RingCentral is a great choice for midsize businesses looking for an all-in-one communications system and high-volume call centers seeking advanced features.
This VoIP phone system stands out for its ultra-reliable uptime, hundreds of third-party integrations, and its global reach. RingCentral offers flexible deployment options to accommodate all of your locations, including hybrid and remote workers. They also provide exceptional support.
Its call center solution offers plenty of customization and advanced functionality, plus a strong focus on workforce engagement and optimization.
However, both solutions are tougher to set up than others. If you’re looking for a simple tool that you can start using within 15 minutes of signing up, RingCentral isn’t for you.
The Best RingCentral Alternatives and Competitors
RingCentral is a strong business communications contender, but Nextiva, Dialpad, and Ooma are all viable alternatives—the best for you depends on what you’re looking for and the size of your business.
Nextiva is our top recommendation for smaller teams with fewer than 100 users. It shines above the rest as a full-featured phone system, call center, and communication suite that doesn’t break the bank.
It’s also the most scalable small business solution, so you don’t have to worry about outgrowing it no matter where you start.
If AI insights and real-time agent coaching are a top priority for you, Dialpad offers advanced call center plans for both sales and service teams. Pricewise, it’s comparable to RingCentral. Dialpad also offers an affordable communications suite with video, voice, and texting. It’s limited in features and scalability compared to Nextiva and RingCentral, but it starts at half the price.
Ooma is ideal for smaller companies with fewer than 50 users in a traditional office environment.
If your entire team is based in one location and you prefer to use desk phones instead of softphones to handle calls, Ooma is a great option. However, it doesn’t offer call center plans.
Our Take on RingCentral
RingCentral is one of the most reputable and reliable phone systems on the market. Businesses using any of RingCentral’s products will benefit from crystal-clear call quality and a 99.999% uptime rate.
The platform really shines with its strong set of advanced features, making it a great choice for midsize to large businesses.
This holds true for its standard business phone systems as well as its call center software.
Once you’re up and running, RingCentral makes it easy to automate business workflows and streamline repetitive tasks for calls, meetings, and messages.
There are over 300 pre-built integrations at your disposal, and it’s arguably the best phone system for Microsoft Teams users—as you natively implement RingCentral’s cloud calling, texting, and faxing capabilities directly into the interface.
For contact centers, RingCentral has one of the most feature-packed systems on the market at a lower price than alternatives. It comes with a customizable IVR, call recordings, advanced outbound dialers, and AI-powered reports. However, its workforce engagement tools really shine–you’ll be able to accurately forecast, schedule, and engage your entire team.
The contact center software natively integrates with RingCentral’s unified communications suite, so your entire organization can collaborate internally while handling inbound and outbound calling from a single platform.
Our complete RingCentral review covers more of the details if you’re interested.
RingCentral vs. Nextiva
Nextiva is a better option for smaller businesses. It’s significantly easier to implement, easier to use, and more affordable than RingCentral.
Nextiva is still ultra-reliable and delivers practically the same call quality, at a lower price.
RingCentral’s call center solution has more advanced features than Nextiva, like workforce engagement and in-depth quality management. But small businesses don’t usually need these types of things anyway.
It’s also worth mentioning that all of Nextiva’s business communication plans come with unlimited internet faxing, whereas RingCentral offers this on all but its entry-level package.
It’s a minor detail, but points to one of the many areas where Nextiva’s value shines.
RingCentral has the edge over Nextiva for international calling. It’s also a better option if you want to purchase a vanity phone number, which is something Nextiva doesn’t offer.
The best part about Nextiva is that smaller businesses can use Nextiva’s regular phone plans to set up a remote contact center. On a small scale, these plans have more than enough features to handle both inbound and outbound dialing, regardless of where your team is located. You can set this up for less than half the price of a call center plan, which helps you save money without sacrificing quality or performance.
Nextiva does have dedicated call center packages, although RingCentral is more advanced (and more expensive).
Read our full Nextiva review to see if it’s right for you.
RingCentral vs. Dialpad
Similar to RingCentral, Dialpad has all-in-one business phone system plans and contact center solutions. But one notable difference is that Dialpad has a sales-specific contact center package.
