Best 6 Sideline alternatives in 2026

Ever heard of TextNow or TextFree? Sideline started out the same way — a simple second phone number app for anyone needing an extra number for dating, travel, or side gigs. Over time, Sideline positioned itself as a solution for small business owners looking to get a business number without hardware or complicated setups.

Now that Sideline is discontinuing its Enterprise plan (along with essential business features like auto-attendants) in June 2025, you might be scrambling for an alternative that covers your business needs.

In this article, we’ll take a look at six Sideline alternatives that might be a better fit for your business phone setup.

What you should know about Sideline

Sideline isn’t actually a VoIP-based business phone system. Instead, it provides a second number and voicemail through its mobile app, which uses your existing cell phone service to place and receive business calls.

Sideline features

With Sideline, you’ll find some common business phone system features, but nothing too fancy: 

• Unlimited calling and texting
• Voicemail-to-text
• Auto-replies for missed calls and texts
• Customer support via chat and text message
• Number porting (local numbers only)
• Verification code support
• Email notifications for texts

Sideline lacks some increasingly standard business phone features, like analytics and integrations with external tools. You also won’t find toll-free numbers or business call recording options.

While Sideline doesn’t promise a lot of fancy features and reviewers agree that it carries out its basic function, some reviewers on sites like Capterra express frustration at how inbound calls are displayed and hint at a lack of call reliability, poor customer service, and a high instance of spam and missed calls. Here are some examples: 

• “Randomly and without warning, your account may be blocked due to them thinking you are spam, and you are not notified. Meaning that you do not know for how long you were blocked [and have] to double check with clients. Does not support features like transferring, recording, or even downloading any voicemails.” — Capterra 
•  “Had a few calls that were dropped or not properly connected. Numbers are HIGHLY prone to spam calls.” — Capterra 
• “The app does not always keep contacts’ saved names, so I will receive phone calls from regular clients, but all I see is their number, which I do not memorize. Sometimes, text messages do not go through, but I do not receive an error message.” — Capterra

Sideline pricing

Sideline’s pricing plans offer free calls and texts within the US, a second phone number, group messaging, voicemail, and auto-reply features. 

For an account with one user and one second number, Sideline offers three pricing options. Here’s a closer look: 

• Standard: $14.49
• Half-yearly: $69.99
• Yearly: $129.99

The bottom line for Sideline

If you’re looking for a flexible business phone system to grow and adapt alongside your business, you’ll want to look beyond Sideline. With the Enterprise plan discontinued, Sideline no longer supports:

• Auto-attendant (IVR) 
• International calling
• Multiple users per account
• Multiple phone numbers 

While its basic features might work okay for a very small business or solopreneur, growing companies will find more complete solutions in our list of Sideline alternatives. 

6 Sideline alternatives

If you’re ready to make the switch to a VoIP-based business phone system, you want one packed with features that work well on any device you and your team might use. 

In our list of Sideline alternatives, you’ll find great options with features like analytics, integrations, and multiple phone numbers to keep your business on track. Take a look: 

Provider	Starting price	Unlimited calling to US & Canada	SMS/MMS to US & Canada	Shared phone numbers	Additional phone numbers
Sideline	$14.49 per month	✓	✓	X	X
OpenPhone	$15 per user per month	✓	✓	✓	$5 per number per month
Google Voice	$17 per user per month (must have Google Workspace)	Unlimited calls to Canada from the US only	US only	Requires upgrade (ring groups only)	X
Nextiva	$20 per user per month	Requires upgrade	Requires upgrade	Requires upgrade	Requires the purchase of an additional user seat
Grasshopper	$14 per month	✓	Local numbers only	X	$9 per number per month
Dialpad	$15 per user per month	✓	For US and Canadian customers only	✓	Requires upgrade, plus $5 to $15 per month

Read on for a full breakdown of each option to help you find the best fit for your business.

1. Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Pros

• Unlimited calls and texts to the US and Canada
• Auto-attendant (IVR) for inbound calls
• International calls and texts at affordable rates
• Local and toll-free second numbers are available
• Shared numbers and inbox
• Custom auto-replies

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 VoIP-based business phone system that adds work numbers to virtually any device. Instead of using your cell carrier’s plan, all you need is an internet connection. Use the mobile app on iOS or Android, the desktop app for Mac, or a web app in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. 

Every Quo plan comes with these standard features: 

• Free calling, SMS, and MMS to the US and Canada
• Local or toll-free second phone numbers
• Shared phone numbers and group messaging
• Auto-replies
• Snippets (saved responses)
• Voicemail-to-text transcriptions
• Call recording, transcripts, and summaries
• IVR (auto-attendant) and extensions
• Integrations with email, Slack, Zapier, Make, Jobber, and the Quo API
• AI call tags to label calls by topic and sentiment
• AI contact suggestions to keep track of customer details

That alone is more than you’ll get on the Sideline plan. 

The Quo base features are designed to support teams as they work together to get things done. By sharing phone numbers, contact records, and more, everyone can collaborate to support clients quickly and easily. 

