9 Best RingCentral Alternatives in 2024 for Small Businesses

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Personalising customer experiences is central to setting your business apart in a competitive market, and a strong cloud-based phone system is key to crafting those essential individual interactions.

RingCentral is a popular cloud-based communications solution, but it’s not the perfect platform for everyone. The good news is many RingCentral alternatives offer better pricing, support, and integrations for your customer communications platform or contact centre. 

This article explores the top nine RingCentral alternatives in 2024, guiding you toward solutions that amplify your ability to deliver exceptional, tailored customer service.

TL;DR RingCentral Alternatives

1. Aircall

2. Nextiva

3. 8x8

4. Grasshopper

5. Google Voice

6. Zoom phone

7. Dialpad

8. Intermedia Unite

9. Natterbox

RingCentral Overview

RingCentral is a unified communication platform that uses VoIP to connect customer-facing team members with their customers. It offers distinct support packages for enterprises, small businesses, startups, and frontline workers.

RingCentral features

RingCentral offers relevant features like unlimited audio conferencing for up to 1,000 participants, unlimited domestic calling, and a sophisticated cloud phone system with IVR and ACD capabilities. Notable for its scalability, it includes 10,000 toll-free minutes and Voice AI for enhanced call management. 

However, its video conferencing feature is restricted to higher-tier plans with a 200-participant limit, which may not meet the needs of larger enterprises. Additionally, although RingCentral provides extensive analytics capabilities, it can be challenging to customise the reports and get highly specific insights unique to your business. 

Other notable RingCentral features include: 

• CRM integration: Seamlessly connects with CRM systems, linking communications directly with customer data for enhanced service and sales strategies.

• SMS: Enables sending SMSs from within business applications, streamlining communication processes.

• Call reporting: Offers robust call analytics to create detailed reports and dashboards, improving decision-making and performance tracking.

• Click to dial: Facilitates instant calls from business applications with a single click, improving efficiency.

• WebRTC voice: Employs advanced call control directly from the browser, eliminating the need for traditional telephony hardware.

• Team messaging: Supports building alert bots and automating workflows, improving team collaboration and communication.

RingCentral integrations

The platform integrates with over 350 CRM and productivity apps, including:

• Google Workspace 

• Hubspot

• Microsoft Outlook

• Microsoft Teams

• Office 365

• Salesforce

• Slack

• Zapier

• Zendesk

RingCentral pricing

RingCentral offers three pricing plans, and you can select monthly or annual billing. Here’s where they start:

Core: $20/month/user

Advanced: $25/month/user

Ultra: $35/month/user

Good to know: To access CRM integrations and get custom roles and permissions, you must sign up for the Advanced plan at a minimum.

Why Look for Alternatives to RingCentral?

While RingCentral offers solutions for small and large enterprises, its higher price point and slower support mean it’s not for everyone. 

Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when looking for an alternative.

Simplicity and ease of use

The ideal customer communications platform should offer industry-leading features and capabilities. It should also prioritise factors like minimal setup and installation requirements, along with user-friendly interfaces, which ensure you can onboard the software quickly and effortlessly.

While RingCentral is packed with powerful functionalities, its interface and setup processes don’t always meet expectations around simplicity and ease of use. This is particularly true for users who don’t require an extensive list of features.

Integration ecosystem

As a small business, it’s important to consider your existing tech stack before selecting a new cloud-based business phone system. Useful integrations should be available on all pricing plans and not gated behind more expensive pricing packages tailored to larger enterprises.

While Google and Microsoft integrations are available on RingCentral’s entry-level plan, you have to upgrade for the meaningful CRM integrations. 

Value for money

When it comes to costs, consider what you’re getting for the price you pay. Affordability isn’t just about paying the lowest amount. Instead, it’s about paying for the services you want, not the entire feature list just to get the features you need. 

That’s why you should look for a phone solution that lets you select different service bundles that cater to your unique requirements. The value you get from paying for exactly what you need (and the ability to choose only the features that are relevant to you) is priceless.

Customer service

Customer service is crucial when choosing a cloud-based phone provider, as it directly impacts the efficiency and reliability of your phone system. According to G2 reviewers, RingCentral’s customer support can be challenging to reach, and resolutions aren’t always easy to come by. 

One possible explanation for this is that RingCentral services all kinds of businesses, from large organisations to small operations—so customer service tends to be a bit bare-bones for smaller companies. 

Understandably, customer support needs to resolve issues quickly to prevent disruptions to business operations. So prioritise a solution with high-rated support to ensure minimal downtime and continuous communication.

What to Look for in RingCentral Competitors

Knowing which key features to prioritise in your unified communications software is crucial when exploring RingCentral competitors. Look for solutions that match and exceed RingCentral in their capabilities, analytics, integrations, and customer support. 

Cloud-based software capabilities

Cloud-based software capabilities are a significant advantage, as they eliminate the need for physical hardware. This simplifies setup and maintenance, reduces costs, and accelerates deployment. 

