The short version
For a Canadian small business in 2026, a good business phone system costs roughly $15 to $45 per user per month, plus a one-time setup and any desk phones you buy. Where you land in that range depends mostly on how the provider charges: per user, or per simultaneous call.
Two ways providers charge
Per user. Most big-brand cloud phone services charge a monthly fee for every person with an extension. Published 2026 Canadian prices include TELUS Business Connect at about $25 to $40 per user, RingCentral at about $30 to $45, and Microsoft Teams Phone at $13.60 per user before a calling plan (about $23.10 with domestic calling), on top of your Microsoft 365 licence. Simple to understand, but every new hire adds another full fee.
Per simultaneous call. 3CX is licensed by how many calls can happen at the same time, with unlimited extensions. A 15-person office rarely has more than five or six calls going at once, so an 8-call system covers it. That is why the per-user cost keeps falling as you grow.
Worked examples (our 2026 prices)
These are calculated with the same formula as our solutions builder: 3CX Pro, Canadian hosting, managed support, one local number with 911 and 450 minutes of calling per user.
| Team size | Simultaneous calls | Monthly total | Per user |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | 8 | $228.15 | $45.63 |
| 10 users | 8 | $261.68 | $26.17 |
| 25 users | 16 | $466.69 | $18.67 |
| 50 users | 32 | $777.40 | $15.55 |
Setup is a one-time $742.50 (standard) or $1,492.50 (advanced, with on-site install). Desk phones are optional, from about $80.
The pieces of a VoIP bill
- Licence or seats: the phone system itself.
- Hosting: the server it runs on. Included in per-user plans; separate with a private 3CX system.
- Phone numbers: about $5.46 a month each with us, including 911 registration.
- Minutes: about 1.09 cents a minute for outbound Canadian calls. Many plans say "unlimited" but have fair-use limits.
- Toll-free: about $3.15 a month plus 5.7 cents a minute.
- Hardware: desk phones are optional; the apps are free.
- Support: some providers charge per change. Ours is a flat $60.00 a month for the whole system.
Hidden costs to watch for
- Three-year contracts with early termination fees.
- Per-user add-ons for recording, queues or SMS.
- Charges to port your numbers out when you leave.
- Paying for unused lines on an old PRI.
So what will you pay?
Move the sliders in the solutions builder and you will see an itemized monthly price, one-time cost and first-year total in seconds. Or call us at 778-826-0464 and we will build it with you.
Quick answers
What is a fair price per user for business VoIP in Canada?
Most per-user plans from big providers sit between about $25 and $45 per user a month. A system priced by simultaneous calls, like hosted 3CX, often works out to $15 to $30 per user once you have 10 or more people.
Are there setup fees?
Usually. With us, standard setup is $742.50 one time and includes call flow design and number porting.