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RingCentral is considered one of the best options out there when it comes to business phone systems. Users like their feature-rich service and the ability to access their phones across a variety of devices.

But they’re not for everyone. Whether it’s pricing, customer service, or something else that you don’t like, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best RingCentral alternatives.

 

Why RingCentral?

RingCentral helps companies stay connected to their business and their customers, no matter where they are. Some prime benefits of RingCentral are:

  • Their unified cloud communication solution makes it possible to manage calls, text messages, and collaborate with colleagues
  • Their features are usable from any device, including smartphones, computers, and tablets
  • Their simul-ring feature offers call management, routing to the next available person if the main phone line is busy
  • Auto-attendants and IVR offer call routing to keep callers from being sent to voicemail

These are great, but where does the service falter? Here are a few sticking points:

  • RingCentral is more expensive than some of its alternatives
  • Some RingCentral reviewers complain about the support they receive from RingCentral, and problems can take days to resolve
  • RingCentral can be difficult to set up, especially for users that are not familiar with VoIP technology

That said, RingCentral might not fit everyone. The alternatives listed below offer a wide range of features, affordable pricing, and reliable service.

 

Best RingCentral Alternatives and Competitors

Based on our research, here are the top RingCentral alternatives:

  1. Nextiva
  2. Vonage Business
  3. 8×8
  4. GoTo Connect
  5. Dialpad
  6. Mitel
  7. Intermedia
  8. Grasshopper
  9. Ooma

 

1. Nextiva

Since 2006 Nextiva has helped over 150,000 businesses by providing best-in-class VoIP services. Nextiva works with companies ranging from small businesses to international airlines. While RingCentral is one of the top Nextiva alternatives, Nextiva is a service that’s continually building on their offerings to compete as a RingCentral alternative.

Nextiva Call Pop

Nextiva offers customers features like hosted voice calling, voicemail transcription, video conferencing, toll-free numbers, texting, and even online faxing. The company also has an unlimited calling and virtual fax for those that need it. While RingCentral is an excellent choice for conferences, Nextiva has a robust conference bridge that will allow up to nine people to attend.

 

Nextiva Pricing

Essential Professional Enterprise
From $18.95
/user/mo
From
$22.95
/user/mo
From
$32.95
/user/mo
Unlimited voice & video calling Everything in Essential, Plus Everything in Professional, Plus
Voicemail Unlimited conference calls, 40 participants Unlimited participants on voice & video conferencing
Toll-free numbers Unlimited video conferencing, up to 250 participants Call recording
Outlook/Google Contacts Integrations Screensharing Unlimited video conference recording
Unlimited internet fax Auto attendant (multi-level) Voicemail transcription
Mobile and Desktop SMS/MMS Microsoft Teams/Custom Integrations
Salesforce/HubSpot Integrations Single Sign On

1 Professionally Recorded Greeting

3 Professionally Recorded Greetings

[Source: Nextiva Pricing & Plans, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Nextiva Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Nextiva users report a level of service that they’ve never experienced before. While their support is excellent, some users wish it was easier to deal with problems themselves.
Calls are clear, with no static or background noise. Business voicemail can be difficult to access when not in the office.
With the Nextiva Office Pro plan, the company offers unlimited domestic calling. The online manuals are sometimes outdated.

 

2. Vonage

Originally, called Min-X when it was launched in 2001, Vonage is one of the business VoIP providers that are widely recognizable, even outside the industry. Vonage Cloud is their business solution that’s designed to use cloud-based technology to continually update a business’s communication ability as it grows.

vonage contact center

With Vonage Business you can make phone calls, text, and set up video conferences from any device you want. Their desktop and mobile VoIP apps help link all the services together, so you can be there for your business, regardless of whether or not you’re in the building. The software uses Amazon Chime Pro Tier, which provides security in intra-company communications as well as providing features like screen share and chats.

 

Vonage Pricing

Mobile Premium Advanced
$19.99

per month/per line
plus taxes & fees

$29.99

per month/per line
plus taxes & fees

$39.99

per month/per line
plus taxes & fees

Features: All Mobile Plan features PLUS: All Premium Plan features PLUS:
Mobile and desktop apps Unlimited meetings for up to 100 Call Recording: on-demand (15 hours)
Unlimited Calls and SMS Multi-level auto attendant Call Group
Vonage App Center CRM Integration Visual Voicemail
Unlimited Team Messaging IP desk phone capability

[Source: Vonage UC Plans & Pricing, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Vonage Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Customers often worry about the quality of phone calls with business VoIP services, but call quality with Vonage Business is excellent. Vonage Transcription can sometimes be inaccurate.
Their follow-me feature allows you to easily route desk phone or call center calls to your cell phone or another device. Features like call recording aren’t available in the standard plan.
Vonage Business has mobile and desktop applications that will allow teams to coordinate from anywhere.

