A small business phone system on the phones you already own
A small business phone system gives your team one business number for calls and texts, with voicemail, opening hours, and rules for who answers. Line runs it on your mobiles and laptops. No desk phones, no engineer, no contract. From £4 a month with a UK number included.
From £4 a month. Pay only for the calls and texts you use. No minimum term.
- Incoming call · rings Amy and RajMon 09:15
Call · 3 min
Raj answered from the van.
Hi, it's Karen from the flat on Moss Lane. Could we move Thursday's clean to Friday?
No problem Karen. Friday at 10 is booked, same team.
Amy · from the business numberNote
Assigned to Amy. Booking updated.
Quick answers
- What should a small business phone system include?
- A UK business number, calls and texts from that number, voicemail, opening hours, ringing more than one person, and one shared record of every customer. Line has all of it in one app.
- Do I need desk phones?
- No. Calls ring the Line app on your mobile or laptop. There is nothing to buy and nothing to install.
- What does it cost?
- From £4 a month with one UK number included, then 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p per text. Put your own numbers into the estimator below.
What will it cost you each month?
Enter a normal month. The estimate uses our live rates and picks the cheapest plan.
Your best fit
£21.10 a month
on Starter
| Plan | Monthly fee | Extra people | Calls and texts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | £4 | £0 | £17.10 | £21.10 |
| Pro | £19 | £0 | £15 | £34 |
| Business | £89 | £0 | £0 | £89 |
Excludes VAT. One UK number included on every plan.
What each part does for you
Every feature has one job: make sure a customer who calls or texts gets an answer.
A business number on your own mobile
Customers get one number to call and text. Your personal number stays private, and the business keeps its number when someone leaves.
Rings the whole team
Calls ring everyone you choose at once. The first person free answers, so one busy person no longer means a missed customer.
One shared inbox
Calls, texts, voicemails, and notes sit in one thread per customer. Anyone can pick up where the last person left off.
Opening hours and fallbacks
After hours, callers get a text back, voicemail, or the AI receptionist. The enquiry waits for you instead of going to a competitor.
Texts from the business number
Send quotes, confirmations, and 'on my way' texts from the number customers know. Replies come back to the team, not to one phone.
Keep the number you have
Move an existing UK number to Line. Your old service keeps working until the move completes, so no calls drop on the way.
Built for UK small businesses
Trades
Answer from the van, text a quote, and turn a missed call into a booked job.
Cleaning companies
One number for bookings, with changes handled by whoever is free.
Salons and barbers
Bookings and reminders by text while your hands are busy.
Estate agents
Viewing and landlord calls shared across the branch and the agents out on the road.
Clinics and practices
A front-desk number that rings reception and never shows a personal mobile.
Accountants
Client calls to one number, with notes the whole practice can see.
Set up in an afternoon
No engineer, no hardware, no contract. Three steps from sign-up to your first call.
- 1
Pick a number
Choose a UK mobile, local, or national number, or bring your existing one.
- 2
Add your team and hours
Invite the people who answer. Set when you're open and who rings first.
- 3
Set the fallback
Choose what happens on a missed call: a text back, voicemail, or the AI receptionist.
How a working day runs on Line
One number, different rules for different moments.
| When this happens | Line does this | So you get |
|---|---|---|
| A new customer calls at 11am | Rings the whole team. The first to answer takes it, from their own phone. | A live conversation, not a voicemail. |
| Everyone's busy | Sends your missed-call text, then offers voicemail. | The customer replies with details instead of calling a competitor. |
| A call comes in at 8pm | Switches to your after-hours rule: the AI receptionist answers, or a text sets expectations. | Urgent jobs get through. Everything else waits until morning, with context. |
Line against the other ways to run a business phone
The four setups most UK small businesses choose between.
| Personal mobiles | Landline and desk phone | Desk-phone VoIP system | Line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A business number | No. Staff give out their own | Yes | Yes | Yes. UK mobile, local, or national |
| Rings more than one person | No | Only with extra equipment | Yes | Yes |
| Works away from the office | Yes | No | With a separate app | Yes |
| Texts from the business number | No | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Shared customer history | No | No | Call logs | Calls, texts, and voicemail in one thread |
| Hardware | None | Desk phone and a phone line | A handset per desk | None |
| Monthly cost | Your existing phone bills | Line rental plus calls, per line | £10 to £18 per user | From £4, plus calls and texts |
Desk-phone VoIP: the cheapest published plans from the main UK providers, per user per month, excluding VAT and handsets. Checked 29 September 2026.
Worth knowing
Questions people ask
Straight answers on setup, limits, and what it costs.
Related
Virtual phone number
Choose the number that fronts your business.
Shared phone number
Let the whole team call and text from one number.
VoIP phone system
Check your connection can carry your calls.
Business phone systems compared
14 UK providers ranked on price and features.
Last reviewed . Sources: Ofcom, Your landline is going digital.
Never miss another customer
Pick a UK number, add your team, and choose what happens when you can't answer. Live in minutes, on the phone already in your pocket.