Alternatives
Google Voice alternatives: free, paid, and for a team
Google Voice is free for many US domestic calls. Its personal plan is US-only. This page explains what the free options can reach and what a team can use instead of paying for every seat.
Use Google Voice
You live in the US and mainly call US or Canadian numbers.
Use Airlophone
You are outside the US or need to call internationally.
Read the full comparison
01The wall
Where Google Voice actually stops
Personal Google Voice is US-only.
If you live outside the US, the individual plan is not available. Google Workspace availability is separate and varies by country.
Calls abroad can cost more than the Voice rate.
Google says a call made outside the US can use mobile-plan minutes and trigger roaming charges if it is not routed through Voice.
02Side by side
The same six questions, answered for both
Where each one stops, side by side. The first row is theirs and it is not close.
| Google Voice | Airlophone | |
|---|---|---|
| Calling a US number, as a US resident | Free | Metered, like every other destination |
| Signing up without a US phone number | The personal plan is US-only | An email address and a card |
| Living outside the US | Personal plan unavailable. Workspace availability varies by country | Any of 221 countries, from a browser tab |
| Keeping a number you rarely use | An inactive number can be reclaimed | A rented number is held while the monthly rent is paid |
| What the account rests on | A Google account. If it is locked or lost, the number goes with it | Your own email and a prepaid balance |
| Knowing what a call costs | Rates published per country | Rate resolved from the digits of the number itself, landline and mobile priced apart |
If you are a US resident calling US numbers, stop here and use Google Voice. The rest of this page is for the case it was never built for: you are not in the US, and you need to reach a number that is.
03Where they win
When Google Voice is the better choice
If you live in the US and mainly call US and Canadian numbers, Google Voice is free and we are not. Use it.
Said plainly, because it is often true, and it holds if you still live in the US. Nothing on this page is an argument against that. The case this page is for is the other one: you are outside the US and need to reach a specific phone number today.
04Free
Is there a free Google Voice alternative?
Yes for two of the three cases, and no for the third. Which one you are in is decided by whether the thing you are calling is a person or a phone number.
Google Voice is the free one, if you can sign up.
For a US resident calling US and Canadian numbers it costs nothing, and nothing on this page beats nothing. The signup wall is the only thing that takes it off the table, and it takes it off completely.
WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Messenger are free, and they call people.
Both ends need the same app, a smartphone and a data connection. If that describes who you are calling, use them and close this page.
Nothing is free once an ordinary phone number is involved.
A carrier has to be paid to hand the call to the phone network. Anything advertising free international calls to real numbers is app-to-app, ad-supported with a minute cap, or a trial that ends.
Every rate is published before you dial.
Airlophone reaches ordinary phone numbers from a browser, with the exact per-minute rate shown before a call starts.
Price the number you need and the exact price for it appears before anything dials.
05For a team
A Google Voice alternative for a business
Google Voice business plans use paid per-user licences. Every person on the account needs a licence whether or not they place a call. Country availability depends on the Google Voice plan.
One balance, not a licence each.
The team spends from one prepaid balance. Somebody who made no calls this month costs nothing, which is the opposite of what a per-seat fee does.
A cap per person, enforced when they press Call.
Not reported at the end of the month. A contractor given a monthly limit is refused at that limit, before the call is placed, rather than discovered afterwards on a bill.
The record shows the answer rate, not only the call count.
Per person and for the team. A count of calls does not tell you whether anyone picked up, which on an outbound corridor is the only number that matters.
It is a browser dialer, not a phone system: there is no CRM integration, call queue, auto attendant or single sign-on. Professional adds selected recording and transcripts. The team page lists the rest of what it does not do, in full, before you invite anybody to it.
06What we do
What Airlophone does differently
Browser-based calling to landlines and mobiles in 221 countries, with nothing to install on either side and no phone number required to sign up.
- No phone number or country residency is needed to start.
- The exact rate appears before you sign up or dial.
- The keypad stays live, so phone menus work.
- Credit does not expire, and there is no subscription.
Sample rates: $0.03 a minute to a US number, $0.09 to a UK landline. Every other country is priced per band and they vary a great deal, so check the full card for yours. Carrier roaming for the same call typically runs $0.25 to $5.00 a minute.
07Try it
Try it on the number you need
Type the number and the exact price appears before anything dials.
Calls to United States from $0.03 a minute for landline and toll-free. Basic rate.
Rates from a US caller ID. Your selected caller ID is priced before calling.
Sign up when you press Call.
08Limits
What we cannot do either
Neither service reaches emergency services. Airlophone also lets you set up Verified Caller ID with an eligible number you own.
The dialer confirms before you call when a route cannot present your number. Most institutions also reject internet phone numbers for two-factor codes, Google Voice included. Keep an ordinary phone for emergency services and two-factor codes.
09Questions
Common questions
Can I use Google Voice from outside the US?
Personal Google Voice plans are available only in the US. An existing account may still place calls while you are abroad, but Google says those calls can use mobile-plan minutes and trigger roaming charges if they are not routed through Voice. Google Workspace availability varies by country.
Is Google Voice free?
Most calls to US and Canadian numbers are free from within the US. International calls are charged per minute. When you call while abroad, Google says your mobile plan or roaming charges may also apply if the call is not routed through Voice.
Why can't I sign up for Google Voice from another country?
Google's individual Voice plans are US-only and use a forwarding number. If you live outside the US, the personal plan is not available to you. A business account is a separate Google Workspace product with its own country availability.
What is the alternative to Google Voice for calling internationally?
A browser-based pay-as-you-go calling service is the closest equivalent for someone without a US number: you buy credit, dial any ordinary landline or mobile, and the person you call needs no app and no account. Airlophone works this way, with every rate published before you dial, no subscription, and credit that does not expire.
Is there a free alternative to Google Voice?
For calling another person who uses the same app, yes: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Telegram and Messenger are free and are better at it. For calling an ordinary landline or mobile, no. A carrier has to be paid to hand the call to the phone network, so Airlophone publishes the per-minute rate before you place a call.
What is the best Google Voice alternative for a business?
It depends on whether you need a phone system or international calling. Google Voice business plans use paid per-user licences. Airlophone uses one shared prepaid balance, with an optional monthly cap for each member and no seat fee for somebody who does not call. It is a browser dialer, not a phone system. There are no call queues, CRM integration or auto attendant. Professional adds selected call recording and transcripts.
What do people usually recommend instead of Google Voice?
Three different things, and which one is right depends on what you are calling. For reaching someone who has a smartphone, a free messaging app. For a US resident who wants a second number, another US VoIP provider, which will have the same US-residency requirement Google Voice does. For reaching an ordinary phone number from outside the US, pay-as-you-go calling that runs in a browser, because it is the only one of the three that needs no US number to sign up and nothing installed at the far end.
Can I receive bank verification codes on a Google Voice number?
Often not, and this is true of internet phone numbers generally rather than Google Voice specifically. Many banks and services deliberately reject them for two-factor codes. Keep an ordinary mobile number for anything that sends you a security code, whichever service you use.
Place the call Google Voice would not let you make
No US number to verify against and nothing to install. Type the number and see the exact price before you dial.