Another cool Quo feature? You can create custom properties to organize your contacts in a way that makes sense to you. Record the date of the call, assign tags or groups, or leave notes to track the status of each contact. 

Best of all, the contact management features mean you won’t ever have to worry about not recognizing important calls. 

Start your free trial to see for yourself why thousands of businesses use Quo. 

Quo pricing

With three transparent pricing plans, Quo makes it easy to figure out the best plan for your needs. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of Quo’s plans: 

• Starter: $15 per user per month for the option to share a number with up to 10 teammates, voicemail transcriptions, scheduled texts, and more 
• Business: $23 per user per month for call transfers, logs, analytics, the HubSpot CRM integration, the ability to share your phone number with as many teammates as you need, and more
• Scale: $35 per user per month for AI call tags, dedicated onboarding, and priority chat and email support

You can add these features to any plan: 

• Extra phone numbers: $5 per line per month (each user on your plan comes with one free number)
• Automated texts via Zapier: $0.01 per message
• International calling: Per minute or message based on the current rate to the destination

How to port your existing number to Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

If you already have a phone number you’d like to port to Quo, it’s a very easy process. 

Even better? It’s free! Here’s how to do it: 

1. Create a Quo account (if you haven’t already). 
2. Complete your porting request through the Quo app (it takes one minute). 
3. Leave it up to us. We’ll take care of the technical parts of porting over your number, which takes about 1-2 weeks. 

The bottom line for Quo

With its emphasis on collaboration and suite of must-have features like analytics, integrations, and shared numbers, Quo is much more than a VoIP-based phone system. It’s a critical business tool that helps your team work better together and gives your customers an even better experience. 

How to get a virtual number with Quo: The best Sideline alternative

Get a virtual phone number in minutes

Try for free

Getting a new phone number from almost anywhere in the world is a simple process when you choose Quo as your virtual phone number provider.

Follow these three steps:

1. Create an account with OpenPhone (when you sign up, you get a free, seven-day trial).
2. During signup, choose your city or area code in the US to select your preferred phone number.
3. Once the signup process is complete, you’re all set to use your new virtual phone number.

2. Google Voice for Google Workspace

Pros

• Free calls to the US and Canada
• Offers auto-attendants and ring groups
• Integrates with other Google Workspace apps

Cons

• No toll-free numbers
• Texting only for US customers
• No auto-replies
• No call transcriptions

Google Voice for Google Workspace is a good Sideline alternative — if you already have a Google Workspace account for other tools and apps. 

With this VoIP-based system, you’ll get free calls and texts within the US, as well as: 

• Second phone number
• Free calls to Canada from the US 
• Call forwarding
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Google Workspace integrations
• Web and mobile apps for iOS and Android

If you compare Google Voice vs Sideline, you’ll notice Google Voice requires you to upgrade for auto-attendant features. But Google Voice has an advantage when it comes to integrations. While Sideline offers zero ways to connect with other tools, Google Voice easily connects with Google Workspace. 

Other Sideline alternatives, like Quo, offer a wider range of tool integrations, so be sure to consider what you already use. 

Although Google Voice has the ability to share numbers through its ring groups feature, your ring groups will only be able to receive incoming calls by default. If you want your team to place outbound calls from a shared number, you’ll need to manually set that up in your account. 

Google Voice pricing

This may also be a dealbreaker: before you can subscribe to a Google Voice for Google Workspace plan, you’ll need a Google Workspace subscription, which starts at $7 per month. 

Then, you can choose the Google Voice plan that best meets your needs. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of each plan: 

• Starter: $10 per user per month (maximum of 10 users) for unlimited calls and texts in the US and Canada, call forwarding, and Google integrations
• Standard: $20 per user per month to access on-demand call recordings, ring groups, and phone menus
• Premier: $30 per user per month to access automatic call recordings and advanced reporting

The bottom line for Google Voice

If you primarily use Google Workspace for your other business needs, Google Voice might be a good choice. But you might find that the lack of integrations and collaboration features limits your team from reaching its full potential.

3. Nextiva

Pros

• Offers omnichannel support
• Has video calling features
• Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk

Cons

• Calling and texting require an upgrade
• Limited toll-free minutes
• Limited SMS allowances
• Call and video recording require an upgrade

Nextiva’s VoIP software solution caters to everyone from small business owners to large enterprise teams. It offers a wide range of features and omnichannel support — provided you’re willing to pay the cost. 

Here are some of Nextiva’s essential features included on every plan: 

• Messaging via Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
• Reporting dashboard
• Shared inbox
• Android, iPhone, and desktop apps

Upgraded plans offer voice calls, texting, video conferencing, integrations, and a caller ID feature known as call pop to help you identify incoming calls. 

Nextiva pricing

Nextiva offers quite a few features, but it comes with a heftier price tag. If you run a small business, you might find Nextiva a little too complex for your needs.

