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ToolGPA

Aircall vs Dialpad

We give Aircall a 2.6 GPA and Dialpad a 2.8, out of 4.0. Dialpad grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Aircall

Cloud phone system for sales and support teams, with AI voice agents

Free trial · from $30/mo
Full detailsaircall.io

Dialpad

AI business phone with live call transcripts and call summaries

Free trial · from $15/mo
Full detailsdialpad.com

How we grade them

2.6GPAAircallGood2.8GPADialpadGood
Value for money
D$30 a head for five on Essentials, billed yearly, which puts it in this category's dearest tenth ($29 and up). There's a 3-license minimum, so even one person pays $90 a month. Summaries and the power dialer need Professional at $50.
C$15 a head for five on Standard, billed yearly. That's just over this category's cheaper quarter ($14), and it includes the live transcripts and AI summaries. Monthly billing jumps to $27, and CRM links need Pro at $25.
Free plan and trial
CThere's a free trial with 100 AI Voice Agent minutes, but the listing doesn't give its length or say whether it needs a card. No free plan.
CA 14-day free trial of Dialpad Connect, and no free plan. The listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card.
Features
BA shared call inbox, phone menus and queues, recording with AI transcripts on every plan, 50 AI Voice Agent minutes a month, and a power dialer on Professional. It covers the whole job for a calling team.
BUnlimited US and Canada calls, texting, team messaging, video meetings, phone menus with several ways to route calls, and transcripts and summaries on every call. It covers the whole job. Fax and extra numbers are add-ons.
Ease of use
B4.5 from about 340 App Store ratings. Fine, though that's not many ratings for a phone app.
B4.6 from about 4,600 App Store ratings. Good, and a notch below the very best-rated phone apps here.
Platforms and integrations
AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, with 250+ integrations such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk and Intercom, plus APIs and webhooks.
AWindows and Mac apps, iPhone and Android, a web app, a Chrome extension and desk phones, plus Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Teams, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk and Slack.
Best forsales and support teams that log calls in a CRMcalls that transcribe and summarize themselves

The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aircall and Dialpad. How we grade

Price against what you get

Aircall starts at $30 a month for each person and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Dialpad starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 3.3.

They score the same, and Dialpad starts $15 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, 1 scores higher than Aircall for less, and none scores higher than Dialpad for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessAircallDialpad

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of business phone systems, and the best at every price

Where they differ

  • Aircall starts at $30 per license / month, billed annually. Dialpad starts at $15 per user / month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly).
  • Aircall also covers shared inbox and AI support agent.
  • Dialpad also covers team chat and video calls.
In commonWebmacOSWindowsiOSAndroidBrowser extensionAI featuresTranscriptionBusiness phone lineBusiness texting

At a glance

AircallDialpad
PricingFree trialFree trial
Starts at$30 per license / month, billed annually$15 per user / month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly)
Free planNoneNone
Free trialFree trial with 100 AI Voice Agent minutes at sign-up; its length is not stated14-day free trial of Dialpad Connect
Web
macOS
Windows
iOS
Android
Browser extension
Made byAircallDialpad, Inc.
Price read fromaircall.iodialpad.com
CheckedOct 17, 2026Oct 17, 2026

Who each one suits

Aircall

  • Sales and support teams that log every call in a CRM or help desk
  • Teams of three or more sharing the same incoming lines
  • Businesses that want an AI agent to take overflow or after-hours calls

Dialpad

  • Teams that want every call transcribed and summarized automatically
  • Small businesses starting on a low per-user price
  • Companies that may later add a contact center or sales dialer

Worth knowing

Aircall

  • Essentials and Professional need at least 3 licenses; Enterprise starts at 25.
  • The page lists annual prices; monthly billing gives up the stated 25% annual saving.
  • One local or toll-free number is included; each extra number is $6 a month, and international calls on Essentials and Professional cost extra.
  • Add-ons include AI Assist Pro at $49, Analytics+ at $15 and WhatsApp at $10 per seat a month; extra AI Voice Agent minutes cost $175 for 500.

