Zadarma
Zadarma offers a free virtual PBX, virtual numbers in more than 90 countries, and very affordable pay-as-you-go call rates, with additional paid plans (Standard, Office, Corporation) for extra features and users.
May contain affiliate linksA very good cost option if you just need a basic PBX and cheap numbers, but account verification and support draw recurring complaints worth weighing before relying on it for critical operations.
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Zadarma is a VoIP telephony provider focused on offering a free virtual PBX and cheap international numbers, rather than the per-user subscription model that dominates competitors like CloudTalk or Aircall. This audit is based on public product documentation and verified user reviews on Capterra.
What Zadarma is and who it’s for
Zadarma offers a virtual PBX (cloud PBX) that can be used for free in its basic configuration, along with virtual numbers in more than 90 countries and pay-as-you-go call rates. It’s built for small businesses that need to route calls to a team, possibly spread across several locations, without taking on the per-user licensing cost other providers require. It also offers paid plans (Standard, Office, Corporation) that expand the number of users and add extra features.
What it’s like to use day to day
Setting up the PBX is done through a visual drag-and-drop editor: call routing, IVR, queues, and time-based conditions are all defined without needing advanced technical knowledge. Several reviews highlight that routing calls to a distributed team works reliably, and that offering a recognizable local number has increased the volume of inbound calls received, an effect they attribute to callers trusting a local number more than an unfamiliar or foreign one.
The fine print: account verification and number-restricted features
The point that draws the most criticism in the reviews analyzed isn’t rates or PBX features, but the operational process: account verification and support ticket handling are described as slow and, in some cases, frustrating. In addition, some users note that certain features — like free SMS reception — aren’t available on every number, even when paid for, which is worth confirming before buying a number for a specific use case. There are also occasional reports of account cancellations or blocks with no clear explanation from the provider.
New in 2026: voice AI and speech analytics
Zadarma has added AI-based voice agents and speech analytics features to its free PBX, along with an expanded public API meant for developers to build automations (click-to-call, AI integrations) on top of the platform without relying on third parties. This is a meaningful addition because it puts Zadarma, at least on paper, closer to competitors like CloudTalk or KrispCall on AI features, while keeping its pay-as-you-go cost model instead of a per-user subscription. Public documentation on usage limits and exact pricing for these AI features is still less detailed than the rest of the product, so it’s worth confirming the real scope before planning a use case that depends on them.
Security and compliance
Zadarma declares GDPR compliance backed by European offices and data centers, with data encryption for internationally distributed team operations. For more demanding security needs, it offers access to a SOC 2 Type II report and business associate agreements (BAA) aligned with HIPAA, built to help voice data meet stricter regulatory requirements. However, this isn’t the level of public, verifiable documentation offered by providers like CloudTalk, which publishes its Trust Center openly.
Real user reviews
Zadarma has a rating of 3.7 out of 5 on Capterra, with 63 verified reviews, a more modest score than other providers in this category reviewed on this site (CloudTalk, Aircall, or CallHippo hover around or above 4.4/5). What’s rated best is cost (cheap numbers, free SMS where available, license-free PBX) and the stability of call routing. What’s rated worst, consistently, is the support experience and account administration processes.
On G2 the rating is noticeably better: 4.6 out of 5, though with a much smaller review volume (30 verified reviews). There, praise for call quality, cost, and CRM integration repeats, but the same underlying pattern seen on Capterra shows up too: some users describe slow support responses, delays in account verification, refund disputes, and unhelpful responses when a service issue affects the business. This deserves some context: people with a bad experience are more likely to leave a review than satisfied ones, so it’s reasonable to think these figures overrepresent problem cases relative to the real average experience. Even so, as of this audit (September 2026) support shows up as the consistent weak point across both review platforms consulted, regardless of the overall score.
How it compares with other telephony options
| Zadarma | CallHippo | Calilio | TollFreeForwarding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Free PBX + pay-as-you-go cost | Price and international rates | Price with AI included | Toll-free number specialist |
| Pricing model | Free + pay-as-you-go | Per-user subscription | Per-user subscription | Subscription/usage by plan |
| Review rating | 3.7/5 (Capterra) | 4.5/5 (G2) | 4.7/5 (G2) | Varies by source |
| Best for | Cost-sensitive small businesses | International calling | Teams needing dialer + AI | Toll-free numbers |
Frequently asked questions
Is Zadarma really free? The basic virtual PBX can be used with no licensing cost, but calls are billed pay-as-you-go and plans with more users and features (Standard, Office, Corporation) have a monthly cost.
