Dialpad Review: Is It Right for Your Business?
Corey McCraw is a staff writer covering VoIP and Unified Communications. Corey has over a decade of experience in marketing, tech writing, and corporate communications and has even penned content for the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
With more than five years of content writing experience, Sam covers office technology topics at Fit Small Business, including business phone systems and unified communications as a service (UCaaS).
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
Dialpad is a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) solution offering voice calling, messaging, meetings, and video features. It supports local, toll-free, and international numbers. In this Dialpad review, we looked at different criteria points for evaluation, giving the provider a high score for features and ease of use. Overall, we recommend Dialpad for businesses needing a platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Dialpad Review at a Glance
Overall Score:
4.06 / 5
What We Like
- AI-powered call transcriptions
- Rich messaging feature set, including unlimited SMS, MMS, and group messaging and file sharing
- Unlimited video meetings are included in the entry-level package
- Wide range of customer support channels
What's Missing
- Limited number of participants in meetings (up to 10 only)
- Phone extensions are only available on the highest-tier plan
- Fewer integrations with customer relationship management (CRM) systems
Dialpad Deciding Factors
Dialpad is a unified communications solution equipped with audio chat rooms, file and message search, high-definition audio and video meetings, in-meeting chat, and unlimited recordings.
Best For | Small businesses that want to streamline business communications using AI tools |
Standout Features |
|
Pricing Plans |
|
Annual or Volume Discounts Available | No discounts for bulk purchases, but lower annual pricing is available |
Key Integrations | Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 |
Customer Service | 24/7 customer live customer support for Pro and Enterprise subscribers and 24/5 support for those with the entry-level plan |
Dialpad Alternatives
Although Dialpad features a wide range of functionalities, other communication platforms could be ideal for specific business requirements. For instance, if you typically host large meetings, you’ll find Dialpad’s 10-participant capacity limiting. Go for Nextiva instead, as it accommodates up to 250 participants. With this UCaaS provider, you can also broadcast livestreams of the meetings.
For businesses needing a scalable solution, one that readily accommodates changes in communication needs, RingCentral is an excellent Dialpad alternative. It hosts advanced call management features, like monitor, whisper, barge, and takeover, and integrates with over 200 third-party applications.
Meanwhile, if you’re striving to maintain a robust global presence, 8×8 has more value-adding international calling features than Dialpad. For instance, it offers direct inward dialing (DID) numbers in 120 countries. With this, your customers can reach out to you without paying for international calling rates. Check out this Dialpad vs 8×8 guide to learn which solution is right for you.
Here’s a summary of the best Dialpad alternatives:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Businesses requiring advanced conferencing features | Businesses wanting a communication solution that grows with their operations | Businesses needing an affordable solution for connecting with an international audience |
Monthly Starting Price | $30.95 per user a month for up to 4 users | $32.99 per user a month for up to 20 users | $15 per user a month for up to 5 users |
Read Review |
Exploring more options? Check out our guide about other Dialpad alternatives suitable for different business needs.
In this Dialpad review, the provider’s pricing got a score of 3.75 out of 5 because it doesn’t offer a free plan. Its free trial only lasts 14 days, a shorter period than 8×8, which provides an entire month for the trial. Moreover, it doesn’t have volume discounts like other Dialpad alternatives, such as Nextiva and RingCentral.
However, you’ll benefit from the lower Dialpad pricing offered in the annual billing option. You’ll only pay $15 per user, a considerable drop from the monthly billing price of $23.
Dialpad Plans | Standard | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Starting businesses with only 2-3 teams | Small businesses with multiple departments | Companies that need multiple extensions to manage communications with an international audience |
Monthly Pricing (User/Month) | $23 | $35 | Custom pricing |
Annual Pricing (User/Month) | $15 | $25 | Custom pricing |
Additional Phone Numbers | Not available | Local or international | Local or international |
Phone Extensions | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Ring Groups | Maximum of 3 | Maximum of 25 | Unlimited |
Hold Queues | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
International SMS | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Maximum Meeting Duration | 45 minutes | 5 hours | 5 hours |
Integrations | Google Workspace | Google Workspace, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, ServiceNow, Zapier, Zendesk, and Slack | Everything in Pro plus single sign-on (Okta, Azure, and OneLogin) |
Dialpad Features
Dialpad features cover voice calling, messaging, and meetings. In both general and niche capabilities, we gave the provider a high score because it packs useful communication features. Across all plans, Dialpad offers the following business phone system features: multi-level auto-attendant, visual voicemail, and number forwarding.
In terms of messaging, you enjoy unlimited messaging, topic-based team chat, and file sharing and search. As for the conferencing features, the provider allows unlimited meetings, in-meeting chat, and whiteboarding.
In this Dialpad review, the provider got a perfect score because it ticks off all the phone system features small businesses look for. For one, it allows unlimited calling and supports high-definition voice. Each user on the subscription plan gets one local number, and if you choose the Pro and Enterprise plans, you can add local or international numbers.
