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Google Voice vs. RingCentral Meetings vs. Skype (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Voice

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AGoogle Voice is a free IP telephony service that provides users with one phone number that can be forwarded to multiple phones or devices. It includes features such as call forwarding, voicemail translation, text messaging, and voice calls. Fees may apply for international calling.

    $10

    per month

    RingCentral Meetings

    Score7.3 out of 10
    N/ARingCentral Meetings is an HD video conferencing and screen sharing solution that lets the user host unlimited video conference calls and share content while meeting and collaborating with anyone, any time, on any device. RingCentral Meetings helps boost business efficiency and customer engagement without costly and time-consuming travel.

    $19.99

    Per Month Per User

    Skype (discontinued)

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ASkype (the personal edition or Skype free) was a web meeting, video conferencing, and VoIP software, now superseded by Microsoft Teams' free edition and unsupported from May 2025.

    $2.99

    per month

    Pricing
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $10
    per user/per month
    Standard
    $20
    per user/per month
    Premier
    $30
    per user/per month
    Meetings
    $19.99
    Per Month Per User
    United States Subscription
    $2.99
    per month
    North America Subscription
    $6.99
    per month
    India Subscription
    $7.99
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Considered Multiple Products
    Google
    Chose Google Voice
    I chose Google Voice for their seamless integration. Calls and text bundle and email alerts. While Skype had great quality calls a long time ago, I noticed their support team is horrible with many bugs and crashes. The call logs on Skype were not registering and sometimes it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    The integrations of Google Voice with all our devices are flawless, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac. Also, the call performance is far superior on wifi as well as on mobile data. With Skype, we had several problems with personal accounts, performance issues, and in …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice is easier to use, but in Skype you can have local numbers in different countries (not only in the US).
    Skype call rates are lower than Google Voice's rates for non-US numbers, check the rates according to your predicted usage.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Considering that Google Voice integrates well into the other Google services, it has clear benefits when sharing and accessing call information. Skype is always a pain to use for calls b/c, not everyone had it, but Google Voice works with any phone and most people already have …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I haven't really used anything else that gives you a whole local phone number, so I can't speak to that, but there are other solutions like Skype or Zoom that can also do calling. These are nicer in a lot of ways but, again, are different tools designed for different purposes.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice has much better call quality than Skype (and it's easier to use), and it's much less expensive than Zoom, which is a bit bloated for my needs. Also, Skype feels outdated and aged out - Voice is a hip product that seems better designed for the needs of producers …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I found Google Voice much easier to set up a dedicated number than it was on Skype and cheaper. I had previously set up a dedicated number on Skype and although relatively cheap, I found setup complicated and it never did work seamlessly unlike Google Voice which took all of …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Compared to Skype, GV is better. Not only is it a free alternative, it allows more customization, such as outgoing messages, which Skype ended without any warning (and my family lost ours of our then 3 year old son, which we were told is simply gone forever, although we'd have …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    It is more affordable than Skype for Business was. It is also more user-friendly as we have an older employee base.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    I see Skype for Business as a heavier, enterprise solution needing more backend admin support and training than Google Voice. Google Voice is just plain easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    None of the other small-scale VOIP systems I've tried came anywhere close to Google Voice. It is simple and simply works. Skype, on the other hand, is a bloated and convoluted junkpile of software which only barely operates, hogs resources, and puts advertisements in-app like …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice definitely lacks features compared to enterprise-level solutions. Enterprise VoIP providers have a customer support component well in place. The interfaces for desktop and mobile are also much more refined, and they integrate well with the existing communication …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    Google Voice performs similar communication activities compared to many other business service tools. However, one often must integrate other Google apps in order to fully experience the benefits that other platforms experience locally. Voice does have the benefit of merging …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Voice
    We have Cisco tools as a primary option for our VoIP needs due to it's more professional approach. However Google Voice has recently became a business level program as well. I'm happy to use it due to it's unique features and the flexibility as we always expect from Google.
    Incentivized
    RingCentral
    Chose RingCentral Meetings
    We chose [RingCentral] Meetings because its integrated with our phones and makes it user friendly being all on one platform for our company. Meetings are streamlined with calendar events linked, all contacts are integrated, and it's easy to add someone who is outside of the …
    Incentivized
    Chose RingCentral Meetings
    Ring Central is a more comprehensive and streamlined solution compared to the other options out there. Additionally, it seems to be more reliable and has less breakdown or issues as well. It allows you to do many of the same capabilities as the other rival products out there, …
    Incentivized
    Chose RingCentral Meetings
    RingCentral Meetings wins against the competition [for us] in its
    *Cost (and subsequent ROI)
    *Features
    Incentivized
    Chose RingCentral Meetings
    RingCentral Meetings is a good alternative to these if you have service setup through RingCentral already.
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    41 Answers
    79%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    86%
    Would buy again
    85 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    41 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    80 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    39 Answers
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    85%
    Happy with the feature set
    84 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    27 Answers
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    84%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    53 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    70 Answers
    Features
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    5.3
    53 Ratings
    40% below category average
    RingCentral Meetings
