentral. This function helps you to ahead calls to a different line or extension inside your small business telephone system and even ahead calls to a private quantity. You should use it in conditions the place you’re out of the workplace, out sick, or simply wish to be sure you’ll by no means miss an vital name. 

The place Google Voice Shines

Limitless texting: Google Voice provides limitless texting all through the US, which is one thing you possibly can now not get from RingCentral. This function is a reasonably good worth for plans beginning so low, and also you’re capable of make and obtain texts from any gadget. 

Texting is included with RingCentral plans, but it surely’s not limitless. As an alternative, there are totally different carrier-compliant allotments relying in your plan tier, and also you’ll pay primarily based on utilization while you surpass these limits. So for plenty of texting, Google Voice has the sting. 

Free calls for private use: For non-business calling, Google Voice is 100% free. You’ll be able to go to Google Voice, check in together with your private Gmail account, declare a telephone quantity, and begin making calls with out paying a dime. This is likely one of the solely telephone programs in the marketplace that provides free calling, which is nice for conditions the place you don’t wish to use your private telephone quantity.

RingCentral doesn’t supply something like this. The closest factor you will get there’s a 14-day free trial, however that’s clearly not sustainable or a long-term resolution. 

Simple to make use of and deploy: You’ll be able to stand up and operating with Google Voice in minutes. It’s probably the most easy choices obtainable, and it’s even simpler if your organization is already utilizing Google Workspace. The one factor that takes a bit longer is should you’re porting an current quantity to Google Voice, however this isn’t one thing we sometimes advocate. 

It is going to take you longer to arrange RingCentral—probably a number of days. Some bigger firms could take a number of weeks to completely roll out the platform. And since RingCentral comes with considerably extra capabilities, you’ll spend fairly a little bit of time on the admin facet configuring settings on the backend. 

Extremely purposeful internet app: We love that Google Voice works simply as properly from the net because it does from the desktop and cellular apps. Some individuals don’t like having to put in software program on their units, particularly for rare utilization. However with Google Voice, name high quality is simply pretty much as good and dependable should you’re going by means of the web-based model.

RingCentral has an internet app as properly. But it surely simply doesn’t ship the identical method because the app model. So to get probably the most out of RingCentral, you’ll positively wish to set up the app throughout all of your units. 

Finances-friendly: Google Voice begins at simply $10 per consumer per 30 days, which is inexpensive for anybody. RingCentral begins at $20 per consumer per 30 days should you join an annual contract and jumps to $30 should you pay month-to-month. 

Google Voice doesn’t require an annual contract. Though you are required to pay for Google Workspace, these plans begin at simply $6 per 30 days. So all in with each of those instruments, you’re nonetheless paying lower than RingCentral. 

The place Google Voice Falls Quick

Too fundamental for many companies: Google Voice is likely one of the most elementary telephone programs in the marketplace. Even should you’re paying for a marketing strategy, you’re not going to do an excessive amount of past make and obtain calls utilizing Google Voice. In contrast side-by-side with RingCentral, the function record from Google Voice is extraordinarily skinny. Even tremendous fundamental options, like ring teams and auto-attendant, aren’t obtainable on Google Voice’s entry-level Starter plan. 

Requires Google Workspace plan for enterprise options: In order for you something past fundamental calling for private use, you’ll have to have a Google Workspace subscription and a Google Voice subscription to entry enterprise options. Workspace plans begin at simply $6 per 30 days however require an annual dedication. Alternatively, you possibly can simply get RingCentral by itself with out being pressured to purchase different merchandise from the supplier. 

No web fax: Web faxing just isn’t obtainable with any Google Voice or Google Workspace plan. RingCentral doesn’t supply faxing on its entry-level communication plan, but it surely’s obtainable on all the opposite tiers. That is usually one thing we maintain towards RingCentral, but it surely has the sting towards Google Voice, which doesn’t supply faxing in any respect. 

See our full record of Google Voice alternate options and be taught extra about how Google Voice works right here. 

The place RingCentral Shines

Superior options: RingCentral is likely one of the most feature-packed enterprise programs in the marketplace, and it appears actually superior in comparison with such a fundamental platform like Google Voice. In a function battle, it might go toe-to-toe with just about any supplier, and it blows Google Voice out of its capabilities.

You’re getting guide name recording on all plans, AI assembly insights with reside transcriptions, limitless video recording, developer APIs, name queues, superior name dealing with—and that’s simply with the entry-level subscription. On larger plan tiers, you’ll unlock computerized name recording, web fax, sizzling desking, customized roles and permissions, superior analytics, and industry-specific integrations. Google Voice doesn’t supply half of those options. 