Here are the four Nextiva pricing plans you can choose from:

• Digital: $20 per user per month for website live chat, messaging apps, social media channels, review management, and a digital service helpdesk
• Core: $30 per user per month for inbound and outbound voice calls, business SMS, video meetings, screenshare, file share, and call routing
• Engage: $40 per user per month for call center queueing, a toll-free number and minutes, advanced reporting, website chatbots, and an MS Teams integration
• Power Suite: $60 per user per month for advanced IVR, intelligent routing, a unified team interface, supervisor dashboards, and call transcriptions

The bottom line for Nextiva

Nextiva is an impressive tool for all your business communications, but it might prove too unwieldy for some entrepreneurs. You can get many of the same VoIP features for a lower price from another VoIP SaaS provider. 

4. Grasshopper

Pros

• Unlimited calling to the US and Canada
• Virtual extensions are available

Cons

• Call recording requires an upgrade
• No shared phone numbers
• Only supports one user on the base plan

Grasshopper is an app-based VoIP system for businesses. Like Sideline, its main selling point is the ability to provide a second phone number on your existing mobile device. You’ll also find the following features on Grasshopper: 

• Toll-free, vanity, or local numbers
• Business text messaging
• Desktop and mobile apps
• Auto-replies
• Extensions
• Virtual fax
• Auto-attendant or live receptionist service

However, when checking out Grasshopper reviews, you’ll see that their dated user experience falls short for many customers compared to other Grasshopper alternatives. 

Grasshopper pricing

Grasshopper’s subscription plans are based entirely on the number of phone lines and extensions you want. Every plan comes with all the features covered above. 

On plans with multiple phone numbers, you can choose a combination of area codes or local and toll-free numbers. Your extensions can be forwarded to any phone number you choose, including a cell phone. 

Here’s a closer look at Grasshopper’s plans:

• True Solo: $14 per month for one user, one phone number, and one extension
• Solo Plus: $25 per month for unlimited users, one number, and three extensions
• Small Business: $55 per month for unlimited users, four numbers, and unlimited extensions

The bottom line for Grasshopper

Grasshopper is packed with features, but it comes with a cost: a higher price tag and less flexibility than other Sideline alternatives. 

5. Line2

Pros

• Unlimited calls and texts in the US
• Desktop and mobile apps are available

Cons

• No shared numbers
• Limited business features
• Costly additional numbers ($14.99 per line)

Line2 has a long table comparing the features of its three plans, but you’ll find there’s actually not that much difference. 

Here’s what you’ll get on any Line2 plan: 

• Local and toll-free calls in the US and Canada
• Texts in the US 
• Toll-free and vanity numbers
• Caller ID and call blocking
• Customer support
• Mobile and desktop apps

You’ll have to add on or upgrade for features that are standard with other providers, like voicemail transcription, auto-attendant, and call recording. Also, you won’t find options like team numbers or integrations with other tools. 

Line2 pricing

Line2’s subscription plans are at the more affordable end of this list, but it’s also lighter on features. 

It offers two pricing options for the same plan:

• Monthly: $9.99 per month
• Annual: $7.99 per month

The bottom line for Line2

Line2 is an okay option for a simple small business phone system, but it’s likely not the best option. You’ll find better value elsewhere. 

Related: Line2 vs Sideline

6. Dialpad

Pros

• Unlimited calling to the US and Canada (if you’re based in either country)
• AI solutions are available for contact centers

Cons

• International texting, auto-replies, and integrations require an upgrade
• Toll-free numbers cost extra
• Confusing user interface

Dialpad is built for large businesses and contact centers, offering advanced AI-powered tools like real-time agent assist and AI scorecards to help train call center staff. But these features are only available on higher-tier plans, which are cost-prohibitive for most small businesses.

On its basic plan, you’re limited to one number per account and essentials like auto-replies, international texting, and third-party integrations (aside from Google Workspace) cost extra. Texting is also capped at 250 messages per user each month, with additional SMS/MMS credits driving up the price.

Dialpad pricing

Here’s a closer look at Dialpad’s plans:

• Standard: $15 per user per month for unlimited AI meetings for up to 150 participants, AI-powered call and voicemail transcriptions, and up to three ring groups
• Pro: $25 per user per month for 24/7 live agent support, Microsoft Teams integration, global SMS capabilities, and local number support in 70+ countries
• Enterprise: Custom monthly price for 99.9% uptime, unlimited office locations, and priority live agent support

The bottom line for Dialpad

For small teams looking for a simple business phone solution, Dialpad can feel expensive and overly complicated. It requires you to upgrade for features other providers include by default, like auto-replies and shared numbers.

Quo: The best alternative for Sideline

Most Sideline alternatives are just variations on the same old VoIP-based systems we’ve seen for years. Quo brings something new to your business phone. 

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), even “bonus” features are standard. Every plan offers options for shared phone numbers, auto-attendants, and email and Slack integrations. The best part? Quo is one of the most affordable Sideline alternatives out there. 

Sign up for a free trial and see how easy it is to streamline your phone and text communication on Quo.

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