The short answer: A cloud business phone system in the UK costs between £10 and £30 per user per month with the main providers, excluding VAT. The biggest difference between quotes is whether UK calls are included or charged per minute. Desk phones are optional: a basic one costs around £40 to £45 ex VAT and a cordless handset around £90. Our own cloud phone system is £14 per user per month, ex VAT, with every feature and UK landline and mobile calls included.
Last updated: 2 November 2026. Provider prices checked on their UK pricing pages on that date. Prices change, so always confirm before you buy.
In this guide
- Business phone system costs at a glance
- What the main UK providers charge
- Are calls included?
- Desk phones, cordless phones and headsets
- The other costs to budget for
- What Microsoft Teams Phone costs
- The 2027 switch-off and the cost of waiting
- Example: a 10-person office
- How to compare quotes
- Frequently asked questions
Business phone system costs at a glance
These are the costs most UK businesses face when moving to a cloud phone system, also called VoIP or hosted telephony.
| Cost | Typical UK price (ex VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud phone licence | £10 to £30 per user per month | Depends on features and whether calls are included |
| UK calls | Included, or per minute | Check minute allowances on cheaper plans |
| Desk phone | About £40 to £45 to buy | Optional; apps work on laptops and mobiles |
| Cordless (DECT) phone with base | About £90 to buy | Useful for shops, warehouses and receptions |
| Headset | About £55 for a business USB headset | Better call quality on laptops |
| Extra phone numbers | About £3 to £4 per month each | Local, 03 and 0800 numbers vary by provider |
| Moving your numbers | Free to about £50 one-off | Some providers charge, many do not |
| International calls | Usually extra | Rarely included in UK plans |
What do the main UK providers charge?
These are the published UK prices for some of the best-known business phone systems. All are per user per month and exclude VAT.
| Provider and plan | Price per user per month | UK calls |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams Phone Standard | £7.70 (paid yearly) | Not included; calling bought separately |
| Microsoft Teams Phone with Calling Plan | £13.10 (paid yearly) | 3,000 domestic minutes |
| Vonage Express / Core / Max | £10 / £15 / £25 | Express metered; Core includes unlimited UK calls |
| RingCentral Essentials / Standard / Premium / Ultimate | £12.99 / £19.99 / £24.99 / £29.99 | 100 to 4,000 minutes per user, depending on plan |
| RingCentral, paying month to month | £17.99 / £23.99 / £28.99 / £33.99 | As above |
| BT Cloud Voice Basic / Connect / Collaborate | £10.52 / £13.74 / £20.09 (60-month licence) | Not included; call bundles extra |
| ATS Connection cloud phone system | £14, on any term from 30-day rolling to 36 months | UK landlines and mobiles included |
Two things stand out. First, the lowest headline prices usually leave calls out, so a £10 plan can cost more than a £15 one once your team starts dialling. Second, some prices depend on a long contract: BT’s figures are for a 60-month licence and RingCentral charges more if you pay month to month.
Are calls included in the price?
This is the question that changes a quote the most. Plans fall into three groups:
- Calls included. UK landline and mobile calls are part of the licence. This is the simplest to budget for and suits most offices.
- A minute allowance. Each user gets a set number of minutes, for example 100 on RingCentral Essentials or 3,000 on Teams Phone with Calling Plan, then pays per minute.
- Metered. Every call is charged, as on Vonage Express, Teams Phone Standard with pay as you go, or BT Cloud Voice without a call bundle.
Calls to premium rate numbers and international calls are almost always charged on top, whichever plan you choose.
Do you need desk phones, cordless phones or headsets?
Not necessarily. A cloud phone system runs through apps on Windows and Mac computers and on iPhone and Android, so many businesses start with no hardware at all. Hardware still makes sense for receptions, busy sales desks and anywhere people move around the building.
| Hardware | Example | UK price ex VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Basic desk phone | Yealink T31P | About £40 to £45 |
| Cordless DECT phone and base | Yealink W73P with W70B base | About £89 |
| Business headset | Jabra Evolve2 30 SE (USB-C, mono) | About £56 |
Many providers also rent handsets on a monthly charge, which spreads the cost but usually ties you to a longer contract. We supply certified Yealink, Snom and Fanvil desk phones, Gigaset cordless phones and Jabra or EPOS headsets, to rent or buy.
What other costs should you budget for?
Phone numbers
Your first number is normally included. Extra numbers typically cost around £3 to £4 a month each: Voipfone charges £3 for an extra 01, 02 or 03 number and RingCentral £4 for an extra local number. Freephone 0800 numbers can carry a charge for every incoming minute, because the business pays for the call. Our guide to the real cost of 0333, 0345 and 0800 numbers explains what each type costs you and your callers.
Moving your existing numbers
In the UK you have the right to keep your number when you change provider. Some providers move numbers free of charge and others charge a one-off fee, from about £20 to around £50 for a single number. We handle number porting for our customers.
Your internet connection
A VoIP call uses very little bandwidth. Cisco puts a standard-quality call at about 87 kbps, so around 100 kbps in each direction per simultaneous call is a safe allowance. What matters more is a stable connection, and a backup line if phones are critical to your business. If your connection needs an upgrade, see our business broadband and leased lines.
