If you’re considering getting a virtual phone number, you may be comparing GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice — two business phone apps that you can get for a seemingly attractive price.
Read on to learn about the upsides and downsides of each platform, as well as what the best Google Voice and Smartline alternative offers that these two providers don’t.
GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice
When comparing GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice, there are four categories to focus on that reveal how they differ: features, phone number options, integrations, and pricing.
1. Features: Which platform offers better functionality?
Winner: Google Voice
GoDaddy Smartline and Google Voice are both simple phone apps that offer basic features that cover select business needs. However, both lack some of the features you need to best manage a business line.
GoDaddy Smartline is a particularly bare-bones service. While GoDaddy states that you can make calls and send texts, it’s not a true VoIP phone service.
To use GoDaddy SmartLine — which is only available as a mobile app, not as a desktop or web app — you need an active plan with a cell phone carrier. The GoDaddy SmartLine app uses your cellular network (rather than WiFi), so if your plan doesn’t include unlimited minutes and texts, GoDaddy won’t be able to provide these perks either.
Keep in mind also Smartline only offers the options to sign up for a local US number or North American toll-free number.
Even if your cell phone plan includes multimedia messaging (MMS), GoDaddy only supports text-based SMS messages, and photos and videos for local numbers. You can’t send group texts or GIFs, or any MMS messages if you have a toll-free number.
GoDaddy lets you set business hours, custom voicemail greetings, and caller ID, but that’s the extent of its features. Even some outdated landlines offer more! It’s also impossible to call any international numbers, including Canada and Mexico.
Google Voice is a true VoIP service, which means you can use any internet connection to make phone calls using its mobile or web app (no desktop app available). You can make calls and texts to the US and unlimited calls to Canada if you’re in the US.
You’ll get helpful features that GoDaddy SmartLine doesn’t offer, like call forwarding, voicemail transcriptions, and auto-attendants, though you’ll need to upgrade to get an auto-attendant.
Switch to OpenPhone: The best Google Voice and SmartLine alternative
2. Phone number options: Which platform gives you more flexibility and options?
Winner: Toss-up
Having a variety of phone number options can help you cater to your unique clients, whether you’re serving people in your community or around the world. GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice both allow you to select a local number with virtually any US area code.
However, if you’re located in the US, Google Voice only allows you to get a local Canadian phone number if you upgrade to its highest-tier plan ($30 per user per month). GoDaddy SmartLine doesn’t offer local Canadian numbers at all.
If you want a toll-free number — which lets people from 20 North American countries and territories call you for free — you won’t have any luck with Google Voice. Google doesn’t support toll-free calling at all. And with GoDaddy SmartLine, you’ll need to upgrade to its most expensive plan ($19.99 per month) to get a toll-free number.
Google Voice limits each user to one number, while GoDaddy SmartLine doesn’t support multiple users at all.
While you can use both services as a second phone number — which means you won’t have to use your personal phone number for business calls — you can’t easily separate calls by location, language, or purpose (like sales or customer support).
3. Integrations: Which platform is best for streamlining your work?
Winner: Google Voice
Want to streamline your business processes? The good news: You can speed up your workflow by choosing a phone app that can integrate with your other business apps. The bad news: GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice aren’t the right business phone systems for the job.
GoDaddy SmartLine doesn’t offer any integrations, even if you upgrade. Google Voice only lets you integrate with two apps: Google Calendar and Google Meet. If you don’t use the Google Workspace suite or if you want to connect to helpful third-party apps like Slack, Zapier, or HubSpot CRM, you’re out of luck.
4. Pricing: Which platform offers more value for the price?
Winner: Toss-up
Price isn’t the only consideration when you’re shopping for a business phone service, but it’s still important. GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice offer similar pricing plans, though GoDaddy offers two options while Google offers three (and requires more complex costs) for business users.
With GoDaddy SmartLine, you can choose between these two plans:
- Local number: $9.99 per month for all SmartLine features
- Toll-free number: $19.99 per month for all SmartLine features and support for toll-free calls
While Google Voice does offer a free option, this free plan is not meant for business and will only get you access to basic calling, texting, and voicemail features. Plus, you can’t add more than one user to your account.
