Dialpad vs RingCentral
Dialpad vs RingCentral: the AI-forward challenger against the incumbent.
Dialpad includes transcription on its cheapest seat and costs less to start. RingCentral has the deeper suite and a priced AI receptionist. Neither answers the phone for you without an extra.
7-day free trial on every plan · No per-minute charges · Competitor facts verified September 2026
Dialpad and RingCentral represent two generations of UCaaS. RingCentral RingEX is the incumbent: the widest feature set, 330+ integrations, webinars, desk-phone fleets, and contracts written for enterprise procurement. Dialpad Connect is the AI-forward challenger: real-time transcription and AI recaps on every tier from $15 per user annual, a generous 250 texts per user, and monthly or annual billing without multi-year terms. The catch on both sides is the AI that actually answers calls: RingCentral sells it for $39 a month, Dialpad by quote. This comparison is about which of the two gives a small business more of what it will use.
ROUND BY ROUND
Dialpad vs RingCentral, where each one wins.
Pricing
Dialpad winsDialpad Standard is $27 per user monthly or $15 annual; Pro is $35 monthly or $25 annual with a 3-user minimum. RingCentral Core is $30 monthly or $20 annual, Advanced $35 or $25, Ultra $45 or $35. Dialpad is cheaper at entry on both billing cycles and level at the mid tier. Fees are reported at $2-5 per user for Dialpad and $4-5 for RingCentral. For a small team that does not need Pro, Dialpad is the lower bill.
Where Ody lands: Ody Starter is $19 monthly or $15 annual, Growth $33 or $23, with no seat minimum and no fee line items.
Included AI: transcription and summaries
Dialpad winsDialpad's best argument is what comes free: real-time transcription, AI recaps and voicemail transcription on every tier, including the $15 Standard seat. RingCentral includes AI notes too, but tiered, with full summaries on Advanced and above. If your team wants every call documented without upgrading, Dialpad delivers that on day one at the lowest price of the major suites.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes voicemail transcription on every plan and AI summaries and transcripts of every call on Growth.
AI receptionist
RingCentral winsHere the incumbent is more straightforward. RingCentral's AI Receptionist is a published add-on: $39 a month for 100 minutes, then $0.50 per minute in 30-second increments, or $49 standalone. Dialpad's AI Agent, the product that answers calls, is a separate offering with quote-only conversation-credit pricing. A small business can buy RingCentral's answering off the page; Dialpad's requires a sales conversation.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes a 24/7 AI receptionist on every plan with no credits, minutes or quote.
Texting and numbers
Dialpad winsDialpad includes 250 texts per user per month, then $0.008 per send attempt. RingCentral allows 25 on Core, 100 on Advanced and 200 on Ultra, and turns SMS off during the trial. Dialpad's allowance is larger at every tier, though toll-free numbers cost extra and cannot text, and SMS overage is charged per attempt including failed sends. For text-heavy teams Dialpad is the more workable choice.
Where Ody lands: Ody includes per-user US and Canada texting on every plan, with toll-free numbers available and 10DLC handled.
Suite, contracts and support
EvenRingCentral's suite is deeper: 330+ integrations on Advanced, video for 300, webinars, fax, 24/7 phone and chat support on every tier. But its prices sit on 12-36 month auto-renewing contracts with no online cancellation. Dialpad offers monthly or annual with no multi-year requirement and self-serve setup in minutes to hours, but gates CRM integrations to the 3-seat Pro tier, gives Standard users web and chat support only, and requires 100 users for SSO and an SLA. Depth and support versus flexibility: a draw.
Where Ody lands: Ody is self-serve, has no seat minimums, includes 43 integrations on Starter, and bills monthly or annually.
PRICING
What each one actually costs.
Dialpad Connect
AI Agent (the AI receptionist product) is priced by conversation credits, quote-only. 250 SMS/user/mo included, then $0.008/SMS, charged per attempt including failed sends. Toll-free numbers cost extra and can't text. Reviewers report a $2-5/user/mo administrative cost recovery fee plus E911 and taxes on top of list.
RingCentral RingEX
AI Receptionist (AIR) is a $39/mo add-on for RingEX customers with 100 minutes included ($49/mo standalone), then $0.50/min in 30-second increments or extra minute bundles. Reviewers report roughly $4-5/user/mo in Compliance & Administrative Cost Recovery, USF and E911 fees above list, 12-36 month auto-renewing terms with an early-termination fee equal to the remaining term and no online cancellation, and SMS caps of 25/100/200 messages per user per month.
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 →PRICE PER TEAM SIZE
What a team pays each month.
