5 Best GoTo Connect Alternatives for 2022
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.
This article is part of a larger series on Unified Communications.
GoTo Connect, formerly known as Jive, is a leading business calling and unified communications platform. However, toll-free and vanity numbers only come as add-ons, it’s not the most affordable solution, and its base plan doesn’t include toll-free minutes or support video conferences longer than 40 minutes. Below we list the best GoTo Connect (aka Jive) alternatives for businesses needing more integrations or features and functionality lacking in GoTo Connect.
Based on our thorough research, here are the best GoTo Connect alternatives:
- Zoom United: Overall best GoTo Connect alternative for businesses looking for a unified communications solution with a video-first feature set and voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) calling and features
- RingCentral MVP: GoTo Connect alternative offering the most integrations in a robust UCaaS platform
- 8×8 X Series: Top VoIP unified communications as a service (UCaaS) option for companies doing business internationally
- Mitel MiCloud Connect: Best GoTo Connect alternative for businesses that want contact center functionality
- 3CX: Best multi-channel communications options among GoTo Connect alternatives
GoTo Connect Alternative | Starting Price* | VoIP Features | UCaaS Features | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $25 per user, per month |
|
| 4.63 out of 5 |
 | $29.99 per user, per month |
|
| 4.55 out of 5 |
 | $15 per user, per month |
|
| 4.2 out of 5 |
 | $25.49 per user, per month |
|
| 4.17 out of 5 |
 | $145 per license, per year |
|
| 3.5 out of 5 |
*Many of these providers also offer annual subscriptions, which significantly lower the monthly per-user price.
Zoom United: Best Overall GoTo Connect Alternative for VoIP/UCaaS
Zoom United
Overall Score: 4.63
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Includes unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada
- Default 1GB cloud storage
- Access to Zoom’s industry-leading video conferencing platform and features
What's Missing
- Ability to call only 18 countries is an add-on feature
- No dedicated interactive voice response (IVR) functionality
- Toll-free, local, and international numbers cost around $60 per year, which adds up quickly if you need multiple inbound phone numbers
How It Compares to GoTo Connect
- At the base paid tier, GoTo Connect has a meeting duration limit of 40 minutes—there’s no meeting duration limit on Zoom United.
- GoTo Connect’s 4-, 150-, and 250-attendee counts are significantly lower than Zoom United’s 100-, 300-, and 500-attendee count meetings.
- GoTo Connect can only display 25 video conference attendees at a time, whereas up to 49 meeting participants will display using Zoom United.
- Call recording is available in the base Zoom United plan but is only available at the Standard plan and above with GoTo Connect.
Nearly everyone who has done business since the pandemic is at least aware of Zoom’s video conferencing solution. Still, while useful for face-to-face communication, video calling isn’t the be-all, end-all. To address this, the company now offers several different types of products, such as VoIP business calling through Zoom Phone or Zoom Events & Webinars for companies that conduct large webinars for external audiences vs interactive video conferences for collaboration.
Zoom United is the natural progression into a full unified communications (UC) platform for the provider. Zoom United combines the VoIP-based calling found in Zoom Phone with several other unified communications features, including the feature-rich video conferencing tools found in Zoom’s standard offering.
By default, with Zoom United, you get features like a dial-by-name directory, social media sharing and streaming, default cloud storage, an automatic call distributor (ACD), and phone numbers for every user. Plus, the robust features of its video conferencing platform are also rolled in, such as breakout rooms, host controls, and meetings that start at a 100-participant cap.
At the topmost plan level, Zoom United supports up to 500 meeting attendees, which is very useful for businesses looking to host larger meetings. As a result of these very beneficial options, rich features, and high-capacity collaboration and meeting tools, Zoom is lining up to become a major competitor in the VoIP/UCaaS space―even compared to industry stalwarts like GoTo Connect and RingCentral.
