RingCentral vs 8×8: 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.
Marianne is a staff writer at Fit Small Business who covers business phone services, VoIP, and video conferencing tools.
This article is part of a larger series on VoIP.
RingCentral provides a robust, full-featured phone system with comprehensive call handling capabilities and extensive third-party integrations, but isn’t the lowest-cost option. 8×8, on the other hand, offers unlimited international calling and a higher participant limit for video conferencing at its entry-level plan. In this article, we compare RingCentral vs 8×8 to determine the best voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) solution for your small business needs.
Based on our comparison, the best use cases for RingCentral vs 8×8 are as follows:
- RingCentral: Better for growing businesses that need a complete phone solution
- 8×8: Best for companies that regularly call clients and contacts residing outside the U.S.
RingCentral vs 8×8 at a Glance
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Starting Price | $22.49 per user, per month* | $15 per user, per month** |
Free Trial | 15 days | 30 days |
Unlimited Domestic Calling | ✔ | ✔ |
Unlimited International Calling | ✕ | ✔ |
Communication Channels | Call, text, fax, video, and voicemail | Call, text, fax, video, and voicemail |
Call Handling Features | Monitor, whisper, barge, takeover | Monitor, barge, whisper |
Video Conferencing Capability | At the Standard level and above | At the X2 level and above |
Maximum Video Conferencing Participants | 200 participants | 500 participants |
Uptime Guarantee | 99.999% | 99.999% |
For More Information |
*RingCentral pricing is based on one to 20 users. Save up to 33% by paying annually.
**8×8 pricing is based on one to 10 users with the 8×8 Express plan.
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Best for Pricing: RingCentral
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RingCentral Pricing
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When it comes to pricing, RingCentral is the clear winner. At first glance, RingCentral’s starting price of $22.49 per user, per month is more expensive than 8×8’s entry-level plan. However, it’s still reasonably priced, considering the features included in each package, like unlimited calls, texting, team messaging, and file sharing.
Furthermore, RingCentral’s Premium plan might look more expensive than 8×8’s X4 plan, but it’s actually better in terms of the number of call functionalities offered. While 8×8 offers a cheaper monthly fee for its entry-level plan, upgrading gets more expensive once you need additional features, such as team messaging, call handling, and analytics. The price starts at $15 per user, per month and includes unlimited domestic calling, team messaging, and video conferencing.
Best for Call Management Features: RingCentral
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RingCentral and 8×8 both offer a competitive set of call management features, including transfer, call forwarding, whisper functionality, and call park. Despite these similarities, RingCentral wins this round because of a few additional offerings, such as an interactive voice response (IVR) system, call flip, call presence, call recording, and advanced call analytics.
While both providers have auto-attendant functionalities, 8×8 requires users to upgrade to its contact center plan (X6) to access its IVR system. With Ring Central, the IVR is available on its Standard plan, including popular integrations such as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Also, 8×8 provides supervisor call analytics, but its insights and data don’t go as deep as RingCentral’s device status alerts and reporting metrics.
Overall, RingCentral is the best VoIP provider—providing a complete call management experience. Read our comprehensive RingCentral review to discover more features.
Best for International Calling: 8×8
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8x8 provides international calling to more than 200 destinations with unlimited calling (at no additional cost) to 47 unmetered countries. | RingCentral offers international and toll-free numbers, but you'll pay international rates for every minute based on the country's calling rate. |
8×8 offers one of the best international calling capabilities of any business phone system. With 8×8, you get unlimited calling for up to 48 unmetered international destinations at no extra cost. However, its X2 plan only offers unlimited calling to 14 countries. You’ll need to upgrade to the X4 plan for unlimited calling to multiple countries. Check 8×8’s international calling rates to see which countries are listed as metered and unmetered.
RingCentral offers users international numbers (starting at $5.99 per user, per month) and toll-free numbers ($14.99 per user, per month with a $25 one-time setup fee). All international calls are charged at current rates published in RingCentral’s international rates table. Unfortunately, there’s no unlimited free international calling outside the United States and Canada.
Best for Team Communication: 8×8
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RingCentral and 8×8 offer the same set of communication channels. However, they differ when it comes to conferencing participant limits. 8×8 offers audio and video conferencing with screen sharing capabilities and allows up to 500 participants regardless of the plan you choose. This means 8×8 is a better solution for companies with larger teams frequently engaging in online team collaboration and video meetings.
With video conferencing, RingCentral allows users to host meetings with up to 100 participants at the Standard plan. Upgrading to Premium or Ultimate only accommodates up to 200 participants per video meeting. Given RingCentral’s smaller participant limit, its communications platform is the right fit for smaller teams and small-scale team meetings.
Best for Scalability: RingCentral
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RingCentral becomes the more affordable option if you want the most complete set of features. | 8x8 starts as the more affordable option, but it becomes more expensive when comparing RingCentral’s Premium plan to 8x8’s X4 plan. |
At the entry level, 8×8 offers a more affordable pricing package. 8×8’s Express plan provides everything your business needs to launch its phone system at just $15 per user, per month. However, once you scale and require additional features and functionality, such as IVR and call monitoring functions, 8×8 becomes the more expensive solution.