Dialpad

  • CRM integrations need the Pro plan or above, as do 24/7 support and managing more than one office.
  • Extra local or toll-free numbers and internet fax are optional add-ons on every plan.
  • The contact center (Dialpad Support, from $89 per user a month) and sales dialer (Dialpad Sell, from $39) are separate products.
  • Monthly billing costs more: $27 instead of $15 for Standard and $35 instead of $25 for Pro.

Key features

Aircall

Shared call inbox
Calls and texts land in a shared inbox where teammates assign them, comment on them and see shared contacts, with ring groups and extensions.
Call routing
Keypad menus, business-hours and date rules and call queues on every plan. Professional adds smart routing by CRM owner and queue callback.
Recording and AI transcripts
Calls and voicemails are recorded and transcribed on every plan. Summaries, sentiment and key topics come with Professional.
AI Voice Agents
AI agents answer calls in 38 languages, handle FAQs, book meetings and hand off to staff. Each plan includes 50 minutes a month; more are sold in bundles.
Outbound tools
Professional adds a Power Dialer that works through up to 1,000 imported numbers, voicemail drop and outbound calling campaigns.
250+ integrations
Calls sync to CRMs and help desks such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk and Intercom, with APIs and webhooks for custom work.

Dialpad

Business calling
Every user gets a direct line with unlimited calling in the US and Canada, voicemail transcribed to email, call forwarding and changeable caller ID.
Live transcripts and AI Recaps
Calls are transcribed in real time, and AI Recaps summarize each call and meeting with decisions and action items once it ends.
Texting and team messaging
Business SMS and topic-based team messaging with threads and file sharing sit in the same app as calls.
Call routing
Departments with phone menus, simultaneous ringing, round-robin and longest-idle routing, and open, closed and holiday hours.
Dialpad Meetings
Video meetings inside the same workspace. Dial-in numbers, larger meetings and toll-free meeting lines are add-ons.
Apps on every device
Desktop apps for Windows and Mac, iOS and Android apps, a progressive web app, a Chrome extension and certified desk phones.

Plans

Aircall

  • Essentials$30

    per license / month, billed annually

    3-license minimum. Unlimited US and Canada calls, SMS and MMS, a shared inbox, recordings with AI transcripts, IVR and 50 AI Voice Agent minutes a month.

  • Professional$50

    per license / month, billed annually

    3-license minimum. Adds AI call summaries, smart routing and queue callback, Power Dialer, outbound campaigns, whisper and barge, and full API access.

  • EnterpriseCustom

    For 25 licenses or more. Adds unlimited global calls, SSO and SCIM, HIPAA compliance, an enterprise SLA and prioritized support.

Dialpad

  • Standard$15

    per user / month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly)

    Unlimited US and Canada calling, texting, team messaging, video meetings, real-time transcripts and AI call summaries.

  • Pro$25

    per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

    Adds CRM and helpdesk integrations, 24/7 support, management of several offices and automatic recording on shared lines.

  • EnterpriseCustom

    Adds single sign-on, user access controls, unlimited office locations and a 99.9% uptime commitment. Sold through sales.

Ways to pay less

Aircall

  • Annual discount

    Save 25% by paying annually

    Aircall's pricing page states that annual billing costs 25% less than monthly billing, with the 3-license minimum either way.

Dialpad

  • Annual discount

    Lower price with annual billing

    Dialpad's pricing page lists Standard at $15 per user a month billed annually against $27 billed monthly, and Pro at $25 against $35.

  • Nonprofit

    30% off for nonprofits

    Through the Nonprofit Support Program, selected nonprofits in the US or Canada may get 30% off Dialpad billed annually, on up to 50 seats.

  • Startups

    Dialpad for Startups

    Dialpad for Good offers free seats and discounts to startups through partner accelerators, incubators and investors.

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