Looking something similar to RingCentral, but better? Discover the best 5 alternatives to RingCentral that you can use for your business phone system.
RingCentral is a provider of cloud enterprise communications and collaboration solutions. Through their cloud-based platform, they provide calls, video conferencing, team messaging, and a customer contact center software.
RingCentral offers free inbound calling and allows for extension-to-extension global free calling. They provide local numbers so businesses can give the impression they are calling from any region of their choice. Their open API platform enables custom integrations and uses 7 layers of security. Their call management system also provides in-depth analytics with a dashboard containing 30+ pre-built KPIs and in-depth QoS reports.
All of their solutions can be found on their RingCentral app for mobile and desktop. They are headquartered in California and serve customers internationally.
Source : RingCentral pricing on www.RingCentral.com on the 09/30/2022
RingCentral offers 4 packages with monthly per user license fees ranging from $29.99 to $59.99. The Essentials monthly package is available only for up to 20 users per account and costs $29.99 per user. Irrespective of whether you want to upgrade, you will have to do so when you add on the 21st user. The pricing for the Standard, Premium and Ultimate Packages stays the same irrespective of the number of users as long as it is less than 99. Having more than 100 users lowers the price slightly but takes away the option of a trial period.
The 4 packages offers different features:
Moving away from RingCentral can be a practical choice for several reasons. Firstly, RingCentral's pricing can become steep when you require essential features like setting up an auto-attendant or CRM integration, potentially starting at $37.99 per user monthly. Additionally, RingCentral's complex package structure can be overwhelming for small and medium-sized businesses, pushing them into more expensive plans than needed.
Furthermore, RingCentral's user interface, though evolved, can be convoluted, making it challenging to perform even simple tasks. The customer support experience can also be frustrating, with reported issues of lengthy waits and unhelpful interactions.
Simpler, more affordable, and user-friendly alternatives can offer a quicker setup, making them attractive options for businesses seeking efficient communication solutions.
Whether you're looking for a basic business phone line or a communication solution with advanced call center features, Quicktalk is considered the best alternative to a service like RingCentral. It is easy to install and equipped with a range of features that make your employees and customers happier.
Quicktalk is a modern phone system that has been designed specifically for small businesses and entrepreneurs. You can set up your account online in 2 minutes (including picking a phone number, and setting up your auto-attendant with greetings and call distribution) and benefit from unlimited calls from desktop and mobile devices for only $19/month/company (including up to 3 users).
Grasshopper is a cloud-based business phone system popular amongst entrepreneurs and small businesses. Subscribers can choose between local, toll-free and vanity numbers to handle incoming and outgoing business calls. It's easy to set up and can be accessed via desktop and mobile applications.
Check out our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Grasshopper.
Grasshopper subscribers can port their existing numbers or choose a secondary number. This can be used to make and receive calls and text messages. Both Wi-Fi calling and VoIP calling are supported.
Incoming calls can be routed through an auto attendant to create a professional impression on callers. Other features available with Grasshopper subscriptions include customized greetings and hold music, multi-extension support, voicemail transcriptions and call forwarding. Some features are available as add-on services while others like call recording are exclusive to certain plans.
Grasshopper currently offers 4 monthly subscription plans. Entrepreneurs can choose between the True Solo Plan priced at $16 per month and the Solo Plus plan priced at $31 per month. The $51 Partner plan and the $89 Small Business plan are well suited to small businesses.
Additional numbers and extensions beyond what are included in the plans can be purchased as add-ons. Grasshopper subscriptions do not include international calling. These calls are billed additionally on location-specific per-minute rates.
While Ringcentral plans have more features, Grasshopper is more budget-friendly.
Google Voice is a telephone service provided to Google Account holders in the USA and Canada and Google Workspace customers in select countries. The budget friendly plans make it well suited to organizations with small teams. It also features built-in integration with other Google services.
Check out our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Google Voice.
Google Voice subscribers can get a new number with their subscription or port an existing number. Voice and video calls can be handled through mobile and desktop applications or VoIP-supported desk phones. Built-in integration with Google Calendar, Google Meet and other Google services helps with team productivity.
Features like call forwarding, voicemail transcription and usage reporting are available in all plans while others like multi-level auto attendants and call recording are only available with the Standard and Premier plans.
