GoTo Connect vs RingCentral: Which Is Better for Small Businesses?
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 VoIP.
RingCentral provides extensive integrations and tools for remote collaborations. GoTo Connect, on the other hand, is less expensive and offers unlimited calling to 52 countries, an option that RingCentral doesn’t have. We compared these unified communications (UC) services more in-depth based on pricing, call management features, and conferencing capabilities to determine the best use cases for RingCentral vs GoTo Connect, which are:
- RingCentral: Better overall value for teams that need to connect their phone system to business tools.
- GoTo Connect: Better option for U.S.-based businesses that also need affordable unlimited international calling.
GoTo Connect vs RingCentral at a Glance
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Starting Price | $29.99 per user, per month* | $24 per user, per month** |
Free Trial | 15 days | 14 days |
International Calling | Per-minute rates | Unlimited to 52 countries on Standard and Premium plans |
Virtual Receptionist | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Conferencing Capacity | Up to 200 | Up to 250 |
Integrations | Over 200 | 29 |
Voicemail Transcriptions | ✓ | ✓ |
Team Messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
Training & Implementation | Extensive help center and professional implementation for subscriptions with 2 or more users | Basic knowledge base and self-service options |
For more information |
*RingCentral pricing is based on the Essentials plan for two to 20 users with monthly billing.
**GoTo Connect pricing is based on the Basic plan for two to 10 users with monthly billing.
Best for Pricing: GoTo Connect
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(GoTo Connect pricing is based on 2 to 10 users with monthly billing. Discounts are available for annual billing and when adding more than 20 users.) |
(RingCentral pricing is based on 2 to 20 users with monthly billing. Discounts are available for yearly billing and companies with more than 100 users.) |
If budget is your main concern, you’ll find better volume-based discounts with GoTo Connect. Most plans cost less than RingCentral regardless of whether you pay monthly or annually. Both voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) providers offer a base plan for up to 20 users. Additionally, GoTo Connect and RingCentral have toll-free minutes on some packages.
But, RingCentral doesn’t share how many minutes are included or the cost per minute. In contrast, GoTo Connect Standard has 1,000, and Premium includes 5,000 toll-free minutes. The charge for additional toll-free minutes is 1.9 cents.
GoTo Connect Basic is $5.99 to $8.99 less per user, per month compared to RingCentral Essentials. For a company with 20 employees, going with GoTo Connect Basic over RingCentral Essentials can save you about $2,157.60 per year if you pay monthly.
If your company has 21 to 100 users, GoTo Connect plans range from $20 to $33 versus $27.99 to $59.99 for RingCentral. The pricing difference stems from GoTo Connect’s volume-based discounts. RingCentral only reduces the monthly prices for businesses with more than 100 users.
Explore more options in our guide to the top cheap VoIP services.
Best for Call Management: RingCentral
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When comparing GoTo Connect vs RingCentral, you’ll notice that both providers offer basic and advanced call management and handling tools. These standard features include an auto-attendant with personalized greetings, ring and call queues, and call forwarding. You can also define rules for which phone numbers and devices to ring, which is helpful for shared lines when several employees will answer incoming calls for sales or billing. However, we give the edge to RingCentral because it offers a few more customization options and advanced features.
RingCentral lets users manage voicemail via desk phones, mobile and desktop apps, the online portal, or email. It also provides transcriptions through email notifications and desktop and mobile applications. GoTo Connect users can view voicemail in the mobile app or get a transcription sent through email.
Both services support call monitoring on upper-tier plans, including call barge and whisper. But, RingCentral benefits companies with high-call volumes by providing overflow call queues on Premium and Ultimate plans. These tiers also come with the RingCentral Archiver tool. It lets you automatically back up phone data from each extension to Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox. Check out our RingCentral review to learn about additional features.
Best for Collaboration: RingCentral
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You’ll appreciate RingCentral’s built-in virtual workspace if your employees work remotely. It puts nearly every tool your staff needs to collaborate on a single application, making it easy to assign tasks, check project progress, and interact in real time. RingCentral’s Team Huddle rooms provide a persistent chat-enabled video space, allowing staff to stop by and engage with co-workers similar to in-office interactions. It also supports internet faxing, content sharing, and on-screen annotation.
Although GoTo Connect has persistent chat rooms with document sharing, it lacks convenient task management tools. To achieve something similar with GoTo Connect, you’d need to add third-party integrations. Likewise, RingCentral’s messaging channels are more organized. You can pin content or posts, create dedicated folders, and bookmark important messages. Quickly find what you need by searching by keywords or filtering by mentions.
GoTo Connect’s team messaging platform is less advanced. It lets users interact in real-time using emojis, and you can jump from a chat conversation to a video or voice call with one click. But it lacks the tools to organize discussions and content.
Best for Integrations: RingCentral
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RingCentral is the clear winner for integrations. It provides more than 200 integrations with popular tools and industry-specific platforms. Many integrations are bidirectional, allowing for data to sync between the programs. RingCentral also offers many on-demand and live webinars to improve your use of integrations. These provide demonstrations for integrating tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho and include tips and best practices.