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Hosted PBX6.025 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)3.027 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    User templates1.419 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call reports7.046 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Directory of employee names9.027 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    8.4
    67 Ratings
    2% above category average
    RingCentral Meetings
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Answering rules8.546 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call recording8.152 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call park6.422 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call screening10.060 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Message alerts9.065 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    7.5
    44 Ratings
    6% below category average
    RingCentral Meetings
    6.4
    3 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.5
    4 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Video conferencing6.022 Ratings6.52 Ratings5.74 Ratings
    Audio conferencing8.039 Ratings6.52 Ratings6.54 Ratings
    Video screen sharing8.014 Ratings5.02 Ratings6.14 Ratings
    Instant messaging8.027 Ratings7.63 Ratings7.94 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    7.2
    63 Ratings
    9% below category average
    RingCentral Meetings
    -
    Ratings
    Skype (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Mobile app for iOS6.945 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android7.451 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    RingCentral Meetings
    7.6
    21 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    138 Ratings
    24% below category average
    High quality audio00 Ratings8.021 Ratings6.6135 Ratings
    High quality video00 Ratings8.021 Ratings7.2133 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings7.320 Ratings5.5130 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings7.319 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    RingCentral Meetings
    7.0
    21 Ratings
    13% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.2
    119 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Desktop sharing00 Ratings7.321 Ratings5.5118 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings6.717 Ratings6.860 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    RingCentral Meetings
    7.5
    21 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    6.0
    118 Ratings
    31% below category average
    Calendar integration00 Ratings8.720 Ratings6.185 Ratings
    Meeting initiation00 Ratings8.021 Ratings6.3106 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings5.711 Ratings4.465 Ratings
    Record meetings / events00 Ratings8.319 Ratings7.077 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings7.013 Ratings6.268 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    RingCentral Meetings
    7.5
    19 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    5.4
    111 Ratings
    40% below category average
    Live chat00 Ratings8.019 Ratings5.5110 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings7.311 Ratings5.364 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings7.310 Ratings5.362 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Google Voice and RingCentral Meetings and Skype (discontinued)
    Feature
    Google Voice
    -
    Ratings
    RingCentral Meetings
    6.5
    19 Ratings
    22% below category average
    Skype (discontinued)
    7.4
    101 Ratings
    9% below category average
    User authentication00 Ratings7.316 Ratings8.988 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings5.517 Ratings7.183 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings6.713 Ratings6.260 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score9.5 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.5
    (73 ratings)
    7.6
    (21 ratings)
    9.3
    (140 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.3
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (11 ratings)
    7.6
    (15 ratings)
    6.0
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (35 ratings)
    7.8
    (11 ratings)
    10.0
    (42 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google VoiceRingCentral MeetingsSkype (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    I do think Google Voice works well for organizations that do not have a support team meant to provide regular telephone support, and instead do so on an ad hoc basis. I would not recommend it for high-volume call activities, such as SDR motions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    I would recommend RingCentral for any business that looking to make the jump to Voice over IP and also want business essentials like video meetings all in one app. RingCentral Meetings integrates very well with its other communication tools which makes it very easy for a business to manage their communications in a single platform. The only scenario I see where RingCentral Meetings not being a good fit is if a business will be using video meetings as a marketing tool where they need extra marketing features like lead form captures and notification emails to be sent out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Having interacted with a new replacement tool, Microsoft Teams, it is challenging to recommend Skype, as it lacks some essential features, such as being less equipped with the latest updates, and it is not platform-independent, causing issues on PCs and phones, as well as during calls that might hinder work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Google Voice has been great for setting up additional phone lines and numbers.
    • The voicemail inbox is a great feature and you can see when messages come in online and listen to the messages from your computer.
    • Google Voice allows us to have multiple phone numbers and lines for specific business purposes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    • Screen sharing is wonderful in [RingCentral] Meetings. It makes presenting easy.
    • Being able to mute and turn off cameras when necessary is a nice feature too.
    • Switching from the computer to the cell phone when on the go is a nice benefit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • The instant chat function is great. Very straightforward, easy to use, easy to learn, no technical issues.
    • Video calls are pretty easy also, user friendly and a mostly stable connection with no issues.
    • Voice calls are easy also, eliminates the need for an external landline or the need to use your cell phone. Clear connections, not really any dropped calls.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • There has not been much innovation since the initial release.
    • It doesn't handle SMS well.
    • It does not natively integrate with CRM without legacy complication
    • It is not supported by Google as it once was
    • Call Recording is non-existent
    • Call-Tree or Virtual Auto-Attendant needs are not available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    • Screen share functionality is rather limited in capability. Screen takeover functions seem limited to desktop devices (view-only for mobile device users)
    • Interface feels a bit clunky. Workable for advanced technical users, but a bit confusing for older senior-level executives
    • Integration with existing RingCentral software. Jumping between RingCentral meetings and telephone feels wrong, they should be integrated into one application for the business user with a standalone application for non-subscribers who wish to join the meeting
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype is a RESOURCE hog. People who have limited bandwidth will have poor call quality.
    • It is hard to figure out how to use emojis and upload images in the chat.