Google Voice gives subscribers the choice of 3 monthly plans priced at $10, $20 and $30 per user per month. The Starter plan limits access to 10 users across 10 domestic locations while the Standard and Premier plans can have unlimited users in as many domestic locations. User accounts in international locations are available only in the Premier plan.
Calls between Google Voice accounts and numbers in the USA and Canada are included in the plans while calls to international destinations are billed on usage.
When compared, Google Voice emerges as the more cost-effective solution especially for small businesses with a domestic audience.
Nextiva is a VoIP service provider with a wide range of features for accessibility, call management and call tracking. By unifying access to varied communication channels and productivity tools through a single platform, Nextiva streamlines workflow and optimizes productivity. This makes Nextiva subscriptions beneficial for large teams.
Check out our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Nextiva.
Nextiva is a fully cloud-based business communication system with voice and video calling as well as chat features. Subscribers can make unlimited calls within the USA and Canada and access features like auto attendants to route incoming calls, internet faxes, call log reports, customized hold music and threaded conversations.
When it comes to features like conference calls and business text messaging, plans have varied participation limits. Other features like CRM enterprise-level integration, call recording and multi-level auto attendants are available only with higher-tier plans.
Like Ringcentral, Nextiva offers 3 monthly subscription plans. Nextiva plan pricing depends on the number of users. The Essential plan subscription ranges from $24.95 to $30.95 while the Enterprise plan subscription ranges from $39.95 to $45.95 per user per month.
All plans are inclusive of unlimited calling in the USA and Canada as well as a free local or toll-free number.
When compared, the starting prices for Nextiva plans are lower but the top plans for Ringcentral are priced lower compared to Nextiva.
Dialpad is an AI-powered business communication platform available in 70+ countries. Subscribers can communicate with team members and customers through voice and video calling as well as text messages.
In addition to its communication capabilities, Dialpad is popular because of its ability to be integrated with other platforms and its range of productivity-enhancing features.
Take a look at our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Dialpad
Dialpad offers unlimited calling to all subscribers as well as access to real-time analytics and reporting. Features like custom call routing, voicemail transcriptions, Google Workplace integrations and screen sharing are common to all plans. Dialpad also offers 3-way calling, call forwarding and call recording features.
On the other hand, international SMS and Salesforce integration are available only in the higher-tier plans. Certain features like additional toll-free numbers are available as add-ons.
Dialpad offers 3 monthly subscription plans. Pricing starts at $23 per user per month for the Standard plan. The Pro plan is priced at $35 per user per month. All plans include unlimited inbound and outbound calling within the subscriber's country, USA and Canada.
Calls to numbers in other locations are billed on usage at location-specific per-minute rates. In addition to the local number provided, the Pro and Enterprise plan gives subscribers the option of purchasing add-on local or international numbers.
On comparing the prices of Dialpad and Ringcentral subscriptions, Dialpad emerges as the more cost-effective solution.
8x8 is a VoIP communication solution ideal for customer support teams and mid-sized call centers. It centralizes voice, video and text communication through a single platform. This comprehensive communication solution has multiple monthly subscription plans tailored for varying business needs. 8x8 services are available in 55+ countries.
Go through our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and 8x8.
8x8 offers an all-in-one solution for communication through voice and video calls as well as text messaging. It supports unlimited voice calling to a plan-specific number of locations. 8x8 accounts can be accessed through web browsers, supported desk phones and desktop applications. Other features available with 8x8 plans include hot desking, call routing through multi-level auto attendant and CRM integration. Other features like live call monitoring, post call surveys and call activity analytics are available only in higher-tier plans.
8x8 also gives its subscribers the option of purchasing add-on features like speech analytics, IVR and Intelligent Customer Assistants.
8x8 gives businesses a choice between 2 unified communication plans and 3 contact center plans. Plan prices are comparable to those offered by Ringcentral. That said, having more plans to choose from makes it easier to find a plan that suits your budget.
Zoom Phone is a cloud-based communication solution that's ideal for global organizations with remote teams. Services packaged in 3 distinct plans are available across 47 countries. Businesses can pick a pay-as-you-go model or prepaid plans with unlimited outbound calling. Along with voice calls, Zoom Phone supports video and conference calling as well as text messaging.
Check out our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Zoom Phone.
