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Nextiva pricing starts at $15 per user per month on annual billing or $23 month-to-month. That's affordable, you'd think.

The problem is that the $15 or $23 figure isn't what you'll pay.

According to Nextiva reviews, small business owners who sign up for Nextiva often find that the features they actually need are available as add-ons, in higher tiers, or as monthly contracts that cost significantly more.

And then there are the regulatory fees, state taxes, and surcharges, which significantly increase costs.

In this article, we'll answer the question: how much does Nextiva cost?

We'll break down the platform's pricing structure so you can understand what you're paying for, what you're not getting, and whether a more affordable Nextiva alternative, like iPlum, makes more sense for your small business.

For starters, iPlum offers a HIPAA-compliant business phone system starting at $8.99 per user per month and, more importantly, absorbs taxes internally.

We'll talk about iPlum pricing and how it compares to Nextiva in a short while.

Also read: iPlum vs. Nextiva—Which Business Phone System is Better?

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Key takeaways

Nextiva's base price starts at $15 per user per month when billed annually.
If you're on monthly contracts, the cost increases to $23 for the Core plan and $50 for the Engage plan.
Basic features such as call recording, toll-free numbers, and CRM integrations are not included in the lower tiers.
Nextiva's regulatory recovery fee, E911 fee, and state taxes can add $15–$20 or more to your monthly bill, depending on your state.
Small business customers on the Nextiva Core plan get limited SMS, phone calls, and video conferencing.
iPlum starts at $8.99 per user per month, absorbs taxes internally, and includes HIPAA compliance in the Professional plan.

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1. Nextiva's plans and pricing: overview

2. Nextiva taxes and surcharges: What your bill actually looks like

3. iPlum: the best Nextiva alternative for small businesses

4. iPlum pricing: a quick overview

5. Where does iPlum pull ahead?

6. Nextiva vs. iPlum: Side-by-side comparison

7. Why small businesses choose iPlum over Nextiva

8.Get started with iPlum, it’s easy!

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Nextiva's plans and pricing: overview

Nextiva offers three pricing plans for small businesses: Core, Engage, and Scale.

The Nextiva core plan starts at $15 per user per month when billed annually. On a month-to-month basis, that price increases to $23, 53% increase for the same plan.

The Engage plan starts at $25 per user per month on an annual billing plan. However, it doubles to $50 per user with a month-to-month plan.

The Scale plan costs $75 per user per month and is only available on annual billing. There's no month-to-month option.

What's immediately noticeable is a significant increase between tiers. You go from $15 to $25 to $75. And, each step up gives you access to features that arguably should be standard in a business phone system.

It's also worth noting that Nextiva's annual pricing comes with a caveat. The discounted rates apply to new small business customers with 1–100 employees who sign a longer minimum term agreement of 12 months or more. If you don't meet those conditions, you won't qualify for the advertised rates.

So, the $15 figure you see on the pricing page? It's not available to everyone.

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Nextiva taxes and surcharges: What your bill actually looks like

Nextiva's advertised prices don't say the actual amount you’ll end up paying. On top of the base plan price, Nextiva adds provider-imposed fees and government-mandated taxes to every bill.

Provider-imposed fees are fixed charges that Nextiva applies to every phone line as follows:

Regulatory recovery fee: $3.95
E911 fee: $1.50
Total fixed fees: $5.45 per line per month

These aren't government taxes. Nextiva charges these fees to cover its own administrative and compliance costs.

On top of that, you'll pay government taxes and surcharges. The universal service fee alone accounts for 8%–12% of your total invoice. State and local taxes vary depending on where your business operates.

Here's what a single line on Nextiva's $75 Scale plan costs in California:

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In California, a $75 plan becomes a $95.95 bill. That's nearly $21 in added charges on a single line.

The picture looks similar in other states, as shown in the table below.

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Note: iPlum absorbs taxes internally, so the price you see on the pricing page is what you pay. There are no regulatory fees or surprise additions at checkout.

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iPlum: the best Nextiva alternative for small businesses

As you can see, Nextiva's pricing structure can be a lot to navigate.

However, there's a solid Nextiva alternative worth your attention. That alternative to Nextiva is iPlum.

For starters, iPlum is a mobile-first phone system built for team management, security, and scale.

It is a cloud-based VoIP system built for small business owners who need a reliable phone service without the complicated pricing. It operates on your existing smartphone, so you don't need to buy new hardware or a complicated setup.

What sets iPlum apart is its focus on regulated industries.

With iPlum, healthcare providers, legal professionals, and financial services firms get HIPAA compliance, 10-year archiving, automated recording, and more.

And because iPlum's mobile app works on both iOS and Android, it is a practical solution for small teams that operate on the go.

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iPlum pricing: a quick overview

iPlum offers three pricing plans: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise.

The Standard plan costs $8.99 per user per month.

It covers the basic features a small business needs, including phone calls, texting, voicemail, call routing, a mobile app, and a US or Canada number.

The Professional plan costs $14.99 per user per month.

It adds web calling and texting, voicemail transcription, encrypted texting, group and broadcast texts, CRM integrations, and full HIPAA compliance with a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). It also gives your clients a free iPlum account, which makes customer interactions easier to manage.

