Business Phone System Costs in Ireland: VoIP Pricing Explained

The headline number

How much does a business phone system cost in Ireland?

A cloud VoIP business phone system in Ireland typically costs €10 to €40 per user per month. Entry plans start around €10 and cover calls, voicemail and a mobile app. Mid-range plans sit near €25 to €40 and add call recording and reporting. Advanced or contact-centre plans can pass €100 per user.

A few things shift these numbers:

• VAT. Prices are almost always quoted ex-VAT. Irish VAT at 23% is added on your invoice, so a €15 plan is closer to €18.45.
• Volume. The rate often drops as you add seats. Crossing a threshold of 10 or 25 users can lower the price for everyone.
• Billing model. Some Irish providers price per channel rather than per user. A channel is one simultaneous call, so eight channels might support 25 people for about €90 a month. That suits teams where not everyone is on the phone at once.

Almost every plan above is hosted, meaning your provider runs the system in the cloud and you pay a monthly fee. The older alternative is an on-premise PBX, a physical exchange installed in your building.

A worked example

What will a 10-person office actually pay?

A typical 10-person office on a mid-range VoIP plan pays around €300 a month all in, with little or no upfront cost if it uses apps instead of desk phones. Working through a real example makes the number concrete. Say that office picks a €25 per user plan, runs on softphone apps, and ports its existing number:

• Monthly service: 10 users x €25 = €250, plus 23% VAT = €307.50 per month.
• Setup: €0 on a self-service cloud plan. A managed provider that configures your call flows and trains staff may include this or charge a set fee.
• Number porting: often free, so you keep your existing number at no cost.
• Handsets: €0 if the team uses apps. Add six desk phones at about €120 each and that is a one-off €720.

So the same office lands near €307.50 a month app-only, or €307.50 a month plus a one-off €720 if half the team wants physical phones. Compare that with the cost of running and maintaining an old on-premise system and the monthly-subscription model is why most Irish businesses have moved.

Paying for a seat

What does VoIP pricing actually include?

VoIP pricing is a monthly per-user subscription that covers the calling service, your phone numbers and a set of call-handling features. You are paying for a seat rather than a physical line. Each seat lets one person make and take calls on a desk phone, a desktop app or a mobile. What sits inside that seat depends on the tier.

• Entry plans give you the basics: inbound and outbound calls, voicemail sent to email.
• Move up a tier and you unlock call recording, auto-attendants (the menu that greets callers), call queues, and call reporting.
• Higher tiers add analytics and CRM integrations so calls log against customer records automatically.

One-off costs

What are the upfront setup and hardware costs?

Setup and hardware costs for cloud services, such as VoIP are low, and often close to zero. Because the system is hosted by your provider, there is no on-site exchange to buy or install. Most of the one-off cost comes down to whether you want physical desk phones or are happy to use apps.

Here is what to budget for:

• Softphones: €0. Apps on the computers and mobiles your team already owns. Many businesses run entirely on these.
• IP desk phones: €80 to €300 each. Yealink handsets are common across the Irish market. Reception and executive models cost more.
• Conference phones: €150 to €600. Only needed for meeting rooms.
• Number porting: often free or low. Keeping your existing number should not cost much, and several Irish providers do it at no charge. Confirm this before you sign.
• Setup: usually waived on cloud plans. Self-service sign-up is standard, though a managed provider that configures call flows and trains your staff may charge for that work, or include it.

The small print

What hidden costs should you watch for?

The hidden costs of VoIP are the ones that do not appear on the headline per-user rate: VAT, contract terms, call charges beyond your bundle, and paid add-ons. The usual suspects:

• VAT at 23%. Advertised prices are ex-VAT. Always add it before comparing quotes.
• Contract length. Plans range from 30-day rolling to annual or even 36-month terms. Longer terms are cheaper per month but harder to leave.
• Call bundles and international rates. "Unlimited" usually means Irish landline and mobile calls. International and premium numbers are often charged per minute.
• Add-ons. Extra phone numbers, SMS, extra call recording storage and third-party integrations can each carry a fee.
• Cancellation and auto-renewal. Some providers charge to leave early, and contracts can renew automatically. Check the exit terms.

VoIP vs landline

Is VoIP cheaper than a traditional landline?

Yes, in most cases. VoIP generally costs less per month than a traditional landline and gives you far more features for the money. A landline gives you a line and calls. A VoIP seat gives you a line, calls, voicemail-to-email, call routing, mobile access and reporting for a similar or lower monthly spend. There is also a bigger reason the comparison is changing: the copper network your landline runs on is being switched off.

What the copper switch-off means for your costs

Ireland's copper phone network is being retired. That means the traditional landline is on its way out regardless of price. The switch-off is governed by ComReg and carried out by Open Eir. Old PSTN and ISDN lines are being replaced with an all-digital fibre network.

There is no single national deadline. Unlike the UK, which has a fixed date of 31 January 2027, Ireland is switching off gradually, region by region, as fibre reaches each area.

The switch-off reaches further than desk phones. Anything that runs on a copper line will stop working once the line goes, including:

• Alarm systems and lift emergency lines
• Fax machines
• Older card payment terminals

Those older analogue systems are also no longer patched for security, which is a growing risk the longer they stay in place. Moving to VoIP ahead of your area's notice lets you switch on your own terms, keep your numbers, and avoid migrating under pressure.

Total cost of ownership

How do you choose a VoIP provider in Ireland?

Choose a VoIP provider in Ireland on total cost of ownership and local support, not the lowest headline rate. The cheapest plan can cost more once setup, hardware, add-ons and exit fees are added back in, and offshore support becomes a real problem when calls drop on a Monday morning. Weigh these when comparing VoIP providers in Ireland:

This last point is where a managed provider earns its place. If the same team runs your IT, your Microsoft 365 and your phones, you have one number to call when something goes wrong rather than three suppliers pointing at each other. Radium is an Irish VoIP provider that supplies, sets up and supports the whole system, from the first plan to staff training and day-to-day support.