If integrations are essential to your team, review the connections available through each provider. Both platforms support Microsoft 365, Slack, and Google Workspace. However, you won’t find ServiceNow, HubSpot, or many CRMs with GoTo Connect. In addition, RingCentral has extensive APIs and documentation, whereas GoTo Connect provides the basics but doesn’t offer much support for custom integrations.
Best for International Calling: GoTo Connect
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GoTo Connect outshines RingCentral by providing unlimited international calling to 52 countries on its Standard and Premium plans. These subscriptions cost less than similar RingCentral packages yet allow your staff to call customers in other countries for free. GoTo Connect’s unmetered subscriptions earn it a spot on our list of the best services for VoIP international calls.
Although RingCentral offers global calling plans, it doesn’t include pricing on its website, and you’ll need to contact the company for a custom quote. However, if you’re looking for international phone numbers, go with RingCentral. It provides direct inward dial (DID) and virtual phone numbers in more than 100 countries. A global phone number comes free with RingCentral Standard, Premium, and Ultimate plans.
GoTo Connect only supports U.S.-based local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers. Discover more GoTo Connect features and ratings in our GoTo Connect review.
Best for Conferencing: GoTo Connect
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The RingCentral vs GoTo Connect debate is a close one when it comes to conferencing. Each platform provides high-definition (HD) video and audio conferencing with interactive features, including in-meeting chat, file sharing, and breakout rooms. Both allow users to join from a web browser, requiring no downloads. And mobile screen sharing is available with RingCentral and GoTo Connect. However, we give GoTo Connect the edge for a few reasons.
It supports video conferences with up to four people for 40 minutes on its base plan, whereas RingCentral Essentials doesn’t have video meetings. GoTo Connect Premium supports 250 video attendees, while RingCentral’s limit is 200. There are no time limits on GoTo Connect Standard and Premium, whereas RingCentral caps meeting duration at 24 hours.
Yet, RingCentral’s 1,000 audio conference limit surpasses GoTo Connect’s 250. Plus, RingCentral Premium users get 1GB of storage for cloud recordings, and Ultimate users can save an unlimited number of recordings. In contrast, GoTo Connect lets you save recordings to a third-party cloud or local storage tool.
Best Alternatives
[RingCentral and GoTo Connect are among the best business phone systems. But, you may want to check out more options before deciding. Our favorite alternatives come with must-have features, like mobile apps, video conferencing, and call management tools.
A few GoTo Connect and RingCentral alternatives include:
- Nextiva: If you want toll-free minutes, professional greetings, and a collaboration app, consider Nextiva. It has many features found on RingCentral and GoTo Connect, including user-friendly business forecasting tools.
- 8×8: Like GoTo Connect, 8×8 offers unlimited international calling to 14 or 48 locations. It also has an affordable base plan with conferencing for up to 100 people. Subscriptions start at $15 per month, and 8×8 provides a 30-day trial of 8×8 Express.
- Ooma: If your business needs a budget-friendly solution for on-site and remote teams, check out Ooma Office. Subscriptions have more than 35 standard features. Unlike RingCentral and GoTo Connect, Ooma provides virtual faxing on its base plan.
How We Evaluated GoTo Connect vs RingCentral
Small business VoIP services offer features and prices to suit nearly every business. However, plenty of differences exist among platforms. We looked at per-user pricing, tools, and integrations to see how RingCentral vs GoTo Connect compare. In addition, we considered ease of use and standout features.
Here’s a complete breakdown of these factors:
25%
Pricing
25%
General Features
25%
Advanced Features
25%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
RingCentral and GoTo Connect costs differ per tier. We reviewed per-user pricing and factored in volume-based and annual discounts. Additionally, we looked at the fees for toll-free minutes and international calling.
25% of Overall Score
Each VoIP service earned points for its auto-attendant, call flow editor, and ring groups. We also reviewed call flip or call switch functions, call forwarding, and call park tools.
25% of Overall Score
We rated platforms according to their video and audio conferencing capacities and features. In addition, we looked at in-meeting tools and advanced call management functions, like call monitor, whisper, and barge.
25% of Overall Score
Our expert score is based on ease of use across mobile, desktop, and browser-based apps. We also checked out user reviews, customer service, and self-service options. Lastly, we identified unique features that set each platform apart.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I use desk phones with GoTo Connect & RingCentral?
Yes, RingCentral and GoTo Connect work with many desk phones. Both provide a list of compatible devices, and you can also purchase hardware from the companies. However, if you use analog equipment, you will need an analog telephone adapter (ATA) or VoIP gateway.
Will RingCentral or GoTo Connect work for medical practices?
Both services will work for companies that handle protected health information (PHI). Video and voice features can comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as long as you reach out to RingCentral[ or GoTo Connect to request a business associate agreement (BAA).
Do both providers offer 24/7 customer support?
RingCentral offers 24/7 customer support via chat and phone for all subscriptions, except Essentials. GoTo Connect plans include support through phone or email, but the company doesn’t provide hours of availability.
Bottom Line
Although it’s a close call, we rate RingCentral higher than GoTo Connect. You’ll pay a bit more, the feature set is more comprehensive, and the robust knowledge base enables your team to take full advantage of every tool. Also, RingCentral provides professional implementation services for all companies that purchase two or more licenses. Visit RingCentral to learn more and sign up for a 15-day free trial.
