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Dialpad is an easy choice for calling, video meetings, and AI-generated notes in one app that’s simple to deploy and pleasant to use.
But as your company grows and customer conversations get more demanding, the cracks start to show.
That’s when many teams start hunting for a Dialpad alternative. In this guide, I’ll explain why people leave, compare the Dialpad competitors, and share how I’d make the decision in your shoes.
Why Teams Switch From Dialpad
Dialpad is not a terrible product, and for small teams that simply want their call notes to be organized and the process streamlined, it can be an excellent choice.
Nevertheless, there are always the same three criticisms that I continue to hear from those who ultimately opt to leave.
- Support is difficult to reach. When a call flow breaks during a busy morning, administrators need a knowledgeable person who understands the system and can fix the problem quickly.
- Call quality can slip. A handful of users describe broken audio and dropped calls, particularly when a phone moves between WiFi and a mobile network during a conversation.
- The monthly bill keeps growing. The price displayed first on the page may seem attractive, but before long, it is discovered that the CRM integration, contact center solutions, and support all come at higher price points.
None of this means Dialpad is wrong for everyone. It simply means that some organizations outgrow the product, and if your team is one of them, the alternatives below deserve a careful and honest look.
Dialpad Alternatives at a Glance
The table below gives a quick summary of where each platform fits before we look at them one at a time.
8 Best Dialpad Alternatives in 2026
The market for business telephony solutions is not a unified entity, since there are platforms that are designed for salespeople, others for huge customer service centers, and still others from scratch using artificial intelligence.
Here is what distinguishes each Dialpad Alternatives
Aircall
What it is: A phone service solution based on cloud technology which is primarily centered on integration and can be seamlessly integrated with Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, and many other business solutions.
Features: AI-powered note taking and summarization after conversations, not during, and good CRM synchronization with correct sales information. Integration with current business solutions through an integration-focused solution by Aircall.
Pros:
- Broad, ready-made integrations
- Post-call summaries and coaching insights
- Clean CRM data for sales teams
Cons:
- No live AI assistance during calls
- Billing terms need careful review, as some customers report disappointment
RingCentral
What it is: One of the biggest names in the field of business communication, famous for reliability and extensive international presence, ideal for businesses with branches across multiple nations. Already on RingCentral? See how Thunai AI agents work with RingCentral.
Features: RingCX, its contact center product, offers dependable routing and reporting. RingCentral added AI features over time on top of an established foundation. Global coverage keeps communication consistent across multiple regions.
Pros:
- Reputation for steady, reliable service
- Wide international reach
- Dependable routing and reporting
Cons:
- Interface can feel dated compared to newer tools
- AI was added later rather than built in from the start
Nextiva
What it is: Phone system that combines calls, video conferencing, and text messaging into one package, noted for its excellent customer support.
Features: Integrated phone, video, and messaging all in one package. There’s call recording in more advanced packages, meaning that comparisons of the appropriate package are critical.
Pros:
- Calls, video, and texts in one place
- Strong reputation for customer care
- Simple, familiar system with little complexity
Cons:
- Cheapest plan leaves out call recording
- Plan comparisons with Dialpad require matching tiers carefully
Talkdesk
What it is: A platform made for large contact centers, with little focus on the small business market.
Features: Manages many communication channels at once. Provides workforce planning and quality review tools. A low-code studio lets teams design their own customer journeys.
Pros:
- Goes considerably deeper than Dialpad on contact center features
- Handles many channels at once
- Well suited to organizations managing large groups of agents
Cons:
- Largely ignores the small business market
- Depth may be more than smaller teams need
Five9
What it is: A platform built for operations that need both scale and strict control. Thinking about Five9 too? We compared the top Five9 alternatives here.
Features: Handles outbound dialing and complicated routing rules very well. Performs strongly in regulated industries such as health care and payments. Five9's compliance focus helps large operations avoid costly penalties.
Pros:
- Excellent outbound dialing capabilities
- Strong, complex routing rules
- Well suited to tightly regulated industries
Cons:
- Aimed at large operations, so it may be more than smaller teams need
- Complexity may demand more setup and management
Zoom Contact Center
What it is: An all-encompassing contact center that evolved out of a video conferencing software with features of voice, video, chat, and text messaging working simultaneously.
Features: With video integration, agents get to see what the customer is looking at, which is more effective especially during telehealth and technical support calls. The single vendor solution offered by Zoom makes it easy for those already working within Zoom.
Pros:
- Voice, video, chat, and text in one platform
- Video helps agents resolve telehealth and technical support issues
- Simple setup for teams already using Zoom
Cons:
- Video strength matters less for teams that don't need visual support
- Single-vendor reliance may limit flexibility
JustCall
What it is: The platform is intended to assist in outbound sales campaigns and text message campaigns.
