The 7 Best Cordless Phones for Small Businesses, Ranked & Reviewed

Our verdict: Five handsets, conference calling and a 5 inch color display in one office-ready system.

The DLP73590 comes with five handsets, a 5 inch color display, conference calling, an intercom, a built-in answering machine and a smart call blocker. It also pairs with a cell phone over Bluetooth, and it carries a one-touch shortcut key.

It ranks first because it covers the whole small-office checklist in one box. Conference calling lets two handsets join the same outside call, which is useful for a quick three-way talk with a client. The intercom links handsets without using the phone line. Bluetooth cell connection lets you answer a mobile call on a desk handset, which suits owners who give out a mobile number. Its limit is that it is still a single-line phone, so two people cannot take separate outside calls at once.

Buy it for an office of up to five people with one main number. If two calls often overlap, look at the two-line AT&T TL88102BK.

Handsets

5 included

Display

5 inch color

Calling

Conference and intercom

Connectivity

Bluetooth to cell

Our verdict: Expands to 12 handsets, with a headset jack, power backup and a claimed 2300 ft range.

The IS8151-5 includes five handsets and can be expanded to 12. The listing claims a 2300 ft range and lists call blocking, Bluetooth, an answering machine, an intercom, a headset jack and power backup.

It takes second place because it is the one that can keep growing. Adding handsets as you hire is cheaper than replacing the system, and a headset jack lets staff who spend hours on calls work hands-free. Power backup keeps the phones running through a short outage, which matters for a business that cannot go dark. The 2300 ft range is a best-case open-air claim; walls and metal shelving will cut it sharply. It trails the AT&T only because the listing does not mention conference calling.

Choose it for a team that is still growing or a larger building. Expect real-world range to be much shorter than the claim.

Handsets

5 included, expandable to 12

Range

2300 ft claimed

Headset

Jack on handset

Backup

Power backup

Our verdict: The same feature set as the leader with four handsets instead of five.

The DLP73490 is the four-handset version of the top pick, with the same 5 inch color display, conference calling, intercom, smart call blocker and Bluetooth cell connection.

It ranks third because the only difference from the DLP73590 is the number of handsets, and that matters just to some buyers. If your team is four people or fewer, you save money by skipping the fifth handset. If you might hire, the five-handset kit costs little more and avoids a mismatch later. All the functional benefits of the top pick carry over, including the same single-line limit.

Buy it for an office of exactly four people with one shared line. Pick the five-handset version if the team might grow.

Handsets

4 included

Display

5 inch color

Calling

Conference and intercom

Connectivity

Bluetooth to cell

Our verdict: Advanced call blocking, one-ring scam alerts and two-way recording across five handsets.

The KX-TGF975B includes five handsets, advanced call blocking, a one-ring scam alert, two-way recording and spam and robocall protection, plus Link2Cell Bluetooth and an answering machine.

It ranks fourth because it leans toward call screening instead of conferencing. One-ring scam alert flags the pattern of a single ring from an unfamiliar number, and the advanced block keeps known nuisance callers off the line. Two-way recording captures a conversation, which can help with order details, though recording laws vary by state and you should tell the other party. Link2Cell connects a cell phone so you can answer mobile calls on the handsets.

Choose it if your business fields many unfamiliar callers or suffers spam. Without conference calling in the listing, a small team that holds three-way calls should look at the AT&T.

Handsets

5 included

Blocking

Advanced call block, scam alert

Recording

2-way recording

Cell link

Link2Cell Bluetooth

Our verdict: The only real two-line cordless system here, with dual caller ID and an answering system.

The TL88102BK is a two-line expandable DECT 6.0 system with three handsets, an answering system and dual caller ID and call waiting. It sits in the $200 to $500 price band.

It ranks fifth because two-line capability is a feature that suits fewer businesses. Two lines mean two people can take separate outside calls at once, or one line can stay free for a fax or a second number. Dual caller ID shows who is calling on each. It costs more than the five-handset kits and includes only three handsets, and the listing does not mention conferencing, Bluetooth or call blocking. For a business with two lines, though, nothing else in this list does the job.

Buy it if you have two phone lines and need both reachable at once. Skip it if you have one line, since you are paying for a feature you cannot use.

Lines

2-line system

Handsets

3 included, expandable

Caller ID

Dual caller ID, call waiting

Answering

Built-in system

Our verdict: Four handsets with call blocking, caller ID announcer and an intercom for less.

The BL102-4 gives you four handsets plus an intercom, with a built-in answering machine, a caller ID announcer that speaks the name aloud, audio assist and number blocking. It costs between $100 and $200.

It ranks sixth because it is the stripped-down choice. Call blocking handles nuisance numbers, the announcer reads out who is calling so you can screen without looking, and audio assist boosts volume in noisy rooms. There is no conference calling or color display. For an office that just needs to answer a phone from several rooms, that is perfectly adequate.

Buy it if you want a clean, simple multi-handset system without paying for conferencing. Skip it if three-way calls or a bigger display matter to your staff.

Handsets

4 included

Blocking

Call blocking

Announcer

Caller ID announcer

Extras

Audio assist, intercom

Our verdict: A three-handset European-designed set with hands-free mode and a big phone book.

The Gigaset Comfort 552A Trio includes three cordless phones and an answering machine, with a hands-free mode, comfort call protection and a big phone book. The listing says it is made in Germany, and it costs between $50 and $100.

It ranks last because it is designed for a household more than an office. The big phone book helps if you store many client numbers, and hands-free mode helps when you need both hands. The design stands out against the usual black plastic of the AT&T line. But three handsets, no conferencing and no explicit headset or expansion detail limit its use for a growing business.

Choose it if you run a very small office, such as a home business, and value a distinctive design at a lower price. Otherwise, one of the larger kits fits better.

Handsets

3 included

Mode

Hands-free

Protection

Comfort call protection

Phone book

Big phone book