OpenPhone (now Quo) alternatives: business phone apps compared

Is OpenPhone now called Quo?

Yes, it is. The company announced on 23 September 2025 that it was "rebranding to Quo." In the same post, it said it had raised $105 million. Quo also said the rebrand does not change the product its customers already use. Today, openphone.com sends visitors to quo.com, and Quo's home page calls itself "Quo (formerly OpenPhone)."

So if you already use OpenPhone, you use Quo. Quo's AI agent, called Sona, now answers calls when your team can't and passes them to staff.

Why do people look for an OpenPhone or Quo alternative?

Quo has three plans, priced per user a month.

Quo plan	Billed yearly	Billed monthly	What it adds
Starter	$15	$19	A number per user, calls and texts, Sona with AI summaries on the calls it handles
Business	$23	$33	AI call summaries, phone menus, auto call recording, HubSpot and Salesforce links
Scale	$35	$47	AI call tags, onboarding help, priority support

Every plan includes 1,000 Sona credits a month, which covers 10 calls. One call uses 100 credits. More calls come in paid tiers, from $25 a month for 40 calls up to $199 for 600.

Quo suits small teams well. So the reasons people compare are usually about the kind of calling they do.

• CRM links start on Business: A team that needs calls logged in HubSpot or Salesforce pays at least $23 a user.
• Shared numbers have a cap on Starter: Quo lists shared numbers for up to 10 paid users on Starter. Business removes that cap.
• AI agent calls add up: The 10 free Sona calls cover a quiet month. A busy front desk may need a paid tier.
• Outbound sales teams want a dialer: Teams that make many calls a day often look for a power dialer, which calls the next number on a list for you.

What are the best OpenPhone alternatives?

Blur Studio (best value)

A ready-built, well-tested core with a different pricing model: no per-seat fees, and it covers almost all the features you'd actually need, usually working out to the best value for money. On top of that, Blur Studio builds owned customizations, meaning you can ask for it to be modified to your exact specifications, and you own those modifications outright. Learn more over a quick call with me, Ranjit.

• Best for: Businesses that need software that works without barriers, no unnecessary fees and options to customize it to their needs.

Dialpad

Dialpad is a cloud phone system with AI on every call. Connect Standard costs from $15 per user a month and includes live transcripts and call summaries. Connect Pro costs from $25 and adds the main CRM links and 24/7 support. Dialpad offers a 14-day free trial.

• Best for: Teams that want live AI notes on every call. My Dialpad alternatives guide covers it in more depth.

Aircall

Aircall is a phone system built to work inside CRMs and help desks. Essentials costs $30 per license a month and Professional costs $50, both billed yearly, with a minimum of 3 licenses. Essentials includes call recording, AI call and voicemail transcripts and 50 AI Voice Agent minutes a month. Extra agent minutes cost $0.49 each pay as you go.

• Best for: Sales and support teams of 3 or more that work in a CRM all day.

Kixie

Kixie is a calling and texting tool for sales teams. Its plans are Professional, Single-Line PowerDialer and Multi-Line PowerDialer. The top plan dials up to 4 lines at once. All plans include unlimited minutes for calls in the US and Canada and a CRM link. Kixie names HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and Pipedrive among its integrations. Its pricing page does not list prices, so you need a quote. Kixie offers a 7-day free trial.

• Best for: Outbound sales teams that make many calls each day.

Nextiva

Nextiva's NEXT plans combine phone, video and texting. NEXT Core costs $15 per user a month billed yearly, or $23 monthly, with 50 AI summaries and transcripts. NEXT Engage costs $25 yearly or $50 monthly. Its XBert AI add-on costs $1.50 per conversation. Nextiva also runs an offer of up to 12 months free for businesses that switch. It gives no end date.

• Best for: Businesses that want phone, chat and texts on one bill.

Google Voice

Google Voice is a phone add-on for Google Workspace. Starter costs $10 per user a month for up to 10 users. Standard costs $20 and adds phone menus, ring groups and Gemini call notes. Premier costs $30 and adds automatic call recording with transcripts. Team plans need a Workspace plan, which Google bills separately.