    • The background images do not fool anybody....it is clearly not your real background.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    Google Voice has been invaluable for us in our effort to provide exceptional customer service. With Google Voice, we have been able to increase our customer interactions while reducing the wait time to reach a live person on our team. We couldn't be more pleased with the way things have worked out since implementing Google Voice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    We are grandfathered into an unlimited toll-free minutes plan with RingCentral, so as long as we have them as a VoIP provider, we get Meetings free. If they ever start to charge us for using meetings as well, we'll drop that part in a second and switch to Skype for Business, which we currently have as well part of our Office 365 package.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I have given this rating as this need to give more than that as it's very helpful for us and makes our work more efficient and fast.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    I think it works really well in the arena it operates in, but not so well in areas where an enterprise system would be more appropriate. It's great for quick solutions that just work, but not so much for more complex call management tasks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    The interface is easy to understand for a wide variety of user experience levels. The only real negative are the links included in meetings being in a format that first opens a browser before launching the RingCentral Meeting app, and as mentioned previously, this may be a platform-specific issue for macOS.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skype is not as good as Facetime in terms of ease to glance at it and figure out how it works. I think that's a result of Skype trying to be too many things at once. A lot of the menu and UI could be streamlined, and I would jettison some of the additional functions that have been tacked on over the years to simplify. That being said, while some options are slightly hard to find, they all work flawlessly once found.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    They do not offer support unless you have the Business account for Google Voice under G Suite. This is tough, because Google doesn't really have a customer support team for this service, so when it gets shut down for a few hours, we have no choice but to wait it out. But this doesn't happen that often, which is great.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    RingCentral is a great tool for everyone interested in making animations. The thing that appealed to us most about it is that it is very simple to use and works with much perfection. Like lip-synchronization goes so well with the character as soon as we add voice-over in it. Also, we can add characters and scenes without any hardship. We highly recommend this software.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I am not aware of the current support level for Skype for business, as I have never used even though I have the product. However, the support for Skype's personal paid users is not where it could be. Users who pay for Skype features do not have a clear path to reach out to support. So, rating 6, can be better as soon as I need to use Skype for business support and get a good experience. I will say that I will renew Skype for Business subscription, which is a significant inconsistency on my end. The explanation is that Skype for Business comes bundled with Office for Business, with no additional cost, so why not.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    It is a pretty seamless program to transfer to, even for people who either have little experience with these programs or people who were stuck on Skype
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    It can be used on the phone via mobile application as well as on the desktop by logging in to the website. Easily installed and ready to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    The integrations of Google Voice with all our devices are flawless, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Mac. Also, the call performance is far superior on wifi as well as on mobile data. With Skype, we had several problems with personal accounts, performance issues, and in general, it felt awkward to use it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    As a consulting company, we often have to adapt to our customers' needs in communication - which can mean using whatever system they're already on. Most of the time, they come around to preferring RingCentral Meetings over whatever they're using, and we've found it's a great value for us since it's already included in our RingCentral subscription, and runs on Mac, Windows, and Mobile devices. Despite the big drawback of needing to install the app locally and not having an in-browser solution for guests, it's lightweight, intuitive interface makes it an easy conferencing tool to adopt.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    We use Skype in combination with Grasshopper. While Grasshopper acts as a routing toll free number with extensions, if we are making calls directly, we do it through Skype. Skype's desktop and mobile apps are easier to use, and provide unlimited local calls at a flat, affordable rate. Allowing our team to use their existing mobile or desktop devices without additional hardware for business office phone calls is important, and Skype makes that possible
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Google
    Google Voice should be also be use to those who have difficulty in speaking English. So the contract term will need to be a little strict as Google Voice is used in navigations as the part of GPRS navigation is personal. The private data need to be in control much more securely and safely.
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Google
    It help to connect with the products that we use as a part. We need to get in touch with our professional world. It is like a tool that helps us to get in touch with everything from A to Z in our professional careers. So we need to be in touch with everything as linearly as the jpb can be done.
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    No answers on this topic
    Discontinued Products
    The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • Cost for Google Voice is stellar, starting at $10/mo per user.
    • While it doesn't offer a new Audio/Video conferencing solution it does integrate with GSuite so it makes use of Google Calendar and Hangouts/ Google Meet.
    • Gets the employee's to use their company phone numbers more as texting is easy and deployment is simple.
    • The cell phone app is reliable and easy to deploy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RingCentral
    • It has had a positive impact. We replaced an archaic solution with a more modern, streamlined version or product. Like anything else, it has its downfalls and isn't perfect, but overall it's been a good product and has outshined its predecessors like Zoom and Skype.
    • It also has an integrated office phone feature which has been great as our phones are essentially our laptops. It cut down on those costs and in general freed up space on our desks since we didn't have to have them anymore and everything is on our computer now.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype made keeping in touch with an advisor in Mexico very easy. The initiative there resulted in 5 new partnerships.
    • Skype has helped me with account management for at least 3 customers in LATAM--usually it's a fast way to answer a question about a support renewal.
    • For about 9 months Skype helped me stay in touch with a colleague in Prague. We would meet once a week to go over sales activities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots