Dialpad vs RingCentral
By Myroslav Orshak · Updated September 2026 · how we test and make money
Dialpad is about $15 per user, RingCentral about $20, and both are annual-billing prices. That gap is small enough that price alone should not decide this.
What should decide it is a single question about your team. Dialpad includes live transcription and automatic call summaries on its base plan, where most competitors sell that separately. If your people will use those, it is excellent value. If they will not, you are paying for the platform's headline feature and using the parts RingCentral does better.
Choose Dialpad
Pick Dialpad if your team makes and takes calls all day and would genuinely use written summaries — sales, recruiting, customer success.
from $15/user/mo
Choose RingCentral
Pick RingCentral if you need integration depth, administrative control, or multi-site support, and nobody will read a transcript.
from $20/user/mo
Where they are the same
Both are complete business phone systems and neither is missing anything an office needs. Company number, auto-receptionist, routing, extensions, transfers, voicemail, texting, video and mobile apps are on both, and both work well. The differences are at the edges, not the core.
Side by side
A highlighted cell means that product is genuinely better on that row. Many rows are a tie, and we mark them that way rather than inventing a winner.
| What you are comparing | Dialpad | RingCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | from $15/user/mo | from $20/user/mo |
| What that price assumes | Standard plan, annual billing | Core plan, annual billing |
| AI transcription and call summaries | Included on the base plan | Available, generally higher tiers or add-ons |
| Everyday calling features | Complete | Complete |
| Unlimited US and Canada calling | Included | Included |
| Integrations | Tight with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 | 300+, with deeper Salesforce support |
| Administrative depth | Lighter — a younger platform | Deeper controls and reporting |
| Multi-site and scale | Capable | Built for it |
What actually decides it
The AI is only worth money if somebody reads it
Automatic summaries save a salesperson real time every day and save a front desk nothing at all. Before comparing prices, ask whether anyone in your business currently writes notes after calls. If the answer is no, Dialpad's main advantage is worth zero to you and the comparison becomes a straight one about depth.
Transcription accuracy depends on the room
Speech recognition handles a headset in a quiet office well, and struggles with speakerphones, background noise and strong accents. A busy open-plan space is exactly where the summaries you are paying for are least reliable, which is worth testing during a trial rather than discovering later.
RingCentral's depth shows up as you grow
Granular routing rules, administrative controls and reporting are where an older platform earns its price. A twelve-person office will never notice. A company opening a second location, or connecting the phone system to Salesforce properly, will notice within a month.
The five-dollar gap is smaller than it looks
At twenty users the difference is about $1,200 a year, which is real but not decisive. Both prices also assume annual billing, so if you want month-to-month flexibility, get both monthly quotes — that difference is frequently larger than the gap between the two products.
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Dialpad vs RingCentral: questions
Is Dialpad's AI actually useful?
For teams that review conversations afterwards — sales, recruiting, customer success — genuinely yes, and having it on the base plan rather than as an add-on is the reason to choose Dialpad. For a team that answers calls and moves on, it is a feature nobody will open.
Which is better value?
Dialpad, if you use the AI, because you are getting a feature that costs extra elsewhere for five dollars less per user. RingCentral, if you do not, because then you are comparing depth against depth and it has more of it.
Can RingCentral do call transcription too?
Yes, but generally on higher tiers or as an add-on rather than on the entry plan. If transcription matters, price RingCentral's equivalent before comparing headline figures — including it usually erases the apparent saving and can reverse it.
Can I keep my number whichever one I choose?
Yes. Number portability is a legal right in the US and both companies port numbers as a matter of routine. The one rule that matters is timing: start the transfer while your existing account is still open, because canceling first can release the number permanently.