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RingCentral and 8x8, two popular small business phone systems, each offer features that are best suited to specific business types. Here's how to decide which is right for you.
Check out The Best Business Phone Systems of 2024 business.com recommends.
Improving internal and external communications at your business involves thinking beyond voice calls. Nowadays, many business phone system service providers offer comprehensive communication packages that unify phone calls, video conferencing and messaging in a comprehensive, all-in-one communication hub for businesses. The best solution for your team will depend on which aligns with your company’s unique processes and preferences for staying connected.
Two of the best business phone systems currently on the market are RingCentral and 8×8. As you explore different solutions, you may find yourself weighing these two against each other. To help your decision-making process, we’ve put together a straightforward comparison of RingCentral and 8×8 with critical insights so you can make an informed choice.
Criteria | RingCentral | 8×8 |
---|---|---|
Features |
|
|
Starting prices | From $20 per user, per month (annual billing) | From $24 per user, per month (annual billing) |
Integrations | Over 330 integrations and application programming interfaces (APIs) | More than 60 integrations and open APIs |
Video conferencing | 200 video participants (more allowed for add-on fee) | 500 video participants |
Base-level customer support | Phone, live chat, support tickets and community forum | Phone, live chat and community forum |
RingCentral is well-suited for large and growing businesses in need of substantial communications capabilities. This cloud-based solution has a commendable, near-perfect uptime, the capacity to accommodate large numbers of users and the ability to integrate with hundreds of other business software and applications seamlessly.
With RingCentral, you can host up to 200 participants in video meetings and up to 1,000 participants in audio-only sessions. For businesses with higher-capacity video needs, RingCentral’s Large Meeting add-on accommodates up to 500 participants in video sessions. Noteworthy advanced features include real-time call oversight and guidance tools for your staff members during customer interactions.
The cornerstone of RingCentral’s portfolio is the RingEX platform, which is available via three plans starting at $30 per user, per month, with annual billing. For a comprehensive understanding of all its capabilities and offerings, read our full review of RingCentral.
8×8 is a versatile business phone solution for global businesses of any size. With its X-Series, you can personalize your plan, choosing from unlimited voice calling options that span 14 to 48 countries, depending on where your business operates. Network administrators have the flexibility to tailor subscriptions to meet the individual needs of different team members, be they sales representatives or call center agents, so you can save on international calling and subscription fees while equipping employees with essential tools. The system supports essential communication functionalities, such as audio conferencing and video meetings and features a handy multilevel auto-attendant that streamlines operations.
The vendor’s X-Series, which starts at $24 per user, per month, when billed annually, offers valuable functionality that can grow with your business’s changing needs. Companies can upscale their communication suite to include multilingual chat support and accommodate rising call volumes by incorporating contact center services. Moreover, it integrates smoothly with top-rated customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, optimizing the sales process by helping teams reach clients efficiently and documenting interactions systematically.
Designed to foster a connected workforce, this platform caters to call centers with functionalities like hot desking and ring groups, ensuring that as your business grows, your communication system can adapt seamlessly, keeping everyone interconnected. Our full review of 8×8 goes further in-depth on this solution’s features, options and limitations.
RingCentral and 8×8 each come with useful communication and collaboration tools for businesses to connect with employees, clients and customers. Here’s how they compare with each other.
RingCentral
8×8
With the 8×8 Work application, users can create different chat rooms to keep communications organized and seamless. Source: 8×8
RingCentral
RingCentral is available at three subscription tiers.
Additional services include webinar hosting, extra local and overseas phone lines and bulk short message service (SMS) services.
For companies that want to try RingCentral before committing, the vendor offers a complimentary 14-day trial for up to five users. We appreciate that trial accounts are assigned a personal account specialist and have access to round-the-clock assistance to ensure users get the most out of this period.
Hybrid and remote teams can take advantage of RingCentral’s useful whiteboard feature for visual collaboration. Source: RingCentral
8×8
With 8×8’s X-Series plans, there are two options for small businesses that want an annual plan discount. The month-to-month prices are up to 30 percent higher than those listed below:
For businesses that want more advanced features like unlimited media storage, auto-dialing and speech analytics, the company also offers X6, X7 and X8 plans. These options range from $85 to $140 per user, per month, and are only available on a month-to-month payment schedule.
RingCentral
RingCentral facilitates more than 330 integrations with many popular business tools, including Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, HubSpot and Slack. You can also take advantage of RingCentral’s open APIs and software development kits to build your own custom solutions that sync with other business software.
8×8
While many internet phone services link up with common tools like Google Contacts or Microsoft Outlook, not many offer ties to CRM systems at the basic plan level. The 8×8 X-Series is compatible with 60 applications, including top-tier CRM platforms like HubSpot. Additionally, it has special voice features for Microsoft Teams to enhance its business communication offerings, especially in the vendor’s contact center packages.
RingCentral
With RingCentral’s Ultra plan, your team can host video meetings with up to 200 participants (the Core and Advanced plans are capped at 100). Each tier comes with a Large Meeting add-on option, which increases your meeting capacity to 500.
Businesses whose primary communication needs are video-based may wish to consider RingCentral’s separate Video Pro offering, which is free for up to 100 attendees. There’s also a paid plan for $10 per user, per month.
8×8
Across all plans, 8×8 can host up to 500 participants in a high-definition (HD) video conference. It also allows you to stream your video conferences privately or publicly on YouTube. You can use the video API to customize aspects of 8×8’s video conferencing platform to suit your business.
8×8 has a solid video conferencing platform that accommodates up to 500 participants in HD video, even at its base plan. Source: 8×8
RingCentral
8×8
While RingCentral and 8×8 are both excellent options for your business’s unified communications needs, one of these high-quality business phone systems may be a better fit for your company, depending on your enterprise’s specific circumstances.
RingCentral stands out as a top choice for established businesses with teams working remotely or in a mix of in-office and home environments. This cloud-powered communication system ensures everyone can stay in touch wherever they are. Boasting an almost perfect uptime record, RingCentral guarantees steady communication and easy collaboration, which is essential when your team is spread across different locations. [Find out why engagement is higher with remote teams.]
RingCentral’s platform includes useful communication tools for seamless collaboration, no matter where your employees are located. Source: RingCentral
8×8 is a robust communications platform ideal for existing businesses operating globally and looking for a comprehensive suite of tools to stay connected across borders. This cloud-based system stands tall with its promise of unlimited international calling and supports an impressive array of 46 languages, catering to a diverse and global clientele. Whether you’re leveraging its 500-person video conferencing feature or utilizing YouTube streaming options, reaching a large audience seamlessly is easy with 8×8.
Check out The Best Business Phone Systems of 2024 business.com recommends.