8x8 vs Nextiva: Who Has More Features & Better Price?

Nextiva and 8x8 have been around long before their other popular small business phone systems entered the market. That being said, choosing between these two providers is a tricky task since both platforms offer unique benefits.

Today, we’re going to walk you through the features, pricing, and other details that can help you determine which provider is the right pick for your business. Without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Jump to ↓

• 8x8 vs Nextiva: At a Glance
• How we Compared 8x8 vs Nextiva
• 8x8 vs Nextiva: Direct Comparison
• 8x8 vs Nextiva: Key Features
• 8x8 vs Nextiva: Pricing
• 8x8 vs Nextiva: Pros and Cons
• Which Provider is Right for Your Business?

8x8 vs Nextiva: At a Glance

If you’re in a rush, we’ve made a short overview of the key differences between 8x8 and Nextiva.

To sum it up, 8x8 covers more countries for international calling and has contact center capabilities, while Nextiva focuses on giving its customers a single platform to run business communications through apps, AI, and automation.

How We Evaluated 8x8 vs Nextiva

Calling Features: calling is the core function of any provider so we looked at which platform provided the better user experience and feature set.

Auto-Attendant: we compared the auto attendants on both platforms to determine which virtual receptionist provided the most value.

Integrations: we checked to see which platform had the superior integration gallery as this can help the solution be a more versatile tool.

Scalability: we factored in the costs that customers would incur when adding additional users to determine which provider makes it easier to scale up.

Call Quality: all the bells and whistles in the world can’t make up for poor call quality so we looked at customer reviews and SLAs to determine which option provides a better experience.

Security: we assessed the security protocols on both platforms to see which one provided the highest level of privacy for your data.

Hardware: we looked at which provider was more convenient to use in the context of IP desk phones and other VoIP hardware.

Cross-Platform Compatibility: we tested the mobile and desktop apps from both providers to see which one offered the most seamless experience.

Ease of Use: we set up both platforms to see which provider had the easiest installation process and most forgiving learning curve.

Customer Support: we looked at which provider was better prepared to help customers whenever they run into an issue with the service.

Pricing: finally, we directly compared the various plans that each provider offered to determine which one gives the most value to companies at the best price.

8x8 vs Nextiva: Direct Comparison

Calling Features

Both 8x8 and Nextiva have more than enough calling features to meet the needs of most businesses. However, 8x8’s interface can be a bit trickier to get the hang of due to all the sub-menu options and the overall layout.

Nextiva’s call routing tends to be easier to navigate and adding routing rules feels more intuitive. It mostly comes down to preference though as key features like holding, transferring, and voicemail transcription are available on either platform.

Winner: Nextiva has a slight edge over 8x8 as its calling features are a bit easier to use and its native functions are more granular.

Auto-Attendant

Nextiva lets you record custom greetings so you can make the support experience feel more human even when your agents aren’t involved. You can also use this recording slot to create custom announcements like limited-time promotions or upsell offers.

In line with 8x8’s focus on global customers, you’ll be able to choose from multiple languages when composing the auto-attendant menu script to ensure that every region receives an equal level of service.

You’ll also get to choose between having a single menu or creating sub-menus. After setting your menu up, you can set the call routing so inbound customers go to either a person, group, phone, etc., and create contingencies if they don’t get answered.

Winner: 8x8 gets a marginal win here as both providers had similar solutions but the ease of call routing made a difference.

Integrations

Nextiva has quite a few useful integrations like HubSpot, Workbooks, SugarCRM, ServiceNow, ConnectWise, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Zoho, Google Workspace, and more.

8x8 has plenty of helpful CRM integrations as well with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, NetSuite, Zendesk, and Microsoft Dynamics.

Beyond that, it also has integrations for popular apps in the collaboration and communication sectors.

These include Skype, Slack, Telegram, Webex, Freshdesk, NetSuite, Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and more. Both providers have large integration galleries so it comes down to your specific needs.

Winner: 8x8 is the objective winner when it comes to integrations since the platform has superior diversity in the apps it supports and is compatible with more collaboration tools.

Scalability

It’s essential for any provider to give their customers a clear path towards scaling up. At first glance, it would seem like 8x8 plans will be easier to scale since the Express plan only costs $15/month for each user. However, the Express plan can be quite limiting.

If you want to scale your X Series plan then you’ll be paying more since it doesn’t offer the bulk discounts Nextiva does.

