OpenPhone Pricing: Can It Beat Nextiva?

When considering virtual phone systems, many SMBs find themselves comparing Nextiva and OpenPhone. At first glance, the OpenPhone pricing plans seem lower, but it’s important to consider what features you’re getting at each price point. 

So, does OpenPhone have all the features your business needs at a price point you’re happy with? Let’s take a closer look. 

OpenPhone Plans & Pricing

OpenPhone is a cloud-based communications platform that offers voice and messaging capabilities for businesses of all sizes. It’s a reliable service with basic functionalities that may be perfect for a small or medium-sized business (SMB).

Let’s dive into their pricing plans.

Starter plan: $15/month per user (billed annually)

The Starter plan is ideal for small businesses that have relatively simple communication needs and don’t conduct significant business communications outside the U.S. or Canada. 

Features of the Starter plan include: 

• One new local or toll-free phone number per user
• Port phone numbers from other carriers
• Voicemail-to-text transcripts 
• Unlimited calling and messaging to U.S. and Canadian numbers (subject to additional rates)
• International calling and messaging
• Shared phone numbers with a limit of 10 users
• Snippets and AI message responses
• Manual call recording, auto-replies, and scheduled messages
• Integration with email, Slack, Zapier, Google Contacts, and webhooks (beta)
• Standard support

Business plan: $23/month per user (billed annually)

This plan can benefit SMBs that plan to grow or those that need slightly more advanced and collaboration-focused features. 

The Business plan includes everything in the Starter plan, plus the following: 

• Unlimited shared phone numbers
• Automatic call recording
• Phone menus
• AI call summaries and transcripts
• Group calling, call transfers, and custom ring orders
• Integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Gong
• Analytics and reporting
• Standard support

Enterprise plan: Custom pricing — contact sales for more information

The Enterprise plan can benefit scaling SMBs or large businesses that may need additional support or customization options. However, it doesn’t offer many more benefits than the Business plan.

The Enterprise plan includes everything in the Business plan, plus the following: 

• Custom contract and pricing
• Dedicated Account Manager
• Audit log
• Priority support — pushes your support needs ahead of accounts with standard support 

Add-ons (across all plans)

OpenPhone customers can choose from any of the following add-ons to include in the monthly plan of their choice:

• Additional phone numbers: $5 per number, per month
• International calls and messages: Billed per minute or message (rates vary by country)
• Automated messages via Zapier: $0.01 per outgoing text message 

Nextiva Plans & Pricing

Nextiva’s pricing model offers more flexible plans, which vary slightly depending on the number of users. This makes Nextiva a strong choice for businesses that want to scale, as its pricing remains affordable alongside growth. 

For the best rate, we recommend choosing an annual billing option, which is reflected below. Remember, you can change your service anytime, so if you find that your current plan no longer suits your growing needs, reach out to your Client Success Manager.

Nextiva also offers contact center solutions for businesses with growing support or sales teams.

Essential plan: $18.95/month per user (billed annually)

Nextiva’s Essential plan is ideal for consultants, startups, or small businesses with mature communication needs. 

Key features of the Essential plan include: 

• Unlimited voice and video calling within the U.S. and Canada
• Easy setup for VoIP desk phones and access to mobile apps for those working remotely
• Free number porting to transfer your existing phone number to Nextiva
• Toll-free numbers and 1,000 toll-free minutes per month
• Auto attendant for basic call routing
• Advanced call management, which controls how incoming calls are handled
• Voicemail-to-email notification
• Integration with Outlook and Google Contacts
• Unlimited internet fax
• 24/7 customer support for any troubleshooting or questions

Professional plan: $22.95/month per user (billed annually)

The Professional plan is well-suited to growing businesses with increased communication and collaboration needs. Agencies, scaling e-commerce stores, and businesses with large customer support teams can benefit from this plan. 

The Professional plan includes all features in the Essential plan, plus the following: 

• Unlimited conference calls for up to 40 participants
• Unlimited video conferencing for up to 250 participants
• Auto attendant (multi-level)
• Mobile and desktop SMS/MMS for inbound and outbound text messages
• Team collaboration chat messaging
• Screen sharing
• Free voicemail to text message or email
• Integration with Salesforce and HubSpot
• Professional assistance with onboarding and setup 

Enterprise plan: $32.95/month per user (billed annually)

The Enterprise plan is a strong virtual phone system and communication solution for large and enterprise businesses with high-volume calls and messages, including large contact centers, financial institutions, educational organizations, and healthcare providers. 

The Enterprise plan includes all of the features in the Professional plan, plus the following:

• Unlimited voice and video conferencing, unlimited video conference recording, and unlimited participants 
• Call recording functionality, including automatic call recording
• 10,000 toll-free minutes per month
• Voicemail transcription
• Voice analytics to provide deeper insight into agent/rep performance
• Advanced call flows with more customization options
• Additional integrations, including Zendesk and HubSpot
• Single sign-on to make accessing everything simple and convenient
• Priority support from your dedicated account manager

Common features across all of Nextiva’s plans

While each tier adds and improves upon the last, some features are universal. Whether you only want the essentials or are looking for enterprise communications, you’ll find these in every plan:

• Call pop with customer information, providing key context about the caller at a glance
• Customizable call routes to direct inbound calls to the right place or person
• Advanced call management features, including call forwarding, call transfers, call waiting, and call hold
• Voicemail-to-text service, turning voice messages into easily accessible text messages
• Unlimited virtual faxing
• 24/7 customer support via chat or phone

Which Nextiva plan is best?

Our most popular plan is Nextiva Enterprise, which offers the most features and functionality for small and mid-size companies. In addition to extensive business communication features, it provides advanced integrations with apps like Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, and Zendesk.

