Best RingCentral Alternatives + What Makes Them Better

RingCentral RingEX is a popular unified communications solution that brings VoIP calling, texting, video meetings, team chat, and collaboration tools into one platform. RingCentral RingEX is known for its 24/7 customer support, deep integrations with 300+ third-party platforms, and RingSense AI-powered call and meeting summaries.

Some businesses seek RingCentral alternatives due to the platform’s higher price tag, lack of advanced real-time analytics, and limited monthly SMS and toll-free calling minutes.

In this post, we highlight top RingCentral alternatives like Nextiva, Vonage, Dialpad, Zoom, 8x8, and Ooma Office. We cover what makes each option a good alternative to RingCentral, as well as each platform’s pricing, top features, pros & cons, and ideal user base.

 

Quick Summary

RingCentral RingEX is a strong UCaaS platform, but its pricing, strict annual contracts, low SMS limits, and complex feature gating drive many businesses to alternatives. The best fit depends on what you actually need.

• Nextiva is best for digital-first teams that need social media management, online review monitoring, and unlimited SMS
• Dialpad is best for teams that want voice intelligence and AI coaching included on every plan, not gated behind premium tiers
• Quo is best for startups and small teams that want a modern shared phone system with an included AI receptionist
• GoTo Connect is best for growing teams that need simple call flow management, multilingual support, and unlimited international calling
• Vonage is best for highly customizable, mobile-first UCaaS with à la carte add-ons
• Zoom is best for video-first or remote teams that want the strongest free tier and deepest meeting features
• 8x8 is best for global businesses needing unlimited international calling and large-capacity video conferencing
• Ooma Office is best for brick-and-mortar small businesses wanting plug-and-play desk phones with no contracts
• Google Voice is best for solopreneurs or Google Workspace users wanting an affordable, simple business phone
• Aircall is best for sales or support teams needing deep CRM integrations and front-and-center coaching tools
• Microsoft Teams Phone is best for organizations already running Microsoft 365 that want a phone system inside the Teams interface
• Grasshopper is best for freelancers or solopreneurs wanting a flat-rate professional business number

Switching from RingCentral takes 2-4 weeks and involves number porting, contract review (annual contracts often include early termination fees), and rebuilding call flows in the new system. The How to Switch from RingCentral section below covers the specifics.

 

The Best RingCentral Alternatives: An Overview

Provider	Pricing	Top Features	Best For
Nextiva	3 plans from $15-$75 per user/month and up	XBert AI Receptionist, Journey Orchestration, reputation management	Digital-first teams needing social media and online review site reputation management tools
Dialpad	3 plans from $15-$25 per user/month and up	Ai Meetings, real-time analytics, messaging	High-volume call centers that need unlimited ring groups, unlimited office locations, and AI-powered real-time call
Quo	3 plans from $15-$35 per user/month and up	Sona AI Receptionist, shared phone numbers, unified inbox	Startups and small teams wanting a modern shared phone system with included AI receptionist
GoTo Connect	Quote-based plans, estimated around $25-$70+ per user/month	Visual dial plan editor, multilingual support, unlimited international calling to 50+ countries	Growing teams needing simple call flow management, multilingual support, and unlimited international calling
Vonage Business	3 plans from $13.99-$27.99 per line/month and up	Cross-channel Business Inbox, AI Virtual Receptionist, unlimited video meetings	Mobile-first teams looking for a highly customizable and scalable unified communications tool
Zoom Workplace	1 free plan, 3 paid plans from $13.33-$18.33 per user/month and up	Zoom Phone Power Pack, Zoom AI Companion, AI Docs	Remote or hybrid teams that need AI-powered video and collaboration tools to streamline internal communications
8x8 UCaaS	Quote-based plans	Unlimited international calling to 48 countries, AI analytics	Global businesses looking to save on international calling expenses, teams requiring mix-and-match pricing
Ooma Office	3 plans from $19.95-$29.95 per user/month and up	Unlimited calling in US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, Auto Dialer	New or small businesses looking for an affordable platform with advanced built-in call management features and basic video conferencing
Google Voice	1 free plan and 3 paid plans $10-$30 per user/month	On-demand and automatic call recording	Solopreneurs and startups that are already using Google Workspace
Aircall	3 paid plans $30-$50 per user, per month and up	AI voice agent with live call transfer and in-call actions	Growing SMBs looking for AI automations and agent coaching
Microsoft Teams Phone	4 paid plans $10-$34 per user, per month plus MS Teams subscription ($4-$12/user/month)	99.999% uptime SLA and seamless device switching	Mid-size businesses and enterprises already using MS Teams or Office 365
Grasshopper	3 paid plans $14-$80 per month (no per user fees)	Instant response to text messages and voicemail transcription	Entrepreneurs, partnerships and micro-businesses looking for a simple and professional phone system

 

Why Look For A RingCentral Alternative? 

RingCentral RingEX is a highly scalable UCaaS solution that gives users the option to add on AI-powered sales tools, omnichannel contact center functionality, and an online events platform. That said, RingEX’s low video meeting participant capacity, inconsistent call quality, expensive pricing, lengthy onboarding process, and limited number of included monthly text messages and toll-free calling minutes mean many businesses look for RingCentral alternatives.

