Sep 14, 2026

8 Best Dialpad Alternatives in 2026 (Compared)

Dialpad’s $15 sticker price is an annual-billing number. Pay monthly and Standard is $27. Want Pro? That’s three seats minimum, and the AI agents that actually answer customers are a separate product you price with sales.

If you’re shopping for a Dialpad alternative, the real question is what happens to a call nobody picks up.

The quick answer: Carly Phone is the best Dialpad alternative for small and mid-sized teams that want missed calls to turn into booked meetings, not voicemails. You get calls and texts on one number, routing and phone menus, and an AI receptionist that qualifies the caller, checks your real calendars and books the right person, with every call logged to your CRM. The Carly team sets it up with you. Book a call with the Carly team to see it on your own call flow.

Dialpad alternatives compared

Tool	Price per user (annual / monthly)	AI answering	The catch
Carly Phone	Set on a short call	AI receptionist qualifies callers and books them on real calendars	Set up with the Carly team, not a checkout page
Dialpad (for reference)	$15 / $27 Standard, $25 / $35 Pro	AI Agents sold separately, per-conversation credits	3-user minimum on Pro
Quo	$15 / $19 Starter, $23 / $33 Business	Sona, 1,000 credits (about 10 calls) included	CRM sync and phone menus start on Business
RingCentral RingEX	$20 / $30 Core, $25 / $35 Advanced	AIR add-on from $39	Auto-renews unless you give 30 days’ notice
Aircall	$30 / $40 Essentials, $50 / $70 Professional	AI Voice Agent, 50 minutes a month	3-license minimum
Nextiva	$15 / $23 Core, $25 / $50 Engage	XBert AI Receptionist add-on	Annual price needs a paid 12-month term
Zoom Phone	$10.50 / $12 Metered, $16 / $18 US & Canada plan	Varies by bundle	Metered plan bills outbound calls per minute
JustCall	$29 Team, $49 Pro (annual)	AI Voice Agent, per-minute add-on	2-license minimum
Google Voice	$10 Starter, $20 Standard, $30 Premier	Voicemail transcription	Needs a separate Google Workspace plan

US list prices, checked September 14, 2026. Carly Phone is scoped per team: book a call with the Carly team for yours.

Why teams leave Dialpad

Dialpad is a capable phone system with a 4.1 on Trustpilot across more than 3,100 reviews. People don’t leave because it can’t make calls. They leave over cost and follow-through:

The advertised price assumes a year up front. Standard is $15 per user on annual billing and $27 on monthly. Pro is $25 or $35, and it carries a 3-user minimum, so a two-person team pays for three seats. Enterprise has a 100-seat minimum.
The AI that talks to customers is priced separately. Dialpad AI Agents are their own product, billed per conversation from a pool of credits you buy through sales. See how Carly Phone’s receptionist handles the same call.
Billing and cancellation complaints. Recent 1-star reviewers report a renewal invoice 5X their previous annual bill, refunds still pending weeks after cancelling, and cards still being charged months after a confirmed cancellation. In one reply, Dialpad noted that a discounted trial converts into an annual subscription when the trial ends.
Hard to reach a human. One September reviewer spent over a month trying to book a sales demo. Others report call lag and slow billing tickets.
Texting stalls on registration. Dialpad blocks outbound texts from any US number without an approved A2P campaign, and the registry fees land on your bill. One reviewer found out during onboarding that their industry couldn’t send SMS on Dialpad at all.

Carrier registration applies to every US texting provider. The rest is worth weighing against your invoice: get a walkthrough of Carly Phone and compare.

1. Carly Phone

Carly is an AI assistant for businesses, and Carly Phone gives it a business line. It covers what Dialpad sells a small or mid-sized team: shared numbers, call routing, phone menus, voicemail transcription, call summaries, texting, AI answering and CRM sync. The Carly team sets all of it up for you.

The difference is what happens after the phone rings. Most phone systems take a message. Carly already knows your email, calendar and CRM, so when a caller wants something, it can act on it.