If you have a smaller budget, check out the Nextiva Essential plan for the core business communication features like unlimited calling nationwide, auto attendants, online fax, and more. You also get a mobile and desktop app at no extra cost for the freedom to work from anywhere.

And suppose you want to connect your on-premises PBX to Nextiva. In that case, we offer flexible SIP trunking as low as $14.95 per month.

Top Features of OpenPhone & Nextiva

When considering two VoIP service providers, it can be helpful to compare each platform’s key features. 

OpenPhone

OpenPhone’s key features include the following: 

1. Local or toll-free numbers: OpenPhone allows each user to have a new local or toll-free phone number, which can be very attractive for small businesses or startups looking to establish a presence.
2. Voicemail transcripts: For busy professionals who may not always have the time to listen to voicemails, transcripts can be a quick way to stay on top of messages.
3. Shared phone numbers: Small teams can manage the same phone number, which is useful for collaborative customer service.
4. AI message responses: For businesses that want to ensure quick initial replies to customer inquiries, AI responses can provide immediate engagement.
5. Cost-effective plan: With a lower entry cost for the Starter plan (three dollars per month less than Nextiva), OpenPhone can be more accessible for startups and small businesses.

Nextiva

Nextiva’s key features include the following: 

1. Unlimited video conferencing: With higher plans offering unlimited participants, Nextiva is suitable for larger businesses that require extensive video conferencing capabilities.
2. Advanced call management: Features in the Enterprise plan, such as call recording and voice analytics, are key for businesses that need to monitor and improve their customer service.
3. CRM integrations: Nextiva offers integrations with major CRM software, such as Salesforce, on two of its plans, which is essential for businesses that rely on CRM for sales and customer service.
4. Team messaging and SMS: These features support a mobile and flexible workforce, enabling employees to communicate effectively from any location.
5. Scalability: Nextiva plans are designed to scale with business growth, making it a good choice for rapidly growing companies.

Expanded Comparison Table

Feature or Functionality	OpenPhone Starter	OpenPhone Enterprise	Nextiva Essential
Monthly price per user when billed annually	$15	Price not listed online	$18.95
Hardware phone compatibility (VoIP phones)	❌	❌	✅
Unlimited voice calling (U.S. and Canada)	✅	✅	✅
Unlimited video calling	❌	❌	✅
Mobile apps (iOS and Android)	✅	✅	✅
Toll-free phone numbers	✅	✅	✅
Video calling functionality	❌	❌	✅
Video conference functionality	❌	❌	✅
Meeting scheduling	❌	❌	✅
Team messaging	✅	✅	✅
Voicemail to email or text	✅	✅	✅
Call recording	✅	✅	❌
Free number porting	✅	✅	✅
SMS/MMS	✅	✅	❌
Voicemail transcription	✅	✅	❌
Integrations	Email, Slack, Zapier, Google Contacts, webhooks (beta)	Starter plan integrations plus HubSpot, Salesforce, Gong	Outlook, Google Contacts
Analytics and reporting	❌	✅	✔️(Available with Enterprise plan.)

Which Provider Is Right for Your Business?

Choosing between Nextiva and OpenPhone will depend on your current and future estimated communication needs, plans for growth, budget, and required features. 

OpenPhone

Startups and small businesses that need basic VoIP features, calling, messaging, and shared numbers may be best suited to OpenPhone. 

Businesses that are primarily focused on phone calls and SMS messages can benefit from OpenPhone, especially if they’re open to using an alternative video calling and conferencing solution. 

The platform’s biggest strengths include:

• Affordable pricing: OpenPhone’s pricing is slightly lower than Nextiva’s, which can be cost-effective for small businesses with restrictive budgets. 
• Easy-to-use design: The platform’s relatively simple features make it incredibly easy to adopt and use. 
• Great collaboration features: There are plenty of great workspace collaboration features, such as in-thread team messaging, shared phone numbers, shared contact lists, and group messaging.
• AI features: OpenPhone has some unique AI features, including AI auto-replies. 

Nextiva

Nextiva is a more well-rounded communications platform, offering SMBs and large businesses basic functionalities, advanced tools, and extensive support. All plans support Google Contacts and Outlook integration, and the higher-tier plans include integration with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, and more. 

It’s also worth noting that while OpenPhone beats Nextiva on pricing alone, it only does so slightly (it’s $3.95 less for the cheapest plan, but $0.05 higher for the mid-level plan, and unknown for the Enterprise plan since you have to call for pricing). It’s always important to consider the value of what you’re getting at each price point. 

Nextiva’s most significant strengths include:

• Robust business phone features: Nextiva’s virtual phone features are extraordinarily robust, including options such as auto-attendants, call routing, call logging, and call recording. 
• Video and voice conferencing: Nextiva offers both voice and video conferencing, with features such as meeting scheduling, video call recording, and video calls up to 45 minutes long. 
• 24/7 support: Nextiva’s dedicated customer support team is available 24/7/365 on all plans. 
• Professional setup: Nextiva’s Professional and Enterprise plans come with the option for professional setup, ensuring that you and your team know how to get the most out of your new communication platform. 

The Final Verdict on Nextiva

Nextiva is consistently the preferred choice for growing businesses for the following reasons: 

• Clear pricing: There are no hidden fees, our pricing is reasonable, and our plans are transparent. 
• Scalability: Nextiva’s expansive communications features scale alongside your business. 
• Professional-grade communication: With VoIP office phone compatibility and discounted pricing available, Nextiva is ready for the workplace. 
• Mobile-ready: Nextiva’s remote and mobile-ready features are essential for hybrid and remote workforces. 
• 24/7 customer support: You can always get support when needed because your business phone system is never something you should gamble on. 
• Reliability: Nextiva boasts high reliability and uptime, which are critical for businesses with always-on communication needs.

OpenPhone FAQs