RingCentral vs Phone.com: Which one is the best for your business?

October 10, 2023
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Explore the rivalry: RingCentral vs. Phone.com. Determine the best communication solution for your business. Let the duel commence!

Introducing RingCentral: The cloud phone system redefining communication for businesses of any size. Consolidate calls, messages, video and faxes on a unified platform. Choose from 4 plans, 4 contact center options, and exclusive video communication plans.

Stepping into the ring from a different angle, Phone.com: The ultimate business phone platform. Calls, video, conferences, messages, and faxes simplified and budget-friendly, ideal for small and growing businesses. Discover call management, productivity features, and more with three monthly plans.

Compare RingCentral and Phone.com plans and features

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RingCentral Phone.com
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Pros and Cons
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Lower starter plan makes Phone.com the cheaper choice

Businesses can subscribe to the RingCentral Core plan for $30 per user per month. This plan is limited to 20 users. Subscribers can make and receive unlimited calls to numbers within the USA and Canada.

Upgrading to the Advanced plan costs $35 per user per month depending on the number of users. This plan is inclusive of all the Core features as well as others such as quality-of-service reports and video meetings with up to 100 participants.

The Ultra plan subscription costs between $45 per user per month. Like the Advanced plan, user license fees fall as the number of users increases. This plan is inclusive of many exclusive features such as automatic call recording and real-time analytics.
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Phone.com offers cheaper monthly subscriptions as compared to RingCentral.

An $11.99 monthly subscription fee gives businesses access to the Basic plan. This is inclusive of 500 pooled minutes of calls to the USA and parts of Canada, 50 standard voice features, video conferencing for a small group of people and more.

Subscribing to the Plus plan costs businesses $15.99 per user per month. This subscription fee provides access to all the Basic plan features as well as others such as unlimited calling to the USA and Canada, 25-participant video conferencing, voicemail transcriptions and more.

Upgrading to the Pro plan costs businesses $23.99 per user per month. This subscription includes live call streaming, call analytics, call recording and more.
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A step-by-step comparison between RingCentral and Phone.com

To help you find what solution fits best your need between Zoom Phone and Ringcentral, we have conducted an unbiased comparison based on 8 criterias:
#1 Manage your office calls : How will you handle calls while at the office? Can you use computer-based calls or do you require an office phone?
#2 Manage your calls on the go: Does it offer a mobile app with VoIP calls? Do you need to set up call forwarding to your mobile device?
#3 Auto-attendant : Can you easily distribute calls to your team?
#4 Greetings Management : Can you set up company greetings on your own? How easy is it to create and manage announcements?
#5 Call Tracking : How easy is it to monitor your business calls?
#6 Call recording : Can you record and listen to calls?
#7 Call billing : How much does it cost to make and receive calls? Is everything included?
#8 Activation : How easy is it to activate a phone number and set up your phone system?
COMPARE
  • Manage Your Office Calls
  • Manage Your Calls On The Go
  • Auto-attendant
  • Greetings Management
  • Call Tracking
  • Call recording
  • Call billing
  • Activation

#1 Manage Your Office Calls

Multiple access points for RingCentral and Phone.com services

The key interfaces available for Ringcentral users to make and receive calls are web browsers, desktop apps and IP desk phones

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RingCentral and Phone.com offer multiple interface options for office calling.

Desktop apps on laptops and desktops with a working internet connection or supported desk phones can be used to make and receive calls with Phone.com.

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#2 Manage Your Calls On The Go

Free apps available by both service providers

Businesses can access Ringcentral services through an app for android and iOS devices

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Similar to RingCentral, a free Phone.com smartphone app can be used to handle calls.

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#3 Auto-attendant

Layered IVR features put RingCentral ahead

Call routing through IVR/ auto attendant is not available to RingCentral essential plan subscribers. Upgrading to the Standard or Premium plans gives you access to customized greetings and a multi-level auto-attendant that can route incoming calls based on caller keystroke responses.

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The limited access to call routing features puts RingCentral at a disadvantage when compared to Phone.com.

An IVR menu can be customized to direct incoming calls to relevant departments.

