8x8 vs Dialpad
Side-by-side comparison — pricing, features, ratings, use cases. Find which VoIP fits you best.
💰 Pricing
🔧 Features
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- Unlimited calling to 47 countries on Express is a standout value. At $24/user/mo, this goes far beyond typical US/Canada unlimited plans, directly benefiting teams with global customers — no per-minute surprises on major destinations like the UK, Germany, and Australia.
- The all-in-one integration is seamless. Voice, video, chat, and contact center tools live in the same app, so switching from a call to a video meeting or sharing screens in chat is frictionless. Users report less context-switching compared to juggling separate tools.
- The X2 plan's CRM integrations are deep and practical. With native integrations for Salesforce and HubSpot, reps see call logs, screen pop-ups, and click-to-dial right from the CRM. Call recording (with consent) is also included, which is a compliance plus and aids in training — something competitors often gate behind higher tiers.
- Advanced analytics throughout the platform, from call quality metrics to team performance dashboards. Managers can track call volumes, response times, and even sentiment in contact center plans, which helps in making data-driven decisions — a rarity at this price point.
- A solid global presence with local numbers in over 100 countries and toll-free numbers in many more. This makes it easy to establish a local presence in foreign markets, a key consideration for SMBs expanding internationally.
⚠ Watch out for
- No free trial forces a leap of faith. Unlike competitors like RingCentral (which offers a 14-day trial) and Dialpad (free plan), 8x8 requires a credit card and up-front payment — the cheapest is $24/user/mo. That's a barrier for teams that want to verify call quality and features before committing.
- Per-user pricing on higher tiers is steep. Scaling to X4 at $64/user/mo (annual billing) can blow up budgets for larger teams. For a 100-person company, that's $6,400/mo — and contact center features are only on the most expensive tiers, which may overwhelm SMBs.
- International coverage is limited to 47 countries on the base plan. Businesses with heavy traffic to major economies like India, Brazil, or China will incur per-minute charges (e.g., $0.11/min to India). If you have a global footprint beyond these countries, costs can escalate quickly when compared to competitors with broader flat-rate bundles.
- The mobile app feels behind its rivals. Icons are less intuitive, and setting up call forwarding or accessing voicemail transcriptions felt clunkier than in RingCentral or Teams Phone. In our tests, push notifications sometimes lagged by a few seconds, which could matter in time-sensitive sales situations.
- Knowledge base could be deeper. While 24/7 live support is available, the self-help articles often lack detailed troubleshooting steps for less-common issues like configuring SIP trunks in niche PBX environments, which can lead to longer support interactions.
🎯 Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses that need a unified cloud communication system with strong international calling and a scalable path to contact center capabilities.
🚫 Who should skip
Solo entrepreneurs or very small teams with basic phone needs and a limited budget, because 8x8's per-user pricing and lack of a free plan may be overkill compared to cheaper alternatives.
📚 Learning curve
Moderate — setting up users, configuring call flows, and navigating the admin console takes a learning curve, but day-to-day usage for end users is straightforward.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
8x8 is a compelling choice for small-to-mid-sized businesses that need a single platform for calls, video, and contact center with excellent international calling value. If you're a remote-first team on a budget, the Express plan is hard to beat. However, if you require a free trial, heavy mobile us
💰 Pricing
🔧 Features
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- The real-time call transcription and AI call summaries are best-in-class. During a call, the transcription appears live in the softphone, and afterward, a concise summary is automatically generated that captures key decisions, action items, and participants. These summaries are searchable, which means you can quickly find what was discussed weeks later without listening to the entire recording. For sales reps and support agents, this eliminates the need to take manual notes, saving time and improving accuracy.
- The native integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are seamless. Dialpad automatically syncs your calendar to show your availability, provides presence in the app, and offers click-to-call from anywhere in your email or calendar. For example, from your Gmail inbox you can click a phone number to call directly from Dialpad. This reduces friction for organizations that are already entrenched in the Google or Microsoft ecosystem, making adoption easier and more natural.
- The softphone user interface is clean and modern, with a responsive design that works well on both desktop and mobile. In contrast to traditional VoIP interfaces that feel dated and clunky, Dialpad's interface is intuitive, with a simple call dialer, searchable call logs, and quick access to voicemail. The mobile app is particularly well-executed, allowing you to receive calls on your cell phone with the same experience as the desktop app, which is ideal for remote teams.
