7 Best Dialpad Alternatives + Why They Are Good

Dialpad offers a unified communications platform and VoIP phone system with AI tools, real-time analytics, and local phone numbers from over 70 countries. However, some alternative UCaaS providers offer advantages like more user-friendly dashboards, better team collaboration features, and a larger unlimited calling area. 

To determine the best Dialpad Alternatives, I tried many other unified communications platforms. I built IVR menus, made calls, sent messages, and used video meetings to get an in-depth feel for each product’s user experience. Based on that, I've made a list of the best Dialpad alternatives.

Best Dialpad Alternatives

• Nextiva: Best for a user-friendly phone system
• RingCentral: Best for call routing and IVR
• Zoom: Best for video and team chat
• Vonage Business: Best for a low-cost phone system
• OpenPhone: Best for phone number flexibility
• GoTo Connect: Best for international calling
• Ooma: Best for outbound sales calling

1. Nextiva

Nextiva is a VoIP phone system and UCaaS platform offering VoIP, SMS, internal team chat, and video conferencing with up to 250 participants and a 45-minute time limit. Nextiva’s desktop, browser, and mobile apps are user-friendly, organizing a user’s contacts and conversations across channels, with ping notifications for all activity.

Each Nextiva plan includes a free local or toll-free number, plus unlimited calling in the US and Canada and up to 12,500 toll-free minutes per month. However, Nextiva does not offer international phone numbers.

Nextiva is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Built-in calendaring: Nextiva offers a built-in calendar system, enabling users to create meetings, set recurring schedules, and invite participants–all within the Nextiva app
• Notes on contacts and calls: Team members can create notes on calls, message conversations, and contacts–providing additional collaboration opportunities 
• User-friendly routing: With a drag-and-drop call flow designer, simple IVR, and ring groups, Nextiva makes it easy to set up call routing flows to the right department
• Local and toll-free number: Each user account includes two business phone numbers–both a local and a toll-free number
• CRM workflows: Nextiva offers high-level CRM integrations for workflows that integrate customer journeys, deep customer profiles, and agent screen pops

Pricing

Nextiva offers three UCaaS pricing plans, ranging from $18.95 to $32.95 monthly per user, when charged annually.

Check out our Nextiva pricing guide to learn more.

Pros and Cons

2. RingCentral

RingEX is a UCaaS platform unifying VoIP calling, SMS texting, team messaging, and video meetings with up to 200 participants and a 24-hour time limit. The RingEX app–available on desktop, mobile, and browser–organizes an agent’s internal messages, team chat channels, files, and multichannel communications. Agents can access a multichannel conversation history with any user or contact.

RingCentral plans include a local or toll-free number, plus unlimited calls in the US and Canada. RingCentral also offers international numbers in 100 countries. Plans include an IVR system, call logs, voicemail transcription, and conference calling with HD call quality.

RingCentral is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Collaborative video meetings: RingCentral’s video meetings support up to 200 participants–compared to 10 for Dialpad. RingCentral’s meetings also have AI summaries and transcription, breakout rooms, and native whiteboards.
• Call monitoring: While Dialpad does not offer call monitoring, RingCentral enables supervisors to view queue statuses and jump into live calls to monitor agents
• Dynamic team collaboration tools: Team chats support dynamic message formatting like font, size, bullet points, tables, emojis, and files–plus task assignment, calendar invites, and document sharing.
• Integrated third-party software: RingCentral integrates with over 300 apps–more than any alternative on our list–enabling strong workflows, CRM integrations, and in-depth customer profiles
• Custom call handling: Each RingCentral plan include multi-level IVR, unlimited ring groups, and call queues with advanced routing rules

Pricing

RingCentral has three unified communications plans, ranging from $20 to $35 monthly per user. Each plan includes all core channels–voice, SMS, video meetings, and team chat.

See our RingCentral pricing guide for more information.

Pros and Cons

3. Zoom Workplace

Zoom Workplace is Zoom’s UCaaS platform, combining a VoIP phone system with SMS, internal team chat, and Zoom video meetings. The cloud-based phone system is available via a desktop, browser, and mobile interface. It includes mail and calendar clients that integrate with the systems you already use.

Team chat messaging includes an AI companion tool for summarization and composing, file-sharing capabilities, and whiteboard sharing. Video meetings come with Zoom’s comprehensive suite of interactive tools. Zoom Phone includes virtual phone numbers, IVR menus, ring groups, call queues, call monitoring, and more.