What you get:

One number for calls and texts. Get a new local number or bring the one you already have.
Routing built around your team. Ring everyone at once or in order, set business-hours and after-hours rules, and add call flows and phone menus. The Carly team configures them to match how you work.
An AI receptionist that books. When nobody picks up, or after hours, Carly answers questions, qualifies the caller against your criteria, checks real calendars and books the right person. Afterward it can text the caller a booking page or application link.
A shared texting inbox. Carly answers texts for you, and anyone on the team can take over a conversation. Photos, attachments and opt-outs are handled.
One call inbox. Voicemails come with transcripts, and every call gets an outcome and a summary. Mark follow-ups resolved or reopen them.
CRM logging on every call. Calls land in Carly’s built-in CRM and in HubSpot, Salesforce or Dynamics 365.

Here’s what that looks like. Say a homeowner calls Josh’s contracting business at 7pm asking for a kitchen estimate. Carly picks up, asks about the job size and zip code, sees Emily has an open slot Thursday, books her, and texts the caller a confirmation. The call summary is in HubSpot before Josh gets home.

The line sits next to everything else Carly does (email, scheduling, follow-ups), and Carly connects to thousands of apps, Dialpad included. Mid-contract? Carly can work alongside your Dialpad line until you move the number over. See Carly Phone on a call.

Best for: Service businesses, agencies and sales teams whose phone calls should end in a booked meeting or a qualified lead.

Pricing: Carly Phone is an add-on for teams. Pricing is set on a short call, based on your lines and call volume.

Watch out for: It’s set up with you rather than bought off a checkout page, so plan a short call first. Book a call with the Carly team.

2. Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Quo is the closest like-for-like swap for a small team that mainly wants a clean shared number and texting app. Its AI agent, Sona, answers calls, and 1,000 credits (about 10 calls) come with every plan. After that, you buy packs at $25, $49, $99 or $199 a month for 40 to 600 calls. For a fuller breakdown, see our Quo alternatives roundup.

Best for: Small teams that want a straightforward phone and texting app with low per-seat pricing.

Pricing: Starter $15 per user per month annual ($19 monthly), Business $23 ($33), Scale $35 ($47). Extra numbers are $5 a month each. Texting registration is $19.50 one-time, plus $1.50 to $3 a month.

Watch out for: HubSpot and Salesforce sync, phone menus and AI summaries on all calls start on Business. On a busy line, AI answering beyond the included credits is billed as call packs.

3. RingCentral RingEX

RingCentral is the established pick for teams that want calls, meetings and chat from one big vendor. Its AI Receptionist (AIR) answers and routes calls, but it’s sold as an add-on. See how the two compare head-on in RingCentral vs Dialpad, or read our RingCentral AI Receptionist breakdown.

Best for: Multi-location businesses that want a mature unified communications suite.

Pricing: Core $20 per user per month annual ($30 monthly), Advanced $25 ($35), Ultra $35 ($45). The AIR add-on is $39 a month ($49 standalone) with 100 minutes included, then $0.50 a minute.

Watch out for: Contracts auto-renew unless you give notice at least 30 days before the term ends. AI minutes add up on a high-volume line. More options in RingCentral alternatives.

4. Aircall

Aircall is built for sales and support teams that live in their CRM, with power dialing, call tagging and analytics on the Professional tier. It includes an AI Voice Agent with a monthly minute allowance. We cover more options in Aircall alternatives.

Best for: Outbound sales and support teams of three or more who want deep CRM calling.

Pricing: Essentials $30 per license per month annual ($40 monthly), Professional $50 ($70).

Watch out for: There’s a 3-license minimum, so the real entry price is at least $90 a month. The AI Voice Agent includes 50 minutes a month per account, and more minutes are bundles (for example, $175 for 500).

5. Nextiva

Nextiva bundles voice, video and messaging, and leans on support: its plans list hands-on setup assistance plus phone, email and chat support. Its XBert AI Receptionist is sold as an add-on.

Best for: Small businesses that want a single vendor and a hands-on onboarding team.

Pricing: Core $15 per user per month annual ($23 monthly), Engage $25 ($50), Scale $75.

Watch out for: The annual price requires a paid 12-month minimum term, and AI answering costs extra through XBert.

