By Henry Williams on Growth Business – Your gateway to entrepreneurial success
A virtual landline gives a company a recognisable UK business number while routing calls through mobile and desktop apps, existing phones or a wider cloud phone system.
That flexibility matters as a business grows. New starters can be added without installing another physical line, hybrid teams can answer the same company number from different locations, and calls can be routed to the right person or department.
The move away from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) makes this a timely decision, too. BT plans to retire the old landline network used over Openreach by 31 January 2027. You still have plenty of time make sure you a suitable alternative in place. And here are
The best virtual landline providers at a glance
| Provider | Cost | Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Landline | Virtual number from £4.50 a month including VAT; office system from £6.95 per user a month excluding VAT | 30-day minimum |
| RingCentral | Essentials from £7.99 per user a month annually, or £12.99 monthly, for 2–19 users | Monthly and annual options |
| Clear Business | Tailored quote | Confirm with quote |
| Vonage | From £10 per user a month excluding VAT | Confirm with quote |
| Yay.com | Live online quote; prices exclude VAT | Monthly, with annual savings available |
| bOnline | From £7 per user a month excluding VAT | 12 or 24 months |
Prices and product information checked on 21 September 2026. Introductory prices may exclude number rental, hardware, international calls, premium features and installation. Ask each provider for a like-for-like quote based on your user count and call pattern.
1. Virtual Landline
Pricing
- Local and national virtual numbers: from £4.50 a month including VAT
- 0207 and 0208 London virtual numbers: from £12.50 a month including VAT
- 0800 freephone virtual numbers: from £11.95 a month including VAT
- Landline eSIM: from £12.95 a month for local and national numbers, or £18.95 for London numbers, including VAT
- Office Lite: £6.95 per user a month excluding VAT
- Office Complete: £9.95 per user a month excluding VAT
- Call Centre: £14.95 per user a month excluding VAT
Virtual Landline takes the top spot because of its affordable prices and fantastic range of solutions.
A local or national virtual number starts at just £4.50 a month including VAT. Calls can be answered through the provider’s app, and an existing number can be ported across. The rolling 30-day arrangement also gives you more flexibility than a long fixed contract.
When you need to add extensions, you can move to its multi-user Office system, which starts at £6.95 per user a month excluding VAT. Depending on the plan, this adds features such as an auto-attendant, call queues, time-based routing, call recording, reporting and desktop as well as mobile apps. The system can support teams ranging from two users to more than 100.
Key features
- UK local, national and freephone number options
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Number porting and a 30-day minimum term
- Multi-user plans with IVR, queues, recording and reporting, depending on tier
- UK-based support
2. RingCentral
Pricing for 2–19 users
- Essentials: £7.99 per user a month when paid annually, or £12.99 with monthly billing
- Standard: £14.99 per user a month when paid annually, or £18.99 with monthly billing
- Premium: £19.99 per user a month when paid annually, or £23.99 with monthly billing
- Ultimate: £24.99 per user a month when paid annually, or £28.99 with monthly billing
RingCentral is a broader unified communications platform rather than a basic call-forwarding service. It combines business calling, messaging, video meetings and online fax into one system, with central administration for users and locations.
It is a particularly good solution for a growing business with several offices, a formal IT function or software that needs to exchange data with the phone system. RingCentral advertises more than 500 integrations, including Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Zendesk. It also supports operations in more than 100 countries and offers a 99.999 per cent availability commitment for eligible services.
For a business with two to 19 users, Essentials starts at the equivalent of £7.99 per user a month with annual billing, while the more capable Premium plan starts at £19.99. Larger businesses should select their actual user band before comparing costs.
Key features
- Cloud calling, messaging, video and fax
- Central user and multi-site administration
- More than 500 integrations
- Call queues, analytics and AI-assisted workflows
- International deployment options
3. Clear Business
Pricing
- Clear Business Digital Voice: contact the provider for a tailored quote
- Inclusive calls and call bundles: priced according to the organisation’s requirements
Clear Business Digital Voice combines desk-phone familiarity with a mobile app. A user can move a live call between devices and access the same voicemail from either, which can make hybrid working less disruptive for teams accustomed to a conventional office phone.
The company tailors its inclusive call package around your needs rather than publishing a standard monthly price. It can provide a new number or port an existing one. This tailored approach might suit a growing company that values more bespoke support with its switch. Eligible customers may also receive a contribution of up to £300 towards an early termination charge from their previous supplier, subject to Clear Business’s terms and evidence of the charge.
