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Line2 is a reasonably affordable second line for calls and texts, until you zero in on the nitty-gritty.
Between taxes, surcharges, and missing features, what looks like budget-friendly plans quickly become expensive, and will make you want to look for a more powerful and affordable Line2 alternative.
In this post, we break down Line2 pricing and what you get for its plans. We'll also tell you how Line2 applies taxes and surcharges to its tiers, making the pricing significantly higher than what's advertised.
We'll also tell you why iPlum is a good alternative to Line2 for Small businesses and professionals. You also learn how iPlum offers more value than Line2 without leaving a hole in your wallet.
Let's get after it.
Also read: iPlum vs Line2—What’s the Difference?
Table of Contents
1. How much does Line2 cost, and what do you get for each plan?
2. Where Line2's value starts to crack
3. What Line2 won't tell you about the price
4. iPlum: the best alternative to Line2
5. Line2 pricing vs iPlum: a side-by-side comparison
How much does Line2 cost, and what do you get for each plan?
Line2 has four plans — one billed monthly and three billed annually. Here's what each plan costs and what you get for it.
Monthly plan — $9.99 per month
The monthly plan is the entry point.
For $9.99 per month, you get unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada, unlimited SMS and MMS messaging, and access to customer support.
That's it.
There's no auto attendant, call recording, or voicemail transcription. It's a bare-bones second line for personal or very light business use.
Starter plan — $13.75 per month
Billed annually at $164.99, the Starter plan adds a local or toll-free number, unlimited calls and texts, and basic call forwarding.
While the setup is straightforward, the feature list is thin for a business phone system. You still don't get call screening, voicemail transcription, or call recording at this tier.
Growth plan — $17.66 per month
At $211.99 per year, the Growth plan includes an auto attendant and a call scheduler in addition to the Starter features.
For small businesses that want call routing and some voicemail organization, this is where Line2 starts to look like a robust business phone app. You still don't get call recording, though.
Business plan — $21.83 per month
The top plan runs $261.99 annually. It comes with call recording, voicemail transcription, and reporting. A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to all annual plans.
For customers who need a full business phone solution, this is Line2's best offer. However, it's also where the pricing starts to sting, especially when you factor in what's still missing.
Where Line2's value starts to crack
At face value, Line2 looks like a reasonable business phone platform.
But when you stack its features against what you'd expect from a solid business phone system, the cracks show up fast.
Take call screening, for instance,
Line2 lists it as a feature, but it's not available on the basic plans. The same goes for voicemail transcription and call recording. You can only access both features if you’re on Line2’s most expensive plan at $21.83 per month.
Now consider what's missing entirely, regardless of which plan you're on.
Line2 has no encrypted messaging.
In addition, it doesn’t offer HIPAA compliance, a shared phone number, group text, broadcast text, scheduled text, or text templates. For any business in healthcare, legal, or finance, those aren't must-have features.
The phone tree is also absent.
Sure, Line2 offers an auto attendant on the Growth plan and above, but there's no multi-line routing or extension setup as you'd get on a proper business phone system.
Customer service is another area worth noting.
Line2 mentions customer support as a selling point on its base plan, but doesn't specify response times or support channels the way a business-grade platform should.
Indeed, Line2 can do the job for personal use or a freelancer who just needs a second line for calls and texts, Line2.
However, for small businesses or professionals who need a real business communication platform, the feature list runs thin before the pricing does.
What Line2 won't tell you about the price
Line2 advertises clean, straightforward pricing. However, it doesn't advertise what gets added to that price before your bill is finalized.
Like most VoIP services, Line2 passes taxes and surcharges on to its customers. These can add 15% to 25% on top of your base plan cost.
Here's how those charges affect your final subscription cost.
Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF)
The FCC mandates this fee quarterly. It typically accounts for 10% to 12% of the interstate portion of your bill. On a $7.99 per month plan, that's roughly $0.80 added before any state-level charges kick in.
