Callata vs Dialpad: AI Phone Systems Compared

Short answer: Dialpad is a mature, AI-heavy phone and meetings platform priced per user: Standard costs $27 per user per month on monthly billing or $15 on an annual plan. Callata is a newer, simpler phone system that charges $99 per month with five users included and $20 per additional user. Dialpad is the stronger product for larger teams that want polished apps, video meetings, deep integrations and AI on every live call. Callata is the lower-cost option for teams of four or more compared with Dialpad Standard on monthly terms, and for owners who want AI agents billed by the minute without a sales process.

Dialpad's official pricing page now leads with its AI Agent product and conversation-based pricing. Connect plan prices below come from Callata's own check of Dialpad's pricing on September 28, 2026 and from 2026 third-party pricing guides by CloudTalk and Nextiva, all of which agree on the figures. Callata details are from callatta.com.

Pricing side by side

	Dialpad Standard	Dialpad Pro	Dialpad Enterprise	Callata Office
Monthly billing	$27/user/mo	$35/user/mo	Quote	$99/mo, 5 users included (+$20/user)
Annual billing	$15/user/mo	$25/user/mo	Quote	Monthly only
User minimum	1	3	100 (per CloudTalk)	None
AI transcription and summaries	Included	Included	Included	AI summaries on recorded calls
Video meetings	Included	Included	Included	Not offered
AI agent	Separate product, conversation credits	Same	Same	$0.25 per minute, prepaid

Cost by team size

Team size	Standard, monthly	Standard, annual	Pro, monthly	Callata Office
1 user	$27	$15	Not available (3-user minimum)	$99
2 users	$54	$30	Not available	$99
3 users	$81	$45	$105	$99
4 users	$108	$60	$140	$99
5 users	$135	$75	$175	$99
10 users	$270	$150	$350	$199

On monthly billing, Callata costs less than Dialpad Standard from four users and less than Pro from three. On Dialpad's annual price, Standard is cheaper than Callata at every team size shown, because $15 per user stays below Callata's $20 per additional user. The annual figure is the one Dialpad usually advertises, so check which billing term a quote uses before comparing.

AI: live transcription vs recorded-call summaries

AI is Dialpad's core identity. Its Standard plan includes real-time call transcription and post-call summaries, which means a rep can see the conversation transcribed while it happens. Higher tiers and Dialpad's separate Support and Sell products add coaching, sentiment and contact-center analytics.

Callata's AI works after the call. When recording is on, the call is transcribed and summarized with sentiment and action items, and the summary is saved to the contact's history. Voicemails are transcribed and triaged for urgency, and a callback is scheduled around your business hours. Callata does not offer live, in-call transcription or real-time coaching.

If your team wants to read a live transcript during calls, Dialpad is the better tool. If you mainly want a reliable record of what was said and what to do next, Callata covers that for less.

AI agents

Dialpad sells AI Agents as a separate product. Its pricing page describes conversation-based pricing: you buy a pool of AI Agent credits, a conversation is billable only when the AI retrieves information or takes an action such as scheduling or routing, and you contact sales for pricing.

Callata's AI workforce is self-serve. You create receptionist, sales, support or scheduler agents in the app and buy AI minutes in packs of 60, 250 or 1,000 at $0.25 per minute. An AI text reply uses a quarter of a minute. Agents answer on a dedicated line, after hours or when nobody picks up; they can text, email, take messages, schedule callbacks and transfer to a person. You can bring your own ElevenLabs account and pay a platform fee of a quarter minute per minute. Outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am to 9pm.

Texting

Both services support business SMS from local numbers, and both are bound by the same US carrier rule: a business must register its brand and use case (10DLC) before texting from a local number, or messages may be filtered or blocked. Dialpad handles texting inside its apps alongside calls and meetings. Callata puts texting in a shared inbox for the business number so anyone on the team can pick up a conversation, with templates, delivery receipts and AI-suggested replies. Callata's registration costs a one-time $49 and usually takes 3 to 10 business days. Neither product is designed for bulk marketing blasts, and Callata's messaging policy requires consent and automatic STOP handling.

Three teams, three answers

A 25-person inside sales team. Reps live on the phone, managers want live transcripts and coaching, and every call should log to the CRM. Dialpad Pro is built for this, and the per-user cost is easy to justify against sales output.

A four-person accounting firm. Clients call the main number, the office manager routes calls, and partners want a summary of each client call for the file. Callata does this for $99 per month; Dialpad Standard would cost $108 per month on monthly billing or $60 on an annual contract, and adds video meetings the firm may already have elsewhere.

A two-person startup. Dialpad Standard is cheaper here on either term: $54 per month on monthly billing or $30 on an annual plan, against Callata's $99. Callata only makes sense for this team if they specifically want its self-serve AI receptionist and shared texting inbox and expect to grow toward five people.

Where Dialpad is stronger

• Live AI during calls, including real-time transcription.
• Native apps for desktop and mobile, plus video meetings in the same product. Callata is browser-based with cell ringing and has no video.
• Integrations. Dialpad connects with common CRMs and help desks; Callata integrates with Gmail.
• Scale and maturity. Dialpad has served large deployments and offers Enterprise terms. Callata is new and aimed at small teams.
• Toll-free and international options. Callata offers up to three local numbers only.
• Lower cost for one to three users on monthly billing, and at every team size shown on annual billing.

Where Callata is stronger

• Five users included in one $99 plan, with no annual commitment.
• No user minimum on any feature.
• Self-serve AI agents with published per-minute pricing.
• Voicemail urgency triage with callbacks scheduled around business hours.
• Shared team texting inbox with templates and AI reply suggestions, after a one-time $49 carrier registration.

Which should you choose?

• Do reps need live transcripts or coaching on calls? Choose Dialpad.
• Do you need video meetings in the same app? Choose Dialpad.
• Are you four or more people comparing month-to-month billing? Callata costs less than Standard.
• Do you want an AI receptionist live this week without a sales call? Callata.
• Do you need a CRM integration to log every call? Dialpad.

More detail: Dialpad pricing explained, Dialpad alternatives, and Callata vs Aircall for another sales-focused comparison.

Try Callata

If your team wants recorded calls summarized, voicemail triaged and an AI receptionist on call after hours, Callata covers up to five users for $99 per month, plus $20 for each additional user. Porting is free. Create your Callata account.