If you want to communicate with customers, having a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phone system is critical. Although it's often easier said than done to find a reliable communication platform, Dialpad has steadily emerged as one of the best VoIP systems in the market. But what is it that makes this California-based provider stand out from the crowd?
Since Dialpad was founded in 2011, it has developed into a global unified communications (UC) provider serving 48,000 customers, and over 30,000 brands in over 140 countries.
Today, Dialpad offers an AI contact center and UC experience that enables employees to communicate with customers via calls, video conference calls, and short message service (SMS) messages with a single solution.
Learn more: Read our Dialpad review.
Dialpad is best for small businesses that are looking for a communication solution with unlimited video meetings included as part of the base plan.
It's also great for companies that want to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help automate or enhance communication workflows with features, such as AI-generated post-call summaries, live speech coaching, and content generation with DialpadGPT.
That being said, Dialpad isn't the right fit for everyone, and small businesses and solopreneurs may opt to choose a less costly business phone system that doesn't offer so many additional capabilities. Let's look at some of the top VoIP systems on the market, focusing on each provider's base plan.
Each of the providers in this comparison was chosen based on their capabilities as communication platforms. Features taken into account include unlimited calls, video conferencing, SMS messaging, auto attendants, call forwarding, call logs, and recording, which businesses need to manage customer communications effectively.
One of the core selling points of Dialpad is its use of AI features. It has all the core features like unlimited calling and meeting support that you might need from a communication solution while also offering features, such as AI call recording and voicemail transcription that are incredibly useful.
8×8's base version X2 starts at $25 per user, per month, and offers a compelling alternative with unlimited calls to 14 countries, HD video conferencing for up to 500 participants, support for SMS and MMS messaging. This makes 8×8 a cost-efficient alternative with superior video conferencing support.
It's worth noting that Dialpad specifically offers unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada, rather than unlimited calls to 48 different countries like 8×8.
RingOver is a top alternative to Dialpad that offers a complete set of communication capabilities including unlimited calls to 100-plus destinations, video conferencing support, and a diverse range of integrations with popular third-party tools like Slack and Salesforce.
Most notably, Ringover stands out as a competitor because it offers unlimited calls to over 90 destinations and a local number from 43 countries, compared to Dialpad's more limited emphasis on unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada.
That being said, Dialpad's customer support appears to be more complete, offering 24/7 live support compared to Ringover, which offers form and phone support via the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Zoom Phone is another widely used alternative to Dialpad. The provider's base plan, the US & Canada Metered pay-as-you-go plan costs $120 per year and offers metered domestic (U.S. and Canada) and international calling, SMS, and MMS, and integrates with Salesforce.
While this is more limited than Dialpad's base plan, it's one of the cheapest VoIP options in the market, costing $10 per month.
Vonage is a UC provider with a range of capabilities that offers an entry-level plan for small businesses. The Vonage mobile package costs $19.99 per month, per line, and offers unlimited domestic calling, SMS and MMS, and voicemails.
While Vonage offers a low-cost alternative to Dialpad, the base plan also lacks important features like VoIP desk phone support, unlimited video meetings (up to 200 participants), and team messaging that Dialpad offers in its base plan.
Ooma Office is a low-cost VoIP solution with a base plan that clocks in at $19.95 per user, per month. The base plan comes with unlimited calling in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, plus a virtual receptionist.
Although Ooma Office Pro offers competitive pricing at $24.95 per user, per month, its base plan lacks features like text messaging and video conferencing, which are included with Dialpad by default.