Five9 vs Gladly (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gladly grades higher than Five9: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gladly grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
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
From $119/mo
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 Gladly if
- Fits if you run a retail or ecommerce brand with heavy chat, SMS and phone volume
- Works for teams that want service and sales handled by the same AI
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price, as none is published
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, because neither is listed
- Watch out: the pages are written for retail, so other industries get less detail
- Watch out: its resolution-rate figures come from customer examples, with no published method
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAFive9Weak | 2.0GPAGladlyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published, and the pricing address redirects to the home page. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed; it routes you to a demo. |
| Features | BVoice and digital channels, AI for agents, virtual agents, workforce engagement and CRM adapters. Nothing in the listing is missing. | BOne customer record, AI for service and commerce, phone, routing and operations. Nothing in the listing is missing. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout with adapters to connect. | CNo store rating on record. Rolled out with a demo and your commerce stack. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle, Teams, Zoom and RingCentral. | BWeb, with Shopify, Zendesk, Salesforce, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. iOS and Android are only SDKs. |
| Best for | a contact centre with voice and digital channels | one customer record across chat, SMS and phone |
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 Gladly. How we grade
Where they differ
- Five9 also covers reports and business phone line.
- Gladly also covers shared inbox, help desk, sMS marketing and whatsApp messaging.
In commonWebWorkflow automationLive chatAI support agent
At a glance
| Five9 | Gladly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Five9, Inc. | Gladly Software, Inc. |
| Price read from | five9.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Gladly
- No prices are published; the site routes every visit to a demo request, and a /pricing address redirects to the home page.
- The pages are written for retail and ecommerce brands and mention Shopify integration, so other industries get less detail.
- The pages list no standalone desktop or phone apps for agents; iOS and Android are SDKs for adding chat to your own app.
- The vendor states its figures, such as resolution rates, from customer examples and does not publish a method.
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.
Gladly
- One record per customer
- Every chat, email, text, call and social message lands on one lifelong customer profile with order history and preferences, so agents and AI start with the context.
- AI for service
- Gladly AI answers on chat, email, SMS and voice and works multi-step requests through, handing off to a person with the full conversation when needed.
- AI for commerce
- The commerce agent recommends products from a shopper's past orders and can take payment in the conversation through a secure card form.
- Phone and omnichannel
- A built-in phone system with IVR sits beside chat, SMS, email, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, with iOS and Android SDKs for in-app chat.
- Routing and operations
- People Match routing, tasks, quality assurance, workforce management, CSAT surveys and FAQ management are part of the workspace.
- Works beside other help desks
- The vendor says Gladly AI can run alongside an existing Zendesk or Salesforce help desk.
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.
Gladly
Pricing could not be confirmed. See gladly.ai.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Gladly?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Five9 starts at $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum, and Gladly has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Five9 or Gladly?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Five9 nor Gladly 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.