Product Alternatives

Top 8 RingCentral Alternatives & Competitors

When it comes to assessing VoIP services, RingCentral often makes most lists due to its feature-rich service and the ability to access their phone across diverse devices. That said, the pricing is steep and the customer support doesn’t always come out at the top. 

If you are looking for the best alternative phone services, this comprehensive guide is for you. We will provide eight equally good alternatives for you to consider by factoring in key parameters such as the top features of each VoIP software, pros, and cons of each tool, pricing plans, and why each tool is a worthy alternative to RingCentral. Let’s get to it right away.

Top 8 Alternatives to RingCentral – Choose the Best Call Center Software for Your Business

  1. JustCall
  2. Microsoft Teams
  3. Google Chat
  4. Nextiva
  5. Zoom
  6. Vonage Business Communication
  7. Dialpad
  8. 8X8 X Series

1.JustCall Overview

JustCall is a VoIP business phone system that has emerged as the Cloud Phone System of choice for today’s multi-tasking sales and support teams. This powerful software helps add context to every call and conversation, making it productive and efficient along the way. Users can leverage innovative features such as call software, virtual numbers, SMS campaigns, native CRM integrations, and much more with packages starting at $19 per user. 

JustCall-Team-Number-Analytics

Top Features of JustCall

  • SMS Features – Get hold of Bulk SMS for giving out offers and reminders, SMS bots for instant replies, and SMS automation for quick support.
  • Call Intelligence– Make the best use of IQ to sketch out the best pitches, real-time conversation insights and coaching with conversational intelligence.
  • Call queues – Route calls to the right agent using IVR, skill-based routing, and caller information to ensure customers reach the right agent and are not kept waiting.
  • Monitor, Whisper, or Barge – Monitor live agent calls and provide help through whispers or by joining the call in real-time.
  • Real-time dashboard – Monitor agents’ performance using real-time dashboards and performance analytics.
  • Autodialer – A remote phone automatically makes calls using an unloaded contact list and connects to a human agent only when the call is received.
  • Call recording – Record and monitor agent calls to improve quality and performance.
  • Post numbers – Keep existing numbers when changing services to help customers reach you easily.
  • Automatic saving of customer details – Calls, texts, voicemails, etc. are automatically stored on the connected CRM, without the need for any manual intervention.

JustCall Pros and Cons

JustCall Pros JustCall Cons
It is a user-friendly software as it can be integrated with CRM and Slack Call quality can be slightly better
You can dial numbers from any website, making it super convenient The software can get buggy sometimes
You can create and analyze real-time reports, customer statistics, products, services, sales, and surveys.  
It comes at a good price for the features provided and is easy to use as well as set up  

JustCall Reviews

Here are some reviews and real feedback from users. 

  • It is less cumbersome and easier to set up
  • Customer support is available and helpful
  • Voicemails during a call and automated text messages make it time-saving

JustCall has a G2 rating of 4.3/5 stars.

JustCall Pricing Plans

  • Essentials – $19 per user/month
  • Team – $29 per user/month
  • Pro – $49 per user/month
  • Business – On request

We also offer new JustCall iQ pricing plans with AI capabilities.

justcall-ai-product-pricing 

Why JustCall As An Alternative to RingCentral

  • Send and receive SMS: You can send both SMS & MMS from SMS-enabled phone numbers. You can also access workflow automation and bulk campaign around SMS.
  • Live call monitoring, call barging, and call whispering: As a manager, you can listen to live calls between your agent and your customer without any interference. You can also whisper a few tips and ideas to your agent during the call, without letting the customer know.
  • Make and receive phone calls from anywhere on the web: By simply installing the Chrome extension, you will be able to receive calls from whatever tab you are on. 
  • Appointment/call scheduler with Google calendar sync: You can get your own appointment scheduler to schedule call, appointment, or demo with customers or leads, and sync it with your Google Calendar. 

JustCall Best-suited for:

JustCall can be used by enterprises of all sizes (small, mid, and large) and is perfect for a business looking to implement an all-in-one customer communication platform.

