Sideline Reviews

Pros

Getting started is very quick which works well if you are a single user and only need something basic. We had been using their enterprise option before they started phasing it out. The setup itself is very simple, with no TCR application to deal with and no extra management needed, it just runs.

Cons

The support is pretty disappointing since there is no way to call anyone directly. Everything has to go through chat support. On top of that an account can get blocked at random with no warning if they think you are spam even when you are not and they do not notify you when it happens. That means you are left checking with clients to figure out how long messages may have been missed. It also lacks important features such as call transferring, recording and even the ability to download voicemails.

Pros

Being able to text from my business line has been really useful and the pricing is excellent.

Cons

Call quality can be inconsistent at times and porting my number took a while.

Pros

The interface looks clean and is very simple to navigate.

Cons

One downside is that it used to be available for free and that's no longer an option.

Pros

There's nothing positive I can point to here. They blocked my number just because I made too many business calls which they had no right to do.

Cons

If you want a service that suddenly blocks every business contact you've built up while using this and doesn't even tell you, then this is the company for you. Getting in touch with an actual person is impossible since they only respond by email and those replies just repeat the same thing again and again with no real help at all.

Pros

It's pricing, at least on paper, is the strongest reason to consider this product right now. Based on cost alone, I would still recommend it because it offers good value for the money.

Cons

My history with Sideline goes back to when it first launched and I stayed on board even after it became a paid service because existing users were supposed to be grandfathered in at $69.99 per year. That promise was not honored since I was charged $129.99 plus tax on November 8, 2023. While it is not an unreasonable cost for such a software, that kind of pricing change breaks trust and makes it hard to feel confident in the company. Keeping commitments like this matters. People choose a service expecting honesty, consistency and fair treatment and when an agreed rate is not respected, it reflects poorly on the company's transparency and integrity. It is the kind of issue that can frustrate long time customers and also make new customers think twice before signing up. On top of that I have been dealing with technical problems since 2017 that have made the service much less dependable. Caller ID regularly shows the wrong name or number which creates confusion and can lead to missed communication. In some cases, calls even appear with incorrect phone numbers which only adds to the problem. The AI feature has also not been helpful in practice. Instead of improving the experience, it often gives inaccurate responses and takes several tries to get anything useful. That lowers the overall efficiency of the service and makes it harder to rely on Sideline for communication. Taken together, the broken pricing agreement and the ongoing technical issues have really hurt my view of Sideline. It raises real concerns about how committed the company is to reliability and customer service. These problems need to be addressed quickly if Sideline wants to rebuild trust, improve the user experience and keep customers from looking elsewhere.

Pros

This worked alright at the beginning when the service was actually functioning. Beyond that, there really isn't much positive to say about this platform especially when it isn't working.

Cons

Out of nowhere, it stops working and there's no real support to get it fixed. Most of the time, a useless bot responds to questions and the replies don't make any sense which is really frustrating.

Pros

Having a second phone line was something we needed so this came up while we were searching for a way to solve that problem.

Cons

They increased the monthly cost by 50% overnight. There was no phased adjustment at all, just one big jump. I think most of us wish we could raise our prices that much in a single shot. Since we're a non profit working with a tight budget, we'll unfortunately have to start looking for another service.

Pros

Compared with Google Voice, the pricing is better and the phone call quality is noticeably higher.

Cons

The downside is the unreliable contact connectivity and the glitches throughout the system.

Pros

When the app is functioning properly, it's fine to use. Still, there seem to be recurring glitches every six months or so which has been an ongoing issue.

Cons

I've been using it for around 3 to 4 years. Earlier on, there were only small glitches and those usually got fixed pretty quickly. Right now though, it's a major problem. I got signed out of the app without any warning and I had no idea it happened. Because of that, I've missed 7 business calls over the last 5 days. I've also spent those same 5 days working with their support team to try to fix it but they still haven't been able to get me back into my account. They keep saying the issue is resolved and telling me to sign in but on my phone nothing is actually fixed. At this point, it's a complete mess and I'm getting more frustrated every day. If Sideline can't resolve a problem with its own service, then what's the point?

Pros

After everything is configured, the app pretty much runs on its own. It's fairly simple to use.

Cons

Support is terrible. There's never anyone available to speak with directly and when something breaks, it can stay broken for hours or even days while you wait for an email reply. If you need to update anything in the app, it doesn't install automatically, you have to delete the app and sign in again. Seriously, every single time. It feels incredibly outdated. Good luck.

Pros

This is really simple to use. I turn to it anytime I don't want to spend extra money texting clients and with the monthly fee I can message as many people as I need without worrying about added charges.

Cons

It would be better if it included more features, like saved auto responses or mass texting but it still handles the job it's meant to do.

Pros

Switching away from a landline was a big win because I could move that number onto my cell phone. Now my office line is with me all the time and I can control when calls get answered, set myself as away and manage it much more conveniently. It also costs about one eighth of what the landline did and I'm able to text people directly without giving out my personal number or relying on another service.

Cons

There really haven't been any downsides with the software. In more than three years of using it, I can only remember about three calls with quality that wasn't acceptable and I can't even say for sure that this tool was actually the cause of those issues.

Pros

I feel more secure having a number inside the app that I can share with clients when they need to reach me.

Cons

I haven't been on the app very long yet but up to this point I've been happy with everything I've seen from it's features.

Pros

Having it lets me keep my business number separate from my personal line which has been really useful.

Cons

My only complaint is that I wish it offered even more features.

Pros

The software has been working flawlessly for me. It never crashes, always stays connected and makes day to day communication much more convenient.

Cons

I have no complaints. The app keeps improving and regularly adds useful new features.

Pros

It's been really useful to have one shared contact number for our coaching staff especially for texting. A single message can reach our entire department at once which makes it much easier for us to stay connected and provide support when needed.

Cons

There really haven't been any downsides for what we use it for. Our needs may be fairly simple but the product does exactly what we need it to do.

Pros

Using my personal phone with a separate business line was really convenient and it meant I didn't have to carry around two different phones.

Cons

A downside is that some apps won't accept the number because it's recognized as a VoIP line.

Pros

The software has been really convenient to use and it's simple to navigate which makes it especially helpful when life gets busy.

Cons

Sometimes, phone calls can have a bit of an echo during conversations.

Pros

Getting a call through this platform feels just like a regular phone call, except it clearly shows that it's coming from my Sideline number. That makes it really convenient to keep an extra line and I also appreciate being able to stay logged in across multiple devices. It works really well for adding a separate business line.

Cons

Navigation can be a bit confusing at times. When I want to send a text, figuring out where to go in the app feels more complicated than it should be.

Pros

Having a separate phone number for my business on the same mobile device I already use has been the best part of this platform. It lets me keep work calls separate without needing another phone which has been really useful.

Cons

After using it for more than two years, the only downside I've run into is that it doesn't always show the contact number clearly enough to identify who is calling. Even with that, I still really enjoy using it.