Avaya vs RingCentral (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick RingCentral: it is first in our ranking of business phone systems, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 1.4.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
RingCentral grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
RingCentral
Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat
Which one is for you
Pick Avaya if
- Fits if you are a large organisation with an IT team and a phone partner
- Works for buyers who already run Avaya Aura or IP Office and want to stay on it
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price before you talk to anyone, as none is published
- Skip it if you want to try it first, since there is no self-serve sign-up or trial
- Too light for a small team without IT support, since Aura and IP Office are on-premises systems
- Watch out: the company aims at enterprise customers, so a small office is not who the site is written for
Pick RingCentral if
- Fits if you want calls, fax, meetings and chat from one company on one bill
- Works for Microsoft Teams shops that want RingCentral calling inside Teams
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you text customers a lot, with 25 texts a person a month on Core
- Pricey if you add the extras: AI Receptionist from $39, SMS Booster $25, Call Queues Booster $35
- Not for you if you want to try texting first, since it isn't in the free trial
- Tight if you want calls recorded automatically or logged in a CRM, as both need Advanced at $25
- Watch out: listed prices are for 1-5 users, they change for 6-100, and texting needs TCR registration that may carry fees
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAAvayaWeak | 3.0GPARingCentralVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published; cost is quoted by Avaya or a partner, so it sits in the middle until a quote says otherwise. | C$20 a head for a team of five on Core, billed yearly ($30 monthly), which is the price for 1-5 users. That's just past this category's dearer quarter ($19.99), so middle of the road. Automatic recording and CRM links need Advanced at $25. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on the site, and no self-serve sign-up either. | CA 14-day free trial for new subscribers, with texting left out of it. No free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. |
| Features | CAura, Aura Private Cloud, IP Office, Infinity and a Government Cloud cover voice and customer contact. The listing shows little beyond product names. | BUnlimited US and Canada calls, phone menus, call queues, fax, 300-person video meetings, team chat and an AI assistant for call notes. That's the whole phone job, though Core's 25 texts a person a month is stingy. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Aura and IP Office are described as on-premises systems, which need hardware or hosting planning. | A4.83 from about 78,000 App Store ratings, above the 4.7 from 1,000 ratings that an A needs. |
| Platforms and integrations | CListed as web only, with no integrations on record. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack on the integrations list. |
| Best for | large firms buying phone systems via a partner | calls, texts, fax and meetings in one app |
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: Avaya and RingCentral. How we grade
Where they differ
- Avaya also covers AI support agent.
- RingCentral also covers transcription and business texting.
At a glance
| Avaya | RingCentral | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial for new subscribers, up to five users and two desk phones; texting is not included in the trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Avaya | RingCentral |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | ringcentral.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Avaya
- No prices are published on the site, so cost has to be quoted by Avaya or a partner.
- Aura and IP Office are described as on-premises systems, so they need hardware or hosting planning.
- The company positions itself for enterprise customers; the site shows no self-serve sign-up or free trial.
RingCentral
- The listed prices are for 1-5 users; the page switches to other prices for 6-100 users, and 100+ users must contact sales.
- Automatic call recording and CRM integrations need Advanced; Core records calls on demand only.
- Add-ons are extra: AI Receptionist from $39, Business SMS Booster $25 and Call Queues Booster $35, as shown on the pricing page.
- Texting needs TCR registration, which may carry fees, and is not available during the free trial.
Key features
Avaya
- Avaya Aura
- A private on-premises system that combines voice, video and messaging for employee and customer communications.
- Aura Private Cloud
- Aura unified communications run in a dedicated Microsoft Azure environment for each customer.
- IP Office
- An on-premises communications system aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, covering voice, video, messaging and call management.
- Avaya Infinity
- A customer experience platform that connects voice and digital channels with AI, self-service and live agents.
- Government Cloud
- A public-sector cloud for unified communications and contact center work, listed with FedRAMP Moderate and IL4 High support.
RingCentral
- Calling and numbers
- Unlimited calling within the US and Canada. The plan includes one company number; each extra local or toll-free number costs $4.99 a month.
- Business texting
- Texts from the business number: 25 per user a month on Core, 100 on Advanced and 200 on Ultra and the bundle. SMS needs carrier (TCR) registration first.
- Call menus and routing
- Multi-level phone menus, call queues and rules by business hours or availability, managed for several locations from one admin portal.
- Video meetings, chat and fax
- The same app runs video meetings for up to 300 people, team messaging with file sharing, and fax from the business number.
- AI assistant
- Included at no extra cost: real-time call and meeting notes, transcription, meeting summaries, and help writing and translating messages.
- AI Receptionist
- Answers calls around the clock, handles FAQs, books appointments and routes callers to staff. An add-on starting at $39, included in the AI Customer Engagement Bundle.
Plans
Avaya
Pricing could not be confirmed. See avaya.com.
RingCentral
Core$20
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Unlimited US and Canada calling, on-demand call recording, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 texts per user a month, 300-person meetings and MCP connectors.
Advanced$25
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Adds CRM integrations, multiple sites, automatic call recording, reports, 1,000 toll-free minutes and 100 texts per user a month.
Ultra$35
per user / month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Adds 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 texts per user a month, RingCentral Webinar, historical and real-time insights and unlimited storage.
AI Customer Engagement BundleCustom
Everything in Ultra plus AI Receptionist, AI Conversation Expert call scoring and coaching, automatic call summaries and the SMS and call queue boosters.
Ways to pay less
Avaya
No public discounts listed.
RingCentral
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% by paying annually
The pricing page lists Core at $20 per user a month billed annually against $30 billed monthly, Advanced at $25 against $35, and Ultra at $35 against $45.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Avaya or RingCentral?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Avaya has no price we could confirm, and RingCentral starts at $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Avaya or RingCentral?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Avaya nor RingCentral has a free plan. RingCentral has a free trial.
Which platforms do Avaya and RingCentral run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only RingCentral lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.