We build both. Here's how to pick. VoIP PBX Express sells cloud-hosted phone service and on-premise Cisco systems you own — same enterprise Cisco platform, same US-based engineers behind it. We make money either way, so this page has no thumb on the scale. The only question is which way of paying fits your business.
Below: what each option really costs over five years against RingCentral, Vonage, Nextiva, and the other big names — using their own published prices — plus who each line fits and the questions worth asking.
Every line runs the same enterprise Cisco hardware, and our Certified Network Specialists set it up, run it, and manage it no matter which you pick. What changes is where the system lives and how you pay.
$15.75 per user/phone per month · 20-user minimum · month-to-month
Best fit if: you want zero hardware on-site, you run multiple locations or remote staff, or you'd rather budget a flat monthly number than a purchase.
See Cloud Express →From $3,850 $975 — Save up to 79% · + SIP Express Plus from $161/mo
Best fit if: you have an office (or a few), a stable headcount, and you want the lowest total cost over the life of the system.
See SIP Systems →From $3,950 one-time
Best fit if: you're happy with your current phone lines or carrier contract and want the system without changing service.
See Executive Systems →| Cloud Express | SIP Express | Executive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0 | from $3,950 | |
| Monthly | $15.75 per user | SIP Express Plus from $161 | your carrier's rate |
| Who owns the hardware | We do — nothing on-site to maintain | You do | You do |
| Phones | Included, advance-replaced free | Included in the system | Included in the system |
| Phone service | Included | Included in SIP Express Plus | Bring your own lines |
| 5-year cost, 20 users | $18,900 | $10,935 | $3,950 + your line costs |
| Pick it for | $0 upfront · multi-site · remote teams | Lowest 5-year cost · LAN call quality | Keeping the lines you have |
Not sure which column is you? That's exactly what the custom proposal is for — our Certified Network Specialists show you your numbers in all three columns and tell you which one wins.
Every competitor number below comes from the provider's own pricing page, verified August 2026, run out over five years for a 20-user office. Their columns don't include desk phones, add-ons, or someone to run the system — because at those prices, none of that is included.
| Provider (20 users, month-to-month) | Monthly | 5-year total | What that number leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| RingCentral Core — $35/user | $700 | $42,000 | Phones. AI receptionist is a $39/mo add-on, call queues $35/mo, SMS $25/mo — per RingCentral's published pricing |
| Vonage Premium — $29.99/line | ~$600 | ~$36,000 | Phones. Call recording and ring groups require the $39.99 tier |
| Ooma Pro — $24.95/user | $499 | $29,940 | Phones, plus a $29.95 activation. Call queuing requires Pro Plus at $29.95 |
| Nextiva — $23/user | $460 | $27,600 | Phones. Recording, fax, and toll-free are add-ons; the advertised $15 rate requires a 12-month term |
| Zoom Phone Unlimited — $16/user | $320 | $19,200 | All hardware — no desk phones on the pricing page. Software only |
| VPE Cloud Express — $15.75/user | $315 | $18,900 | Nothing you'd expect: Cisco desk phones, Arthur Igloo AI, recording, and an engineer who runs it are included |
| VPE SIP Express 20-phone (own it) | $1,275 once + $161 | $10,935 | Nothing to add — the $161 is your phone service, lifetime warranty, and support |
8x8 and GoTo Connect aren't in the table because neither publishes prices at all — both are quote-only. We print ours.
All VPE prices are base rates; taxes & fees are itemized on your invoice.
Here's the straight read. If you keep a phone system five years, owning it costs less — and that's true of our own hosted service too, not just theirs. A 20-phone SIP Express system beats Cloud Express by about $7,900 over five years. Cloud Express earns its place a different way: $0 upfront, no hardware on-site, and any location or remote worker connected natively — at a monthly price under every major provider's month-to-month rate, with the phones and the engineer included. Either way you land thousands under the big names.
Executive systems aren't in the table because you bring your own phone lines — the system is $3,950–$15,500 one-time and your 5-year total depends on your carrier. If you already have lines you like, that can be the lowest number of all. Ask for the side-by-side.
If one of these is your must-have, we'll tell you on the call and point you in the right direction. We'd rather lose a sale than a reputation.
Cloud Express and our owned systems run the same Cisco platform, so changing your mind is a configuration cutover, not a rip-and-replace. An engineer performs the conversion free, in both directions: start hosted with $0 upfront and buy a system later when the math says own — the Cisco phones already on your desks carry over with the purchase. Or own now and convert to hosted if you open a second site. Numbers, greetings, and call flows move as-is.
Hybrid works too: headquarters on an owned system, branches and remote staff on Cloud Express — one bill, one engineer.
"We needed to replace an aging phone system. VoIP PBX Express was able to provide a good value in both price and service. Would not hesitate to use them again."
4.9★ across 100+ reviews · CCNP-certified · 20+ years in voice networking. Hosted or owned, the same US-based Cisco engineers answer the phone.
Straight answers, no thumb on the scale — we sell both.
Owning does, if you keep the system — and that's true of our own hosted service, not just the big names'. A 20-phone SIP Express system runs $10,935 over five years ($1,275 system + $161/mo base). Cloud Express for 20 users runs $18,900 ($315/mo). Both sit well under RingCentral's month-to-month $42,000 or Nextiva's $27,600 for the same office. Hosted wins on upfront cost: $0 versus $1,275. Which matters more depends on your cash flow and how long you'll keep the system.
Outside calls on any internet-based phone service — including our hosted line — depend on your connection. On Cloud Express, calls re-route to mobile apps or call forwarding the moment your connection drops, so you keep answering. On an owned on-premise system, calls between phones in your building run over your own network rather than the internet, and outside calls use your SIP trunks or carrier lines. If staying reachable inside the building during an outage is a top priority, say so — it's a real point in the owned column.
Yes. Cloud Express and our owned systems run the same Cisco Call Manager Express platform on the same enterprise hardware, with the same features — auto-attendant, voicemail-to-email, HD audio. The difference is where it lives and how you pay: hosted in our data center for a monthly rate, or in your office for a one-time price plus service.
Yes — free, in both directions. Because both run the same platform, an engineer performs the conversion as a configuration cutover: your numbers, greetings, and call flows move as-is. If you start hosted and buy a system later, the Cisco phones already on your desks carry over with the purchase.
No. Everything we sell is month-to-month or a one-time purchase. No auto-renewal, no cancellation fee, no cancellation department — and if you ever leave, we help port your numbers out.
Usually Cloud Express — any location or remote worker connects natively, and phones ship pre-configured. Owned systems cover remote staff too, with softphone apps on Android, iPhone, Mac, and PC. Plenty of businesses mix the two: an owned system at headquarters, Cloud Express for branches and remote staff, one bill either way.
Yes — enterprise Cisco units from corporate environments, tested, reconditioned, and warrantied. It's the same hardware Fortune 500 networks run, and it's a big part of why both lines are priced the way they are. On Cloud Express the phones are included in the monthly rate with free advance replacement; on owned systems they're included in the system price.
Tell our Certified Network Specialists your headcount, your locations, and what your current phone bill looks like. You'll get one proposal with the Cloud Express monthly rate and the own-it 5-year math side by side, plus a recommendation — even when the recommendation is the option that makes us less money. We sell both, so the math can do the talking.
One custom proposal shows the Cloud Express monthly rate and the own-it 5-year math side by side for your exact headcount — and our Certified Network Specialists give you a straight recommendation.
Cloud-hosted from $15.75 per user, phone included · SIP systems from $3,850 $975 — save up to 79% · Executive systems from $3,950