In the world of cloud-based phone systems, Google Voice is one of the best. It offers an outstanding array of services, affordable pricing, and the opportunity to take your home or office phone with you wherever you go.

Sure, Google Voice may not be the best alternative to a mobile device, but for those who want to get a business phone on the cheap or simply want an alternative to their home phone, Google Voice is a great way to go.

So if you're wondering, "How does Google Voice work?" read our comprehensive guide to Google's cloud-based phone platform.

Google Voice is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone service founded in 2009. This service allows users to make and receive phone calls and send text messages. It also allows users to transfer calls from one number to another, making it easy to manage all communication from the phone.

Since Google Voice is a VoIP service, it works only over the Internet. However, that also means that you can access the service, make calls, and send text messages anywhere you have an Internet connection. Best of all, all you need to use Google Voice is a microphone and speakers, so you can make and receive calls on either your laptop or smartphone without any problems.

Think of Google Voice as a phone that you can take anywhere and use on any device you want.

The great thing about Google Voice is that it is extremely affordable. You can sign up for free, and as long as you use it to communicate between your Google Voice number and other U.S. numbers, calling and sending text messages is completely free.

If you are calling abroad, you will need to add credit to your account to pay the fee. In most cases, however, the charges are minimal, just a few cents per minute.

Google offers a useful tool on calling rates. Enter the country you are trying to reach and the rates will be displayed.

How Google Voice works and how to set it up is surprisingly simple.

The service works over a broadband connection, so as long as you are connected to your home or office network, you should have no problems.

When signing up for the first time, you have the option of using your own phone number, which can be ported to the service, or getting your own phone number. If you choose the latter, you must enter your area code and select the phone number you want. If the number of digits in the phone number is a concern (e.g., if you are a business and want to get a vanity number that people can dial), you can enter the desired digits and see if they are available.

Once you have a phone number (which will be quickly determined), you can create a voicemail message. You can then begin making calls from your phone or computer. It can also be used to send and receive text messages.

When you receive a voicemail in Google Voice, you can access that voicemail from the app and the transcript (and recording) will be sent to your email.

When you receive a call, you will hear an alert that someone is calling your Google Voice number, especially if you have Google Voice forwarded to your phone. You will then have the option to answer or not. If you want to call back, you can choose to have the other person's caller ID display the Google Voice number instead of the number on your iPhone or Android device.

Also, if you want your number to ring multiple devices, that is no problem at all. This is especially useful in companies where more than one person wants to answer the company phone.

As already mentioned, Google Voice works fine on Android and the web, but you may be wondering if it also works on the iPhone. Fortunately, Google offers a free app in the App Store that allows you to use Google Voice on your iPhone (or iPad or iPod Touch). From the app, you can listen to voicemail, make phone calls, and send text messages, just as you can do with the Android app and browser.

If you are setting up Google Voice for the first time, the process is very simple. Here is an overview:

1. Go to voice.google.com, click the Get Google Voice button, and log in to your Google account.

2. You can register on either an iPhone or an Android device, but for this tutorial we will register from the web.

3. After agreeing to the Terms of Use, click "Continue" to proceed to the page where you can search or select a phone number.

4. In the list of options, if you find a winner, select "Select" and proceed to the existing phone number verification.

5. In this pane, you will need to confirm with Google that you have an existing number. Please note that the number entered here will be the first line used to forward calls from Google Voice to that number.

6. After clicking the Verify button and entering the phone number, Google will text you a code to enter into Google Voice. Retrieve that code and enter it here. click Verify.

7. Once the phone number is verified, Google will ask you to tap Claim to officially manage that phone number. Do so and you are done.