Key features
- Desk phone and mobile app
- Move an active call between devices
- Shared voicemail across desk and mobile
- New numbers and number porting
- Tailored inclusive call packages
4. Vonage
Pricing
- Express: £10 per user a month excluding VAT
- Core: £15 per user a month excluding VAT
- Max: £25 per user a month excluding VAT
Vonage Business Communications has three tiers. Express costs £10 per user a month excluding VAT, and includes a business landline number, unlimited inbound calls, a desktop app and more than 30 calling features. Core costs £15 and adds unlimited outbound calling, CRM integrations and Microsoft Teams compatibility. Max costs £25 and adds a business mobile number through an eSIM, unlimited SMS and WhatsApp Business-ready capability.
That structure makes it easier to match features to different stages of growth. Vonage also offers World Numbers in more than 96 countries, while its managed global service covers 15 countries. A business opening overseas sales or support operations can therefore add local numbers while retaining central control.
Key features
- Three published UK price tiers
- More than 30 calling features from the entry plan
- CRM and Microsoft Teams connectivity on eligible plans
- Business mobile and messaging features on Max
- International numbers in more than 96 countries
5. Yay.com
Pricing
- Core: £4.50 per user a month excluding VAT when paid annually
- Standard: £11.99 per user a month excluding VAT when paid annually
- Premium: £20.99 per user a month excluding VAT when paid annually
Yay.com offers a sizeable set of cloud telephony tools. Its Core, Standard and Premium plans are aimed respectively at smaller organisations, growing teams and businesses with more advanced requirements. Customers can also pay annually for a saving of up to 25 per cent.
The provider offers mobile, desktop and browser calling, as well as call routing, IVR menus, queues and recording. More advanced plans add capabilities such as CRM integrations, webhooks, an API, single sign-on and AI-generated transcripts or summaries. That makes Yay.com an interesting middle ground if your business wants more control than simple forwarding without signing a long contract.
Prices can vary with user numbers, telephone numbers and selected features, so buyers should reproduce their proposed set-up in the company’s live configurator before comparing the final monthly cost.
Key features
- Monthly service with no installation or cancellation fee
- Mobile, desktop and browser apps
- IVR, queues, routing and recording
- API, webhooks and CRM integrations on eligible plans
- Annual payment discount of up to 25 per cent
6. bOnline
Pricing
- Starter: £7 per user a month excluding VAT
- Unlimited Calling: £13.95 per user a month excluding VAT
- AI For Business Calls: £19.95 per user a month excluding VAT
bOnline is aimed squarely at small businesses. Its Starter plan is listed at £7 per user a month excluding VAT, with more than 40 features, unlimited inbound calls and 100 outbound UK landline minutes. Unlimited Calling is £13.95 per user a month excluding VAT. The £19.95 AI For Business Calls plan adds recording, transcription, summaries and follow-up actions. Desk phones are compatible with the service and may also be available through separate bundles or promotions.
The service includes mobile and desktop apps and can connect with Microsoft and Google tools on eligible packages. CRM integration is available as a paid add-on. This gives a small team a substantial calling feature set at a relatively low entry price, although the 12- or 24-month commitment is less flexible than the rolling options offered by some competitors.
Key features
- Entry plan from £7 per user a month excluding VAT
- More than 40 calling features
- Unlimited inbound calls
- Mobile and desktop apps
- Microsoft, Google and optional CRM connectivity
How to choose a virtual landline as your business grows
The lowest starting price is only one part of the decision. Before signing, consider:
The full monthly cost
Count every person who needs an extension, then add number rental, call bundles, handsets, recording, analytics, integrations and international usage. A low advertised price might be less competitive once essential add-ons are included.
Number porting and the changeover plan
Ask whether your existing number can be retained, how long the port is expected to take and what happens to calls during the transfer. Do not cancel the old service until the provider confirms the correct process.
The next stage, not just today
Check whether the service can add departments, ring groups, overseas numbers and CRM workflows without another migration. And whether administrators can provision and remove users without opening a support ticket.
Internet and power resilience
Digital phone services rely on power and connectivity. Decide how calls should be handled during an outage and whether key staff need mobile failover, an uninterruptible power supply or another backup route. Openreach also advises businesses to check alarms, payment terminals, lift phones and other equipment attached to an old line before migration.
Contract terms and support
Short commitments offer flexibility, while longer contracts may secure a discount. In either case, look at support hours, response targets, renewal provisions and exit charges as closely as the feature list.
Verdict
Virtual Landline is our top choice for most growing businesses because it offers an inexpensive single-number service and a practical route into a fuller multi-user phone system. Its 30-day minimum also reduces the risk of committing before the company knows exactly what it needs.
Other providers might be better for more specific growth plans. RingCentral is stronger for a multi-site organisation that needs extensive integrations and central controls. Clear Business suits a company that wants a more assisted migration and tailored package. Vonage stands out for international expansion, Yay.com for configurable tools without a long contract, and bOnline for a low-cost feature bundle where a fixed term is acceptable.
Whichever provider makes the shortlist, request a quote for your expected team size as well as today’s headcount. The right system should support the next phase of growth without making the business pay early for features it may never use.
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