8x8 might be a major player in the VoIP game, but if you’re looking to upgrade your business communications without breaking the bank, then an 8x8 alternative might offer you better value for money.
In fact, there are some options that trump 8x8 in some pretty key areas (like AI and unified communications).
But before we dive into some of the best alternatives, let’s take a look at what 8x8 does well.
What is 8x8?
8x8 is an established cloud phone system provider with a range of plans to suit various business sizes and budgets. Its offerings include audio calls, video conferencing, and instant team messaging for internal communications.
It also has a range of contact centre options with features like call monitoring, auto attendant, and reporting and analytics.
As for its integrations, 8x8 is relatively stacked. It provides integrations with a host of popular apps, such as Salesforce, Google Workspace, HubSpot, and plenty more. Plus, some of its plans offer 24/7 customer support and 99.999% platform-wide uptime SLA.
For business communications, 8x8’s pricing plans start at £10 per user, per month and go up to £47 per user, per month (if billed monthly). Its contact centre plans start at £85 per user, per month and go up to £135 per user, per month.1
8x8 does a lot of things right, but the solution does have a few shortcomings. So, why might 8x8 fail to meet your business’s needs?
Why you might need an 8x8 alternative
You want a totally unified platform
Despite presenting as a unified communications platform, 8x8 phone systems actually lack the inherent architectural unity that you get with some other providers.
Why? Because 8x8’s contact centre platform is actually a separate solution that was created by Genesys and resold to 8x8 as an integration.
This isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker—in fact, lots of big-name providers like RingCentral and Nextiva are doing exactly the same thing.
What it does mean, though, is that the user interface between the two systems may not be consistent with each other, and you may need to toggle between different systems, use different controls, and potentially even access third-party technical support.
With solutions like Dialpad, this isn’t the case.
Dialpad’s UCaaS and CCaaS software is built in-house from the ground up—every line of code is owned by us. As a result, we’ve created a fully integrated solution in which you have one login, one user interface, and one centralised location for all of your tools, data, and conversations.
You’re looking for cost-effectiveness
We’re all looking to save some pennies, which is why cost-effectiveness is probably at the top of your list. But isn’t 8x8 pretty cost-effective?
At first glance, yes. 8x8’s pricing starts at £10 per user, per month, which is actually one of the cheapest options on the market. But, you don’t get any call handling or call transcription features, which are essential for most businesses' day-to-day communications. There are also no analytics, integrations, or routing capabilities.
Put simply, if you want any advanced features at all, you have to opt for a different package.
Let’s compare this to another option on the list below, Dialpad. At £12 per user, per month, Dialpad’s lowest-priced plan isn’t much more than 8x8’s. And yet, it provides significantly more value. You get call and voicemail transcriptions, built-in AI, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations, and even real-time analytics.
So, if price is a huge deciding factor for you, make sure you don’t get blinded by a plan that delivers poor value for money. Take some time to analyse exactly what your business needs in relation to your current and future goals, and use those insights to guide your decision.
You’re interested in AI-native features
Because 8x8 doesn’t own its contact centre software, its AI offerings aren’t as tightly bound into its solution as other alternatives. This might explain why you can only purchase features like speech analytics as an add-on unless you opt for its X8 plan (which, by the way, is £135 per user, per month!).
Solutions with AI built into the core of the product are able to offer more integrated AI-native features that drive automation, improve operational efficiency, and enable you to deliver better customer experiences.
Call transcriptions, for example, can be used to help contact centre supervisors monitor multiple calls at once. Real-time customer sentiment analysis can help them support agents on difficult calls, and you can use conversation intelligence technology to track keywords, phrases, and topics for live coaching, historical trend reporting, and more.
You can even use AI to receive CSAT scores! Dialpad's industry-leading Ai CSAT technology uses hyper-accurate transcription to collect accurate CSAT scores from 100% of your customer calls.
With larger sample sizes, you can make better customer service decisions without having to intrusively ask your customers for feedback.
So, if AI-native features are something you’re interested in, you might want to take a look at some of the alternatives below.
