Compare VoIP providers 2025: top 5 UK services, £6.40–£13.59 pricing, selection guide, Vonage BT 8x8 Mitel.
UK businesses now face 15+ VoIP providers competing at £6.40–£13.59 per user per month. This guide compares the top 5 UK VoIP providers—Lily Comms, Vonage, BT, 8x8, and Mitel—using a commercial framework that prioritises total cost, scalability, and support quality. Choosing the wrong provider can lock you into a 36-month contract with poor call quality and zero flexibility.
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Problem: Most businesses select VoIP based on price alone. This ignores hidden costs like setup fees, training, and integration charges that can double your first-year spend.
Agitation: A suboptimal choice creates three risks. First, you face 12–36 month lock-in with expensive exit clauses. Second, poor support means downtime when your internet connection hiccups. Third, limited scalability forces a costly rip-and-replace when you hire beyond 50 staff.
Solution: Use a weighted evaluation that balances upfront cost against total contract value, support responsiveness, and future-proofing. The top 5 UK providers each suit different business profiles—get the match wrong and you overpay by £3,000–£8,000 annually.
The UK VoIP market has intensified dramatically in the past 18 months. Fifteen active providers now compete for business customers, driving prices down but complexity up.
Key market drivers include:
Customer expectations have also shifted:
Positioning: Award-winning cloud VoIP with 10+ years' UK operational history. Major clients include Lidl and NHS Trusts.
Core strengths:
Target market: Growing businesses (10–100 staff) that prioritize human support over automation.
Differentiation: Lily Comms wins on personal allocation and customization. If you want to avoid chatbots and call centres, this is your provider.
Positioning: Global communications provider with 2 million customers worldwide. Established in the US (2005) and successfully expanded into the UK.
Core strengths:
Target market: Small-medium businesses (5–50 staff) that need flexibility and rich features without complexity.
Differentiation: Vonage leads on feature count and zero-setup pricing. If you want everything included from day one, start here.
Positioning: Established communications provider since 1846, operating in 180+ countries.
Core strengths:
Target market: Small through large enterprises that need UK-local support and multi-site deployment.
Differentiation: BT wins on brand trust and range of solutions. If you need a single provider from startup to 500+ staff, BT covers the entire journey.
Positioning: Global scale with 50,000+ customers. Multi-award winner serving clients like McDonald's.
Core strengths:
Target market: Mobile-intensive businesses, collaboration-focused operations, and budget-conscious decision-makers.
Differentiation: 8x8 leads on price and global reach. If you have remote teams and need to contain costs, this is your starting point.
Positioning: Fastest-growing global communications provider. 70 million customers across 100 countries, backed by 1,600+ patents.
Core strengths:
Target market: Large enterprises prioritising innovation, global operations, and workflow streamlining.
Differentiation: Mitel wins on patent portfolio and enterprise flexibility. If you need cutting-edge features and have complex integration requirements, Mitel delivers.
Beyond the top 5, 10+ emerging providers offer niche advantages:
CircleLoop: UK-focused, zero third-party reliance, setup without technical knowledge. Best for SMBs seeking simplicity.
VTSL: Specialist SMB provider focusing on 1–250 staff. Proprietary VoIP applications, no complex hardware. Best for custom integration.
Pioneer Global Services: Rapid deployment specialist. 24-hour account setup, preconfigured phones/softphones, full IP telephony supply. Best for speed-to-deploy.
These alternatives often beat the top 5 on price or speed but lack the support depth and scalability of established players.
Use this three-phase framework to avoid costly mistakes:
Most businesses underestimate TCO by 35–50% by ignoring setup and training.
Entry-level: £6.40/user/month (8x8) for basic VoIP with mobile apps and unlimited UK calls.
Mid-market: £12/user/month (Vonage) for 40+ features, zero setup, and award-winning support.
Enterprise: £13.59/user/month (Mitel) for patented innovation, multi-site scalability, and workflow integration.
Hidden costs to budget:
A 30-user business should budget £2,500–£4,500 for year one, not just the monthly per-user fee.
Vonage (flexibility, 40+ features, £12/month) and BT (UK support, scalability, £13/month) are top contenders. For tighter budgets, 8x8 at £6.40/month delivers core features. Run a 3-provider pilot to test call quality and support responsiveness before committing.
Yes. Number porting is standard and takes 10–15 days. Data migration is supported by all top 5 providers. Training is required post-switch. Minimum disruption is possible with phased rollout planning.
Modern VoIP delivers excellent quality comparable to traditional phones. Critical factors:
Test your broadband before implementation to avoid quality issues.
FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) is ideal for VoIP, delivering 150–900 Mbps symmetric speeds. For mission-critical voice, a leased line guarantees bandwidth and SLAs. Standard broadband can work for smaller teams but risks call dropouts during peak usage.
To ensure call quality, improve call quality with reliable business broadband.
Define your requirements: team size, features, budget, support level. Then call AMVIA at 0333 733 8050 for a free VoIP assessment: requirements analysis, provider recommendation, pricing comparison, and implementation planning. We compare 5+ providers to ensure optimal selection.
The UK VoIP market offers 15+ viable options from £6.40 to £13.59 per user per month. The top 5 providers—Lily Comms, Vonage, BT, 8x8, and Mitel—each dominate different segments: personalised service, feature breadth, multi-site scale, budget mobility, and enterprise innovation.
Strategic selection requires three steps: requirement definition, provider evaluation, and whole-market comparison. Businesses that skip the comparison stage overpay by £3,000–£8,000 annually and risk 36-month lock-in with the wrong partner.
Most UK businesses identify their optimal provider within 2–4 weeks and implement deployment within 4–6 weeks, capturing productivity benefits immediately.
Ready to optimise your VoIP selection? Get a free VoIP assessment from AMVIA's specialists and compare all top providers in one place.
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