Five9 vs Genesys Cloud CX (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Five9 and Genesys Cloud CX share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan, and Genesys Cloud CX starts cheaper, at $75 a month for each person against $119 a month for each person.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Genesys Cloud CX
Cloud contact center platform for voice and digital service
Which one is for you
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
Pick Genesys Cloud CX if
- Fits if you run a voice-first contact center
- Works for teams that want workforce tools in the same suite
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need digital channels, as they start at $115 and are add-ons on CX 1
- Tight if you want AI, because many features spend Experience Units
- Watch out: the page says prices are subject to change and usage charges may apply
- Skip it if you want a concurrent license price, since it is given only on request
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAFive9Weak | 1.8GPAGenesys Cloud CXWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | D$75 a user a month for voice only, $115 once digital channels are added, at or above the category's dearest tenth of $110. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed, so you pay before you try it. |
| Features | BVoice and digital channels, AI for agents, virtual agents, workforce engagement and CRM adapters. Nothing in the listing is missing. | BVoice and digital channels, routing, IVR, AI and virtual agents, quality and workforce tools. It covers the whole contact center job, though tiers decide what you get. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout with adapters to connect. | CNo store rating on record. A contact center rollout to configure. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle, Teams, Zoom and RingCentral. | BWeb only, with WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Apple Messages and the AppFoundry marketplace. |
| Best for | a contact centre with voice and digital channels | a cloud contact center platform |
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: Five9 and Genesys Cloud CX. How we grade
Price against what you get
Five9 starts at $119 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Genesys Cloud CX starts at $75 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Genesys Cloud CX starts $44 a month lower. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Five9 for less, and 5 score higher than Genesys Cloud CX 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
- Five9 also covers live chat, AI support agent and business phone line.
- Genesys Cloud CX also covers AI agents, whatsApp messaging and chatbots.
At a glance
| Five9 | Genesys Cloud CX | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum | $75 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Five9, Inc. | Genesys |
| Price read from | five9.com | genesys.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Genesys Cloud CX
- Prices are for named licenses billed annually; concurrent and hourly-interacting licenses are also offered and priced separately on request.
- Many AI features need Experience Units: 250 named units per org per month are included, plus 30 per agent on CX 4.
- Digital channels and some analytics are add-ons on CX 1, and messaging add-ons vary by edition.
- The page says prices are subject to change, and usage-based charges may apply.
Key features
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.
Genesys Cloud CX
- Voice and digital channels
- Voice, email, web chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and X direct messages, Apple Messages for Business and custom channels.
- Routing and IVR
- Call and omnichannel routing, speech-enabled IVR and predictive routing, with outbound campaigns on every edition.
- AI and virtual agents
- Virtual agents, native bots, Agent Copilot and Supervisor Copilot. Most AI features draw on Genesys Cloud Experience Units.
- Quality and workforce management
- Quality assurance and compliance from CX 2, plus forecasting, scheduling and employee performance from CX 3.
- Analytics and recording
- Analytics and reporting come in all editions, with voice and digital interaction recording on CX 1 and speech and text analytics.
- AppFoundry marketplace
- Genesys runs a marketplace of partner apps and integrations that extend the platform.
Plans
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.
Genesys Cloud CX
Genesys Cloud CX 1$75
per user / month, billed annually
Voice contact centers: voice channel, call routing, speech IVR, outbound campaigns, recording and virtual agents. Named licenses.
Genesys Cloud CX 2$115
per user / month, billed annually
Adds digital channels, omnichannel routing, knowledge, quality assurance and compliance. Named licenses.
Genesys Cloud CX 3$155
per user / month, billed annually
Adds workforce management, forecasting and scheduling and employee performance. Named licenses.
Genesys Cloud CX 4$240
per user / month, billed annually
Adds journey management, with Agent Copilot features included and 30 Experience Units per named agent.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Genesys Cloud CX?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Genesys Cloud CX is cheaper to start with: $75 a month for each person, against $119 a month for each person for Five9. Five9 starts at $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum, and Genesys Cloud CX starts at $75 per user / month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Five9 or Genesys Cloud CX?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Five9 nor Genesys Cloud CX 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.