RingCentral’s plans allow businesses to scale to a more robust solution when needed. Despite its more expensive entry-level solution for businesses, its extensive third-party integrations and advanced call management tools make it a complete VoIP communication platform.
Best for Ease of Use: RingCentral
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RingCentral offers a consistent and seamless user experience across all devices and takes advantage of native implementations across various communication modes. | 8x8 provides the right balance between features and usability to create a positive user experience on desktop or mobile apps. |
RingCentral and 8×8 both boast an easy configuration and simplified experience. However, RingCentral takes a slighter edge for its minimalist interface, customizable features, and straightforward setup.
RingCentral provides a user-friendly and intuitive platform designed for users of all skill levels. Whichever device or communication channel you use, the RingCentral app offers a consistent and seamless experience. It’s also easier to manage and configure than traditional phone systems since it doesn’t require technical support for setup. While it includes a wide range of customization options, setting them up is easy and can be done from the mobile app.
RingCentral offers a superior user experience across devices and modes of communication. (Source: RingCentral)
Meanwhile, 8×8’s mobile and desktop app looks complicated, especially for first-time users. The left-hand navigation bar displays various buttons that require familiarization. Its call analytics dashboard also looks cluttered and includes plenty of options that need a demo to understand its functionalities. If you don’t have experience using a business phone solution like 8×8, expect to invest a lot of time learning how to use its platform.
Best Alternatives
RingCentral and 8×8 are business phone systems that solve a wide range of use cases, but there’s a chance you’re looking for something different. Here are a few other alternatives to consider:
A few 8×8 and RingCentral alternatives include:
- Nextiva: If you’re looking for a complete business phone solution with team collaboration capabilities, consider Nextiva. A top 8×8 alternative, this provider unifies your communications with teams and customers on one platform. It also comes with a virtual workspace called CoSpace, which allows employees to manage communication and stay in sync wherever they are located.
- Ooma: If you’re looking for cheaper pricing, check out Ooma, a phone solution fit for startups looking to scale. At the entry-level, the service is completely free, and upgrading to a paid tier starts at only $9.99. Some of its core features include a virtual receptionist, free number porting, global calling plans, and video conferencing. Also, like 8×8, Ooma offers unlimited international calling to several countries on two distinct plans.
- Grasshopper: If you’re looking for different virtual number options, Grasshopper is the one that’s right for you. This business phone system offers virtual number options, such as local, toll-free, and vanity numbers. It’s a great solution for professionals who want to separate their personal and work-related calls and messages with access to the complete features of a virtual phone system.
How We Evaluated RingCentral vs 8×8
8×8 and RingCentral are both powerful VoIP solutions for small businesses that provide calling, texting (SMS), team messaging, faxing, and video conferencing. However, a few differences between the platforms make them more suitable as the best VoIP provider for your business.
Here’s a complete breakdown of these factors:
25%
Pricing
30%
General Features
25%
Call Management Features
20%
Expert Score
25% of Overall Score
We looked at the cost of each plan offered by 8×8 vs RingCentral, and what is provided in relation to the other competitor at the same price point. We also looked at annual and volume user discounts to determine the scalability of each platform.
30% of Overall Score
We compared general and advanced features to see which VoIP solution provides the most robust functionality. We looked at available communication channels, call management features, and integrations.
25% of Overall Score
Our evaluation looked at call handling tools, such as call monitoring, whisper, barge, and takeover. We also gave points to those offering advanced call management tools, such as call park, call presence, and multilevel auto-attendant.
20% of Overall Score
In addition to our experience with both VoIP systems, we dove deep into user reviews on popular review sites to gauge other firsthand experiences.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What types of customer support are being offered by RingCentral & 8×8?
RingCentral offers 24/7 customer support via chat and phone for all subscriptions, except Essentials. Meanwhile, 8×8’s customer support team is available through phone and live chat from Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
What are the video conferencing functions offered by 8×8?
For the X2 and X4 plans, 8×8’s video conferencing functions include screen sharing, live emoji reactions, instant polls, and hand-raising. It also offers virtual background, breakout rooms, and advanced moderator controls. If you want more details about video conferencing and other features offered by 8×8, check out our detailed 8×8 review.
Do 8×8 & RingCentral offer virtual number options?
Yes. 8×8 offers local, toll-free, and international numbers. However, users are required to have a local business address and submit a letter of intent that describes the type of business and how they plan to use the number. Likewise, RingCentral’s virtual number options include local, toll-free, and international numbers.
Bottom Line
RingCentral and 8×8 are both powerful VoIP solutions for managing communications across channels, such as voice, video conferencing, fax, and text. However, if you’re looking for a feature-rich, scalable solution, you’ll be better off with RingCentral. On the other hand, if your business is focused more on international calling and team communication, 8×8 is the better choice.
