Which business phone systems have the features you need? Which ones are within your budget? Which ones can scale with your growing business?
We can make this difficult decision easier for you by comparing two unified communications platforms.
So, if you’re still searching for the perfect communications solution for your business, take a look at the key differences between Aircall and Dialpad so you can determine which one does a better job of meeting your telephony needs.
Aircall vs. Dialpad: The Pros
Let’s begin our journey by looking at the best features and benefits of each platform. What does each platform bring to the table to improve your business communications?
Aircall: the pros
Aircall’s business phone and communications platform is a popular choice among small and mid-sized companies, thanks in part to its array of features.
Notable features include:
Click-to-call
Call tagging
Call conferencing
Call recording
Integrated video calls
An extensive integrations library, including Zapier, Shopify, Slack, and Zoho
SMS and MMS messaging
Aircall offers advanced call management features, such as interactive voice response capabilities, call routing, and advanced analytics. These features allow callers to reach the right person or department easily and give users deeper insights into their calls and customers.
Aircall is also known for its fast connection speeds, user-friendly interfaces, and high-quality audio. Additionally, it can integrate with helpdesk and customer relationship management (CRM) tools, further improving productivity for organizations and contact centers . These features make Aircall a good choice for organizations looking for fast, efficient communications.
Aircall customers can purchase an Essentials plan at $30/user/month, a Professional plan at $50/user/month, or a Custom plan with pricing that varies depending on their needs.
Each plan is also available as a yearly subscription, which is 25% less expensive than a monthly one.
Dialpad: the pros
Dialpad is a scalable, flexible communications and contact center platform that offers AI-driven insights and real-time transcription services. These services help provide detailed call analytics and insights, which can increase an organization’s understanding of its customer interactions and improve agent productivity .
Dialpad’s UCaaS platform supports voice, video, messaging (including topic-based team messaging and message threads), and meetings. These can all be accessed from a single user-friendly interface across devices and platforms.
Dialpad is also known for its mobile functionality, as employees and contact center agents can work seamlessly from their phones (on iOS and Android mobile apps) or computers (via Windows and Mac desktop apps or web browsers). This allows for meetings and calls from just about anywhere, which makes Dialpad a popular choice for remote workforces.
Other Dialpad features include:
Visual voicemail
Local presence
Call park and call transfer
Virtual phone numbers
Power dialer
Call monitoring
Additionally, Dialpad has been praised for its ease of use and seamless integrations with other business tools, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and CRM platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, and HubSpot.
Dialpad has invested heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), which it uses for features like real-time agent assist, transcriptions, and sentiment analysis. Dialpad’s AI features appeal to organizations looking for a communications and contact center platform with a focus on new and growing technologies.
Dialpad offers three pricing plans: a Standard plan starting at $15/user/month, a Pro plan at $25/user/month, and a Enterprise plan with undisclosed pricing.
Aircall vs. Dialpad: The Cons
No platform is perfect, and for all the benefits that Aircall and Dialpad offer, there are also downsides to each. Now that we’ve looked at their benefits, let’s see where they may fall short.
Aircall: the cons
Aircall has its limitations and issues. Some users have reported encountering issues like frequent connectivity problems and have said the admin controls for calls are lacking.
Aircall has also been reported to fall short when merging missed calls from the same number. Contact center customers have reported difficulty with finding detailed stats about individual agents, which can make workforce management a challenge.
For businesses looking to use AI-powered tools and capabilities, Aircall requires additional modules to access advanced features. Overall, its AI functionality falls short of Dialpad’s.
At $30/user/month for its base plan, Aircall isn’t the cheapest option. Organizations that are budget-conscious or scaling may want to weigh their options carefully.
Dialpad: the cons
While Dialpad’s basic plan may be more affordable than Aircall’s, this could be a case of getting what you pay for. Dialpad’s basic plan offers fewer integrations than Aircall’s, and Dialpad’s users will need a higher-tier plan if they want to integrate specific tools. Additionally, customers have reported having issues with the integrations Dialpad offers . They have also raised issues with call quality , so potential customers are advised to test it before signing on.
