Cresta vs NICE CXone (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, NICE CXone grades higher than Cresta: 1.8 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Cresta grades higher on value for money. NICE CXone 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.
NICE CXone
Cloud contact center suite for voice, digital and AI agents
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 NICE CXone if
- Fits if you run a contact center with voice and digital channels
- Works for teams of agents that need workforce tools
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are small, because the lowest package is $110 an agent a month
- Watch out: the grid marks features as included, add-on or usage-based, so the package price is not the full cost
- Tight if you want the top tier, as Ultimate adds $0.25 a session to $249 an agent
- Skip it if you want to buy online, since a quote is still requested
How we grade them
| 1.6GPACrestaWeak | 1.8GPANICE CXoneWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published, so nothing says it is cheap or dear. | D$110 an agent a month for the lowest package, which is where the category's dearest tenth starts. The top package is $249 plus $0.25 a session. |
| 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, so you pay before you try it. |
| Features | CAI agent, live assist, conversation analytics and coaching. It sits on top of existing systems rather than replacing them. | BRouting, AI agents, workforce tools, copilots and knowledge. It covers the whole contact center job, though many items are add-ons or usage-billed. |
| 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. A contact center rollout with quotes and a feature grid to check. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations. | BWeb only, with Cognigy and a marketplace of connectors. |
| Best for | an AI platform for contact centers | a cloud contact center suite |
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 NICE CXone. How we grade
Where they differ
- Cresta also covers transcription.
- NICE CXone also covers chatbots.
At a glance
| Cresta | NICE CXone | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $110 per agent / month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cresta Intelligence, Inc. | NiCE |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | nice.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
NICE CXone
- The page marks each feature as included, add-on or consumption based, so the package price is not the full cost for every capability.
- Which features sit in which package is shown only as a grid, so check it before choosing a tier.
- Ultimate adds a per-session charge of $0.25 on top of the agent price, as displayed.
- A quote is still requested to buy, and the page says its tiered model lowers prices as you grow.
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.
NICE CXone
- Omnichannel routing
- Voice and digital channels with AI routing, interactive voice response and outbound engagement from the base package.
- AI agents
- Agentic Experience Automation covers AI agents for self-service, sales and marketing, proactive engagement and process automation.
- Workforce engagement
- Workforce management, quality management, performance management, screen recording and interaction analytics.
- Copilots
- Copilot for Agents, Copilot for Supervisors and Copilot for Leaders, with automated summaries.
- Knowledge tools
- A customer-facing knowledge portal and an employee knowledge portal, or bring your own knowledge base.
- Industry packages
- Banking and insurance packages are listed at the Ultimate price, with industry-specific self-service and agent assist.
Plans
Cresta
Pricing could not be confirmed. See cresta.com.
NICE CXone
Omnichannel Suite$110
per agent / month
Voice and digital channels, omnichannel routing, recording and compliance, AI routing and outbound engagement.
Essential Suite$135
per agent / month
Second tier. The page's feature grid shows which workforce and AI tools it includes beyond Omnichannel.
Core Suite$169
per agent / month
Third tier. The page's feature grid shows which workforce and AI tools it includes beyond Essential.
Complete Suite$209
per agent / month
Fourth tier. The page's feature grid shows which workforce and AI tools it includes beyond Core.
Ultimate Suite$249
per agent / month, plus $0.25 per session
The top package. The page lists $249 per agent per month and $0.25 per session.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cresta or NICE CXone?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cresta has no price we could confirm, and NICE CXone starts at $110 per agent / month.
Which has a free plan, Cresta or NICE CXone?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Cresta nor NICE CXone 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.