Zoom United Pricing at a Glance*
- Pro: $25 per user, per month for up to nine users for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, 100 participant meetings, and 1GB of cloud storage for recordings
- Business: $30 per user, per month for 300 participant meetings, single sign-on (SSO), managed domains, and company branding—10 or more licenses are required
- Enterprise: $30 per user, per month for 500 participant meetings, SSO, unlimited cloud storage for recordings, and company branding—100 or more licenses are required
*Pricing is based on monthly billing. Save 17% by choosing annual billing with any plan.
Zoom United Features
Examples of the softphone/desktop and smartphone interfaces of Zoom United
- Waiting rooms: As the video meeting host, you get to control who enters the meeting, and when. Attendees can be admitted all at the same time or one by one as the meeting begins.
- Breakout rooms: Participants can break away from the main meeting to discuss projects and other information in smaller groups. Zoom United permits a meeting to be broken into as many as 50 smaller sessions.
- Dial-by-name directory: The dial-by-name directory makes it easy to reach a specific employee in your company and offers an alternative for customers and clients who don’t want to spend time navigating the interactive voice response (IVR) menu options.
RingCentral MVP: GoTo Connect Alternative With the Most Integrations
RingCentral MVP
Overall Score: 4.55
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Business phone numbers in up to 100 countries
- Extensive integrations
- Video conferencing platform includes critical features like breakout rooms and whiteboarding
What's Missing
- No unlimited international calling plans
- The base Essentials tier is somewhat limited; for the best UCaaS functionality, you need Standard and above
- Smaller maximum meeting participant cap than GoTo Connect and several other providers
How It Compares to GoTo Connect
- RingCentral’s analytics functionality is more robust than GoTo Connect’s.
- RingCentral supports a higher number of IP phones than GoTo Connect.
- RingCentral MVP’s team messaging functionality is comparable to even standalone powerhouses like Slack and Microsoft Teams—GoTo Connect’s is far more bare-bones.
- RingCentral has extended support features, which include an automated chatbot. GoTo Connect’s support is extensive, but 24/7 phone support is only available to Premium customers.
Like GoTo Connect (aka Jive), RingCentral has long been one of the leading UCaaS providers for business communications. We have even compared the features, pricing, and capabilities of these two providers head-to-head in our GoTo Connect vs RingCentral piece.
RingCentral MVP (which stands for message, video, and phone) is the primary offering of the provider. It’s a quick and easy solution for businesses looking to communicate with customers, colleagues, and partners. It also offers a Zoom-rivaling video conferencing solution called RingCentral Video, which can be used starting for free for unlimited 100-participant video calls up to 24 hours in duration, as well as a Contact Center solution with four plan tiers.
As we mentioned in our GoTo Connect vs RingCentral article, there’s really no comparison between RingCentral and GoTo Connect regarding integrations. At base, RingCentral has nearly 300 listed third-party integrations compared to GoTo Connect’s mere 69. There’s also extended integration potential thanks to RingCentral MVP’s developer console—information technology (IT) teams can use the application programming interface (API) to create new connections with software.
By default, RingCentral provides users with unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada, and has four plan tiers that scale up with new features as your business grows. Additionally, above the Standard tier, you’re granted video meetings with up to 100 attendees with duration limits up to 24 hours and all of the other capabilities and features of its video conferencing solution.
RingCentral MVP Pricing at a Glance*
- Essentials: $29.99 per user, per month for up to 20 users, unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada, voicemail-to-text, team messaging, and document sharing
- Standard: $39.99 per user, per month for unlimited users, business phone numbers in more than 100 countries, unlimited audio conferencing, and 100-participant video conferencing
- Premium: $44.99 per user, per month for automated call recording, single sign-on, 200-participant video conferencing, hotdesking, and real-time analytics
- Ultimate: $59.99 per user, per month for multiple site admin and management, device status reports, device status alerts, and unlimited storage
*Pricing based on a monthly payment for two to 20 users. Annual billing is available as well for a savings of 33%.