With modern cloud-based systems, your sales and support teams can begin making and receiving calls almost immediately, often with just a few clicks.

Responsive analytics

Identifying performance gaps and highlighting areas for improvement is integral to driving growth and revenue. Access to real-time analytics means you can interpret key customer data and translate it into actionable insights to inform your strategies and exceed performance targets.

Extensive integrations

Integrations can make or break a cloud-based phone system. A solution that connects to your existing tech stack means you can continue using your existing tech stack and leverage valuable call insights at the same time.

Extensive integration options are often reserved for mid- to top-tier plans and can be costly additions to an existing plan. It helps if a solution lets you select bundled features and only pay for what you actually need. 

AI-powered contact centre

An AI-powered contact centre can significantly enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. These technologies automate routine tasks like dialing numbers and streamline customer interactions by providing automated prompts. 

In turn, employees can focus on answering more complex inquiries and providing personalised service. This improves the customer experience by reducing wait times and increasing the accuracy and relevance of the responses they receive.

Call recording 

With access to call recordings, you get valuable insights into employee performance and customer service quality. Managers can review interactions to identify areas for improvement and offer specific feedback, empowering their team members to elevate service standards.

Additionally, integrating conversation intelligence and AI call analysis further maximises the benefits, as these tools swiftly extract key insights and trends from recordings. This not only improves decision-making but also streamlines the review process.

Mobile and desktop apps 

Having a mobile and desktop app for your phone system significantly improves usability for employees, as they can stay connected regardless of location. This flexibility allows your teams to transition seamlessly between devices and maintain productivity in the office, at home, or on the move. 

The consistent user experience across platforms also reduces the learning curve and simplifies training.

Top 9 Alternatives to RingCentral

If you’re looking for a better solution to help you run your call centre and personalise customer experiences, here are nine RingCentral alternatives to consider. 

1. Aircall

• Integrations: 100+

• Entry-level features: Enjoy 50+ features in the Essentials package alone, including instant numbers; business hours; IVR; and softphone for desktop, Android, and iOS 

• Rating: 4.3 stars

• Pricing: From $30/month/user

Aircall is a versatile customer communications platform that enables sales and support teams to work smarter and provide top-notch customer support. The cloud-based system is easy to set up and supports virtual phone numbers, and its user-friendly interface makes it a breeze for new teams to adopt without extensive training. 

Unlike RingCentral, Aircall’s base-level plan offers robust integrations with CRM systems and help desks, as well as API access. Features like call queuing, call routing, and real-time call monitoring help your teams optimise communication workflows.

For more information on how Aircall stacks up to RingCentral, read our detailed comparison.

Here’s a quick comparison table of Aircall vs RingCentral:

Want to see how Aircall can help you run a more efficient call centre and deliver a better customer experience? Try it out for free today.

2. Nextiva

Use Nextiva to manage calls, send text messages, and hold video conferences from your desktop or mobile device.

Source

• Integrations: 20

• Entry-level features: Unlimited voice and calling, toll-free numbers, voicemail, and remote device management

• Rating: 4.5 stars

• Pricing: From $29/month/user

Nextiva offers advantages over RingCentral, particularly in terms of affordability and video conferencing capabilities. It costs slightly less and allows up to 250 participants in video conferences, outperforming RingCentral's limit of 200. 

If your business or contact centre relies heavily on third-party integrations, it’s good to know that Nextiva only connects with around 20 apps. Compared with Ring Central’s 200+, this may be limiting.  

3. 8x8

8x8 helps you better engage your customers with the data and automations your customer-facing team needs.

Source

• Integrations: 60+

• Entry-level features: Auto-attendant, team messaging, voicemail with transcription, and audio and video conferencing

• Rating: 4.1 stars

• Pricing: Not available on 8x8’s website

8x8 distinguishes itself from RingCentral by offering greater value in its entry-level plan, which includes video conferencing for up to 500 participants—while RingCentral requires an upgrade for similar features and more than 100 participants. 

Additionally, 8x8 provides unlimited SMS messages within the U.S. and Canada. While RingCentral is better suited for larger businesses needing scalable solutions, 8x8 is ideal if you want essential communication tools without the complexity. Overall, it’s a cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized operations.

4. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is available on both desktop and mobile devices.

Source

• Integrations: No integrations

• Entry-level features: Desktop and mobile apps, business texting, call forwarding, and voicemail transcription

• Rating: 4 stars

• Pricing: From $14/month/user

Grasshopper is a good alternative to RingCentral for solopreneurs and micro-companies looking for a simple, affordable communication solution. It's designed to separate personal and business phone numbers, catering to smaller ones that require basic, no-frills functionality. 

Because Grasshopper doesn’t have the high costs that more comprehensive systems do, it works well for business owners looking to maintain professionalism with minimal investment.

