Cloud-based communication platforms like Avaya combine voice, chat, and SMS capabilities into one interface.
Popular Avaya alternatives offer additional digital communication channels, including video conferencing and social media messaging. Business phone system features like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) improve the customer experience, while reporting and analytics boost agent performance and productivity levels.
The Avaya alternatives covered in this post help your team streamline operations, offer stellar customer service, and improve your bottom line.
Best Avaya Alternatives and Competitors
Here's the list of best Avaya alternatives:
Nextiva
Nextiva is a leading provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) for startups and SMBs. Their services include voice and video calling, SMS texting, and team chat messaging, accompanied by top-notch customer service and support.
With Nextiva, all customers can take advantage of 24/7, round-the-clock customer service. Moreover, Nextiva boasts exceptional reliability with 99.999% uptime and robust security measures, such as end-to-end encryption and SOC 2 compliance.
Pricing & Plans
Nextiva offers three pricing plans, outlined below.
- Essential Plan ($18.95 per month/user, paid annually): Includes unlimited voice, video, and internet fax, and a local or toll-free number for each user, along with 1500 toll free minutes and a basic auto attendant
- Professional Plan ($22.95 per month/user, paid annually): Includes up to 3,000 toll free minutes along with additional features such as voicemail to SMS and multi-level auto-attendant. Popular CRM integrations are also included in the Professional Plan
- Enterprise Plan (32.95 per month/user, paid annually): Up to 12,500 toll free minutes included plus call recording, voicemail transcription and single sign on
Standout Features
Top Nextiva features include:
- Call Pop: When a call is accepted, CRM call pop tool automatically displays interaction history and key CRM data on agent screens (account value, customer experience score, customer survey responses)
- NextivaONE mobile app: Mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones lets users instantly call, conference, chat, video, or share their screen from a cell phone (users can also switch seamlessly between desktop and mobile devices)
- Automations: Automates repetitive tasks and workflows like appointment reminders, follow-ups, initiating campaigns, and assigning tasks
- Call Analytics: Managers get deep insights into agent performance and business operations via historical and live call data, pre-made templates and custom reporting, push notifications, and more
Why We Picked It
Nextiva is more affordable than Avaya and its platform is more reliable with a 99.999% uptime SLA. Nextiva has also received more commendations for its customer support team than Avaya, it is therefore better suited to SMBs that are trying to minimize costs.
What Nextiva is Missing
Nextiva only offers SSO in its Enterprise plan, whereas Avaya includes SSO for all users.
Although Nextiva does include unlimited video conferencing, it has a much lower video participant limit than Avaya.
GoTo Connect
GoTo Connect is a small business phone system that combines voice, messaging and video capabilities on its platform. As part of the GoTo suite, GoTo Connect users can upgrade/add-on a contact center solution (GoTo Contact Center), video conferencing (GoTo Meeting), or webinar software (GoTo Webinar).
Pricing & Plans
GoTo Connect offers 2 bundled pricing plans with volume discounts. The prices below are based on 11-20 users.
- Basic Plan ($22/user/mo. annually): Includes one toll-free, vanity, or local number per user, video meetings with up to 4 participants, and one auto attendant
- Standard Plan ($26/user/mo. annually): Includes unlimited auto attendants, international calling to 50+ countries, 1,000 toll free minutes, video meetings with up to 250 participants, voicemail to email, call recording, and real-time analytics
Standout Features
- Visual dial plan editor: Admins can create custom drag-and-drop call flows and generate performance reports with call volume analytics
- Screen sharing: All users can share single applications, entire screens, or other content during video meetings. Participants can also give live feedback using drawing tools
- Find me/follow me: Allows users to route incoming calls to multiple phones in a specific sequence. Each user creates a unique call routing flow and failover for their extension by listing numbers in their user portal
Why We Picked It
GoTo Connect is priced similarly to Avaya and is comparable when it comes to phone system features.
GoTo Connect is different because it is a part of a suite of other GoTo products, including GoToWebinar and GoToTraining. GoTo Connect also offers more options when it comes to international calling with calling to over 50 countries included in its standard plan.
Global enterprises that need these additional services may prefer GoTo Connect to Avaya.
What GoTo Connect is Missing
GoTo Connect’s least expensive plan (the Basic Plan) is a bit more expensive than Avaya’s least expensive plan (the Standard plan).
GoTo Connect also caps video participants at only 4 in the Basic Plan and doesn’t include any toll free minutes, whereas Avaya allows up to 100 video participants in its Standard plan and includes 1,000 toll free minutes.