• Cost: With plans starting from $20/user/month ($30/user/month if billed monthly), RingCentral RingEX is more expensive than all of the alternatives covered in this post–and volume discounts require a 50-user minimum
• Low Meeting Participant Capacity: RingEX limits video meeting participants to 100 users on its 2 most affordable plans, and 200 on its top-tier plan. A large meetings add-on increases participant capacity to 500, but pricing is unlisted–and support agents were unable to give us a quote when we asked
• Call Quality: Although all RingCentral plans include real-time QoS monitoring and HD calling, users report phone echoing, dropped calls, and inconsistent audio
• SMS and Toll-Free Limitations: RingCentral RingEX plans include 100-10,000 bundled monthly toll-free minutes and 25-200 text messages per user per month. Many Core and Advanced users go over the included monthly amounts, and end up paying more than they would have if they’d scaled up to the higher-tiered plan
• Ease of Use: While advanced features like a Personal AI Assistant, custom call routing rules, and automated workflows give RingCentral a competitive edge, many businesses find they come with a lengthy learning curve that extends the ROI timeline
• Pricing Complexity: RingCentral locks some advanced features behind higher tiers, offers some features such as AI Receptionist as paid add-ons, and then has a separate contact center platform with 3 more tiers, making it difficult to determine an accurate total cost
• Contract Rigidity: RingCentral's annual contracts auto-renew unless customers give 30 days written notice before the renewal date. Cancellation after the first 30 days of a new term means paying out the remainder of the year, with no proration. Customers also have to call customer service to cancel; there's no online cancellation option.
• Feature Bloat: RingCentral's wide array of features mean that many users will end up playing for voice, video, messaging, and collaboration features that they don't use
• Support Issues: Although RingCentral offers 24/7 support on most plans, users on G2 and Reddit frequently report long hold times, ticket escalation issues, and resolution delays stretching multiple business days for non-urgent issues. Premium support tiers exist but cost extra.

 

How We Evaluated RingCentral Alternatives

We used the following criteria to select and evaluate the RingCentral alternatives covered in this piece:

• Pricing and Plans: We looked at each provider’s available plans, affordability, and overall value
• Included Features: We reviewed the features and communication channels each RingCentral alternative offered, paying close attention to call management capabilities, team collaboration tools, and AI-powered automation
• Scalability: We evaluated each provider’s overall scalability and available add-on features, including whether or not users could scale up to a contact center or WFM platform
• Analytics and Reporting: We studied each provider’s real-time and historical analytics tools, paying special attention to pre-made and customizable reporting templates, KPI alerts, and conversational AI functionality
• Third-Party Integrations: We looked at the number of third-party apps each provider integrated with, which plans included more advanced integrations, and available APIs/SDKs for high-level customization
• Security and Network Reliability: We studied each provider’s guaranteed uptime, global points of presence, and included security features like end-to-end encryption and user access controls
• Customer Support: We reviewed available customer support channels and hours, premium support options, and average response/resolution times. We also looked at the quality of customer self-service options like bot-based support, online knowledge bases, and video tutorials
• Ease of Use: We evaluated each alternative’s ease of use, looking at included training materials, expected onboarding time, the intuitiveness of desktop and mobile interfaces, and the initial installation process
• Use Cases: We studied popular use cases and ideal user bases for each platform, especially available industry-specific solutions for educators, healthcare providers, and financial services

 

The  Best RingCentral Alternatives

Here are the best RingCentral alternatives, each offering advantages in areas like pricing, SMS limits, integrations, AI tools, call management, or team collaboration.

• Nextiva
• Dialpad
• Quo
• GoTo Connect
• Vonage
• Zoom
• 8x8
• Ooma Office
• Google Voice
• Aircall
• MS Teams Phone
• Grasshopper

 

Nextiva - Best For Toll-Free Calling and Business Texting

 

 

Nextiva Small Business is a unified customer experience platform that combines voice calling, SMS, digital channels, and team collaboration into a single product. Its biggest differentiators are reputation management, which streamline review monitoring across 50+ sites and outbound social posting into one dashboard; and the XBert AI Employee.

Nextiva gives teams broader digital coverage without requiring a separate contact center product. Website chat, chatbots, social media messaging, and email are included at the entry tier, while RingCentral gates digital channels to its Contact Center solution. Nextiva also offers unlimited messaging on its Power Suite plan, compared to RingCentral’s 25-200 texts per user per month.

 

Why Is Nextiva A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Toll-Free Calling: While RingCentral requires users to purchase a toll-free number, most Nextiva plans include one toll-free number plus a minimum of 2,000 toll-free monthly minutes.
• Advanced Call Management: RingCentral limits the maximum number of callers in a queue to 25, but Nextiva offers unlimited call queues and extensions with estimated call wait times, priority alerts for VIP clients, and real-time call flow editing.
• Unlimited SMS: RingCentral RingEX plans have low monthly text messaging limits per user (25 texts/month for Core users, 100 texts/month for Advanced users, 200 texts/month for Ultra users.) Nextiva Core users get 100 messages/month, Engage users get 250 messages/month, and the Power Suite provides unlimited texting.

 

Nextiva Pricing and Plans

Nextiva offers 3 plans from $15-$75/user/month with annual billing and $23-$75/user/month with monthly billing. Users with the economical Core plan ($15/user/month) can add on certain advanced features such as live chat, chatbot, digital fax, and toll free numbers.

See our Nextiva pricing page for additional information.

 

Top Nextiva Features

• Social Media Management: Create and publish social media posts across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and more. Set up auto-replies, outbound bulk messaging, social tagging for keyword monitoring, and leverage social listening to monitor trends and competitor benchmarks
• Reputation Management: Monitor and respond to customer reviews on social media, and 50+ review sites (Yelp, Amazon, TripAdvisor, Google Play, etc.). All reviews are streamlined into a one interface with real-time push notifications for new reviews. Users can create tickets from reviews,set priority levels/status, and review negative and positive word clouds of common customer sentiment
• Customer Collaboration: Agents can text message and video call customers, share their screens with customers, view customer screens, record customer video calls, and chat in a sidebar during active video calls

 

 

Who Should Use Nextiva?

• Digital-first teams that leverage social media and website chat for customer support, sales, marketing, customer engagement, and competitor analysis
• Businesses with poor online reviews, low CSAT scores, or negative customer sentiment that need better review monitoring and response tools
• Contact centers interested in agent engagement and performance management features like scorecards, wallboards, agent screen and call recording, and live agent coaching

See our complete RingCentral vs Nextiva comparison for additional details.

