Compare before you commit

GoTo Connect vs the alternatives: what a small Australian business should actually compare

Comparison pages on the internet are usually written by whichever company is being compared, so take this one with the same salt you would take any other. We sell and set up GoTo Connect, and we will tell you that upfront. What we will not do is tell you the alternatives are bad, because they are not: several of them are excellent products that suit particular businesses better than we ever could.

What this page does instead is put GoTo Connect alongside the general categories of alternative, say plainly what each is good at, and note where each does not suit a small Australian business. Where a fact depends on pricing or features that change often, we flag it rather than guess. At the end, we come back to the handful of things that actually decide the outcome for a small Queensland business.

If you want the framework without the comparisons, our best cloud phone system buyer's guide covers the evaluation checklist in detail. And if any of this raises questions, our contact page is the fastest way to get an answer from an actual person.

GoTo Connect: one platform for calls, meetings and messages

What it is. GoTo Connect is a cloud phone, meeting and messaging platform built primarily for small and mid-sized businesses. Calls run over your internet connection, staff use desktop and mobile apps plus optional desk phones, and administration happens in one web console. In Australia it supports local geographic numbers and, as add-ons, 1300 and 1800 numbers, and it has offered SMS from business numbers to Australian customers since 2024.

What it is good at. For a small business that wants one system rather than three, its strength is consolidation: phone, video meetings, team messaging and text messaging in the one place, with one admin console and one bill. It integrates with Microsoft Teams, so a team that lives in Teams can place and take calls inside the app they already use. It works with Google Workspace and with major CRMs, with calls and call events able to sync into customer records. Recent releases have added AI features, including an AI Receptionist and AI-powered call insights, and in 2026 GoTo launched its CX Complete tier aimed at businesses that want contact-centre style tools without an enterprise platform.

Where it does not suit. If your business is already all-in on Microsoft 365 and your team treats Teams as the centre of gravity, Teams Phone may fit more naturally, and GoTo Connect would be a second platform alongside it. Pricing is typically quoted rather than published in Australian dollars, so you will want a proper quote rather than a rough per-seat figure: our plans and pricing page explains how we handle that. And while GoTo provides technical support, it is a global company, which is exactly why businesses that want a local first call work with a partner like us rather than buying direct.

A note on details that change: plan names, inclusions and AI feature availability have changed several times in recent years, and specific features can vary by plan and region. Check the current inclusions on GoTo's own site or ask us before making a decision based on a feature list.

Microsoft Teams Phone: calling inside the app your team already opens

What it is. Teams Phone adds telephone calling to Microsoft Teams. Staff make and receive calls in the Teams app on their computer or mobile, and the business gets phone system features such as call queues and auto attendants within the Microsoft environment.

What it is good at. For a business that already pays for Microsoft 365 and whose staff open Teams first thing every morning, Teams Phone removes the need for a separate phone app entirely. Chat, meetings and calls sit together. For businesses with strong Microsoft administration in house or on contract, it keeps the toolset in one vendor's world.

Where it does not suit. Two things matter for Australian small businesses. First, Microsoft does not sell its own calling plans in Australia, so you need a separate carrier connection through Operator Connect or Direct Routing on top of the Teams Phone licence: that means two vendors and two line items, and the total is often higher than people expect when they assume "it comes with Microsoft". Second, Teams Phone is a capable phone system but it is not a full communications platform: advanced reception workflows, detailed reporting and contact-centre features are thinner than in dedicated systems, and administration can be fiddly for a business without IT support. If your team is not already committed to Microsoft 365, buying into it for the phone system alone rarely stacks up.

A note on pricing: licence and carrier costs change regularly and depend on your Microsoft agreement and chosen carrier. Ask for an itemised quote covering both the per-user licence and the carrier line fees before comparing totals with other options.

RingCentral: the mature, enterprise-grade all-rounder

What it is. RingCentral (sold in Australia as RingEX for the core platform, with RingCX as a separate contact-centre product) is one of the longest-established unified communications platforms, covering calls, video, messaging and contact centre.