Avaya is a better value for companies with large remote and hybrid teams.
Dialpad
Dialpad is a virtual phone system and unified communications provider that sets itself apart through its focus on innovation and machine learning.
Dialpad's platform offers a suite of advanced communication features that leverage AI, including real-time voice transcription, post-call summaries, and auto dialers.
Dialpad is one of the few service providers that has a 100% uptime guarantee, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for its users.
Dialpad's platform includes voice, messaging, and video capabilities, making it a highly versatile solution.
One of the most attractive aspects of Dialpad is its affordability, offering its cutting-edge communication tools at a highly competitive price point compared to its competitors.
Pricing & Plans
Dialpad offers three bundled plans, outlined below.
- Standard Plan ($15 per month/user): Includes unlimited calling, video meetings, and SMS/MMS messaging. Comes with built-in AI features such as real-time analytics, live speech coaching, and automated post call summaries
- Pro Plan ($25 per month/user): Adds on international SMS, CRM integrations, and 24/7 live customer support
- Enterprise Plan (100-seat minimum, quote-based pricing): Includes a 100% uptime guarantee, unlimited office locations, single sign-on, a dedicated support manager, and extensions
Standout Features
Below are some of the key features Dialpad offers.
- Live Speech Coaching: AI-powered tool displays suggestions to agents while they are on a call, such as reminding them to slow down or speak clearly
- Video Meetings: Up to 10 participants can meet for up to 5 hours on all plans (Dialpad AI Meetings for 150 is available as $15.00/user/month add-on). Video features include screen sharing, whiteboarding, in-meeting chat, virtual backgrounds, and meeting waiting room
- Multi-Level Auto Attendant: Admins create a call management system to automatically route calls to the appropriate agent. Admins can set custom messages to play during set hours, set call flow priorities, and use various routing methods such as longest idle, skills based and first available agent
- Topic-Based Team Messaging: Lets users create dedicated channels based on topics or projects, search by keyword, and share content with internal and external users
Why We Picked It
Dialpad is less expensive than Avaya and offers more powerful AI tools.
Dialpad also offers an uptime guarantee and its platform is more reliable than Avaya.
As a tradeoff, Dialpad’s video conferencing platform is not as robust as Avaya.
What Dialpad is Missing
Dialpad limits video participants to 10 unless a separate Dialpad Meetings subscription is purchased. Avaya allows for 100-200 video participants for all users.
8x8
8x8 is a SaaS provider combining unified communications and call center software. 8x8’s platform includes a suite of features, such as voice, video, messaging, and cloud contact center tools at competitive prices.
8x8’s platform is designed to help businesses of all sizes improve internal and external communication by providing a seamless platform stacked with advanced features as well as international calling in up to 48 different countries.
8x8 also offers integrations with various business applications, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and NetSuite, among others, making it a highly versatile and customizable solution for modern workplaces.
Pricing & Plans
8x8 offers 2 bundled pricing plans with voice, video and chat capabilities, which are outlined below:
- X2 Plan ($24/user/mo. annually): Includes unlimited voice calling to 14 countries, hot desking, multi-level auto attendant, HD audio and video conferencing for up to 500 active participants
- X4 plan ($44/user/mo. annually): Includes unlimited voice calling to 48 countries along with supervisor analytics, and call monitoring features such as barge and whisper
Standout Features
Below are some of the key features that 8x8 offers.
- Visual voicemail: Automatically sends voicemail transcripts and recordings to user email addresses, includes Do Not Disturb feature that sends calls straight to voicemail and lets agents return calls, share, or forward voicemail messages directly within the voicemail dashboard
- Team Chat: Unified team chat space automatically adds contacts from the company directory, integrates with other platforms such as Slack, and allows users to launch video and audio calls directly from any chat thread
- Multi-level Auto Attendant: Admins create multiple nested call menus to direct inbound callers, drag-and-drop call flow design tool, custom greetings and business hour routing available
- Video Conferencing: Enterprise-grade security (including end-to-end encryption) with meetings for up to 500 participants, including features like mobile app access, virtual backgrounds, host delegation, meeting lock and lobby, dial-in access from 50+ countries, cloud recording, YouTube live streaming, audio sharing, branded meeting interface, desktop and mobile screen sharing
Why We Picked It
8x8 offers more options when it comes to international calling. 8x8 also offers a 99.999% uptime guarantee.