RingCentral MVP Features
RingCentral MVP’s dialing interface
- Multi-level auto-attendant: The virtual receptionist greets callers with a customized greeting that directs them to the right department or extension without needing to speak to a live person.
- RingMe: The RingMe feature gives customers a cost-free option for calling you by clicking a button on an email or website.
- Team messaging: This tool makes it easy for colleagues to collaborate by sending messages, sharing calendars, sharing documents, and assigning tasks.
8×8 X Series: Best GoTo Connect Alternative for International Communications
8x8 X Series
Overall Score: 4.20
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Mix and match plans to save money and customize the user experience
- Unmetered international calling to 48 countries
- The X6, X7, and X8 plans also include contact center functionality
What's Missing
- No virtual fax with the Express plan
- Fewer integrations than GoTo Connect
- 99.999% uptime SLA is only available at the second tier
How It Compares to GoTo Connect
- 8×8 Express, the base tier, costs $7 less per month than GoTo Connect.
- GoTo Connect has unmetered calling to four more international territories than 8×8.
- At the highest-plan level, 8×8 includes double the video conferencing participant cap of GoTo Connect.
- 8×8’s free trial is more than twice as long as GoTo Connect’s.
8×8’s X Series VoIP/UCaaS products span three plans that grant extensive options for calling and team collaboration. Even though GoTo Connect offers unmetered calling to four more countries, 8×8 stands out as a GoTo Connect alternative because it has excellent international options.
8×8 has international calling rates for more than 200 countries, and subscribers are granted completely unmetered calling in almost 50 global territories. This is very advantageous for small businesses doing business or expanding into any of these countries.
Having international numbers is also a major benefit if you do business outside of the United States. When customers need to reach your business, they can do so by calling a local number in their country of origin. It encourages them to do business with you since they won’t have to pay international calling rates. This feature isn’t offered by GoTo Connect, but 8×8 has this functionality in 120 global locations.
Like RingCentral, 8×8 also provides a 99.999% uptime service level agreement (SLA) in the X2 tier and above. This means its business customers can expect the service to be down less than five minutes per year. This is slightly higher than GoTo Connect’s guaranteed 99.995% uptime, which translates to about 26 minutes of downtime. While each is impressive, it’s worth noting that 8×8 has five times less downtime than GoTo Connect.
8×8 also stands out thanks to its maximum number of video participants. With X2 and higher plans, 8×8 users can have up to 500 attendees, which is as many participants as Zoom United’s upper-most Enterprise plan.
Plus, with annual prepayment, 8×8’s X2 plan comes in at $24 per user each month—slightly lower than the $24.90 per user, per month (when paid annually) cost of Zoom United’s Enterprise tier. These savings increase even more with the ability to mix and match 8×8 plans among your users, and you aren’t required to purchase a minimum number of licenses as you are with Zoom’s Business and Enterprise plans.
8×8 X Series Pricing at a Glance*
- Express: $15 per user, per month for unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada, unlimited team messaging, file sharing, and 100-participant audio and video conferences
- X2: $32 per user, per month for unlimited voice calls in 14 countries, 500-participant video conferencing, unlimited internet fax, and an uptime guarantee of 99.999%
- X4: $57 per user, per month for unlimited voice calls in 48 countries, advanced call center features call monitor, call whisper, and call barge, and supervisor analytics
*Pricing based on monthly payment. You can save up to 25% with annual payment.
8×8 X Series Features
Example of 8×8’s mobile video conferencing interface
- International calling: Unlike providers that charge a per-minute usage fee, with the X4 plan, you get unlimited calling in up to 48 countries.
- Mix-and-match plans: With 8×8, you have the option of mixing plans to save money as users who don’t need as many features can be subscribed to lower-tier plans. GoTo Connect doesn’t offer this, so you may have to subscribe to the same higher-tier plan for all your users, regardless of which features they will actually use.
- HD audio and video: When the audio and video quality of your calls is in HD, collaboration is easier and more productive and the user experience is improved.