Check out these 8x8 alternatives
1. Dialpad: An easy-to-use communication platform with built-in AI
Dialpad is a fully integrated, all-in-one solution that’s packed with features designed to optimise your internal and external communications.
All plans include HD voice calling, video conferencing, SMS, MMS, and group messaging, and there’s always an integrated cloud contact centre if you need it.
What makes Dialpad an excellent alternative to 8x8?
Truly unified communications
Dialpad is one of the only 8x8 alternatives that can be classed as a truly unified communications solution.
Why? Because, unlike other big-name solutions, all of Dialpad’s UCaaS and CCaaS software is built in-house. This means that there’s absolutely no disparity between our software and, as a result, absolutely no silos between your user interface and conversations.
What does this mean for you? It means streamlined workflows and maximised productivity.
Not only can you switch seamlessly between team and customer communications, but you can keep track of all of your conversations from a singular location, regardless of the device you’re using.
Dialpad is easy to set up, and with everything consolidated into one unified app (that you can use on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC), onboarding is smooth sailing. You can also perform tasks like adding extra users and modifying your call routing rules without needing to call your IT team.
But if you do need support, you can get it 24/7 from our friendly support team or our detailed online Help Centre.
All your internal and external communications in one platform
Dialpad’s lowest-priced plan is £12 per user, per month. It comes with unlimited inbound and outbound calling in the UK, along with SMS and team messaging, and more.
On top of that, you get unlimited video meetings, voicemail transcription, file-sharing capabilities, and integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Oh, and you can also get contact centre functionalities on the same platform. Thanks to our native artificial intelligence technology, you can leverage sophisticated features like live transcription and sentiment analysis (we’ll talk more about these in sec).
How does this compare to 8x8? Well, 8x8 also offers unlimited calling in the UK on its basic plan, along with video conferencing. However, you don’t get features like voicemail transcription or app integrations until you move on to its more expensive plans.
And, as we covered earlier, 8x8 doesn’t provide you with a single source of truth for your internal and external conversations. This can disrupt your workflow and cause silos between your data—an issue that’s non-existent if you’re using Dialpad.
Alongside its centralisation and powerful communication features, Dialpad is also acknowledged for its scalability, security, reliable call quality, and customer service. Enterprise customers even get 100% uptime guaranteed.
Want to know what our customers think? Here’s what businesses on Trustpilot rated Dialpad in comparison to 8x8:
What you get with Dialpad that you don’t get with 8x8
A fully integrated contact centre platform that’s built in-house
Dialpad and 8x8 both have a contact centre platform that’s equipped with all of the features you’d expect—intelligent call routing, call queuing, and analytics, to name a few.
However, because 8x8’s contact centre software isn’t built in-house, its UCaaS and CCaaS software exists on two different apps.
But that’s not the case with Dialpad.
Dialpad’s UCaaS and CCaaS are fully integrated into one platform, meaning that you have one login, one user interface, and identical call controls. Agents can switch seamlessly between business phone calls and customer communications with no need to learn new call controls or constantly switch between apps.
They can even track customer conversations across different channels.
AI-native features
Talking of technology that’s built in-house, Dialpad is the only provider whose telephony architecture has AI built into its core. We call it “Dialpad Ai”, and it’s a conversation intelligence technology that provides robust features for real-time business optimisation.
Using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, Dialpad Ai can transcribe calls, meetings, and voicemails in real time with more accuracy than most leading UCaaS providers.
And using speech analytics, it can even analyse customer sentiments and track keywords and topics with the Custom Moments feature:
So, not only can contact centre supervisors view sentiment-informed transcripts of all their agent’s calls in real time, but employees can access searchable transcripts, key moments, and more.
These AI-native features are available on all of Dialpad’s plans. In contrast, 8x8 only offers speech analytics on its most expensive X8 plan—unless you’re willing to purchase it as an add-on.
The same goes for most of 8x8’s AI features, including its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
Real-time coaching features
Alongside your trusty call monitoring functionalities, Dialpad offers sophisticated live coaching features on all of its plans, which is something else that 8x8 doesn’t provide.
Agents on live calls can leverage RTA (Real-Time Assist) cards to handle tricky topics and FAQs. RTA cards are notes created by supervisors that provide information on specific subjects.