Its video conferencing platform is more robust with end to end encryption, a participant cap of 500, and advanced features such as branding and analytics.
8x8 is a good Avaya alternative for global enterprises.
What 8x8 is Missing
8x8 is more expensive than Avaya, and includes a lot of features, making its platform complicated to set up and use.
OpenPhone
OpenPhone is a cloud-based business VoIP provider that offers affordable telephony and messaging services. Its platform includes basic call center features such as call routing and call forwarding.
Voice and text conversations are organized into digital “workspaces.”
Pricing & Plans
OpenPhone offers three bundled featured plans outlined below:
- Standard Plan ($13 per month/user, paid annually): 10-user limit, includes unlimited calling and messaging, business hour routing, voicemail-to-text, and call recording
- Premium Plan ($20 per month/user, paid annually): Unlimited users,group calling, call transfers, round-robin call distribution, analytics/reporting, priority customer support
- Enterprise Plan: Includes an audit log and a dedicated support manager
Standout Features
- Call recording: Users can record calls manually (on-demand) or set up automatic call recording
- Auto replies: Users can set up automatic text replies based on different triggers and respond to texts, missed calls, or voicemails with a predefined message
- Call routing: A number of call routing options allow users to transfer calls or forward them automatically to any U.S. or Canadian number or group of numbers round robin style
Why We Picked It
Openphone is one of the most affordable VoIP providers and has a minimalistic, intuitive user interface.
For companies that don’t need advanced features and are looking to cut costs, OpenPhone is a great choice.
What OpenPhone is Missing
OpenPhone’s VoIP service includes less features than Avaya.
It doesn’t offer real-time analytics, whiteboard, or call monitoring. OpenPhone also does not have video conferencing functionality.
Vonage
Vonage is a business phone service ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a highly customizable communication solution.
Its flagship product, Vonage Business Communication (VBC) combines Vonage APIs with an out-of-the box solution that offers voice, messaging, and video capabilities.
Notably, Vonage's platform boasts exceptional call quality with a 99.999% uptime. In addition to its reliability, Vonage is also a cost-effective option–making it an attractive choice for SMBs that don't require any additional add-ons.
Pricing & Plans
Vonage Business Communication comes in three pricing plans outlined below. Many advanced features are offered as add-ons, making Vonage’s platform very customizable.
- Mobile Plan (starting at $14.99 per month/user): Includes Vonage mobile and desktop apps, unlimited calling and SMS, free number porting, and team messaging
- Premium Plan (starting at $24.99 per month/user): Adds on unlimited video meetings for up to 100 participants, multi-level auto attendant, and CRM integrations such as Hubspot and Zendesk
- Advanced Plan (starting at $34.99 per month/user): Adds on advanced features such as call group, on-demand call recording, and visual voicemail
Standout Features
Below are some of the key features that Vonage offers.
- Virtual Receptionist: Provides callers with a list of pre-recorded call menu options, prompting callers to direct their own calls without a live agent. Admins can configure call routing strategies for holidays, weekends, individual agent schedules and skill sets, after-hours, and emergencies
- Call Screening: Allows admins to require inbound callers to identify themselves by recording their name so agents can then decide to answer, forward, or transfer the call accordingly
- Business Call Recording: Available as an add-on for $49.99 per month, lets admins create custom and automated call recording rules, store 500 hours of call recordings, download and email recordings, search and replay recordings in the VBC portal
- Secondary Line Appearance (SLA): Available as an add-on for $14.99/month, lets users answer and place calls from different extensions via a single desk phone, hold calls on a specific extension or join other extensions
Why We Picked It
Vonage is more affordable than Avaya, and it offers a 99.999% uptime SLA, along with video conferencing capabilities.
It includes essential business communication features with many advanced features offered as add-ons, making it one of the most flexible VoIP providers in the industry.
What Vonage is Missing
Vonage does not offer all of the advanced features that Avaya does such as call whisper, barge, etc.
Although it has a low starting price, if many add-on features are needed the price of Vonage will be driven up.
Vonage is therefore best for SMBs that need a minimalistic platform.
Zoom
Zoom is a well-known video conferencing provider that has quickly gained recognition in the UCaaS market by offering a comprehensive platform (Zoom One) that includes voice, chat, team messaging, and video communication tools.
As a newer UC provider, Zoom does not offer a guaranteed uptime like more established brands, and it lacks some advanced VoIP features, such as sentiment analysis.
