10 Best Amazon Connect Alternatives & Competitors

Businesses look for Amazon Connect alternatives because of its complex technical setup, high costs, and limited built-in features. Since many features also require additional AWS services, it’s time-consuming to manage the platform. As a result, Amazon Connect can feel like more work for teams with straightforward call center needs.

• Too Much Technical Setup: Amazon Connect usually needs AWS knowledge, custom configurations, and ongoing admin work. For teams without in-house engineers or any technical experts, even small changes can feel slow and complex.
• Costs Grow Quickly as Teams Scale: The platform offers a pay-as-you-go model. As call volume increases or more agents are added, monthly fees can rise quickly and become hard to predict.
• Limited Native SMS Capabilities: Amazon Connect doesn’t include SMS as a core feature. While SMS support has been added over time, it usually requires extra AWS services or third-party tools to make it work. This adds more setup and overall costs.
• Configuration is Time-consuming: Configuring Amazon Connect and running it usually takes more time than many teams expect. You often need to configure AWS services, permissions, and integrations before anyone can place a call.

The 10 best Amazon Connect competitors include Calilio, Dialpad, Genesys Cloud CX, Talkdesk, Five9, NICE CXone, Zoom Contact Center, Nextiva, CloudTalk, and Aircall. These platforms offer simpler setup, more predictable pricing, additional AI features, and broader integrations compared to Amazon Connect.

Calilio is one of the best Amazon Connect alternatives for teams that want powerful calling features with a simple setup. It comes with advanced call management features like intelligent call routing, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and call queues to manage your calls efficiently.Additionally, for businesses that frequently run sales campaigns, it offers the power dialer to help you optimize your outbound dialing. Its predictable pricing, fast onboarding, and modern call center features make it a more feature-rich, affordable, and scalable call center, compared to Amazon Connect.

Dialpad offers an AI-powered contact center service without the technical complexity. It offers sales-focused features such as predictive and power dialers, real-time AI coaching during live calls, and automatic post-call summaries right out of the box.
Beyond contact center tools, Dialpad stands out as an all-in-one UCaaS and CCaaS solution. It combines business calling, team messaging, video meetings, and mobile apps within a single platform. Amazon Connect, on the other hand, focuses primarily on CCaaS, meaning businesses must add and manage other AWS services to access full UCaaS functionality.

Genesys Cloud CX is a good Amazon Connect alternative, especially for large enterprises. It comes with native Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) for agent scheduling and performance tracking.Moreover, Genesys Cloud CX also supports built-in digital and social channels, including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, for omnichannel customer support. Teams can run complex, high-volume contact center operations from one unified system, without relying on multiple external services like Amazon Connect often requires.

Talkdesk is a feature-rich, cloud-based contact center solution designed for businesses that want a ready-to-use platform with minimal technical effort. Unlike Amazon Connect’s complex approach, Talkdesk’s SaaS call center software offers quick setup and manages routing, reporting, and workflows through an intuitive interface. Its seat-based pricing also makes costs predictable, unlike Amazon Connect’s complex pricing structure.
What sets Talkdesk apart is its strong focus on native AI and agent experience. The platform includes built-in tools for agent coaching, quality assurance, sentiment analysis, and knowledge management without requiring custom integrations or developer resources.

Five9 delivers advanced agent and supervisor tools without heavy configuration. It is highly rated for Quality Assurance (QA) and omnichannel management. It is suitable for all types of call centers: inbound, outbound, and blended.
The platform also includes built-in workforce management (WFM) and detailed reporting, making it easier to plan schedules, track performance, and manage daily operations from one system.

Moreover, Five9 uses tiered pricing plans, which are easier to forecast compared to Amazon Connect’s complex usage-based pricing.

For businesses that want a complete contact center solution without a complex technical setup, NICE CXone Mpower is a strong alternative to Amazon Connect.
While Amazon Connect often depends on third-party services for core features, CXone comes with ready-to-use core essentials telephony features, so teams can start using it quickly. Its advanced in-built features include call center analytics, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), and IVR, to name a few. CXone also provides more transparent and flexible pricing with a single monthly fee.

Zoom offers an application-first contact center built to work directly inside the Zoom interface. One of the key features of Zoom is native video-first engagement, including Video Waiting Rooms, which let agents easily move a conversation from chat or voice to a live video meeting for hands-on troubleshooting.
Zoom Contact Center also delivers an all-in-one UCaaS and CCaaS experience, where agents and back-office teams use the same app for internal collaboration and customer support. It includes a no-code flow designer for managing call and chat paths, along with built-in Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) tools.

Nextiva is another leading Amazon Connect competitor for businesses that want a fully-fledged contact center with a simpler setup and more precise cost planning. Its efficient call center features help teams improve Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) score by making it easier to respond faster, route customers correctly, and maintain consistent service across channels.Nextiva also includes AI voice and chatbots, live chat, group mail, and skill-based routing, all managed from a single interface. Its omnichannel engagement includes social media, too. Overall, Nextiva delivers the core contact center capabilities that often fall short with Amazon Connect.

CloudTalk is a data-driven cloud contact center platform built for teams that have high call volumes and need strong analytics to track every customer interaction. It provides call transcription, emotion analytics, and mobile apps so teams can handle interactions across devices with clear performance insights.
CloudTalk supports international phone numbers in 160+ countries, making it easier to build a global presence through virtual phone numbers. Moreover, its built-in workflow automation reduces manual work for repetitive tasks like sending SMS follow-ups after calls, logging transcriptions into your CRM, and creating helpdesk tickets for missed calls.

Aircall is the best alternative to Amazon Connect for smaller teams that want reliable call center services without a complex setup.
Though Aircall offers minimal features comparatively, it includes most of the essentials for a call center and does not overwhelm users. It consists of a built-in power dialer to help sales teams reach more prospects, shared inboxes for team visibility, and live call coaching tools like call whispering to support agents during conversations. It also offers a click-to-dial feature to allow users to initiate calls by simply clicking on a phone number on a website.

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison to help you evaluate pricing and features at a glance.

Choosing the right Amazon Connect alternative comes down to your team’s needs, technical comfort, and budget. While Amazon Connect is flexible, many businesses find it complex, costly, and slow to manage for everyday use. Alternatives such as Calilio, Dialpad, Genesys Cloud CX, Zoom, Nextiva, CloudTalk, and Aircall offer more straightforward setup, cleaner interfaces, and more predictable pricing.

Calilio stands out as a strong Amazon Connect alternative for businesses that want a scalable platform at an affordable price. Plans start at $15 per month and include core call management features like call forwarding, transfer, IVR, number sharing, call queues, and more. Plus, its robust network technology ensures high call quality, with minimal connectivity issues.