State surcharges
State-level fees vary depending on where you're based. California, for instance, layers on multiple charges — the CA High-Cost Fund, the CA Teleconnect Fund, and the Universal Lifeline surcharge. Together, these add roughly $0.65 per month on top of the federal fees.
E911 emergency fee
Most states mandate a flat monthly E911 fee to fund emergency infrastructure. Expect to pay between $0.30 and $1.00 per month for this one.
Regulatory cost recovery fee
Line2 also charges its own non-government fee to cover legal and regulatory operating costs. On some bills, this reaches $1.00 per month.
Take a Line2 user on the $7.99 annual plan in California. Here's what the monthly bill looks like:
In Texas, a $7.99 plan that costs $11.19 means a 40% jump from the advertised price. That's a significant gap between what Line2 shows you and what you actually pay.
iPlum: the best alternative to Line2
iPlum is a mobile-first phone system built for team management, security, and scale.
It's a virtual business phone app built for small businesses and professionals who need more than a second line for calls and texts.
Here's how the pricing and features stack up against Line2.
iPlum Standard — $8.99 per user per month
For $8.99 per user per month, you get a U.S. or Canada phone number, unlimited calling, unlimited SMS and MMS messaging, a phone tree, voicemail, spam blocking, business hours, auto-text reply, and out-of-office routing.
Compare that to Line2's $9.99 monthly plan. Line2 gives you unlimited calls and texts, and customer support. Nothing else.
At a lower cost, iPlum's Standard plan already outpaces Line2's basic option on raw features.
iPlum Professional — $14.99 per user per month
The Professional plan adds web calling and texting, encrypted messaging, voicemail transcription, group text, broadcast text, scheduled text, text templates, text archiving, and true HIPAA compliance with a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
For any business in healthcare, legal, or finance, that last point alone makes iPlum the obvious choice over Line2.
Line2 has no HIPAA compliance on any plan. iPlum builds it into the Professional tier at $14.99 per user per month, $6.84 less than Line2's top plan.
iPlum Enterprise — $25.99 per user per month
The Enterprise plan adds call recording, recording consent announcements, and 10 years of recording and texting archiving.
For regulated industries that need a complete compliance trail, there's no equivalent on Line2.
And about those taxes and surcharges?
The pricing you see on iPlum is the pricing you pay. iPlum absorbs taxes and surcharges internally. There are no surprise line items or 40% jumps from the advertised cost.
With Line2, a $7.99 plan can run as high as $11.19 per month in Texas once taxes and fees are applied. On iPlum, $8.99 is $8.99.
Line2 pricing vs iPlum: a side-by-side comparison
The table below summarizes how Line2 and iPlum stack up on pricing and features for mid tiers:
At the same plan level — Line2's best vs iPlum's mid-tier — iPlum comes in $6.84 cheaper per user per month and offers significantly more features.
Is Line2 worth it?
Line2 works for what it is — a bare-bones second line for personal use or light business calls and texts. If that's all you need, the entry-level plan gets the job done.
But if you run a small business, work in a regulated industry, or need a phone system that does more than forward calls, Line2 is expensive for what it actually offers.
While the advertised pricing looks affordable, the real bill —after taxes, surcharges, and fees — is significantly higher. And even at the top plan, you're still missing encrypted messaging, HIPAA compliance, group text, broadcast text, and a proper phone tree.
iPlum offers all of that at a lower cost, with no surprise charges on your bill.
The Standard plan at $8.99 per user per month already beats Line2's entry-level option on features.
In addition, the Professional plan at $14.99 adds HIPAA compliance, encrypted messaging, and a full suite of text options — at $6.84 less than Line2's most expensive plan.
For small businesses and professionals who need a reliable, compliant business phone platform, iPlum gives you more for less.
Plus, what you see on the pricing page is what you pay.
Click the link below to get started with iPlum