2. Microsoft Teams Overview

Microsoft-Teams-Conversation
Source: Microsoft Teams

Think of Microsoft Teams as an all-encompassing, robust tool that allows for:

  • Seamless collaboration and sharing for employees across multiple locations
  • Teams to work together as a seamless, functional unit
  • Increased levels of security, privacy, stability, and convenient access 

Top Features of Microsoft Teams

  • Breakout rooms: Think of breakout rooms as ‘mini-meeting rooms,’ which are related to a larger meeting. This feature enables smaller group discussions easily.
  • Improved whiteboard: An integrated Whiteboard app that empowers meeting participants to collaborate on a shared virtual whiteboard in real-time
  • Live transcription: An AI-powered text captioning that literally shows what the meeting participants are talking about in real-time
  • Spotlighting people: The ability of meeting organizers and presenters to “spotlight” certain meeting participants 
  • PowerPoint grid view: An improved way of presenting a PowerPoint document in a meeting, where you don’t need to flip through all slides; you can show specific ones as needed

Microsoft Teams Pros and Cons

Microsoft Teams Pros

Microsoft Teams Cons

A one-stop application for communication in terms of text, voice, and video

Voice communication needs better software for voice lagging; sometimes, voice clarity is not good.

Acts as one tool for data sharing or file transfer

Screen sharing needs refinement, as the user has to wait for 10 seconds for the screen to display

Offers good integration on mobile and laptop

Alerts should be improved for service issues or performance issues

There are constant updates to improve performance

Formatting can be better for chat-in meetings

It easily integrates with Microsoft 365

Limited calling plan 

It has a TrustRadius rating of 4/5 stars. 

Microsoft Teams Pricing Plans

  • Cloud Free: $0.00 per user/per month
  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $5 per user/per month
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $12.5 per user/per month 

Why Microsoft Teams As An Alternative to RingCentral

  • Microsoft Teams doubles up as a multi-faceted team communications platform, which allows users to seamlessly transition between text, voice, and video connections. 
  • It allows users to serve a larger pool of attendees (up to 10,000 within and outside an organization), making it one-of-a-kind.

Microsoft Teams Best-suited for:

Businesses who wish to facilitate a work environment between remote users or within a large business should use Microsoft Teams.

3. Google Chat Overview

Google-Chat-Search-Functionality
Source: Google-Chat

Google Chat, (previously Hangouts Chat), is basically a collaboration tool that is designed to help teams be able to get their work done in one centralized place. From direct messages to group conversations, Google Chat enables teams to seamlessly collaborate fluidly and efficiently from anywhere. You can also securely connect with anyone with whom you work and take group work to the next level with shared chat, files, and tasks.

Top Features of Google Chat

  • See messages in one place: You can use Chat straight from Gmail, or as a standalone app to streamline your work and select the right channel for every kind of conversation.
  • Collaborate in dedicated spaces: ‘Spaces’ are the central place where teams can engage in topic-based discussions, share knowledge and ideas, move projects forward, and build communities and team culture.
  • Tap into the best of Google Workspace: You can use Chat and Spaces to collaborate seamlessly on content with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. 

Google Chat Pros and Cons

Google Chat Pros

Google Chat Cons

Improve business process agility and enhance decision-making

Text boxes sometimes resize on their own

Easy-to-use interface

Inability to dock the conversation list

Fast connectivity and portability to use from a phone, tab, etc.

Conversations can jump around quite often

A quick way to share files like pdf, jpg, videos, etc.

Searching for specific instances or keywords sometimes is not efficient

No downloads are required, and there are no operating system restrictions 

 

Google Chat has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on TrustRadius. 

Google Chat Pricing Plans

Google Chat is a component of Google Workspace. It is available in all pricing tiers of the parent product:

  Business Starter Business Standard Business Plus Enterprise
Monthly price per user $6 USD $12 USD $18 USD Pricing on request

Why Google Chat As An Alternative to RingCentral

  • Google Chat demonstrates better performance
  • Plus, it offers better compatibility for online meetings/events

Google Chat Best-suited for:

Google Chat is a secure communications tool that’s ideally suited for smaller enterprises. It is designed to offer easy business communications within the Google Workspace ecosystem. Using Google Chat, your team can easily collaborate via text, build collaborative chat rooms, conduct web conferences, share documents, and deliver presentations.