 

Dialpad - Best For Real-Time Analytics and Unlimited Ring Groups

 

 

Dialpad Business Communications is a voice, video meeting, and messaging platform built around its proprietary AI engine, Dialpad Ai, which is trained on billions of minutes of business conversations. Real-time call transcription, sentiment analysis, live coaching cues, and AI-generated post-call summaries run on every plan, not just premium tiers.

Dialpad's biggest advantage over RingCentral lies is in voice intelligence accessibility. Both platforms generate post-call summaries with action items, but only Dialpad includes live transcription on every tier and surfaces real-time AI coaching cards during calls. Dialpad also supports unlimited ring groups versus RingCentral's 999-extension cap, and call queues hold up to 50 callers vs RingCentral's 25.

 

What Makes Dialpad A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Unlimited Ring Groups: Dialpad offers unlimited ring groups, whereas RingCentral limits the maximum number of ring groups and extensions to 999 per account
• Live Transcription: Dialpad includes real-time call and voicemail transcription on all plans, while most of RingCentral’s live transcription features are still in beta
• Priority Support: Unlike RingCentral, Dialpad offers a wide variety of customizable and priority support add-ons, including faster support response times and priority routing, instant access to Tier 2 support, end-user training, and professional installation services

 

Dialpad Pricing and Plans

Dialpad Business Communications offers two plans from $15-$25/user/month with annual billing and $27-$35/user/month with monthly billing plus a quote-based enterprise plan. Dialpad also offers a platinum support add-on which includes an uptime SLA guarantee, priority routing and dedicated support number.

For more information, please see our Dialpad pricing guide.

 

Top Dialpad Features

• Custom Call Routing: Choose from custom business hours, call blasting, fixed order/round robin/most idle routing, and set maximum ring durations. Admins can forward calls to additional IVR menus or voicemail boxes and create fallback routing plans
• Dialpad Ai Meetings: Host on-demand/scheduled video meetings with up to 150 participants for 5 hours. In-meeting features include desktop/mobile screen sharing, encrypted audio/video/screen recording, chat, Miro whiteboards, dial-in access, calendar integrations, and co-hosts
• Analytics+Monitoring: Real-time call transcription with in-call coaching, Assist Cards with next-best-action suggestions, post-call summaries, sentiment analysis, and QoS monitoring

 

 

Who Should Use Dialpad?

• Smaller global teams looking for a UCaaS tool with local number support in 70+ countries, international SMS/MMS, competitive international calling rates, and unlimited calling in the country where your business is based
• SMBs that need tools like multi-level IVR, custom call routing, and AI-powered post-call summaries to better manage high call volumes and automate business processes to free up live agents
• Sales teams dealing with low CSAT or declining revenue that need outbound dialing, AI coaching, and CSAT monitoring to improve performance

For more details, check out our Dialpad vs RingCentral comparison.

 

Quo - Best For Modern Small Teams and AI-Powered Workflows

 

 

Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is a modern business phone system built for small teams, startups, and growing SMBs that want a clean, AI-first alternative to legacy UCaaS platforms. The product combines voice calling, SMS, shared phone numbers, and the Sona AI receptionist in a single unified inbox where calls, texts, voicemails, and AI interactions all live together.

Quo is easier to get running and cheaper to start with than RingCentral. Setup takes 20 minutes versus RingCentral's multi-week deployments, every plan includes Sona AI receptionist with no separate add-on fee, and pricing starts at $15/user/month versus RingCentral's $20. Shared phone numbers let multiple teammates handle calls and texts on the same line collaboratively, which is genuinely useful for support teams and small sales pods where context-switching kills productivity.

 

Why Is Quo A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• AI Receptionist Included: Sona AI is included on every Quo plan with 1,000 free automation credits monthly, while RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR) costs an additional $59/month on top of the base subscription
• Shared Phone Numbers: Multiple teammates can collaborate on the same business number with a shared inbox showing calls, texts, voicemails, and AI summaries, while RingCentral assigns one number per user without true shared-line collaboration
• Fast Setup: Quo deployments take 20-30 minutes with no hardware or technical expertise required, compared to RingCentral's multi-week implementations that often need IT support and call flow consultation

 

Quo Pricing and Plans

Quo offers three plans from $15-$35/user/month with annual billing and $19-$45/user/month with monthly billing. Sona AI receptionist is included on every plan with 1,000 free automation credits (roughly 10 calls) per month. Businesses needing more AI volume can add a Sona tier from $25/month for 40 calls up to $199/month for 600 calls, with per-call overage rates declining at higher volumes ($0.45-$0.75 per call).

Additional phone numbers cost $5/month each. Annual billing saves approximately 21-30% compared to monthly.

 

Top Quo Features

• Sona AI Receptionist: Answers calls 24/7, books appointments, captures lead information, and routes calls with full context. Spam calls and conversations under 15 seconds are excluded from usage counts
• Unified Inbox: Calls, texts, voicemails, AI interactions, and team comments all live in a unified shared workspace with full transcripts and AI-generated summaries
• AI Call Summaries and Transcripts: Available on Business and Scale plans, with automatic post-call summaries, action items, and full transcripts pushed to integrated CRM systems
• CRM Integrations: Native HubSpot and Salesforce integrations on the Business plan and above with bidirectional contact sync; Zapier support for thousands of additional tools

 

 

Who Should Use Quo?

• Startups, freelancers, and small teams (1-25 users) that want a modern phone system without the complexity or cost of full UCaaS
• Customer support and sales teams that benefit from shared phone numbers and a collaborative inbox
• Low call volume businesses that only need a small number of AI receptionist minutes

 

GoTo Connect - Best For Growing Businesses Needing Multilingual Support and Simple Admin

 

 

GoTo Connect is a cloud-based UCaaS platform that combines voice calling, SMS, video conferencing for up to 250 participants, team messaging, and contact center capabilities. It also supports multilingual customer interactions across 10+ languages and includes mobile-friendly admin tools for managing distributed teams.

