TL;DR
Most Indian businesses with 2 to 10 people need an app-based business number: one shared number that rings on everyone's mobile for ₹300 to ₹999 a month plus GST in total. Choose a cloud phone system with an IVR (from ₹950 per user a month at Tata Tele) when callers pick a department, an EPABX for desk-phone offices, and call-centre software for 6 or more full-time agents.
For an Indian business of 2 to 10 people, the right phone system is usually an app-based business number: one shared number that rings on everyone's mobile, for ₹300 to ₹999 a month plus GST for the whole team. Move to a cloud phone system with an IVR menu, from ₹950 per user a month at Tata Tele, when callers must choose a department, and to call-centre software once 6 or more people take calls all day.
An EPABX, the box-and-desk-phone system many offices still have, makes sense only when people sit at fixed desks and need an intercom.
The 4 kinds of business phone system
| Kind | How calls reach staff | Monthly cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| App-based business number | Rings an app on staff mobiles | ₹300 to ₹999 for the team | 2 to 10 people, often away from desks |
| Cloud phone system (virtual PBX) | IVR menu, then mobiles or softphones | ₹950 per user, or ₹5,000 for 10 | Offices where callers pick a department |
| EPABX (box in the office) | Wired desk phones and intercom | Hardware bought once, plus phone lines | Many fixed desks and internal calls |
| Call-centre software | Queues, dialers and agent dashboards | From ₹1,499 per agent, with minimums | 6 or more agents on calls all day |
How we compared: prices from each provider's official page, checked in September 2026. Prices exclude 18% GST unless stated.
The question that decides it is simple: where are your people when the phone rings? At desks, on the road, or on calls all day.
Five questions that pick your system
- Do callers need to choose a department? If yes, you need an IVR menu: a cloud PBX, or Heyo Pro and Superfone for a simple one.
- Are your people at fixed desks all day? If yes, desk phones on an EPABX or a cloud PBX make sense. If they're mobile, use an app number.
- How many people answer? 1 to 5: Heyo or Superfone. 6 to 10: TalkEasy, Zoho Voice Team or MyOperator. More than 10 on one number: TalkEasy's unlimited users, or a per-user cloud PBX.
- Does anyone make or take calls all day? If 6 or more do, look at call-centre software.
- Do you need a free-to-call number? Only an 1800 number does that. Knowlarity's toll-free Basic plan is ₹21,000 a year with 500 free incoming minutes a month, then ₹1.05 a minute (Knowlarity).
App-based business number: for most small teams
One number rings in an app on each person's own phone. Nobody needs a desk phone or a second SIM, and staff can answer from the shop floor, a site visit or home.
- Heyo: ₹300 a month plus GST for 2 users, or ₹600 for 5 users with an IVR for 2 departments (Heyo).
- Superfone: ₹599 a month plus GST for 3 users, paid quarterly or longer, with a 1-level IVR and ₹200 a month per extra user (Superfone).
- TalkEasy by GrowEasy: ₹999 a month plus GST for unlimited users. Calls route by sales team, department or availability, with separate office-hours and after-hours rules (TalkEasy).
The limit is the menu. Heyo Pro's and Superfone's IVRs are simple, and TalkEasy doesn't offer an IVR menu, so none of them lets a caller choose between five departments. See the apps compared in our best virtual number providers.
Cloud phone system (virtual PBX): when callers must choose
A cloud PBX runs a full phone exchange on the provider's servers. You get a menu ("press 1 for sales"), an extension per person, queues, and rules for who answers when.
- Zoho Voice Business Phone, Team: up to 10 users for ₹999 a month billed yearly (₹1,499 monthly), with a single-level IVR, a free Mumbai landline number and 1,000 free outgoing minutes a month. Other calls are charged per minute (Zoho). Its per-user Basic plan (₹699 billed yearly) adds a multi-level IVR.
- Tata Tele Smartflo Lite: ₹950 per user a month plus ₹5,000 once, 3-month minimum, with a 5-level IVR, a number per agent and unlimited calling in India up to 5,000 minutes per user a month, pooled (Tata Tele). Smartflo Pro adds a softphone for ₹1,250 per user and ₹10,000 once.
- MyOperator Sedan: ₹5,000 a month for 10 users, billed yearly, with an IVR, unlimited calling and WhatsApp chat (MyOperator).