4. Nextiva Overview

 Nextiva-Dashboard
Source: Nextiva

Nextiva is a cloud-based communication platform with call center solutions like a phone system, contact center, video meetings, team collaborations, and so on. Nextiva has a web app and a mobile app for remote servicing and integrates with business solutions like ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Zendesk.

Top Features of Nextiva

  • Intelligent virtual agents (IVA) – Self-services IVR that is capable of handling huge call volumes and routing calls to the right agents.
  • Workforce management tools – The tools to monitor quality, forecast, and accurately staff operations to improve agent performance.
  • Call pop – Agents get important caller information in a pop-up screen before they enter customer calls.
  • Call queues and smart routing – Incoming calls are distributed based on load, user details, and IVR responses.
  • Built-in CRM – The platform comes with an in-built CRM to support sales and support operations.

Nextiva Pros and Cons

Nextiva Pros

Nextiva Cons

Highly customizable auto-attendant

Status is only shown for contacts

Knowledgeable and friendly customer support

Buggy mobile apps

Advanced call management

Integrations aren’t in-depth

Stable and high-quality call service

The interface can get confusing

The setup process is convenient

 

Nextiva has a rating of 4.5/5 stars on G2.

Nextiva Pricing Plans

  1. Essential – $17.95 per user, per month
  2. Professional – $21.95 per user, per month
  3. Enterprise – $31.95 per user, per month
  4. Ultimate – $52.95 per user, per month

Why Nextiva As An Alternative to RingCentral

  • Provides 360 Degree Feedback (complete customer view) as a feature
  • Offers the ability to access alerts and escalate tickets
  • Provides additional features such as calendar management and benchmarking
  • Offers onboarding features like employee coaching tools and an employee directory

Nextiva Best-suited for:

Nextiva is being used by organizations of all sizes for telephony services.

5. Zoom Overview

Zoom
Source: Zoom

Zoom unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, and group messaging into one easy-to-use platform. It offers video, audio, and screen-sharing experience across Zoom Rooms, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and H.323/SIP room systems. Its enterprise cloud phone system is built natively for its platform. If you want flexible collaboration and a distributed and large workforce, this should be your go-to tool.

Top Features of Zoom

  • Meetings: Good for HD video and audio collaboration
  • Rooms and Workspaces: Helps you to power up your conference rooms with video
  • Phone System: Serves as an ideal enterprise cloud phone system.
  • Video Webinars: Drive full-featured, easy-to-use, and engaging webinars
  • Marketplace: Leverage integrations and bots to use with Zoom

Zoom Pros and Cons

Zoom Pros

Zoom Cons

Its star feature is the whiteboard facility with annotation support

The audio quality can be improved with a feature to remove background noise

It offers screen sharing with the record feature

Inability to view all/most meeting participants on the screen at one time, which can be an issue if there are more than 3 participants

It offers Outlook and Google Calendar compatibility

Screen sharing can become overly complicated

It works on just about every device: Mobile phones, computers, and conference rooms.

The mobile experience can be better

It has good video and audio quality

 

Zoom has a rating of 4/5 stars on TrustRadius. 

Zoom Pricing Plans

  • Cloud Basic: Free
  • Cloud Pro: $14.99 per month/per license
  • Cloud Business: $19.99 per month/per license
  • Cloud Enterprise: $19.99 per month/per license

Why Zoom As An Alternative to RingCentral

Zoom is the preferred software if you want to host more than 200 participants on the same call. Plus, note that Zoom is a video-first tool so if you’re looking for a video-driven platform, Zoom is a better choice.

Zoom Best-suited for:

Zoom is best suited for using the following functionalities: video conferencing meetings, audio conferencing, webinars, meeting recordings, and live chat whether for a small or large business.

6. Vonage Overview

Vonage
Source: Vonage

Vonage offers a unified communications solution, which is ideal for businesses looking to scale. You can also leverage its cloud contact center solution, which supports features such as mobility, positive customer experience, collaboration, and flexibility. Additionally, the biggest advantage of this platform is that it can be implemented quickly.