 

3. 8×8

Bringing 25 years of experience to the table, 8×8 makes it a good alternative to RingCentral, offering users multiple solutions to best suit their needs. With its new free video conferencing software, they are set to have an even larger install base.

inbound call 8x8x

8×8 provides standard offerings like hosted voice calls, voicemail, video conferencing, and text messaging, making them one of the top RingCentral alternatives. They serve small- to medium-sized businesses as well as enterprise-level customers. The company also provides actionable call analytics for your team.

 

8×8 Pricing

X2 X4
$24 /user/month, annually $44 /user/month, annually
Unlimited users Everything in X2, plus:
Unlimited voice calling to 14 countries Unlimited voice calling to 48 countries
HD video & audio conferencing for up to 500 active participants 8×8 Frontdesk for receptionists and operators
SMS, MMS and team chat Supervisor analytics
Microsoft Teams integration and more Monitor, whisper and barge

You can all check for a more extensive list of features in a plan on their product page.

[Source: 8×8 Business Phone Pricing, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

8×8 Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
8×8 has built-in CRM integration for a variety of different platforms, including GSuite, Hubspot, Salesforce, and more. 8×8 users report that support services could be better with 8×8, and technical issues tend to take a long time to get resolved.
The real-time analytics and built-in reporting give users the ability to track results with a high level of accuracy. The setup process can be lengthy and complicated.
Their VoIP solution is known for its ability to produce HD levels of audio.

 

4. GoTo Connect

GoTo Connect was previously known as Jive Communications, which is now a part of the LogMeIn family. Jive was founded in 2006, but in 2019 LogMeIn made the decision to merge the product with its GoTo products to create GoTo Connect. This new offering pairs together Jive’s hosted PBX service with GoToMeeting’s video meeting capabilities.

gotocontact agent performance analytics

GoTo Connect provides customers with a full suite of tools to help grow your business. This includes auto attendants, mobile apps, call forwarding, virtual voicemail, ring groups, and more. The company boasts savings of up to 87% when moving from a traditional phone service to their system.

 

GoTo Connect Pricing

Basic Standard
Starting at $27.00 /user /month  Starting at $32.00 /user /month
Flexible Cloud Phone System
Call from Any Device, Anywhere
Existing Number Porting
Local, Toll-Free & Vanity Numbers
Smart Call Routing
Unlimited Extensions
Call Forwarding
Auto Attendant Recorded Greetings 1 Unlimited
Customizable Dial Plans 1 Unlimited
Ring Groups 1 Unlimited
Call Queues 1 Unlimited
Multi-Site Compatible Unlimited
Hot Desking
E-Fax
International Calling Charged per minute (all countries) 50+ countries included free (additional countries charged per minute)
Voicemail to Email
Seamless Call Management
Paging
Intercom
Call Recording
Caller Hold Time Report
Real-Time Analytics
Toll-Free Minutes $.03 /minute 1,000 free minutes shared across account ($.019/additional minute)
 

Built-In Meetings & Messaging

Team Messaging
Audio Conferencing
Meeting Duration 40 mins Unlimited
Meeting Participants 4 150
Simultaneous Webcams 4 50
SMS 40 credits 80 credits

[Source: GoTo Connect Pricing – updated on 05/03/2023]

 

GoTo Connect Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Solid support team UI and navigation has room for improvement
Affordable product Difficult to set up without support’s assistance
Easy to make changes to your existing plan Occasional service outages

 

5. Dialpad

Dialpad brings a wide range of tools to the table on a platform that was built on the Google Cloud Platform. Dialpad started as Uberconference, which is included in Dialpad offerings. The company is cloud-based, and they also offer AI and contact center solutions. Dialpad Talk is their business phone service, and this software has built a reputation for clarity and call quality.

call sentiment analysis dialpad

Dialpad now provides business owners with voice calling, video conferencing, desk-to-desk calling, and more. They also have several integrations with tools like GSuite and Office365. Dialpad is known for the saying, “Work is a thing you do, not a place you go,” and their design supports this. Users can utilize all of the Dialpad features from virtually any device or in any location.

 

Dialpad Pricing

Standard Pro Enterprise
$15
/user/mo
$23 USD if billed monthly
$25
/user/mo
$35 USD if billed monthly
You’ll need to contact them for pricing
Unlimited calling All the value of the Standard plan, plus: All the value of the Pro plan, plus:
SMS & MMS Local number support in 70+ countries 100% uptime
Ai-powered call and voicemail transcriptions Multiple phone numbers per account Unlimited office locations
Google Workspace & Microsoft 365 integrations 25 ring groups (departments) Unlimited ring groups (departments)
Unlimited video meetings 10 office locations Dial-by-extension
Web and chat support Global SMS capabilities Integrations with leading SSO providers (Okta, OneLogin)
CRM integrations (Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, Zoho & more) Azure AD SSO integration
Open APIs & Webhooks Data retention policies
24/7 live agent support Priority live agent support

[Source: Dialpad Pricing, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Dialpad Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Dialpad works seamlessly across all devices, which grants users the ability to work from anywhere. Some Dialpad users complain about call quality issues.
There’s an AI transcription service that will transcribe calls for optimized record keeping and analytics. Phone support is minimal for the lower-priced plans.
This is a solution that is easy to deploy quickly across an organization.

