Google Voice Review 2025: Features, Pros And Cons

When using Google Voice, the first thing that stood out to me was its spacious and pleasant user interface. I also found the routing features easy to set up. However, I noticed that the voicemail transcription made a few distracting errors.

Here are a few things that stood out to me when testing Google Voice:

Spacious Interface on Desktop and Mobile

Google Voice has one of the most pleasant and user-friendly interfaces of any VoIP platform I have tried. This may be because I’m already familiar with Google Workspace, but I intuitively understood how to make calls and send texts. The setup process prompted me to choose a phone number and record a voicemail, ensuring I was set to make and receive calls instantly.

If you’re transitioning to VoIP for the first time, Google Voice will ensure a manageable learning curve, especially if your team members are already familiar with Google Workspace.

Google Voice’s desktop interface is pleasant, spacious and user-friendly.

Simple Setup for Routing Features

Google Voice includes only the essential call routing features—IVR and ring groups—making it easier to set up your call distribution system. Customizing routing menus and ring groups with some alternative VoIP systems feels daunting. Google Voice guides you through setup, with simple drop-down menus to group agents and choose how you want their numbers to ring.

I also liked how I could easily purchase new numbers, assign them to agents and switch numbers between agents instantly. All my changes took effect immediately, with no delay in operations. Everything about Google Voice’s setup and interface felt smooth, and I didn’t miss the advanced features that Google lacks—such as call monitoring and call queues.

Building ring groups in Google Voice.

Inaccurate Voicemail Transcription

I appreciate that Google Voice includes voicemail transcription on all plans, since many alternatives reserve this feature for mid-to-high-tier plans that can cost twice as much. However, I noticed that the audio transcript contained several errors—especially with punctuation. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, it occurred on each voicemail I received and was slightly distracting.

Google Voice transcribes every voicemail but makes errors in punctuation and spelling.

The main aspects of Google Voice that distinguish it from competitors are its low starting cost, simplicity and unlimited SMS offering. No competing cloud phone system can match the $10 price point for Google Voice’s Starter plan, which includes unlimited domestic calling and unlimited SMS within the U.S. Many VoIP alternatives cap each user’s monthly text allotment under 100 SMS. For companies based in the U.S. that frequently text customers—especially if you don’t need advanced call routing tools—Google offers unique value.

Google Voice also uniquely offers unlimited calling throughout many European countries from within Europe. Most cloud phone systems don’t enable unlimited domestic calling in Europe, making Google Voice an easy choice for companies based in Europe or those primarily doing business there.

Google Voice offers fewer features than most alternatives, but it has all the essentials: unlimited calling and texting, IVR menus, ring groups and voicemail. However, Google Voice’s integrations are virtually nonexistent, and the analytics are likely too complex for the average user.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of Google Voice’s features and my experience with them.

Unlimited Calling and Virtual Phone Numbers

Google Voice offers unlimited cloud-based calling within the U.S. and Canada, or to most European countries from within Europe. You can make calls from the app dial pad, call logs or contact list on Google Voice’s web or mobile app. Google Voice also enables one-click calling on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox, which lets you dial numbers from any webpage just by clicking them.

I found Google Voice’s cloud-based audio quality excellent on-call. Audio through my iPhone sounded significantly crisper than when I make regular calls over a mobile network. I was also impressed with Google’s phone number offerings. It had virtual phone numbers available in every area code I searched within the U.S., plus plenty of numbers in Canada and a dozen European countries.

Google Voice offers a great selection of virtual numbers from across the U.S. and a dozen European countries.

SMS Texting

With Google Voice on desktop or mobile, you can send unlimited SMS texts from any U.S. number to another U.S. number. You can also create and participate in group texts and send emojis and images.

The app logs all SMS conversations in the left-hand menu, just like your phone’s built-in messaging app. I found the SMS interface intuitive and easy to use. However, note that Google Voice’s SMS is intended for one-to-one conversational messaging, so it’s not a good option for mass texting or automated SMS marketing.

Google Voice SMS conversation on the web app.

Call Routing Features: Auto Attendants and Ring Groups

Google Voice’s Standard and Premier plans include IVR menus and ring groups, which let you customize how your phone system handles inbound calls. If your company feels overwhelmed by inbound calls and often transfers calls between users, these features will likely improve first-call resolution and take the pressure off your agents.

