Almost all small businesses look for an affordable VoIP phone number to handle their calls and texts - especially if they want to separate it from their personal mobile line. Likely at the top of their search, Google Voice is one of the most recognizable virtual phone options available. Here we'll breakdown the pros and cons to see if Google Voice is right for your business or simply, another free personal second line app.

What Is Google Voice and Does It Work as a business phone number?

Google Voice is one of the original icons of internet calling, the quiet OG of VoIP, whose app has slipped into nearly everyone's Google account at some point in time. Since launching in 2009, millions of people in the United States were automatically assigned a Google Voice number, often without realizing it, which helped cement the service as one of the most widely distributed voip phone number apps on the internet. It was free, simple, and easy.

Google Voice Pricing for Business

Google Voice may feel like a free app, but the moment you try to use it as a real business phone system, the model shifts. The personal tier costs nothing, but the business product sits inside the Google Workspace ecosystem. To turn Google Voice into an actual VoIP number for business, you first have to buy into Workspace, then add a Voice plan on top of it.

Here is what the pricing actually looks like:

Google Voice pricing per user per month:

Starter: $10

Standard: $20

Premier: $30

Required Google Workspace subscription:

$7 per user per month

True starting price:

$17 per user per month

After your first few hires, those costs start to add up. This is usually the point where teams compare Google Voice to alternatives like Phone2, Quo (formerly Openphone), or Grasshopper and realize those newer platforms often deliver more features at a lower price. Google Voice may be the OG of VoIP, but its business pricing reflects Google’s modern SaaS economics, not the free-and-simple era most users remember.

Pros of Google Voice as a Business Phone Number

Google Voice has quite a few advantages that attract small business owners and solopreneurs.

1. Free Personal Numbers for Simple Use

Google Voice offers free local phone numbers for individual use. This can help new entrepreneurs get a business phone number without upfront costs.

However, the free version lacks some critical features that most biz phone users need:

• No custom caller ID

• No customer support

• Only available in 48 US States

• One number per account

This makes it unsuitable for most business use cases, especially if you need multiple numbers for your business (sales department, billing department, et. al.,)

2. Free Calling to the US

All Google Voice business plans offer free calling to US numbers.This is helpful if your business primarily serves US clients.

Limitations include:

• Free calling to Canada is limited

• International calling requires credits

• Call quality can vary

Google Voice performs best as a basic domestic calling solution.

3. Low-Cost International Calling

Google Voice does affordable calling rates to many countries. It also allows free texting to Canadian numbers from the US.

But there are some limitations:

• SMS is only available to US customers

• International texts require credits

For companies needing global reach, these restrictions matter.

4. Ring Groups for Shared Responsibility

Google Voice supports ring groups on the Standard plan.This is useful when multiple team members need to answer the same number.

However, ring groups:

• Require the $20 plan

• Do not support shared texting

• Offer limited call routing options

This makes ring groups functional but not as flexible as other alternatives.

5. Ability to Port Your Existing Business Number

Google Voice allows number porting, which lets you move your current business phone number from any provider, onto their platform.

Port-in details:

• $20 fee on the free plan

• $3 unlocking fee if you want to port out later

• Restrictions based on region and account type

Porting works but comes with notable limitations.

Cons of Google Voice as a VoIP Number for Business

But as your business grows (and it will), having your business phone number locked into a low-feature phone system can hurt your bottom line. Google Voice has several significant drawbacks that small businesses should understand before switching.

1. SMS Is Limited to US Customers Only

Even paid Google Voice accounts can send SMS only to US numbers. Additional problems include:

• No A2P 10DLC support

• Messages may be blocked

• Not suitable for marketing or customer notifications

Most modern business phone systems offer full SMS support to US and Canadian numbers. Google Voice does not.

2. Very Few Integrations

Google Voice integrates only with Google Workspace apps. No integrations with:

• Salesforce

• HubSpot

• Zapier

• Slack

• Make

• Any CRM or automation tool

Businesses that depend on automation or CRM workflows often outgrow Google Voice quickly.

3. Hard User Limit on Starter Plan

Google Voice limits the Starter tier to 10 users. To go beyond this, you must upgrade to the $20 plan. To access analytics, you're actually required to upgrade to the $30 plan. This makes scalability expensive, especially on a pay-per-user / per month plan.

4. Weak Collaboration Tools

Google Voice was built for individual communication, not teams. Some of the limitations are:

• No shared numbers

• No shared inbox

• No texting as a team

• No internal comments or notes

• Requires Google Chat or Hangouts for coordination

Businesses that rely on team collaboration often find the lack of "Slack-like" features, lessen the value of the tool.

5. Untidy Inbox Organization

Google Voice stores calls, texts, and voicemails in separate folders.This makes it difficult to see full customer histories.

As a result, teams respond slower and have to jump between multiple tabs.

6. No Toll-Free Business Phone Numbers

Google Voice does not offer toll-free numbers.This can make your business appear smaller or less accessible to national customers.

7. Limited International Availability

Google Voice for Business is available only in select countries. Team members outside these regions cannot use the service at all.

8. No Desktop App for Faster Workflows

Google Voice is browser-only and to be fair, the browser version is top-notch. But for notification of missed calls or interruptions in workflow. Most VoIP systems today provide Windows and Mac apps.

9. Expensive Call Recording Features

Call recording is:

• Manual on the free plan

• Only available on the Standard or Premier plans

And to enable automatic recording requires the $30 plan.

10. Poor Contact Management Tools

Your company contacts are stored in your Google account and mix with personal contacts. Team-wide contact sharing is complicated and limited and limiting permissions between users on your team a headache.

11. Awkward Three-Way Calling

Three-way calling on mobile reveals your personal phone number unless you use Google Meet.

12. No Text Automation

Google Voice does not support:

• Scheduled texts

• Auto-replies

• Appointment reminders

• Text workflows

• Multi-recipient forwarding

Businesses looking for automation will need to choose a different business phone system.

13. Limited MMS Support

Google Voice only supports basic image formats. It does not support:

• Videos

• PDFs

• Audio files

• Document attachments

Businesses that rely on document sharing often need MMS support. This is especially a bottleneck for service, repair and real-estate workers.

14. No Free Trial

Google Voice does not offer a free trial for business plans.

Best Alternatives to Google Voice for a Business Phone Number

Below is a comparison of Google Voice against popular business VoIP solutions.

Final Verdict: Is Google Voice the Right VoIP Number for Business?

Of course it is possible to have Google Voice work as your basic business phone number for very small teams and solopreneurs who already use Google Workspace. It's affordable for individuals and easy to set up.

However, once your business needs grow, the limitations become clearer. Google Voice lacks essential features that most modern small businesses expect, including:

• Full texting support

• Team collaboration tools

• Integrations

• Toll-free numbers

• Automation

  
  

If you need a true VoIP number for business, especially one that supports teams, shared numbers, and automation, Google Voice is usually not the best long-term choice.