Overview

Talkroute combines business calling with SMS and MMS, video meetings, and integrations. Calling is unlimited to the U.S. and Canada under reasonable-use policies. Call forwarding, custom routing, simultaneous ringing, menus, extensions, live transfers, and scheduled forwarding give teams several ways to direct calls to the right person or time slot. Multiple business numbers, voicemail transcription, and desktop and mobile apps round out the phone system.

It supports number porting for most U.S. and Canadian numbers at no additional charge, typically taking 3–5 business days. That makes it easier to move an existing number, though the timing still matters if a team has a firm cutover date.

Key features

Calling and messages

The call-handling options suit teams that need calls routed by schedule, menu, or extension rather than sent to a single line. Messaging is more plan-sensitive: monthly quantities range from 500 to 5,000 messages on the listed phone plans, and outgoing messages may need number verification and must follow carrier rules. Teams with campaign-scale messaging can add a bulk texting plan, but it is a separate paid purchase.

Meetings and integrations

Video meetings accommodate up to 100 participants and can run for up to 24 hours on the listed Video plans. Screen sharing comes with Video Plus; whiteboard and file sharing are added at Video Pro. These plans are free with the corresponding business phone plan, so the meeting feature set follows the phone tier rather than standing alone.

An API can connect Talkroute data to CRMs, help desks, dashboards, and internal tools, and its support center includes Zapier integration information. API access is reviewed per account, it does not enable direct voice calling, and API texting requires an enabled bulk texting plan. That makes the API useful for selected data workflows, not a general-purpose route to automate calling and texting without plan constraints.

HIPAA and support

Talkroute says it can be HIPAA compliant with restrictions: SMS must not contain protected health information, voicemail-to-email must be disabled, and a signed BAA is available on Pro or higher. Healthcare teams should weigh those operating limits against their communication needs rather than treating compliance as an unrestricted feature.

Email support is available 24/7. Phone and chat support run Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. CST, and Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. CST, so those channels are not round-the-clock.

Pricing

Talkroute offers a 7-day free trial and no free business phone plan. The listed paid plans are billed monthly:

Plan	Price	Included capacity
Business Phone Basic	$19/month	1 user, 1 number, 1 mailbox, 500 text messages/month, unlimited calling
Business Phone Plus	$39/month	3 users, 2 numbers, 3 mailboxes, 2,000 text messages/month, unlimited calling
Business Phone Pro	$59/month	10 users, 3 numbers, 10 mailboxes, 5,000 text messages/month, unlimited calling
Enterprise	Custom pricing	20+ users, 10+ numbers, 20+ mailboxes

Basic is the entry point for a solo user, but its single number and 500-message allowance leave little room for a growing team. Plus is the first listed tier with multiple users and numbers; Pro raises capacity substantially and is the first tier with a signed BAA option. Enterprise is for larger teams whose needs exceed Pro's listed limits, with custom pricing.

Bulk Texting Starter costs $55/month and adds 2,500 messages/month, SMS and MMS campaigns, priority campaign vetting, and Messaging API access. Growth costs $169/month and adds 10,000 messages/month, with the same campaign and API features plus account management. These are additional plans, so teams should account for them separately from the phone subscription when budgeting for higher-volume messaging.

Platforms

Talkroute supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. Desktop and mobile apps give users several ways to access the service across common operating systems.

Who it's for

Talkroute fits small businesses and teams that need configurable call routing, multiple numbers, and a shared phone system, with meeting tools included at no extra charge alongside the matching phone plan. It is less suitable for organizations that need a free phone plan, unmetered messaging, API-based voice calling, or to send PHI by text.

Pros and cons

Pros: Unlimited U.S. and Canada calling on the listed phone plans helps teams avoid per-minute charges, subject to reasonable use.
Pros: Routing, menus, extensions, transfers, and scheduled forwarding support more involved call flows than a single shared line.
Pros: Video meetings for up to 100 participants are included free with the corresponding phone plan, with collaboration tools increasing by tier.
Cons: The phone plans cap monthly messages, and bulk texting requires a separate plan, adding cost for campaign-heavy teams.
Cons: API access is reviewed, excludes direct voice calling, and requires bulk texting for API texts, limiting teams seeking broad automation.
Cons: HIPAA use excludes PHI in SMS and requires voicemail-to-email to be disabled; a BAA is offered only on Pro or higher.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison of options, see Business Phone Systems.

Microsoft Teams is worth considering if a free collaboration option is the priority: its free plan allows 100 participants in group meetings lasting up to 60 minutes and includes 5 GB of cloud storage.
VitalPBX may suit teams looking for a free PBX with self-hosted options; its Community plan includes 12 extensions and 2 VitXi WebRTC clients.
3CX offers a free plan for up to 10 users and 4 simultaneous calls, but the license must be manually renewed each year.
Vodia PBX is another option to compare for a single-tenant PBX, with prepaid monthly or annual card charges and bundles from 5 to 1,000 user extensions.
Freshcaller may appeal to teams seeking a freemium call-center service: its free plan has unlimited agents, with charges per minute.
CallHippo offers a free Basic plan for the first 6 months from signup, making it an option for teams evaluating a time-limited free start.
PortSIP PBX has a free edition capped at 2 simultaneous calls and 3 extensions.
Zoho Voice is an alternative with free and paid plans; its listed Solo plan covers one user/license, while Basic includes one user/license and one free landline number.

Verdict

Choose Talkroute if your small team needs business calling with flexible routing, several numbers, and video meetings in one service. Its strongest case is the combination of unlimited U.S. and Canada calling and practical call handling across platforms. Look elsewhere if your workflow depends on a free phone plan, high-volume texting without an add-on, API voice calling, or HIPAA use that requires PHI in SMS.

	Ringer Hosted PBX	Talkroute
Free trial		Yes
Paid from	$1/mo
Platforms	Web	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	No	No
Paid from	$20/user/mo
Business numbers	multiple	multiple
Auto attendant	Yes	Yes
Call routing	advanced	custom
Included users		1 users
Voicemail transcription		Yes
Desktop and mobile apps		Yes

Ringer Hosted PBX vs Talkroute

Ringer Hosted PBX

Talkroute