Jive vs RingCentral: Price, Features & What’s Best in 2019

Jive and RingCentral are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business phone systems with features like unlimited calling, faxing, and voicemail. Jive pricing starts at $19.95 and is best for businesses wanting an affordable phone service with solid features. RingCentral pricing starts at $29.99 and is right for larger companies wanting robust collaboration tools.

When to Use Jive

Jive is an excellent choice for solopreneurs, freelancers, and small teams that need a VoIP business phone system with a good combination of features at a reasonable cost. Features include unlimited domestic calling, unlimited extensions, and call analytics. Pricing starts at $19.95 for 50 or more users, with five pricing tiers based on the number of users.

When to Use RingCentral

RingCentral is best for call centers and larger sales teams that have a high level of customer engagement via phone and text and need more robust features like team collaboration tools in addition to unlimited domestic calling, SMS, and toll-free minutes. RingCentral offers four service plans from $29.99 per user, per month. Pre-paid agreements and volume discounts are available for large teams.

Visit RingCentral

Jive vs RingCentral at a Glance

How We Evaluated Jive & RingCentral

Businesses with robust calling needs considering either Jive or RingCentral need a business phone system with excellent call quality and is also easy to set up and use. However, the best option should be affordable or offer a variety of pricing plans as well as top-notch customer support. The best overall provider should also offer features like unlimited domestic calling, an auto-attendant, voicemail, and business app integration.

Therefore, we evaluated Jive and RingCentral based on:

• Price: We evaluated both providers’ pricing tiers and service plans.
• Ease of use: We assessed how easy each service is to set up and use.
• Call Quality: Customer reviews of both providers’ call sound and quality were reviewed as part of our evaluation.
• Mobile Apps: We reviewed each service’s mobile apps for standout features and ease of use.
• Scalability: We noted how easy it is to add more users to each phone system and how well the service plans accommodate company growth in terms of features and pricing.
• Auto-Attendant: The features of both automated attendants for greeting and routing callers were compared.
• CRM and Business App Integration: We evaluated whether each provider offered integration options for customer relationship and business applications.
• Collaboration Tools: Features that allow teams to work more productively and efficiently, such as calendaring and file sharing were noted.
• Conference Calling: We evaluated any conference calling limitations, such as a cap on the number of meetings or participants.
• Customer support: We assessed the types of online and live customer service support both providers offer.

Based on our research, we recommend Jive as the best VoIP business phone service for its affordable price and combination of standard features. The company offers a free demo of its service when you contact a sales agent. Visit Jive’s website today for details.

Jive vs RingCentral: Pricing & Features

When comparing RingCentral vs Jive, both have several features in common, including unlimited domestic calling, voicemail, call recording, conference calling, and business app integration. Overall, Jive costs less than most of RingCentral’s monthly service plans while offering many of the same features.

Jive Pricing

Jive offers five monthly price plans based on the number of users, ranging $19.95 to $29.95 per month. This means all but one tier is priced lower than RingCentral’s base plans. Annual contracts are available for additional cost savings and all plans include unlimited calling, mobile apps, conference calling, and an auto-attendant.

Jive’s price breakdown by number of users:

• Tier 1: $29.95 for 1 to 4 users
• Tier 2: $25.95 for 5 to 9 users
• Tier 3: $23.95 for 10 to 24 users
• Tier 4: $21.95 for 25 to 49 users
• Tier 5: $19.95 for 50+ users

Jive Features

Jive’s phone system features are included with every service plan level. They include conference calling, fax to email, voicemail, and individual call logs. Jive also offers tools for call center management, including advanced ring strategies, custom queue holds music, agent login/log out, and pre-call announcements.

Additional Jive features include:

Mobile Apps

Jive’s mobile app allows users to make and receive encrypted calls and texts on their iOS or Android devices. Features include call hold and transfer, call history logs, call back from history, conference calling, and location-based rules. RingCentral’s mobile apps offer many of the same features and also supports video conference calling and team collaboration tools like file sharing and real-time chat.

Auto-Attendant

Jive’s auto-attendant greets callers with a brief customizable message and routes calls based on the caller’s keypad input. The auto-attendant also allows admins to create different routing rules for a variety of situations including when a business is closed or during modified working hours. RingCentral offers a multilevel auto-attendant with additional features like the ability to route calls outside of the company, but it’s only available with the midrange tier and higher.

Call Management

Jive offers a range of call management features, including call transfer and forwarding, call waiting, and caller ID. It also includes do not disturb, auto-reject, and automatic call queue distribution to minimize caller wait times. RingCentral also offers these call management tools along with features like call monitoring and call screening. However, some features, including caller ID with name, aren’t available in RingCentral’s entry-level service plan.

Call Recording

Jive’s call recording feature allows managers and business owners to record calls for quality assurance and training purposes and can be automatically recorded company-wide or limited to specific phone numbers or extensions. Recordings are stored in the cloud and require a paid subscription to an Amazon S3 account. RingCentral offers call recording with its highest level service plan but does not require an Amazon cloud storage account.

Call Reports

Jive’s call reporting feature is currently in beta testing but available to customers. It generates a summary report with data on total call volume, total talk time, and average talk time. Admins can also create reports for specific users, callers, and phone numbers. RingCentral’s call reports can be set to automatically send to specific email addresses or exported as a .csv file. However, RingCentral’s call reports aren’t available with the first-tier service plan.

