Best landline phones 2024: top choices for call clarity and to block nuisance calls

While the world has somewhat moved away from the traditional landline, the best landline phones of 2024 are still worth the money and are a staple in most households. Not everyone can use one of the best mobile phones all of the time, after all. 

You might be looking for a landline if you're stuck at home and the mobile signal is iffy, or maybe because you just like the way they look. Despite the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, there are plenty of times when only a landline phone will do. Not to mention, the best home phones have certain features, such as blocking nuisance calls, that everyone unfortunately needs in their lives these days.

We know from the number of readers this page gets that the best landline phones – and particularly DECT phones – are still much sought after. Below is the list of what we think are the best landline phones right now and how to choose the best landline phone for you.

American readers: this guide was written for the UK; the US appears to have different standards and popular brands, so for now we suggest you visit these retailers for the best American landline phones:

• Shop for landline telephones at Walmart
• Shop for landline telephones at Sears
• Shop for landline telephones at Best Buy

The best landline phones

The BT Premium Cordless Phone is unlikely to turn any heads in the design stakes, but it lives up to its name, despite being very affordable. And when it comes to features, this affordable phone delivers. There's true Call Blocking technology which enables you to safely ignore all those annoying telemarketing and spam calls that are an increasingly a fact of modern life. 

The BT Premium Cordless Phone also comes with a Virtual Assistant, which ably screens incoming calls so you can decide whether to accept them or not. And there’s a Do No Disturb function which stops the calls from interrupting your dinner / sleep / favourite TV show, while still allowing calls from friends and family you’ve tagged as VIPs.

What else? We like its large 4.6cm colour display and backlit keypad. We also like the fact that you can store up to 200 name and number contacts and then copy them to other BT 8610 handsets that you own. It also has a pleasingly long talk and standby times and can record 60 minutes of voicemail messages – yes, enough even for your older relatives.

Another BT phone, but this model is its top seller. The BT4600 Big Button Phone doesn't have quite the same level of features and functionality as the pricier model above, but it gains appeal for anyone that has problems with small buttons on a regular phone, or suffers from hearing problems. 

The handset has been specifically designed for users with disabilities, and is hearing aid compatible. It's also quick and easy to adjust the volume if a caller isn’t loud enough. And, like its bigger brother, this model features trueCall technology, which allows you to clamp down on those spammers, scammers and cold callers with ease. It might have a slightly less impressive specification and only lets you input 200 contacts. However, that may be more than enough for your needs. But, the BT4600 Big Button Phone also has more appeal for anyone with a disability due to its easier usability. Read our full BT4600 Big Button Phone review for more.

The KX-PRS120 is part of Panasonic’s Premium Design range – and it shows. The handset combines large, square-shaped number keys and a curved back for style and ergonomics, while its 5.6cm QVGA colour display boasts a smartphone-like graphical user interface, giving you easy access to all its options.

But this phone isn’t just good to look at – it has brains too. As long as you have Caller ID from your phone company, you can use the Panasonic KX-PRS120 to block unwanted calls, with the ability to block entire groups of numbers, based on the first two to eight digits. You can also block withheld numbers.

The base station comes with a built-in answering machine that can record up to 30 minutes of calls. Oh, and there are 40 different ringtones to choose from.

With its large colour display, user-friendly interface, and widely spaced illuminated keys, the Gigaset 570A is one of the easiest-to-use DECT phones we've ever seen – it's almost smartphone-like in use and appearance, and it's packed with handy features, too.

Chief among these is its ample 200 contact address book, which enables you to add first name, last name and up to three different numbers for each one. Plus you can assign programmable speed dial keys to make calling your favourite people easier and faster. Heck, the C570A can even remind you when one of your contacts has a birthday coming up; and you can give them a signature ringtone so you know when they call.

What else? The separate answering machine has store up to 30 minutes' worth of messages and you can even listen to your messages when you're away from home. And it includes a back-up emergency battery so you don't miss your messages if the power fails.