By the time you pass 100 licenses, Nextiva’s Professional plan drops to $18.95/month for each user. It all comes down to how big you think your company will get.

Winner: Nextiva gets a narrow victory as it has a higher ceiling for cost-effective scaling while 8x8’s Express plan isn’t as attractive as its X Series options.

Call Quality

Both 8x8 and Nextiva have a 99.999% uptime SLA so you can rely on either option for reliable service. Still, there’s definitely a gap between the overall quality of service that you’ll be receiving. Certain 8x8 customers have complained about dropped calls despite fast WiFI networks.

Nextiva customers are quite the opposite and unanimously praise the reliability — not to mention audio quality — that they get from the provider. When it comes to clear calls that don’t drop, there’s still no beating Nextiva.

Winner: Nextiva is known for its reliability and crystal clear audio which gets them a decisive victory against 8x8 in the call quality arena.

Security

8x8 has a straightforward two-factor authentication system that keeps your data safe from prying eyes. The platform also has a user-friendly OTP API system that makes it easier for your developers to implement 2FA functionality on web apps as well as mobile apps.

Nextiva lags behind in this regard as you’ll need to get an SSO integration like AuthDigital to guarantee that your data is secure. That said, you can use the NextOS single sign-on to access multiple Nextiva products.

Winner: 8x8 wins the security showdown due to its native 2FA and OTP API that makes implementation a breeze for developers.

Hardware

Nextiva lets you rent desk phones for as low as $2.25/mo per unit, and occasionally has promos for free devices.

This can help you scale your business fast without having to sink capital into upfront hardware costs. Most of Nextiva’s catalog consists of phones from Poly, Cisco, as well as first-party models.

8x8 includes phones from both Poly and Cisco in its shop but the former seems to be out of stock across all models. No first-party phones are available but you do get an ironclad seven-year warranty and replacement hardware whenever you upgrade/downgrade.

Winner: Nextiva is the better option when it comes to hardware as they have more diversity in their catalog and some truly affordable monthly rates.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

While the Nextiva app is invaluable in theory thanks to features like hot-swapping from desktop to mobile or adding contacts to your directory, it suffers from audio issues and crashes on Android phones. The experience isn’t great on iOS either, but not nearly as unreliable.

As for 8x8, their mobile apps seek to unify calls, video conferencing, and chatting. Outside of standard communication, the 8x8 app also lets you stream directly to YouTube or use your business phone line on your personal device.

The dark theme on the 8x8 app is also a big bonus and really makes the mobile experience feel more modern. Finally, you can share files through the app which means your employees won’t have to wait to get to the office before submitting an urgent performance report.

Winner: 8x8 takes the cake in the cross-platform department due to its versatile feature set, unified approach, modern UI, and reliability that surpasses Nextiva’s mobile apps.

Ease of Use

Setting up 8x8 doesn’t require any special hardware or an entire IT team. All you need to do is log into the online portal and manage the platform as you see fit. The company also provides free online training and paid in-person training for those interested.

Where 8x8 provides a portal and training that makes it easy for administrators to set the platform up, Nextiva gives customers a more passive option. Their representatives are so in-tune with the platform that they can set everything up for the customer in minutes.

Winner: Nextiva wins when it comes to ease of use because, while 8x8 is relatively easy to set up yourself, there’s nothing quite like getting a pre-assembled solution from a skilled team.

Customer Support

8x8 has a lot of things going for it but support, sadly, isn’t one of them. Many customers have issues with the support team. Complaints range from difficulty reaching them in the first place to agents who don’t have the necessary knowledge to solve the issue in question.

Nextiva, on the other hand, has world-class agents who know everything there is to know about satisfying customers. If you want to learn more about how fast and knowledgeable the Nextiva customer support team can be then be sure to check out our hands-on review.

Winner: Nextiva gets the win here for having one of the best customer support teams in the industry.

Pricing

In terms of who offers the cheapest plan, 8x8 wins as its Express tier only costs $15/month for each user versus the $30/month starting price of Nextiva’s Essential plan. Its X4 plan is also much cheaper than the Ultimate plan on Nextiva.

Those who plan to get an 8x8 subscription should consider the X2 or X4 plan. They’re not as cheap as the Express plan but the extra monthly expense is justified by the international calling perks that come with it.