 

6. Mitel

Mitel is a Canadian company that has been offering its services for over 40 years and began as a lawnmower company. Over time, the company shifted focus towards communications, and today, it’s entire focus is VoIP for businesses.

Mitel One Interface

Mitel brings experience to the table and offers companies the ability to make voice calls, video conferencing, texting, and more. Their solution is device-agnostic, and the company even provides a mobile-first collaboration tool that works for both Android and iOS. Through this tool, users can start a conference with just one click.

 

Mitel Pricing

Mitel doesn’t openly advertise their pricing. Instead, they suggest this formula:

  • # of users X monthly cost per user X 12 = Annual cost of the system
  • Here’s how you would estimate the cost of a system that lets you mix and match license types:
    # of tier 1 users X monthly cost per tier 1 user X 12 = A
    # of tier 2 users X monthly cost per tier 2 user X 12 = B
    # of tier 3 users X monthly cost per tier 3 user X 12 = C
    A + B + C = Annual cost of the system

[Source: Mitel website, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Mitel Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Everything from setting the system up to on-going maintenance is done much easier than competitors like RingCentral. Mitel user reviews report spending too much time on the phone. And having support tickets stack up as a result of the delays in getting things sorted out.
The core offering is excellent and is scalable for companies that are growing. Some users report that Mitel support could improve.
There is Siri integration on iOS devices.

 

7. Intermedia

Intermedia’s Unite product has been a VoIP favorite for several years. They’ve been recognized as one of PCMag’s Editors’ Choice winners since 2017. Competitive RingCentral alternatives must aim at enterprise solutions like Intermedia does through their tiered services that attract clients of all sizes.

Intermedia Unite

Intermedia is built for businesses that don’t want a complicated setup process or a solution that’s hard to manage on a day-to-day basis. The solution has apps for both desktop and mobile use, and file sharing is easy through either platform type. Intermedia is a service provider with no annual contracts, which can be an easier setup for smaller businesses.

 

Intermedia Pricing

Unite Pro Unite Enterprise
$27.99 $32.99
Mix and match
Free Phone or Device
Each Unite user can choose one of the following options
– Poly VVX 150
– Yealink T33G
– Yealink WH62 Mono Headset
– Poly VVX 150
– Yealink T33G
– Yealink WH62 Mono Headset
Number of concurrent endpoints 5 5
Mobile apps
Desktop app
Unlimited calling
Auto Attendant
Call Pickup
Caller ID
Call transfer, Call Hold, 3-way calling, Music on hold
Paging
Call park/Pickup
Intercom
SPAM Call blocking/tagging
911 admin notification
Voicemail
Voicemail transcription
Call recording
Receptionist mode
Web fax
 

Collaboration

Presence detection
Team messaging
Business SMS
File backup, sync and share 50 GB 200 GB
Exchange Mailbox
 

Video Meetings and Conferencing

HD video conferencing 100 Participants 200 Participants
HD audio conferencing 200 Participants 200 Participants
Screen sharing 100 Participants 200 Participants
Max videos on screen 100 100
Meeting transcription
Unlimited recordings
Screen annotation
Transcriptions & meeting insights
Remote control
 

Unite Envision Analytics

QoS Dashboard
Call History
Supervisor Analytics
Wallboards
Detailed contact center analytics
 

Unite Extend Integrations

Active Directory
Chrome (click to call), G Suite integration, Outlook integration, Slack (meeting integration), Outlook/ Office 365 (meetings integration), Generic CRM screen pop
Sugar CRM, Zoho CRM, Zendesk
Salesforce, Service Now, NetSuite, MS Dynamics
 

Call and Contact Center

Agent Log in and Log out
Call Queuing, Configurable Wrap up time, Configurable agent removal from the queue, Greetings Management
Wall boards, Scheduled Reports, Graphical Reports, Real time Status
Supervisor functions (Monitor, whisper, barge)

[Source: Intermdia Pricing page, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Intermedia Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Intermedia promises 99.999% uptime and underscore that aspect with a service-level agreement that’s backed financially. Feature rollout is notoriously slow. They are often working on upgrading their legacy users and prioritize them over new users.
Intermedia offers an interface to check out your support tickets and access live chat when you need it. A few notable features will cost users additional monthly fees.
Customer support is open 24/7.