When a customer says a particular word or phrase, it will trigger the Ai Agent Assist to pop up on the agent’s screen.
So, no more scrambling to find answers while customers wait impatiently on hold.
Also, remember we mentioned live transcriptions and sentiment analysis? Well, both of these features amplify your live coaching capabilities, too.
From a singular dashboard, contact centre managers can view live transcripts of their agents’ calls and see how positive or negative the customer’s sentiment is on any given call.
By being able to identify calls that are taking a turn for the worse, managers can make quick, educated coaching decisions.
Whether they choose to help their agent via call whisper or by jumping in to take over the call, managers can provide real-time support to struggling agents way before the sentiment plummets to the point of no return.
So, if you’re looking for an 8x8 alternative that helps you optimise your customer and agent experiences simultaneously, Dialpad might just be the solution for you.
A wide range of integrations
Dialpad integrates seamlessly with software like OneLogin, Google Workspace, and Okta, making it even easier to deploy new users and handle identity management. Automatic provisioning and de-provisioning help reduce manual workloads as well as improving security and compliance.
OneLogin’s single sign-on (SSO) integration with Dialpad means you don’t have to remember multiple passwords or usernames, while Okta ensures strict authentication for the latest cloud technology. The Google Workspace integration adds business productivity tools to Dialpad’s unified communications platform, which automatically populates meeting invites with a video meeting link, for example. No more juggling different windows, tabs, and logins.
Pricing
Standard: £12 per user per month; Pro: £20 per user per month; Enterprise: Get in touch!
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2. RingCentral MVP
RingCentral is a unified communications platform and cloud contact centre provider with a variety of features.
What makes RingCentral a good alternative to 8x8?
RingCentral’s basic essentials plan—which is comparable in price to 8x8’s lowest-priced plan—offers key features that 8x8 doesn’t. For example, you get more call handling features (such as call flip), as well as visual voicemail.
So in that respect, it offers more value for money.
RingCentral also offers more unified team chat and messaging capabilities and, like Dialpad, has open APIs for building custom workflows.
However, because RingCentral is selling another company’s contact centre software, it might not be suitable if you’re looking for a fully integrated UCaaS and CCaaS solution.
Another drawback of RingCentral is that essential features are missing from its “Essentials” plan—video meetings being the main one! Other key features, like automated call recording, real-time transcriptions, and Microsoft/Google Workspace integrations are limited to higher-priced plans.
Pricing
Essentials: £12.99 per user per month (at regular price); Standard: £18.99 per user per month at regular price; Premium: £23.99 per user per month at regular price; Ultimate: £28.99 per user per month at regular price2
3. Aircall
Aircall is a cloud phone system and call centre system that’s designed for startups and small businesses.
What makes Aircall a good alternative to 8x8?
Aircall has various need-to-have features in its basic plan, such as IVR, call recording, voicemail-to-email, and even CRM integrations. It’s pretty popular for its ease of use, which is rated better than 8x8’s:
However, this ease of use comes at a considerable cost. Starting at £25 per user, per month, there are some key features that you can’t get on Aircall’s high-priced basic solution.
Most notably, Aircall doesn’t offer Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 integrations, which are some of the most foundational tools in your tech stack.
But if that’s not a dealbreaker, then this might be—Aircall’s platform has no video functionality. So, if you want to have video meetings, you’ll have to use a separate platform (which is even more money and really hurts your efforts to unify communications).
Pricing
Aircall has two tiers of plans: Essentials: £25 per user, per month and Professionals: £40 per user, per month. There’s also a custom plan that you can get a quote for by contacting Aircall.3
4. GoTo Connect
GoTo Connect is another 8x8 alternative that offers voice calls, video chat, business text messaging, and a contact centre solution.
What makes GoTo Connect a good alternative to 8x8?
With only three plans, it’s easy to identify the right GoTo Connect plan for you (which is something that can’t be said about 8x8). Getting set up and configured is simple, and with high scores in customer service, its customer support seems pretty reliable.
GoTo Connect isn’t as feature-rich as alternatives like Dialpad, although it does offer free international calling in 50+ countries on the Standard and Premium plans.