Set-up and support
Many providers set up cloud phone systems remotely at no charge, but check what is included: building your call menus and opening hours, configuring handsets, training staff and having someone to call when it goes wrong. A cheap licence with no local support can cost more in lost calls than it saves.
How much does Microsoft Teams Phone cost?
If your business already uses Microsoft 365, Teams Phone lets you make and take calls inside Teams. Microsoft’s UK prices, paid yearly and excluding VAT, are:
- Teams Phone Standard: £7.70 per user per month, with no calls included.
- Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go calling: £9.20 per user per month, including a phone number.
- Teams Phone with Calling Plan: £13.10 per user per month, with 3,000 domestic minutes.
- Teams Phone with domestic and international calling: £26.10 per user per month.
Each user also needs a Microsoft 365 or Teams licence, so Teams Phone is an add-on rather than a complete price. You can also connect Teams to another provider’s calls using Direct Routing or Operator Connect, which we set up for businesses that prefer to work inside Teams. Our guide to Microsoft 365 business prices covers the licences themselves.
The 2027 switch-off and the cost of waiting
Openreach says that on 31 January 2027 all traditional phone lines will need to move to a digital service, and that ISDN services not moved to an IP service by then will be ceased. In September 2026 around 350,000 business premises still had lines to move, according to Openreach figures reported by ISPreview.
Lines that have not moved may be put onto a temporary emergency voice-only service, or may lose service altogether. ISPreview reports that Openreach will charge providers £35 to £38.60 a month per line for that temporary service from 1 February 2027, before any retail mark-up. That is well above the cost of a cloud phone licence with calls included. Our Big Switch Off guide covers what else on your premises may be affected, such as alarms, card machines and lift lines.
Example: what does a phone system cost a 10-person office?
Here is how the cost of our own system works out for a 10-person office, ex VAT:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 10 cloud phone licences at £14, UK calls included | £140 a month |
| Apps on laptops and mobiles | Included |
| Optional: 10 basic desk phones bought outright | About £400 to £450, one-off |
| Moving your existing numbers | Handled by us |
| International calls | Charged per call |
The monthly price is the same on a 30-day rolling contract as on a 12 to 36 month term, so you are not paying extra for flexibility.
How to compare phone system quotes
Put every quote on the same footing before you choose. Ask each provider:
- Are UK landline and mobile calls included, and is there a minute cap?
- Which features cost extra, such as call recording, queues, reporting or Teams integration?
- How long is the contract, and does the price change if I pay monthly?
- Do prices rise each year, and by how much?
- What do extra numbers and moving my existing numbers cost?
- Is hardware bought, rented or tied to the contract?
- Who sets it up, and who do I call when something goes wrong?
If you would like a quote you can compare like for like, our team in Arundel and Chichester will price your setup in writing. We have supported businesses since 2015, and our business phone systems are set up and supported by our own UK team. You can also get a quote or call 01903 255 159.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a business phone system cost per user in the UK?
Most cloud phone systems from the main UK providers cost between £10 and £30 per user per month, excluding VAT. The biggest difference is whether UK calls are included or charged per minute. Our own cloud phone system is £14 per user per month, ex VAT, with every feature and UK landline and mobile calls included.
Do I need to buy desk phones for a VoIP phone system?
No. Cloud phone systems work through apps on computers and mobiles, so many businesses start without any hardware. If you want desk phones, a basic Yealink desk phone costs around £40 to £45 ex VAT and a cordless DECT handset with its base around £90 ex VAT, and many providers also rent them.
Can I keep my existing business phone number?
Yes. Number portability is a regulated right in the UK, so you can move your numbers to a new provider. Some providers move numbers for free and others charge a one-off fee. We handle number porting for our customers.
How much does Microsoft Teams Phone cost in the UK?
Teams Phone Standard is £7.70 per user per month, paid yearly and excluding VAT, but it includes no calls. Teams Phone with a Calling Plan, which includes 3,000 domestic minutes, is £13.10 per user per month. Each user also needs a Microsoft 365 or Teams licence.
What happens if I do nothing before the landline switch-off?
Openreach says all traditional phone lines need to move to a digital service by 31 January 2027. Lines that have not moved may go onto a temporary emergency voice-only service or may lose service altogether, and the wholesale price of that temporary service starts at £35 a month, before any retail mark-up.
How much broadband do I need for a VoIP phone system?
Very little per call. Cisco puts a standard-quality VoIP call at about 87 kbps, so allowing around 100 kbps in each direction per simultaneous call is a safe rule of thumb. Reliability matters more than speed, so a stable business connection with a backup is worth more than a very fast one.
Sources
- Microsoft UK: Microsoft Teams Phone pricing
- RingCentral UK: plans and pricing
- Vonage UK: business phone system pricing
- BT Business: Cloud Voice
- Voipfone: prices
- RingCentral UK: local numbers
- Openreach: digital phone lines for businesses
- ISPreview: Openreach confirms post January 2027 measures for the analogue switch-off, September 2026
- Ofcom: number portability
- Cisco: voice over IP bandwidth consumption per call
- Ballicom: Yealink T31P, Yealink W73P and Jabra Evolve2 30 SE
- ProVu: Yealink T31 RRP
Prices are as published on 2 November 2026 and exclude VAT. Providers change prices and plans, so confirm before you buy.
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