The short answer
Dialpad if the calls themselves are the product. Real-time AI transcription and call summaries are mature, included on the entry plan rather than sold as an add-on, and they are the reason most people choose Dialpad.
RingCentral if you need the breadth or the procurement path. A larger catalog, contact center, webinars, events, rooms, and an account team used to selling into organizations with a buying process.
Neither, if you are one or two people who text customers. That is covered at the bottom, and it is not a sales pitch so much as an arithmetic problem with both of them.
How they compare
Compared against RingCentral's and Dialpad's published pricing pages, 22 October 2026. RingCentral prices in bands by user count; the figures below are its 1 to 5 user band.
| RingCentral | Dialpad | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | RingEX Core, $20 per user annual, $30 monthly | Connect Standard, $15 per user annual, $27 monthly |
| Mid plan | RingEX Advanced, $25 annual, $35 monthly | Connect Pro, $25 annual, $35 monthly |
| Top tier | AI Customer Engagement bundles, quote only | Connect Enterprise, quote only |
| Free trial | 14 days, up to 20 lines, SMS not available for trial use | 14 days |
| Included outbound texting | 25 per user per month on Core, 100 on Advanced | 250 per Connect license, pooled at office level |
| Fix for the texting limit | Business SMS Booster, $25 per user per month | Not published |
| Toll-free | 100 minutes on Core, 1,000 on Advanced | Paid add-on |
| Unlimited domestic calling | Included | Included for US and Canada, excluding toll-free and dialer calls |
| Automatic call recording | On-demand recording on Core | Not on Standard. Pro and Enterprise only |
| Live AI transcription | AI Virtual Assistant included; AI Receptionist from $39 | Included on Standard |
| Contact center | RingCX, from $65 per user | Dialpad Support, $80 to $150 per user |
| In business since | 1999 | 2011 |
The three things that actually differ
Texting, and it is not close to equivalent. RingCentral gives 25 outbound messages per user per month on its entry plan. Dialpad gives 250 per Connect license, pooled at the office level, so a solo user has 250 and a ten-person team has 2,500 to share. Both scale with headcount; Dialpad simply starts ten times higher per seat. A solo user gets 25 from RingCentral and 250 from Dialpad. A ten-person team gets 250 from RingCentral and 2,500 from Dialpad. Dialpad's pooling also excludes shared lines and other license types.
Both are low. If texting customers is part of the job, price the add-ons before you choose, and note that RingCentral's Business SMS Booster costs $25 per user, more than its own Core plan.
Recording, which is a tier question at Dialpad and not at RingCentral. Dialpad's own feature comparison states automatic call recording is Pro and Enterprise only, and that Standard users record manually. RingCentral includes on-demand recording on Core. If recording every call matters, Dialpad's real entry price is $25 rather than $15.
What each company is actually selling. Dialpad leads with AI on the calls. RingCentral leads with breadth: contact center, webinars, events, rooms, push to talk, all priced separately. Neither is a flaw. They are different answers to different buying committees, and the one that fits you is mostly a question of how many people are in the room when the decision gets made.
Choose each one when
Choose Dialpad if real-time transcription and call summaries are why you are buying, if you want the lower published entry price and do not need automatic recording, or if your texting is light and account-wide rather than per person.
Choose RingCentral if you need the wider catalog, if you are buying for more than a handful of users where their band pricing improves, if webinars or events matter, or if your organization expects an account team and a negotiated agreement.
Choose neither if you are one or two people who text customers regularly. Both will work and both will irritate you in month two, for the same reason.
A third option, briefly
Since you can see who wrote this: SoundLine is a communication platform for founders, priced from $19.99 per user monthly or $14.99 annually, with 1,000 outbound texts per user per month under fair use and a separate number, greeting and routing for each business you run. It has no contact center product and no live AI transcription, so on two of the things this page is about, the answer above is still Dialpad or RingCentral.
It is here as a third row, not as the conclusion. See how it compares →
Questions people ask
Is Dialpad cheaper than RingCentral?
On published entry pricing yes, $15 per user annually against $20. The gap closes if you need automatic call recording, which Dialpad puts on Pro at $25, or if RingCentral's volume bands apply to your headcount.
Which has better texting, RingCentral or Dialpad?
Neither is generous. RingCentral includes 25 outbound messages per user per month on Core and 100 on Advanced. Dialpad includes 250 per Connect license, pooled at the office level. Dialpad is the more generous of the two at every headcount, and both are low for a business that texts customers in volume.
Does RingCentral include texting in its free trial?
No. Their trial terms state SMS is not available for trial use. Dialpad's 14-day trial does not carry that restriction on the pages checked.
Which is better for a small business?
For one to five people, Dialpad is usually the cheaper and simpler choice unless you need automatic recording. RingCentral's advantages mostly appear at larger headcounts and wider requirements.