The Rainbow Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Rainbow in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Rainbow
The Insider’s Guide
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise cloud chat, meetings and telephony
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among team communication apps, read from Rainbow’s own pages.
Made by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Rainbow’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Rainbow’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 6 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade
Rainbow is a cloud communication and collaboration platform from Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. It combines messaging, meetings and business telephony, and offers APIs and SDKs for developers. It can run in a public cloud, alongside an existing phone system or as a private cloud.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Rainbow, taken from its own pages and our grades.
A platform sold to organisations means a deployment to set up.
- 1
Best for firms wanting chat, meetings and business phone in one
No price is published, and it is aimed at organisations rather than individuals or small teams.
- 2
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 3
Chat and collaboration
Enterprise messaging and collaboration sit in the same app as business telephony and meetings.
- 4
AI services
The vendor lists transcription, summaries, real-time translation and an AI reception agent as included in the licence.
- 5
Flexible deployment
Runs as public cloud, on top of an existing PBX or as a private cloud, for 5 to 100,000 users according to the vendor.
- 6
A 2.2 GPA, above 6 of 50
That is against the other team communication apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Rainbow you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Rainbow at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise
- Category
- Team Communication
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for firms wanting chat, meetings and business phone in one
Rainbow is Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise's platform for messaging, meetings and business telephony, with APIs and a choice of public cloud, alongside an existing phone system, or private cloud. No price is published, and it is aimed at organisations rather than individuals or small teams.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price on the pages read, so it sits in the middle. It is sold through the vendor. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial are listed anywhere on the pages read. |
| Features | B | Chat, meetings, telephony, AI services, a Teams connector and developer APIs. The pages do not say which features come with which licence. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record. A platform sold to organisations means a deployment to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android apps, APIs and SDKs, and a Microsoft Teams connector. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Rainbow is for
- Fits if your company already runs Alcatel-Lucent phones and wants chat on top
- Works for organisations that need to choose where their data sits
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as none is published
- Not for you if you are one person or a very small team, since it targets organisations
- Too light on detail for licences, because it is unclear which features come with which one
- Watch out: no trial or free plan is listed
Good to know
Good for
- Organizations that want chat and telephony from one vendor
- Companies with data-location or compliance requirements
- IT teams that want to build on APIs and SDKs
Worth knowing
- No prices are published on the pages read; pricing is unverified and likely sold through Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
- The vendor describes an a la carte service, so which features come with which licence is not stated on the pages read.
- Rainbow is aimed at organizations, not individuals or very small teams.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Rainbow's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price on the pages read, so it sits in the middle.
We could not confirm Rainbow’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. openrainbow.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise cloud chat, meetings and telephony. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, team chat, video calls.
Chat, meetings, telephony, AI services, a Teams connector and developer APIs.
- Chat and collaboration
- Enterprise messaging and collaboration sit in the same app as business telephony and meetings.
- AI services
- The vendor lists transcription, summaries, real-time translation and an AI reception agent as included in the licence.
- Flexible deployment
- Runs as public cloud, on top of an existing PBX or as a private cloud, for 5 to 100,000 users according to the vendor.
- Data location and certifications
- The vendor lists 15 data centres worldwide and certifications including ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA and C5.
- Microsoft Teams connector
- A telephony connector pairs Rainbow with Microsoft Teams, and APIs and SDKs support custom integrations.
- Apps for each platform
- The vendor's pages list a web application plus apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft Teams
Rainbow is made by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6/50
Other team communication apps it is graded above
Rainbow's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 6 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 28 of 50) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 team communication apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Rainbow’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 50
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 50
- BFeaturesAbove 39 of 50
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 50
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 28 of 50
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Rainbow you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 37 of the 50 other team communication apps grade higher.
What you could not
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Video calls.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Teams among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: HIPAA.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Rainbow’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom, Wire and Slack
The 5 tools Rainbow is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Microsoft Teams
Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365.
- Microsoft Teams has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation, whiteboard and file sharing.
- 2.8GPA
Webex
Free plan · from $12/mo
Cisco's app for video meetings, messaging and calling.
- Webex has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
- Only Webex lists a Linux app.
- Webex also covers noise cancellation, whiteboard, screen recording and file sharing.
- 2.6GPA
Zoom
Free plan · from $14.16/mo
Video meetings bundled with team chat, phone and AI notes.
- Zoom has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
- Only Zoom lists a Linux app.
- Only Zoom lists a browser extension.
- 2.0GPA
Wire
Free plan · from €7.45/mo
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations.
- Wire has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
- Only Wire lists a Linux app.
- Wire is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI.
- Slack has a free plan. Rainbow does not.
- Only Slack lists a Linux app.
- Slack also covers workflow automation, documents and file sharing.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Rainbow free?
No. Rainbow is a paid product.
What platforms does Rainbow work on?
Rainbow is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Rainbow have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Rainbow is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Rainbow open source?
Rainbow is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Rainbow have an API?
Yes. Rainbow offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Rainbow integrate with?
Rainbow's listing names Microsoft Teams. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Rainbow?
Rainbow is made by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
What are the alternatives to Rainbow?
The closest alternatives to Rainbow in our directory are Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom, Wire and Slack.
How does Rainbow compare with other team communication apps?
Rainbow's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 6 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 7.
Could I make my own version of Rainbow?
To replace Rainbow you would be making chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Rainbow’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Rainbow's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Prices change, so check openrainbow.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Rainbow, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/rainbow
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Rainbow: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/rainbow
Know someone choosing between team communication apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/rainbow/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded team communication apps after Rainbow, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Team Communication Insider's GuideEvery one of the 51 team communication apps we grade, compared
- Discord Insider's GuideFree text, voice and video chat built around servers3.6 GPA
- Pumble Insider's GuideTeam chat with unlimited message history on the free plan3.6 GPA
- Zoho Cliq Insider's GuideTeam chat, calls and meetings from the Zoho suite3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Rainbow’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Rainbow is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Prices and plans change: check openrainbow.com before you buy.