Gradwell vs NFON (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Gradwell grades higher than NFON: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gradwell grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gradwell
UK cloud phone system, Wave, with per-user minute bundles
NFON
European cloud phone system with SIP trunking and a contact center
Which one is for you
Pick Gradwell if
- Fits if you run a UK office and want minute bundles per person
- Works for teams that mix a few heavy callers with light ones
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: prices are in pounds and the page doesn't say whether VAT is included
- Skip it if you want to try first, as there's no trial listed
- Not for you if you want to add users yourself, since extra users go through sales
- Watch out: handsets are sold separately, and 3CX plans have their own pricing
Pick NFON if
- Fits if you run a business in Germany and want a per-extension phone system
- Works for firms that need SIP trunking for existing phone hardware
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add flatrates: landline and mobile is €8.90 on top, per seat a month
- Watch out: prices are for Germany in euros, and no US price is shown
- Watch out: €25 to €35 one-time activation per seat, and CRM Connect and E-Fax cost extra
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAGradwellFair | 1.8GPANFONWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B£7.90 a user a month for 100 minutes, £11.10 for 1,000 and £15.90 for 3,000, near the cheapest quarter of the category after conversion. VAT basis isn't stated. | C€6.80 an extension, but a €25 activation fee, €3.80 for a landline flatrate and €4.90 for the softphone add up. Prices shown are for Germany. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no free trial is offered on the pages we read. | FNo free plan or trial on the pages read; a demo and a sales consultation are offered. |
| Features | CSoftphone apps, call queues and routing, a web control panel, reporting and voicemail transcription. Handsets are extra, and what happens past the minute bundle isn't stated. | CCloud telephony, SIP trunking, a contact center and an AI assistant, with the softphone sold as an option on the cheaper plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. There's a control panel to set up, and extra users are added by phoning sales. | CNo store rating on record, and extensions, flatrates and add-ons need setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iOS and Android apps, with Microsoft Teams and 3CX. | BWeb service with CRM and Microsoft Teams integrations; no desktop or phone apps on record. |
| Best for | a UK cloud phone system with minute bundles | German cloud telephony sold per extension |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Gradwell and NFON. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gradwell starts at about $10.59 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. NFON starts at about $7.60 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and NFON starts $2.99 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, 3 score higher than Gradwell for less, and 1 scores higher than NFON for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Gradwell also covers transcription and reports.
- NFON also covers video calls.
At a glance
| Gradwell | NFON | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | £7.90 per user / month (Wave 100), VAT basis not stated | €6.80 per extension / month (Business Standard, Germany) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gradwell Communications | NFON AG |
| Price read from | gradwell.com | nfon.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Gradwell
- Prices are in pounds and the page does not say whether they include VAT.
- Each plan is a bundle of landline and mobile minutes; what happens past the bundle is not stated on the page we read.
- Residential packages are not offered, and extra users are added by phoning the sales team.
- Handsets and hardware are sold separately, and 3CX plans on the site have separate pricing.
NFON
- The pricing page says prices differ by country and its figures are for Germany, in euros; no US price is shown.
- Flatrates are extra: landline-only is €3.80 and landline plus mobile €8.90 per month per seat, otherwise calls bill per minute.
- Integrations such as CRM Connect (+€1.80) and E-Fax (+€1.00) are priced per extension on top of the license.
- The pages read describe no free plan or trial; a demo and a sales consultation are offered.
Key features
Gradwell
- Softphone apps
- Make and receive calls from a web browser or from Android and iOS apps, using the office number.
- Call queues and routing
- Custom queues for support or sales teams, plus call routing built on conditions and logic.
- Web control panel
- Manage users, including bulk creation, and change settings from one panel without calling the provider.
- Reporting
- Statistics and graphs on each user's calls, habits and usage.
- Voicemail transcription
- Voicemails are transcribed to text and sent to the user's inbox automatically.
- Mix of bundles per user
- Wave 100, 1000 and 3000 licenses can be mixed, so heavy callers and inbound-only staff can sit on different bundles.
NFON
- Cloud telephony per extension
- Business Standard and Business Premium licenses give each user a cloud extension, managed centrally across locations and devices.
- SIP trunking
- SIP Trunk connects existing phone hardware to NFON by the channel, in packs from 10 to 50 simultaneous calls, with per-minute call rates.
- AI assistant Nia
- Transcribes and summarizes calls and voicemails, and Nia FrontDesk answers and routes calls. NFON says it is hosted in its European cloud.
- Integrations and add-ons
- NFON lists 300+ integrations, including Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, HubSpot and SAP, plus add-ons such as queue monitoring and call recording.
- Contact center
- A separate omnichannel contact center product handles conversations, automation and customer context for service and sales teams.
Plans
Gradwell
Wave 100£7.90
per user / month, VAT basis not stated
100 landline and mobile minutes, admin control panel, call management features and softphone.
Wave 1000£11.10
per user / month, VAT basis not stated
1,000 landline and mobile minutes with the same control panel and softphone.
Wave 3000£15.90
per user / month, VAT basis not stated
3,000 landline and mobile minutes with the same control panel and softphone.
NFON
Business Standard€6.80
per extension / month, Germany prices
Cloud telephony license. €25 one-time activation per seat; flatrates and a softphone option (+€4.90) are extra.
Business Premium€9.90
per extension / month, Germany prices
Adds the softphone, which Standard sells as an option. €35 one-time activation per seat; flatrates are extra.
SIP Trunk Basic€1.80
per channel / month, minimum 2 channels
Connects your existing phone hardware to NFON. €4.80 activation per channel; call minutes billed separately.
SIP Trunk Premium€2.80
per channel / month, minimum 2 channels
Higher SIP Trunk tier, with the same activation fee and per-minute rates as Basic.
Contact Center€42.00
per month and up
Contact center hub, listed from €42 a month with a set-up flat fee from €500.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Gradwell or NFON?
As of Nov 13, 2026, NFON is cheaper to start with: about $7.60 a month for each person, against about $10.59 a month for each person for Gradwell. Gradwell starts at £7.90 per user / month (Wave 100), VAT basis not stated, and NFON starts at €6.80 per extension / month (Business Standard, Germany).
Which has a free plan, Gradwell or NFON?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Gradwell nor NFON has a free plan.
Which platforms do Gradwell and NFON run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Gradwell lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.