Nextiva vs Telzio (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Nextiva and Telzio share a 2.2 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features and platforms, where Nextiva grades higher, or value for money and the free plan, where Telzio does.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Nextiva
Business phone, texting and video with an optional AI receptionist
Telzio
Cloud business phone with usage-based pricing and unlimited users
Which one is for you
Pick Nextiva if
- Fits if you also answer website chat and online reviews and want them in one inbox
- Works for offices on Linux, which Nextiva's desktop app runs on
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as there's no free trial of the phone plans
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $23 for NEXT Core and $50 for NEXT Engage
- Tight if you need call recording or a toll-free number, as both are add-ons on NEXT Core
- Watch out: Salesforce, HubSpot and other CRMs are add-ons on every plan
- Not for you if you want to buy online, as all three plans go through a sales demo
Pick Telzio if
- Fits if you have many users who each make few calls
- Works for businesses that want one flat fee for seats and pay for minutes separately
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you are one person, since the base fee is $50 a month
- Pricey if you call a lot: calls start at $0.05 a minute and outbound texts at $0.05 each
- Watch out: the pricing page says $49 in its headline and $50 in its FAQ
- Watch out: numbers cost from $1 a month local and $5 toll-free, with a $15 setup fee
- Watch out: the trial goes through the sales team and plan terms are set per customer
How we grade them
| 2.2GPANextivaFair | 2.2GPATelzioFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$15 a head for five on NEXT Core with a 12-month term, or $23 paid monthly. That's just over this category's cheaper quarter ($14). Recording, a toll-free number and fax are add-ons on Core, NEXT Engage is $25, or $50 paid monthly, and XBert AI costs $1.50 a conversation. | B$50 a month covers unlimited users, so five people pay about $10 each, under the category's $14.49. One person still pays the full $50, and usage is extra. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no free trial of the phone plans. Only the XBert AI Receptionist add-on has a 14-day trial. | DA 14-day trial, but it is claimed by contacting Telzio and the listing does not say whether a card is needed. No free plan. |
| Features | BCalls with an auto-attendant, texts, video meetings, team chat and one inbox for calls, texts, email, social and reviews. Every plan has AI transcriptions and summaries (50 a month on Core, unlimited on Scale), and Scale adds supervisor monitoring. That covers the job, though CRMs are add-ons on every plan. | CUnlimited users, call flows, queues, texting, recording and reporting. Heavy callers pay by the minute, and plan terms are set per customer. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. All three plans go through a sales demo, and there are phone menus to build before you're running. | CNo store rating on record. Call flows, numbers and caller ID take setting up, and the trial starts with a conversation. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, with Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, HubSpot, Outlook and Google Contacts. | BWeb, iOS and Android apps and desk phones. No desktop app and no integrations are listed. |
| Best for | phone, texts, video and web chat from one provider | teams that want unlimited users on one usage bill |
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: Nextiva and Telzio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Nextiva starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Telzio starts at $50 a month and scores 2.3.
Nextiva scores higher and starts $35 a month lower. Of the other business phone systems on the chart, none scores higher than Nextiva for less, and 23 score higher than Telzio 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
- Nextiva also covers transcription, team chat and video calls.
At a glance
| Nextiva | Telzio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $15 per user / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly) | $50 per month, month-to-month, unlimited users, plus usage |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial, claimed by contacting Telzio. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Nextiva | Telzio, Inc. |
| Price read from | nextiva.com | telzio.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Nextiva
- Annual prices apply to new small businesses with 1-100 employees on a 12-month term; paid monthly, NEXT Core is $23 and NEXT Engage $50.
- On NEXT Core, call recording, a toll-free number, fax and Microsoft Teams are add-ons; Salesforce, HubSpot and other CRMs are add-ons on every plan.
- There is no free trial of the phone plans; all three are offered through a demo with sales, and XBert AI conversations cost $1.50 each on top of any plan.
- Contact center plans, from $75 per agent a month, are a separate product line on the Enterprise tab.