Nonetheless, Zoom has developed a solid stack of voice, video, and collaboration tools, making it a highly attractive option for businesses looking for a reliable and cost-effective communication solution.
Pricing & Plans
Zoom One offers a free version as well as four paid plans. Here is a pricing breakdown:
- Basic Plan (Free): Includes video meetings with up to 100 participants and 40 minutes in duration as well as team chat and basic whiteboard
- Pro Plan ($149.90 per year/user): Includes video meetings of up to 30 hours in duration, cloud storage (5GB) and integrations
- Business Plan ($199.90 per year/user): Includes video meetings with up to 300 attendees, SSO, and Managed domains
- Business Plus Plan ($250 per year/user): Adds on unlimited regional phone service and translated captions
- Enterprise Plan: Includes Zoom Rooms and webinars along with video meetings with up to 1,000 attendants
Standout Features
Below are some of the key features that Zoom offers.
- Call Recording: On-demand or automatic call recording and transcriptions, recording archiving, playback, retrieval
- Call Monitoring: Call monitoring (allowing supervisors to silently listen to agent calls), call whisper (allows supervisors to talk to the agent without the other party hearing), and call barge (allows supervisors to transform agent calls into a 3-way call)
- Video Meetings: Host video meetings with 100 to 1,000 participants with features like meeting lock, waiting room, admin controls, E2EE, virtual backgrounds and custom filters, breakout rooms, handraising and polling, pin participant videos, screen sharing, live streaming
- Whiteboard: Real-time team member collaboration with automatic syncing and tools like smart connectors, sticky notes, commenting, and drawing
Why We Picked It
Zoom One is a great option for businesses that need a video conferencing solution more than a phone system.
Zoom’s video conferencing platform is highly secure and reliable and packed with features.
It is certainly on par with Avaya’s video conferencing platform, and it is much less expensive.
What Zoom is Missing
For businesses that need a phone system along with video meetings, Avaya may be a better choice.
Zoom only includes phone service in the Business Plus and Enterprise plans, which are more expensive than Avaya and include less features.
Ooma
Ooma is an affordable cloud communications service provider.
Its cloud-based phone system, Ooma Office, is especially popular among those making the switch from a landline to VoIP software for the first time.
With over 50 essential VoIP features including video, and specializing in ease of use, Ooma’s platform can be up and running in minutes.
Pricing & Plans
Ooma Office offers three pricing plans:
- Essentials Plan ($19.95/user/month): Includes unlimited calling in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Features include conference calling, virtual receptionist, and ring groups
- Pro Plan ($24.95/user/month): Adds on video conferencing, call recording, and analytics
- Pro Plus Plan ($29.95/user/month): Adds on hot desking, call queuing, advanced call management, and Find Me, Follow Me
Standout Features
- Ring groups: Users can designate several phone numbers to ring when a call comes in and can choose from simultaneous and sequential ringing
- Virtual receptionist: Enables users to create custom messages, route calls to extensions or ring groups, create menu options for different languages and add business hours
- On-hold music: Ooma offers both on-hold and transfer music, allowing users to upload an audio file in lieu of a ringtone (Files can be in .mp3 or .wav format up to 5MB)
Why We Picked It
Ooma is priced similarly to Avaya, but it is a more user-friendly platform, better for businesses that need a basic phone system without a lot of bells and whistles.
Ooma is also one of the few VoIP providers that includes unlimited calling to Mexico in all plans.
What Ooma is Missing
Ooma’s video conferencing has a participant cap of 25-100 while Avaya allows for 100-200 video participants.
Ooma also does not offer single sign on like Avaya and has many fewer integrations.
Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a VoIP phone service and communication platform designed primarily for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
The platform provides a range of features, such as toll-free or local business phone numbers, call routing, voicemail, and call recording. It also offers an easy-to-use mobile app that allows users to manage their business phone calls and messages on-the-go.
Grasshopper offers low prices and charges a flat monthly fee instead of charging per user. Grasshopper is popular with small businesses and solopreneurs who need a professional phone presence but don’t need or have the resources for a full-scale UCaaS platform.
Pricing & Plans
Grasshopper includes all features in all plans and charges a monthly flat fee instead of per user. Plans differ according to the number of phone lines and extensions. All plans allow for an unlimited number of users. Below is a breakdown.
