Intermedia Unite vs RingCentral (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick RingCentral: it is first in our ranking of business phone systems, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
RingCentral grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Intermedia Unite
Cloud phone, chat and video suite from Intermedia, priced per user
RingCentral
Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat
Which one is for you
Pick Intermedia Unite if
- Fits if you want phone, chat and video from one vendor with one price per user
- Works for Microsoft shops that want Outlook and Active Directory links
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add the extras: toll-free numbers, company messaging, webinars and archiving beyond 30 days all cost more
- Watch out: both plans are quoted, so the final price and contract length are set in a sales call
- Watch out: texting is capped at 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Enterprise, and the page doesn't give the period
- Tight if you want to try it free, as no trial is listed
Pick RingCentral if
- Fits if you want calls, fax, meetings and chat from one company on one bill
- Works for Microsoft Teams shops that want RingCentral calling inside Teams
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you text customers a lot, with 25 texts a person a month on Core
- Pricey if you add the extras: AI Receptionist from $39, SMS Booster $25, Call Queues Booster $35
- Not for you if you want to try texting first, since it isn't in the free trial
- Tight if you want calls recorded automatically or logged in a CRM, as both need Advanced at $25
- Watch out: listed prices are for 1-5 users, they change for 6-100, and texting needs TCR registration that may carry fees
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAIntermedia UniteFair | 3.0GPARingCentralVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $27.99 a user a month, above this category's $21 dearer-quarter line but under its $30 dearest-tenth line. Enterprise is $32.99, and the billing term isn't stated. | C$20 a head for a team of five on Core, billed yearly ($30 monthly), which is the price for 1-5 users. That's just past this category's dearer quarter ($19.99), so middle of the road. Automatic recording and CRM links need Advanced at $25. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial is listed. Both plans use a Get quote button. | CA 14-day free trial for new subscribers, with texting left out of it. No free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. |
| Features | BA phone system with 100+ features, chat, texting, video, file storage and AI recaps. The listing shows no gap in the core phone job. | BUnlimited US and Canada calls, phone menus, call queues, fax, 300-person video meetings, team chat and an AI assistant for call notes. That's the whole phone job, though Core's 25 texts a person a month is stingy. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A phone system with hunt groups, call park and integrations needs set-up, and plans are quoted. | A4.83 from about 78,000 App Store ratings, above the 4.7 from 1,000 ratings that an A needs. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Mac, Windows and Android, with Salesforce, ServiceNow, NetSuite, Dynamics, Active Directory and Outlook links. No iPhone app is listed. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack on the integrations list. |
| Best for | a per-user cloud phone, chat and video suite | calls, texts, fax and meetings in one app |
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: Intermedia Unite and RingCentral. How we grade
Price against what you get
Intermedia Unite starts at $27.99 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. RingCentral starts at $20 a month for each person and scores 3.7.
RingCentral scores higher and starts $7.99 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, 11 score higher than Intermedia Unite for less, and none scores higher than RingCentral 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
- Intermedia Unite also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Intermedia Unite | RingCentral | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $27.99 per user / month (billing term not stated) | $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial for new subscribers, up to five users and two desk phones; texting is not included in the trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intermedia.net, Inc. | RingCentral |
| Price read from | intermedia.com | ringcentral.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Intermedia Unite
- Both plans use a Get quote button, so the final price and contract length are set in a sales conversation.
- Toll-free numbers, company messaging, webinars and archiving beyond 30 days cost extra.
- Business texting is capped at 500 on Pro and 1,000 on Enterprise; the page does not give the period.
- The pricing page does not say whether the per-user price assumes monthly or annual billing.
RingCentral
- The listed prices are for 1-5 users; the page switches to other prices for 6-100 users, and 100+ users must contact sales.
- Automatic call recording and CRM integrations need Advanced; Core records calls on demand only.
- Add-ons are extra: AI Receptionist from $39, Business SMS Booster $25 and Call Queues Booster $35, as shown on the pricing page.
- Texting needs TCR registration, which may carry fees, and is not available during the free trial.
Key features
Intermedia Unite
- Business phone system
- 100+ calling features, an auto attendant, hunt groups, call park and pickup, voicemail transcription, call recording and web fax.
- Calling to 34 countries
- Both plans include unlimited domestic calling and unlimited international calling to 34 countries. Toll-free numbers cost extra.
- Chat, texting and video
- One-on-one and group chat, user texting capped at 500 or 1,000, and video meetings of up to 100 or 200 participants.
- AI features
- The Unite AI Assistant and AI call and meeting recaps are listed on both plans. AI Receptionist and Interaction Insights appear as coming soon.
- File storage
- Each user gets file backup, sync and share storage: 50 GB on Pro and 200 GB on Enterprise.
- CRM and Microsoft integrations
- Unite Extend lists Salesforce, ServiceNow, NetSuite and Dynamics, other CRMs, Active Directory, Outlook and Chrome click-to-call.
RingCentral
- Calling and numbers
- Unlimited calling within the US and Canada. The plan includes one company number; each extra local or toll-free number costs $4.99 a month.
- Business texting
- Texts from the business number: 25 per user a month on Core, 100 on Advanced and 200 on Ultra and the bundle. SMS needs carrier (TCR) registration first.
- Call menus and routing
- Multi-level phone menus, call queues and rules by business hours or availability, managed for several locations from one admin portal.
- Video meetings, chat and fax
- The same app runs video meetings for up to 300 people, team messaging with file sharing, and fax from the business number.
- AI assistant
- Included at no extra cost: real-time call and meeting notes, transcription, meeting summaries, and help writing and translating messages.
- AI Receptionist
- Answers calls around the clock, handles FAQs, books appointments and routes callers to staff. An add-on starting at $39, included in the AI Customer Engagement Bundle.
Plans
Intermedia Unite
Unite Pro$27.99
per user / month, billing term not stated
Phone system with 100+ features, calling to 34 countries, 500 business texts, chat, AI meetings for up to 100, 50 GB of storage per user. Sold by quote.
Unite Enterprise$32.99
per user / month, billing term not stated
Everything in Pro with 1,000 business texts, meetings for up to 200 participants and 200 GB of storage per user. Sold by quote.
RingCentral
Core$20
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Unlimited US and Canada calling, on-demand call recording, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 texts per user a month, 300-person meetings and MCP connectors.
Advanced$25
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Adds CRM integrations, multiple sites, automatic call recording, reports, 1,000 toll-free minutes and 100 texts per user a month.
Ultra$35
per user / month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly)
Price for 1-5 users. Adds 10,000 toll-free minutes, 200 texts per user a month, RingCentral Webinar, historical and real-time insights and unlimited storage.
AI Customer Engagement BundleCustom
Everything in Ultra plus AI Receptionist, AI Conversation Expert call scoring and coaching, automatic call summaries and the SMS and call queue boosters.
Ways to pay less
Intermedia Unite
No public discounts listed.
RingCentral
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% by paying annually
The pricing page lists Core at $20 per user a month billed annually against $30 billed monthly, Advanced at $25 against $35, and Ultra at $35 against $45.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Intermedia Unite or RingCentral?
As of Nov 12, 2026, RingCentral is cheaper to start with: $20 a month for each person, against $27.99 a month for each person for Intermedia Unite. Intermedia Unite starts at $27.99 per user / month (billing term not stated), and RingCentral starts at $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Intermedia Unite or RingCentral?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Intermedia Unite nor RingCentral has a free plan. RingCentral has a free trial.
Which platforms do Intermedia Unite and RingCentral run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only RingCentral lists an iOS app. Both list a web app and macOS, Windows and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.