RingCentral
Cloud phone system with texting, fax, video meetings and team chat
Our verdict
First of our top three business phone systems
For: Most businesses that want a full phone system
RingCentral puts calls, texts, fax, team chat and video meetings for up to 300 people in one app on the web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Core is $20 per user a month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 monthly), with unlimited US and Canada calling, phone menus, call queues and an AI assistant that takes call notes at no extra cost. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.83 from about 78,000 ratings. Know the limits: Core allows 25 texts per user a month, automatic recording and CRM integrations need Advanced at $25, and texting is left out of the 14-day trial.
See all three and how we rankRingCentral report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for calls, texts, fax and meetings in one app
RingCentral is the do-everything option: calls, texts, fax, video meetings and team chat in one app, with an AI assistant that takes call notes at no extra cost. It's $20 a person a month for a team of five on yearly billing. The catch is texting: Core gives each person just 25 texts a month.
Who RingCentral is for
- Great if you want calls, fax, meetings and chat from one company on one bill
- Handy when you run several offices and want one admin portal for all of them
- Good for Microsoft Teams shops that want RingCentral calling inside Teams
Who RingCentral is not for
- 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
Why RingCentral gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$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, not cheap. Automatic recording and CRM links need Advanced at $25.
- CFree plan and trialA 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.
- BFeaturesUnlimited 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.
- AEase of use4.83 from about 78,000 App Store ratings, which is about as good as it gets for a work phone app.
- APlatforms and integrationsWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack on the integrations list.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from RingCentral's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/ringcentral#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/ringcentral.svg" alt="RingCentral: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where RingCentral stands among business phone systems
RingCentral's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 18 of the 19 other business phone systems we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 16 of 19) and worst on value for money (C, above 3).
Its paid plans start at $20 a month for each person, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 13 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 20 business phone systems we grade, cut by the letter each got. RingCentral’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 19, level with 11
- CFree plan and trialAbove 8 of 19, level with 10
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 19, level with 9
- AEase of useAbove 16 of 19, level with 3
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 9 of 19, level with 10
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 17 business phone systems. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep RingCentral, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace RingCentral you would be making phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 18 of the 19 other business phone systems we grade. It costs $240 a year.
What you could not
- Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network.
- Video calls.
- Chat that a whole team counts on staying up.
- Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. RingCentral’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.
What is RingCentral?
RingCentral's RingEX is a cloud phone system that puts calling, business texting, fax, team chat and video meetings in one app. Each user gets a direct number with unlimited calling in the US and Canada, and an AI assistant takes call notes, transcribes calls and drafts messages. An AI Receptionist that answers and routes calls is sold as an add-on or inside the higher bundles.
RingCentral is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Businesses that want calls, texts, meetings and chat in one app
- Teams spread over several offices or locations
- Companies using Microsoft Teams that want RingCentral calling inside it
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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 in the bundles. 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 bundles.
RingCentral pricing
- Starts at
- $20 per user / month for 1-5 users, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial for new subscribers; texting is not included in the trial
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $20per 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 and 300-person meetings. |
| Advanced | $25per 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. |
| AI CE Bundle with AIR | Custom | AI Customer Engagement Bundle: adds AI Receptionist, the SMS and call queue boosters, Webinar, 10,000 toll-free minutes and 200 texts per user a month. |
| AI CE Bundle with AIR and ACE | Custom | Adds AI Conversation Expert: call scoring, coaching, automatic call summaries and multi-level reporting on top of the bundle above. |
Read from ringcentral.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with RingCentral before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave up to 33% by paying annually
The pricing page lists Core at $20 per user a month billed annually against $30 billed monthly, and Advanced at $25 against $35.
Stated on ringcentral.com
How people rate the RingCentral app
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars91%
- 4 stars6%
- 3 stars1%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star2%
78,015 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
RingCentral alternatives
- RingCentral vs Dialpad
Free trial · from $15/mo
- RingCentral vs Nextiva
From $15/mo
- RingCentral vs Vonage Business Communications
From $19.99/mo
- RingCentral vs Zoom
Free plan · from $14.16/mo
Common questions
Is RingCentral free?
No, RingCentral is a paid product, but you can try it first. 14-day free trial for new subscribers; texting is not included in the trial.
How much does RingCentral cost?
RingCentral lists 4 plans. Core: $20 per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). Advanced: $25 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly). AI CE Bundle with AIR: custom pricing. AI CE Bundle with AIR and ACE: custom pricing. Prices were read from ringcentral.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does RingCentral work on?
RingCentral is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does RingCentral offer any discounts?
RingCentral publicly lists the following: Save up to 33% by paying annually.
How is RingCentral rated?
RingCentral's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 78,015 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does RingCentral have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. RingCentral is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is RingCentral open source?
RingCentral is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does RingCentral have an API?
Yes. RingCentral offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does RingCentral integrate with?
RingCentral's listing names Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes RingCentral?
RingCentral is made by RingCentral.
What are the alternatives to RingCentral?
The closest alternatives to RingCentral in our directory are Dialpad, Nextiva, 8x8, Vonage Business Communications and Zoom. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with RingCentral.
How does RingCentral compare with other business phone systems?
RingCentral's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 18 of the 19 other business phone systems we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on ease of use (A, above 16 of 19) and worst on value for money (C, above 3).
Is RingCentral good value for money?
ToolGPA grades RingCentral C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $20 a month for each person, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 13 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of RingCentral?
To replace RingCentral you would be making phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 18 of the 19 other business phone systems we grade. It costs $240 a year. What you could not make: Phone numbers and calls carried over the phone network. Video calls. Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. Texts from a business number, registered with the carriers. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.