Pricing, Buyer guide · 10 min read
RingCentral pricing explained: RingEX Core, Advanced, Ultra, AI add-ons and fees
By the CallRoute team ·
RingCentral renamed its phone product RingEX and now sells it as Core, Advanced and Ultra. Many guides still show the older plan names and prices. This one walks through what RingCentral published on November 3, 2026, in US dollars: the plans, what each includes, the add-ons and fees, a worked total for a team of 5 and a team of 20, and the same teams on other providers. Prices change, so check ringcentral.com before you decide.
The plans
| Core | Advanced | Ultra | AI Customer Engagement Bundle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billed monthly, per user | $30 | $35 | $45 | Quote |
| Billed yearly, per user per month | $20 | $25 | $35 | Quote |
| US/CA calling | Sold as unlimited | Same | Same | Same |
| Toll-free minutes | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 | |
| Texts per user | 25 | 100 | 200 | Business SMS Booster included |
| On demand call recording | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Virtual Assistant notes and summaries | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| AI Receptionist | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Included |
| AI Conversation Expert | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Included |
| CRM integrations, multi site, core reporting | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Real time and historical insights, Webinar | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Video meetings | 300 people | 300 people | 300 people | 300 people |
The pricing page shows the same rate for 1 to 5 users and for 6 to 100 users, and more than 100 users is a quote. Paying yearly saves $10 per user per month on every plan, $120 per user a year. Every plan also lists the ChatGPT plugin and MCP connectors that RingCentral launched in September 2026.
The add-ons
- AI Receptionist: from $39 a month on top of a RingEX plan, or $49 a month standalone, each with 100 minutes. After that it is $0.50 a minute, billed in 30 second steps, and extra minute bundles are for sale. For the full picture, read RingCentral AI Receptionist pricing and alternatives.
- AI Conversation Expert, for coaching, sentiment, topics and call scoring: from $60.
- Call Queues Booster $35 and Business SMS Booster $25. The plan page does not say whether these are per user or per account, so ask before you count them.
- Numbers: an extra local or toll-free number is $4.99 a month, a vanity number $30 one time plus $4.99 a month, international numbers from $5.99 per user a month and international toll-free $14.99 per user a month plus $25 one time.
- High Volume SMS from $0.0119 per message sent or received.
- Other products: RingCX contact center from $65 per user, Push to Talk $5 per user, Webinar from $30 per organizer, Events from $99 and Rooms from $39 per room.
Fees and terms
The footnotes on the same page are worth reading before you sign:
- Recovery fees and taxes. A Federal Universal Service Recovery Fee, an E911 Service Fee, a Compliance and Administrative Cost Recovery Fee, and state and local taxes are added to the bill.
- Texting registration. "Additional TCR fees may apply for registration." The amounts are not shown on the pricing page.
- Implementation. "Professional implementations for two users and above."
- Desk phones. "Phone rental available only with multi-year contract." You can also buy phones.
- Renewal. Yearly terms come with renewal and notice terms in your agreement. Review sites often report auto renewal and price changes at renewal, so read your own agreement rather than relying on a summary.
Worked example: 5 and 20 users
Software only, per month, before taxes, fees and usage.
| Team | Core, monthly / yearly | Advanced, monthly / yearly | Core plus AI Receptionist, monthly / yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $150 / $100 | $175 / $125 | $189 / $139 |
| 20 users | $600 / $400 | $700 / $500 | $639 / $439 |
| Texts included, 5 users | 125 | 500 | 125 |
Two things move the total most. First, the billing term: yearly is a third cheaper on Core. Second, texting: a 5 person team on Core shares 125 texts a month, and a shared text inbox with templates adds the $25 Business SMS Booster. If the AI Receptionist answers 100 calls of about two minutes, that is 200 minutes: $39 for the first 100 and $50 for the next 100, or $89 a month.
The same teams on other providers
Here is a 5 person team, as published on November 3, 2026. The last column adds 100 AI answered calls of about two minutes each. Where a provider prices this through sales, we say so instead of guessing.
| Provider and plan | 5 users, monthly / yearly | AI answering for 100 calls of 2 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| RingCentral RingEX Core | $150 / $100 | AI Receptionist, $39 with 100 minutes, then 100 minutes at $0.50, $89 |
| Dialpad Connect Standard | $135 / $75 | Up to $199 on Resolve |
| Quo (formerly OpenPhone) Business | $165 / $115 | Free credits plus the $49 pack for about 100 calls |
| Nextiva | From $75 | XBert, $99 for 100 conversations |
| Zoom Phone, US and Canada plan | $90 / $80 | Sold separately as a virtual agent |
| Aircall Essentials | $190 / $150 | 50 minutes included, then $0.29 a minute, about $43.50 |
| KrispCall Advance | $200 / $160 | AI Voice Agent coming soon, custom pricing |
| CallRoute Business | $160, monthly only | 200 minutes at $0.25, $50 |
| CallRoute Business Plus | $245, monthly only | 150 minutes included, then $12.50 |
Read it honestly:
- RingCentral is cheaper on a yearly term. Core at $20 per user is $12 less than CallRoute Business. Billed monthly, Core at $30 is $2 less.
- RingCentral includes more calling. Its US and Canadian calling is sold as unlimited. CallRoute includes 200 minutes per user on Business and 400 on Business Plus, calls in and out together and pooled across the team, then $0.04 a minute. A team that spends hours on the phone every day pays less at RingCentral.
- CallRoute includes more texting. Business includes 250 texts per user, against 25 on Core, and the shared inbox with templates is part of the plan.
- AI answering costs less per minute on CallRoute: $0.25 a minute with no monthly fee, against $39 for the first 100 minutes and $0.50 a minute after that on RingCentral. It takes messages, it does not book appointments or transfer calls yet, while RingCentral AI Receptionist books into Google and Outlook calendars.
- Texting registration on CallRoute is $79 one time, then $20 per month. Count it in your total.
Next steps
For a feature by feature view, see CallRoute vs RingCentral. For the wider field, read the best RingCentral alternatives, Dialpad pricing explained, Quo pricing explained and KrispCall pricing explained. Our own prices are on the pricing page, and you can start a free trial.