RingCentral Review: Pricing & Features for 2022

RingCentral is a cloud-based platform that helps connect businesses with their teams and customers using voice-over-internet-technology (VoIP) for messaging, video, and phone calls. With fees starting at $29.99 per month, it’s best for scaling companies looking for robust centralized communications. RingCentral reviews also regularly praise its comprehensive features and reliability, making it a top business phone system solution.

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RingCentral Overview

RingCentral

What We Like

• Supports various communication channels, such as video, text messages, and team messaging
• Great for high call volumes with features like interactive voice response (IVR) and multilevel auto-attendants
• User-friendly for all skill levels
• Free demo videos available
• Wide range of third-party app integrations
• Multiplatform support

What's Missing

• Has tons of features that may be overwhelming to some
• No professional audio greetings included
• More expensive than its alternatives
• Occasional system lags during peak operation hours
• Users reported poor customer service

RingCentral Is Recommended For:

• Those looking for a VoIP system with video conferencing tools
• Healthcare organizations
• Businesses with high call volumes
• Entrepreneurs needing a comprehensive business cell phone plan
• Large enterprises
• Companies with a global presence

What We Recommend RingCentral For

RingCentral provides a robust, cloud-based platform for managing communications across channels, such as video conferencing, voice, voicemail, fax, and text. It offers various subscription options, great for businesses looking for a budget-friendly and easy-to-use phone service. There may be cheaper alternatives like 8×8, but RingCentral features the most comprehensive system, perfect for those looking to scale.

Who RingCentral Is Good For

• Teams looking for a VoIP system with video conferencing features: RingCentral is one of our top picks for the best small business phone systems and best small business VoIP service providers with its powerful features, ease of use, and reasonable rates. It also made it to our list of the best video conferencing software and best softphone apps.
• Healthcare organizations looking for a secure phone system for their telehealth needs: RingCentral strictly complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST). It ensures that patient health information is treated with confidentiality and privacy—making it among the top HIPAA-compliant video conferencing systems.
• Businesses needing an interactive voice response (IVR) system or multilevel auto-attendant that supports high call volumes: RingCentral is our best answering service, and is among our best auto-attendant phone systems recommendations as it provides capabilities that forward calls to specific departments, employees, and external phone numbers.
• Those looking for a robust business cell phone plan: RingCentral is our overall best business cell phone plan as it comes with apps that allow access to its platform via mobile phone, tablet, or desktop computer. It comes with extensive capabilities, such as video conferencing, and is more cost-effective than most traditional cell phone plans.
• Enterprises that need a complete phone solution for their expanding environment: RingCentral provides equipment leases, allowing businesses to utilize the best technologies—both software and hardware—for their needs. It landed on our top picks for the best call center phones and best call center phone systems.
• International calling: RingCentral supports international calling for those with a global presence. Its plans already include calls to Puerto Rico and Canada, and per-minute fees for other countries start at 1 cent. It is one of our recommended phone systems in our guide on international calling rates and is among our list of the best services for VoIP international calls.
• Call management: RingCentral made it to our best call management systems list as it features advanced capabilities along with its call management features, such as call monitoring, call handling, and phone system administration.
• Sales automation: RingCentral helps automate sales with its comprehensive communication and call management features, such as automatic call logs with a dialer that eliminates manual entry. Its platform is one of our recommendations for the best sales automation software.
• Vanity phone number: Customize your business phone number to make it easy to remember for your customers with RingCentral. It is among our picks for the best vanity phone number providers as it also comes with advanced phone system features.

RingCentral Is Not a Good Fit For

• Small businesses and teams with limited needs and low budgets: RingCentral features advanced capabilities and inclusions that come at higher subscription rates. Those not looking to scale any time soon and need a basic and budget-friendly VoIP solution can check out Ooma instead. Read our head-to-head Ooma vs RingCentral comparison to learn more.
• However, freelancers and companies with teams of less than 20 may find Dialpad as a better provider for their needs. It may not support conference calls for large audiences, but it does offer unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada. Check out our Dialpad vs RingCentral article if you are unsure which of the two providers is best for you.
• If you are looking for more options, then our list of the best cheap VoIP services is worth reading.
• Freelancers, solopreneurs, and small teams looking for all-inclusive plans with basic VoIP features: RingCentral’s tiered pricing plans lock some of its advanced features in higher-priced options. Hence, it may not work for those with tight budgets. Alternatives like GoTo Connect provide all of its features in each plan that may best fit their needs. Head to our GoTo Connect vs RingCentral article for more information.
• Those looking for a straightforward VoIP system with flexible and customized pricing plans: Though RingCentral offers a complete communications platform with an exceptional set of features, it may not be a match for those with limited needs. Those looking for a VoIP solution with unlimited messaging and calls may try out Vonage instead. It also offers contact center features and add-on pricing options if the need arises. Read through our RingCentral vs Vonage assessment to find out which of the two companies suits your needs best.
• Small companies that need unlimited extensions and users, and do not need customer relationship management (CRM) or project management software integrations: RingCentral offers per-user plans, which may not match those needing unlimited extensions or users. If you don’t prefer the per-user pricing and need mobility without advanced features and integrations, you may look into a more inexpensive alternative like Grasshopper. See our detailed RingCentral vs Grasshopper comparison for more information.
• Those needing a budget-friendly phone service with pick-and-choose feature bundles and security compliance: Not all customers need RingCentral’s more advanced features and services that are packed in their fixed-tiered plans. Small businesses—that are not expecting accelerated growth—may appreciate 8×8’s flexible and affordable pricing tiers. Check out our RingCentral vs 8×8 comparison for more details.
• Those looking for a free VoIP solution: RingCentral does not offer an open plan, and those who only need basic VoIP features that are provided at no cost may check out Google Voice.