Its clearest advantage over RingCentral is easier call flow management. GoTo Connect’s visual dial plan editor lets admins drag, drop, and connect routing steps without scripting, while RingCentral’s call flow configuration tends to require deeper technical setup. GoTo Connect also includes unlimited international calling to 50+ countries on every plan, whereas RingCentral charges per-minute international rates that can add up quickly for global teams. Video capacity is comparable, with GoTo supporting 250 participants versus RingCentral’s 200.

 

Why Is GoTo Connect A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Unlimited International Calling: Every GoTo Connect plan includes unlimited calling to 50+ countries, while RingCentral charges per-minute international rates that scale with usage
• Multilingual Support: Native support for 10+ languages built into the platform, with customizable greetings, voices, and AI call flows that adapt to caller language
• No-Code Call Flow Design: The drag-and-drop dial plan editor lets non-technical admins build IVR menus, ring groups, and routing rules without IT involvement, while RingCentral's call flow setup is more complex

 

GoTo Connect Pricing and Plans

GoTo Connect doesn't publicly list standardized pricing, with all deployments handled through a sales conversation. Industry estimates and reseller data place GoTo Connect's Phone System plan in the $25-$30/user/month range, the Customer Engagement plan around $35-$45/user/month, and the Complete CX plan at $55-$70+/user/month, with volume discounts available at higher seat counts.

All three plans include unlimited calling in 50+ countries, with higher tiers adding contact center features like agent dashboards, intelligent call routing, co-browsing, and customer surveys.

 

Top GoTo Connect Features

• Visual Dial Plan Editor: Drag-and-drop interface for building IVR menus, ring groups, business hours rules, and skills-based routing without writing code
• AI Chat Analysis: Generates automatic summaries of customer interactions and tracks sentiment across calls and digital channels
• Multi-Channel Inbox: Unified inbox that combines SMS, webchat, and social media conversations into a single workspace accessible by the entire team
• Video Conferencing: Up to 250 participants with breakout rooms, in-meeting note-taking, meeting transcriptions, Miro whiteboard integration, and end-to-end encryption

 

 

Who Should Use GoTo Connect?

• Growing businesses (10-100 users) that want a full UCaaS platform with simple admin and a fast setup curve
• Global teams that need unlimited international calling to 50+ countries without per-minute charges
• Multilingual customer support operations that need native language support across calls, IVR, and AI workflows
• Businesses that prefer visual, no-code configuration over technical call flow scripting

 

Vonage - Best For Affordable and Scalable Mobile Communications

 

 

Vonage Business Communications is a highly customizable UCaaS solution with unlimited domestic calling, SMS/MMS, team chat, video conferencing, and a mobile-first experience designed for distributed teams. The platform's defining feature is its modular pricing: rather than bundling everything into rigid tiers, Vonage lets buyers add features individually as needed.

Unlike RingCentral’s bundled approach, Vonage's model lets customers pay only for the features they need. Where RingCentral packs voice, video, messaging, and collaboration into three fixed plans, Vonage offers extensive add-ons including cross-channel customer text messaging, call recording, call queueing, and virtual faxing. However, RingCentral connects with 300+ third-party platforms, while Vonage supports a smaller app library and charges extra for Salesforce.

 

Why Is Vonage A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Business Texting: RingCentral only includes up to 200 messages/user/month on its most expensive plan, whereas Vonage provides competitive SMS/MMS pay-as-you-go-pricing that allows for significant cost savings.
• Cross-Channel Business Inbox: While RingEX connects customers only via phone call and SMS, Vonage’s Business Inbox streamlines voice calls, business text messages, and Facebook messages into one unified inbox–and admins can assign customer conversations to individual agents or teams
• Increased FCR: Vonage’s “Never Miss A Call” strategy helps connect callers with live agents as quickly as possible, and includes call flip, call park, remote call forwarding, Find Me/Follow Me, and simultaneous ring (call blasting)

 

Vonage Pricing and Plans

Vonage Business Communications offers three plans from $13.99-$27.99/line/month with annual billing and $19.99-$39.99/line/month with monthly billing. Paid add-on features include the AI Virtual Assistant (pricing unlisted), a toll-free number ($39.99/number/month), and call queues ($250/line/month.)

See our Vonage pricing page for additional information.

 

Top Vonage Features

• Call Queueing: Configure custom call queues, add custom hold music, maximum wait times, customer callback, and priority routing
• AI Virtual Assistant: Add-on that leverages Natural Language Understanding and Speech Recognition to analyze customer intent, direct callers to the best available agent, or entirely automate basic support interactions.
• Video Conferencing: Video conferencing for up to 200 participants with  virtual backgrounds, meeting recording, emoji reactions, attendee chat, whiteboards for 20 simultaneous users, and attendee status

 

 

Who Should Use Vonage?

Vonage Business Communication is best for:

• Mobile-first teams looking for an affordable unified communications platform with basic voice calling features like virtual voicemail, auto attendants, and unlimited domestic calling
• Businesses needing a highly customizable UCaaS solution that lets them add on features individually as-needed, avoiding having to pay for unnecessary features included in bundled plans
• Global small businesses that want to leverage VBC international to access voice calling, messaging, and video conferencing in over 40 countries

For more details, check out our complete RingCentral vs Vonage comparison.

 

Zoom - Best For Free Video Meetings and Robust Integrations

 

 

Zoom Workplace combines video conferencing, team chat, email, and collaboration tools into a single platform, with Zoom Phone available either as a paid add-on or bundled into the Enterprise plan. The platform is enhanced by Zoom AI Companion, which generates meeting summaries, drafts message responses, and surfaces action items across calls, chat, and email.

