Zoom and Nextiva are two leading names in cloud business communications that bundle phone, video, and chat in one platform. Zoom, however, focuses on video conferencing and collaboration, while Nextiva specializes in voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services and customer experience management. In this article, we compare Zoom vs Nextiva and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in terms of pricing, features, and ease of use.
Based on our comparison, the best use cases for Zoom vs Nextiva are as follows:
- Zoom: Best for video-based internal collaboration
- Nextiva: Best for voice-based customer interactions
For organizations that prefer a centralized communication platform, we recommend:
- RingCentral: Best for reliability and comprehensive call features
Zoom vs Nextiva Compared
Price (per User, per Month) | $15.99 | $30.95 |
Free Trial | Free version is available | ✕ |
Virtual Phone Number | Free local number | Free local or toll-free number |
Unlimited Domestic Calls | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Meeting Capacity | 100 to 500 participants | 25 to unlimited participants |
Business Texting | ✓ | ✓ |
Key Features |
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Third-party Integrations | 2,000+ apps | 20 apps |
Customer Support | 24/7 email, chat, and phone | 24/7 email, chat, and phone |
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Best Alternatives
If you’re looking for more competitive rates and better feature inclusions, there are other options besides Zoom and Nextiva. Other unified communications (UC) providers specialize in advanced call management, virtual phone numbers, and custom VoIP service. Here are our top recommendations for Nextiva and Zoom alternatives:
- RingCentral: This provider ranks as our top Nextiva alternative with its extensive call features. Starting at $30 per user, monthly, its base plan includes multi-level interactive voice response (IVR), call queues, call recording, and visual voicemail. It also integrates multiple collaboration tools like video calling and team messaging. Read our RingCentral review for more details.
- Grasshopper: In our Grasshopper review, we covered this virtual phone system that allows unlimited users to share phone numbers minus the per-user fees. While it’s not as solid as RingCentral or Nextiva in terms of handling high call volumes, it works for small businesses wanting to share phone number responsibility. All-inclusive plans include call forwarding, custom greetings, and call transfers.
- Vonage: This provider offers a high level of customization by allowing users to choose from a number of VoIP features to include in their subscriptions. Monthly plans start at $13.99, which include unlimited local calling, business SMS, and 43 included features. You can also purchase add-ons like virtual assistant and international phone numbers as needed. Visit our Vonage review to learn more.
Best for Pricing: Zoom
Plans are based on a monthly per-user basis. Get up to a 21% discount when you subscribe annually. |
Pay yearly and save up to 33%. Volume discounts apply to five users or more. |
When it comes to pricing, Zoom offers better value than money due to several factors. Compared to Nextiva, Zoom has a free plan, a cheaper monthly starting fee, and many professional features for voice and video calling.
At $30.95 per user, Nextiva’s monthly starting cost can be too high for a small business budget. Discounts are available but per-user rates only become affordable if you opt for volume purchases, which makes Nextiva pricing ideal for larger organizations.
It’s also worth noting that Nextiva has a shorter meeting duration and fewer participant capacity than Zoom video conferencing. It also lacks cloud storage and unlocks key features at more expensive tiers. On the other hand, Zoom users will only have to pay a monthly fee of $25 to get combined video and phone capabilities.
Best for Phone Features: Nextiva
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Nextiva wins in this VoIP services comparison as it is primarily used as a business phone system with a proven reliability of 99.999% uptime. It is an industry-leading VoIP provider due to its complete set of enterprise-grade calling and contact center capabilities, compared to Zoom, which focuses on video conferencing.
Nextiva plans include a choice of a free local or toll-free number and a toll-free minute allotment ranging from 1,500 to 12,500 minutes—the most generous in the market. It also has rich analytics capabilities, with access to real-time call tracking, custom reports, and live call data.
Zoom, on the other hand, unlocks its full-featured VoIP service on its Enterprise tier, which uses a custom pricing model. Another option is to purchase Zoom’s dedicated phone service, called Zoom Phone, for as low as $10 per user, monthly. Its plans are all-inclusive but differ in the type of call plan—pay as you go, unlimited regional calling, or unlimited local calling in one of the 48 countries supported.
Best for Virtual Conferencing: Zoom
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Zoom, being a video conferencing software at its core, comes out on top for this category. It offers a free version for hosting meetings 40 minutes or less in duration, including access to useful conferencing tools like breakout rooms, remote control, and multi-sharing.
If you opt for the Zoom One package, you can upgrade your plan for a minimal monthly per-user fee for longer and large-scale meetings. Upgrading to higher tiers opens up more meeting engagement features, such as polling, automated captions, and language interpretations.