All plans are inclusive of unlimited international calling. Additionally, the PRO Global Select plan includes unlimited domestic calling in 40+ countries. Other features common to all plans include voicemail with transcription, unlimited IVR/ auto attendant menus to route incoming calls, live call monitoring and call recording.
Several features like workspace reservations, additional phone numbers, toll-free numbers, and so on are available as add-on packs.
Like Ringcentral, Zoom Phone offers its services in 3 plans with monthly subscription rates. The Pay As You Go starter plan by Zoom Phone is priced at $10 per user per month. The other 2 plans are priced at $15 and $20 per user per month respectively. This makes all the Zoom Phone plans cheaper than Ringcentral plans.
Openphone is a VoIP phone system for internal and external business communication. This all-in-one communication tool allows users to text and call contacts from an easy to use mobile and desktop app. In addition, it also features numerous tools that foster collaboration to improve productivity and customer experiences.
Read our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Openphone.
Openphone offers unlimited calling and text messaging in the USA and Canada. Subscribers can port an existing number or get a new number. Additional numbers are available with all plans.
Teams sharing a phone number can also access shared contact lists and contact notes. Some of the other features common across Openphone plans include voicemail transcripts, email integration, message scheduling and AI-suggested response messages. Other features like group calling, audit logs and Salesforce integration are plan-specific.
Openphone offers 3 monthly subscription plans starting from $17 per user per month for the Standard plan. The Premium plan with more collaborative features is priced at $25 per user per month.
Large organizations with more complex requirements can look into upgrading to the Enterprise plan. Irrespective of the plan chosen, subscribers must also pay a one-time carrier review and setup fees and monthly messaging fees. Each subscription includes 1 phone number. Additional numbers can be purchased with any plan for $5 per month.
Thus, for small businesses on a limited budget, Openphone appears as a more budget-friendly solution.
Phone.com is a versatile solution with budget-friendly communication solutions for businesses. It is well suited to entrepreneurs and startups. Subscribers have the choice of several add-ons to customize plans. Easy account access from mobile and desktop interfaces as well as supported deskphones make this a preferred solution for organizations with remote teams.
Go through our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Phone.com
All Phone.com plans are inclusive of a phone number and at least 500 domestic voice calling minutes. Subscribers can also host video conferences with the number of participants limited by the plan chosen. Other common features include screen sharing, a shared address book, call forwarding, call logs, custom greetings and call routing through automated attendants.
Phone.com gives businesses a choice between 3 monthly subscription plans priced at $14.99, $21.99 and $31.99 per user per month. The Basic plan includes limited talking minutes while the other 2 plans include unlimited domestic talking minutes. Additional phone numbers are available at $4.99 per month. Subscribers can also get standard rate and premium rate global numbers as add-ons to their subscription plan.
For basic communication, Phone.com has budget-friendly solutions but if you're looking for more features, Ringcentral may be more cost-effective.
Vonage is a cloud-based communication platform with a wide range of features for voice and video calling, texting and team collaboration. With a range of unified communication and contact center plans, Vonage suits businesses of all sizes. The service is accessible from mobile, IP phones and desktop interfaces.
Take a closer look at a comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Vonage
Vonage plans are inclusive of a local phone number that can be used for unlimited domestic calling and SMS. They also include 50+ business phone features. The higher tier plans include a few more features like routing via a virtual receptionist, analytics, business app integrations and voicemail transcription. Other features like call recording, visual voicemail, virtual phone extensions and more are available as add-ons.
Vonage offers 3 monthly subscription plans with pricing that varies according to the number of users. The starter plan is priced at $14.99 for 99 users and $19.99 for a single user.
The Advanced plan subscription for a single user is $39.99. In addition, subscribers may choose to enhance their plan with add-ons for specific features such as on demand call recording and a virtual mailbox.
The Vonage subscription prices may be lower than Ringcentral subscriptions but if you need any add-ons, the costs should be balanced.
Ooma is a cloud-based communication platform with solutions for personal use and business use. Businesses can choose from 3 monthly subscription plans with a wide range of features for better communication and collaboration. It's easy to set up and can be accessed from mobile and desktop app interfaces.
Read our comparative analysis between Ringcentral and Ooma
Ooma subscription plans include 50+ features to empower teams to connect with one another and improve productivity. All plans are inclusive of unlimited calling to numbers in the USA, Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Incoming calls are routed through a virtual receptionist and teams can hold video conferences with a plan-specific number of participants. Features like CRM integration, call queueing and hot desking are features exclusive to the highest tier plans.
