Cloud communications: 7 Platforms + features & pricing

Business communication tools are a lot like shoes — you won’t notice you’re outgrowing them until the old ones start to pinch. Maybe it feels like you’re constantly missing messages and losing important documents. Or, as more people start working remotely, your expensive legacy systems no longer make sense.

Cloud communications solves this problem by moving all your communication systems online. Now, your teams can work from anywhere and access advanced features with devices they already own. This ensures your business stays flexible without unnecessary IT overhead.

In this guide, you’ll learn how cloud communications platforms support fast-growing businesses. You’ll also compare seven top platforms to choose the perfect options for your team.

What is cloud communications? 

Cloud communications lets you call, message, or make video calls through your internet connection. You don’t need the physical servers, phone lines, or hardware that traditional systems do. You can access everything through software and on the smart devices you already own.

First, subscribe to a cloud communications service. Then download their app on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Your provider hosts the infrastructure online, so you don’t own or maintain any equipment. This setup makes it easy to work from anywhere and scale as you grow.

What are the different types of cloud communication solutions?

There are three types of cloud communication software: phone systems, messaging apps, and video apps. These tools help customer service and sales teams communicate more quickly and efficiently. They also help with remote working by ensuring everyone can work together from anywhere with an internet connection.

Cloud phone systems 

Cloud phone systems replace traditional phone systems using Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.  You can use a VoIP phone to call and text over WiFi instead of the Public Switched Telephone Network, or the PSTN.

Unlike analog phones, cloud phone systems convert your voice into data packets that travel over the internet. They’re turned back into audio before reaching your recipient.

It’s easy to set up a VoIP phone system with a cloud telephony platform like Quo. First, you sign up for our cloud communications platform. Then, get a VoIP number or port an existing one. You can now call, text, and manage voicemails from your computer, tablet, or smartphone. As long as you have WiFi, data, a hotspot, or Ethernet, you can stay connected anywhere.

You can also integrate Quo with other cloud tools, like Slack or your CRM. That way, you can:

• Centralize communication across multiple cloud communication providers
• Automatically sync information in other platforms
• Track customer interactions transparently across tools

Messaging apps 

Messaging apps help growing businesses coordinate work and make decisions faster than email. Here are some practical examples of using messaging apps like Slack:

• Coordinate schedules and job updates in real-time. For example, your field technicians can share pictures from job sites to order parts or get approval before proceeding.
• Answer quick client questions without formal emails. Think of designers who need approvals on color schemes or accountants clarifying details.
• Loop in specialists or team members mid-conversation without forwarding email chains. That way, you keep messages organized so team members can immediately see the full context.

Video calling 

Video calls let you complete more consultations in a day without worrying about travel time. You can also connect with team members who work remotely or in the field.

You might use tools like Zoom or Google Meet to:

• Set up remote consultations and client meetings. This may be helpful for legal consultations, telehealth visits, or other conversations that are best held face-to-face.
• Walk clients through complex deliverables with screen sharing. For example, accountants can review financial reports in real time, or landscapers can update clients on their progress in a yard.
• Expand your client base beyond your local area. With video calls, you can serve regional or national customers without actually going there.

7 Best cloud-based communication platforms + pricing

Let’s break down the top cloud communication systems that small and growing businesses need. We’ll start with the business phone service rated #1 in customer satisfaction by G2:

1. Quo: Best cloud phone system for small and growing businesses

Pros

• Calls and texts to Canada and the US
• One free number per user, local or toll-free
• Internal threads and shared numbers for team collaboration
• IVR functions to streamline inbound calls
• Messaging automations like auto-replies and scheduled texts
• AI voice agent, call tags, and call transcripts and summaries for finding context fast
• 8,000+ app integrations, like Slack, HubSpot, and Jobber

Cons

• No verification through two-factor authentication*

*Nearly all virtual phone numbers share this problem. Companies like Facebook, Uber, and Google rarely let you authenticate accounts through a virtual phone number.

Quo is a cloud VoIP phone system that helps businesses build better customer relationships. Each user gets unlimited calling and texting in the US or Canada, plus one free local Canadian, US, or toll-free number per account member. 

With Quo, you can route incoming calls to specific teammates or ring groups through our call flow builder. Just use the drag-and-drop interface to set up your system in minutes. You can also set up auto-attendants so callers route themselves. Then use our AI voice agent, Sona, to handle calls when your team is busy and after hours so you never miss a customer. 

Don’t want a team member to be overwhelmed by incoming calls? Shared numbers let all members of a number respond to texts and calls as a team. Plus, you get call recordings and AI-powered call summaries and transcripts for easier follow-ups.

You can integrate Quo with dozens of the tools you already use, including CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, Jobber, Pipedrive, and Attio. You can also use tools like Zapier and Make to connect to over 8,000 other tools and automate tasks, like sending appointment reminders. Need more customized integrations? Use the Quo API.

