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:
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.
Are you looking for a better option than RingCentral? Compare the other solutions on the market to select the best tool for your small or medium-sized business. Below, you will find a review of the competitors in terms of price, features, and ease of use:
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 full virtual cloud-based phone system that offers a second number to small and medium companies. You need to have either cellular or landline connection when you opt for their services as you will be using your existing service provider's network for both incoming and outcoming calls. However, you can use Grasshopper for VoIP and WiFi calling options.
They offer toll-free, vanity, and local numbers and give you the option to get your number ported. Rely on their service for other advantages like getting multiple extensions for every team member, voicemail transcription, call forwarding, personalized greetings, live receptionist services, etc. They have three pricing plans starting from $26. Users are given the option to pay monthly or annually.
Google Voice is a telephone service that gives a unique phone number to Google account users in the US and Google Workspace users in selected countries. It is a great phone system for businesses as it caters to SMEs and large organizations.
Use Google Voice to place and receive calls from Gmail, send text messages from any browser or phone, send voicemail transcripts using Google's advanced speech recognition technology, forward calls, block phone numbers, and even switch phones during an on-going call. Their packages start from 10 per user/per month for up to 10 users.
Skype is another fantastic alternative to RingCentral. A Skype number enables anyone to call you from regular landlines and cellphones without making use of the Skype application! As of now, Skype Numbers for businesses is available in up to 25 countries/regions, and the pricing plan starts from $3.59 to $9.59 per month. The rates would increase depending on the destination you are calling and the total call minutes. The length of subscription plans is 1, 3, and 12.
MagicJack is a VoIP-based program catering to users in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. They come with an array of features like call forwarding, call transfer, conference calls, caller ID blocking, auto-attendant, call waiting, eFax, and DND status. You can keep your business' existing number by getting it ported or applying for a brand new number. magicJack's pricing plan starts from $43 onwards, with flexible options to pay only for the services you need.
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].