Zoom Workplace is the stronger pick for video-first or fully remote teams, with deeper meeting features (Clips, scheduler, unlimited whiteboards, Zoom Docs, avatars), a generous free tier, and AI Companion included on paid plans rather than charged as an add-on. RingCentral is still stronger with native VoIP voice calling on every plan and stronger 24/7 support, while Zoom's voice capabilities require a separate Zoom Phone add-on.

 

What Makes Zoom A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• More Flexible Pricing: In addition to choosing pay-as-you-go or metered pricing for Zoom Phone, users can choose from two bundled Zoom Workplace+Zoom Phone options: the Pro plan from $18.33/user/month with Zoom Phone (unlimited domestic calling and Zoom Workplace Pro) or the Business Plus plan from $22.49/user/month (Zoom Workplace Business+advanced features)
• Better Third-Party Integrations: Although RingEX includes over 300 robust third-party integrations, Zoom Workplace integrates with over 1,000 tools–and includes free access to in-meeting integrated apps for 1 year
• Higher Meeting Participant Caps: The maximum number of RingCentral video meeting participants is 200 (25 simultaneous screens) whereas Zoom allows up to 1,000 active meeting participants via its Large Meetings add-on.

 

Zoom Pricing and Plans

Zoom Workplace offers 1 free plan and 3 paid plans from $13.33-$18.33/user/month with annual billing and $16.99-$21.99/user/month with monthly billing. Add-ons include custom avatars ($22/user/month), large meeting capacity ($50/month and up), and webinar capabilities ($79/month and up).

For more information, read our detailed review of Zoom Phone pricing.

 

Top Zoom Features

• Zoom AI Companion: Integrates with internal knowledge bases and integrated platforms to provide live agent assistance, creates automatic post-call and post-meeting summaries with suggested actions, summarizes chat and email messages and provides suggested responses, and customizable AI Companion solutions
• Zoom Docs: Allows for real-time document collaboration, leverages GenAI to create file content, includes pre-made doc templates and document summaries
• Industry-Specific Solutions: Zoom recently announced several new industry-specific Workplace editions, including Zoom Workplace for Frontline, Zoom Workplace for Healthcare and Clinicians, and Zoom Workplace for Education

 

 

Who Should Use Zoom? 

• Fully remote or hybrid teams with extensive team collaboration needs, including file sharing and co-editing, video conferencing, whiteboards, and team chat
• Businesses with extensive third-party integrations that want to manage communication and collaboration tools from one place, reducing app switching
• Small to medium-sized teams looking for a video conferencing solution that allows them to gradually scale to add flexible voice calling capabilities via Zoom Phone, an online webinar and events platform, or even an omnichannel contact center with built-in workforce management capabilities

Our Zoom vs RingCentral comparison post provides additional details.

 

8x8 - Best for International Calling and Flexible Pricing

 

 

8x8 Work is a unified communications platform that focuses on international calling, larger video meetings, and enterprise-grade security. The platform combines VoIP voice, team messaging, SMS, video conferencing, and analytics in a single product that's typically sold to global businesses and mid-market enterprises.

8x8's biggest pull-ahead points over RingCentral are international reach and meeting size. Where RingEX caps video meetings at 200 participants, 8x8 supports up to 500. While RingCentral charges per-minute international rates, 8x8 plans include unlimited calling to 48+ countries. Security and compliance are also stronger on 8x8, with HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, ISO 9001, SOC 2, end-to-end encryption, and annual third-party penetration testing standard across plans.

 

What Makes 8x8 A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Superior Security: 8x8 offers better Enterprise security compared to RingCentral.  The 8x8 network is geographically redundant, HIPAA/PCI/GDPR compliant, ISO 9001 and SOC 2 certified, and end-to-end encrypted. 8x8 also conducts annual third-party penetration testing and provides real-time service outage updates.
• AI Analytics: 8x8 AI Analytics is far superior to RIngCentral’s Business Analytics. Its AI quality management and speech analytics provide real-time insight into popular conversation topics, customer sentiment, CSAT scores, agent activity, and automatically generates shareable post-call transcripts.
• Call Monitoring: In addition to custom call recording rules, admins can monitor calls in real-time, use call whisper to coach agents during live interactions, and use the call barge feature to take over the conversation if more assistance is required

 

8x8 Pricing and Plans

8x8 offers a unified communications solution with quote-based pricing under the 8x8 Work product. 8x8 previously offered the X1, X2, X4, and X6/X8 tiers but has consolidated to a single 8x8 Work platform with modular add-ons.

Third-party pricing data places typical deployments between $24-$57 per user per month depending on features and contract size, though final pricing is determined through sales negotiation. The platform includes VoIP, team messaging, SMS, video conferencing, collaboration, routing, analytics, and more.

Read our review of 8x8 pricing for more details.

 

Top 8x8 Features

• Video Conferencing: Unlimited meeting lengths for up to 500 active participants, AI-generated post-meeting summary with action items and content snapshots, participant engagement tools, virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, calendar integrations, meeting recording, YouTube live streaming, meeting closed captions in 46 languages, and desktop/mobile screen sharing
• Team Chat: Unified desktop and mobile chat interface with click-to-call/meet, agent presence, company directory syncing, file sharing, public/private chat channels, and the ability to respond to messages directly on your notification screen (no need to navigate to the chat app)
• Ring Groups+Routing: Create custom ring groups and choose from simultaneous ringing, round robin routing, or list-based routing strategies.Reorder ring group members seamlessly via a drag-and-drop interface, set custom call forwarding rules, and customize notification settings for specific ring groups

 

 

Who Should Use 8x8?