- Solo Plan ($28 per month): Includes 1 phone number, 3 extensions and unlimited users, call forwarding, call transfer, voicemail, and reporting
- Partner Plan ($46 per month): Includes 3 phone numbers and 6 extensions
- Small Business Plan ($80 per month): Includes 5 phone numbers and unlimited extensions
Standout Features
Here are some of the key features that Grasshopper offers:
- Business SMS: Agents can send/receive text messages using their business phone number, use an instant reply feature to automatically text missed callers back, and automatically provide call back details or other key information
- Call forwarding: Call forwarding redirects incoming calls to other phone numbers or services such as voicemail, a home phone, or a colleague’s smartphone
- Live virtual receptionist: (Add-on only) Live, US-based agent virtual receptionist service via a collaboration with Ruby Receptionist to answer incoming business phone calls, take and share call notes, and collect customer information
- Voicemail transcription: Converts voicemails to text so they can be read on a computer, iPhone, or Android device
Why We Picked It
Grasshopper is more affordable than Avaya and is perfect for startups and solopreneurs. It offers basic business phone system features such as business hours and call transfer.
What Grasshopper is Missing
Grasshopper does not include video conferencing and is missing many of the advanced voip features that Avaya offers, such as call recording, hot desking, and real-time analytics.
Intermedia
Intermedia is a Unified Communications service provider. The Intermedia Unite platform combines video, chat, and telephony with contact center capabilities.
Pricing & Plans
Intermedia offers 2 bundled pricing plans, outlined below:
- Unite Pro Plan ($27.99/user/mo. annually): Includes unlimited calling, auto attendant, business SMS, and video meetings with up to 100 participants.
- Unite Enterprise plan ($32.99/user/mo. annually): Adds on 200 GB of file backup, call monitoring, whisper, and barge. Includes video meetings with up to 200 participants.
Standout Features
- Team chat: Intermedia’s team chat feature allows users to communicate with coworkers in real-time with individual and team chat
- Video conferencing: Intermedia’s video conferencing platform offers secure 720p HD video and audio with features like screen sharing, interactive presentation tools, and an intelligent virtual assistant
- Auto attendant: Intermedia’s auto attendant feature connect incoming callers to the right agent immediately. Features include automatic greetings and call routing based on business hours
- Hunt groups: Intermedia’s hunt groups feature allows users to route incoming calls to specific teams who share responsibility for answering them
Why We Picked It
Intermedia has a higher price tag than Avaya, however it does offer some advantages over Avaya including unlimited calling in Puerto Rico and a 99.999% uptime guarantee.
It is a better choice for businesses with offices or clients in Puerto Rico.
What Intermedia is Missing
Intermedia is expensive compared with competitors and it lacks some advanced features such as sentiment analysis.
The video conferencing platform is also somewhat basic.
What is Avaya?
Avaya is a cloud-based business communication solution that combines advanced phone system features such as hot desking and real time analytics with team messaging and video conferencing capabilities.
Benefits of Avaya include:
- Secure platform: All plans include Single Sign On (SSO)
- Video meetings: Up to 200 conference call participants, 24-hour max. Meeting duration
- Advanced phone features: 8 digit extensions, call whisper, and automatic call recording
- Reporting and analytics: Built-in reporting tools plus custom dashboards
- Integrations: 100+ integrations with third party apps (Salesforce, Office 365, G Suite, etc.)
Where Avaya Falls Short?
While Avaya is a popular choice for businesses looking to improve the customer experience, it is not the best option for every company.
Drawbacks to Avaya include:
- Reliability: Avaya does not offer any uptime SLA, user complaints about lack of reliable service
- Price: Starting at $20/user/month per month, Avaya is expensive compared to competitors
- Customer service: Although Avaya offers 24/7 customer support to all of its users, some customers complain that Avaya agents are difficult to reach and often cannot resolve issues
- Installation and set up: Platform is complicated to install with a steep learning curve
Which Avaya Alternative Should You Choose?
Choosing the right VoIP provider business depends on various factors, such as the size of the business, budget, required features, and level of security and reliability necessary. If none of the above mentioned alternatives will meet your business needs perfectly, a few more options to check out are: RingCentral, Cisco, and Mitel.
- For large businesses and enterprises: Dialpad and 8x8 have highly secure and reliable platforms with plenty of advanced features. Both offer CCaaS platforms as well that can be added on as a business scales
- For startups and solopreneurs: Grasshopper is a basic, user-friendly solution
- For small teams and SMBs: Nextiva and OpenPhone are affordable and offer plenty of onboarding support
- For remote teams: Zoom offers one of the best video conferencing platforms in the industry