Like Ringcentral, Ooma has 3 monthly subscription plans. Price points for the starter and mid-level plan are $19.95 and $24.95 per user per month. This makes these plans comparable to Ringcentral plans. That said, when it comes to starter plans, you may not find all the features included in Ringcentral plans in the Ooma subscriptions.
Ooma's highest tier plans are priced at $29.95 per month making them much cheaper than the Ringcentral plan.
If you want to set up a professional auto-attendant with custom greetings, business hours, and phone menu to redirect calls to your team, you will have to get Ringcentral's more expensive package starting at $37.99 per user monthly.
It's the same for CRM integration. Basic integrations like Slack and Gmail come with the $37.99 per user monthly and CRM integration such as Salesforce, Hubspot or Zendesk starts at $44.99 per user per month.
Your communication system and CRM (or ecommerce platform) are the two pillars of selling effectively to your customers. It helps ensure that all communication is tracked and that customers and prospects are being followed up with in the best way possible.
RingCentral's offer is complete but complicated. You have to choose between 4 packages for business calls plus 3 other packages. It could be difficult for you to know exactly what package meets your needs. You may find yourself in a situation where you need a specific feature, such as call recording, and you have to take a package that is higher than the one you initially wanted and may not be suitable for small businesses.
Pros: RingCentral is a complete solution
Cons: RingCentral's offer is too complicated for small and medium-sized businesses
RingCentral's pricing structure is complicated, with prices varying depending on the features you need and the number of users. Prices range between $19.99 and $34.99 but at these prices, you may not be able to handle your customers calls in an efficient manner. Features like call recording, customer records from your CRM would be missing. For this, you will have to pay $44.99 (Monthly) or $34.99 (Annually). As soon as you want to set up an advanced call routing, you will have to switch to a larger offer.
Pros: RingCentral's prices are acceptable for limited requirements
Cons: To get a complete solution to manage your customer calls, you need to pay at least $34.99 per user each month. RingCentral is not adapted for small and medium-sized businesses.
Did you know RingCentral was launched 20 years back? The solution has been evolving a lot since its debut, many features and options have been added since then. Of course, interfaces have been updated over time. But today, Ringcentral offers so many setting options that it can be confusing - even for simple setup like changing the opening hour of your IVR or call forwarding.
Ringcentral's chat available on the website is a chatbot that won't allow direct human-to-human interactions.
If you take a moment to read recent reviews online, you will see some complaints about the customer support standard. Some customers testify having spent hours on the line with several agents without being able to talk with anyone that could have solved their problems.
Some other issues are raised regarding questions of auto-renewal of their engagement period. Some customer say that they have been misled by their sales representatives regarding packages and engagement periods.
You can have a taste of their customer service and reviews on their Twitter customer support account.
There is no reason for your business to use a complicated communication system. Apart from having all the features you need and being easy to use, it should be quick and easy to set up. A basic cloud phone system for your business should be ready to use from your mobile or desktop devices within 5 minutes. If you choose a more advanced contact center solution, it should be ready to use in a maximum of 15 minutes. If your RingCentral account takes longer than this to be set up, it's probably time you start looking at alternative service providers.
RingCentral's monthly packages start at $29.99 per user. As you upgrade for more professional services such as quality of service reports, hot desking and CRM integration, and more than 20 users, you can choose between the Standard, Premium and Ultimate Packages. There is no limit on the number of users for all three upgraded packages.
RingCentral has many other U.S. based competitors that offer cloud communication solutions like business phone systems, call center solutions, video calling, etc. RingCentral is generally compared to Quicktalk, Nextiva or 8x8 that provide similar features.
Top 5 RingCentral competitors
1: Quicktalk
2: Mitel
3: Nextiva
4: 8x8
5: Vonage
For small businesses looking for a simple phone system, RingCentral's solution might not be the best for you. Rather than taking an outdated, expensive solution, take a look at Quicktalk's affordable package. When you go for Quicktalk, you get to call 36 destinations, in addition to setting up custom greetings in 15 languages.
Paul is a tech and business phone system enthusiast always open to discuss ideas. If you’re interested in collaborating on content projects or getting a product listed on our blog, don’t hesitate and reach out to us: [email protected].