Mitel MiCloud Connect: Best GoTo Connect Alternative for Contact Center Features
Mitel MiCloud Connect
Overall Score: 4.17
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Auto-attendant included in every tier
- Contact center features available at any plan level as add-ons
- Top-tier plan allows you to actually archive meeting and call recordings for up to 7 years
What's Missing
- Video conferences only available for up to 100 participants
- No free trial
- For the lowest pricing, you have to commit to a 36-month contract
How It Compares to GoTo Connect
- The base plan for MiCloud Connect was increased to allow up to 100 participants for video conferencing during the pandemic. GoTo Connect’s base plan only allows four.
- MiCloud Connect’s project management features are far more robust compared to GoTo Connect.
- Save instant messages between colleagues for up to 18 months with MiCloud Connect—this isn’t available through GoTo Connect.
- GoTo Connect doesn’t incorporate contact center features into every tier; availability starts at Premium. These features are available as add-ons at any plan tier with MiCloud Connect.
Mitel’s MiCloud Connect is our selection for the best GoTo Connect alternative for businesses that have or are planning to expand into contact center operations. With MiCloud Connect, you can converse with customers across a few key touchpoints, including phone, email, and chat.
8×8, RingCentral, and GoTo Connect all have either tiers or additional solutions you can purchase to access contact center features. However, you can add various types of call center features to any MiCloud Connect plan.
This makes MiCloud Connect ideal for a business that needs or plans to gradually increase agent and customer contact through essential contact center as a service (CCaaS) tools. Some add-ons to consider include coaching and monitoring features, historical reports, task automation, hotdesking, and an advanced real-time dashboard.
MiCloud Connect also stands out thanks to its robust project management capabilities. You can create projects, establish deadlines, assign specific tasks, and track task progress right from the user interface. This is very useful for smaller businesses that don’t want to spend extra money on project management software solutions like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com.
Mitel MiCloud Connect Pricing at a Glance*
- Essentials: $25.49 per user, per month for unlimited calling, unlimited texting, and 100-participant audio and video conferencing
- Premier: $32.29 per user, per month for voicemail transcription, on-demand call recordings, media storage, and customer relationship management (CRM) software integrations
- Elite: $46.74 per user, per month for automatic call recordings, archiving capabilities, and operator features
*Pricing is based on 50 to 100 users. New customers also pay a one-time setup fee.
Mitel MiCloud Connect Features
Omnidevice compatibility of Mitel MiCloud Connect via desk phone, mobile, softphone, laptop, and desktop interfaces
- Call routing: Mitel MiCloud Connect supports standard schedule-based call routing so that your calls never go unanswered and routes calls based on user presence so a call will never go to an employee who is busy or away on vacation.
- Voicemail-to-email: Read voicemails instead of listening to them, which takes up less time overall, and easily forward them to colleagues or cut and paste them into a contact’s CRM record.
- Extended storage: Media can be stored for an extended period of time depending on the plan you purchase; with the Elite plan, you can store media for up to seven years.
3CX: Best GoTo Connect Alternative for Multi-channel Contact
3CX
Overall Score: 3.50
OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Regardless of the plan you choose, the first year of service is free
- The 3CX softphone has Facebook Messenger integration
- Unlimited extensions at every tier
What's Missing
- Only 25 video conferencing participants
- The base plan does not support SMS text messaging
- 3CX does not have breakout rooms
How It Compares to GoTo Connect
- Like GoTo Connect, 3CX provides unlimited extensions at every tier.
- 3CX offers more available communication channels than GoTo Connect.
- Both providers have a maximum video conferencing attendee count of 250.
- 3CX bills annually, but the per-month cost for a base-level hosted plan is less than $10—much cheaper than GoTo Connect’s $24 base tier cost per user.
According to recent research by Omnisend, businesses that use more channels during outreach achieve 287% higher purchase rates. For this reason, it’s essential for providers to deliver the ability to reach customers on their preferred channels. 3CX provides this functionality and comes with an unbelievable 12 months free offer to new subscribers. Learn more in our comprehensive 3CX review.