Here are other phone system features you’ll find on Dialpad:
- Virtual fax
- Custom call routing
- Call forwarding
- Three-way calling
- Call recording
- Automatic spam call detection
- Switch calls between devices
- Contact syncing
- Set working hours
Dialpad earned a high score for having a desktop and mobile app, international calling capabilities, and call reporting features. It boasts unified communication features, a huge plus for businesses that want messaging and conferencing capabilities on their phone system. As we mentioned in our Dialpad Meetings review, the free version of the platform offers unlimited audio recordings.
What makes Dialpad stand out in the market is its artificial intelligence (AI) features. Here’s a breakdown of those functionalities:
Real-time Call Transcriptions
Through Dialpad’s speech recognition technology, call transcription happens while you’re on the call, not a few hours after. With this, you never have to jot down notes while on call. You can focus on being fully present and engaging with the colleague or client you’re talking with.
Moreover, it’s easy to recap the topics discussed before ending the call since the transcript is readily available. It detects action items as it can identify voice commands, such as when users mention, “I’ll send the report this afternoon.”
Dialpad transcribes voice calls during the call, allowing participants to focus on the matter at hand. (Source: Dialpad)
Automated Post-call Summaries
Receive an AI-generated post-call summary in your email, which includes a transcript, a list of action items, and notes. The call summary is likewise available on the web portal. With the transcription already available, there’s one less task off your to-do list. You can remember details quickly and jump straight to working on the things you discussed during the call or meeting. Keywords in transcripts are searchable, so it’s easy to refer to specific discussion points.
Dialpad’s AI-generated call summary includes a transcript. (Source: Dialpad)
Live Speech Coaching
This feature shows helpful recommendations on how to speak better on the call. A reminder will appear at the top of the screen when you need to talk more slowly or to cut down on filler words. Enable this feature by selecting the option “Show transcript when a call starts” in the “Dialpad AI” settings.
Dialpad displays speech coaching reminders while users are on a call. (Source: Dialpad)
Snippets
When you feel the need to revisit a portion of the call later on, use the snippet button (the scissor icon) to capture that part of the conversation. Dialpad will automatically record the last 10 seconds and the next 10 seconds of the call from when you hit the snippet button. This highlighted portion forms part of the call summary sent to your email.
Dialpad’s snippet feature captures important parts of a call, helping users revisit details easily. (Source: Dialpad)
For customer service, we rated Dialpad 4.38 out of 5 because of its range of customer support channels: phone, website, chat, community forum, and knowledge base. It also has 24/7 live support for Pro and Enterprise plans. Meanwhile, the live support for the Standard plan is open five times a week. The highest-tier package offers priority routing, a dedicated account manager, and a dedicated support number.
We scored Dialpad 3.75 out of 5 for ease of use, as the platform only takes a few minutes to set up and has a flat learning curve. The platform’s interface neatly organizes calls, messages, and meetings. With easily recognizable icons and a clean interface, you’ll quickly find previous calls and set up a meeting whenever needed. It also helps that the provider has a knowledge base, which provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for using different features.
Our expert score for Dialpad is 3.75 out of 5 since most online reviews are positive. Users especially noted the user-friendliness and rich feature set of the platform. Many appreciated the transcription functionality, video meeting recordings, and integrations to third-party apps.
However, some users experienced dropped calls and glitches on the mobile app. Others said that the pricing is too high to unlock valuable features. As of writing, here’s the average user rating in Dialpad reviews on third-party platforms:
- TrustRadius: 8.3 out of 10 based on 335 reviews
- G2: 4.4 out of 5 based on 1,451 reviews
- GetApp: 4.4 out of 5 based on 475 reviews
How We Evaluated Dialpad
In our Dialpad assessment, we considered the factors businesses look for when choosing a business phone system and a UCaaS solution. We checked ratings from other review platforms to learn what actual users think of Dialpad.
Learn how we evaluated the provider by clicking on the tabs below:
20%
Pricing
25%
General Features
20%
Niche Features
10%
Customer Service
10%
Ease of Use
15%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We evaluated Dialpad’s cost-effectiveness by looking primarily at its base subscription plan and the availability of lower annual pricing and volume discounts. We also checked if it offers a free trial and a forever-free plan. We give more points to providers with free trials that last more than 15 days.
25% of Overall Score
For this criteria point, we looked for the essential business phone system features: text messaging, toll-free numbers, multi-extension support, and call forwarding. The automated attendant and visual voicemail features are also part of our consideration for general features.
20% of Overall Score
The niche features we considered are mobile and desktop apps, international calling, and voicemail transcription. We also checked if the platform has call reporting capabilities.
10% of Overall Score
We give high scores to providers that have 24/7 customer service hours. For this Dialpad review, we also assessed the kinds of support channels it provides: live chat, phone support, email ticketing system, and help center.
10% of Overall Score
We measured ease of use by how simple the setup and navigation are on the platform. We considered if businesses noted user-friendliness on third-party review sites.
15% of Overall Score
For this criteria point, we looked at the platform’s standout features and overall value for money. We also assessed if Dialpad is popular among small business circles.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
Dialpad is an excellent phone system and UCaaS solution for businesses wanting to streamline communications through AI technology. Its modern, intuitive interface makes the platform easy to use, even for those who don’t have prior knowledge of unified communications systems. Businesses also benefit from the provider’s varied channels for customer service. Sign up for Dialpad today for only $23 a month.