If you go with Nextiva, we’d recommend picking the Professional plan as it has a lot more value than the Essential plan for barely any additional cost. The Ultimate plan, however, will likely be overkill for most businesses.

Winner: 8x8 wins the pricing war for offering cheaper options.

8x8 vs Nextiva: Review of Key Features

Top 8x8 Features

International Calling

The unlimited international calling featured on all X Series plans from 8x8 is a major selling point for global companies with customers in multiple regions. Many financial hubs like Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States are covered.

8x8 also helps businesses access untapped markets in Asia like Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, Singapore, and others. The potential to target new areas across the globe can be realized through the wide reach of 8x8’s unlimited international calling.

Detailed Analytics

Very rarely do platforms let you get both an eagle-eye view of the big picture while maintaining the granular detail that’s essential to optimization but that’s exactly what 8x8 does. The company summary dashboard serves as the high-level overview of your phone system.

In contrast, the extension summary shows you the call activity of a specific extension. This lets you track metrics like missed phone calls, number of answered calls, and other KPIs. You can also look at the call detail records for historical information on all inbound and outbound calls.

Large Meetings

It’s true that 8x8 lagged behind competitors in the arms race for larger meeting capacities but that all changed this year when the maximum capacity for X Series plans was upgraded to a massive 500 participants.

This makes it possible to hold company-wide meetings in a single 8x8 conferencing room. You’ll also be able to stream directly to YouTube through the 8x8 platform which gives you access to even bigger audiences.

Frontdesk

Those on the X4 plan of 8x8 will get free access to Frontdesk — a streamlined receptionist call management solution. The desktop app has an intuitive interface that’s easy to use and doesn’t require any hardware.

Receptionists will be able to manage chat sessions, calls, and voicemails all on a single platform rather than having to hop between tabs all day. This also eliminates the need for pricey multi-vendor systems.

Top Nextiva Features

Live Chat

Those who use Nextiva will be able to add a live chat widget to their website so they can address concerns a lot quicker. Nextiva also lets you convert any chat to a case which is more efficient than creating a ticket after every customer conversation and re-entering the information.

While 8x8 does have integrations and a chat apps API that works with Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Line, and more it doesn’t offer native chat like Nextiva. Furthermore, Nextiva has the added bonus of letting you create custom chat buttons that are consistent with your branding.

Gamified Analytics

Gamification has been shown to improve call center performance which means the leaderboards on Nextiva’s analytics dashboard can encourage your employees to utilize the tools available to them.

You’ll be able to choose from multiple themes, see how many calls each agent has completed, and even enable real-time tracking. Other metrics you can track through the gamified dashboard include average talk time, total talk time, inbound calls, and more.

NextOS

Nextiva’s NextOS helps you get a deeper understanding of your customers and their behavioral patterns. You can track every interaction they have with your business, monitor real-time information, and leverage automation to make the customer experience more personalized.

Phone, email, chat, and SMS communications are all analyzed to give you a holistic view of how customers are feeling. This means you’ll be able to spot problems sooner and optimize every aspect of your company.

Cospace

Perhaps one of Nextiva’s most notable unique features would be Cospace. In addition to team messaging and task management, Cospace also lets you schedule meetings, submit files, and set reminders. Having a separate mobile app also makes it easier to access Cospace.

You can even invite anyone to your group using instant links and they won’t have to download anything to join. This makes it a lot easier to showcase your work to clients or loop them in on the project timeline.

8x8 vs Nextiva: Pricing Review

8x8 Pricing

Nextiva Pricing

8x8 vs Nextiva: Pros and Cons

8x8 Pros and Cons

Nextiva Pros and Cons

Which Provider is Right for Your Business?

When to Use 8x8

Companies who serve international markets and want a provider who’ll support their global expansion will be best served by 8x8. The unlimited calling to 48 countries and detailed analytics make targeting new regions a lot easier.

When to Use Nextiva

If you’re looking for a provider that prioritizes advanced call management over other features, then Nextiva could be a good choice for you. Its Cospace functionality also makes it a good project management platform for those that are fine with just the basics.

Conclusion

This comparison was very back-and-forth with both providers trading blows but that should come as no surprise since 8x8 and Nextiva have long been recognized as top VoIP service providers.

In the end, it comes down to your specific business needs and which categories you think will have the biggest impact on your business. We’re spoiled for choice with so many business VoIP providers on the market so finding the right platform is just a matter of patience and research.