Top Features of Vonage

  • Vonage meetings: Leverage an intuitive video collaboration solution to use across your organization and with customers.
  • Admin portal: Manage your entire phone system from a single portal.
  • Mobile and desktop apps: Run your business phone system from your computer or any mobile device.
  • Business inbox: Address customer needs faster with SMS, MMS, and Facebook Messenger captured in Business Inboxes.

Vonage Pros and Cons

Vonage Pros

Vonage Cons

The mobile phone app is its strong suit

Sometimes, the call history does not show

It is one of the best dialing software with very good voice quality

Text messaging cannot handle images sometimes

It offers amazing features likecall recording, texting, voice mail, and divert calls

They do not take billing support calls; it only occurs on online chat 

The soft phone and click-to-dial features work great on desktop

The desktop app can have some hiccups, and there are frequent updates

 

The phone lines are often down

Vonage has a rating of 3.5/5 stars on TrustRadius.

Vonage Pricing Plans

  • Mobile: $19.99 per month/per line plus taxes & fees
  • Premium: $29.99 per month/per line plus taxes & fees
  • Advanced: $39.99 per month/per line plus taxes & fees

Why Vonage As An Alternative to RingCentral

In comparison to RingCentral, Vonage has more customization and add-ons for its plans, making it a better choice.

Vonage Best-suited for:

Vonage is ideally suited for small businesses that need ten or fewer business lines and don’t require advanced features (read: video conferencing) that are capable of hosting large meetings. Larger organizations who want to customize their unified communications systems can also go for Vonage.

7. Dialpad Overview

Dialpad Post Call Summary
Source: Dialpad

 

Think of Dialpad as a suite of business communication products, which offers a host of useful tools such as business phone systems, contact centers, video conferencing, and sales software. Moreover, the calling and admin features come in handy when wanting to improve employee productivity as well as in streamlining communication. If you are looking for a software-based communication system and integration, go for Dialpad.

Top Features of Dialpad

  • Administration: You can experience a fast setup, hassle-free deployment, and the ability to provision and manage users with ease and efficiency.
  • Call Center Productivity: You can leverage useful tools to address some of the challenges that call centers face, such as inaccurate reporting and analytics.
  • Calling & Routing: From call park to call transfer to call forwarding, Dialpad offers a comprehensive suite of calling and routing features to help improve business communication at your organization.
  • Web Conferencing: Improve online meetings with high-quality audio and video web conferencing, extensive screen sharing capabilities, and advanced conference call setting.
  • Reliability & Security: It comes with automatic data backup and redundancy built into the platform. Use Dialpad to benefit from secure, encrypted calls and layered security.
  • Voice Intelligence: With built-in machine learning, Voice Intelligence employs natural language processing and voice recognition to provide recommendations in real-time and comprehensive post-call notes and transcripts.

Dialpad Pros and Cons

Dialpad Pros

Dialpad Cons

Consistent performance and call quality

Default reporting to consolidate contact centers

Highly configurable to adjust to customized needs

VI transcription recognizing different languages

Outstanding support during the implementation

When answering from the mobile application, the computer application continues to ring with a delay

Connectivity from anywhere

Windows Desktop App feels clunky and sometimes slow

User-friendly with an intuitive interface

 

It has a rating of 4/5 stars on TrustRadius.

Dialpad Pricing Plans

  • Standard: $15 per user per month
  • Pro: $25 per user per month
  • Enterprise: Available on request

Why Dialpad As An Alternative to RingCentral

Dialpad is the better option for small teams that have a shoestring budget and might not need the level of integrations and add-ons that RingCentral offers. 

Dialpad Best-suited for:

Dialpad’s features and information are better suited for softphones and mobile apps. That said, the platform supports diverse IP phones that can be purchased through an account holder’s administration portal.

8. 8×8 Overview

8x8
Source: 8×8

8×8 is a SaaS-based phone, video, chat, and contact center platform for businesses. 8×8 provides solutions for VoIP calls, video conferencing, APIs for SMS and chat, and so on, and also integrates with third-party solutions like Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Google Workspace, and Freshdesk.