With Google Voice for Google Workspace, the business version that offers all the Google Voice features previously described, you can choose between these three business plans:
- Starter: $10 per user per month for calling and texting in the US, Google integrations, and call forwarding
- Standard: $20 per user per month to add an auto-attendant, desk phone support, and ring groups
- Premier: $30 per user per month to add on advanced reporting
You’ll get more value with Google Voice — but your Voice subscription isn’t the only cost of using the service. To use Google Voice for business, you’ll need to subscribe to Google Workspace, too. Google Workspace plans start at $6 per user per month, so you’ll have to spend at least $16 per user per month to use Voice.
OpenPhone: The best alternative to Smartline and Google Voice
Google Voice wins by a hair when compared to GoDaddy SmartLine, but if you’re serious about finding a business phone solution that can help you grow your company, you need a provider that wins by a landslide.
Meet OpenPhone, a VoIP system that provides the features your business needs at any stage of growth. Here’s why it beats both GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice — and it’s not even particularly close.
1. Access more business phone features
Whether you’re using our desktop, web, or mobile apps, OpenPhone offers free calls and text messages (SMS and MMS) in the US and Canada with every plan. Feel free to ditch your company cell phone plan — all you need is an internet connection to access these perks.
Top-notch calling and texting features are just the start of what you can get with OpenPhone. Here’s a comparison of OpenPhone vs GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice. See for yourself how OpenPhone wins, even without an upgrade!
| OpenPhone | GoDaddy SmartLine | Google Voice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Starts at $15 per month per user | Starts at $9.99 per month per user | Starts at $16 per month per user (including Workspace subscription) for business use |
| Unlimited calling to US & Canada | ✓ | X | X |
| SMS/MMS to US & Canada | ✓ | Texting available to US numbers only | US customers only |
| Voicemail transcriptions | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Business hours | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Call recording | ✓ | X | X |
| Shared phone numbers | ✓ | X | X |
| Auto-replies | ✓ | X | X |
| Slack integration | ✓ | X | X |
| Zapier integration | ✓ | X | X |
| CRM integration | Requires upgrade | X | X |
| iOS and Android apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser app | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Desktop apps | ✓ | X | X |
2. Get free US, Canadian, and toll-free numbers
Getting the business phone number you need shouldn’t require a massive upgrade. With OpenPhone, every user you have can get a free toll-free number, US, or Canadian number of their own. If you already have a number you’d like to use, we’ll port your phone number for free!
Need more than one phone number per user? With OpenPhone, you can add on additional phone numbers for $5 per month.
And if you want more than one user per phone number, we’ve still got your back. You can share business phone numbers with multiple people on your team, so you can field calls and text messages together while sharing notes to get the right context for every conversation.
3. Connect integrations every business can use
Linking your business apps is way better than fragmenting your operations. It’ll help your business run smoothly, even beyond your communications. With OpenPhone, you can connect the dots by using our integrations with Slack, Zapier, HubSpot CRM, and email — including Gmail, which even Google Voice doesn’t integrate with.
4. Enjoy business-friendly pricing
Business-friendly pricing is only great if you’re actually getting stellar value. Whether you’re a small business owner or an enterprise CEO, OpenPhone can support your team with features you need with plans starting at $15 per user per month. Unlike GoDaddy SmartLine and Google Voice, barebones isn’t our thing. We’re here to deliver a high-quality service paired with the best possible value.
Get started with OpenPhone, the better business solution
When you compare GoDaddy SmartLine vs Google Voice, it becomes clear that they’re both missing many of the features modern businesses need from a VoIP service. In fact, GoDaddy doesn’t even offer a true VoIP service, which means you’ll still need a cell phone plan. Plus, they don’t have integrations with any of the other software you already use.
Google Voice, on the other hand, doesn’t support toll-free numbers and requires upgrades for its most helpful features.
OpenPhone offers more value for a competitive price. With a basic plan, you can access free calls and text messages (including MMS), a handful of business app integrations, and much more. For an affordable upgrade, you’ll get access to even more great business phone features, like call transfer, advanced IVR, HubSpot integration, and call analytics. Start your free trial of OpenPhone.
