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Hosted PBX prices from 10 providers
| Provider | Entry price | 5 users, annual billing | Phone menu (auto attendant) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Voice | $10/user/mo (Starter, up to 10 users) | Not stated | Standard ($20) |
| Grasshopper | from $14/mo billed annually (per account) | $55 (Small Business plan, per account) | Solo Plus and Small Business (not True Solo) |
| Dialpad | $15/user/mo annual; $27 monthly | $75 | Offered (plan not stated) |
| Quo (formerly OpenPhone) | $15/user/mo annual; $19 monthly | $75 | Business ($23 annual) |
| Zoom Phone | $16/user/mo annual; $18 monthly | $80 | Auto attendants/IVR on all plans |
| Vonage Business | $13.99/line/mo on an annual contract (promotion); $19.99 monthly | $69.95 (annual contract, promotional) | Virtual receptionist listed (plan not readable) |
| Ooma Office | $19.95/user/mo | No annual pricing | All plans |
| Nextiva | $15/user/mo annual; $23 monthly (NEXT Core) | $75 | Offered |
| RingCentral RingEX | $20/user/mo paid annually; $30 monthly (Core) | $100 | Auto attendant listed |
| Aircall | $30/license/mo billed annually, $40 monthly (3-license minimum) | $150 | All plans |
From each company's own pricing page, checked October 22, 2026. Prices exclude taxes and regulatory fees, which every provider adds. Grasshopper prices per account rather than per user, and Aircall requires at least three licenses. Click a provider for its full plan breakdown.
What hosted PBX means
A PBX (private branch exchange) is the system that gives a business its extensions, transfers, ring groups, voicemail and phone menu. It used to be a box in a closet. With hosted PBX, also called cloud PBX, the provider runs that system in its own data centers and your calls travel over the internet. You manage users and call routing in a web dashboard and make calls from desk phones, a computer or a mobile app.
Hosted, on-premises or SIP trunking
| Hosted PBX | On-premises PBX | SIP trunking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs the system | The provider | You, on hardware in your office | You run the PBX; the provider supplies only the phone lines |
| Upfront cost | Little or none beyond phones | The PBX hardware and installation | Your existing PBX; trunks are added to it |
| Ongoing cost | A monthly fee per user | Maintenance, repairs and phone lines | A fee per trunk or per minute |
| Adding a user | A few clicks | Hardware capacity and a technician | A line or channel on the trunk |
| Working remotely | Built in, through the apps | Needs extra setup | Depends on your PBX |
| Best for | Most small businesses | Sites with existing hardware or strict on-site needs | Businesses keeping a PBX they already own |
For a small business without an existing phone system, hosted is almost always the answer. There is no hardware to buy or maintain, and the price is a predictable amount per person each month.
What you get
A hosted PBX gives a business the core of a phone system: extensions, transfers and voicemail. The feature that varies most from plan to plan is the phone menu, the one that answers with "press 1 for sales," which some providers reserve for a higher plan. That is the right-hand column in the table, and it is the first thing to check, because a cheap entry plan without a phone menu is not a full PBX.
- Included with every plan from Ooma, Aircall and Zoom Phone. Zoom lists unlimited auto attendants/IVR on all three Phone plans.
- Only on a higher plan with Google Voice and Quo. Google Voice puts it on Standard at $20 a user; Quo on Business at $23 a user, annual billing.
- Offered, with the plan not clearly stated, on the others. Ask before you sign.
Costs the headline price leaves out
- Taxes and regulatory fees. They add a real percentage to a business phone bill. See what a business phone system costs for a worked five-user example.
- Contract terms. Several of the lowest prices need annual billing or a 12-month agreement; month to month costs more.
- Desk phones. Bought or rented separately where supported. Grasshopper does not support them, Vonage only on Premium and Advanced, and RingCentral's rental needs a multi-year contract.
- Toll-free numbers and extra minutes. Included on some plans and an add-on on others. See toll-free business numbers.
How to pick
| If you need | Start with |
|---|---|
| Lowest monthly cost with a phone menu | Compare Ooma, RingCentral and the entry plans in the table above; check whether the menu is on the plan you are pricing |
| Mostly mobile team | Grasshopper, which runs entirely in apps |
| Sales or support team | Aircall or RingCentral, built around queues and integrations |
| Want to try before committing | Pick a provider with a published free trial; see each pricing page |
Weighing two specific providers? See RingCentral vs Nextiva, or compare every business phone system.
The phone menu is the feature that varies most. See which plans include an auto attendant.
Prefer a system priced by simultaneous calls instead of per user? See 3CX pricing.
Compare by line count in multi-line phone systems, or see hotel phone systems.
Choosing handsets: VoIP phones by brand, with prices.
New to the term? What is a PBX explains how a PBX routes calls and the four types.
Shopping for the whole package? Cloud phone systems compares 10 providers with 10-user costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is hosted PBX?
A business phone system run by the provider in its own data centers instead of on hardware in your office. You get extensions, transfers, voicemail and a phone menu, managed in a web dashboard, with calls carried over the internet.
How much does hosted PBX cost?
Entry plans run from about $10 to $30 per user a month before taxes and fees, depending on the provider and whether you pay annually. For five users on annual billing, most providers in our table come to $55 to $150 a month.
Is hosted PBX the same as VoIP?
Hosted PBX uses VoIP, but they are not the same thing. VoIP is the technology that carries calls over the internet; hosted PBX is the full business phone system built on top of it. See what VoIP is.
Do I need desk phones for hosted PBX?
No, and with some providers you cannot use them. Grasshopper is app-only. Vonage supports desk phones on its Premium and Advanced plans, and RingCentral's phone rental needs a multi-year contract. Quo and Aircall do not state desk phone support on their pricing pages.
What is the difference between hosted PBX and SIP trunking?
With hosted PBX the provider runs the whole phone system. With SIP trunking you keep and run your own PBX, and the provider only supplies the phone lines that connect it to the outside world.