The best Five9 alternatives for 2026

Five9 is a contact center phone service used by several of the biggest companies in the US. It prioritizes reliability and stability in its platform. Its name refers to 99.999% uptime for its customers.  But a business phone that caters to global enterprises is often ill-suited to small and growing businesses. If you’re thinking of switching to a Five9 alternative, this guide can help you make an informed decision.

We’ll look at why teams often seek Five9 competitors and break down the Five9 alternatives you should consider.

Pros and cons of Five9

Pros

• Contact center quality management features
• AI-powered tools

Cons

• Expensive pricing plans for small teams
• Texting is only available in one plan
• A user minimum and a fixed contract are required to sign up
• Difficult user interface

Five9 is a call and contact center as a service platform, otherwise known as CCaaS. You can use their platform to manage communications across multiple channels, including social media, web chat, and email.

Five9 offers two major benefits to businesses:

1. Contact center quality management: Supervisors can monitor contact center operations in real time. Five9 offers recording, monitoring, coaching, evaluating, and calibration at scale to teams. Higher-tier plans also provide dedicated workforce optimization features. 
2. AI-powered tools: Five9 has AI-powered features to assist team members throughout its platform. That includes chatbots, voice AI agents, AI call summaries, and transcriptions. 

But because Five9 invests so heavily in its contact center features, many of its essential calling and texting features can’t compete with other business phone systems.

Here’s why users are making the switch from Five9 to more effective alternatives:

1. Five9 costs far more than other solutions: Five9 starts at $119 per user per month, which is much more expensive than comparable alternatives. Even then, you only get a basic set of features in each plan. If you want features like IVR with speech recognition, CRM integrations, and SMS auto-replies, you have to purchase add-ons. 
2. User minimums are required to sign up: You need a minimum of 50 users to sign up for Five9, making it extremely cost-prohibitive for small teams. Their plans also lock you into a three-year contract, so you can’t terminate your subscription if it’s not a good fit for you. 
3. Texting is only available on one plan: Five9 only offers SMS and MMS messaging functionality in its Digital plan. If you choose this plan, you won’t get access to Five9’s workforce management, quality management, and predictive dialing features. And if you want calling features, you won’t find them in the Digital plan. Five9 forces you to choose between plans with calling and plans with texting features. 
4. Difficult user interface: Dozens of reviewers say Five9 lacks a user-friendly interface. Users say the platform is hard to navigate, and many of its tools have a steep learning curve. For example, Five9 breaks up calls, voicemails, and texts into separate views in its platform. If you’re trying to invest in customer engagement, you might have a hard time using Five9 to do so.

Five9 pricing

Five9’s pricing offers five plans to businesses:

• Digital: $119 per user per month (36-month contract) for access to chat, SMS, email, and social messaging
• Core: $119 per user per month (36-month contract) for access to voice calling capabilities, recording, and the dialer
• Premium: Contact sales for a quote to access all the features of the Core plan, plus chat, email, and essential quality management
• Optimum: Contact sales for a quote to access all the features of the Core and Digital plans, plus essential quality management
• Ultimate: Contact sales for a quote to access all the features of the Digital, Voice, Workforce Engagement, and Analytics capabilities

The 8 best Five9 alternatives

Here’s an overview of the eight best Five9 alternatives:

Provider	Starting Price	Unlimited calling to US & Canada	SMS/MMS to US & Canada	Shared phone numbers	Additional phone numbers
Five9	$119 per user per month (based on a minimum three-year commitment)	X	Only on Digital plan	x	Contact for a quote
OpenPhone	$15 per user per month	✅	✅	✅	$5 per number per month
Talkdesk	$85 per user per month (based on a minimum three-year commitment)	Requires upgrade	✅	Ring groups only	Contact for a quote
Dialpad	$15 per user per month	✅	US and Canadian customers only	✅	Requires upgrade
RingCentral	$20 per user per month	Limited toll-free minutes	25 messages per user per month	Calls only	$4.99 per number per month
Genesys Cloud CX	$75 per user per month	✅	Requires add-on	Shared call appearance only	Undisclosed price
CloudTalk	$19 per user per month	US and Canadian customers only, excludes toll-free calls	X	✅Ring groups only	Starts at $6 per number per month
Nextiva	$15 per user per month	✅	100 SMS per user per month	Shared call appearance only	Contact for a quote
Aircall	$30 per user per month	✅	✅	✅	$6 per number per month

Scroll down to learn more about each alternative in detail.