This definitely gives Dialpad an edge for high-volume outbound sales teams. It also has some of the most advanced AI-powered real-time coaching tools we’ve seen.
Things like AI agent assist, playbooks, and scorecards automatically monitor agent performance and provide feedback in a matter of seconds. The live assist feature can even provide answers to caller questions in real time by listening for keywords and understanding the context of the conversation as it happens.
RingCentral, on the other hand, has spent more time improving its workforce management module.
Dialpad’s sales contact center starts around the same rate as RingCentral’s entry-level call center plan. However, Dialpad doesn’t include a power dialer at this tier, and its best features (most of which are powered by AI) aren’t unlocked until you upgrade to the mid-level or top-tier plans.
This is more than double the starter price, making it more expensive to get to the real value.
That said, it still has top-notch sales tools—as long as you’re willing to pay. For example, you can add on a local dialing package that automatically uses a local area code when your reps call people throughout the country. Regardless of where the agent is actually located, call recipients will see a local number, making them more likely to pick up.
Dialpad’s standard contact center (not for sales) is actually priced higher than RingCentral. You’re getting more AI capabilities with this tool, but it’s not like RingCentral’s technology is behind in any way.
When comparing the standard business phone system between these two providers, Dialpad is cheaper.
But RingCentral has more integrations and more standard features at every tier. RingCentral is also a better value if you want to leverage internet faxing, as Dialpad charges extra for this.
Check out our full Dialpad review to learn more about it.
RingCentral vs. Ooma
Ooma is the easiest phone system for small companies in traditional office settings.
It has the edge over RingCentral (and other alternatives) for small businesses using desktop office phones.
Let’s say you have a single office with 15-30 employees, and you want to switch to a VoIP phone system. Ooma should be at the top of your list, and you may even be able to keep your existing hardware.
If you want an upgrade, Ooma’s equipment is super easy to set up and install. It’s plug-and-play, meaning you can set it up in less than 15 minutes on your own.
While Ooma advertises over 50 standard features with every plan, you’ll quickly notice that the list is severely lacking when you stack it side-by-side with RingCentral. That’s why RingCentral is a much better option for midsize and larger businesses that need more than just the basics.
Ooma doesn’t offer call center plans, so you’ll need to go elsewhere if that’s what you need.
It’s also worth noting that Ooma’s entry-level phone system doesn’t even come with a desktop app. That’s one of the many reasons why we tend to ignore using Ooma from your computer or smartphone, and recommend it mostly for businesses that plan to make and receive calls from desk phones.
RingCentral definitely has the edge if your team needs to manage calls from multiple devices and different locations.
To learn more about Ooma’s plans, pricing, and benefits, check out our complete Ooma review.
RingCentral vs. Zoom
RingCentral is more established than Zoom, which has only offered phone and contact center solutions for a few years.
There are hundreds of users who rave about Zoom’s features, functionality, and customer service. But there are just as many that complain about a poor interface, limited capabilities, and less-than-ideal support for its phone systems.
With that said, there are multiple ways to get access to Zoom phone features, including through ZoomOne (all-in-one), Zoom Phone, or Zoom Contact Center.
This makes it easy to only pay for the functionality you need. It’s one of the cheaper options on our list, and even offers pay-as-you-go pricing, which can save you money if you just need basic phone capabilities and don’t handle a ton of calls. Pay-as-you-go international calling is also available with every plan.
Overall, Zoom is cheaper than RingCentral and it’s easier to deploy.
It’s also a better option for global calling. Zoom has an affordable plan that supports unlimited regional calling in one of 48 countries, plus you can add-on unlimited calling to 19 countries at a great rate.
Unless you fall into one of these unique categories, RingCentral is probably the better option for you.
For a more in-depth breakdown, refer to our Zoom review.
RingCentral vs. 8×8
8×8 has a fairly similar product offering compared to RingCentral, but feels more convoluted and confusing because it’s been around for so long. It’s basically the opposite problem Zoom has–it’s so littered with outdated infrastructure and support for older phone systems that it struggles to keep up.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone system. What it DOES mean is that we recommend going through a managed service provider (MSP) if you’re going to use 8×8. MSPs act as a middle man and help you navigate the complexities of legacy and modern phone systems so you end up with a solution that fits your business.
