10 Best Softphone Apps for Businesses -

Table of Contents

What Is a Softphone App?

A softphone app is a software application that makes phone calls on a device that’s connected to the internet. Unlike a traditional phone, softphones can enhance and access VoIP features.

How Does a Softphone Work?

To use a softphone, all you need is a headset and either a desktop or laptop computer. The key is to use a device that can connect to the internet. Wired internet connections tend to be better than Wifi.

Once you have your equipment, you can install your softphone app onto your device (laptop, etc.).

Why You Should Be Using Softphones Instead of Desk Phones at Your Business

Many businesses love using softphone software for its efficiency with time, costs, and space. Since the softphone applications use the internet, companies can save thousands of dollars from not paying for a dedicated phone line. Many softphone software providers charge around $50 per month. All they need is a strong internet connection.

Another reason to switch to softphones is the space savings. Desk phones require wires and desk space, while softphones can conduct customer calls from anywhere since employees can use the applications on laptops.

Moreover, desktop and mobile softphone apps offer greater flexibility in your communication styles since they accommodate 3-way calling, video conferencing, message transcription, and caller information.

12+ Best Softphone Apps for Businesses

Here are some of the best softphone apps for businesses, including their features, pros and cons, and pricing.

Fastcall

Fastcall is a softphone application that was designed specifically for Salesforce. Founded in 2009 to integrate seamlessly with Salesforce. In the last decade, they’ve continued to evolve, launching from Version 1.0 to the most recent 7.50 Version, increasing their offerings to include outbound and inbound calls, SMS capabilities, data collection, and more!

Included Features

Outbound calls
Call routing
Call transfer
Customer recognition
Custom dashboards
Inbound calls
SMS
Video calls and conferencing
Information management
Call recording
Call routing
Call integration with Salesforce mobile app

Best for: Everyone

Pros

Custom features and dashboards to fit your business’ needs
Explicitly designed for Salesforce, offering seamless integration
#1 Salesforce Native App for Phone, SMS, and Video
Customer recognition for improved efficiency
Worldwide calling and omnichannel support
Concurrent calls
Call recording and live listening to improve customer service strategy

Cons

None — no negative reviews on Salesforce Appexchange

Pricing

Free: 2-week trial

Essential: $24/user/month

Pro: $49/user/month

Custom: to fit varying business needs

RingCentral

RingCentral is a secure softphone app offering services across 100 countries. Its API platform integrates nicely with Google, Salesforce, Okta, Zendesk, and Microsoft and allows users to build custom mobile apps.

Included Features

Unlimited US calls
Call transfer
Video conferencing capabilities
Text messaging
Voicemail-to-text transcription
Document collaboration capabilities
Click-to-call from web pages, Outlook, or Word document
Voice and fax message consolidation into emails

Best for: Large teams

Pros: Super reliable, with a 99.9% uptime (the service is rarely down)

Cons: 24/7 support over live chat and phone, but not through email; some customers cite surprise fees in their reviews. Not dedicated to Salesforce.

Pricing

Essentials: $19.99/month for 20 users

Ultimate: $49.99/month for unlimited calls, users, storage, support, and video conferencing.

8×8

Founded in 1987, 8×8 is a San Jose telephony company and a leading cloud phone service provider. Integrated with both Salesforce Classic and Lightning, users love the advanced analytics capabilities for business communication.

Included Features

Embeddable communications
Works with Sales Cloud and Service Cloud
Compatible with most browsers
Call queue
Voice integrations
Meeting scheduling
Video conferencing capabilities

Best for: Small teams and businesses

Pros: Reasonably priced

Cons: Some reviewers cite missed calls and poor customer support, with about 50% of all Appexchange reviews fair or negative.

Pricing

Small Business Phone System: $15/user/month

All-in-one Voice, Video, Chat: $24/user/month

Advanced Call Handling and Analytics: $44/user/month

Counterpath Bria Teams

Founded in 2009, Counterpath offers a full-stack cloud communications platform known for its strong customer support and high call quality. They were acquired by Alianza earlier this year (March) but continue to offer a variety of softphone app features to its clients.

Included Features

Compatibility with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices
Click-to-call
Call transfer
Call recording capabilities
HD audio codecs
Video conferencing
Instant messaging

Best for: Remote teams as the easy interface offers engagement

Counterpath Bria services, softphone apps.

Pros: User-friendly interface and reliable; cost-effective

Cons: Some reviewers cite frequent crashes, but it’s important to note that those reviews are a few years old.

Pricing

Solo 1: Free, for one account

Solo for three users: $2.95/month

Teams: $4.95/user/month

Enterprise Basic, Standard, and Business bundles: Contact Bria Sales for custom pricing

Counterpath Bria pricing, softphone apps.

Linphone

A well-known softphone app for Linux users, Linphone is the ultimate secure communications app. Launched in 2001, Linphone was the first open-source softphone application.

Included Features

HD video calls and audio conferencing
Call recording capabilities
Call transfer
Secure, ZRTP or SRTP-DTLS end-to-end encryption
Compatibility with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, Linux
Open-source licensing model
File sharing
User-friendly interface
Linphone Instant Messaging Encryption (LIME)

Best for: Open-source companies

Pros: User-friendly interface and mobile app

Cons: Some reviewers cite issues with call recording memory

Pricing

Contact Linphone for pricing information.