Top Features of 8×8

  • Unlimited calling, SMS, and fax – Depending on the plan, users can make calls and send messages and faxes for free.
  • Multi-level auto attendant – Using automation features like IVR and smart routing, customers are routed to the right agent for fast issue resolution.
  • Call recording & storage – All agent calls are recorded and stored on the cloud.
  • Visual voicemail – Voicemails are recorded, transcribed, and sent via email, making them easy to access.
  • Local number porting & direct dial number – Retail numbers when chaining provides to ensure customers are not affected.

 8×8 Pros and Cons

8×8 Pros

8×8 Cons

Quality of phone calls/service is outstanding. Few dropped calls, crystal clear conversations

Inability to delete old chat/SMS messages

Desktop app interacts seamlessly with physical desktop phones

Licensing and contract structure is a little convoluted

Mobile app is seamless as well, syncing with the desktop rapidly and accurately

Customer service can be better, particularly when it comes to understanding the time zones the user is in

The service provides many, many options and controls for users and admins

Simpler tutorial needed to explain all the functions

It makes messaging convenient

 

 8×8 has a rating of 4/5 stars on TrustRadius.

8×8 Pricing Plans

  1. Small business phone system – $15 per user, per month with a 30-day free trial
  2. Video, voice, and chat for teams – $24 per user, per month, billed annually
  3. Advanced call handling and analytics – $44 per user, per month, billed annually

Why 8×8 As An Alternative to RingCentral

  • 8×8 delivers 2-factor authentication
  • Analytics and compliance reporting is possible with 8×8
  • 8×8 uses automatic call distribution through the round-robin method
  • Call monitoring and scripting are possible with 8×8

8×8 Best-suited for:

8×8 is a good solution for enterprises looking to implement a customer communication platform for voice, video, and chat.

Factors We Used to Evaluate These Alternatives to RingCentral 

We looked at various factors when evaluating RingCentral competitors.

  • Calling

The call features include call recording and storage and the quality of the call. 

  • Interface 

We considered whether the interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate. 

  • Plan and Price

We considered the calling plan offered and the features included in the price.

In Summary: How to Select the Right Solution?

Needless to say, selecting the right solution that’s custom-built to your needs is not an easy ask. So, make sure to do your homework and follow these handy tips:

  • Read reviews on trustworthy sites – There are multiple online communities on sites like G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, and Trustpilot that post authentic reviews along with pros and cons for all platforms that can be considered as better alternatives to RingCentral.
  • Do a complete analysis of the prices and features – Understanding your pricing limitations along with the specific set of features needed is key. Note that some solutions may offer all features in a single plan whereas others may split them by functions. In the end, you’ll need to select the right combination that works for your business.
  • Always go for a demo – Almost every VoIP platform offers a free trial. It is highly recommended that you try the solution first-hand before making a purchase. 

Embrace these tips and keep the information highlighted above in mind, and you’re golden.

FAQs 

Is JustCall VoIP software?

JustCall is VoIP software and offers a VoIP business phone system for sales and support teams. It offers call software with various features, including messaging, SMS campaigns, and auto-dialing.

What are some alternatives to RingCentral?

Here are some alternatives to RingCentral:

  1. JustCall
  2. Microsoft Teams
  3. Google Chat
  4. Nextiva
  5. Zoom
  6. Vonage
  7. Dialpad
  8. 8×8
Why is RingCentral better than 8x8?

RingCentral is better than 8×8 for these reasons:

  • The licensing structure for 8×8 is convoluted
  • You cannot delete old messages and chats on 8×8
Is there a free version of RingCentral?

There is no free version of RingCentral. It offers 4 plans. The entry-level plan accommodates up to 20 users for $29.99 per user per month.

Why is JustCall better than RingCentral?

JustCall is better than RingCentral phone systems for these reasons:

  • It offers a customizable plan
  • It includes features like live call monitoring and call whispering

Deepan heads Demand Gen at SaaS Labs. A data-driven marketer, Deepan is extremely passionate about enabling early stage SaaS companies & accelerating their growth

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