Monthly billing, September 2026 list prices, before taxes and fees. Dialpad Standard ($27/user monthly, $15 annual) includes automatic recording, ring groups (capped at 3) and transcription but no CRM integrations; Pro ($35 monthly, $25 annual) adds CRM and 24/7 support with a 3-user minimum. RingCentral Advanced ($35/user monthly, $25 annual) is the first RingEX tier with automatic recording and CRM integrations. Ody Growth ($33/user monthly, $23 annual) includes IVR, auto recording, analytics and the AI receptionist. Add ~$2-5/user at Dialpad and ~$4-5/user at RingCentral in fees.
SIDE BY SIDE
Feature by feature, all three.
Competitor facts from their published pricing & docs, verified September 2026. Ody facts mirror our pricing page.
| Feature | Dialpad Connect | RingCentral RingEX | Ody |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI answering | |||
| AI receptionist answers calls | DialpadSeparate product, quote-only credit pricing | RingCentralAdd-on: $39/mo for 100 minutes | OdyIncluded on every plan |
| What the AI costs | DialpadQuote-only conversation credits | RingCentral$39/mo for 100 min, then $0.50/min | Ody$0 extra. No credits, no minute bundles |
| AI call summaries & transcripts | DialpadIncluded on all tiers | RingCentralTiered (full notes on Advanced+) | OdyGrowth+ |
| Turn AI on/off per line & hour | Dialpad— | RingCentral— | Ody✓ |
| Phone system | |||
| US & Canada calling | Dialpad✓ | RingCentral✓ | Ody✓ |
| Business texting (SMS/MMS) | Dialpad250 SMS/user/mo, then $0.008 per send attempt | RingCentralCapped: 25-200 SMS/user/mo by tier | OdyUS & Canada, 10DLC handled |
| Phone number included | Dialpad1 per user | RingCentral1 per user | Ody1 per user; extras $5/mo |
| Toll-free numbers | DialpadExtra cost; can't send texts | RingCentral✓ | Ody✓ |
| Free number porting | Dialpad✓ | RingCentral✓ | Ody✓ |
| Phone menus (IVR) | DialpadRing groups capped at 3 on Standard | RingCentral✓ | OdyGrowth+ |
| Auto call recording | Dialpad✓ | RingCentralAdvanced+ | OdyGrowth+ |
| Voicemail transcription | Dialpad✓ | RingCentral✓ | Ody✓ |
| Video meetings | DialpadDialpad Meetings included | RingCentralHD meetings, 300 participants; webinars on Ultra | Ody— |
| Hardware required | DialpadOptional desk phones | RingCentralOptional desk phones | OdyNone. Browser + iOS app |
| Team & integrations | |||
| Shared team inbox | DialpadTeam messaging | RingCentralTeam messaging | Ody✓ |
| CRM integrations | DialpadPro tier only (3-user min) | RingCentral330+ integrations on Advanced+ | Ody43 integrations, every plan |
| ChatGPT / Claude (MCP) | Dialpad— | RingCentral— | Ody✓ |
| Developer API & webhooks | DialpadPro+ | RingCentralYes (developer platform) | OdyEvery plan |
| Analytics & reporting | Dialpad✓ | RingCentralAdvanced+ | OdyGrowth+ |
| Commercial | |||
| Seat minimum | Dialpad1 (Standard), 3 (Pro), 100 (Enterprise) | RingCentralNone | OdyNone |
| Contract | DialpadMonthly or annual | RingCentralMonthly or 12-36 month auto-renewing terms; ETF = remaining term | OdyBilled monthly or annually. Change plans in-app |
| Fees above list price | Dialpad$2-5/user/mo admin recovery fee (reported) + E911 + taxes | RingCentral~$4-5/user/mo recovery + E911 fees reported | OdyTaxes only. No recovery or E911 line items |
| Free trial | Dialpad14 days | RingCentral14 days (SMS disabled during trial) | Ody7 days, every plan, full product |
| Support | DialpadStandard: web/chat only; 24/7 phone on Pro | RingCentral24/7 phone and chat | OdyEmail (Starter), live chat (Growth), phone + onboarding (Enterprise) |
| Self-serve setup & plan changes | Dialpad✓ | RingCentralAdmin-led; onboarding services $2,500+ for larger orgs | Ody✓ |
VERDICT BY USE CASE
Which one should you pick?
Real-time transcription and AI recaps on every tier, plus a mature coaching stack in Dialpad Sell. RingCentral's summaries are tiered and its coaching tools are not the focus.
Dialpad's Google Workspace fit, 250 texts per user and $25 annual Pro seat with CRM integrations suit a small team that clears the 3-user minimum.
Webinars on Ultra, HD video for 300, fax, 330+ integrations and multi-site administration with 24/7 phone support on every tier. Dialpad reserves SSO and an SLA for 100-user Enterprise accounts.
Dialpad's AI Agent is quote only and RingCentral's is $39 a month for 100 minutes. Ody includes a 24/7 AI receptionist on every plan from $19 per user, with no seat minimum for CRM integrations.
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 →FAQ
Questions people ask before choosing.
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