Sign up for a seven-day free trial of Quo today and get started in 15 minutes or less. Once you confirm we’re a fit, port any Canadian, US, or North American toll-free number using our desktop or web app. 

Key features of Quo

• Drag-and-drop call flow builder 
• Call routing and handling features like phone menus
• Collaboration tools like internal threads and shared numbers
• Call forwarding to phones and computers

• Time-saving texting features, like snippets, auto-replies, and scheduled messages
• Automations through Zapier and Make for workflows like appointment reminders
• Quo’s AI voice agent, Sona

• On-demand and automatic call recording
• Voicemail-to-text transcriptions

Quo pricing

Quo’s pricing plans were designed to scale alongside your business:

• Starter: $15 per user per month for free calling and texting in Canada and the US, on-demand call recording, texting automations, voicemail transcriptions, access to our AI voice agent, Sona, and more
• Business: $23 per user per month for CRM integrations like Salesforce and HubSpot, call transfers, analytics and reporting, phone menus, and more
• Scale: $35 per user per month for dedicated onboarding, priority chat and email support, inbound phone support, and AI call tags

2. RingCentral: Best for desk phone rental options

Pros

• Unlimited calls in the US and Canada
• SMS, MMS, video meetings, and toll-free minutes with limitations
• Desk phone rentals are available

Cons

• Texting is limited to 25 texts per month
• 100 minutes for toll-free calls on the base plan
• Automatic call recording requires an upgrade
• Limited storage

RingCentral’s unified communications platform supports calls, texts, video conferencing, and AI features. It also provides desk phone rentals if you work in a traditional office and your team still relies on them.

But you should know RingCentral severely limits SMS, toll-free minutes, and storage on the base plan. Even if you upgrade, you can’t get unlimited amounts of anything. Even their top plan only includes 200 text messages per month, limited toll-free minutes, and storage with time-based limits.

Key features of RingCentral

• Multi-level phone menus
• Call queues
• Desk phone rentals
• Call recording
• Voicemail transcriptions

RingCentral pricing

Here’s what you can expect from RingCentral’s pricing:

• Core: $20 per user per month for 100 video meeting participants, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 text messages, and on-demand call recording
• Advanced: $25 per user per month for 1,000 toll-free minutes, 100 text messages, advanced call monitoring features, and automatic call recording
• Ultra: $35 per user per month for 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 text messages, device analytics and alerts, and unlimited storage with time-based limits

3. Nextiva: Best for teams needing Microsoft Teams integration

Pros

• Unlimited calls and video meetings in the US and Canada
• Video calling is available on the base plan
• Offers priority and skills-based routing
• Can connect multiple social media accounts into one dashboard

Cons

• No unlimited texting on base plans
• Limited toll-free numbers and minutes
• Basic features like call recording are paywalled
• Microsoft Teams integration is available as an add-on or upgrade

Nextiva is a customer experience tool designed to connect multiple communication platforms into one place. You can set up voice calls and video calls with customers. You can connect your review sites, social media accounts, and teams to the same dashboard. There’s also a Microsoft Teams integration that lets you make and receive calls within your Teams workspace.

But Nextiva limits some of its best features, including SMS. You only get 100 SMS messages on the first tier and 500 on the second. Depending on your business, it’s easy to run out of credits and not have any for the rest of the month. Plus, tools that come standard with other providers — like AI voice agents and transcripts — require upgrades or add-ons.

Key features of Nextiva

• Unlimited free voice and video calls in Canada and the US
• Smart call routing, requires an upgrade
• Virtual fax
• Microsoft Teams integration, requires an add-on or upgrade
• Email, social media, and web form integrations

Nextiva pricing

Nextiva’s pricing starts at:

• Core: $15 per user per month for 100 text messages, voice calls, team chat, access to the mobile app, and voicemail transcriptions
• Engage: $25 per user per month for 500 text messages, 2,000 toll-free minutes, digital fax, voice analytics, call recording, and access to a Microsoft Teams integration
• Power Suite: $75 per user per month for skills-based routing, IVR, call transcriptions and summaries, and API integrations, for up to 100 agents

4. Slack: Best messaging app for internal communication

Pros

• Offers a limited free plan
• Simple user interface
• 1:1 video calls on the free plan
• AI agent for documents and messaging, requires an upgrade

Cons

• Notifications can get overwhelming if not properly managed
• Not meant for external customer communication
• Messages become hidden after 90 days on the free plan

Slack is a messaging and collaboration platform that combines team chat with file management. It also offers several AI features to help your team stay on top of projects. For example, you can catch up on channel messages with AI meeting summaries, transcripts, takeaways, and action items. Advanced AI lets you build workflows from prompts so you can automate messages, manage PTO requests, and more.

