8x8 alternative
The 8x8 alternative that publishes its price.
8x8 sells a unified phone and contact center to organizations that negotiate contracts. If you are a small team that just wants the phone answered, you are paying for the negotiation.
7-day free trial on every plan · No per-minute charges · 8x8 facts verified September 2026
THE QUICK ANSWER
8x8 Work, the product many still search as 8x8 Virtual Office, is enterprise UCaaS: unlimited international calling to 14 or 48 countries, video for 500, and a contact center on the same contract, with HIPAA, SOC 2 and a 99.999% SLA. Since late 2023 none of it has a public price. X2 is reported around $24 per user on an annual term and $28 monthly, X4 around $44-57, with regulatory and E911 fees of roughly $4.49-5.48 per user on top, multi-year auto-renewing terms, and a buyout of the remaining months if you leave early. Outbound texting is pooled at 50 messages per licence per month, and there is no AI receptionist for 8x8 Work at all; the bot is a quote-only contact-center product. Ody publishes $19, $33 and $47 per user, includes a 24/7 AI receptionist and unlimited US and Canada texting on every plan, and sets up in minutes without a sales call. If you don't need international bundles or a contact center, 8x8 is over-serving you.
PRICING
What you'll actually pay.
8x8 Work (X2 / X4)
8x8 removed public pricing in late 2023; every plan, upgrade and add-on is a sales quote (reported 10-35% discounts for multi-year terms). Standard terms are annual or multi-year with auto-renewal, 30-day non-renewal notice, and a buyout of the remaining months on early exit. Reviewers report $4.49-5.48/user/mo in regulatory, E911 and USF fees. Outbound SMS is a pooled 50 segments per license per month with paid overage; toll-free minutes are metered. No autonomous AI receptionist for 8x8 Work; the Intelligent Customer Assistant is a quote-only contact-center bot.
Ody
One number per user included; extra local or toll-free numbers $5/mo each. Business texting needs one-time 10DLC registration ($20 setup + $4/mo per texting number, handled during onboarding). International calling is a $5/mo add-on with $5 of usage included. Plans are billed monthly or prepaid annually (annual saves up to 30%). Taxes apply; there are no per-minute charges and no AI credits.
Try for free →THE MATH
A 5-person team that wants recording and someone answering after hours
8x8 X2 is reported at about $28 x 5 = $140 on monthly billing (about $120 annual), plus reported regulatory and E911 fees of $4.49-5.48 per user, negotiated case by case; there is no AI receptionist for 8x8 Work. Ody Growth is $33 x 5 with the AI receptionist, recording, IVR and summaries included ($115/mo on annual billing). Taxes excluded for both.
SIDE BY SIDE
Ody vs 8x8, feature by feature.
8x8 Work (X2 / X4) facts from their published pricing & docs, verified September 2026.
| Feature | 8x8 Work (X2 / X4) | Ody |
|---|---|---|
| AI answering | ||
| AI receptionist answers calls | 8x8None for 8x8 Work; quote-only contact-center bot | OdyIncluded on every plan |
| What the AI costs | 8x8Quote-only | Ody$0 extra. No credits, no minute bundles |
| AI call summaries & transcripts | 8x8Reported on X4 / via 8x8 AI features | OdyGrowth+ |
| Turn AI on/off per line & hour | 8x8— | Ody✓ |
| Phone system | ||
| US & Canada calling | 8x8✓ | Ody✓ |
| Business texting (SMS/MMS) | 8x8Pooled 50 outbound SMS per license per month, then overage | OdyUS & Canada, 10DLC handled |
| Phone number included | 8x81 number per user | Ody1 per user; extras $5/mo |
| Toll-free numbers | 8x8Available; minutes metered | Ody✓ |
| Free number porting | 8x8✓ | Ody✓ |
| Phone menus (IVR) | 8x8✓ | OdyGrowth+ |
| Auto call recording | 8x8✓ | OdyGrowth+ |
| Voicemail transcription | 8x8✓ | Ody✓ |
| Video meetings | 8x8Up to 500 participants | Ody— |
| Hardware required | 8x8Optional desk phones and rental | OdyNone. Browser + iOS app |
| Team & integrations | ||
| Shared team inbox | 8x8Team chat | Ody✓ |
| CRM integrations | 8x8~40 integrations | Ody43 integrations, every plan |
| ChatGPT / Claude (MCP) | 8x8— | Ody✓ |
| Developer API & webhooks | 8x8Separate CPaaS APIs | OdyEvery plan |
| Analytics & reporting | 8x8Basic on X2; supervisor analytics on X4 | OdyGrowth+ |
| Commercial | ||
| Seat minimum | 8x8Sales-led | OdyNone |
| Contract | 8x8Annual or multi-year, auto-renewing; buyout on exit | OdyBilled monthly or annually. Change plans in-app |
| Fees above list price | 8x8~$4.49-5.48/user/mo regulatory + E911 + taxes (reported) | OdyTaxes only. No recovery or E911 line items |
| Free trial | 8x8No standard trial; sales-arranged pilots | Ody7 days, every plan, full product |
| Support | 8x824/7; complaints about AI-first support | OdyEmail (Starter), live chat (Growth), phone + onboarding (Enterprise) |
| Self-serve setup & plan changes | 8x8— | Ody✓ |
WHY TEAMS SWITCH
Where Ody pulls ahead of 8x8.
A price, not a quote
8x8 removed public pricing in 2023 and every plan, upgrade and add-on is a sales negotiation with reported 10-35% discounts for multi-year commitments. Ody's price is on the website: $19, $33 or $47 per user, the same for everyone, changed in the app.
AI answering that exists
8x8 Work has no autonomous AI receptionist; its Intelligent Customer Assistant is a quote-only contact-center bot. Ody's AI receptionist answers every call on every plan, books appointments, texts callers back and hands off to your team when it matters.
Texting that isn't pooled
8x8 pools outbound texting at 50 messages per licence per month with paid overage. Every Ody user gets unlimited US and Canada texting on their own number, in a shared team inbox, from the $19 Starter plan.
AN HONEST TAKE
Which one is right for you?
You are a mid-market or multi-country organization that calls Europe, Asia or Latin America daily and wants that bundled in the seat, or you need a phone system and a full contact center under one negotiated contract with a 99.999% SLA. 8x8's compliance footprint is genuinely strong.
You are a US or Canadian team of 1-25 that wants a phone system with the AI receptionist built in, published pricing and a setup that takes minutes. Ody includes texting, shared inbox, 43 integrations and MCP on Starter, and adds recording, IVR and summaries on Growth.
EVERYTHING INCLUDED
The whole phone system,
with the AI built in. One price.
Scroll through what every Ody workspace ships with: a number, calling and texting, a shared inbox, and a receptionist that never clocks out.
ChatGPT
Claude
CursorGo deeper, feature by feature.
All features →SWITCHING IS EASY
Move from 8x8 without missing a call.
Start your free trial
Create your workspace in minutes. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial | you get a live number, calling, texting, and your AI agent from day one.
Port your number free
Porting is free on every plan and your existing line keeps working the whole time | no downtime, no lost calls while the port completes.
Turn on the AI (or don't)
Set your hours and decide exactly when the AI answers | per number, per hour, per team. The rest of the time, it's the best softphone you've used.
8x8 terms are annual or multi-year, auto-renew unless you give 30 days' non-renewal notice, and early exit means buying out the remaining months, so check your renewal date first. Ody plans are billed monthly or annually. Porting into Ody is free and your 8x8 numbers keep working during the move.
FAQ
Ody vs 8x8, answered.
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