6. Zoom Phone

If your team already runs on Zoom Workplace, Zoom Phone adds calling without another vendor or login, at one of the lowest seat prices here.

Best for: Zoom-first companies that mostly need internal and inbound calling.

Pricing: US & Canada Metered $10.50 per user per month annual ($12 monthly). The US & Canada calling plan with domestic minutes included is $16 ($18).

Watch out for: The Metered plan bills every outbound call by the minute, so the low seat price only holds for low outbound volume.

7. JustCall

JustCall targets sales and support teams with calling and texting built around CRM integrations. Its AI Voice Agent is a per-minute add-on.

Best for: Sales teams running outbound calling and texting from inside their CRM.

Pricing: Team $29 per user per month, Pro $49, Pro Plus $89, all billed annually.

Watch out for: There’s a 2-license minimum, and AI voice minutes are billed on top of the seat price.

8. Google Voice

Google Voice is the lightweight choice for teams already paying for Google Workspace: a business number with voicemail transcription, managed alongside Workspace. For a wider field, see best small business phone systems.

Best for: Very small teams on Google Workspace that need a basic business number.

Pricing: Starter $10 per user per month, Standard $20, Premier $30.

Watch out for: It requires a separate Google Workspace plan on top of the Voice license.

Picking the right Dialpad replacement

Your calls should end in booked meetings: Carly Phone. The receptionist qualifies callers and books them on real calendars, then logs everything to your CRM. For the category in general, see AI answering services and best AI receptionists.
You want the cheapest shared number and texting app: Quo or Google Voice.
You need a full unified communications suite: RingCentral or Nextiva.
You’re an outbound sales floor: Aircall or JustCall.
You already live in Zoom: Zoom Phone.

If customers book by text, Carly’s shared SMS inbox answers and schedules for you (see SMS appointment booking). Get a walkthrough and the Carly team will map your Dialpad call flows onto Carly Phone.

Switching off Dialpad without losing your number

Check your renewal date first. Reviewers report surprise renewals and slow cancellations, so cancel in writing well before the term ends.
Port your number before you close the account. Closing a phone account can release its numbers, so move the number to your new provider first. Carly Phone lets you bring the number you already have.
Re-register texting. US business texting needs an approved brand and campaign with your new provider, so start that early.
Recreate your call flows. List your ring groups, hours and phone menu options. With Carly, the Carly team rebuilds these with you on one call. Book a call with the Carly team to start.

FAQ

What is the best alternative to Dialpad?

For small and mid-sized teams that want calls answered and turned into booked meetings, Carly Phone is the strongest Dialpad alternative. Its AI receptionist qualifies callers, checks real calendars and books the right person, then logs the call to your CRM. For a plain shared number, Quo is the closest match. For a large unified communications suite, look at RingCentral or Nextiva.

Is there anything cheaper than Dialpad?

On list price, yes. Zoom Phone’s Metered plan is $10.50 per user per month on annual billing, and Google Voice Starter is $10 (plus a Google Workspace plan). Quo Starter and Nextiva Core match Dialpad’s $15 annual price, but they’re cheaper month to month at $19 and $23 against Dialpad’s $27.

Does Dialpad have an AI receptionist?

Dialpad sells AI Agents, which are autonomous voice and chat agents. They’re a separate product, billed per conversation from a pool of credits, and priced through Dialpad’s sales team rather than bundled into the phone plans.

Does Dialpad require a contract?

Dialpad offers monthly and annual billing, and the lower advertised prices require annual billing. In a reply to a reviewer, Dialpad said a discounted trial converts into an annual subscription when the trial ends, so check which terms you signed up under before you cancel.

Can I keep my Dialpad phone number if I switch?

Usually, yes. Port the number to your new provider before you close your Dialpad account, because closing the account can release the number. Carly Phone lets you bring the number you already have.

Is Dialpad better than RingCentral?

Dialpad starts lower ($15 against RingCentral’s $20 on annual billing) and puts AI features front and center. RingCentral has the bigger suite and sells its AI Receptionist as a $39 add-on. Our RingCentral vs Dialpad comparison covers both in detail.

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