But Slack can quickly become overwhelming without the right settings. You may receive notifications all day, which could be disruptive to your work. It’s also not designed for external customer communication. Plus, messages older than 90 days will be hidden unless you upgrade.

Key features of Slack

• Instant messaging, visible for 90 days without an upgrade
• Video calls and group calls, require an upgrade
• App integrations, up to 10 without an upgrade
• Data retention for up to one year
• AI conversation summaries, requires an upgrade

Slack pricing

There are four levels of Slack pricing:

• Free: 90 days of message history, up to 10 apps, 1:1 meetings, and 1:1 external messages
• Pro: $8.75 per user per month for unlimited message history and app integrations, group meetings, group external messages, and basic AI conversation summaries
• Business+: $18 per user per month for advanced AI features like AI workflow generation, AI search, AI daily recaps, and AI file summaries
• Enterprise+: Custom pricing for EMM integration support and native data loss prevention

5. Notion: Best tool for internal knowledge management

Pros

• Offers a free plan
• Offers a free plan
• Combines docs, databases, wikis, and task management in one place
• Real-time collaboration and commenting on documents

Cons

• Some users might find it overwhelming
• AI features require a paid subscription
• Can become disorganized quickly without clear structure and guidelines

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines documents, databases, and project management. Growing businesses use it to centralize company knowledge, like: 

• Creating a searchable employee handbook
• Maintaining standard operating procedures that the whole team can reference and update
• Building client databases with custom fields to track project status

Just know that as you grow, Notion can become hard to navigate. If your team doesn’t establish organizational standards early, workspaces can get cluttered quickly. Plus, some of Notion’s features come with a learning curve. New team members may need training, as past user reviews complain that the platform can be overwhelming.

Key features of Notion

• Calendar view for projects
• Document creation and storage
• Create tables to track progress
• Integrations with Slack and Google Drive
• Build enterprise-grade knowledge bases
• AI agents and notetaking
• Enterprise search tools
• Advanced workspace analytics

Notion pricing

There are four tiers of Notion pricing:

• Free: $0 per user per month for basic sites and forms, Notion Mail and Calendar, and databases with custom properties
• Plus: $10 per user per month for unlimited collaborative blocks, file uploads, charts, custom forms, sites, and basic integrations
• Business: $20 per user per month for SSO, private teamspaces, conditional forms logic, domain verification, and premium integrations
• Enterprise: Custom pricing per user per month for zero data retention with LLM providers, audit logs, advanced integrations, and advanced security and compliance integrations like DLP and SIEM

6. Google Workspace: Best office suite for growing businesses

Pros

• Simple user interface
• Minimal learning curve and quick onboarding
• Excellent for external and internal collaboration
• Straightforward admin setup, ideal for non-technical owners
• Supports on-site hardware like desk phones with add-ons upgrade

Cons

• Customer support is difficult to reach unless you’re on a premium plan
• Limited pooled storage per person on every tier of Google Workspace

Google Workspace offers email, file storage, video calls, and collaboration tools in one package. That way, you don’t need multiple cloud communication tools. There’s also no IT expertise required to get started. The admin console is easy to navigate. You can add users, manage permissions, and handle security settings within minutes. Google also has a history of reliable uptime, so you don’t need to worry about lost productivity from going offline.

Keep in mind if you need customer support, past users say you might wait days for a reply without a premium plan. The biggest limitation here is storage space. Google Workspace only offers 30 GB of pooled storage per person. If you want extra space, you’ll need to purchase add-on packages.

Key features of Google Workspace

• Email, Calendar, Drive, and Gemini AI
• Video meeting with up to 100 participants on the base plan
• NotebookLM for AI research
• Connects with Google Docs and Google Sheets
• AI Expanded Access and Ultra Access, with add-ons

Google Workspace pricing

There are four tiers of Google Workspace pricing:

• Starter: $7 per user per month for 30 GB of pooled storage per person, a custom business email, Google Vids, the Gemini AI assistant, and security and management controls
• Standard: $14 per user per month for 2 TB of pooled storage per person, eSignature tools, and video meetings with recording and noise cancellation for up to 150 participants
• Plus: $22 per user per month for 5 TB of pooled storage per person, enhanced security controls, and a vault to retain, archive, and search data
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for 5 TB of pooled storage, video meetings with 1,000 participants, access controls, and enhanced reporting

7. HubSpot: Best CRM for small and growing businesses

Pros

• Offers a limited, free CRM
• Integrates with more than 2,000 apps
• Modular pricing lets you only pay for products you need
• Native integration with business phone systems like Quo

Cons

• Too many features can make it confusing to navigate
• Sales analytics and forecasting are only available on higher tiers
• Can get expensive as you grow

HubSpot offers a free CRM that lets you centralize customer info, conversation histories, and deal stages. As you grow, you can add specific Hubs — like Marketing, Sales, or Service — to unlock features like forecasts and lead form routing.

