No. Dialpad has a 14 day free trial, then Connect Standard costs $27 per user per month billed monthly or $15 billed yearly, as of November 2026. There is no free plan.

Does Dialpad have a seat minimum?

Connect Standard has no minimum. Pro needs at least three users and Enterprise at least 100.

Which Dialpad alternative is cheapest for a team of 5?

On headline price, Dialpad Standard billed yearly is hard to beat at $15 per user. Once you add what you actually use, such as AI answering, extra departments or integrations, the totals move. Price each provider on last month's calls, texts and missed calls rather than the lowest headline rate.

Can I keep my Dialpad numbers?

Usually, yes. US and Canadian numbers can be ported to another provider. Ask Dialpad for the account number and transfer PIN, start the port with your new provider, and keep Dialpad active until the move completes.

Buyer guide, Alternatives · 12 min read

Best Dialpad alternatives: every big business phone system compared

By the CallRoute team · November 3, 2026 · Updated November 4, 2026

Dialpad is one of the strongest names in business phones. It is cheaper per seat than most rivals, it puts call recording, live transcripts and AI summaries on every plan, and it has a big integration list. So why do so many teams search for a Dialpad alternative? Usually because of fit: a seat minimum, a cap on departments, AI agents priced per conversation, or a renewal they want to rethink. This guide covers every big alternative, fairly, with prices we checked in November 2026.

What Dialpad is in 2026

Dialpad sells four products that share one AI layer:

Connect, the business phone system. Standard is $27 and Pro $35 per user per month billed monthly, or $15 and $25 billed yearly. Enterprise is a quote.
Sell, for outbound sales floors, with a power dialer and live coaching, from $39 per user per month billed yearly.
Support, a contact center with queues and omnichannel routing, from $89 per user per month billed yearly.
Resolve, AI agents that answer calls and chats, at $1.99 per voice conversation and $0.99 per digital conversation from a prepaid credit pool.

Most of what Dialpad shipped over the last year was for contact centers, sales floors and enterprise admins. Connect, the part most teams compare, is still a solid phone system. For the full price breakdown, read Dialpad pricing explained.

Why teams look elsewhere

Seat minimums and plan limits. Pro needs three seats, Enterprise needs 100. Standard allows one office and three departments, and Dialpad's own plan table lists extensions on Enterprise.
AI agents priced per conversation. Resolve costs $1.99 per voice conversation from a credit pool you set up through sales. Teams with steady after hours volume often want a per minute price or an allowance.
Integrations start at Pro. Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zapier and the API are not on Standard.
Billing and renewal reviews. Public reviews often mention auto renewal and charges after cancelling. Whatever you pick, read the renewal terms before you sign.
Support reach for small accounts. Standard has live chat and web support on weekdays, with phone support from Pro.

How we compared them

We looked at the price per user, monthly and yearly where published, seat minimums, how much US and Canadian calling is included, how AI answering is priced, where you can get numbers, and which plan includes recording and AI summaries. Prices are what each provider published when we checked on November 3, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on each provider's pricing page before you decide.

The alternatives, one by one

Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

A clean business phone app for calling and texting, renamed from OpenPhone in 2025. Starter is $19, Business $33 and Scale $47 per user per month, or $15, $23 and $35 billed yearly. Calling and texting are sold as unlimited under fair use, and its Sona AI agent comes with about 10 free calls, then credit packs from $25. Numbers are US and Canada only. Best for teams that want a simple shared inbox and good apps. See CallRoute vs Quo.

RingCentral

The category incumbent, with phone, video, messaging and desk phones from one vendor. RingEX Core, Advanced and Ultra are $30, $35 and $45 per user per month billed monthly, or $20, $25 and $35 billed yearly, with 25 texts per user on Core. Its AI Receptionist is an add-on from $39 a month with 100 minutes, then $0.50 a minute. Best for companies that want one vendor for everything and have time for a guided rollout. See CallRoute vs RingCentral.

Aircall

Cloud phone software for sales and support desks, with a large integration marketplace. Essentials is $38 and Professional $63 per user per month billed monthly, or $30 and $50 billed yearly, with a three license minimum. It includes 50 AI Voice Agent minutes a month, then $0.29 a minute. Best for desks that live in queues and CRM workflows. See CallRoute vs Aircall.

Nextiva

A broad platform with phone, video, messaging and contact center tools, listed from $15 per user per month on NEXT Core, with its XBert AI at $99 a month for 100 conversations or $1.50 per conversation. Sold with a demo rather than a self serve trial. Best for businesses that want those tools from one vendor. See CallRoute vs Nextiva.

8x8

Enterprise communications and contact center software, sold mostly through its sales team, so expect a quote rather than a price list. Best for larger organizations with procurement and contact center needs. See CallRoute vs 8x8.

Zoom Phone

Calling inside the Zoom platform, with its US and Canada calling plan at $18 per user per month billed monthly or $16 billed yearly, and Zoom's AI Companion included. Best for teams that already run their meetings on Zoom. See CallRoute vs Zoom Phone.