What it is good at. It is a very complete platform with a long track record, a large integration marketplace, and a feature set that reaches from small business well into enterprise territory. It offers Australian numbers, and its published Australian pricing is unusual among the global platforms in being visible, with tiered per-user rates.

Where it does not suit. That completeness comes with weight. Administration is more involved than a small business typically needs, and per-user pricing at the upper tiers adds up quickly for a ten-person office that will never touch half the features. It is also worth asking any provider, RingCentral included, pointed questions about Australian specifics before signing: which components of the service are hosted in the region, what the support hours are in Australian Eastern time, and what the porting process involves end to end.

A note on pricing: the figures published on RingCentral's Australian site change over time and vary by term and tier, so treat any number you see, including in older articles, as a starting point only, and get a current quote.

Zoom Phone: the low-cost option for businesses already in Zoom

What it is. Zoom Phone is the telephone product inside the Zoom ecosystem, adding calls to the meeting and chat tools many businesses already use.

What it is good at. Its price is the headline: it is typically among the lowest-cost ways to get a full cloud phone system, and if your team already knows Zoom, the interface is familiar on day one. It supports Australian geographic numbers and can port existing numbers, including 1300 and 1800 numbers, and it supports SMS on Australian mobile numbers. Zoom also offers some Australian-hosted storage for certain content types such as recordings.

Where it does not suit. Zoom Phone is a phone bolted onto a meetings platform, not a phone platform with meetings attached, and the depth shows at the edges: fewer advanced call handling and reporting options than the dedicated phone platforms, and a support model that is generally fine but not high-touch and not anchored in the Australian timezone. Businesses with complex reception needs, heavy SMS use or CRM-driven call workflows tend to find the dedicated platforms fit better.

A note on features: Australian number types, SMS capabilities and hosting details for Zoom Phone have changed over time and vary by plan. Confirm the specifics for your situation before committing.

8x8: the contact-centre-leaning platform

What it is. 8x8 is a unified communications and contact centre platform, sold in Australia through partners, with entry-level and full contact-centre tiers.

What it is good at. 8x8 is strongest where the phone system is the business: call queues, skills-based routing, supervisor tools and reporting are built in rather than bolted on, and it advertises an availability commitment covering both service and call quality. It offers Australian numbers including local and toll-free, has data centres in Australia, and publishes Australian support contact numbers.

Where it does not suit. For a straightforward five-seat office, 8x8 can be more platform than needed, and its pricing in Australia is generally quote-based rather than published, which makes side-by-side comparison slower. Its entry-level self-serve product does not include live support, which matters for a small business without technical staff. As with any global platform, ask specifically about support hours in Australian time and who handles your porting and configuration.

A note on pricing: 8x8's Australian pricing is not published as fixed list prices, and figures quoted in third-party articles vary widely. Get a formal quote for your actual seat count and license mix before comparing.

Traditional on-premise PBX: the box in the cupboard

What it is. The old model: a phone server physically in your office, connected to handsets, with calls entering over traditional lines. Many Australian businesses still run one, inherited from a previous owner or installed years ago.

What it is good at. An on-premise system that is owned outright and working reliably has real virtues: no monthly platform fees for the phone system itself, calls carried on lines you already pay for, and features that keep working as configured for years without vendor changes. Some businesses also like that the equipment is theirs.

Where it does not suit. The Australian context has moved on from this model. The old copper PSTN and ISDN networks that on-premise systems relied on have been decommissioned, so staying put is not actually an option for most: at some point the system must connect to the internet, usually via a SIP trunk, or be replaced. On-premise also means you own the problems: hardware aging, firmware, power and the maintenance contract, with no mobile app story to speak of and remote work largely unsupported. For most small businesses, the on-premise box is a legacy to be migrated from, not a contender to be chosen, and the practical question is how to move off it safely, which our business phone failover guide touches on.

What actually matters for a small Queensland business

After the feature lists, the decision usually comes down to five things:

Will calls sound clear on your connection? Ask where calls are processed and test on your own NBN before signing.
Can your team work from the ute, the site and the kitchen table? The mobile app quality decides this, and no feature list substitutes for a week of real use.
Is your number safe through the move? Ask who performs the port, what the timeline is, and what happens if the request is rejected.
What happens when the internet or power drops? Call rerouting and a charged mobile are the baseline; a provider who cannot describe their failover plainly is telling you something.
Who do you call when something breaks, and can they fix it? Ask for the support model, the hours in Australian time, and the escalation path, before you sign.