• International businesses looking for a local presence in 100+ countries and unlimited calling to 50+ countries
• Flexible pricing, including metered and unmetered calling and mix-and-match pricing
• Businesses prioritizing a highly reliable UCaaS solution, as all 8x8 plans include a 99.999% SLA uptime

Our detailed 8x8 vs RingCentral comparison provides additional information.

 

Ooma Office - Best For User-Friendly Voice Calling and In-Office Teams

 

 

Ooma Office is a beginner-friendly cloud phone system designed for small businesses transitioning from analog landlines to VoIP. It offers a clean interface, plug-and-play IP phones from Ooma's own hardware catalog, and pricing that competes with the lowest tiers of RingCentral while bundling unlimited US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico calling at every plan level.

Omma's biggest differentiator over RingCentral is contract flexibility and ease of setup. Ooma offers month-to-month billing with no cancellation fees on any plan, while RingCentral locks customers into annual contracts with strict early termination policies. Setup is genuinely plug-and-play with Ooma's pre-provisioned desk phones, and Ooma includes 1 toll-free number with 500 monthly toll-free minutes on every plan, while RingCentral limits Core users to 100 minutes and requires purchasing the toll-free number separately.

 

What Makes Ooma Office A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Better International Calling: While RingEX charges users per-minute rates for international calling, Ooma Office provides unlimited international calling to over 60 countries for a flat rate of $9.99/month
• Ease of Use: Ooma Office has fewer features than RingCentral, but that makes the setup process easier–and the interface much more intuitive. Ooma Office automatically sets up your auto attendant when you create an account, allows for bulk user import, and even supports analog fax machines
• Toll-Free Calling: All Ooma Office plans include 1 toll-free number and 500 monthly toll-free calling minutes–while RingCentral limits Core users to 100 monthly minutes and requires users to purchase a toll-free number

 

Ooma Office Pricing and Plans

Ooma Office offers three plans from $19.95-$29.95/user/month. There are no contracts and all pricing is on a month-to-moth basis. Each plain includes 50+ calling features, unlimited calling in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and a virtual receptionist.

For more information, please see our Ooma Office pricing guide.

 

Top Ooma Office Features

• Caller Info Match: Integrates with your CRM system to provide in-call screen pops to agents, plus public information publicly pulled from websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google
• Ooma Meetings: 100-participant video conferencing for up to 12 hours, plus in-meeting collaboration features like meeting scheduling, screen sharing, in-meeting chat, speaker statistics, and virtual hand-raising
• Enhanced Call Blocking: Block up to 100 numbers, remove/update blocked numbers, automatically block calls from unknown numbers, block spam numbers

 

 

Who Should Use Ooma Office?

• Small or new businesses looking for an affordable, basic, and easy-to-use business phone system with built-in video calling and team chat
• In-office teams that don’t need extensive collaboration tools like whiteboards, automated meeting summaries, or breakout rooms
• Businesses with excellent international and toll-free calling rates

Our Ooma Office vs RingCentral comparison provides additional details.

 

Google Voice - Best For Solopreneurs and Google Workspace Users

 

 

Google Voice is Google's cloud-based phone system, with calling, texting, voicemail, recording, and forwarding features built directly into the Google Workspace ecosystem. It works across web, iOS, and Android with seamless device switching, and integrates natively with Gmail, Calendar, Meet, and Drive without any third-party connector setup.

Where Google Voice wins decisively over RingCentral is simplicity and price. There's a free personal tier with unlimited calling and texting in the US, paid plans start at $10/user/month, and the learning curve is minutes rather than hours. RingCentral's starting price is roughly double Google Voice's entry tier, and the platform comes with a substantially heavier learning curve and admin setup.

 

What Makes Google Voice A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Price: Google Voice is one of the most affordable VoIP solutions out there, even offering a free tier that features unlimited calling and texting, while RingCentral does not have a free version and starts at double the cost of a Google Voice Starter plan
• Ease of Use: Google Voice has an organized minimalist interface that makes it fast to learn. Calls ring on multiple devices and users can easily switch between devices, while RingCentral has a more complicated setup
• Google Workspace Integration: Only Google Voice integrates into Google Workspace which includes platforms like Drive, Meet, Chat, Calendar, and, of course, GMail

 

Google Voice Pricing and Plans

Google Voice offers a free personal phone plan and three paid plans ranging from $10 to $30 per user, per month. Google Workspace plans range from about $7 to about $22 per user, per month, and include video meetings, Gemini access, eSignature tools, and more.

For more information, see our Google Voice pricing guide.

 

Top Google Voice Features

• Voicemail Transcription: Google Voice users have all of their voicemails automatically transcribed and sent to them in a text message or email with highly accurate translation
• Auto Attendant: Users can upload a recorded message or use text-to-speech to create a welcome message then create menu options and rules that trigger call transfer, send to voicemail, or disconnect
• Multi-Device Ring: Calls ring simultaneously across desktop, mobile, and tablet, with seamless transfer between devices mid-call

 

 

Who Should Use Google Voice?

• Google Workspace users that are looking to add on a reliable business phone number that will integrate easily with tools they are already using
• Freelancers that need a reliable phone system to keep their business separate from their personal life while also allowing for mobility
• Startups that operate mainly online and only need a basic business phone system

Our Google Voice vs. RingCentral article has additional details.

 

Aircall - Best For Sales and Support Teams

 

 

Aircall is a cloud-based phone system and contact center platform built specifically for sales and support teams. The product is designed around fast deployment (most setups take hours rather than weeks), deep CRM integrations, and front-and-center coaching tools that supervisors can use during live calls without digging through dashboards.

Aircall is built for fast setup and CRM-connected sales or support workflows. Aircall is entirely browser and app-based, with no hardware requirements, while RingCentral deployments often run multi-week timelines. Aircall also offers true two-way integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, and Intercom (with contextual workflows that pass data between systems), versus RingCentral's more surface-level integration approach. Aircall is easier to deploy, but it costs more at the entry level -- Aircall begins at $30/user/month versus RingCentral's $20.