 

8. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is one of the most well-known business phone services for small businesses and individuals. If you’re looking to run an office from home, it’s the perfect solution for projecting professionalism. They offer a fast and easy set up at multiple tiers to cover your business as it scales up.

Grasshopper app

Grasshopper makes it easy to have two phone numbers on a single phone so that clients can reach users without the need to have their personal local number. They also have a robust set of desktop and mobile apps that grant access to business texting, call forwarding, and virtual fax. They even provides voicemail transcription, better than most Grasshopper alternatives.

 

Grasshopper Pricing

Solo Partner Small Business
$28/mo billed annually $46/mo billed annually $80/mo billed annually
1 Phone Number 3 Phone Numbers* 5 Phone Numbers*
3 Extensions 6 Extensions  Unlimited Extensions

 

All Grasshopper plans include:

  • Mobile + Desktop Apps
  • Business Phone Number*
  • Business Texting
  • Call Forwarding
  • VoIP + WiFi Calling
  • Virtual Fax
  • Voicemail
  • Read Your Voicemail
  • Extensions
  • Instant Response
  • Custom Greetings
  • Call Transfers
  • Simultaneous Call Handling
  • Incoming Call Control
  • Reporting

*Additional phone numbers can be added, post-purchase, for $10/mo each.
[Source: Grasshopper Pricing page, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Grasshopper Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Grasshopper has a great voicemail system to collect messages from callers. Some users complain of high latency with their service. This leads to a delay when you’re talking to users on the system.
Faxing is fast and straightforward with Grasshopper with inbound and outbound faxes from the same business number. The support staff is adequate, but they don’t follow up with a call or email.
The voicemail transcription feature is convenient for record keeping and analytics. Number porting takes seven to 10 business days.

 

9. Ooma

Ooma creates an innovative communications experience for businesses. Their communications hub, Ooma Office, provides users with cloud-based telephony services. The platform offers more than 35 distinct features to ensure customers save money and never miss a call.

Ooma Texting

Ooma Office offers features curated specifically for small businesses. This includes high-definition voice and advanced features such as enhanced call blocking and call recording. The platform also offers integrations with mobile devices so you can take your calls on the go.

 

Ooma Pricing

Price Billing Frequency
Ooma Office Essentials

Includes a user extension, a local phone number, and unlimited calling to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico

$19.95 Monthly
Ooma Office Pro

Includes all standard Ooma Office features, plus Ooma Meetings, Call Recording, enhanced call blocking, Voicemail Transcriptions, and more

$24.95 Monthly
Ooma Office Pro Plus

Includes all standard Ooma Office and Ooma Office Pro features, plus Hotdesking, Call Queues, CRM integration, and more

$29.95 Monthly
Capacity
User extension

Includes Virtual Fax and a local phone number

$19.95 Base
$24.95 Pro
Monthly
Local phone number $9.95 Monthly
Toll free phone number

Includes 500 minutes, 3.4¢ per additional minute

$9.95 Monthly
Conference bridge

Includes phone number

Free N/A
Ring groups Free N/A
Virtual receptionist Free N/A
Services
Number porting Free* N/A
Toll-free calling plan

Includes 1,500 minutes, 2.9¢ per additional minute

$15.00 Monthly
Toll-free calling plan

Includes 3,000 minutes, 2.4¢ per additional minute

$30.00 Monthly
International calling Varies by use Deducted from prepaid account after each call
Hardware
Grandstream HT812 ATA $69.99 One-time
Grandstream HT814 ATA $119.99 One-time
Expansion Base Station $99.99 One-time
Ooma Linx $49.99 One-time
Ooma IP phones Starting at $59.99 One-time
Ooma DP1 desk phone $89.99 One-time
Yealink IP phones Starting at $99.99 One-time
Yealink Conference IP phone $399.99 One-time

[Source: Ooma’s website, updated on 05/03/2023]

 

Ooma Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Reasonably priced product Room for improvement with Ooma-branded phones
Easy to set up Occasional issues with call quality
Impressive call forwarding feature Mobile app could be fleshed out more

 

Which RingCentral Alternative Should You Choose?

To establish a baseline for your needs, ask the following question, “Which features are most important to me today?”

Once you’ve established your starting point, the next question should be, “What features are going to be important to me next year?”

You need to project out when investing in technology like VoIP to ensure you’re not going through the whole process one, two, or even three years from now. Switching isn’t always easy, or cheap, so finding a solution that allows you to grow, add users, and take advantage of increased functionality is essential.

The same holds for pricing. You’ll want a solution that remains in your budget as you scale. There are fewer things less pleasant than discovering the next pricing tier for your cloud phone system is way out of your budget. This will force you to go through the selection process all over again, which no one wants.