1. Quo (formerly OpenPhone): The best Five9 alternative for growing teams

Quo is the #1 VoIP business phone system as rated on G2. You can sign up for a plan almost anywhere in the world, then make or take calls from your WiFi connection.

Unlike Five9, Quo lets you easily scale your plan as your team grows. Each user added to your account comes with one local number in the US or Canada or a North American toll-free number. If you want to split responsibility for incoming calls, you can create shared numbers so everyone on your team can manage calls, texts, and voicemails together.

With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can make unlimited calls to the US and Canada on every plan. Plus, you get free SMS and MMS support in the US and Canada. You also don’t have to worry about upgrading before you’re ready — you can have unlimited users on every tier.

Thousands of businesses use Quo to improve their customers’ satisfaction with their service. For example, 71% of global consumers say they expect a company to share information so they don’t have to repeat themselves. You can do this in Quo by adding custom properties to each contact so customers don’t have to share the same information twice. Plus, team members don’t have to waste valuable time asking callers to re-verify their details.

But custom contact properties aren’t the only way Quo can save you time:

• Never miss a customer call again with Sona, our 24/7 AI voice agent. Sona captures leads, answers routine questions, and takes detailed messages on behalf of your team. 
• We offer dozens of ways to save time texting, including snippets, auto-replies, and scheduled messages.
• You can automatically log all call recordings, texts, and voice messages in your CRM using our HubSpot and Salesforce integrations.
• Review calls faster with our AI-powered call summaries and transcripts. Surface customer opportunities and get business insights with AI call tags. 
• Our Zapier and Make integrations let you save time on repetitive tasks and automate specific workflows. Want to send an appointment confirmation message after someone fills out a form on your website? You can do that right from the Starter plan ($15 per month per user).

Managing your team’s business phone system shouldn’t feel like a part-time job. With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), it’s easy to customize your phone’s settings and get up and running in under 20 minutes.

Sign up for our seven-day free trial to test the platform yourself.

Quo key features

• Unlimited calls to the US and Canada
• One free number per user on your account
• SMS and MMS support
• International calling support
• CRM integrations (HubSpot, Jobber, Salesforce, etc.)
• Multiple apps available (Android, iPhone, desktop, and browser)
• IVR
• Texting automations like snippets, scheduled texts, and auto-replies
• Voicemail transcriptions
• Call recordings

Quo pricing

Quo gives you the flexibility and features you need with no user minimums:

• Starter: $15 per user per month for voicemail-to-text transcriptions, call recording, the Quo API, and more
• Business: $23 per user per month for call transfers, phone menus/IVR, HubSpot and Salesforce integrations, and more
• Scale: $35 per user per month for AI call tags, dedicated onboarding, and priority chat and email support

2. Talkdesk: Best alternative for omnichannel communications

Talkdesk is a cloud-based contact center platform designed to connect all your communication channels. This omnichannel solution can help you consolidate customer touchpoints into a single dashboard for calls, texts, emails, and social media.

Talkdesk’s high price tag may be frustrating to small business owners. It starts at $85 per user per month, on top of which you need to purchase local numbers as an add-on. And since the starting price doesn’t include the cost of inbound or outbound calls, your monthly bill can add up fast.

There are a few other limitations of Talkdesk to keep in mind:

• Call routing on Talkdesk requires you to upgrade to a higher-tier plan.
• HubSpot and Salesforce integrations are only available as add-ons.
• There’s no support for voicemail transcriptions or voicemail-to-email.