With a 3CX subscription, your team will be able to reach out to customers via traditional VoIP calling, live website chat, Facebook Messenger, and short message service (SMS) text messaging. While this isn’t completely omnichannel, it definitely offers more out-of-the-box communication channels than GoTo Connect.
Also, like GoTo Connect, 3CX comes bundled with unlimited extensions from the base tier. This is very valuable compared to a provider like Grasshopper, where you have to purchase higher plans for the feature.
3CX’s video conferencing also has some good features, such as screen sharing, an on-screen whiteboard, and up to 250 attendees. However, it’s definitely noteworthy that breakout rooms are missing, unlike more video-forward competitors Zoom United and RingCentral.
3CX Pricing at a Glance*
- Standard: Free licenses for unlimited extensions, 25-participant video conferencing, auto-attendant, and screen sharing
- Pro: $145 per license, per year for 100-participant video conferencing, CRM integration, call queues, call recording, and call reporting
- Enterprise: $180 per license, per year for 250-participant video conferencing, skill-based routing, stop-and-start call recordings, and Microsoft Teams Integration
*Pricing is based on one to 12 users with four simultaneous calls permitted. Payment is annual and regardless of the plan you choose, the first year is free. Bulk renewal discounts are available that save you 5% off three years and 10% off five years.
3CX Features
An example of the features included with 3CX’s on-premise PBX system
- Advanced call routing: 3CX allows you to route calls using several options. Calls can be sent to representatives based on skill, round-robin, first available, shortest talk time, longest idle time, and more.
- Unlimited phone extensions: Having unlimited phone extensions ensures that everyone in your office has a line where customers can reach them. While you can have an unlimited number of extensions, there are limits for how many simultaneous users can be on a line.
- Real-time analytics: Get statistics based on call history, call abandonment rates, and more while agents are on the line.
How We Evaluated the Best GoTo Connect Alternatives
The best GoTo Connect Alternatives offer dependable UCaaS and VoIP features for businesses. When evaluating which providers to consider for GoTo Connect alternatives, we looked for those with similar general features as well as advanced and niche features a business might want.
Zoom United scored 4.63 out of 5 in our comparison, making it the best GoTo Connect alternative. Although it doesn’t have a free trial, Zoom United does offer annual prepayment discounts. There are a number of software integrations that can streamline your processes and international dial-in numbers that make it easier for customers to contact you. At higher tiers, meetings can accommodate up to 500 participants and unlimited cloud storage will be at your disposal.
Here’s a breakdown of how we measured each provider:
15%
Pricing
30%
General Features
30%
More Niche Features
25%
Expert Score
15% of Overall Score
We took a look at the pricing for each alternative and whether or not they offer volume and/or annual discounts.
30% of Overall Score
We compared general features like audio and video conferencing and calling, and whether the provider has a mobile app. We also did an in-depth analysis of features such as presence, meeting encryption, and meeting passwords.
30% of Overall Score
For more niche features, we considered whether the provider offers international dial-in numbers and which software integrations are available. We also considered whether the providers have essential video calling features like call recording and breakout rooms.
25% of Overall Score
Our expert score is calculated by comparing standout features and how easy it is to use based on our personal experience with the product. We also considered the value that you get for the money spent and how popular each provider is based on user reviews.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
As you will find in our GoTo Connect review, LogMeIn’s GoTo Connect is definitely a worthwhile VoIP/UCaaS provider. But if it’s not quite right for your business, the best GoTo Connect alternatives above will grant you powerful UCaaS features as well as the niche functionality, features, or pricing you might be looking for.
If you need higher attendee counts for video conferences, extensive integrations, or more available contact center functions, you certainly have options. Zoom United earned our top spot among GoTo Connect alternatives, despite being a relatively new option in this space. Zoom United incorporates features like meeting encryption, breakout rooms, chat, and international calling so that small businesses have the tools they need.