Zoom Is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Call distribution: Create unlimited multi-level IVR menus, call queues, and ring groups to automatically route inbound calls to the right department
• Dynamic team chat: Within the Zoom app, create unlimited individual and team chat channels. Share voicemails and call recordings, co-author documents, and work on whiteboards in real-time–all in the chat.
• File management: Zoom chat channels double as cloud storage, allowing you to organize Microsoft Office files–such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint–and other types of documents, creating and folders.
• Interactive video meetings: Create meetings, schedule them within the Zoom app using integrated calendar apps, and invite participants. Meetings include many collaboration features–breakout rooms, team chat, polls, whiteboards, annotation, and screen sharing.
• Whiteboards: A blank canvas where dozens of teammates can collaborate, brainstorm, and draw together. Tools include text, pencils, paintbrushes, colors, post-its, lines, shapes, and images.

Pricing

Zoom Workplace has five plans, ranging from free to over $22.50 monthly per user. The three lower-tier plans only have video and chat, but the Business Plus and Enterprise plans add full Zoom Phone capabilities. Generally, Zoom’s plans offer a good value and are below the market average.

For more information, see our hands-on review of Zoom Workplace.

Pros and Cons

4. Vonage Business

Vonage Business Communications is Vonage’s UCaaS platform bundling VoIP services, team chat, SMS, and video conferencing with up to 100 participants. Vonage offers auto attendants, call queues, and a multichannel inbox–accessible to agents via the desktop, browser, and mobile app for iOS and Android.

Plans include unlimited calling to the US, Canada, and Mexico–plus local DID numbers in 22 countries. Although it lacks advanced features like advanced analytics and AI support capabilities, Vonage offers over 50 phone system features in its call center solution.

Vonage is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Video meetings: Create video meetings, sync them with calendars via Google or Microsoft integration, and invite up to 100 simultaneous participants. Video collaboration features include screen sharing, whiteboards with 20 simultaneous collaborators, and chat.
• Self-service call routing: Create a self-service routing menu that directs callers to other users and phones within the company. Set announcements and submenus, with different routing automations depending on business hours.
• International and toll-free numbers: Vonage provides toll-free and international business phone numbers, good for companies with a global presence
• Queues and departments: While Vonage offers call queues as an add-on, the $28 monthly Advanced plan includes ring groups, which enable agents to share call responsibility with a custom ring order
• Low-cost calling and texting: For teams that only want unlimited calling and texting with a simple mobile and desktop app, the Mobile plan provides excellent value at $14 monthly per user–one of the lowest price points on our list

Pricing

Vonage offers three plans that range from $14 to $28 monthly per user, with an annual commitment. The low-tier Mobile plan supports unlimited calling and texting within the US; the Premium plan adds a desk phone, team messaging, and video meetings; and the Advanced plan adds ring groups and visual voicemail.

To learn more, read our Vonage pricing guide.

Pros and Cons

5. OpenPhone

OpenPhone is a UCaaS platform bundling VoIP calling, SMS, and team chat with flexible number-sharing across a company. Purchase local and toll-free numbers throughout the US and Canada, each with a shared multichannel inbox for agents to distribute communication responsibilities.

Each agent can have multiple phone numbers, and each phone number can have multiple agents. Agents can simultaneously use the same number to make calls, send messages, and handle tasks. The agent interface lets users jump between conversations and phone numbers for efficient customer support. See when other agents are actively handling an issue, to avoid double messaging. 

Each pricing plan includes one phone number and unlimited calling within the US and Canada.

OpenPhone is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Unique messaging features: Create and save message “snippets” and schedule messages, to automatically text customers and reply to inbound messages
• Task sharing and collaboration: Each phone number organizes customer communication into multichannel inboxes, aggregating SMS, call history, and voicemail. Agents can make phone calls and send messages simultaneously from a single number.
• Team chat and threads: Team members can send direct messages or create threads under any customer conversation–on any channel–assigning tasks and duties right within the conversation log.
• Flexible team roles: Dozens of team members can share phone numbers, splitting communication responsibilities. Agents can switch between phone numbers with one click, allowing multiple agents to share numbers.
• Contact sharing across the company: Each contact features a dynamic profile, including key contact information, preferences, and notes left by agents. Import contacts from external apps, and ensure no shared duplicates.