 

What Makes Aircall A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Straightforward live coaching: Although both platforms offer live coaching tools such as Listen, Whisper, and Barge, Aircall's platform features these tools front and center on the supervisor dashboard, while RingCentral's platform is more complex
• Deep integrations: Aircal integrates with over 100 CRMs and some are true two-way integrations with contextual workflows between systems (ex: Salesforce, Hubspot, Zendesk, Intercom) while RingCentral integrations are more surface level
• Fast setup: Aircall is entirely borwser and app-based, making it one of the fastest setup and deployments in the CCaaS space taking only hours for simple setups while RingCentral may take weeks

 

Aircall Pricing and Plans

Aircall offers three plans from $30 to $50 and up, monthly, per user. Paid add-ons include AI Assist for $9 per license, per month, AI Assist Pro for $49 per license, per month, Advanced Analytics for $15 per license, per month, and AI Voice Agent from $0.19 per minute.

For more information, see our Aircall pricing guide.

 

Top Aircall Features

• AI Voice Agent and AI Assist: AI Voice Agent answers and routes calls, fields FAQs, and handles simple processes in natural language. AI Assist provides real-time agent guidance during live calls with suggested responses and next-best actions
• Power Dialer: Available on Professional plan and above. Users create or import a list of up to 1,000 numbers and are notified of duplicates and other errors. Power Dialer connects seamlessly with the company CRM to display context for dialed calls
• Real-Time Analytics: Aircall offers both real-time and historical dashboards that display agent productivity, customer trends, and more
• Call Tagging and IVR: Customizable IVR menus with multi-level routing, plus call tagging that lets reps categorize conversations for reporting and CRM sync

 

 

Who Should Use Aircall?

• Call centers that primarily use voice to communicate with customers will benefit from Aircall as it specializes in voice features- call monitoring, recording, tagging, etc.
• Aircalls user-friendly Power Dialer, leaderboard feature, and deep CRM integrations make it great for sales teams
• Support teams can also benefit from Aircall's deep CRM integrations as well as AI Agents and AI Assist tools

Our Aircall vs. RingCentral article has additional details.

 

Microsoft Teams Phone - Best For Microsoft Users and Remote Teams

 

 

Microsoft Teams Phone is a voice add-on that turns Microsoft Teams into a full business phone system. It works with either PSTN service or internet calling, layers on top of an existing Microsoft 365 subscription, and operates entirely within the Teams interface, so reps make and receive calls in the same app where they already chat, meet, and collaborate.

Microsoft Teams Phone makes the most sense for organizations already using Microsoft 365. Instead of adding another UCaaS vendor, teams can make and receive calls inside the same app they already use for meetings, chat, files, and collaboration. It also starts at a lower entry price than RingCentral, with Teams plans from $4/user/month and the Phone add-on from $10/user/month.

 

What Makes Teams Phone A Good RingCentral Alternative? 

• Familiar to Microsoft users: Teams that are already using Office 365 or MS Teams can easily implement this phone system and it will have a familiar interface for both agents and IT
• Cost: MS Teams starts at only $4 per month, per user, and the phone add-on starts at $10 per month, per user, meaning companies can get the whole system for less than RingCentral's starting plan
• Security: Microsoft is one of the only providers on this list that is competative with RingCentral in security and compliance with 99.999% uptime, end-to-end encryption, and HIPAA compliance

 

MS Teams Phone Pricing And Plans

Microsoft Teams, which is required before purchasing Microsoft Teams Phone, has three paid plans ranging from $4 to $12.50 per user, per month. Microsoft Teams plans include videoconferencing, file sharing, and more. The Microsoft Teams Phone add-on has three paid plans ranging from $10 to $34 per user, per month, and adds calling capabilities.

Calling is unlimited if you bring your own carrier, or you can get a phone number and calling plan from Microsoft Teams in upper tier plans.

 

Top MS Teams Phone Features

• Operator Connect: An additional option for PSTN users that allows users to leverage existing contracts while having their preferred operator manage the PSTN calling service and SBCs, eliminating hardware and management costs
• Simultaneous Ring and Delegation: Admins can set incoming calls to ring everyone in a ring group, or select individuals (delegates) to receive a simultaneous ring
• Native integration with Teams meetings, calendar and chat: When users open the Teams calendar app and there is a meeting scheduled, there will also be a "join" button right on the calendar. Incoming calls can be escalated to a full video meeting by sending a calendar invite right from the caller interface
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Integration: When licensed, Copilot generates AI-powered call summaries, action items, and conversation insights directly inside Teams without third-party add-ons

 

 

Who Should Use MS Teams Phone?

• Companies that are already using MS Teams, or Office 365- these companies will benefit the most form this phone add-on as it will be operated on the same dashboard they are already using
• SMBs that need more collaboration tools but already have a phone carrier will benefit from Microsoft's BYOC option
• Startups and small remote teams on a tight budget that want video conferencing and document sharing along with a business phone system

We cover this in more detail in our direct comparison of Microsoft Teams vs. RingCentral

 

Grasshopper - Best For Freelancers and Those on a Tight Budget

 

 

Grasshopper is a virtual phone system for solopreneurs, freelancers, and microbusinesses that need a professional business number layered on top of their personal device. The platform works as an app on iOS, Android, and desktop, forwarding business calls to whatever device the user prefers while keeping personal and business communications cleanly separated.

Grasshopper serves a much smaller use case than RingCentral. RingCentral is a full UCaaS platform built for teams scaling beyond 10 users, while Grasshopper is a virtual phone line for individuals or tiny teams who want their business to look bigger than it is. The pricing model reflects this: Grasshopper charges a flat monthly rate per account with unlimited users on higher tiers, while RingCentral charges per user per month.

