From calling to conferencing to team messaging, Nextiva and RingCentral have a lot to offer to businesses looking for a full-service VoIP (voice over internet protocol) tool. Which one should you choose? Nextiva is the more flexible and scalable platform of the two, but RingCentral is the more affordable solution. Read on as we decode Nextiva vs. RingCentral in detail to help you make the right choice between the two.
Nextiva Compared to RingCentral
Nextiva is our top recommendation for VoIP phone services due to its unprecedented reliability, scalability, and small-business-friendly price point. Every plan comes with unlimited minutes, free local and toll-free numbers, video conferencing, faxing, and instant messaging. Many Nextiva customers save up to 60% on average after making the switch—and you can save even more through a special discounted rate by signing up for Nextiva today!
RingCentral is an affordable alternative that definitely doesn’t skimp out on quality. Its entry-level plan comes with unlimited calls and texts, file sharing, team messaging, and all of the other essentials you need in a complete VoIP phone service. For smaller teams of up to 20 people, the $20 per user per month price point is almost too good to pass up. Click here to get started now.
More Top Business VoIP Phone Services
Nextiva and RingCentral are just two of the best VoIP phone systems on the market today. While most of you will be fine using either of these two industry leaders, you can see all of our top picks here. In addition to the VoIP phone system reviews, you’ll also see our buying guide methodology and recommended use cases for each solution.
Nextiva and RingCentral both made our list, with Nextiva as our top recommendation and RingCentral trailing close behind as the best option for businesses with less than 20 users.
Where Nextiva Shines
Features: Nextiva has a lot to offer with an array of compelling features, and it includes everything you need. One of the standout features of Nextiva is that every plan includes unlimited video and audio calls. In fact, Nextiva’s features in this area are so strong that we named it the best office phone system provider. On top of that, there’s unlimited internet faxing, which is ideal for businesses that send and receive many faxes. While RingCentral does provide internet faxing, you’ll only find it on the second, more expensive, plan.
Integrations and Extensibility: Nextiva service comes with built-in calendar integrations, and every user gets a phone number for free, or you can port over existing numbers at no extra charge. Extended integrations with Salesforce, Hubspot, and Zendesk are available on the Professional plan. These are helpful CRM integrations that are great for customer service teams and marketing campaigns. All of these are offered with free implementation—an offer that’s hard to ignore. You can learn more about all these options through our full Nextiva review.
Support: We’ve mentioned customer support being a part of what Nextiva provides. For starters, you’re getting 24/7 online ticketing support and an online chat service should you need it. Phone and email support are also available Monday to Friday between 5 am and 6 pm—Saturdays are between 6 am and 6 pm MST. Of course, if it’s answers to general queries you’re interested in, then you can find detailed product guides that should help with any other issues.
Interface: Nextiva’s interface is all about usability. While some service users have found it to be somewhat dated, most agree that they had no problem using it. What we’re looking at here is a streamlined product that skillfully gets the job done without some of the fancy visuals you’ll find elsewhere. It’s unlikely you’ll find yourself stuck navigating around Nextiva’s interface—whether that’s on the mobile apps or desktop, just don’t expect the best graphics.
Pricing: We think every tier offers something worthwhile and at a fair price, and if you opt for an annual plan, you can save over 30% by doing so. The total price you’ll pay will depend on the number of users you add to your plan, and the price per user drops as your user count increases.
If those prices are a bit too high for your taste, worry not. Nextiva is running a special discounted rate on all their plans—you can get as much as 50% off the prices you see above by getting started with Nextiva today!
Toll-Free Minutes Included: Nextiva and RingCentral both offer unlimited calling in the US and Canada with every plan. But in terms of toll-free minutes, Nextiva really shines above RingCentral. The entry-level Essentials plan comes with up to 1,500 toll-free minutes per month, and the next two tiers come with 3,000 and 12,500, respectively. RingCentral’s first tier comes with just 100 toll-free minutes, and the mid-tier comes with 1,000.
High Reliability: Nextiva boasts an impressive 99.999% uptime rate for its phone services. In simple terms, this means that outages are rare, and the phone system will be live when you need it to be. Beyond its high uptime, Nextiva provides exceptional call quality. If you’re unsure whether or not your internet speed is good enough to support Nextiva, you can always run a VoIP speed test to try it out.
Contact Center Features: In addition to its VoIP phone service and complete business communications suite, Nextiva also supports the needs of high-volume call centers. Whether your organization needs a solution for inbound calling, outbound calling, or both, Nextiva has you covered. Some standout features of the contact center system include skills-based routing, auto dialer, geo-redundancy, and more.
Where Nextiva Falls Short
Mobile App Glitches: While mobile access is definitely a plus, there are a few issues with Nextiva’s mobile app. More specifically, some users report bugs and glitches. The app doesn’t always load and can sometimes crash unexpectedly, which obviously isn’t ideal when you’re trying to use this service on the go. This drawback isn’t a dealbreaker since most bugs can be fixed with a new version release, but there’s still some room for improvement here.
Complicated Pricing: Although we believe any Nextiva plan represents a solid value, the actual cost of using it may give you some fits. Expect to encounter some complex calculations when trying to figure out exactly what your bill will be, especially if you are including add-ons as part of your subscription package. Some companies simply choose to contact Nextiva directly for a custom price quote, rather than trying to figure out the total cost on their own.
Lack of AI Functions: Nextiva does have an advanced IVR tool that uses conversational AI to automate call routing and reduce hold times. But compared to RingCentral, this offering just falls a bit short. For starters, you’re not getting any AI features with Nextiva’s business communication systems, and you’ll need to get a custom quote to add the IVR features to your contact center plan.