• Best for: Small teams already on Google Workspace.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper gives a small business a virtual phone number that rings on the phones you already have. Plans start from $14 a month billed yearly. Grasshopper offers a 7-day free trial.

• Best for: Solo owners and very small teams that want a simple business line.

How do OpenPhone alternatives compare?

Phone app	Entry price per user a month	Minimum users	AI included	AI agent for calls
Quo (OpenPhone)	$15 yearly, $19 monthly	Not listed	Summaries on Business	Sona, 10 calls free, then from $25
Dialpad	From $15	Not listed	Live transcripts and summaries	Not listed with a price
Aircall	$30, yearly	3 licenses	Transcripts on Essentials	50 minutes, then $0.49 a minute
Kixie	Quote only	Not listed	AI add-ons	Not listed
Nextiva	$15 yearly, $23 monthly	Not listed	50 AI summaries on Core	XBert, $1.50 a conversation
Google Voice	$10	Starter caps at 10 users	Gemini notes on Standard	Not listed
Grasshopper	From $14 a month, yearly	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed

As of October 2026, independently verified: OpenPhone rebranded to Quo in September 2025, backed by a $105 million funding round, with every existing account, number and feature carrying over under the new name. Quo prices at $15, $23 or $35 a user a month on annual billing (Starter, Business, Scale), or $19, $33 and $47 month to month, with its Sona AI answering agent included on every plan. Extra phone numbers run about $5 a month each, and registering for A2P business texting costs a one-time $19.50 plus $1.50 to $3 a month.

What is a good Kixie alternative?

Kixie is built for outbound calling, so its closest rivals also focus on sales teams. Aircall Professional adds AI call summaries and call coaching for $50 per license a month billed yearly. Dialpad Connect Pro adds CRM links from $25 a user a month. If your team makes fewer calls and texts more, Quo Business costs $23 a user billed yearly and links to HubSpot and Salesforce.

What rules apply to AI calls and texts?

The FCC adopted a ruling on 2 February 2024 about AI voices. It said AI tools that generate human voices count as "artificial or prerecorded voice" calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. So an outbound call that uses an AI voice needs the called person's prior express consent.

This matters if you plan to use an AI agent for follow-up calls to old leads. Get clear consent first and keep a record of it. For any call type, it is good practice to tell callers when they are talking to an AI. Before you record calls, check the recording consent rules in the states where your callers live.

When does a custom AI phone setup make sense?

For most small businesses, Quo or one of the apps above is enough. Pick one, set up your call routing, and use the built-in AI notes. A custom AI phone agent makes sense in a few cases.

• The agent needs your own systems: For example, a cleaning company wants the AI to check its booking software and give a real time slot on the call.
• Your calls follow special rules: For example, a clinic sorts callers by location, service and urgency.
• You take a lot of calls: Per-call AI fees add up at hundreds of calls a month. An agent you own may cost less over time.
• You want texts to follow up in your own way: A custom setup can send a missed call text back with a booking link and log it in your CRM.

A custom agent can sit on top of the phone app you already use. You keep your numbers and your provider.

How does Blur Studio set up AI phone agents?

I start by listening to how calls reach your business today. What do callers ask most? Which calls could AI handle, and which need a person? Where do the answers live? If Quo or another ready-made app fits, I will tell you which one and how to set it up. If your calls need your own data, I build an AI receptionist connected to your calendar, CRM or job software. The code and the phone accounts stay in your name, and I can keep tuning the agent after launch.

Need something completely custom?

Everything above is a path to get it running quick and cheap. But sometimes none of these fit, and what you need is something custom that you own, built uniquely for your business from the ground up, with AI thoughtfully designed into the parts of it that your processes actually benefit from. An asset that grows in value, not a generic, one-size-fits-all boilerplate that's an expense with a lock-in. This is a complete bespoke build, and it's something I do very well. Get in touch to know more.