 

What Makes Grasshopper A Good RingCentral Alternative?

• Flat Monthly Rates: Grasshopper pricing starts at just $14 per month- no per user fees. It only includes one phone number and one extension, but may be more than enough for a sole proprietor
• Easy to setup and use: Grasshopper has a simple, user-friendly interface, particularly on its mobile app, amking it much easier to use than RingCentral
• BYOC: Grasshopper lets entrepreneurs keep their personal phone service while separating personal and business calls and text messages

 

Grasshopper Pricing and Plans

Grasshopper offers three pricing plans ranging from $14 to $80 per month on annual billing. All plans include all Grasshopper features, but the True Solo plan ($14/month) includes 1 phone line and 1 extension, the Solo Plus plan ($25/month) includes unlimited users and 3 extensions, and the Small Business Plan ($80/month) includes unlimited users and unlimited extensions.

For more information, see our Grasshopper pricing guide.

Grasshopper Top Features

• Instant Response: Allows users to automatically send a text to new callers when you are unable to respond
• Local, Toll-free, and Vanity numbers: Allows users to choose the phone number that is best suited for their business
• Reporting and Analytics: Basic call and text reporting that tracks volume, response times, and trends across business hours, helpful for solopreneurs measuring lead activity
• Ruby Receptionist Integration: Optional integration with Ruby Receptionist for live answering service support, with US-based receptionists handling overflow calls when users are unavailable

 

 

Who Should Use Grasshopper?

• Entrepreneurs and freelancers that need a professional business phone number with texting capabilities
• Small teams on a tight budget that work mostly online will be able to save on communication costs with Grasshopper
• Partnerships looking for a solution that can be setup quickly and works on mobile devices

For more information, please see our RingCentral vs. Grasshopper head-to-head.

 

Which RingCentral Alternative Should You Choose?

The right RingCentral alternative depends on which gap you're trying to close. Use the framework below to match your situation to the right pick:

• If your priority is budget: Google Voice ($10/user/month), Grasshopper (flat-rate from $14/month), and Quo ($15/user/month) are the cheapest paths. Dialpad and Zoom both undercut RingCentral while still delivering full UCaaS capability
• If your priority is AI: Dialpad includes voice AI on every plan rather than as add-ons. Quo includes Sona AI Receptionist on every plan, while Aircall and Vonage offer AI Voice Agents as paid extras
• If your priority is international calling: 8x8 includes unlimited calling to 48+ countries on every plan. GoTo Connect includes unlimited international calling to 50+ countries, while Ooma offers $9.99/month flat-rate international calling to 60+ countries as an add-on
• If your priority is video and collaboration: Zoom is the strongest pick, with the deepest meeting features, free AI Companion, and 1,000-participant capacity
• If your priority is CRM-deep sales tools: Aircall has the deepest two-way CRM integrations on this list. Dialpad is a strong second choice with native AI coaching
• If your priority is the Microsoft ecosystem: Microsoft Teams Phone is the only option that runs natively inside Teams
• If your priority is digital channels and reputation: Nextiva includes social media management, review monitoring, and website chat at the entry tier
• If your priority is contract flexibility: Ooma Office and Grasshopper offer month-to-month billing with no early termination fees
• If your priority is enterprise security and scale: 8x8 has the strongest compliance posture (HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, SOC 2, ISO 9001) and 500-participant video capacity

A note on switching costs: RingCentral's annual contracts auto-renew unless you give 30 days written notice, and canceling mid-term means paying out the rest of the year. The "How to Switch from RingCentral" section below covers the specifics.

 

How to Switch from RingCentral

Switching from RingCentral involves three things working in the right order: signing up with a new provider, porting your phone numbers, and canceling your RingCentral contract. Getting the order wrong can cost you your phone numbers or trap you in another contract year.

 

Step 1: Review your RingCentral contract first

Before doing anything else, check your RingCentral renewal date and contract terms. Annual contracts auto-renew unless you give written notice at least 30 days before the renewal date. Canceling mid-term means you owe the remainder of the contract term in full, with no proration after the first 30 days. If your renewal is months away, factor this into your switching timeline.

 

Step 2: Sign up with the new provider

Set up your new account before initiating any changes with RingCentral. You need an active account on the new platform to receive ported numbers. Most providers in this guide can be set up within a day or two, with the exception of Ooma if you're ordering desk phones (allow extra time for hardware shipping).

 

Step 3: Initiate number porting

Submit a porting request through your new provider, not through RingCentral. You'll need:

• A recent RingCentral bill (the Customer Service Record, or CSR)
• The exact account name and address on file with RingCentral
• Your RingCentral account number and PIN
• A list of every number you want to port

Local numbers typically port in 5-10 business days. Toll-free numbers port in 3-5 business days. During this window, calls continue to ring through RingCentral, so service is not interrupted.

 

Step 4: Cancel RingCentral only after porting completes

Do not cancel RingCentral until your numbers have fully ported. Once ported, contact RingCentral customer service by phone to cancel. Things to know:

• Cancellation must be done by phone; there's no online cancellation option
• RingCentral may route you through retention specialists who offer discounts to keep your business
• If you're under an annual contract past the 30-day window, you'll owe the remainder of the term
• Get cancellation confirmation in writing for your records
• Return any RingCentral-issued IP phones within 21 days of cancellation, or you'll be billed the full hardware cost

 

Step 5: Rebuild your call flows

IVR menus, call routing rules, ring groups, business hours, voicemail greetings, and integrations don't transfer between providers. Plan for 1-2 weeks of configuration and testing in the new platform before going live.

 

Total transition timeline

For most teams, the full switch takes 2-4 weeks from sign-up to fully live on the new platform. Add additional time if your RingCentral renewal date is months away and you want to avoid early termination fees by timing the cancellation precisely.

 

FAQs