Where Cloud Phone Company sits

We sell, set up and configure GoTo Connect, and we are its local point of contact for businesses from Noosa and the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and across Queensland. We think it is the right platform for most small and mid-sized Australian businesses, which is why we chose it: it consolidates calling, meetings and messaging, it works alongside Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace, it supports the Australian number types a small business actually holds, and it keeps adding capability, including the AI features that arrived with CX in recent releases.

We are equally clear about the boundary. We handle setup and configuration and we are your local contact. GoTo performs number porting: we prepare and lodge the port with GoTo, who carries it out. Ongoing technical support is provided by GoTo. If that model sounds right to you, the next step is a short conversation about your current setup: start at our contact page, check the plans and pricing for the shape of the commitment, or browse the FAQ for the questions other businesses ask first.

Frequently asked questions

Is GoTo Connect better than Microsoft Teams Phone?

A: It depends on what your team already uses. If your business runs on Microsoft 365 and your staff live in Teams, Teams Phone keeps calling inside that app, though you will need a separate Australian carrier connection and a Teams Phone licence, which adds cost and administration. If you want calls, meetings, messaging and SMS in one platform with one console, GoTo Connect is the better fit for most small businesses, and its Teams integration means Teams users can still make and take calls in Teams.

Can I port my existing Australian number to GoTo Connect?

A: Yes. Geographic numbers (02, 03, 07, 08) and most 1300 and 1800 numbers can be ported. Cloud Phone Company prepares and lodges the porting request with GoTo, who performs the port. Keep your existing service active until the port completes, and make sure the business name, address and account details match your current provider's records exactly, as mismatches are the most common cause of delays.

Does GoTo Connect support SMS in Australia?

A: Yes. SMS from your business numbers, sent and received in the desktop and mobile apps, has been available to Australian customers since 2024. Some advanced messaging features, such as bulk texting campaigns, sit in higher tiers or add-ons. If texting customers is central to how you work, tell us during the quote stage so the plan matches.

Are RingCentral, Zoom Phone and 8x8 bad choices?

A: No. All three are capable platforms, and each suits particular businesses: RingCentral for feature depth, Zoom Phone for businesses already in Zoom watching costs, 8x8 for contact-centre-heavy operations. The reasons a small Queensland business might not choose them are practical: quote-based pricing, support hours in another timezone, and feature depth you pay for but may not use. We keep this comparison fair because the choice should rest on your business, not our marketing.

Should we replace our old on-premise PBX?

A: Eventually, yes, because the legacy phone networks it depends on have been decommissioned in Australia. The practical question is timing and migration safety: keeping your number, keeping calls flowing during the change, and deciding which handsets to keep. A staged move to a cloud system, with call rerouting configured before cutover, is the usual path.

Can a cloud phone system call 000 or 112?

A: Yes, when the service is working. But cloud calls depend on power, a working internet connection, correct configuration and a signed-in device or app, and calls to 000 or 112 may not connect during an NBN, broadband or power outage. Keep a charged mobile as backup: a mobile in range can call 000 or 112 even without a SIM or credit. Emergency calls may not automatically pass on your address, so be ready to tell the operator where you are.

Who do I call if something goes wrong after setup?

A: With us, you start with Cloud Phone Company as your local point of contact in Noosa. Ongoing technical support for the platform itself is provided by GoTo, and we do not perform ports ourselves: we prepare and lodge them with GoTo, who performs the port. We will always tell you which side of that split a question belongs to rather than bouncing you around.

How do the costs really compare between these options?

A: Compare totals, not headline rates. A low per-user price can grow once carrier fees, add-ons, hardware and the features you actually need are counted, and a higher headline rate can be the complete cost. Ask every provider for an itemised quote covering licences, calling, numbers, hardware and any add-ons. Our business phone system cost guide walks through what to include, and our plans and pricing page shows how we quote.