Unfortunately, the basic plan leaves much to be desired. While it lets you make calls from any device and offers smart call routing and unlimited extensions, it lacks call recording, call analytics, and call management and monitoring features.
Pricing
GoTo Connect has three pricing plans: Basic: £10 per user, per month; Standard: £21 per user, per month; and Premium: £44 per user, per month.4
5. CallHippo
CallHippo is a cloud-based phone system with separate contact centre software. It’s designed to meet the needs of startups and small businesses with low call volumes.
What makes CallHippo a good alternative to 8x8?
CallHippo’s call centre solution has a “free” basic plan (you have to pay rates for things like call forwarding and SMS). Still, with voicemail, teams, and click-to-dial, it might be a viable option if you’re a fresh startup.
On the next tier, CallHippo offers call routing and campaign management features. However, you still have to pay SMS and call forwarding charges, and you don’t get free call recording, IVR, or call monitoring until the higher-priced plans.
As for its business phone system, CallHippo is on the pricier side. The starter plan offers unlimited calling, IVR, and ring groups, but you can’t get features like analytics, call recording, or integrations until you move up tiers. There’s no video conferencing, either.
Pricing
Aside from its free plan, CallHippo’s call centre solution has three pricing plans: Bronze: £14 per user, per month; Silver: £20 per user, per month; and Platinum: £34 per user, per month.
The business phone system has three pricing plans: Starter: £25 per user, per month; Professional: £32 per user, per month; and Ultimate: £34 per user, per month.5
6. CloudTalk
CloudTalk is another alternative that primarily caters to small business virtual call centres.
What makes CloudTalk a good alternative to 8x8?
CloudTalk delivers essential integrations, open APIs, and call centre features like unlimited call queuing and smart call routing.
However, despite being a pretty well-rounded small business solution, it only offers key call monitoring features (like call whispering and call barging) on its most expensive plan.
Pricing
For UK-specific pricing, you’ll have to contact CloudTalk directly, as it doesn’t list prices in GBP on its website. But to give you an idea, the Starter plan is priced at $25 per user, per month, the Essentials plan at $30 per user, per month, and the Expert plan at $50 per user, per month.6
7. JustCall
JustCall is a cloud-based phone system designed for remote customer support and sales teams.
What makes JustCall a good alternative to 8x8?
JustCall might be a good option if you’re looking for a no-fuss cloud phone system for your sales team.
It offers many of the basic calling features you’d expect from a phone system, as well as some extra features that 8x8 doesn’t have, like call tagging and appointment scheduling.
Although JustCall is another platform that doesn’t offer video conference calls, its customer reviews on GetApp are relatively on a par with 8x8:
Pricing
Like CloudTalk, JustCall doesn’t list UK prices on its website. So, you’ll have to make contact directly to find out what these are. To give you a rough idea, JustCall’s Standard plan is priced at $24 per user, per month, and its Premium plan is at $48.7
8. Lily Comms
Lily Comms offers a hosted VoIP business phone system along with other business communications and IT services like calls and lines packages, desk phones, and energy. It also has a new unified communications platform.
What makes Lily Comms a good alternative to 8x8?
Like Dialpad and 8x8, Lily Comms unified communications platform offers device flexibility with voice calls, video conference calls, instant messaging, and file sharing.
However, you probably shouldn’t expect an abundance of features here. It says that it offers “hosted PBX features” but only mentions call recording, an auto attendant, and Outlook integrations on its website.
There’s also no mention of analytics, AI or predictive dialling capabilities.
That’s not to say you can’t find value in Lily Comms. If you’re a small team looking to boost your remote working collaborations without all the extra fuss, then it’s a viable alternative to more complex solutions like 8x8.
Pricing
You’ll have to contact Lily Comms directly to get a quote for its services. You can do this by filling out a quick form on their website.8
9. Bitrix24
Bixtrix is CRM and project management software that also offers a phone solution, so it’s a bit different from some of the other alternatives on this list. Oh, and it’s considerably pricier, too, unless you opt for the free plan.
What makes Bitrix24 a good alternative to 8x8?
