Five9 vs Talkdesk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Five9 and Talkdesk share a 1.8 GPA, and only Talkdesk has a free plan.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Five9 grades higher on features and platforms. Talkdesk grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Talkdesk
Cloud contact center for voice and digital channels, with AI agents
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 Talkdesk if
- Fits if you run a call center and want voice and digital under one roof
- Works for a US or Canadian business under 50 people trying Express
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a light small-team help desk, as this is a heavier setup
- Pricey if you need voice: $105 a user, and Elite is $165
- Watch out: prices show no billing period or contract term, and add-ons need a call with sales
- Watch out: Express is US and Canada only, and the $100 credit has to be topped up once used
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAFive9Weak | 1.8GPATalkdeskWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$85 per user a month for Digital Essentials is just under the dearest tenth ($89), voice is $105 and Elite $165. No billing period or contract term is stated. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is listed on the pricing page. | CTalkdesk Express, for US and Canadian businesses under 50 employees, gives 25 free licenses and $100 in credit, then pay as you go. |
| Features | BVoice and digital channels, AI for agents, virtual agents, workforce engagement and CRM adapters. Nothing in the listing is missing. | CVoice and digital channels, routing, dashboards and AI agents. The listing's gap: digital and voice are separate Essentials editions, and workforce management and screen recording start at Elite. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise rollout with adapters to connect. | CNo store rating on record, and a contact center needs routing, queues and channels built before it works. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle, Teams, Zoom and RingCentral. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. |
| Best for | a contact centre with voice and digital channels | a contact center with calls 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: Five9 and Talkdesk. 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. Talkdesk starts at $85 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Five9 scores higher, and starts $34 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other help desk and live chat tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Five9 for less, and 46 score higher than Talkdesk 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
At a glance
| Five9 | Talkdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $119 per concurrent seat / month, 50-seat minimum | $85 per user / month (billing basis not stated) |
| Free plan | None | Talkdesk Express, for US and Canadian businesses under 50 employees: 25 free licenses and $100 in free credit, pay-as-you-go after that. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Five9, Inc. | Talkdesk |
| Price read from | five9.com | talkdesk.com |
| 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.
Talkdesk
- Prices are per user per month with no billing period or contract term stated, and add-ons beyond each edition's list need a conversation with sales.
- Digital and voice are separate Essentials editions; workforce management and screen recording start at Elite.
- Talkdesk Express is available only in the United States and Canada, and credits must be topped up once the $100 runs out.
- It is a contact center platform built for support teams, a heavier setup than a small-team help desk.
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.
Talkdesk
- Voice and digital engagement
- Calls on the voice editions, and email, chat, SMS and social messaging on the digital edition, with routing built with Studio.
- Talkdesk Copilot
- Suggests next best actions during a conversation, answers from the knowledge base and summarizes interactions at wrap-up.
- Autopilot and Navigator
- Autopilot is an AI agent for voice or digital channels. Navigator routes customers by natural conversation to an automated or human outcome.
- Interaction and quality analytics
- Transcribes and analyzes customer interactions for topics, intent and sentiment, with live dashboards and Explore reporting.
- Workforce management
- Elite adds workforce management, performance management and screen recording for distributed teams.
- Talkdesk Express
- A US and Canada edition for businesses under 50 employees with 25 free licenses and $100 in credit, then $50 a month per additional user.
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.
Talkdesk
Digital Essentials$85
per user / month, billing basis not stated
Digital engagement across email, chat, SMS and social messaging, with Studio and routing, live dashboards, API access and Guardian.
Voice Essentials$105
per user / month, billing basis not stated
Voice engagement with routing, speech recognition, voicemail transcription, Explore business intelligence and API access.
Elite$165
per user / month, billing basis not stated
Everything in Essentials plus custom reporting, screen recording, performance management, workforce management and automated notifications.
Industry Experience Clouds$225
per user / month, billing basis not stated
All Elite capabilities with versions built for financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, travel, utilities and services. Government is custom-priced.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Talkdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Talkdesk is cheaper to start with: $85 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 Talkdesk starts at $85 per user / month (billing basis not stated).
Which has a free plan, Five9 or Talkdesk?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Talkdesk has a free plan. Five9 does not.
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.