CloudTalk vs RingCentral
We give CloudTalk a 2.4 GPA and RingCentral a 3.0, out of 4.0. RingCentral grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
CloudTalk
Cloud call center phone system with dialers and AI voice agents
RingCentral
Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACloudTalkFair | 3.0GPARingCentralVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$25 a head for five on Starter, billed yearly ($34 monthly), past this category's dearer quarter ($19.99). And Starter has no texting, phone menu or integrations: those start on Essential at $29, where the category's dearest tenth begins. Numbers are extra, from $6. | 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, not cheap. Automatic recording and CRM links need Advanced at $25. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial with no credit card needed and 50 AI Voice Agent minutes. No free plan. | 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 | BNumbers in 160-plus countries, queues, IVR, a call flow builder, SMS, MMS and WhatsApp, power and parallel dialers, and AI voice agents. It covers the whole job, though AI transcripts and the parallel dialer are paid add-ons, and the power dialer is too below Expert. | 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 | CNo App Store rating on record. You'll be building call flows, queues and routing before the team's up and running, which takes a while. | A4.83 from about 78,000 App Store ratings, which is about as good as it gets for a work phone app. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. From Essential there are 95-plus CRM and help desk integrations, such as Zoho CRM, Slack, Intercom and Front, plus an API and webhooks; Salesforce needs Expert. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack on the integrations list. |
| Best for | call centers that route calls through queues | 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: CloudTalk and RingCentral. How we grade
Price against what you get
CloudTalk starts at $25 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. RingCentral starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 3.7.
RingCentral scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, 5 score higher than CloudTalk for less, and none scores higher than RingCentral for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
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
Where they differ
- CloudTalk starts at $25 per user / month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly). RingCentral starts at $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
- Only CloudTalk lists a Linux app.
- RingCentral also covers team chat and video calls.
At a glance
| CloudTalk | RingCentral | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $25 per user / month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly) | $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with 50 AI Voice Agent minutes, no credit card required | 14-day free trial for new subscribers; texting is not included in the trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | CloudTalk | RingCentral |
| Price read from | cloudtalk.io | ringcentral.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
CloudTalk
- Support and sales teams that route calls through queues and IVR
- Outbound teams that want power or parallel dialing
- Companies calling the US and Canada a lot
RingCentral
- Businesses that want calls, texts, meetings and chat in one app
- Teams spread over several offices or locations
- Companies using Microsoft Teams that want RingCentral calling inside it
Worth knowing
CloudTalk
- Expert needs at least 3 users. Annual billing comes with a 12-month commitment, and CloudTalk gives no refunds for unused time.
- Phone numbers are charged on top of the plan; a US number starts at $6 a month.
- Texting starts on Essential, and WhatsApp, the Salesforce integration and phone support need Expert.
- AI Voice Agents are a separate purchase from $99 a month for 200 minutes, after 50 free minutes in the first month.
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
CloudTalk
- Numbers in 160+ countries
- Local numbers in more than 160 countries, plus toll-free numbers and porting. A US number costs from $6 a month on top of the plan.
- Call flow designer and IVR
- A visual call flow builder, ring groups and queues on every plan; IVR, skill-based and time-based routing start on Essential.
- Power and parallel dialers
- A power dialer is included on Expert or $15 per user a month on other plans; a parallel dialer that rings up to 10 lines is $39 per user a month.
- SMS, MMS and WhatsApp
- Texting from the Essential plan, and inbound and outbound WhatsApp on Expert.
- AI Conversation Intelligence
- An add-on with call transcripts, summaries, topic tracking, sentiment and call scoring, from $9 per user a month billed annually.
- AI Voice Agents
- AI receptionists and specialist agents that answer and place calls in 70+ languages, sold as monthly minute bundles.
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 in the bundles. 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 bundles.
Plans
CloudTalk
Starter$25
per user / month, billed annually ($34 billed monthly)
Unlimited US and Canada calls (fair use), free inbound calls, call recording, ring groups, call queues and a visual call flow builder. No SMS or integrations.
Essential$29
per user / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
Adds IVR and skill-based routing, business hours, SMS and MMS, agent reporting, 95+ CRM and help desk integrations, the API and webhooks.
Expert$49
per user / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Minimum 3 users. Adds the power dialer, WhatsApp, VIP queues, live monitoring, wallboards, Salesforce integration and phone support.
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 and 300-person meetings.
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.
AI CE Bundle with AIRCustom
AI Customer Engagement Bundle: adds AI Receptionist, the SMS and call queue boosters, Webinar, 10,000 toll-free minutes and 200 texts per user a month.
AI CE Bundle with AIR and ACECustom
Adds AI Conversation Expert: call scoring, coaching, automatic call summaries and multi-level reporting on top of the bundle above.
Ways to pay less
CloudTalk
- Annual discount
About 30% off with annual billing
CloudTalk's pricing page says paying annually saves the equivalent of 3+ months, about 30%: Starter is $25 a month billed annually against $34 monthly.
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, and Advanced at $25 against $35.
