Connectivity
Industries
📍 Locations
Both replace your landline — but which suits your business? Features, costs and the right use case for each compared side by side.
| Factor | ☁️ Hosted VoIP | 💬 Teams Direct Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost (Telexico) | From £9.99/user | ✓ From £6.99/user |
| Requires Microsoft 365 | ✓ No | Requires M365 |
| Desk phone support | ✓ All SIP phones | Teams-certified only |
| Native Teams integration | Optional | ✓ Built-in |
| Auto-attendant / IVR | ✓ Included | ✓ Via Teams AA |
| Setup complexity | ✓ Simple | Moderate (M365 admin) |
| Works without M365 | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
Choose Hosted VoIP if: you don't use Microsoft 365 heavily, want desk phones at reasonable prices, or need a simple setup without Microsoft admin.
Choose Teams Direct Routing if: your business already lives in Microsoft Teams, your staff use it for meetings and messaging daily, and you want calls natively integrated into your existing platform.
Hosted VoIP is a standalone cloud phone system. Teams Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams to the phone network so Teams handles external calls. If your team lives in Teams daily, Direct Routing is often simpler.
Telexico Teams Direct Routing starts from £6.99/user/month, cheaper than standalone VoIP — but requires Microsoft 365 licences. Total cost depends on your existing Microsoft licensing.
Yes — Teams-certified phones from Yealink and Poly work with Direct Routing. Alternatively staff use Teams on PC, Mac or smartphone with a headset — no physical phone needed.
Yes — Telexico provides both. We recommend the right solution based on your tech stack. Microsoft 365-heavy businesses usually suit Teams Direct Routing; others usually suit hosted VoIP.
Call us on 0121 268 0121 for a free recommendation — no obligation, no jargon.