Virtual PBX pricing: what’s included and what isn’t
You ask for three virtual PBX quotes and you get back three per-user figures that look pretty similar. You sign the cheapest one. Four months later the bill doesn’t look anything like what you expected, and you discover the feature you use most wasn’t included.
This article is the checklist to stop that from happening: how the price is actually made up, and what to ask before signing.
How the price is structured
Any serious quote has three parts. If you’re given a single number with no breakdown, ask for the breakdown.
1. Fee per user or extension
The visible part. One common trap to watch for here: a “user” isn’t always the same as a simultaneous call. You could have twenty users and only five voice channels, which means the sixth simultaneous call doesn’t get through. For a business with traffic spikes, that difference decides whether the service actually works for you.
2. Call usage
Three models on the market: a flat rate for national destinations, a bundle of minutes, or pure usage-based billing. The flat rate simplifies accounting; pure usage-based works out better if you don’t make many calls. What shouldn’t happen is not knowing which model you’re on.
3. Setup
Initial configuration, number porting, training, and IP phones if needed. This can come as a one-time payment, spread across the monthly fee, or thrown in for free in exchange for a minimum term. Watch out for that last one: “free” is usually financed by a two-year commitment.
The seven items you absolutely need to check
| WHAT TO ASK | WHY IT MATTERS |
|---|---|
| Included simultaneous calls | It’s the real limit on your capacity to handle calls |
| Mobile forwarding | Some plans bill it as an outbound call |
| Recording and storage | Usually priced by retention months and GB; billed separately |
| CRM or ERP integration | A paid add-on with most providers |
| Professional greetings | Cost per greeting, and you’ll want to change them several times a year |
| Support | If it’s ticket-only and office hours only, that’s a different product |
| Minimum term and penalty | Determines the real cost of getting it wrong |
The costs that show up after you sign
None of these are a scam; they simply don’t appear on the front page of the quote.
- Configuration changes. If every schedule or forwarding change is a billable ticket, the annual total climbs more than you’d think. Ask directly: do I change this myself from a panel, or do I have to ask you?
- IP phones. Not always needed — the mobile app and computer cover a lot — but reception and customer service will want them.
- Router or network upgrade. If your current equipment is consumer-grade, it’s an investment the telephony provider doesn’t always mention, because they’re not the one billing for it.
- Channel expansions. Discovering during peak season that you need five more channels usually costs differently than contracting them upfront.
- Additional numbering. A 900, a number from another province, or the 400 range to comply with sales call regulations are billed per number.
How to compare two offers that look the same
The method is simple: don’t compare monthly fees, compare the cost of your actual scenario over 24 months. Take your specific situation — number of users, peak simultaneous calls, mobile minutes per month, whether you need recording and how much retention, whether you’ll integrate the CRM — and ask each provider for the total under that scenario. The differences that were hidden show up on their own.
Add a column that isn’t about money but decides more than price does: who does the setup. Most of the Spanish market sells self-service: the tool is yours, and so is designing the call routing. If you don’t have anyone technical, that “saving” gets eaten up in misrouted calls and features you never turn on. We work the other way around: consultancy and setup are included. Check out our rates, broken down, here.
Why “free virtual PBX” doesn’t exist
There are free offers, and they’re usually one of three things: a plan limited to one or two extensions with no business features, a thirty-day trial, or a free service with call usage priced well above the market. In all three cases you pay: in functionality, in time, or on the usage bill.
The useful question isn’t how much it costs, but how much what you’re currently missing is costing you. If you’re missing three calls a day and one in ten was a customer, that’s six opportunities a month going down the drain. Compare that figure to the fee, and the conversation changes. To have it, you first need to measure your calls.
Quick questions about virtual PBX pricing
How much does a virtual PBX cost for an SME?
It’s billed per user and month, and the range in the Spanish market is wide depending on the included features. What separates two offers isn’t the base fee, but how many simultaneous channels, how much recording, and what integrations come with it. You can see how our plans are put together in Glofera Connect packs and pricing.
Do you have to pay for installation?
There’s no construction work or physical installation. What does cost extra with some providers is the initial setup and porting, and that’s where it’s worth asking whether it’s included or financed through a minimum term.
Is it cheaper than my current PBX?
If you have several physical lines and equipment that needs maintenance, almost always yes. If you’re three people with one mobile each, the case isn’t about price: it’s about no longer missing calls and projecting a business image.
We’ll tell you what you need and what you don’t
The fastest way to overpay is signing up for features you’ll never use. We analyze your real call volume for free and tell you exactly what setup you need, with no obligation.
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