In how many countries can I get a number with Zadarma? More than 90 countries, according to official documentation, though the availability of specific features (like SMS) varies by country and number type.
Is customer support reliable? It’s the most criticized point in the reviews analyzed: several users describe the account verification process and ticket resolution as slow.
Does it work for a team distributed across several countries? Yes, it’s one of the best-rated use cases: routing calls to a geographically dispersed team works reliably according to reviews.
Does Zadarma comply with GDPR and other regulations? It declares GDPR compliance through European infrastructure, and offers a SOC 2 Type II report and HIPAA-aligned agreements for those who need them, though with less detailed public documentation than providers like CloudTalk.
Does it have artificial intelligence features? It added AI voice agents and speech analytics during 2026, though public documentation on exact pricing and limits for these features is still limited.
Affiliate disclosure
Product Auditors participates in Zadarma’s partner program. If you sign up for Zadarma through the links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This commercial relationship does not influence our editorial assessment: the score and conclusions are based on public product documentation and verified reviews from real users.
Methodology for this audit
This analysis is based on public product documentation (official website and pricing page) and verified user reviews on Capterra, checked in September 2026. It does not replace our own extensive testing with a long-term active account. You can read more in our editorial methodology.
- Small businesses that need a basic PBX with no fixed monthly cost
- Businesses with distributed teams that want to route calls to a single central number
- Anyone looking for cheap virtual numbers in more than 90 countries with pay-as-you-go rates
- Critical operations that can't afford friction in account verification or support
- Teams that need advanced AI or call analytics features out of the box
- Anyone who relies on free SMS reception on a virtual number with no restrictions
Call routing, IVR, call queues, and time-based conditions configurable through a visual drag-and-drop editor, with no licensing cost on the base plan.
Local, mobile, and toll-free numbers in more than 90 countries, billed pay-as-you-go or within a plan.
Limitation: Availability of features like free SMS depends on the country and type of number purchased.
Usage-based pricing for outbound calls, with rates competitive against providers using fixed per-user subscriptions.
Standard, Office, and Corporation plans that expand the number of users (up to 5, 10, and 20 respectively) and add features on top of the free plan.
Connection with common CRMs to automatically log calls on the customer record.
Limitation: The level of native integration is more limited than sales-focused providers like CloudTalk or JustCall.
Click-to-call and call-tracking widgets to embed on a website and measure the source of inbound calls.
Zadarma has added AI-based voice agents and speech analytics to its stack, along with an expanded public API for building workflow automations on top of the PBX.
Limitation: A recent addition (2026); public documentation on the exact limits and pricing of these AI features is still thinner than the rest of the product.
A free virtual PBX plan as the base. Paid plans Standard (up to 5 users), Office (up to 10), and Corporation (up to 20) with prices ranging from $0 to around $79/month depending on region and features. Calls are additionally billed pay-as-you-go by destination.
A free virtual PBX as the base, tiered paid plans by number of users, plus pay-as-you-go call rates by destination.
- Free plan: Yes
- Free trial: Yes
Price checked on September 12, 2026. Prices can change: check the current price with the provider.
- Free virtual PBX, with no per-user licensing cost on the basic plan
- Virtual numbers in more than 90 countries with affordable pay-as-you-go call rates
- Reliable call routing to a distributed team, praised in user reviews
- Full PBX features (IVR, queues, time-based conditions) via a visual drag-and-drop editor
- Reported increase in inbound calls when using a recognizable local number
- The account verification process and support ticket handling are described as slow and cumbersome in several reviews
- Some features, like free SMS reception, aren't available on every number even when paid for
- Users report account cancellations or blocks with no clear explanation in some cases
- Lower average rating than other providers in the category (3.7/5 on Capterra)
See our editorial methodology.
- Features and automation6.8 / 10
- Ease of use7 / 10
- Price and value for money8.2 / 10
- Call quality and reliability6.5 / 10
- Support and customer service5.5 / 10
- Security and compliance7 / 10