The best Microsoft Teams Phone alternatives depend on whether you want to replace external calling, the employee workspace or a specialized customer-phone workflow. RingCentral, Nextiva, Zoom Phone, Dialpad and GoTo Connect are relevant for business communications. KrispCall, Calilio and CallHippo are worth evaluating for more focused calling, international-number or sales requirements.
Replacing Teams Phone does not necessarily mean abandoning Teams chat, meetings or Microsoft 365. A business can retain its existing workspace and evaluate a different calling service. The important comparison is the full telephony arrangement and the work employees need to perform.
This guide compares eight providers from our shortlist, including Calilio and CallHippo, explains the trade-offs and shows how to account for licenses, PSTN connectivity and migration. It does not claim firsthand testing or a universal winner.
Teams Phone Is a Calling Layer, Not the Whole Teams Workspace
Microsoft Teams Phone supplies phone-system capabilities within Teams. Connecting to public telephone numbers requires the appropriate PSTN arrangement, such as Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, Direct Routing or Teams Phone Mobile, subject to eligibility and availability.
Identify what you use before building the shortlist. A problem with carrier coverage may call for a different PSTN arrangement rather than a complete departure from Teams Phone. A problem with the employee calling workflow may justify evaluating another phone service.
- Keep Teams, change the carrier: Evaluate eligible PSTN options and ownership of support, numbers and usage.
- Keep Teams, use another phone app: Establish how employees will handle calling alongside retained collaboration tools.
- Replace the wider communications suite: Compare calling, meetings, messaging, administration and the migration effort.
- Add specialized sales or support: Compare the actual dialer, CRM, queues and supervisor tools rather than assuming every employee needs a new suite.
Example: A consultancy satisfied with Teams meetings may want a separate shared customer-phone workspace. A multinational office may instead need different carrier coverage. A sales team needing campaign dialing has another requirement. These situations should produce different comparisons.
Our VoIP vs UCaaS guide explains the scope of a phone service versus a wider communications suite.
Best Microsoft Teams Phone Alternatives at a Glance
These recommendations match documented product scope to practical buying needs. Number geography, eligible plans and integrations should be confirmed for the proposed account.
| Provider | Consider It For | Check Before Switching |
|---|---|---|
| RingCentral | Broader communications and centralized administration. | RingEX versus contact-center needs; verify any Teams connection. |
| Nextiva | Business calling with customer-engagement options. | Eligible phone, engagement or contact-center package. |
| KrispCall | Shared customer history, supported international numbers and eligible sales tools. | Plan, usage, CRM behavior and AI add-ons. |
| Zoom Phone | Telephony for an existing Zoom workplace. | Retained Microsoft licenses, region and calling plan. |
| Dialpad | AI-assisted calls and sales/support products. | Connect, Sell and Support differ. |
| GoTo Connect | Phone routing with meetings and messaging. | Regional calling allowances and contact-center scope. |
| Calilio | A phone-focused workspace and supported international numbers. | Feature tier, user limits, allowance and metered usage. |
| CallHippo | Sales-oriented calling and CRM/dialer requirements. | Exact dialer, product, seats, number charges and usage. |
1. RingCentral: Broader communications across departments and locations
RingCentral RingEX combines calling, messaging, video meetings, business SMS and fax. It is a relevant Teams Phone phone-system competitor when several offices or departments need a common communications environment.
Why consider switching: You want to evaluate centralized administration and collaboration alongside phone handling. A growing business with separate sales, operations and reception teams should compare how users, permissions and departmental calls are managed.
The trade-off: RingEX does not automatically include the full capabilities of RingCentral’s contact-center products. Advanced shared customer messaging can also depend on the bundle or add-on. Internal team chat is not equivalent to a customer SMS inbox.
Test before buying: Build a sales queue, route an unanswered call to a backup department and have two employees handle the same customer message. Ask the salesperson to identify the exact license and add-ons used in the demonstration.
May not suit: A small business that needs only shared calls and texts and would use little of a broader suite. Request a current quote for the required product rather than assuming the lowest RingCentral plan replaces every Teams Phone feature.
Read our RingCentral review.
2. Nextiva: For Business Calling and Customer Communication
Nextiva’s small-business offering combines voice, video, business SMS, routing and team communication tools. It is worth evaluating when the goal is to connect your office phone service with other employee or customer interactions.
Why shortlist it: Your team wants business calling within a wider communication environment and needs to compare how different feature tiers support customer handling.
Main trade-off: The Core plan and higher customer-engagement packages are not interchangeable. Confirm your required recording, reporting, messaging allowances and integrations against the quoted tier.
Demo task: Route a call during business hours, handle an unanswered call, send a customer follow-up and locate the interaction afterwards. Check whether each step is available in the proposed plan.