- Exotel Dabbler: ₹9,999 for 5 months, including ₹5,000 of call credit, 3 agents and a multi-level IVR (Exotel).
Not sure you need the menu at all? Take our virtual number or IVR quiz.
EPABX: only if your office runs on desk phones
An EPABX is a switchboard box installed in your office. It connects incoming lines from an operator to wired desk extensions and lets staff dial each other on short codes.
It still suits an office where 15 people sit at fixed desks and call each other all day, or where the wiring is already in place. The costs are the hardware, installation, the phone lines, and a technician whenever you add an extension or move desks.
A common middle path: keep the EPABX for internal calls and the front desk, and give the sales team a shared app number that works when they're out.
Call-centre software: 6 or more agents all day
Once several people do nothing but take or make calls, you need queues, agent status, wallboards and dialers. These plans charge per agent and often set a minimum.
- Acefone Professional: ₹1,599 per user a month with a 6-seat minimum, unlimited calling in India and 3 months of recordings (Acefone).
- Knowlarity softphone: ₹1,499 per agent a month on a 10-agent plan with unlimited inbound and paid outbound calls, a one-year minimum contract and payment quarterly in advance (Knowlarity).
For a wider list of call-centre and VoIP options, see best VoIP providers in India.
What a 6-person office pays in a year
Six people is where the cheapest small plans stop fitting: Heyo Pro caps at 5 users. Here is the yearly list price for 6 users.
- TalkEasy Pro: ₹999 × 12 = ₹11,988, plus 18% GST (₹2,157.84) = ₹14,145.84. It includes 3 hours of talktime a day, and extra hours are ₹49 plus GST. TalkEasy doesn't say whether the 3 hours is shared or per user; if it is one allowance for the whole account, 1 extra hour on each of 26 working days a month adds 26 × 12 × ₹57.82 = ₹18,039.84 a year.
- Zoho Voice Team: ₹999 × 12 = ₹11,988 billed yearly, plus GST = ₹14,145.84, plus call charges beyond the free minutes.
- Superfone, yearly plan with unlimited calling: (₹599 + 3 extra users × ₹200) × 12 = ₹14,388, plus GST = ₹16,977.84.
- MyOperator Sedan: ₹60,000, plus GST = ₹70,800 for up to 10 users.
- Tata Tele Smartflo Lite: 6 × ₹950 × 12 + ₹5,000 one-time = ₹73,400 before GST, which Tata's page doesn't show. We count the ₹5,000 once; Tata doesn't say whether it is per account or per licence.
- Acefone Professional: 6 × ₹1,599 × 12 = ₹1,15,128, before GST.
For monthly costs by setup, see cloud telephony cost in India.
Copy-paste call-flow plan for a 6-person office
Whatever system you pick, write this first. It is the brief you give any provider, and it shows whether you need a menu.
BUSINESS NUMBER: ______________
OFFICE HOURS: Mon to Sat, 10:00 to 19:00
1. First ring (0 to 20 sec): Sales person 1 and Sales person 2, together
2. No answer after 20 sec: Owner
3. Caller asks for accounts: Transfer to Accounts
4. After 19:00 and Sundays: After-hours person / AI receptionist / message
5. Missed calls: Sales person 2 calls back within 15 minutes
6. Recording: On, with announcement; Owner and Sales lead can listen
7. Weekly check (Monday): Owner reviews missed calls and answer rate
If line 3 grows into four or more "caller asks for" rules, you need an IVR menu. If it stays at one or two, routing rules on a shared number will do.
Where TalkEasy fits, and where it doesn't
TalkEasy by GrowEasy fits a team that wants one number on everyone's Android phone and a base bill that stays at ₹999 plus GST as it hires. TalkEasy also offers an AI receptionist that answers after hours, on weekends and on holidays, finds out why the customer is calling, captures their details and transfers the call or books a callback (AI receptionist).
It isn't the right pick for a multi-level IVR menu, wired desk phones, a free-to-call 1800 line, or a call centre that needs dialers and queues. For those, the cloud PBX and call-centre options above fit better. For prices across every kind, see our business phone number cost guide and the virtual number India guide.
See TalkEasy plans and pricing.
Last reviewed 24 September 2026.
