Nextiva runs a genuinely good service — their advertised price just doesn’t include much. The $15 Core rate requires a 12-month term ($23 month-to-month). Simple IVR call routing isn’t available on Core at all. Call recording, online fax, a 1-800 number, and call performance insights are add-ons. The AI features sit on the $75/user Scale tier, and CRM integration is an add-on on every tier. VPE gives you two ways to get it all: Cloud Express hosted at $15.75 per user with the Cisco phone included, or a SIP Express system you own from $975.
Cloud Express hosted: $15.75/user, phone included · Or own it: SIP systems from $975 — save up to 79%.
Two VPE answers, one plan matrix. Verified from Nextiva’s published pricing, August 2026.
| Feature | VPE Cloud Express ($15.75/user, phone incl.) | VPE SIP Express (own it) | Nextiva |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (20 users) | $315/mo — phone on every desk included | From $161/mo base, after a one-time |
$300/mo on the 12-month term; $460/mo month-to-month — phones extra |
| Cisco desk phones | Included for every user — free advance replacement | Included in the system price | Not included — plan on $100–$300 per handset |
| Auto-attendant / IVR call routing | Engineer-built call flows — included | Included — engineer-built | Not available on Core — requires Engage plus a call-center add-on |
| AI receptionist + call analytics | Arthur Igloo — included | Arthur Igloo — available | AI transcription, call notes & Answer Assist — Scale tier only, $75/user |
| Ring groups & call queues | Built and maintained by an engineer — included | Included — engineer-built | Not on the Core plan |
| Call recording | Included | Included | Add-on (Engage $25+) — online fax and 1-800 numbers are add-ons too |
| CRM integrations | Not our lane — if deep CRM-synced calling is your core need, see “Where Nextiva May Be the Better Choice” below | An add-on on every tier (including Salesforce and HubSpot) | |
| Who runs it for you | A US-based Cisco engineer — unlimited moves, adds & changes done for you | Our Certified Network Specialists manage it end to end | Self-serve admin portal |
| Support | US-based Cisco-certified engineers | US-based Cisco-certified engineers | Well-reviewed — a 4.7-star support reputation, and it’s earned |
| Contracts | None — month-to-month | None | 12-month term for the advertised $15; $23/user month-to-month |
| Cancellation | No cancellation department; free port-out help | Unplug it — it’s yours | Timed to your 12-month term’s end date |
| Trustpilot rating | ★ 4.9 / 5 | ★ 4.9 / 5 | ★ 4.7 / 5 |
| 5-year cost (20 users) | $18,900 | $10,935 ($1,275 + $161 × 60) | $27,600 month-to-month ($23) — before add-ons and phones |
VPE monthly rates are base rates — plus taxes & fees, itemized on every invoice.
Nextiva pricing and feature gating verified from Nextiva’s published pricing page, August 2026.
SIP Express note: calls between desks stay on your office network — an on-premise perk for in-building call quality.
This isn’t a complaint wall — Nextiva’s 4.7-star rating is real, and their customers largely like them. These lines are simply their published plan matrix, read closely. Verified August 2026.
Their sticker is lower than ours. Here’s the whole picture.
On raw subscription price, Nextiva wins: their $15 annual-term sticker is 75 cents lower than our $15.75. That’s real, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.
That $15 requires a 12-month term. The plan it buys can’t route callers through a menu — simple IVR isn’t available on Core. The AI features sit on the $75-per-user Scale tier. And there’s no phone in the box: plan on $100–$300 per handset. Month-to-month — the way we sell — Nextiva is $23 and Cloud Express is $15.75 with the Cisco phone on the desk.
Count the hardware and we win at every size. Prefer to own it? A 20-phone SIP Express system is $4,950 $1,275 (save up to 79%) plus SIP Express Plus from $161/mo — $10,935 over five years, the lowest number on this page. No monthly rent on the owned line — that’s why it costs less.
No pile-on here — just their fine print next to what we include, hosted or owned.
Nextiva’s advertised $15 Core rate requires a 12-month agreement. Pay month-to-month and the same plan is $23 per user.
Cloud Express is $15.75 per user, month-to-month — there’s no term to sign and no prepay discount because the month-to-month price IS the price. Own a SIP Express system instead and there’s nothing to cancel at all.
Per their published plan matrix, simple IVR call routing isn’t available on the Core plan at all — it requires Engage plus a call-center add-on. “Press 1 for sales” is not a $15 feature at Nextiva.
Both VPE lines include auto-attendants, ring groups, and call queues — built for you by our Certified Network Specialists and maintained as your business changes. No tier to climb, no add-on to license.
AI transcription, call notes, and Answer Assist aren’t on Core or Engage — they sit on the Scale tier at $75 per user.
The Arthur Igloo AI receptionist and call analytics come with Cloud Express at $15.75 per user — 4.8× less than the tier where Nextiva’s AI lives — and it’s available on owned SIP Express systems too.
Call recording, online fax, a 1-800 number, and call performance insights are add-ons that live on Engage ($25+). CRM integration is an add-on on every tier. And no plan includes a desk phone — budget $100–$300 per handset.
Cloud Express includes a Cisco desk phone for every user with free advance replacement, plus call recording and engineer-built queues — at $15.75. A SIP Express system includes the phones in the one-time price: $4,950 $1,275 for 20 phones.
The math doesn’t lie. Here’s what 20 users actually costs over 5 years.
Want the math on your exact head count? Our Certified Network Specialists will show you hosted and owned side by side — and tell you honestly which one wins.
Get a Custom ProposalHow the big names stack up — 5 years, 20 users, published month-to-month rates
Published month-to-month rate × 20 users × 60 months, before add-ons, taxes, and phones — verified from each provider’s pricing page, August 2026. 8x8 and GoTo publish no pricing.
Real businesses. Real results. Real people picking up the phone.
We believe in the full picture — and with Nextiva there’s real credit to give. Nextiva may be a better fit if you need:
Nextiva’s 4.7-star Trustpilot rating is real, and it’s earned — among the national providers, their support reputation stands out. We compete on service too; theirs deserves the credit it gets.
Nextiva rolls voice, video, team chat, omnichannel messaging, and helpdesk-style tooling into one polished platform. If a single unified workspace app is what you’re buying, theirs is genuinely good.
You can sign up for Nextiva online in minutes, no conversation required. VPE is built around an engineer and a proposal — deliberately. If you want a checkout button today, they’re faster.
Past 100 users, with contact-center tooling across many locations, their platform is built for it; our sweet spot is 20–100.
If you want the phone included, the call flows built for you, the AI included, and no 12-month term — that’s us. And work-from-anywhere works on both VPE lines: Cloud Express connects remote and multi-site staff natively, with mobile and desktop apps included.
It’s easier than you think. Most businesses are up and running in under a week.
Call 844-486-4766 or request a custom proposal. Our Certified Network Specialists build your quote both ways: Cloud Express hosted and SIP Express owned, side by side.
Hosted: $0 upfront, phones ship pre-configured, $15.75 per user. Owned: your system ships ~90% pre-configured and most offices are live in under 2 hours. Not sure? Our specialists will tell you which way your math favors — honestly.
Porting away from Nextiva is engineer-managed end to end, with temporary numbers so your business is never phoneless while the port completes.
Find your 12-month term’s end date — or confirm you’re on month-to-month — and time the cutover. Don’t cancel until your VPE service is live and your numbers have ported, so you never pay for two systems longer than you have to.
Tell our Certified Network Specialists about your office and get both quotes — Cloud Express hosted at $15.75 per user with the Cisco phone included, and a SIP Express system you own from $975 — with an honest recommendation on which fits. No 12-month term on either.