Pricing context: Obtain the eligible plan, billing term and complete quote. Nextiva’s advertised small-business offer has eligibility and agreement conditions; it is not an enterprise contact-center rate.
May not suit: A buyer whose main requirement is a specialized outbound sales workflow that has not been demonstrated.
See our Nextiva review.
3. KrispCall: For Shared Calling, International Numbers and Sales Workflows
KrispCall deserves a closer look than a simple “cheap international number” description. Its offering combines a Unified Callbox with phone routing, customer messaging, CRM connections and plan-specific sales tools. It can be relevant to a small customer-facing team or a growing sales operation, provided the eligible package covers the work.
What the Unified Callbox Adds
The Unified Callbox brings calls, messages, voicemail and customer context into one workspace. The practical value is continuity: an employee can review the conversation before following up instead of searching separate records. Shared access, notes and tags should be demonstrated with the actual team permissions.
Example: A customer calls while the account owner is unavailable. Another employee reviews the existing conversation, adds a note and handles the follow-up. During evaluation, check whether the second employee can see the necessary context and whether responsibility remains clear.
Sales Tools and CRM Connections
KrispCall markets a sequential power dialer for working through outbound lists. Sequential dialing is different from parallel or predictive dialing; do not assume it reproduces a particular Teams Phone dialer mode.
Its HubSpot integration describes contact synchronization and call activity logging. The useful comparison is whether your contact match, notes, ownership and follow-up appear correctly in your CRM configuration. Ask for a live demonstration, including duplicate contacts and missed calls.
For an outbound team, test importing a small list, placing calls, recording outcomes and reviewing the resulting CRM activity. Ask how unsuccessful calls and retries are handled, and which license is required.
Choose the Eligible KrispCall Plan
The current plan names are Starter, Advance, Max and Enterprise. The annual per-user monthly rates displayed are $12, $32 and $48 for the first three. Starter allows up to five users, Advance up to 50, and Max has no member cap. Enterprise is quoted separately.
Advance’s plan summary adds recording, transfers, a power dialer, bulk SMS and Salesforce integration. Call transcription and summaries are marked as add-ons. A Teams Phone team needing those functions should compare the relevant Advance or higher quote rather than assuming Starter supplies the complete replacement.
International Numbers and the Real Usage Bill
Confirm the exact country, number type, document requirements, caller ID and messaging capability before paying. A global-coverage headline does not establish that every country offers the same functionality or that every desired number is immediately available.
KrispCall’s public pricing currently describes both included allowances and pay-as-you-go charging. Obtain written confirmation of the allowances applied to your account, eligible destinations, overage rates, number rental and messaging charges. Treat unlimited claims as route-specific and subject to fair-use terms, not unlimited worldwide service.
Best-fit scenario: A customer-facing team wants shared history, an eligible international number and demonstrated CRM or sequential dialing behavior. KrispCall belongs on that shortlist.
Main limitation to resolve: Advanced contact-center requirements such as complex queue reporting or workforce processes need a specific demonstration. Do not infer them from general “contact center” marketing.
Read our KrispCall review.
4. Zoom Phone: Business telephony for a workplace already using Zoom
Zoom Phone brings business telephony into the Zoom environment. It is worth considering when employees already work in Zoom and you want to evaluate whether phone service can fit that existing setup.
Why consider switching: Keeping communication in a familiar environment may reduce training work. That is a reason to evaluate the product, rather than proof that it is automatically the best fit.
The trade-off: A Zoom meetings subscription does not automatically provide external business phone service. Metered and unlimited domestic calling arrangements also differ, while international usage and country eligibility need separate checking.
Test before buying: Try queues, transfers, delegation and mobile calls with normal employees. Verify SMS availability for the proposed country and number type.
May not suit: A full replacement for Teams Phone contact-center work unless the relevant Zoom contact-center product is separately evaluated. Include the existing Zoom subscriptions you will keep in the total cost calculation.
Explore Zoom for 1–50 users or explore Zoom for larger teams, 50+ users. Confirm the appropriate offer for a team of exactly 50 users.
Read our Zoom Phone review.
5. Dialpad: Comparing business calling with AI-assisted workflows
Dialpad is worth evaluating when calling and AI-assisted communication are central to your replacement decision. The important distinction is between Dialpad Connect for business communications, Dialpad Sell for sales workflows and Dialpad Support for customer support.
Why consider switching: Your team has a specific requirement for call transcription, follow-up information or a sales/support process that you want demonstrated in the working environment.
The trade-off: “Dialpad” is a brand, not one interchangeable subscription. A Connect quote should not be treated as a replacement for Teams Phone contact-center operations without checking the relevant product. AI functions, integrations and management tools depend on the purchased package.
Test before buying: Run a normal customer call in your working language. Check the customer name, dates, commitments and next steps in the output, then show how staff correct mistakes and access the record.