Want to check out other options? Read our guide to the best VoIP apps for business to determine which product matches your needs.

RingCentral Pricing

RingCentral has four different pricing plans for its MVP product. All plans include the essentials, such as visual voicemail, desktop, and mobile apps, document sharing, call management, and team messaging. The main differences between the tiers are the maximum numbers of users per account, toll-free minutes, and video meeting participants allowed per session, among others.

*Subscription rates shown are per user. Teams with more than 20 users subscribed to the account receive lower per user rates.

**Annual plans are paid in full at the beginning of the billing cycle.

RingCentral Add-ons

• You may add extra vanity numbers for a one-time fee of $30 each
• An additional toll-free or local phone number cost $4.99 per user, per month
• Purchase a new international number at a starting price of $5.99 per user, per month
• An international toll-free number is available for $14.99 per user, per month plus a one-time $25 fee
• An additional RingCentral room license costs $49 per room, per month or $468 per room, per year
• A high volume SMS add-on starts at $0.007 per message sent or received

RingCentral allows international calls at added per-minute rates, ranging from $0.01 to $0.16. Calls to the U.S., Mexico, and Puerto Rico are already included in its plans. Additionally, it offers three cloud-based contact center plans for those looking for a solution with inbound voice, inbound voice and omnichannel, and inbound and outbound voice with omnichannel capabilities, respectively. Prices for these subscription options are available upon request.

RingCentral Glip—a free team messaging and video conferencing software—is also available. This software features a 24-hour meeting duration, support for up to 100 participants, an unlimited number of meetings, and integrations with Microsoft 36 and Google Workspace, among others. Those who need to host up to 200 participants may subscribe to a premium plan ($14.99 per user, per month when billed monthly).

RingCentral Hardware

RingCentral users can purchase or lease communications hardware, such as VoIP phones, conference tools, and headsets. Comparison tables are also available on RingCentral’s website to aid those looking for the best option for their needs. Most hardware is available for rentals for those with multiyear RingCentral MVP subscription contracts.

Moreover, you can utilize your existing VoIP phones, such as Cisco, Polycom, or Yealink, with RingCentral. A list of the tested phones—supported in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.—with its platform is available on its website.

VoIP Phones

Conference Hardware

Headsets

Visit RingCentral

RingCentral Features

RingCentral is a cloud-based business phone system accessible across various devices and has the ability to integrate with several business tools using the RingCentral API. It is recommended for businesses with accelerated needs that do not mind its pricier subscriptions for the premium features included, even at the base plans.

RingCentral unifies business communications in one place.
(Source: RingCentral)

Unlike some of its competitors, such as Phone.com, it provides unlimited calls within Canada and the U.S., unlimited business SMS, team messaging, visual voicemail, toll-free minutes, and document sharing on all plans. Though it has a wide range of advanced features, some users may find it overwhelming and complicated, trying to learn them all.

General Features

Mobile App

• Cloud PBX
• Team messaging
• Unlimited file and document sharing
• Video conferencing with advanced screen sharing
• Team collaboration capabilities
• Works with iOS and Android devices

RingCentral’s mobile app lets you access its powerful features—such as VoIP calling and team collaboration—with your smartphone or company-issued device.
(Source: RingCentral)

Apart from letting you utilize its platform through hardware and a computer, RingCentral also has mobile apps compatible with Android and iOS devices. These apps enable you to stay connected with your team or customers from anywhere with an internet connection.

Its mobile app lets you manage all communications even when you’re on the go. You can access a wide range of features through your tablet or smartphone, allowing you to configure the company directory, manage greetings, and set up call handling rules. You may also access your faxes and voicemails, communicate with your teammates, handle incoming and outgoing calls, and attend video meetings.

Reporting & Analytics

Third-party Integrations

Customer Service

Ease of Use

RingCentral Alternatives

Best For: Smaller organizations looking for a powerful yet affordable virtual phone system	Best For: Companies wanting a solid package with a free, professionally recorded voice greeting	Best For: Teams looking to make calls to many different countries at no extra cost
Starting Price: $29 per user, per month	Starting Price: $30.95 per user, per month	Starting Price: $12 per user, per month
Grasshopper Review	Nextiva Review	8x8 Review

Looking for more similar options? Check out these RingCentral alternatives.

What Users Are Saying in RingCentral Reviews

Many RingCentral customer reviews online match our analysis of the said platform being an excellent virtual phone system with VoIP for small businesses. At the time of publication, RingCentral has earned the following scores on our and other popular user review sites:

• G2: 3.9 out of 5 based on 569 reviews
• Capterra: 4.2 out of 5 based on 909 reviews
• GetApp: 4.2 out of 5 based on 909 reviews
• Gartner: 4.5 out of 5 based on 489 reviews

When reading through user reviews, here are some of the trends that I noticed:

There are mixed opinions online on RingCentral’s customer service. Some reported that its customer support team is responsive and very helpful in addressing their inquiries and issues. Meanwhile, there are a few users who were dismayed with poor customer service.

Bottom Line

RingCentral provides a comprehensive communications platform that unifies messages across calls, faxes, voicemails, texts, and emails. Its tiered pricing plans work best for businesses with growing needs. It features an impressive set of call management features that match those with high call volume.

RingCentral’s pricing points may be more expensive than its alternatives in the market, like Grasshopper. Note that it offers valuable capabilities and third-party app integrations. It also provides premium features in its base plan, such as unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada, unlike other providers that charge extra fees or offer them with their higher-tiered plans.

Visit RingCentral to request a demo to see it in action and determine if it matches your business needs.