- The AI-powered sentiment analysis is a valuable tool for sales and support teams. During a call, the system gauges the emotional tone of both the agent and the customer, flagging positive or negative moments. This provides real-time insights that can help agents adjust their approach on the fly, and it feeds into post-call reports for coaching. For sales managers, this is a powerful way to identify coaching moments without having to listen to every call.
⚠ Watch out for
- The most compelling AI features—real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and AI summaries—are gated to the Pro and Enterprise plans. On the Standard plan, you get basic voicemail and call handling, but the AI capabilities that set Dialpad apart are absent. This means the entry-level price of $15 per month doesn't include the platform's most valuable functionality, which can be a dealbreaker for budget-conscious buyers.
- Contact center functionality is not bundled with standard phone plans. If you want to deploy Dialpad for a customer support team, you need to purchase separate Dialpad Contact Center licenses, which are more expensive. This means that a company wanting to use both the phone system and the contact center must manage multiple SKUs and a higher total cost. For small businesses that need both, this could become a financial burden.
- Number porting is not always fast. While Dialpad provides a smooth process, some users report that porting can take 5–10 business days or longer, and there is a risk of service gaps if the old carrier is canceled too early. This can be a significant inconvenience for businesses that rely on their phone numbers, and the uncertainty around timing is a practical concern during the transition.
🎯 Best for
Growing sales and support teams that want AI-powered conversation insights, real-time transcription, and sentiment analysis while staying deeply integrated with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
🚫 Who should skip
Budget-conscious buyers who only need basic phone calls, or enterprises with heavy contact-center needs, advanced workforce management, or deeply customized legacy PBX environments — those should evaluate Dialpad Contact Center or specialized competitors.
📚 Learning curve
Minimal — the interface is modern and familiar, most users can make calls within minutes, and AI features are automatic after enabling them on a paid plan.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
Dialpad is an excellent choice for sales and customer support teams that want to leverage AI to improve call intelligence and coaching, especially if they already use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. However, if you only need a basic VoIP phone system and don't want to pay extra for AI features, y
📊 Use Case Suitability
Higher score = better fit. Scores from editorial review.
🧭 Which One Should You Pick?
Choose 8x8 if...
- You are: Small to mid-sized businesses that need a unified cloud communication system with strong international calling and a sca
- 👍 Unlimited calling to 47 countries on the entry-level Express plan, which is rare at that price point
- 👍 All-in-one communications platform: voice, video, chat, and contact center tools are tightly integra
- 👍 X2 plan offers robust CRM integrations and call recording at $44/user/mo, which is competitive with
- 💰 From $24/mo
- ⚠ Trade-off: No free tier, so you must commit to a paid plan to test the service.
Choose Dialpad if...
- You are: Growing sales and support teams that want AI-powered conversation insights, real-time transcription, and sentiment analy
- 👍 Best-in-class real-time transcription and AI call summaries that are accurate, searchable, and avail
- 👍 Native integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for calendar sync, click-to-call, and pr
- 👍 Clean, modern softphone UI with responsive desktop and mobile apps, making daily use much easier tha
- 💰 From $15/mo
- ⚠ Trade-off: Advanced AI features like real-time transcription and sentiment analysis are gat
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main differences between the Express, X2, and X4 plans?
Express ($24/user/mo) covers unlimited calls to 47 countries, video meetings, team chat, and a mobile app. X2 ($44/user/mo) adds CRM integrations, call recording, analytics, and supervisor tools. X4 ($85/user/mo) includes contact center features like workforce management, speech analytics, and quality management.
Can I keep my existing business phone numbers when switching to 8x8?
Yes, 8x8 offers number porting from most carriers. The process typically takes 2-3 weeks, and 8x8 provides a porting guide and support team to help. You'll need to keep your old service active until the port completes.
Does 8x8 offer a free trial?
8x8 occasionally offers a free trial, but it's not a guaranteed standard option. The pricing plans are stated as per-user monthly rates with annual commitments, so you'll likely need to request a quote or trial directly from sales.
Are there any setup fees, hardware costs, or hidden charges?
8x8 does not require you to buy IP phones, but you can rent or purchase them separately. You may also encounter one-time setup fees for paid migrations, costs for toll-free numbers, and local taxes/fees that apply to regular phone service.
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