Conversely, RingCentral offers AI-powered meeting insights and real-time transcriptions with every unified communications plan. And for contact centers and higher tiers, you have the ability to add on AI coaching assistance, self-service chatbots, and conversion intelligence for sales reps. Side-by-side, RingCentral has the edge over Nextiva here.
Where RingCentral Shines
Features: RingCentral is no slouch either when it comes to features. This starting plan is a fantastic deal alone, without mentioning the free mobile and desktop apps and the essential call management features such as call forwarding, parking, transfers, and screening. On top of those features, RingCentral’s call routing capabilities are among the best on the market. Team messaging and document sharing are also available on the first plan, helping to round out a comprehensive package. On top of that are text notifications for voicemails and missed calls and a free phone number for every user, and there’s also the ability to port existing numbers.
Unlimited Calling: On the entry-level plan, users have access to unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada. RingCentral also offers enhanced business SMS messaging, although the usage restrictions for SMS vary by tier.
Interface: RingCentral’s central interface across mobile, web, and desktop is simple and easy to use. Much like Nextiva, the priority here is on functionality, and everything you need is readily accessible. It has a really straightforward and logical layout. Phone calls and text messaging are available from the main dashboard, along with the service’s video capabilities. It’s an efficient result overall and one that’s had some thought put into it.
Pricing: RingCentral comes in three main tiers, and although we think the first tier is one of the best options for smaller teams, larger teams aren’t left out. Regardless of which plan you’re interested in, we recommend opting to pay annually, as, like Nextiva, you’ll be saving over 30% by doing so. You can learn more about RingCentral’s affordable prices in our detailed RingCentral review.
Video Meetings: RingCentral is one of the best video conferencing solutions on the market. With RingCentral’s business communications system, you can host meetings with up to 100 video participants for up to 24 hours. You’ll have access to whiteboards, simple content sharing, collaborative notes, and a quality video conferencing experience from your mobile device. You can even record an unlimited number of video conferences and store them on the cloud for one year.
While Nextiva also offers video conferencing with every unified communications plan, these conferences are capped at 45 minutes per call. So if you’re planning on having longer video conferences, RingCentral has the edge.
Customer Support: All three of the plans offered by RingCentral include 24/7 unlimited chat and phone support. Other forms of customer support include a knowledge base and community forums covering most of the pressing issues. You’ll also be able to raise a support case for further tech support should you need it.
Where RingCentral Falls Short
Substantial Resource Consumption: It’s worth noting that some users complain about RingCentral being resource-intensive. There are a handful of reviews that point to the app coming to a crawl and slowing down when it’s in use. RingCentral recommends just a three Mbps internet connection for homes and small offices, but large offices require a much faster connection to support the service. Internet speed may not be the only culprit here, and the app itself could be responsible for slowing the service down too.
Weak IVR Features: Interactive voice response (IVR) is an automated computer phone system that allows customers to answer questions and route themselves to the correct department. If you need interactive voice response in your phone system, RingCentral has some limitations unless you’re willing to subscribe to their highest-priced plan. You are unable to customize your IVR menu in the other pricing tiers, which greatly limits its effectiveness.
No Internet Fax on Entry-Level Plan: RingCentral does offer internet fax with its unified communication solution. However, you need to be on an Advanced or Ultra tier to access this feature. It’s not an option if you sign up for the entry-level Core plan.
Nextiva offers unlimited internet fax with every tier—including the entry-level Essentials plan. In terms of price, RingCentral’s plan that includes internet fax starts at $25, whereas Nextiva’s starts at $18.95. If this is an important feature for your business, you can check out our list of the best online fax services for more information and alternative options.
The Final Verdict on Nextiva Compared to RingCentral
Nextiva and RingCentral are both leaders in the industry. Each VoIP phone service has a lot to offer, but we think Nextiva is the best option for most businesses.
Nextiva comes with unlimited calling, free phone numbers, and scalability at an affordable price for businesses—no matter the size or shape. The service is also easy to use and comes with good customer support to boot.
RingCentral is a great option for smaller teams. While the service has also got a lot to offer bigger teams, the starting plan for small ones is truly a highlight. It’s the most cost-effective all-in-one communications solution for small teams on the market.
Both are excellent providers, and you’re unlikely to be disappointed picking either.
Expanding Your Knowledge: Nextiva vs. RingCentral
Comparing the Best Business VoIP Phone Services
Nextiva and RingCentral are just two of the bigger names in the VoIP phone services space. There are many others out there that we’ve reviewed. Check out the complete comparison guide here for a rundown of our top picks and what use cases they’re best for.
- Nextiva – Best VoIP phone service for most businesses
- Ooma Office – Best for businesses without in-house IT
- RingCentral – Most affordable all-in-one solution for fewer than 20 users
- Grasshopper – Best mobile app for solopreneurs and small teams
- Phone.com – Best if you need fewer than 300 minutes/user
- Freshdesk Contact Center – Best for customer support teams
The perfect VoIP phone service for your organization or office ultimately comes down to what you need.
We recommended Nextiva for most people because of its flexibility and affordable price, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option for you.
Equally, RingCentral’s a top choice for smaller teams, but it might not be the most suitable service. Think carefully about what you envisage to be the ideal provider, and then go from there.
The great news is whichever service you opt for, the low cost of implementing these phone systems allows them to be accessible for even the smallest of businesses. And with remote work becoming the norm for many companies, VoIP providers will continue to improve their prices and service to stay competitive.