5. Google Voice

Google Voice consolidates all your data onto the Google Workspace Admin console.

Source

• Integrations: Apps on Google Workspace

• Entry-level features: Voicemail transcription, protection from spam calls and messages, and call forwarding

• Rating: 4.1 stars

• Pricing: From $10/month/user

Google Voice is an affordable alternative to RingCentral, ideal for personal use or small businesses needing minimal setup. It offers free basic calling capabilities, allowing you to quickly claim a number and start communicating without financial commitment. 

For solopreneurs and freelancers, Google Voice includes business plans that integrate calling features with Google Workspace apps. Although it lacks the extensive service functionality of RingCentral, Google Voice’s free single-line option is well-suited for users seeking a simple, cost-effective solution.

6. Zoom Phone

Zoom’s call handling panel helps your team handle high call volumes and process rapid transfers.

• Integrations: 5

• Entry-level features: Unlimited domestic calling, auto attendants, automatic call distribution groups, and Barge/Monitor/Whisper/Takeover

• Rating: n/a

• Pricing: From $10/month/user

Zoom Phone is a solid alternative to RingCentral, particularly for small businesses focused on streamlining communication through a Unified Communications (UC) platform. Zoom simplifies the user experience by combining audio conferencing, video meetings, team messaging, and phone calls in a single interface. 

This UC solution reduces the hassle of managing multiple communication tools by consolidating contacts and messages across one platform. Zoom also has a competitive edge in video conferencing, allowing up to 250 participants versus RingCentral’s limit of 200.

7. Dialpad

Dialpad’s AI features summarise your calls and automatically extract action items.

• Integrations: 70+

• Entry-level features: Unlimited calling, AI meetings, AI-powered call and voicemail transcriptions, and real-time analytics

• Rating: 4.3 stars

• Pricing: From $15/month/user 

Dialpad distinguishes itself from RingCentral by catering to small, budget-conscious teams and focusing on advanced AI technology. It provides valuable unified communications features like unlimited calling and texting but stands out with its proprietary Voice Intelligence technology. This AI assists in monitoring calls, taking notes, and highlighting follow-up tasks during conversations. 

Although Dialpad is limited to 45-minute video calls and lacks extensive video conferencing capabilities, its AI features make it ideal for tech-savvy teams seeking efficient communication tools.

8. Intermedia Unite

Intermedia Unit offers an integrated contact centre that helps you provide an exceptional customer experience.

Source

• Integrations: 15+

• Entry-level features: Unlimited calling, auto attendant, spam blocking, and supervisor functions

• Rating: 4.5 stars

• Pricing: From $28/month/user

As far as RingCentral alternatives go, Intermedia Unite works well for small to medium-sized businesses. It provides free unlimited calling to up to 33 countries and an all-in-one unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform that merges voice, chat, video, and fax. 

Ultimately, it’s ideal for teams seeking straightforward, cost-effective communication solutions accessible from multiple devices.

9. Natterbox

Natterbox integrates with ECI to give you in-depth call analytics.

Source

• Integrations: 3

• Entry-level features: IVR, auto-attendant, call recording, and real-time dashboards

• Rating: 4.3 stars

• Pricing: From $60/month/user 

Natterbox is an excellent RingCentral alternative for businesses that use Salesforce, thanks to its advanced integration designed to improve CRM and communication capabilities. It offers comprehensive features, including CTI, telephony, IVR, click-to-dial, and call recording directly within Salesforce. 

Natterbox also comes with extensive customisation options, allowing you to adapt the system to your needs. Additionally, it is known for consistently delivering high-quality voice calls, ensuring clear and professional communications.

Check out our article on Natterbox alternatives.

Why Aircall Stands Out From the Other RingCentral Alternatives

Aircall boosts collaboration while scaling your ability to build valuable customer relationships. What sets Aircall apart is its ability to leverage the power of conversation to create a powerful cloud-based customer communications platform that features real-time analytics, sales and customer support-specific features, and industry-leading integrations.

It also includes productivity features for sales teams by connecting with popular CRM software. You can track individual, team, and organisation-wide activity to identify trends, and use AI-generated call summaries to drive sales performance.

Unlike RingCentral and its competitors, you’ll see efficiency gains from day one with Aircall. That’s because the platform helps you streamline your existing processes, boost collaborative capabilities, and enhance the quality of customer-facing conversations.

Find Out How Aircall Can Add Value to Your Business

Selecting the right cloud-based phone system for your business requires careful consideration, and committing to a solution without understanding all it has to offer. 

Aircall stands out as a top alternative to RingCentral, partly due to its easy setup and extensive integrations with essential business tools. The platform is user-friendly, enabling you to seamlessly implement and integrate it into your systems without extensive training.

Aircall isn’t just a phone system but a comprehensive communication solution that helps your business achieve optimal performance. 

Book a demo today to discover how Aircall can help your small business boost productivity and reach targets while keeping costs low.

Published on December 7, 2022.