Blog Switching systems
RingCentral, Teams Phone and 3CX alternatives: keeping your own phone line
If you are looking at alternatives to RingCentral, Microsoft Teams Phone or 3CX, the useful question is not which one is “best” but which model fits you. The biggest difference between them is how each connects to the phone network, and whether you can keep the phone line and numbers you already have. Here is a fair comparison, as of September 2026, and where Vocivo fits.
RingCentral
RingCentral is a cloud phone and communications service. Its usual plans include phone numbers and calling from RingCentral itself, which keeps things to one vendor. For businesses that want to keep a local carrier, RingCentral offers a Bring Your Own Carrier service, in which the customer buys and owns a gateway that connects their carrier to RingCentral’s cloud.
Good fit if you want one vendor for numbers, calling, video and messaging, and are happy with its bundled calling.
Microsoft Teams Phone
Teams Phone adds business calling to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft lists four ways to connect it to the phone network: Microsoft’s own Calling Plans, Operator Connect through certified operators, Teams Phone Mobile, and Direct Routing. Direct Routing lets you use any phone operator, through a certified session border controller that you, an integrator or a service provider buys, installs and manages.
Good fit if your company already lives in Teams and calling is one more thing people do there.
3CX
3CX is phone system software. You can run it yourself or have it hosted, and connect it to SIP trunks from a wide range of providers. It is a long-standing choice for businesses that want their own PBX and have someone to look after it.
Good fit if you want a traditional PBX you control, with a partner or IT person to run it. Planning a move away? Our 3CX migration checklist covers it.
Vocivo
Vocivo is a phone system that connects straight to your own SIP trunk, with no gateway or border controller to buy. It runs in a data centre region you choose, or on your own server, and it is built around the mobile app, with an AI receptionist included. It does not sell numbers or minutes: you keep your provider, and your provider bills you for calls.
Good fit if you want to keep your provider and numbers, choose where your data lives, and have your team answer from their phones. Less of a fit if you want one vendor to supply your numbers, or you need deep integration with Microsoft 365 or a full contact-centre suite.
Side by side: how each connects to your phone line
| RingCentral | Teams Phone | 3CX | Vocivo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers and calling from the vendor | Yes, on its usual plans | Yes, with Calling Plans | No, from a SIP trunk provider | No, from your own provider |
| Keeping your own provider | Bring Your Own Carrier, with a gateway you own | Operator Connect if your operator is certified, or Direct Routing with a certified SBC | Yes, SIP trunks | Yes, connects directly |
| Where it runs | RingCentral’s cloud | Microsoft’s cloud | Your server, or hosted | A region you choose, or your server |
Questions to settle before you switch
- Do you want to keep your current numbers and provider, or is changing them acceptable?
- Is there extra equipment, such as a gateway or border controller, and who will run it?
- Where must your call data be stored?
- How do your people mostly answer: at a desk, in a collaboration app, or on their mobiles?
- What happens to calls nobody answers? Is an AI receptionist included, and how is it charged?
- What will the total monthly cost be, including calls, numbers and any hardware?
Our buyer’s checklist goes through each of these, with a test plan for your trial.