Grasshopper

A virtual phone number that forwards calls to the phones you already have, priced per account and advertised from $14 a month. Best for a solo owner or a very small office that mainly needs a second number. See CallRoute vs Grasshopper.

JustCall

A cloud phone and texting tool for sales and support. Team, Pro and Pro Plus are $29, $49 and $89 per user per month billed yearly, with a two seat minimum, and its AI Voice Agent starts at $0.15 a minute. See CallRoute vs JustCall.

Google Voice

A phone add-on for Google Workspace at $10, $20 or $30 per user per month, with Starter capped at 10 users. You need a Workspace subscription first. Best for teams already on Workspace that need basic calling and texting. See CallRoute vs Google Voice.

KrispCall

A cloud phone and texting app with numbers in more than 100 countries. Starter is $15, Advance $40 and Max $60 per user per month billed monthly, or $12, $32 and $48 billed yearly, with Enterprise on a quote. Each plan bundles minutes: 200 outbound and 200 inbound per user on Starter, 1,000 each way on Advance, and a fair use limit of 2,000 each way on Max. Starter caps you at 5 users and Advance at 50. Recording starts on Advance, AI summaries are an add-on, its AI Voice Agent is listed as coming soon, and there is no free trial. Best for teams that need numbers in many countries or a lot of included minutes. See CallRoute vs KrispCall.

CloudTalk

Call center software for sales and support, priced in euros, from EUR 34 per user per month billed monthly or EUR 25 billed yearly, with its AI Receptionist at EUR 99 a month. See CallRoute vs CloudTalk.

CallRoute

A business phone with a number and extension for every teammate and one inbox for calls, texts and voicemail. Business is $32 and Business Plus $49 per user per month, billed monthly, with no seat minimum. Both include call recording with AI transcripts, summaries and action items, departments with their own admin, main line and wallet, and extensions. The AI receptionist costs $0.25 per minute, with 30 minutes per user included on Business Plus, and Business Plus adds WhatsApp, the team inbox, Slack, HubSpot and the API. You can add UK and Australian numbers and use live call translation in 33 languages.

Where Dialpad is ahead: it is cheaper per seat, monthly or yearly, and sells US and Canadian calling as unlimited, while CallRoute publishes 200 or 400 minutes per user and then charges $0.04 a minute. Dialpad also shows a live transcript during the call, labels spam calls, offers numbers in more than 50 countries, video meetings, desk phones, Mac and Windows apps and a longer integration list. CallRoute has no yearly price yet, and its iPhone app is on the way. See CallRoute vs Dialpad.

Also worth a look

Ooma Office, known for desk phones, from $19.95 per user per month. See vs Ooma.
Vonage Business, a long running service from $19.99 per line per month. See vs Vonage.
Talkroute, a virtual phone system priced per account. See vs Talkroute.
Allo, a newer AI phone app, with Business at $45 per seat monthly or $32 yearly. Check its number coverage and support before you move a main line.

Side by side

Provider	Entry price per user, monthly / yearly	Seat minimum	AI answering
Dialpad Connect	$27 / $15	None on Standard, 3 on Pro	Resolve, $1.99 per voice conversation
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)	$19 / $15	None published	Sona, about 10 free calls, then packs from $25
RingCentral	$30 / $20	None published	AI Receptionist add-on from $39 a month with 100 minutes, then $0.50 a minute
Aircall	$38 / $30	3 licenses	50 minutes included, then $0.29 a minute
Nextiva	From $15	Not published	XBert, $99 for 100 conversations
8x8	Quote	Through sales	Through sales
Zoom Phone	$18 / $16	None published	Sold separately as a virtual agent
Grasshopper	From $14 per account	Per account	Not a core feature
JustCall	Yearly from $29	2 seats	From $0.15 a minute
Google Voice	$10 with Workspace	Needs Workspace	No
KrispCall	$15 / $12	None, 5 user cap on Starter	AI Voice Agent coming soon, custom pricing
CallRoute	$32, monthly only	None	$0.25 a minute, 30 minutes per user on Business Plus

Prices as published on November 3, 2026. Product names are trademarks of their owners.

How to move your numbers from Dialpad

Check your Dialpad renewal date and notice terms, so the move finishes before the plan renews.
Sign up with the new provider and take a temporary number so your team can start right away.
Ask Dialpad for the account number and transfer PIN, and download a recent invoice.
Start the port with the new provider. Carriers usually accept a date at least 7 days out.
Recreate your menus, departments, hours and greetings while you wait.
Cancel your Dialpad licenses only after each number shows as active with the new provider.

Our step by step guide for this move is at switch from Dialpad, and every other move is on the switch page. Comparing Dialpad with one rival in particular? Read Dialpad vs Quo, RingCentral, Grasshopper, Nextiva, 8x8 and CallRoute. Coming from Quo instead? See the best OpenPhone (Quo) alternatives. Then check pricing, the AI receptionist, or start a free trial.