Talkdesk provides several options for self-service customer workflows, but the features provided by its business phone system are bare-bones at best. If you’re looking for a solution that offers unlimited calls and messages in the US and Canada, you should look for a Talkdesk alternative.

Talkdesk key features

• 60+ integrations
• IVR
• Set business hours
• API access
• Self-service tools for customers (like AI-powered virtual assistants)

Talkdesk pricing

Talkdesk offers three major contact center plans. Here’s what to expect from each:

• CX Cloud Digital Essentials: $85 per user per month for access to digital engagement (email, chat, and SMS), AI tools, and API access
• CX Cloud Voice Essentials: $105 per user per month for quality management integration, access to voice, automation designer, and access to Talkdesk feedback
• CX Cloud Elite: $165 per user per month for custom reports and dashboards, performance management visualizations, and screen recording

Note: Pricing is based on a three-year commitment.

3. Dialpad: The top option for AI-based coaching

Dialpad is a unified communications platform that offers AI-powered contact center solutions. For example, you can tap into their AI coaching solutions to help your team communicate more clearly with callers.

But what you can’t do with Dialpad is far more extensive than what you can do.

On the basic plan, you can’t:

• Purchase additional numbers
• Send international text messages
• Access 24/7 customer support
• Set up auto-replies
• Integrate with Slack and Zapier

Plus, keep in mind some of Dialpad’s listed features can’t be accessed at all. Quality of service reports aren’t available on any plan, although they’re advertised in the feature lineup. Dialpad’s Pro plan also has a three-user minimum, making it more expensive than you might expect.

If you’re located outside the US and trying to call customers overseas — or just want a more predictable monthly budget for your business phone system — Dialpad may not be a good fit for your team.

Key features of Dialpad

• Integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams
• Unlimited inbound and outbound calls in the US, Canada, and your country
• Internet fax (available in the US and Canada only)
• SMS and MMS support (US and Canadian customers only) 
• Voicemail transcriptions

Dialpad pricing

You can choose from three different Dialpad pricing plan options:

• Standard: $15 per user per month for unlimited calls, SMS and MMS support, and unlimited video meetings 
• Pro: $25 per user per month for local numbers in 70+ countries, up to 25 ring groups, CRM integrations, and international SMS (three-user seat minimum)
• Enterprise: Custom monthly price for guaranteed uptime, unlimited ring groups, and (100-user seat minimum)

4. RingCentral: Best option with desk phone rentals

RingCentral is a cloud-based phone system offering calls, texts, and video conferencing. Businesses can also rent compatible desk phones for their physical workspaces (like offices and cubicles). 

However, many of RingCentral’s best features become inaccessible using desk phones. You can’t join video conferences with your team or send text messages at all.

You also don’t have much room to test RingCentral’s desk phones on your own. During the free trial, you can only trial up to two desk phones at once. You may be charged for the hardware if you don’t return it within 21 days.

Another potential deal breaker: RingCentral users are limited to just 25 texts per user per month. You can’t unlock unlimited texts no matter how much you upgrade, maxing out at 200 texts per user per month. And since SMS isn’t available on the free trial, you can’t see if the platform’s a good fit for your team before buying a full plan.

Finally, RingCentral doesn’t allow you to store text messages, call recordings, and voicemails indefinitely. All records are subject to time and size limits unless you upgrade for unlimited storage ($35 per user per month). Even then, ‘unlimited’ only gives you more space — your records are still subject to time limitations. 

The only way to get true unlimited storage is to use a RingCentral alternative.