Pricing

OpenPhone has three plans, which range from $19 to over $33 monthly per user, charged annually. The Starter plan provides voice, SMS, and team chat with number-sharing flexibility, while the Business plan adds customization options and AI features.

See our OpenPhone pricing guide for more information.

Pros and Cons

6. GoTo Connect

GoTo Connect’s cloud-based UCaaS platform includes all core channels–VoIP calling, SMS, team chat, and video conferencing with up to 150 participants and no time limit. The platform includes a well-rounded suite of features, including routing features like auto attendants and ring groups, call queueing, call recording, and real-time analytics.

GoTo Connect pricing plans offer the widest unlimited international calling area of any competitor. While most alternatives only offer unlimited calling within North America, GoTo Connect’s Standard plan includes unlimited calling across over 50 countries. GoTo offers local, toll-free, and vanity numbers in North America.

GoTo Connect is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• Smart call routing: Design auto attendant IVR menus and custom dial plans using a drag-and-drop editor that combines announcements, voicemail, SMS functionality, and custom ring orders
• Customer engagement tools: The Customer Engagement plan includes some contact center features, like custom surveys, a shared inbox for multiple teammates, and web chat messaging to connect with customers through your website
• Real-time analytics: Multiple live and historical reports featuring key usage, activity, and performance KPIs. Reports include live queue reports, caller hold time reports, and call patterns sortable by user, day of the week, time, and length.
• Video conferencing: Within the GoTo Connect app on any device, create, schedule, and host meetings with up to 250 participants and no time limit. Video meetings include collaborative features like chat and screen sharing on any device, with live drawing and document editing tools.
• Massive unlimited calling area: All GoTo plans support unlimited calling to over 50 countries–the largest unlimited calling area on our list

Pricing

GoTo Connect offers two unified communications plans: the Phone System plan includes voice calling, SMS texting, team chat, and video conferencing; and the Customer Engagement plan adds web chat and a shared inbox. Unfortunately, GoTo does not publicize pricing information for either plan.

To learn more, check out our GoTo Connect pricing guide.

Pros and Cons

7. Ooma

Ooma Office is a unified communications platform offering VoIP calling, SMS texting, and video conferencing with up to 100 participants. Ooma’s app is available on desktop, browser, and mobile, and includes a balanced toolbox of call center features: IVR, call queueing, and ring groups.

Ooma offers local and toll-free numbers throughout the United States, with unlimited calling to the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Ooma is a Good Dialpad Alternative if You Need

• A simple UCaaS system: Ooma offers the core UCaaS features–VoIP phone service, SMS, team chat, video, analytics, hold queues, ring groups, and IVR routing–without extra bells and whistles 
• Virtual receptionist: Build your own self-service IVR menu to route customers to phone numbers and messages throughout your network. Record custom or type-to-text messages in different languages.
• Call queueing: Included with the Pro Plus plan, call queueing allows you to create separate hold queues when all agents are busy. Hold queues come with live queue dashboards displaying wait time, the number of agents online, and the number of calls in the queue.
• Video conferencing: Schedule meetings, generate invite codes, and join video calls within the Ooma app on desktop or browser. Meetings host up to 100 participants and include features like screen sharing, chat, hand raising, and recording.

Pricing

Ooma Office has three pricing plans that range from $20 to $30 monthly per user when charged annually. The low-tier plan is mobile-only and includes voice calling, the Pro plan adds video meetings for 25 users, and the Prop Plus plan adds team chat messaging.

To learn more, see our Ooma pricing review.

Pros and Cons

Which Dialpad Alternative Should You Choose?

Choose the Dialpad alternative that offers the channels and features to meet your needs, without paying for features you don’t want. Here’s a quick breakdown to simplify your search.

• Call routing: RingCentral and GoTo Connect offer unlimited access to features like IVR menus and call queues, helping you customize call handling
• Video meetings: Zoom Workplace offers a full phone system, team chat, and highly interactive video meetings
• Cost-effectiveness: Vonage offers the lowest starting cost on our list, great for companies on a budget
• Task sharing and contact management: Nextiva and OpenPhone offer unique features for teams to collaborate on tasks and manage contact information 
• Mobile-only: Ooma’s Essentials plan offers a user-friendly mobile-only UCaaS platform