Dialpad vs Aircall: Which Cloud Phone System is Best?

Dialpad is a better fit for teams that want one AI-powered communication app for calling, texting, video meetings, and team collaboration. Aircall is a better fit for sales and support teams that need call center features, CRM integrations, call queues, call monitoring, and advanced routing.

For smaller teams that want lower starting costs and built-in AI, Dialpad can feel easier to start with. For teams that depend on HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom, or similar tools, Aircall can offer a smoother call center workflow.

Dialpad is an AI-powered business communication platform for phone calls, messaging, meetings, and customer conversations. It helps teams manage communication from desktop and mobile apps without traditional phone hardware.

Dialpad is often a strong choice for small and mid-sized teams that want AI transcription, call summaries, voicemail transcription, messaging, and meetings in one connected workspace. Its contact center and sales products add more advanced support and outbound calling features for larger teams.

Dialpad Features

• Business calling from desktop, mobile, and web apps
• SMS and team messaging
• Video meetings and collaboration tools
• AI call transcription and AI summaries
• Voicemail transcription
• Call recording
• Call routing and IVR
• Analytics and reporting
• Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations
• CRM integrations on supported plans
• Contact center and sales products through Dialpad Support and Dialpad Sell

Dialpad Pricing Plans

Dialpad pricing depends on the product line. Dialpad Connect is the unified communication product, while Dialpad Support and Dialpad Sell are separate contact center and sales products. Do not mix these plans when comparing costs.

• Dialpad Connect Standard: $15 per user/month (when billed annually)
• Dialpad Connect Pro: $25 per user/month (when billed annually)
• Dialpad Connect Enterprise: Custom pricing.

Aircall is a cloud-based phone and customer communication platform built mainly for sales, support, and customer-facing teams. It focuses on call management, CRM syncing, helpdesk workflows, call routing, and team visibility.

Aircall works well for teams that spend most of their day calling customers, qualifying leads, resolving support requests, or working inside tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom, or similar platforms.
Aircall Features

• Cloud phone numbers and business calling
• Call queue and IVR
• Call routing and ring groups
• Call recording
• Click-to-dial
• Power dialer on higher plans
• Voicemail and call history
• Live call monitoring and coaching on supported plans
• Advanced analytics on higher plans
• SMS and MMS support is available in the regions
• 250+ integrations and API access
• AI Assist, AI summaries, call scoring, and AI Voice Agent options

Aircall Pricing Plans

Aircall pricing is usually higher than Dialpad Connect, but Aircall includes more call center-focused features for sales and support teams.

• Essentials: $30 per license/month (when billed annually)
• Professional: $50 per license/month (when billed annually)
• Custom: Quote-based pricing

A strong phone system comparison should go beyond price. Teams should compare daily call workflows, AI features, integrations, analytics, support, scalability, and the real cost of the plan they will actually use.

Dialpad has the lowest starting price for unified communication. Aircall costs more at the entry level, but it includes more call center-focused workflows for sales and support teams.

Both platforms have strong third-party review scores, so ratings alone should not decide the purchase. Use ratings to understand common praise and complaints, then match each platform to your call volume, workflows, and support needs.

Dialpad's biggest strength is its AI-first, all-in-one communication experience. Its main weakness is that buyers can confuse Dialpad Connect with Dialpad Support or Dialpad Sell, which can make pricing and feature comparisons harder.

• Lower starting price for Dialpad Connect compared with Aircall Essentials.
• AI transcription, summaries, and call insights are strong selling points.
• Calls, messages, and meetings sit inside one platform.
• Good fit for remote and hybrid teams that want fewer communication tools.
• Desktop and mobile access make it easy to work from different locations.

• Contact center and sales features may require separate Dialpad products.
• Advanced integrations and support options may sit behind higher plans.
• Some user reviews mention inconsistent call quality or support delays.
• Plan comparison can feel confusing because Dialpad offers several product lines.

Aircall's biggest strength is its sales and support call workflow. Its main weakness is cost, especially for very small teams that do not need a 3-license minimum or advanced call center tools.

• Strong call center features for sales and support teams.
• 250+ integrations help teams connect calling with CRM, helpdesk, and workflow tools.
• Useful features for call queues, IVR, routing, monitoring, tagging, and analytics.
• Power dialer and voicemail drop support outbound sales teams on higher plans.
• Good fit for teams that work inside HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom, or similar tools.

• Higher starting price than Dialpad Connect.
• Essentials and Professional plans commonly require a 3-license minimum.
• Some advanced AI and analytics features may require higher plans or add-ons.
• Some user reviews mention call quality, software glitches, support, and billing concerns.
• Teams that mainly need internal calls, messages, and meetings may find Aircall more than they need.

Dialpad makes more sense when a team wants one AI-powered workspace for business calls, SMS, meetings, and internal communication. It can also fit smaller teams that want lower starting costs and do not need a full call center setup from day one.

Choose Dialpad if:

• Your team wants calls, messaging, and meetings in one app.
• AI transcription and summaries matter more than deep CRM call workflows.
• You want a lower starting price for general business communication.
• Your team uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 heavily.
• Your call volume is moderate, and your workflows are not built around support queues or outbound sales campaigns.

Aircall makes more sense when a team handles many customer calls every day and needs a phone system built around CRM, support, and sales workflows. It is usually a stronger fit for teams that care more about call handling than internal meetings.

Choose Aircall if:

• Your sales or support team handles high call volume.
• CRM and helpdesk integrations are central to your workflow.
• Your team needs call queues, IVR, routing, live monitoring, and call tagging.
• Outbound sales teams need power dialer features and call coaching tools.
• Your team can justify the higher starting price and minimum seat requirement.

The right choice depends on daily call workflows, not only feature lists. A team that needs AI meeting notes has different needs from a support team that manages queues, SLAs, call recordings, and CRM tickets.

1. Map your daily call workflow. Write down whether your team makes support calls, sales calls, internal calls, or mixed calls.
2. Check the product line you need. Compare Dialpad Connect only with Aircall if you need general communication, but compare Dialpad Support or Sell if you need contact center or sales center features.
3. Calculate the real monthly cost. Include users, minimum seats, add-ons, numbers, AI features, call recording storage, international calling, SMS, taxes, and support fees.
4. Test CRM and helpdesk integrations. A phone system should reduce manual work, not create more tabs for your team.
5. Review call quality with your internet setup. VoIP call quality depends on device, network, region, and call routes.
6. Ask support questions before buying. Test response speed, onboarding help, porting support, and cancellation terms.

Dialpad is the better choice for teams that want an AI-powered platform for calls, messages, and video all in one workspace. Aircall is the better choice for sales and support teams that need stronger call center workflows, CRM syncing, and structured routing.