May not suit: A team choosing on an AI headline alone. Accuracy, permissions, retention and the resulting staff workflow matter more than the number of AI features on a comparison page. Ask for pricing against the actual Connect, Sell or Support requirements.
Read our Dialpad review.
6. GoTo Connect: Office phone routing with meetings and messaging
GoTo Connect offers a cloud phone system alongside meetings and messaging. It is a relevant Teams Phone alternative when business-hours routing, departments and distributed employees are the main buying priorities.
Why consider switching: Your team needs a phone system whose routing and administration fit the way incoming calls actually move through the business.
The trade-off: Phone System and contact-center offerings have different scope. Calling allowances also vary by region and number type; an international coverage headline is not a promise that every overseas destination is included.
Test before buying: Recreate your opening hours, holiday schedule, reception menu and unavailable-employee fallback. Check what happens when the primary employee’s mobile app is offline.
May not suit: A buyer who needs a precise low entry cost before discussing region, users and package. Obtain a quote that identifies international routes, toll-free allowances, required customer channels and any advanced reporting separately.
Read our GoTo Connect review.
7. Calilio: Phone-focused service with international number requirements
Calilio is another provider to evaluate when a business wants cloud calling and access to numbers in supported international markets. It offers an additional comparison for buyers whose decision centers on telephony rather than a broad collaboration suite.
Why consider switching: You want a second quote for the country, number and shared calling requirements that prompted the search, rather than relying on one international-number provider.
The trade-off: Subscription price, included allowances and metered usage are separate considerations. A country appearing in a coverage list does not prove that the desired number is available immediately or supports every messaging function.
Test before buying: Verify your number, inbound calls, outgoing caller ID and customer follow-up. Demonstrate any required recording, reporting or integration in the proposed tier.
May not suit: A direct replacement for advanced Nextiva customer-experience operations without a detailed capability check. Also confirm the plan’s user limit before estimating the subscription for a growing team.
Read our Calilio review.
8. CallHippo: For a Dedicated Sales-Calling Evaluation
CallHippo belongs on the shortlist when the requirement is a dedicated customer-calling or sales process. Its offering includes business phone and dialer capabilities, and its pricing page describes integration options for connecting calling with business software.
Why consider it: Representatives need a phone workflow tied to customer records rather than only external calls within a collaboration workspace. Compare how the proposed product handles calls, outcomes and follow-up.
The trade-off: Product scope and dialer capabilities are not established by the lowest entry headline. Confirm the exact package, dialing mode, integrations, seat conditions and usage charges. Number access does not prove that every number supports SMS or the desired caller ID.
Demo task: Work through a small representative list, record outcomes and inspect the resulting CRM activity. Test missed calls and another employee taking over the customer follow-up.
May not suit: A replacement for the full Microsoft collaboration environment, or an advanced contact-center operation without a specific capability demonstration.
Compare the Full Teams Calling Cost
Calculate the licenses and services your organization actually pays for. Teams Phone licensing alone should not be treated as the complete price of external calling, and existing Microsoft 365 spending should not be counted as a saving if it continues after the move.
- Workspace licenses: Identify Microsoft subscriptions retained regardless of the phone choice.
- Phone-system entitlement: Check what is already included and what must be purchased.
- PSTN service: Include the Calling Plan, operator or Direct Routing arrangement, numbers and usage.
- Infrastructure and management: Include relevant SBC, provider management, provisioning and support costs.
- Specialized tools: Include sales, queue, contact-center, recording or AI requirements.
- Transition: Add number migration, device changes, staff training and overlapping subscriptions.
Illustrative scenario: Suppose a business pays $300 per month for collaboration subscriptions it will retain, plus $180 for its calling arrangement. A proposed $150 phone service offers a potential $30 calling difference, not a $330 saving. Additional usage, features and transition costs still need to be checked.
Compare current regional quotes in the same currency and billing term. Selected alternative annual rates, checked October 2, 2026, include KrispCall Starter at $12, Advance at $32 and Max at $48 per user per month; Calilio Standard at $12 and Premium at $28 per user per month. User limits, eligible tools, numbers and usage affect the complete bill.
Nextiva’s advertised $15 Core offer has small-business eligibility and agreement conditions. Request a product-specific quote for RingCentral, Zoom Phone, Dialpad, GoTo Connect and CallHippo. Do not use an unrelated entry plan as a contact-center or sales replacement price.
Can You Keep Teams and Change Only Telephony?
Yes, the evaluation can preserve Teams collaboration while changing the phone arrangement. Decide whether you want a different eligible carrier inside Teams or a separate phone workspace alongside it.
For a carrier change, compare country coverage, numbers, calling allowances, support ownership and migration. For a separate phone app, test how employees move between the apps and whether customer records remain accessible.