The Enterprise plan costs $25.99 per user per month. It adds call recording, a recording consent announcement, and 10-year archiving for recordings and texts.

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Where does iPlum pull ahead?

First, iPlum is an affordable mobile-first phone system compared to Nextiva. Affordability, however, doesn't mean you're compromising quality.

Below is a rundown of areas iPlum pulls ahead of Nextiva on price, features, and value.

iPlum costs significantly less per user

Nextiva's Core plan starts at $15 per user per month on annual billing or $23 month-to-month.

iPlum's Standard plan, in comparison, starts at $8.99 per user per month. For a five-person business, that's a saving of over $700 per year on annual billing, and over $1,600 per year on monthly billing.

iPlum offers more features with the Standard plan

Nextiva's Core plan caps SMS at 100 messages per user per month.

iPlum's Standard plan at $8.99, on the other hand, gives you unlimited calling and texting within the US and Canada, a phone tree with extensions, auto-text reply, and spam blocking.

You also get business hours set up and out-of-office greetings. That's a complete business phone system to handle most communication needs.

iPlum covers international calls on every plan

Nextiva's Core and Engage plans don't include international calls as standard. iPlum, by comparison, covers 200 countries on every plan with global credits. For businesses with international customer interactions, that's a meaningful difference.

iPlum offers HIPAA compliance at $14.99

Nextiva doesn't advertise HIPAA compliance as a standard feature across any of its small-business tiers.

iPlum's Professional plan at $14.99 per user per month comes with full HIPAA compliance, a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA), encrypted texting, and 1-year text archiving. That's cheaper than Nextiva's Core plan on a month-to-month basis.

iPlum includes call recording without the add-on cost

On Nextiva, call recording is an add-on on the Core plan and is only standard on the Engage plan at $25 per user per month.

iPlum's Enterprise plan at $25.99 per user per month gives you call recording, a recording consent announcement, and 10-year archiving for both recordings and texts, a compliance requirement for businesses in healthcare, legal, and finance.

iPlum doesn't charge extra for core functionality

Nextiva charges extra for CRM integrations, toll-free number, Microsoft Teams integration, and smart call routing, depending on your plan. Those add-ons push your total cost well beyond the advertised base price.

iPlum's pricing tiers come with everything listed. There are no separate line items for features that should be standard.

iPlum absorbs taxes internally

Nextiva adds the regulatory recovery fee ($3.95), the E911 fee ($1.50), the universal service fee, and state taxes to every bill.

And, those taxes and surcharges can have a significant impact on your bill. In California, for instance, a $75 Scale plan costs an estimated $95.95 per month per line. In Illinois, it can reach $98.45.

iPlum absorbs taxes internally. So the price on the pricing page is the same as the price on your invoice, giving small business owners transparent pricing.

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Nextiva vs. iPlum: Side-by-side comparison

While Nextiva and iPlum offer business phone systems, their pricing structures, included features, and billing transparency differ significantly, as shown in the table below:

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Why small businesses choose iPlum over Nextiva

Plum has built a reputation among small businesses in healthcare, legal, and financial services. And the reasons go beyond price.

Here's why small business owners keep coming back to iPlum.

Because iPlum doesn't punish growth

As a small business adds users, Nextiva's per-user costs compound quickly, especially on a monthly billing plan.

iPlum's pricing remains predictable.

The Standard plan at $8.99, the Professional at $14.99, and the Enterprise at $25.99 give small business owners a clear path to scale without a sudden jump in costs.

Because iPlum doesn't gatekeep compliance

For businesses in healthcare, legal, and financial services, compliance isn't a must.

iPlum's Professional plan at $14.99 per user per month covers HIPAA compliance, encrypted texting, and a BAA. Nextiva doesn't offer a comparable compliance package at that price point.

Because iPlum doesn't inflate your invoice

Nextiva customers deal with add-on costs, regulatory fees, and state taxes that inflate every bill.

iPlum absorbs those costs internally. What you see on the pricing page is what you pay. For small business owners managing tight budgets, that predictability has real financial value.

Because iPlum doesn't complicate setup

iPlum runs on your existing smartphone. There is no new hardware, complicated IT setup, or hidden setup fees. Your sales team, front desk, or remote staff can get up and running in a few minutes.

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Get started with iPlum, it’s easy!

Signing up for iPlum takes just a few minutes. Here's how to do it:

Go to my.iplum.com and click "Sign Up."
Choose a number: Select "Get New Number" to pick a USA, Canada, or toll-free number. You can search by area code or state.
Select a plan: Pick a subscription plan — Standard, Professional, or Enterprise — to activate your number.
Verify your account: Enter your current mobile number to receive a verification code.
Download the app: Get the iPlum mobile app from the App Store or Google Play, log in, and start making phone calls right away.

Already have a number you want to bring over?

iPlum lets you port your existing number from carriers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Google Voice.

During the port process, your number continues to work at your existing provider with no service disruption. The transfer takes approximately 1–7 business days, and you'll get an email notification when it's complete.

Click the link below to get started.

Sign up for iPlum today