Bitrix24 is known for its CRM more than its business phone system, which explains why the lowest-priced plan is a huge £36 per user, per month (spoiler alert; the next plan is almost double this!).
If you already have a CRM, Bitrix won’t offer you the best value for money. However, if you don’t have a CRM, Bitrix’s all-in-one solution might be what you’re looking for.
It does have some handy communication features, too, like video conferencing, a virtual receptionist, and social media integration. Be aware though, that plenty of other providers offer these features at a lower price.
Pricing
Aside from the free plan, Bitrix24 has three pricing tiers: Basic: £36 per user, per month; Standard: £74 per user, per month; and Professional: £149 per user, per month.9
10. Nuacom
Nuacom is a VoIP phone system provider with a contact centre plan.
What makes Nuacom a good alternative to 8x8?
If you’re on a budget, Nuacom’s Essentials plan is decently stacked with an IVR system, call reporting features, voicemail-to-email, and time-of-day routing.
However, it’s only as you move up the pricing tiers that you get access to unlimited calls within the UK, call recording, SMS, and integrations (which, by the way, are all things that you can get on Dialpad’s cheapest plan).
Pricing
Nuacom has two VoIP phone system plans: Essential: £9.99 per user, per month and Unlimited: £24.99 per user, per month. There’s also a contact centre plan, which is £34.99 and gives you access to features like advanced call reporting and a live calls dashboard.10
How to find the right alternative to 8x8’s phone system for your business
So, you’ve got a bunch of alternative possibilities for your phone system. How do you go about choosing the right one?
1. Sign up for the free trials or product demos
Every single phone service provider is going to say that they’re the best solution on the market. But instead of just taking their word for it, why not check out their solutions for yourself?
Most providers will offer some kind of free trial or product demo that you should absolutely take advantage of. At Dialpad, we encourage you to try out our product demo before making the commitment. The demo lets you play around with all of our features, and we even throw in a free virtual phone number!
It’s also a good idea to establish that the provider’s call quality meets your expectations, as well as other key features like transcription and visual voicemail.
2. Look at customer case studies
You know those 5-star ratings and glowing customer quotes on phone service providers’ homepages?
Well, they’re great for giving you immediate insight into what customers think of the given solution. But remember, these are cherry-picked, surface-level reviews that don’t offer you the full picture.
So, dig deeper. Customer case studies go into significant detail about exactly how the product helped the company meet its business goals. Find case studies by customers in the same industry as you or with the same company size as yours to help you make a more informed decision.
While you’re at it, check out customer reviews on third-party websites, too.
Comparison websites can provide valuable insights as to where a provider shines and where they fall short. As you can see from the GetApp review below, customers find that 8x8’s customer service and value for money fall short (especially in comparison to Dialpad):
3. Verify your security and compliance requirements
Do the solutions you’re interested in meet your security and compliance requirements? This is something that can end up being an afterthought when it should be a leading factor in your decision.
Conduct some research to establish the security implementations provided by the cloud phone system provider you’re looking into. Are they compliant with data and security regulations like SOC® Type II and GDPR? What about industry-specific regulatory compliance like HIPAA?
There are other factors to consider, too, such as whether the provider offers built-in enterprise-level encryption, role-based access, and PCI-compliant call recording.
Find out why Dialpad is the best 8x8 alternative for your business
Want to try out Dialpad for yourself? Get a personal walkthrough of Dialpad’s platform to see how it unifies your internal and external communications—you can even try out our best features or take a self-guided interactive tour of the app.
Looking for the best 8x8 alternative?
Get a personal walkthrough of Dialpad to see how it can empower your teams to handle all their internal and external communications—from one platform. Or, take a self-guided interactive tour to play around with the app first!
FAQs about 8x8 alternatives
18x8.com/products/plans-and-pricing?locale=uk
2ringcentral.com/office/plansandpricing.html#office
3aircall.io/pricing
4goto.com/pricing/connect
5callhippo.com/pricing/
6cloudtalk.io/pricing/
7justcall.io/pricing/
8lilycomms.co.uk/hosted-voIp-phone-systems.html
9bitrix24.uk/prices/
10nuacom.ie/mobile-landing-page/