Phone.com

Phone.com is a business communications service that offers many elite features from the standard enterprise plan without the high price tag.

Included Features

Call recording
Voicemail transcription
Greetings and automated attendants
Hold music
Video conferencing capabilities
Call analytics and CRM integration (pro plan)
Mobile apps
Discounts for multiple users

Best for: Small businesses

Pros: No contracts or long-term commitments

Cons: The Basic plan has limited minutes; no Salesforce package

Pricing

Basic: $12.99/user/month

Plus: $19.99/user/month

Pro: $29.99/user/month

Zoiper

A softphone software known for its security, Zoiper is a service-independent softphone application that has been renowned for its strong support for call centers, mobile operators, and other businesses.

Included Features

End-to-end, military-grade encryption with TLS/SRTP and ZRTP
Click-to-Dial capabilities
Auto answer
High audio quality

Best for: Companies that value strong security

Pros: No monthly fees

Cons: Fewer features than other softphone applications; no Salesforce package

Pricing

$49.95 one-time cost

GoToConnect

Formerly Jive, GoToConnect is one of the most reliable softphone apps out there, with support for webinars, video calling and conferencing, messaging, and calling. It boasts an uptime of 99.996% and has distributed cloud architecture.

Included Features

Call routing
Instant messaging
Screen share capabilities
One-click video calling and video conferencing
Real-time collaboration
Call flows
Virtual voicemail
Custom greeting
Call monitoring

Best for: Businesses of all sizes

Pros: Reliable with 99.996% uptime

Cons: Some reviewers report call drops and a lack of customizable capabilities; no Salesforce package

Pricing

Basic: $22/user/month

Standard: $26/user/month

Premium: $39/user/month

Cisco Jabber

Cisco is a major player in the business communications field. Their Jabber softphone app offers businesses video conferencing, easy collaboration, instant messaging, and mobile applications all in one place.

Included Features

Compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices
Screen share
Easy team collaboration
Modern and user-friendly interface
Document sharing
Strong call quality

Best for: Teams that require frequent collaboration

Pros: Affordable, strong video quality

Cons: Automatic deletion of old messages; no Salesforce package

Pricing

$50 per license

Line2

Line2 is one of the more basic softphone apps, offering easy configuration and reliability for both mobile applications and desktops. Unfortunately, this option is limited when it comes to third-party integrations.

Included Features

Merged phone calls
Inbound call handling
Local phone numbers
Toll-free numbers
Outbound calling
Call recording

Best for: Small teams that don’t value video calling or video conferencing capabilities in their softphone app

Pros: User-friendly and intuitive

Cons: No video calling or video conferencing capabilities and limited integration capabilities

Pricing

Starter: $14.99/month

Growth: $19.99/month

Business: $24.99/month

Acrobits Cloud Softphone

Acrobits Cloud Softphone is a business communications tool that easily integrates with VoIP providers like Airwatch and MobileIron. Customers appreciate its features, such as click-to-call and screen sharing.

Included Features

Unlimited calls and unlimited users
Integration with MDM providers
Multi-user collaboration
Screen share
Call routing
Video calling and video conferencing capabilities
Call logging
Mobile apps access

Best for: Businesses of all sizes that use mobile devices

Pros: Affordable

Cons: No Salesforce package

Pricing

Full-featured: $69/month

Outbound only: $120/month

Whitelabel: $459/month

3CX Softphone

3CX Softphone is a free softphone system that connects to most VoIP providers. The company boasts 80% savings for businesses that choose their application.

Included Features

Unlimited extensions
Live chat
Call reporting
CRM integration
Microsoft integrations
Screen share
Call recording
Video conferencing
Unique SIP trunk

Best for: Businesses on a budget

Pros: Very affordable, excellent call quality

Cons: Some reviewers cite a complicated setup process as well as a lack of fax functionality

Pricing

All 3CX plans, including enterprise, are entirely free for the first year. The prices below are from the second year onwards.

Standard: Free for the second year too.

Pro: $145

Enterprise: $180

Grasshopper

Grasshopper is a business communications service that offers desktop and mobile apps for many different kinds of businesses. It has various regularly updated features, like call transfers, voicemail transcription, and a live receptionist.

Included Features

Business texting
Call transfer
Desktop and mobile apps
Simultaneous call handling
Call forwarding
Unlimited calls for plus and pro plans
Voicemail transcription
Instant response
Easy set up for extensions
Compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices

Best for: Small businesses and marketing businesses

Pros: Call screening

Cons: Complicated set-up process, as cited by some reviewers

Pricing

Solo: $26/user/month

Partner: $44/user/month

Small Business: $80/user/month

Conclusion

Softphone apps are becoming the norm for thousands of businesses that want to be more productive will also save time, and money on phone calls, business communication, and video conferencing.

Fastcall allows the best integration with Salesforce and collaboration across international businesses and offers fully customizable plans to help fit your business needs.

Contact Fastcall today to take your business communication and VoIP service to the next level!