Dialpad Alternatives With Built-In AI (2026)

Short answer: If you like Dialpad's AI but not its price or plan structure, the best alternatives are Callata ($99 per month with five users included, then $20 per user, with AI summaries and AI agents), Zoom Phone (post-call summaries from $18 per user), Quo (Sona AI agent on every plan), Ringover (AI summaries and a virtual receptionist from $15 per user annually), RingCentral (AI Assistant on every plan) and Aircall (AI for sales and support teams).

Prices are from each vendor's pricing page as checked October 1, 2026; Dialpad's figures match Callata's September 28 check and 2026 third-party guides, as noted in Dialpad pricing explained. All exclude taxes.

Why teams look past Dialpad

Dialpad built its reputation on AI: real-time transcription and post-call summaries arrive on its entry plan, Dialpad Connect Standard. The common reasons to look elsewhere:

• Monthly pricing. Standard is $15 per user on annual billing but $27 on monthly billing. Pro is $25 or $35 with a three-user minimum.
• Separate AI products. Dialpad's AI Agents, Support and Sell products are priced separately from Connect.
• More than a small team needs. Some businesses only want calls, texts, recordings and after-hours coverage.

What "AI" means in each product

AI features in business phone systems fall into four groups. It helps to know which you actually need:

AI capability	What it does	Who offers it in this list
Transcription	Turns calls or voicemail into text	All
Summaries	Short recap with topics, sentiment, action items	Dialpad, Callata, Zoom Phone, Quo Business, Ringover, RingCentral, Aircall Professional
Real-time assist and coaching	Live prompts, scoring, QA	Dialpad, Aircall, Ringover (Empower add-on)
AI agents that talk to callers	Answer, qualify, take messages, transfer	Callata, Quo (Sona), Ringover, Aircall, RingCentral (AI Receptionist add-on), Dialpad (separate product)

Alternatives at a glance

Provider	Entry price (monthly)	Entry price (annual)	AI at entry level	Best for
Dialpad Standard (baseline)	$27/user	$15/user	Transcription, summaries	AI-first teams on annual terms
Callata	$99 for 5 users, +$20/user after	Monthly only	Summaries, voicemail triage, AI agents $0.25/min	Small teams wanting AI agents in one plan
Zoom Phone + Workplace Basic	$18/user	$16/user	Post-call summaries, voicemail prioritization	Zoom users
Quo Starter	$19/user	$15/user	Sona AI agent, voicemail transcripts	Texting-first teams
Ringover Talk	$24/user	$15/user	Transcription, summaries, virtual receptionist	Small and international teams
RingCentral RingEX Core	$30/user	$20/user	AI Assistant, voicemail transcription	Integrations and scale
Aircall Essentials	Higher than annual	From $30/license, 3 minimum	Transcription, 50 AI agent minutes	Sales and support teams

1. Callata

Callata is $99 per month with five users included and $20 per additional user, with up to three local numbers, unlimited inbound calling and 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user per month (then $0.01 per minute). Every recorded call is transcribed and summarized with sentiment and action items, saved to the contact's history. Every voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, with a callback scheduled around your business hours. Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales rep, support rep, appointment setter) answer on a dedicated line, after hours or when nobody picks up, and can text, email, take messages and transfer, at $0.25 per minute. You can also connect your own ElevenLabs account.

Versus Dialpad: cheaper than Standard on monthly billing from four users ($99 versus $108), and AI agents are part of the same product. Dialpad Standard on annual billing ($15 per user) costs less at every team size. Gaps: no real-time transcription or coaching, no video meetings, no desk phones, email-only support. See Callata vs Dialpad.

2. Zoom Phone

Zoom's US and Canada Unlimited plan with Workplace Basic costs $18 per user monthly or $16 annually, including call recording, post-call summaries, voicemail prioritization and task extraction.

Versus Dialpad: $9 less per user on monthly billing, with meetings in the same ecosystem. Gaps: bundles with higher Workplace tiers cost more, and AI note-taking across meetings needs Workplace Pro. See Callata vs Zoom Phone.

3. Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Quo Starter is $19 per user monthly, Business $33. All plans include the Sona AI agent and voicemail transcripts; Business adds AI summaries and transcripts for all calls. Heavier Sona use is sold in credit tiers from $25 to $199 per month.

Versus Dialpad: a simpler app with strong texting. Gaps: full AI summaries require Business, at a price above Dialpad's monthly Standard. See Quo pricing explained.

4. Ringover

Ringover Talk costs $24 per user monthly or $15 annually and includes call recordings, summaries and transcription plus an unlimited AI virtual receptionist. Business ($57 or $47) adds a power dialer and 100+ integrations.

Versus Dialpad: matches Dialpad's annual price with AI included and adds international reach. Gaps: Business requires three users and a 12-month commitment. See Ringover pricing explained.

5. RingCentral

RingEX Core is $30 per user monthly or $20 annually. All plans include voicemail transcription and RingCentral's AI Assistant for calls, meetings and messaging; the AI Receptionist starts at $39 per month as an add-on.

Versus Dialpad: broader platform and integrations. Gaps: higher per-user price and low texting allowances. See RingCentral pricing explained.

6. Aircall

Aircall Essentials starts at $30 per license on annual billing with a three-license minimum, including recording, transcription and 50 AI Voice Agent minutes per month. Professional ($50) adds call summaries, sentiment and key topics.

Versus Dialpad: stronger for sales and support teams that live in a CRM. Gaps: higher entry cost and minimums. See Aircall pricing explained.

Five-person monthly cost

Provider	5 users, monthly billing
Dialpad Standard	$135
RingCentral RingEX Core	$150
Ringover Talk	$120
Quo Starter	$95
Zoom Phone + Workplace Basic	$90
Callata	$99

At five users, Zoom Phone and Quo Starter cost less than Callata; Callata costs less than Ringover Talk, Dialpad Standard and RingCentral RingEX Core on monthly billing.

Aircall is not in this table because its published prices are for annual billing; five Essentials licenses cost from $150 per month on an annual plan. If you plan to add AI agent minutes, add them on top: Callata charges $0.25 per minute, Ringover's AIRO starts at $0.19, and Aircall includes 50 minutes per month on Essentials and Professional.

How to choose

1. Decide which AI layer you need. If you mainly want summaries of recorded calls and voicemail, most options here cover it. If you need live coaching, look at Dialpad, Aircall or Ringover with Empower. If you want an AI that answers calls, compare Callata, Quo, Ringover and Aircall.
2. Decide monthly or annual. Dialpad and Ringover are cheapest on annual terms; Zoom Phone stays low on monthly billing, and Callata bills monthly only.
3. Count users honestly. Per-user AI pricing multiplies quickly. Callata includes five users in its $99 base price and charges $20 for each user after that.
4. Test with real calls. AI summaries vary in usefulness by industry and call type. Run a week of real calls through any shortlisted product and read the summaries before deciding.

Related: the best business phone service for small business and the best phone system for remote teams.

Try Callata

If you want AI summaries on every recorded call, triaged voicemail and AI agents that answer when your team cannot, all for $99 per month with five users included and $20 per additional user, create your Callata account.