All Zoom Phone plans come with complete meeting features without extra fees. Plus, it lets you elevate a call to a video conference, whether the other user is using a phone service or Zoom app.
Unfortunately, Nextiva video conferencing doesn’t match up to Zoom in terms of meeting length, participant capacity, and features. All plans restrict meetings to 45 minutes and 25 active video participants. It can accommodate 250 more, but attendees can only participate via audio. Meeting tools are limited to recording, screen sharing, and calendar integrations.
Best for Collaboration: Zoom
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Zoom and Nextiva stack up almost equally in this category as both providers support key collaboration tools like conference calls and file sharing. However, Zoom stands out due to its feature-rich offerings for its video conferencing and team chat services.
Users can send messages to third-party messaging tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex directly from the Zoom app, allowing for cross-app collaboration. Zoom Clips lets you record, edit, and share short-form video messages to save time on meetings. Zoom Whiteboard offers a dedicated visual collaboration solution for dynamic brainstorming and collaboration.
Nextiva’s collaboration solution is best for external collaboration with clients, partners, and vendors. The NextivaONE app is a centralized workspace that brings together all communications channels into a single view along with contact management, productivity tools (call notes, calendars, file sharing), and customer engagement tools like surveys.
Best for Ease of Use: Tie
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For ease of use, Zoom and Nextiva are essentially a tie as both providers offer remarkable user experiences. Both have intuitive platforms with quick access to meetings, chat, phone, and contact directories.
Zoom was developed with simplicity in mind, quickly earning its reputation as the top video conferencing software in the market. Although the platform is still evolving as a unified communications (UC) solution, the provider still makes it easy to access daily tools, from hosting meetings to placing a call and collaborating on a virtual whiteboard.
Similar to Zoom, Nextiva’s major strength lies in its user interface. The NextivaONE app enables teams to manage all conversations from a single place in a way that doesn’t overwhelm even beginners. This helps address application overload, clunky integrations, and siloed data across teams.
Best for Integrations: Zoom
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One reason behind Zoom’s success is the number of third-party apps that connect seamlessly with its platform. The Zoom App Marketplace houses over 2,000 apps, including popular business software for collaboration, customer relationship management (CRM), ecommerce, and healthcare.
Zoom also offers a new type of in-product integration that brings your favorite apps directly to Zoom meetings. There are currently over 200 apps for various use cases, such as gaming, note-taking, project management, and virtual assistant.
Unfortunately, Nextiva falls incredibly short when it comes to integrations, as it only connects with 20 third-party apps, which are mostly CRM. This should be expected as Nextiva heavily emphasizes customer experience management. However, upgrading to advanced tiers is required to access all CRM integrations.
How We Evaluated Zoom vs Nextiva
Zoom and Nextiva are popular names in the UC market, so it’s only fitting to evaluate how the two providers compare in terms of pricing, features, and usability. Our expert insights are based on our firsthand experience, user reviews, and extensive research of the software provider. Here’s a complete breakdown of how we compared Nextiva vs Zoom:
- Pricing: We compared Nextiva and Zoom pricing by looking at the cost of their monthly subscriptions and the number of features included per plan. We checked for a free trial availability and discounts for annual billing and volume purchases.
- General features: In examining Zoom and Nextiva conference call software, we checked for capabilities like screen sharing, file attachments, and video camera controls. We also considered key features small businesses look for in unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider, including team chat and call management.
- Ease of use: We tested Nextiva and Zoom conferencing platforms ourselves to confirm how intuitive it is for users to host meetings, place calls, and start a group chat. In addition, we checked for the availability of onboarding resources and tested the customization options for its phone system and meeting controls.
- Expert score: We analyzed each product’s value by looking at monthly per-user costs and feature sets. We also considered user reviews to determine the overall popularity of both platforms while taking into account our own experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No. Nextiva doesn’t offer a free version or a free trial. Consider getting a volume purchase or a long-term contract to get a lower monthly per-user subscription.
Both providers offer impressive security features to protect the data and privacy of their users. Although Zoom had a bad history of security challenges, it has since worked diligently to address users’ concerns. Zoom and Nextiva ensure all communications data are fully encrypted and are both compliant with various worldwide security regulations.
Both Nextiva and Zoom are equipped with HD video capabilities for high-resolution video meetings. However, Zoom has more built-in tools to further enhance video quality. These include studio effects, touch-up my appearance, low-light adjustments, and video filters.
Bottom Line
In this Nextiva vs Zoom comparison, both providers prove to be strong competitors in the UCaaS industry, particularly in their virtual conferencing capabilities. However, Zoom managed to come on top due to its affordable pricing, extended offerings, and seamless app integrations. Use Zoom for free or explore its premium plans to experience its feature-packed services.