Staff collaboration: RingCentral’s inside collaboration options are simply as highly effective as its inbound and outbound calling capabilities. It comes with staff chat, video calling with as much as 100 individuals, limitless audio conferencing, whiteboarding, collaborative notes, and breakout rooms—all from the identical user-friendly interface. You’re even getting submitting sharing and built-in undertaking administration options. 

Technically, you get some related options by means of Google Workspace. However these aren’t normal choices with Google Voice. 

Third-party integrations: Even RingCentral’s entry-level plan integrates seamlessly with instruments like Workplace 365, Google Workspace, and Slack. It additionally helps built-in telephony inside Microsoft Groups and grants you entry to the API for customized integrations. On the subsequent tier, you unlock over 300 pre-built integrations, together with entry to Salesforce, Zendesk, and different CRMs. 

Google Voice integrates properly with different Google Workspace merchandise. But it surely doesn’t come near what you are able to do with RingCentral. 

Multi-level auto attendant and IVR: Each RingCentral plan comes with a multi-level auto attendant and IVR. That is sometimes a contact heart function, so it’s nice that you could get it with only a common enterprise telephone system. It lets you route callers extra successfully by giving them a menu with totally different keypad choices to direct the decision—eliminating the necessity for a receptionist and serving to you reply inbound calls 24/7.

Google Voice does have a fundamental auto attendant, but it surely’s not practically as superior as RingCentral. Plus, the auto attendant from Google Voice just isn’t obtainable with each plan. In case you’re going to pay $20 per 30 days for Google Voice’s mid-tier plan, you may as properly put that towards RingCentral’s entry-level plan that comes with dozens of extra capabilities.

Toll-free calling: While you join RingCentral, each consumer can get a free native or toll-free quantity included with the subscription. Moreover, RingCentral provides toll-free minutes included with each plan—beginning at 100 for the Core package deal, 1,000 for Superior, and 10,000 on the Extremely tier. In case you want extra toll-free numbers and minutes, you should buy them with simply a few clicks. 

Along with toll-free and 800 numbers, you can too get a conceit quantity (like 1-800-CONTACTS) from RingCentral. Google Voice doesn’t supply any toll-free calling capabilities or 800 numbers. 

Extremely scalable: RingCentral is constructed to scale, and we advocate it for companies with as much as 1,000 customers. Most of you’ll by no means come near outgrowing it, making it a best choice for quickly rising midsize organizations. It really works properly whether or not you’ve gotten conventional places of work in a number of areas, distant workers, hybrid staff, or some mixture of all three. 

You may also get quantity reductions with 50 or extra customers, and RingCentral has devoted contact heart plans to help high-volume inbound or outbound calling wants. Google Voice’s entry-level plan is capped at simply ten customers, and there aren’t any name heart options.

The place RingCentral Falls Quick

Advanced setup: RingCentral’s superior options and capabilities come at a minor tradeoff—it’s not the best VoIP system to arrange and deploy. Alternatively, Google Voice may be arrange in a matter of minutes. So whereas RingCentral positively isn’t probably the most difficult system in the marketplace, Google Voice’s simplicity makes it appear barely extra daunting. 

Worth for small enterprise: In comparison with Google Voice and different enterprise telephone programs, RingCentral is a little more costly. Its costs aren’t loopy or astronomically excessive by any stretch, however small companies could find yourself overpaying for superior options that they’ll by no means truly use. In case you simply want calling capabilities, Google Voice is a less complicated and cheaper possibility. 

Numerous upgrades and add-ons: To actually get probably the most out of RingCentral, you’ll doubtless want to begin on the mid-tier Superior package deal. This comes with computerized name recording, web fax, superior analytics, extra integrations, superior routing guidelines, superior consumer permissions, and extra. There are additionally greater than a dozen totally different add-ons that you could buy to additional broaden the platform’s capabilities. Google Voice is rather more easy—with practically no add-ons except for the AI-powered assistant, Gemini, throughout your entire Workspace merchandise. 

Learn our full RingCentral evaluation for a extra in-depth breakdown of its professionals, cons, options, and pricing. 

Google Voice vs RingCentral: The Ultimate Verdict

RingCentral is the clear winner. Whereas costlier, it’s rather more superior than Google Voice and simply an total higher communication platform. 

Google Voice’s VoIP calling is much too fundamental and also you’ll ultimately should improve to a different platform should you resolve to get Google Voice for enterprise use. To avoid wasting your self the difficulty down the street, you’re higher off going straight for RingCentral now—even should you don’t want all of its superior capabilities simply but. 

That stated, Google Voice is okay for private use. You’ll be able to simply make and obtain calls totally free with out giving individuals your current cell or house quantity. 

If neither of those platforms sound ideally suited on your wants, there are many different choices to think about. Try our in-depth opinions of the finest digital telephone quantity firms and the finest enterprise telephone programs to see the highest alternate options to RingCentral and Google Voice.