Even customer support is limited on most plans, as only Dialpad’s Pro plan offers 24/7 customer support. Everyone else has to wait for a weekday to get help. Some reviews have raised issues concerning the company’s responsiveness. Dialpad’s support compares unfavorably with Aircall’s, which offers 24/7 support for all its plans.
Aircall vs. Dialpad vs. Nextiva Contact Center
What if neither of these options sounds appealing? Aircall and Dialpad are just two of the solutions on the market, and there are some great alternatives out there.
Nextiva, for example, is an excellent unified communications platform with many advantages over Aircall and Dialpad.
Aircall Dialpad Nextiva Plan Pro Advanced Professional Monthly price $50/user $115/user $119/user Restrictions Three-seat minimum Annual billing required Annual billing required Available only for U.S.-based organizations Key features Power dialer Call monitoring Salesforce integration Digital customer support AI assistant Call transcription Full omnichannel capabilities Plug-and-play advanced AI Quality management Customer rating (G2) 4.3 out of 5 (1,020 reviews) 4.3 out of 5 (224 reviews) 4.5 out of 5 (3,100 reviews) Best for Sales teams Sales and support teams Sales, service, and support teams
Note: The nearest pricing plan for functionality was selected for comparison purposes. Providers may require annual billing to reflect the prices shown.
A comprehensive communications platform
If you’re looking for a truly unified communications solution, Nextiva offers voice, video, SMS, and team messaging within a single platform. Employees and agents can communicate across their channels of choice from a single account without needing to switch between tabs or apps.
Compare that to Aircall and Dialpad, which focus primarily on voice and SMS. While they have UCaaS functionality, such as video meetings on Dialpad, neither offering is as comprehensive as Nextiva’s.
Nextiva’s features include:
Voice over Internet Protocol calling
Video conferencing
Team collaboration tools, including team messaging and file sharing
Workforce optimization tools
Automatic transcriptions and call summaries
AI-powered customer support and task automation
Real-time conversation insights
Advanced call routing
Integrations with a wide array of apps and CRM platforms
Omnichannel support capabilities
In addition to enabling communications across channels, Nextiva excels at seamlessly managing customer interactions regardless of which channel they use. This is essential in a contact center environment, where customers may use multiple channels to get help and seek answers to their questions.
With Nextiva, you can see the entire customer journey across each touchpoint, including information from previous calls, emails, and messages. With this information, agents can provide better, more personalized assistance for more efficient and successful calls.
Scalability and customization
Not every communications solution is one size fits all. As your business grows, it will need a solution that can scale and grow with it.
Nextiva’s solution is tailored to fit businesses of every size, as it offers greater scalability than Aircall or Dialpad. It’s also ready to go right out of the box, so you can migrate your communications to Nextiva and keep working without missing a beat.
Reliability and support
Downtime can really harm your business by costing it valuable time and money. You need a reliable communications platform. Nextiva has a 99.999% uptime guarantee, so you can rest easy that your communications will work uninterrupted.
Customer support is also important, and Nextiva’s 24/7 support team has received high praise from customers . If you have a question or need a bit of troubleshooting, Nextiva’s call center team can help you quickly and effectively.
Cost-effectiveness
A communications system is an investment, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the most out of the one you choose. You need a platform that provides great value so that you’ll get the features and tools you need at a fair price.
Nextiva’s feature-rich plans offer more value at each price point than Dialpad or Aircall. Plus, with Nextiva’s transparent pricing, you won’t have to worry about hidden fees or additional monthly payments to get the features you need.
Nextiva’s rates start at $18.95/user/month for the Essential plan and cap at $32.29/user/month for the Enterprise plan. This makes Nextiva an affordable alternative to Aircall and Dialpad that provides more features and value for what you’ll pay.
