Cresta vs Five9 (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Five9 grades higher than Cresta: 1.8 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cresta grades higher on value for money. Five9 grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Five9
Cloud contact center for voice and digital channels, sold in bundles
Which one is for you
Pick Cresta if
- Fits if you run a large contact center that wants AI on top of it
- Works for teams that buy through a sales process
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price, because none is published
- Not for you if you want a self-serve help desk, as this is a sales-led enterprise platform
- Too light for a small team, since it adds to systems you already run
- Skip it if you want to try it, as only a demo is offered
Pick Five9 if
- Fits if you run a contact centre with 50 or more concurrent seats
- Works for teams that want voice and digital on one platform
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have fewer than 50 seats, as that is the minimum
- Watch out: Plus, Pro and Enterprise are quote-only
- Watch out: usage charges may apply, including SMS and AI minutes beyond the bundled ones
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because neither is listed
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACrestaWeak | 1.8GPAFive9Weak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published, so nothing says it is cheap or dear. | D$119 per concurrent seat for Digital and $159 for Core, with a 50-seat minimum, so about $5,950 a month at the floor. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed, only a demo you book through sales. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. |
| Features | CAI agent, live assist, conversation analytics and coaching. It sits on top of existing systems rather than replacing them. | BVoice and digital channels, AI for agents, virtual agents, workforce engagement and CRM adapters. Nothing in the listing is missing. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout through sales, connected to your CRM and contact-center platform. | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout with adapters to connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. | BWeb, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle, Teams, Zoom and RingCentral. |
| Best for | an AI platform for contact centers | a contact centre with voice and digital channels |
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: Cresta and Five9. How we grade
Where they differ
- Cresta also covers transcription and AI agents.
- Five9 also covers live chat and business phone line.
At a glance
| Cresta | Five9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cresta Intelligence, Inc. | Five9, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | five9.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cresta
- No pricing is published; the site directs visitors to book a demo, so no plans are listed here.
- It is an enterprise platform with a sales-led rollout, not a self-serve help desk.
- It sits on top of existing systems such as a CRM or contact-center platform rather than replacing them.
Five9
- Prices are per concurrent user with a 50-seat minimum, and usage-based charges may apply, including SMS and AI minutes beyond the bundled ones.
- Only Digital and Core show a price; Plus, Pro and Enterprise are by quote, and the page asks for a form to show a customized figure.
- Workforce engagement is offered on a named-user basis; extra named seats beyond the concurrent seats sold are add-ons.
- WhatsApp is described as coming soon in the voice bundle notes.
Key features
Cresta
- AI Agent
- Handles customer conversations across channels and languages, with the option to hand off to a person.
- Agentic Assist
- Gives human agents real-time guidance, knowledge and automation during a live conversation.
- Conversation Intelligence
- Analyzes every interaction, with an AI Analyst that reports on themes, quality management and journey-level context.
- Deputy Agent
- A long-running agent that carries out back-office CX work from request to completion.
- Coaching and training
- Quality management, coaching and a training simulator built on real conversations, for supervisors and agents.
- Opera orchestration
- A no-code engine for building and orchestrating AI workflows on top of existing systems such as CRM and CCaaS.
Five9
- Voice and digital channels
- Voice, chat, email, SMS and MMS, and social messaging, with blended inbound and outbound, a dialer and call recording.
- AI for agents
- AI summaries, live transcription, insights, agent assist and knowledge are listed on the bundles, with 3,000 AI minutes per bundled seat plus usage charges.
- Intelligent virtual agents
- Self-service virtual agents for web, chatbot, voice, SMS or WhatsApp, which can sit alongside an existing on-premises contact center.
- Workforce engagement
- Quality management, workforce management and analytics, from Five9 or partners Verint and Calabrio, on the Pro and Enterprise bundles.
- CRM and UC adapters
- Adapters listed are Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk or Oracle for CRM, and Microsoft Teams, Zoom, RingCentral and AT&T Office@hand for UC.
- Geo redundancy and 24/7 support
- Geo redundancy and 24/7 support are listed as part of the bundles.
Plans
Cresta
Pricing could not be confirmed. See cresta.com.
Five9
Digital$119
per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum
Digital channels only, with a quote request on the page. The bundle grid lists AI summaries, insights and agent assist, with recording and a dialer on the other tiers.
Core$159
per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum
All channels including voice, SMS and social messaging, with essential AI, recording, dialer, a choice of CRM or UC adapter and 24/7 support.
PlusCustom
All channels with advanced AI. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
ProCustom
All channels with essential AI and workforce engagement management. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
EnterpriseCustom
All channels with advanced AI and workforce engagement management. Contact sales for flexible pricing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cresta or Five9?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cresta has no price we could confirm, and Five9 starts at $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum.
Which has a free plan, Cresta or Five9?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Cresta nor Five9 has a free plan.
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.