Rank | Picture | Name | Rating | Shop |
1. |  | BEST OVERALL Ringcentral | ||
2. |  | RUNNER UP Webex | ||
3. |  | Vonage | ||
4. |  | Mitel | ||
5. |  | Free Conference Call |
The ability to connect with people from all corners of the globe at the same time is a must for some businesses, and conference calls offer the easiest way to make it happen.
If your business has such needs and you’ve been trying to find a solution that can meet them all, you’re probably already feeling overwhelmed with all of the choices out there.
What are the best conference call services?
Modern conference call services offer a simple platform to make calls to multiple parties at once but come with additional features like video calling, smartphone compatibility, call recording, call handling, and live chat. A business must determine their needs for conference calls to find the best fit that can meet them, as there are lots of extras available.
A reliable conference call service is a godsend when you need it, and with the modern conference call operating nothing like the ones of the past, it’s important to get it right.
We’ve narrowed down the selection to just a few of our favorites and highlight what makes them a standout among other best rated conference call services.
Our Expert Picks for the Best Conference Call Services – Reviews for 2024
We’ve selected some frontrunners in conference call services providers, giving you only the best to choose from for your business.
These go far beyond the standard audio conference call services of yesteryear and usher in a new era of business communication for 2024, so check out what’s available.
Winner: Ringcentral
- HD: Yes
- Download required: Yes
- Smartphone friendly: Yes
Ring Central is a showcase of what modern conference call platforms look like, offering not just voice calls but messages, video calls, phone services, and a stack of extra features. With this service, you can host HD video calls, manage all of your office’s calls, send business messages, and enjoy enterprise-grade security for peace of mind, plus more.
The best feature of Ring Central is the AI integration which makes it a smarter choice if you prefer your systems to be automated and futuristic. Using AI, you’ll be able to get some insight into what caller’s feel through their emotional sentiments and speech patterns, and enjoy a huge scope of analytics that their AI software can gather up for you. In this regard, it goes far beyond what other basic conference call programs can do.
Being a cloud-based solution, this is the perfect pick for offices with remote workers, as it still enables everyone to stay in touch. You can do so much more than just make calls with this service as well, and you can potentially use it to replace other paid platforms your business uses so you can keep everything in one place.
One negative that users noted was the lack of support from the team at Ring Central when they needed it. They have only a set time that they’re available and if you need help outside of this, you’re on your own. For companies that work outside of the usual business hours, this won’t be helpful at all, so think about the ramifications if you usually like to feel as if you’re supported 24/7 with a software choice.
Customers also found the pricing a little strict and it was hard to get something more catered to their business. After the initial setup, people felt that the prices should come down, so if you’re looking for a free or low-priced conference call service, you won’t find it here. For the extra features, it does seem worthwhile, but if you don’t have any need for them, you can get cheaper for sure.
This software is available on both Apple Mac and Microsoft PCs, and there’s a smartphone app for Android and Apple as well. Other features you can make use of include industry-grade and reliable uptime SLA to keep everyone online, integration with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, and real-time insights so you know everything that’s going on with your business’ communication activity and needs.
Ring Central offers a free trial so you can see what they’re all about, as well as paid plans including Essentials, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. When you sign up for an annual plan, you can save up to 33%, so if you’re ready to commit it’s a great way to cut costs. Although it’s not one of the best free conference call services, it’s worth paying for, so check out what Ring Central has in store for your business.
Runner Up: Webex
- HD: Yes
- Download required: Yes
- Smartphone friendly:Yes
Webex is another of our best conference call services review and one of the longest-running names in business communications. With Webex, you can host video calls, perform audio and conference calls, and send messages, all from one platform. This service allows for calls up to 24 hours, over 200 participants, and ample cloud recording storage so you can go back and listen or watch how the meeting went.
The coolest thing about Webex is that it’s free if you’re happy to stick with the basic plan. For businesses that don’t need lengthy calls or lots of participants, you still get all of the reliability and functionality that Webex is known for without any of the cost, and it’s a simple solution to all of your business’s communication needs.
Another great feature of Webex is its security, and customers loved to see that there were encryption and decryption technologies at work all the time. If you deal with sensitive information or just want to feel secure when conducting conference calls and other forms of communication online, there’s no need to give it a second thought when you go with Webex.
