What is Google Voice used for?

Google Voice is a cloud phone number and calling service from Google, with business plans sold as part of the Google Workspace family. It is a good fit for small businesses needing managed phone numbers and workspace teams adding a phone system.

Is Google Voice free?

Yes. Google Voice has a free plan.

Is Google Voice open source?

No. Google Voice is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Google Voice include Linphone, Asterisk and FusionPBX.

What are some alternatives to Google Voice?

Google Voice competes with Dialpad, RingCentral and Nextiva. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Google Voice alternatives.

Google Voice: features, pricing and alternatives

About Google Voice

Google Voice is a cloud phone number and calling service from Google. It gives people and businesses online phone numbers for calls and messages, and business plans are sold as part of the Google Workspace product family.

In the Workspace product list it appears with a separate plan from the core suite, so it is bought on its own rather than included with Gmail, Drive and Meet. Google presents it as a flexible way for businesses of any size to stay connected, with phone numbers and phone systems managed online.

Google Voice is a hosted Google service and cannot be self-hosted. It fits small businesses and teams that already use Workspace and want phone numbers managed alongside email and meetings, and plan details are listed on the Workspace pricing pages.

Key features

Cloud phone numbers for business calls
Text messaging with a Google Voice number
Phone system options for teams
Fits into the Google Workspace ecosystem

Good fit for

→Small businesses needing managed phone numbers
→Workspace teams adding a phone system

Tags: voip; cloud-phone; google-workspace; business-phone; phone-numbers; calling

Google Voice: questions and answers

What is Google Voice used for?: Google Voice is a cloud phone number and calling service from Google, with business plans sold as part of the Google Workspace family. It is a good fit for small businesses needing managed phone numbers and workspace teams adding a phone system.
Is Google Voice free?: Yes. Google Voice has a free plan.
Is Google Voice open source?: No. Google Voice is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Google Voice include Linphone, Asterisk and FusionPBX.
What are some alternatives to Google Voice?: Google Voice competes with Dialpad, RingCentral and Nextiva. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Google Voice alternatives.