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#4 Greetings Management

Customized options for greetings by RingCentral and Phone.com

Rather than answer callers with a default greeting, RingCentral account admins can customize greetings.

Step 1. Navigate to Review Company Call Flow menu from the Company set up section on the navigation bar.

Step 2. Select edit, then Custom Greeting and Record. Messages can be recorded online or you can upload a recording.

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RingCentral and Phone.com take a similar approach to customizing call greetings.

Subscribers can create custom greetings from the phone.com app by using the text to speech function or uploading a recorded message.

Step 1: Click on Settings and then Voicemail.

Step 2: Type a message and use the text to speech option or upload a recorded message.

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#5 Call Tracking

Feature-rich RingCentral service for call management and monitoring gives it an edge over Phone.com

The RingCentral Essential plan is inclusive of voicemail transcriptions in English, French, German and Spanish. Transcription previews are available in email inboxes to minimize the risk of missing out on follow-ups.

In addition to this, Standard plan subscribers can also get reports on call logs, call duration, number of calls made and received, etc. This plays an important role in assessing agent productivity.

Live call monitoring is available to Standard and Premium plan subscribers. Team supervisors can listen in to live calls without either call participant’s knowledge, speak to the company agent while on call without the caller hearing, join a conversation or take it over. These services are available on RingCentral desktop applications and IP desk phones that support presence. They cannot be accessed through the RingCentral mobile app.

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When it comes to advanced plans, RingCentral's live call monitoring feature puts it ahead of Phone.com.

Basic plan subscribers can transfer calls from one agent to another or to a supervisor. Calls can also be forwarded as required. In addition, supervisors can assess call logs and manage moderator controls for all calls. Email notifications for new voicemails minimize the risk of missing out on these messages.

In addition to the call monitoring facilities included in the Basic plan, the Plus plan subscribers get access to voicemail transcriptions. This makes it easier to read these messages.

The Pro plan gives subscribers access to account-wide snapshots with details such as call duration, directions, etc. for all new and returning calls along with all the features of the Basic and Plus plans. Incoming calls can be directed to agents based on the caller and the time of day. Calls can also be recorded and analyzed at a later time.

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#6 Call Recording

Upgrades required for call recording facility by RingCentral and Phone.com

Automatic call recording is a feature available exclusively with the RingCentral Premium plan. However, it is available on-demand in the Standard plan.

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As with RingCentral, call recording is a limited access feature in Phone.com plans.

Basic and Plus plan subscribers can record calls with an add-on $8 monthly fee. The Pro plan includes call recording.

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#7 Call Billing

Similar per minute billing by RingCentral and Phone.com

Calls made to any number outside the USA and Canada are billed according to usage. Rates are predetermined according to location and number type. For example, calls to India are billed at $0.059 per minute while calls to landlines in Australia are billed $0.039 per minute and calls to mobile phones in the same country are billed $0.18 per minute.

For businesses with an audience mainly in the USA and Canada, RingCentral offers more value for money as compared to Phone.com.

The Basic plan is inclusive of limited calls to numbers in the USA and parts of Canada. Calls beyond this limit are charged a $0.039 per minute rate. Plus and Pro plans are inclusive of unlimited calls to the USA and Canada.

Calls to international locations are billed at country-specific rates.

#8 Activation

Online account creation for all RingCentral and Phone.com plans

Once you have chosen a RingCentral plan, you can set up your account online with an email address or your Google account. Once an account is created, user extensions, call handling rules, etc. can be customized from the RingCentral dashboard. Users can then login to their accounts on RingCentral apps or use IP desk phones to make and receive calls. RingCentral apps are available for all smartphone, laptop and desktop devices. When it comes to IP desk phones, you can pick devices from the market or order desktop, cordless, receptionist, conference and other deskphone devices from the RingCentral website.

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As with RingCentral, irrespective of the plan chosen, accounts can be created from the Phone.com website or desktop application. User roles can be set in place and managed from the dashboard. Once accounts are activated, calls can be made and received from smartphone and desktop apps, a web browser extension or supported desk phones. A range of pre-provisioned, ready-to-use VoIP phones can be purchased directly from Phone.com.

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