If you plan on accessing calls from the web browser, or your attendees do, there may be some delays. This seems to be a common issue with Webex, but won’t affect calls all the time, so it’s a little hit and miss. While it doesn’t stop you from making the calls altogether it can slow things down, and when you’re from a fast-paced industry, time can be everything.
Businesses that like to share documents, notes, and instant chats during calls will find this a bit troublesome with Webex and notice some delays. Although it is possible to do it in the middle of an audio or video meeting, there could be some further lag here. For voice-only calls, it’s not going to present much of an issue but if you usually send documents while you’re hosting, you’ll want to look at the other options.
Webex has loads of features worth talking about, including the ability to make calls with extension numbers, directory URIs, DID numbers, and directory-based dialing. As a complete cloud system, you can use things like a virtual receptionist to welcome participants, call waiting, hold, and line sharing.
Webex is one of the best free online conference call services, and they also offer paid plans in different tiers that are all well-priced for what’s included. You can choose from Starter, Business, or Enterprise, which can be fully customized to suit your business. If you want loads of features that you can put to use in your conference calls and don’t mind some slower moments occasionally, Webex has the goods to deliver.
Alternative: Vonage
- HD: No
- Download required: Yes
- Smartphone friendly: Yes
Vonage is a huge name in VoIP, so it’s no surprise to see them on our list. Within the range of offerings from Vonage is Vonage Business Communications, which is a favorite for conference calls and other business-related communications. With this product, you’ll get access to features like conference calls, virtual and visual voicemail, virtual receptionist, and virtual hold.
The best thing about Vonage is the smaller features that make it work for not just conference calling but running an entire office. You’ll be able to use things like call screening, call announce, and call listening, so you can hear what’s going on around the company, as well as receiving insights and analytics for both customers and employees.
Vonage is an affordable option which is another huge selling point, but it doesn’t sacrifice on-call quality because of it. Customers reported crystal clear audio and clear quality no matter how many people were on the line. Using a service like this helps to present a professional image to clients and customers, ultimately helping your business.
The big letdown here is that there are no video calls available, which seems to be standard with others we’ve reviewed. This is likely why it costs so little and there are minimal issues reported with lagging and glitches. If you only need voice calls, this won’t be a bother, but as many businesses rely on both these days, it could also be a dealbreaker.
Another issue that people had with Vonage is a disconnect between the smartphone app and the desktop client. Some users reported problems like the two not syncing with each other, which can cause a lot of problems. If you take a call on your phone, you want the desktop software to note this, but it’s not always the case.
Vonage runs on either a smartphone app or desktop, and you can use it from anywhere in the world. Some of the additional features you can expect are a fully customizable CRM with features like click-to-call buttons, integration with G Suite, Salesforce, and more, as well as the ability to turn your existing phone system into a call center for an optimized customer experience.
The Vonage plans available with their VBC service are Lite, Smart, and Best, each with something to offer small businesses through to fully-fledged enterprises. The costs are extremely affordable and if you only have minimal needs, their Lite plan should be more than enough. Consider Vonage for your conference call services and to get all of your audio communications needs met, or upgrade to their bigger packages to add video services as well.
Alternative: Mitel
- HD: No
- Download required: Yes
- Smartphone friendly: Yes
Mitel has created MiCloud Connect as a one-stop solution to a business’ communication needs. This end-to-end cloud-based system can be utilized by your entire team, works as a call center service, and enables conferencing calling with ease. If you require on-site solutions or have a larger business, there are plenty of other services that Mitel provides as well.
MiCloud Connect is one of the most efficient platforms out there with speedy connections and clear audio. If you’ve worked with other services in the past that seemed to lack in this area or found your calls were constantly dropping in and out, making the switch to a reliable option like this is the obvious choice.
Another great thing about Mitel is how easy is to use, including the user interface and installation. Users reported minimal interruptions when setting up this system and found their employees transitioned into it with ease. If you’re hoping for minimal downtime when making the switch to a new conference call service, it couldn’t be more seamless than with Mitel.
Unfortunately, there are no video features available with MiCloud Connect feature, so if you’re hoping to get an all-in-one solution that does both audio and video, you won’t find it in this service. For the cost, it’s understandable that you don’t get a complete system, and if you want to upgrade to one, Mitel does offer MiTeam Meetings and other video services, but it comes at a much higher price.