But most of HubSpot’s best features require paid plans. Email sequences, automation, and advanced reporting require paid Hubs ranging from $9 per user to $3,600 per month. But if you just need a CRM that integrates with your communication tools, HubSpot’s free plan works fine. You can also easily integrate it with Quo. This automatically logs your calls, texts, and voicemails into HubSpot.

Key features of HubSpot

• CRM for sales and marketing
• Marketing, Sales, Service, and Content Hubs
• Automation workflows
• Reporting and analytics
• Free tools for small businesses, like limited conversational chatbots and email templates

HubSpot pricing

HubSpot offers two plans for its foundational tools:

• Free CRM: $0 per month for its free cloud CRM for small businesses
• Starter: $9 per user per month for 500 HubSpot Credits, an AI-powered assistant, repeating tasks and task queues, and object tags

HubSpot offers several pricing plans depending on your business needs. 

So, we contacted sales to find out more. They told us that, since HubSpot’s plans depend on the use case, people should get in touch with their sales team for more specific pricing.

Why do most growing businesses use cloud communication tools?

The benefits of using cloud communications for businesses include:

• Cost-effectiveness. No need to pay upfront hardware costs or maintenance expenses. With cloud communication tools, you pay only for what you need, then scale up or down as needed. This can also help you reduce unnecessary IT overhead.
• Scalability. Add or remove users in minutes without installing new hardware. Plus, you can upgrade features or add new communication channels as you grow.
• Improved customer experience. Your team can answer calls and messages from anywhere, so customers aren’t stuck waiting for someone to be at their desk. Features like shared inboxes and auto-replies also help you show up faster and more consistently than old phone systems do.
• Flexibility. Team members can communicate from any device, anywhere they have internet access. This makes it easy to keep up with customers while on the road or at job sites.
• Improved security. Many providers manage security and backup features in the background, so you don’t have to. Their built-in redundancy, disaster recovery, and constant updates make your systems more reliable.
• Better professional capabilities. Access enterprise-level features that would be cost-prohibitive with traditional systems. This may include AI voice tools, texting automations, third-party integrations, and more.

How to choose the right cloud communications platform

You can build the right cloud technology stack for your team by:

✅Mapping your communication workflows to find gaps in your current setup

• Identify where communication breaks down. For example, do you tend to miss calls? Lose context? Or struggle with slow responses?
• Consider whether you need separate tools or an all-in-one platform. Separate tools work better if you need advanced features in specific areas. All-in-one platforms work if you need basic functionality across multiple channels.
• Think about internal team coordination versus external client communication needs. Does your tool offer ways to connect with customers and other team members?

✅Checking what integrates with your existing tools

• Look for platforms that connect with your CRM, project management software, or other daily tools. You can even connect multiple cloud communications platforms, like Slack and Quo, to keep everyone on the same page.
• Test whether your data syncs automatically. For example, does your CRM correctly update call logs and contract info?
• If you need more customized workflows or automations, make sure the platform has an API. 

✅Evaluating scalability and pricing structure

• Compare what’s included per user. One platform’s $15 per user might include features another charges $25 per user for.
• Check for hidden costs. Does it cost extra for unlimited calling and texting? What about toll-free calling or support?
• Ensure you can upgrade or downgrade easily as your needs change. Will you need to worry about user minimums and maximums? 
• Check for long-term contracts that might lock you into a tool you’re not happy with. Can you cancel if you need to? What do past users say?

✅Considering your team’s technical comfort level

• Choose platforms your team can learn quickly without extensive training. The best platforms help you get up and running in less than a day.
• Look for intuitive tools you can manage without technical expertise. Even if you have IT support, simpler platforms mean less time spent on troubleshooting than on serving customers.
• Test the admin dashboard before committing. Can you navigate it easily? How much can you customize user roles and access levels?

✅Testing during free trial

• Pilot with a subset of your team. That way, you can get a better idea of how well it’ll work in real time.

Quo: The best cloud communications platform for building customer relationships

Cloud communications give you professional-grade communication tools without the complexity of traditional systems. This makes it easier to work remotely, scale quickly, and stay competitive. It also offers better customer experiences and keeps your team sane.

With Quo, you can easily move customer communications into the cloud. Manage calls, texts, and voicemails from anywhere with an internet connection. Shared inboxes keep your team coordinated, while Sona handles overflow and after-hours communications. This way, you never miss an opportunity to connect with customers.

Why stick with old systems that don’t fit? Try the cloud at no cost for seven days by signing up for Quo’s free trial.

FAQs