Features: Additional functionalities include the integration of artificial intelligence coaching and real-time suggestions while making calls for higher pricing packages. The JustCall process is designed for speed and fits perfectly well for teams on calls and text messages throughout the day.
Pros:
- Auto dialers and strong SMS tools
- Connects with the most popular CRM platforms
- Fast workflow for high-volume calling and texting teams
Cons:
- AI coaching and live suggestions require higher plans
- Focus on outbound sales may be less suited to support-heavy teams
Thunai
What it is: Thunai is an agentic artificial intelligence solution that answers your calls and provides solutions for typical problems before there’s any need for human intervention.
Features: Answering the call, authenticating the customer’s account and solving first-level problems on its own while also working hand-in-hand with your CRM system. It is multilingual and also removes the hassle of voice menus from your calls.
Pros:
- Resolves common calls without a human agent
- Hands off complex cases with full history, so customers never repeat themselves
- Real-time multilingual support with natural conversation instead of menus
Cons:
- A very different approach from traditional phone systems, so it may need a mindset shift
- Complex cases still need human agents
Dialpad Plans vs Dialpad Alternatives: What You Really Pay
Price pages are stories in miniature form, but the price of the communication software is much more involved. When comparing Dialpad alternative offerings to the offerings of other vendors, you need to take the whole bill into account, not just the sticker price.
The basic package from Dialpad sounds cheap, and it usually comes with an annual contract requirement. Such basics as integration with CRM systems and support 24/7 are available in advanced packages.
Other vendors tend to operate the same way: minimum number of seats, extra fees for AI, call recording in advanced packages, etc. So in any Dialpad vs competitor comparison, add up four items:
- The base license
- The tier you need for CRM sync
- Any AI add-ons
- Fees and taxes
A very small team that only wants call notes may do well on Dialpad. An average-sized team that builds up all its requirements will be very near the cost of a complete contact center solution, and by then, some other competitors of Dialpad might actually provide much more value.
How to Choose a Dialpad Alternative
Your phone system dictates how the customer interacts with your business on a daily basis, and therefore it should not be taken lightly. The following is a step-by-step process of how I would go about selecting my phone system.
- Start with the main job
- CRM is where the salespeople operate and everything needs to be logged in and all contacts have to be synchronized; this is exactly what Aircall was designed for.
- The support team requires something else, namely smart routing, pop screens, and queue wide quality scoring.
- Look carefully at the AI
- While each company boasts of AI capabilities, for many of them, all of their AI means is that there is transcript and a summary generated at the end of the conversation.
- Ask about how the system works in terms of coaching agents, whether it can work on its own and resolve tickets without any human involvement.
- Test the speed
- Time is very important for the successful development of voice AI technology because human beings can pick up on any slight delay in the phone, after which, once it happens, the caller will immediately start speaking over the computer.
- It must first listen, translate the speech into text, select the answer, and then say it back.
- Think of AI as a coworker
- Good voice AI takes the routine calls and handles back-end work such as refunds and appointment bookings, and then it brings in a person when a case needs empathy or judgment.
- It should also review every call rather than a small sample, so that quality problems never hide in the calls nobody listened to. Curious how every call gets reviewed instead of a small sample? See how AI call scoring works.
- Check compliance, and never skip it
- It is not possible for contact centers to overlook the issue of security because they deal with the card numbers and health information on a daily basis.
- Ask the vendor to sign the Business Associate Agreement (HIPAA), and ask how they ensure the security of payment card data, if they mask key tones, and pause recording while reading card numbers. See how a SaaS team reached 100% SOP compliance.
See a live voice agent answer a real call and update your CRM. Book a demo.
FAQs about Dialpad Alternatives
What is the best dialpad alternative for small teams?
Both Nextiva and JustCall are popular among small businesses. Nextiva makes everything easy by combining voice and video into one plan, whereas JustCall is ideal for small outbound sales teams who rely mostly on text messaging.
How do Dialpad alternatives handle AI?
There are two major models available in the market currently. In the case of old systems, AI comes as a supplement which mainly records notes at the end of each call. On the other hand, new systems like Thunai incorporate AI right from the beginning so that it can handle calls, perform tasks, and assist agents during calls.
Dialpad vs Aircall: which is better for sales?
Aircall is the best option for most sales teams. The CRM integrations are integral to the software itself, meaning that the calls get logged and the information gets updated automatically. With Dialpad, you need to have a more advanced plan first.
Are Dialpad plans cheaper than the rest?
It is quite affordable at first glance, however, the package is not very extensive. After adding CRM integrations, more support, and tools for the contact center, it can become equally or even more expensive than other providers' solutions, so do not forget to consider the complete price.
Is there any Dialpad alternative for enterprise AI support?
Should your interest be in letting the AI handle customer calls rather than just recording them, then Thunai is one to consider. This system is ideal for large enterprises that wish to reduce first-level tickets and have quick responses to customers.