Another downside to this option is not a lot of bang for your buck in the cheaper plans. The Essential plan only offers conference calls for up to eight people, and the next tier of Premier only up to 25 people. If you plan on holding conference calls with any more attendees than this, you’ve got no choice but to use their most expensive option.
This aside, there’s still a lot of features available no matter what level you choose, including unlimited calls, online administration, instant message, and the Mitel smartphone app. You can integrate with both G Suite and Microsoft, as well as a number of other third-party software platforms to create a more collaborative workspace.
MiTel offers a free demo but no trial of their MiCloud service, so there’s not a lot of chance you test the waters. However, there are three plans to choose from with varying features, including the Essential, Premier, and Elite options, which also vary in price depending on how many users you have accessing the system. For a complete audio communications solution and one of the most reliable names in business call services, MiTel’s MiCloud is one of the best.
Alternative: Free Conference Call
- HD: No
- Download required: Yes
- Smartphone friendly: Yes
Free Conference Call has made a name for itself offering just that: free conference calls. This online service features a downloadable client for your desktop as well as a smartphone app, but allows participants to dial in just by using a website link. There are no fancy bells and whistles but just a free and easy way to host conference calls with people from all over the world.
The smartphone app made by Free Conference Call is where it stands out, and if you learn how to use it right, it could be the only thing your business relies on. From the app, you can start a call with up to 1,000 participants and even host HD video conferences with the same amount of people, which is pretty impressive.
The biggest bonus of this service though is that it’s free, and for that $0 cost, you get both audio and video calls. Even some paid providers we’ve reviewed don’t offer video calls, so the fact that both services are available makes it pretty impressive. If you want to cut costs in your business but still test out what conference call services are all about, we suggest you start here.
However, this is a pretty basic piece of software so don’t use it if you’re looking for advanced features. Although it costs nothing, people were underwhelmed with its other capabilities, and you won’t get access to in-depth analytics or cool features like the other paid services offer.
Free Conference Call doesn’t offer the best quality of calls either, and sometimes the audio can be a little sketchy. If you’re planning on hosting up to 1,000 participants on a conference call, this isn’t a risk you want to take, and you’ll want to be sure your existing internet connection is at its best. When using this free service, you should also be prepared for the huge amount of marketing that comes your way and is impossible to opt-out of, as this seems to be the way they minimize costs for their users.
These issues aside, there’s still plenty of features on offer from Free Conference Call, including screen sharing, call recording, and online meetings with both video and audio. You’ll be able to integrate calls with Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack, and more, as well as invite participants from all over the world with in-country dial-in numbers for over 82 countries.
To create an account with Free Conference Call costs nothing, nor does it cost to download the desktop client or smartphone app, and the entire process couldn’t be easier. If you want a truly free way to make conference calls, it’s the best option out there, but be prepared to put up with disruptions and lower quality audio from time to time.
Conference Call Services FAQs
Whether you want the best free conference call services or are happy to pay extra to get a premium product, you’re bound to find something worthy from our list.
If you’re still not sure what value a conference call platform can add to your business, check out these FAQs and our answers to get the basics.
Are Free Conference Calls Really Free?
Yes, conference call services that advertise free calls generally are free and can be a valuable service to have, but it’s important to check the fine print before agreeing to anything.
They’re able to offer these calls free of charge because they earn fees from exchange providers on paid calls so that they don’t have to charge customers anything to make toll-free calls.
How Do I Get A Free Conference Line?
There are some services available online that offer free conference call lines for your business to use, but it depends on the features you require.
Usually, it’s as easy as creating an account with a conference call service and setting up a planned call, with invites and dial-in numbers then made available for participants.
Does Free Conference Call Have Video?
Free Conference Call does offer free video call services to customers, and you can use these to invite others to chat with you for free as well.
The company allows users to host digital meetings online without a fee, including rooms with audio, video, and text chat capabilities.
What Is the Limit Of Conference Call?
The limit of participants you can have in a conference call depends on the platform you’re using and its features.
Some smartphones only allow for a limit of five callers, which is why using a conference call platform can be helpful as it allows for hundreds of callers to participate, depending on the tiered plan you choose.
Connect Your Business to the World
There’s no denying the efficiency that a conference call delivers, and whether you want to utilize a paid or free service, it’s worth finding the perfect service for your business.
With our recommendations and an understanding of what the modern conference call service offers, you’ll be equipped to choose one that improves your business communications and makes life easier.