An IVR menu, or auto attendant, provides customers with a self-service routing menu. You can assign departments, users or submenus to each number, letting customers dictate where they’d like to be routed. Ring groups let you bundle multiple phone numbers together to ring in unison. This way, team members can share call responsibility and increase the likelihood of answering inbound calls.

Voicemail With Transcription

Each Google Voice number has its own voicemail—which you can create using type-to-text or a custom audio recording. Access voicemails from the app’s left-hand menu and call log, and you can set up mobile or computer notifications for any left voicemails.

Google Voice includes voicemail transcription on all plans, an advantage over many alternatives, most of which reserve this critical feature for mid-to-high-tier plans. As I mentioned above, I found Google’s voicemail transcription a bit clunky, with several distracting punctuation errors and name misspellings. However, the transcription is undoubtedly serviceable and accurate for most words.

Third-Party Integrations

While many VoIP alternatives integrate with at least a dozen external software systems, including CRM platforms and communication apps, Google Voice only offers two native integrations: Google Meet and Google Calendar.

These Google integrations enable users to easily schedule calls and video meetings, jumping between the two channels as needed. However, while using Google Voice, I missed the Salesforce and HubSpot integrations I enjoyed with other providers. If your company relies on a CRM platform for day-to-day operations, consider a Google Voice alternative such as RingCentral, OpenPhone or Zoom Phone.

Advanced Reporting With BigQuery

Google Voice’s highest-tier plan includes advanced analytics with BigQuery. This database can aggregate your team’s call and SMS data alongside other usage metrics throughout your Google Workspace account.

BigQuery has tremendous potential as a data analytics tool. It enables you to customize reports and statistics for many aspects of your call center such as daily call volume over time, answer rates and the popularity of each IVR menu option.

However, BigQuery requires your team to write custom scripts that code reporting instructions. If your team doesn’t have an experienced programmer and isn’t already using BigQuery, it will likely not be worth the headache. In this case, you’re better off going for the Starter or Standard plans.

	Starter	Standard	Premier
Monthly Cost	$10 per user	$20 per user	$30 per user
Web and Mobile Apps	✓	✓	✓
Unlimited Domestic Calling	✓	✓	✓
Unlimited SMS in the U.S.	✓	✓	✓
Voicemail Transcription	✓	✓	✓
Ring Groups	-	✓	✓
Auto Attendant	-	✓	✓
Advanced Reporting	-	-	✓

See More See Less

It’s important to note that using Google Voice requires a Google Workspace subscription, which starts at $6 monthly per user. If your company already uses Google Workspace, this is a nonissue, but if you don’t, your monthly cost will be $6 higher than what’s listed on the pricing table.

At $10 monthly per user, Google Voice’s Starter plan is the most cost-effective plan we’ve seen. Since it includes unlimited domestic calling and SMS, without much else, it’s a no-brainer for companies that want a basic phone system without any bells and whistles. However, the Starter plan only serves teams of 10 users or fewer. Regardless, you’ll likely benefit from the Standard plan if your company has multiple departments and handles inbound calls to various team members. At $20 monthly, it’s an above-average value, especially for those with high SMS volumes.

At $30 monthly per user, the Premier plan isn’t nearly as good a value as Google Voice’s lower-tier plans. Its main advantages are setting up unlimited call recording and creating advanced analytics with BigQuery. However, platforms such as Zoom Phone and OpenPhone offer these features at a lower cost and with more user-friendly analytics.

Learn more: Google Voice Pricing Guide.

Google Voice stands out as a simple and cost-effective cloud phone system. It’s a great option if you use Google Workspace and Google Meet, especially if you have high domestic calling and SMS volumes. It’s also an excellent choice for companies prioritizing low cost, and teams based in Europe with high call volumes to other European countries.

However, if you’re looking for a wide variety of advanced features, you’re better off with an alternative such as Zoom Phone or RingCentral. Further, Google Voice’s software integrations are minimal, so if you plan to connect your phone system with other platforms, you’re better off with an alternative such as OpenPhone.

We recommend Google Voice for:

• Companies that already use Google Workspace and Google Meet
• Those prioritizing simplicity and value
• Teams with high domestic call and SMS volumes

We do not recommend Google Voice for:

• User-friendly analytics (for that, we recommend Dialpad, which offers excellent pre-built reports)
• Those who want a feature-rich cloud phone system—Zoom Phone, RingCentral and Dialpad offer a wider variety of features
• Third-party software integrations, as RingCentral, Zoom Phone and OpenPhone integrate with many popular software platforms that Google doesn’t—such as Salesforce, HubSpot and Slack

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