They also offer hands-on implementation, onboarding, and ongoing support. It’s typically the only way to get a real person to come to your business and help you.
They’ll even help you decide if 8×8 is the right choice for you.
As far as the software itself, 8×8 offers a wide range of solutions to support larger businesses seeking a unified communications suite and enterprise contact centers that need to handle a high volume of calls.
It also overtakes RingCentral in one category–international calling.
The exact prices are available by quote only, but they have a plan that supports unlimited calling to 14 countries and another that supports unlimited calling to 48 countries. RingCentral doesn’t have this.
8×8 also supports up to 500 active participants for voice and video conferencing. RingCentral is capped at 200.
But if you’re not making a high volume of international calls or you have fewer than a thousand users on your system, just go with RingCentral.
It’s cheaper, you won’t need to go through an MSP, and it has transparent pricing.
Read our 8×8 review to learn more.
RingCentral vs. Five9
Five9 is great for large or enterprise organizations that want to provide omnichannel support via voice, email, SMS, live chat, social messaging, and more. It shines above other call center solutions for larger teams in analytics and data integrations, as it just acquired a platform that does those things really well.
However, it’s more expensive than RingCentral, and the pricing structure is tough to understand. There are several different plans to choose from, many with overlapping features.
Like 8×8, Five9 may be better for you if you go through an MSP who can help you identify what you need and understand all the complexities.
RingCentral is easier to use and easier to deploy, which is normally not the case compared to most business phone systems. This just goes to show how complex Five9 really is.
It really isn’t something you can implement and learn to use overnight. Unless you’re a massive company with thousands of users or purchasing a system through an MSP, RingCentral or another alternative is likely a better choice for you.
Check out our Five9 review for a complete breakdown of the platform’s pros and cons.
RingCentral vs. Aircall
Aircall is a lightweight contact center alternative. It’s about half the price of RingCentral’s contact center solution and has plenty of basic features if you’re just getting started.
You’ll get an IVR, smart call routing, call recording, call queuing, warm transfers, and unlimited simultaneous calls, even on Aircall’s entry-level plan.
On higher tiers, you’ll unlock features like queued callbacks, live call monitoring, call whispering, and power dialing.
This plan is still cheaper than what you’d pay for RingCentral’s cheaper contact center plans. Despite its lower price tag, Aircall supports more integrations than RingCentral and most other phone systems.
However, Aircall’s low price comes at a tradeoff for certain features.
For one, it’s not a complete business communication suite. Things like file sharing, team chat, and internet faxing aren’t an option with any plans.
If you’re willing to pay a bit more for RingCentral, you’ll also get preview dialing, predictive dialing, and progressive dialing (none of which are offered by Aircall).
RingCentral also has the edge when it comes to AI-powered capabilities. Features like call transcriptions and summaries are included with RingCentral, but Aircall charges extra for these. RingCentral’s reporting blows Aircall out of the water, and Aircall’s best analytics dashboard is a paid add-on.
It’s an affordable alternative if you just need the basics for a small call center. But go with RingCentral if you have a larger team and want more advanced features.
Head over to our Aircall review for more information.
RingCentral Alternatives: The Final Verdict
RingCentral is an all-around solid choice for midsize businesses with more than a hundred users. It’s reliable, trustworthy, and scalable as you grow. Its focus on workforce management and engagement ensures your team stays motivated and that you have all the resources you need.
Smaller businesses should go with Nextiva. It’s easier to set up, more affordable, and the most scalable small business option on the market–for both phone systems and call center solutions.
If AI analytics and coaching tools are what you’re after, Dialpad is the most advanced.
Fewer than 50 users in a traditional office setting? Ooma’s plug-and-play devices make it an easy DIY phone system you can set up in a matter of minutes.
Zoom is an affordable option for pay-as-you-go pricing and international calling. 8×8 also shines for international calling with unlimited plans covering the most countries, but it’s one of the most expensive options out there.
We like Five9 for omnichannel support across all of your digital channels and Aircall as an affordable call center option for small teams.
To learn more about RingCentral alternatives, check out our complete guides on the best call center software and best business phone systems.