Other goodies include a block anonymous calls function, which enables you to avoid those annoying telemarketers – numbers for incoming call without Caller ID will simply be displayed onscreen, but otherwise won't disturb you. You can also block numbers completely. The black finish and minimalist lines might make it too stark for a few people, but we'd be very happy to give this phone a home.

With its vertical design, the Panasonic KX-TGK222EW fits right into even the most stylish home – with the handset docked in its base station it barely look like a phone at all, until it sounds one of its 40 ringtones and it flashes blue to alert you to an incoming call or message.

Pick up the handset and you're greeted with a small-ish display and widely spaced backlit keys, but at least the black text on the white LCD is easy to read. The user interface isn't the best, though, especially when compared to its Gigaset rivals – although you do eventually get used to it.

On the plus side, the Panasonic KX-TGK222EW comes with a 30-minute digital answering machine, and offers 18 hours of talk time, enough for even the chattiest members of your family. It also comes with nuisance call blocking for up to 50 numbers (take that telemarketers!) and has a Do Not Disturb mode so you won't be interrupted while watching your favourite TV show, unless the call is from one of your VIPs.

We love the Panasonic KX-TGK222EW's Eco Mode too, which cuts signal output by 90 percent and power consumption to 3.5 percent; while the Eco Mode Plus cuts transmitting power to zero, making it radiation free – always a plus. 

Once part of tech giant Siemens, Gigaset is a German phone maker with a long history of making innovative, feature-rich handsets. 

The Gigaset SL450A GO continues that tradition. It certainly looks the part: the handset looks positively smartphone-like with its large 6.1cm display, mobile-like buttons and aluminium frame — and its graphical user interface (GUI) is reassuringly easy to use too. 

In another nod to smartphones, the phone’s 200 name and numbers contact book accepts vCards from mobiles (via Bluetooth) or PCs (via Bluetooth or microUSB). And just like the BT Halo, you can also pair the handset to your smartphone and use it to make mobile calls.

The Gigaset SL450A GO base station – the GO-Box 100 – has another ace up its sleeve: as well as an analogue phone connection, it also comes with an Ethernet port, enabling you to make and take free local, national and international calls over the internet (VOIP) using your broadband internet connection.

We love the fact that the Gigaset SL450A GO  enables you to add VIP status to your favourite people, so their calls always get through. And in includes a built-in calendar that serves up reminders about upcoming events, including birthdays. The Gigaset SL450A GO also offers high quality voice calls with three different audio profiles.

How to buy the best landline phone for you

If you're looking to buy a landline phone, you really must buy one with VoIP compatibility. Standing for Voice over IP, these phones are already very commonplace but they have the vaguely futuristic ability to end your voice over the internet rather than straight down the phone line itself.

You don't really need to understand the technology, but you do need to know that the old analogue PTSN (public switched telephone network) is being switched off in 2025. So unless you like to change your home phone every few years, you should really buy a VoIP-ready phone in preparation for that date.

Nuisance calls. They’re a bane of modern existence. From double-glazing sales calls while you’re eating your dinner to more insidious scams, they’re enough to make you want to give up having a landline altogether. Don’t despair: most of the landline phones here include nuisance call blocking technology. Many enable you to block both individual numbers (from persistent callers, say), and block calls by type. 

BT’s phones are particularly good in this regard, enabling you to effectively banish withheld, international, mobile and payphone calls – or even blank out whole area codes if you wish. It’s just what you need to restore peace and tranquility to your home. 

Many models also include Do Not Disturb and VIP functions that enable you to silence calls when you’re otherwise occupied while still letting through the people who are most important to you.

Getting the best price is simple. We update our prices every day so the ones below will always be the lowest we can find from a wide range of retailers. That means that if the phone you want to buy gets discounted in seasonal sales, you'll see the new, lower price listed below.