Telzio
- Usage is billed on top: calls start at $0.05 per minute, outbound texts at $0.05 each, local numbers at $1 per month and toll-free numbers at $5 per month.
- The pricing page headline says $49 per month for unlimited users while its FAQ says the Base plan is $50.
- The trial is arranged through the sales team rather than a self-serve button, and plan terms are set per customer.
- Pricing is by usage, so a team with heavy calling can pay more than a flat per-seat plan.
Key features
Nextiva
- Calling and phone menus
- Unlimited calls with an auto-attendant and call menus on every plan. Smart call routing comes with Scale or with the call center add-on on Engage.
- Business texting
- Texts from the business number: 100 per user a month on NEXT Core, 500 on NEXT Engage and unlimited on NEXT Scale. Customers texting the team needs Engage.
- Video meetings and team chat
- Video calls with screen and file sharing and team messaging sit in the same app. Recording video meetings needs Engage or Scale.
- Shared inbox and reviews
- One inbox gathers calls, texts and email, with shared team email accounts and a set number of connected social media and online review accounts per plan.
- AI transcripts and summaries
- Every plan now includes AI transcriptions, summaries and answer suggestions: 50 a month on NEXT Core, 200 on NEXT Engage and unlimited on NEXT Scale.
- XBert AI Receptionist
- An add-on that answers calls, texts and chats around the clock. It costs $99 a month for 100 AI conversations and has a 14-day free trial.
Telzio
- Unlimited users
- There is no per-user license. Adding or removing people does not change the bill, which follows minutes, texts and numbers.
- Call flows and queues
- A visual call flow editor, phone menus, call queues, time-based routing and automatic call distribution are part of every account.
- Texting
- SMS and MMS from the web and the mobile app, with options to tag, comment on and reassign messages. Inbound texts to local numbers are free.
- Numbers and caller ID
- Local, toll-free and international numbers, number porting, custom caller ID, and hosting of numbers in more than 60 countries.
- Call recording and reporting
- Call recording and storage, call analytics, and a live call center view with reporting for queues and agents.
- Mobile, web and desk phones
- A mobile app, a browser phone and preconfigured desk phones sold in Telzio's shop. Existing phones can be brought over from another provider.
Plans
Nextiva
NEXT Core$15
per user / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly)
Calls, video, team chat, 100 texts per user a month, skills-based routing, a basic CRM and 50 AI transcriptions and summaries a month. Annual price needs a 12-month term.
NEXT Engage$25
per user / month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)
Adds live chat and a chatbot, 2,000 toll-free inbound minutes, 500 texts per user a month, single sign-on, fax and 200 AI transcriptions and summaries a month.
NEXT Scale$75
per user / month, billed monthly or annually
Adds unlimited texts, 10,000 toll-free inbound minutes, directory sync, unlimited AI transcriptions and summaries, supervisor monitoring and dedicated onboarding.
Telzio
Base$50
per month, month-to-month, unlimited users
One local number and 1,000 minutes, with unlimited users and the full feature set. The pricing FAQ says there are no overage rates.
Minimum Monthly CommitmentCustom
Set with an account executive: from $50 a month and 1,000 minutes, at $0.05 per extra local minute, with lower rates for bigger commitments.
Ways to pay less
Nextiva
- Annual discount
Save up to 50% with annual pricing
Nextiva's pricing page lists NEXT Core at $15 per user a month annually against $23 monthly, and NEXT Engage at $25 against $50.
- Other savings
Switch and Save: up to 12 months free
Businesses under 200 employees leaving another provider's contract get free months matching its remaining term, with proof and a 12-month Core or Engage plan.
Telzio
- Nonprofit
20% off for qualified nonprofits
Telzio's pricing FAQ gives qualified nonprofits 20% off, requested through an account executive.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Nextiva or Telzio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Nextiva starts at $15 per user / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly), and Telzio starts at $50 per month, month-to-month, unlimited users, plus usage. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Nextiva or Telzio?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Nextiva nor Telzio has a free plan. Telzio has a free trial.
Which platforms do Nextiva and Telzio run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Nextiva lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app and iOS 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.