Business App Integration

Jive integrates with a number of business apps, including Salesforce, Zoho, and Redtail. It matches incoming calls with customer records to log call history and allows users to add call notes or create a new contact directly in the app. All RingCentral service plans include integration with Microsoft, Google, Box, and Okta but integration with Salesforce, Zendesk, and Desk is only available with the highest-level package.

RingCentral Pricing

RingCentral’s price for one to 10 users is $29.99 monthly per user and plans larger teams range from $34.99 to $44.99 monthly, making it generally more expensive than Jive’s plans. However, discounts are available with a yearly agreement. All plans include unlimited domestic calling and SMS, toll-free minutes, and team collaboration tools.

RingCentral Tiered Features

RingCentral Essentials

RingCentral’s Essentials plan supports up to 10 users and includes unlimited phone calls, 100 toll-free minutes, and a free local or toll-free number. This level also features team collaboration tools that include task management tools, file and calendar sharing, and team messaging. The Essentials plan is best for small teams that need more robust collaboration tools than Jive offers.

The Essentials tier doesn’t have the multilevel auto-attendant or faxing features found in the next service plan. RingCentral Essentials for two to 10 users costs about the same as Jive’s first tier, which supports one to four people. However, RingCentral’s Essentials plan for one user costs $39.99 per month, which is significantly more than Jive’s most expensive plan that costs $29.95 per month.

RingCentral Standard

RingCentral’s Standard tier adds 1,000 toll-free minutes, faxing, and a multilevel auto attendant. Multilevel auto-attendant adds additional features to the auto-receptionist, like advanced routing rules for specific phone numbers and the ability to route calls to phones outside the office. This plan is best for businesses with more than 10 employees that want a virtual auto-attendant to help answer and redirect calls.

The Standard package doesn’t offer as many toll-free minutes or business app integration like the next tier. RingCentral’s Standard plan costs more than Jive’s service plans, however, its auto-attendant provides more features than Jive’s no-frills auto-attendant.

RingCentral Premium

RingCentral’s Premium tier adds 2,500 toll-free calling minutes, automatic call recording, and integration for Salesforce, Zendesk, and Desk.com. RingCentral Premium is best for call centers, sales teams, and businesses that want to keep audio records of calls for quality assurance, training, and compliance purposes.

The Premium package may not offer enough toll-free minutes for companies with high call volume on their toll-free business line. However, it is possible to add additional minute bundles to customer accounts starting at $29.99 per month for 1,000 minutes. Although RingCentral pricing for the Premium plan costs more than Jive’s service plans, it may be an overall better value for larger businesses that may be eligible for volume discounts.

Jive vs RingCentral: Ease of Use

VoIP business phone systems should set up quickly and be easy to maintain. Features and mobile apps should be intuitive and easy to use regardless of the user’s technical skill level. VoIP providers should offer online tools and self-assist guides to help customers learn their way around the system. Here’s why RingCentral has a slight advantage over Jive for ease of use.

Jive Ease of Use

Jive is easy to set up and its features are easy to use. The company offers a VoIP glossary to help customers learn about unfamiliar terms and a searchable knowledge base. There’s also a section dedicated to downloads for tools like mobile apps and Salesforce integration as well as a video library with training tutorials on using Jive’s various features. Customers say Jive’s interface is straightforward and easy to use.

Jive Customer Support

Jive’s VoIP Glossary Guide

RingCentral Ease of Use

RingCentral’s phone system and features are easy to use. The company provides a Quick Start Guide with instructions on how to use the desktop and mobile apps along with video tutorials on specific features. Account specialists guide customers through the setup process and train users on its features. Although some customers say the dashboard icons aren’t as intuitive as they could be, customers report the overall system is easy to understand.

Jive’s Customer Self-Assist Tools

RingCentral’s Training Topics

Jive vs RingCentral: Customer Service

The best VoIP providers offer reliable customer support both online and by phone. Users should be able to self-assist with online training guides and knowledge bases. However, they should also have access to live customer support through a variety of channels including live chat, phone, and email.

Jive Customer Support

Jive’s customer support includes an online knowledge base and tutorials, an online ticketing system, and email support. It also offers 24/7 phone support in English and Spanish for customers across all pricing tiers.

RingCentral Customer Support

RingCentral’s customer support options include an online knowledge base, support specialist ticketing system, and live chat. Phone support for single-user accounts is available from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), and 24/7 for customers with two or more users.

Jive vs RingCentral: Customer Reviews

Customer reviews offer insight into how a VoIP service works in a real-world office environment. When it comes to Ringcentral vs Jive’s user experiences, customers give a slight advantage to Jive.

Jive Customer Reviews

Our readers give Jive overall good reviews with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars. Customers praise its standout customer support and like that all features are available with all service plans. However, some users say the mobile app is lacking in features and could use improvement. Read more customer reviews on our Jive User Review page.

RingCentral Customer Reviews

Our readers give RingCentral generally favorable reviews, with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars. They say the system is easy to use and offers a wide range of features to meet business needs. However, some customers report unreliable or unpleasant interactions with customer service. You can find more customer reviews on our RingCentral User Review page.

Bottom Line – RingCentral vs Jive

When comparing RingCentral vs Jive, both offer quality VoIP business phone service with similar features at affordable prices. RingCentral is right for larger companies and teams that want a phone system with collaboration tools to increase productivity. Jive is the best choice for solopreneurs and small businesses wanting an affordable phone system with the best combination of features.

Organizations looking for a VoIP business phone system with a wide selection of features that are easy to use and backed by great customer service should consider Jive. The company offers a free demo of its product when you contact the sales team.