Key features of RingCentral

• Unlimited calls in the US and Canada
• Voicemail-to-email
• Multilevel auto-attendants and IVR
• Shared numbers
• On-demand call recording (automatic call recording requires upgrade)

RingCentral Pricing

You can choose from three different RingCentral pricing plans:

• Core: $20 per user per month for phone menus, 25 text messages per user, and on-demand call recordings
• Advanced: $25 per user per month for CRM integrations, 100 text messages per user, and automatic call recordings
• Ultra: $35 per user per month for additional file storage and 200 text messages per user

Keep in mind there are a few add-ons to consider:

• Additional international toll-free numbers: $14.99 per user per month (plus $25 one-time fee)
• Additional vanity numbers: $30 one-time fee
• High-volume SMS: $0.0085 per message sent or received

5. Genesys Cloud CX: Best alternative that’s PCI DSS compliant

Like Talkdesk, Genesys Cloud CX is a customer experience platform that combines all your customer touchpoints into a single dashboard. It’s also a PCI DSS-compliant solution, which means it meets safety standards to accept, process, and store customer payment details (like credit cards).

Unfortunately, Genesys Cloud CX can quickly get expensive. Here’s how:

• SMS isn’t available in Genesys’s base plan. You either have to upgrade to a higher-tier plan or purchase an add-on to activate SMS.
• Genesys’s AI transcription and summary solutions charge token-based pricing, meaning your monthly AI costs will fluctuate based on your call volume. 
• Genesys only lets you integrate with CRM tools by purchasing add-ons, regardless of the plan you choose. 

With a starting price of $75 per user per month, Genesys is on the higher end of the Five9 alternatives in this list. With all these upgrades and add-ons, your monthly phone bill will keep rising. If you’re a small business that wants to keep a tight eye on your budget, consider a different alternative.

Key features of Genesys Cloud CX

• IVR
• Voicemail
• Call flows
• ACD
• Call recording

Genesys Cloud CX pricing

Genesys Cloud CX offers four plans for businesses to choose from:

• CX 1: $75 per user per month to access calling, call routing, speech-enabled IVR, and AI features (usage-based pricing applies)
• CX 2: $115 per user per month to access digital channels, SMS, omnichannel routing, analytics and reporting, and outbound campaigns
• CX 3: $155 per user per month to access employee performance and workforce management features
• CX 4: $240 per user per month to access agent copilot, journey management, and 30 AI Experience tokens per agent

6. CloudTalk: Top solution for manager-based live coaching

CloudTalk provides cloud contact center software to manage customer interactions at scale. Whether you’re training new team members or improving agent performance, you can use live coaching software (like call barging and call whispering) to optimize agent productivity.

While you get unlimited inbound and outbound calling within the US and Canada, international calling rates are not publicly available. You do get unlimited intracompany calls, which might be appealing for globally remote teams.

Some things to keep in mind as you consider whether CloudTalk is right for you: CloudTalk doesn’t include any advanced SMS or MMS messaging functionality in its plan pricing. While it does offer text messaging on every plan, it doesn’t mention how much it charges teams for every message. CloudTalk also charges an additional $9 per user per month for AI-driven features like call transcriptions, summaries, and call tags.

Key features of CloudTalk

• Click-to-call
• Access to 160+ countries
• Unlimited call queuing
• Mobile app support
• Call recording

CloudTalk pricing

CloudTalk’s pricing plans provide customers with four options to choose from:

• Lite: $19 per user per month for unlimited domestic calling within the US and Canada, international numbers, call recording, and support via email and chat
• Essential: $29 per user per month for advanced real-time analytics with unlimited history, skill-based routing, and unlimited concurrent calls
• Expert: $49 per user per month for Salesforce integrations, smart dialers, and live call monitoring
• Custom: Request a quote for custom onboarding, priority support, and custom reporting

7. Nextiva: Best for social media channel management

Nextiva calls itself an all-in-one communications company. Its platform includes basic phone capabilities such as inbound and outbound voice calls, as well as integrations with popular messaging apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp. Nextiva’s basic plan lets users put all their messages in one inbox. This feature is usually only available on more advanced plans from other providers.