When a provider advertises a Teams integration, ask what it actually does: calling delivery, an embedded dialer, alerts, contact synchronization or another connection. Those are different capabilities and may require different licenses.
Demo task: Receive a customer call, identify the contact, transfer to a colleague and find the resulting record. Show this on the exact devices and integration being quoted, rather than a generic provider app.
Queues, Sales Dialers and Customer Messaging Need Separate Checks
A business phone system and a contact center have overlapping features, but they are not interchangeable purchases. Define the queue, supervisor and reporting requirements before evaluating the relevant package.
For sales, specify the dialing mode, list handling, outcomes and CRM actions. Sequential power dialing, parallel dialing and predictive dialing differ. For support, recreate waiting callers, an unavailable agent, a transfer and a missed-call follow-up.
Customer SMS is also different from internal Teams chat. If shared texts are essential, confirm number eligibility, registration, permissions and conversation ownership in the proposed service.
Our omnichannel contact-center guide helps define agent and channel requirements. A longer feature list does not replace a successful demonstration.
Devices and Geography: Test the Actual Deployment
Confirm desk-phone and headset compatibility by exact model. A device used with Teams is not automatically supported by another provider. Include replacement and provisioning costs where applicable.
Separate number availability, calling destinations, employee locations and messaging support. Verify emergency-calling requirements and location configuration for the proposed deployment with the provider.
Run normal calls on employee devices, headsets and connections during typical workload. Network congestion and unsuitable hardware can affect multiple vendors. For AI features, verify names, numbers and commitments and check retention, permissions and charges.
When Keeping Microsoft Teams Phone Makes Sense
Retain Teams Phone when staff benefit from its place in the existing Microsoft workspace and the current calling arrangement meets requirements. Moving to another service can add another app and administration process without a clear gain.
If the concern is carrier coverage or usage pricing, evaluate the eligible PSTN alternatives before replacing the phone system itself. If only a sales or support group needs additional tools, compare a focused solution for that group rather than assuming every employee must move.
Keeping a working setup can be valuable. Compare current entitlements, full costs and demonstrated workflows before deciding that another provider’s advertised rate is better.
Switching Checklist: Licenses, Carrier and Customer Records
Phone-number porting does not automatically transfer recordings, history, queues, integrations or permissions. Identify which party owns each step.
- Inventory users, numbers, license entitlements, shared devices and existing PSTN services.
- Identify Microsoft subscriptions retained after the change.
- Review operator and service agreements, renewal dates and cancellation steps.
- Confirm portability, authorization requirements and timing for each number.
- Export or retain required records and verify import capabilities.
- Configure users, permissions, routing, fallback destinations and applicable location settings.
- Test integrations, customer messages and necessary registrations.
- Keep the existing service active until porting and essential functions are verified.
For more guidance, see our VoIP provider comparison and provider selection guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Microsoft Teams Phone Alternative?
RingCentral, Nextiva, Zoom Phone, Dialpad and GoTo Connect are relevant for business communications. KrispCall, Calilio and CallHippo serve more focused calling or sales requirements. Your workflow, licenses and carrier arrangement determine the best fit.
Do I Have to Stop Using Teams If I Replace Teams Phone?
No. You can retain Teams collaboration and evaluate another calling service. You can also investigate a different eligible PSTN arrangement while retaining Teams Phone itself.
Does Teams Phone Include External Calling Automatically?
The deployment needs the appropriate PSTN service as well as phone-system entitlement. Check the actual licenses and Calling Plan, operator or Direct Routing arrangement before comparing costs.
Are Calilio and CallHippo Relevant Alternatives?
Yes, for a phone-focused or specialized customer-calling requirement. Demonstrate the eligible feature tier, integrations and usage. Neither should be assumed to replace all Teams meetings, chat and Microsoft workspace functions.
Is KrispCall Cheaper Than Teams Phone?
That depends on the existing licenses, carrier costs, required KrispCall tier and usage. Compare the incremental calling spend and include Microsoft subscriptions that remain after the move.
Can I Reuse My Teams Desk Phones?
Confirm compatibility, provisioning and supported functions with the receiving provider for each exact model. Do not assume all Teams devices work with another service.
Can I Keep My Phone Numbers?
Often, subject to country, number type and receiving-provider eligibility. Confirm porting with the relevant carrier and keep the existing service active until transfer and essential functions are verified.
Choose Around the Calling Arrangement You Need
Decide whether to change the carrier, use another phone workspace or replace broader communications. Shortlist two or three relevant providers, demonstrate the same work and compare the complete calling cost.
Calilio and CallHippo are useful additions when the requirements fit their phone or sales workflows. If Teams Phone already meets the need well, retaining it remains a sensible outcome.
Affiliate disclosure: VoIPCalling may earn a commission when you purchase through provider links on this page. Our recommendations consider product fit and business requirements.