However, Nextiva’s base plan has limitations that may impact its viability as a comprehensive business phone system:

• SMS messaging is capped at 100 messages per user per month, with unlimited messaging only available on the highest-tier plan.
• Key features such as call recording and toll-free calling are not included in the base plan and require additional upgrades.
• Third-party integrations are not included in any of Nextiva’s standard plans and are only available as add-ons.

For businesses seeking a simple social media monitoring and communications platform, Nextiva could be a suitable choice. However, businesses looking for a scalable communications solution may need to look elsewhere for more cost-effective Nextiva alternatives.

Key features of Nextiva

• Unlimited voice and video calls
• Voicemail with AI transcription
• 24/7 support
• SOC 2 compliance

Nextiva pricing

You can choose from three different Nextiva pricing plans:

• Core: $15 per user per month to access inbound and outbound voice calls, SMS/MMS up to 100 messages per user per month, voicemail transcriptions, and simple IVR
• Engage: $25 per user per month to access unlimited call recording, toll-free number and 1,000 toll-free minutes, unlimited video meetings, and Microsoft Teams integration
• Power Suite CX: $50 per user per month for the inbound sales and service call center, priority and skills-based routing, supervisor dashboard, and automatic call distribution (ACD) callback

8. Aircall: Best alternative for outbound sales teams

Aircall is a virtual phone solution for customer-facing sales and success teams. Apart from its out-of-the-box VoIP platform, you can also use its API to connect your existing infrastructure.

What holds Aircall back as a viable option for small businesses is its price. It starts at $30 per user per month, with a three-user minimum. That puts it closer to Five9’s pricing just to get started. 

Some other limitations with Aircall are:

• Advanced messaging features like auto-replies, scheduled messages, and templates require a third-party integration with its own pricing.
• Call recordings are only stored for a year on the base plan.
• Additional features like AI capabilities, advanced analytics, and WhatsApp messaging are only available as add-ons. None of them are included in Aircall’s plans. 

If you have a large sales team that needs power dialing (only available on the Pro plan), call scoring, and other sales-specific features, Aircall may be right for you. However, if you’re running a small business, you may want to consider a more cost-effective Five9 alternative.

Key features of Aircall

• Unlimited inbound and internal calls
• APIs and webhooks
• Ring groups
• Shared inboxes
• Custom music and messages

Aircall pricing

Aircall pricing has three tiers, with a three-user minimum on the Essentials and Professional plans and a 25-user minimum on Custom plans:

• Essentials: $30 per user per month, three-user minimum, unlimited calls within the US and Canada, IVR, call routing, SMS and MMS messaging
• Professional: $50 per user per month, three-user minimum, Power Dialer, Salesforce integration, queue callback, smart routing
• Custom: Call for pricing, 25-user minimum, unlimited worldwide calls, access to APIs

They also offer the following add-ons to get access to advanced features:

• AI Assist: $9 per license per month to access AI features like call summaries, talk-to-listen ratios, and sentiment analysis 
• AI Voice Agent: $0.99 per minute for their AI answering service
• Analytics+: $15 per license per month to access advanced metrics
• WhatsApp in Aircall: $10 per license per month to access WhatsApp messaging features, automatic call logging in CRM systems, and shared inbox collaboration

Try out the best alternative to Five9 for free

Five9 is an expensive phone solution with a fragmented set of features. Unfortunately, not all Five9 alternatives offer a noticeably better platform — or the features your business needs as it grows.

If you want to meet the growing demands of your customers, Quo can help your team give more personalized service that can make your customers happy. Our competitive prices scale alongside your team and never force you to upgrade before you’re ready. Get access to dozens of business-friendly communication features:

• Get a free local or toll-free number for every user who signs up in your workspace. Assign dedicated numbers or share them across your team. 
• Set up custom call flows in our visual call flow builder. Mix and match call flow steps like ring groups, phone menus, and call forwarding.
• Sync your calls and texts with other tools using our third-party integrations.
• Never miss a customer call with our AI answering service, Sona.

You can start using Quo to delight your customers in 15 minutes or less. Sign up for a free seven-day trial today to test the platform with your team.