When choosing a new phone system for your business, the decision often comes down to balancing features, cost, and support. Nextiva and RingCentral are two of the top contenders, each offering a robust range of services designed to meet the communication needs of businesses of all sizes. This guide will take you through a detailed comparison of Nextiva vs RingCentral, breaking down their key features, pricing structures, and customer support, helping you make the best choice for your business.
Nextiva vs RingCentral
| Category | Nextiva | RingCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Core Calling Features | Unlimited calling, call routing, voicemail, call analytics, call recording, IVR, conference calling. | Unlimited calling, call routing, voicemail, call analytics, call recording, IVR, advanced call management features. |
| Video Conferencing | Up to 250 participants, screen sharing, recording, and chat. | Up to 200 participants, screen sharing, file sharing, interactive whiteboards, breakout rooms. |
| Team Messaging | Basic messaging integrated within the app; suitable for smaller teams. | Advanced messaging with task management, team assignment, and progress tracking. |
| Integrations | Supports popular CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk. Custom integrations via API. | Over 200 integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, and more. |
| AI and Analytics | AI-powered call analytics focused on customer insights and productivity. | Extensive analytics with AI-driven insights, real-time adjustments, especially valuable for call centres. |
| Collaboration Tools | Basic chat and file sharing features. | Comprehensive collaboration tools with task assignment, progress tracking, and in-depth project management. |
| Reliability | 99.999% uptime guarantee. | 99.999% uptime guarantee. |
| Customer Support | 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email on all plans. | 24/7 support on higher-tier plans; business hours support on Essentials. Extensive online resources and community forums. |
| Pricing Tiers | Essential (£15/user), Professional (£20/user), Enterprise (£25/user), with custom options for large organisations. | Essentials (£16/user), Standard (£20/user), Premium (£25/user), Ultimate (£30/user), with custom options for larger clients. |
| Best For | Small to medium-sized businesses focused on CRM integration and support. | Medium to large businesses needing extensive integrations and advanced team collaboration tools. |
| Overall Strengths | User-friendly, excellent CRM integration, competitive pricing, ideal for customer-focused teams. | Broad integrations, strong analytics and collaboration features, ideal for teams needing robust team management features. |
| Overall Weaknesses | Limited messaging capabilities and fewer integrations compared to RingCentral. | Higher costs for advanced plans, and limited customer support on lower-tier plans. |
| Ideal User | Businesses looking for simplicity, reliability, and strong customer support with integrated CRM. | Organisations needing a feature-rich, highly integrated platform with advanced call and team management tools. |
Features comparison – Nextiva vs RingCentral
Core calling capabilities
Both Nextiva and RingCentral offer essential business calling features such as unlimited calling, call routing, voicemail, call analytics, and integrations with popular CRM systems. They also include advanced functions like call recording, IVR (interactive voice response), and conference calling. However, each platform’s approach to these core functions varies in subtle ways:
- Nextiva: Known for its user-friendly interface and focus on automation, Nextiva offers a slightly more streamlined approach to managing calls. It integrates well with multiple CRMs and provides AI-powered analytics for customer call data, which can be a strong benefit for larger organisations focused on data-driven customer service.
- RingCentral: A strong choice for versatility, RingCentral goes beyond basic calling with in-depth analytics and AI-enhanced features. Its automated call distribution (ACD) feature is especially useful for call centres, as it allows for real-time adjustments based on agent performance and call load.
Video conferencing
Video conferencing has become a must-have in business communications, and both providers deliver competitive options:
Cutting edge payroll software
- Powerful and easy to use
- HMRC & RTI compliant
- Used by payroll pros
The CRM platform to grow your business
- Great for entrepreneurs
- Powerful data analytics
- Manage sales and data
Powerful web builder and advanced business tools
- Great for startups
- Powerful web page builder
- E-commerce available
Supercharged content planning
- Great for marketing
- Better than lists or sheets
- Manage social media
Create a new website in 10 minutes. Easy.
- Launch your website fast
- Powerful data intuitive
- No coding skills needed
- Nextiva: Supports video meetings with up to 250 participants, making it a great fit for companies with medium-sized teams or those regularly hosting larger calls. It also includes screen sharing, recording, and chat functions.
- RingCentral: Offers video conferencing for up to 200 participants and comes with a comprehensive range of tools, including file sharing, interactive whiteboards, and the ability to create breakout rooms. RingCentral’s video offering is arguably more robust, especially for businesses frequently using collaborative video functions.
Team messaging and collaboration
In addition to voice and video, both platforms incorporate messaging and team collaboration features, which can be a game-changer for remote teams:
- Nextiva: Integrates chat within its app, and while it’s functional, it doesn’t match the capabilities of dedicated messaging platforms. However, its straightforward design works well for smaller teams needing only basic messaging features.
- RingCentral: Provides more advanced team messaging and task management options. With RingCentral, users can create tasks, assign them to team members, and track progress, making it a stronger choice for businesses prioritising collaboration tools.
Integrations and CRM support
Integrations can streamline workflows, and both platforms support a range of third-party tools:
- Nextiva: Integrates well with CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk, making it ideal for businesses where customer relationship management is a focus. Its API allows for custom integrations, providing flexibility for unique business setups.
- RingCentral: Offers over 200 integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, and Salesforce. This extensive integration capability makes it more versatile for companies that depend on a mix of tools and platforms.
Pricing comparison – Nextiva vs RingCentral
Pricing plays a key role when selecting a business phone system. Nextiva and RingCentral both offer tiered pricing models, catering to different business sizes and budgets.
Nextiva pricing
Nextiva’s pricing structure is broken into three main tiers:
- Essential: £15 per user/month for basic call management, unlimited calling, and video conferencing for up to 40 participants.
- Professional: £20 per user/month, adding CRM integration, advanced analytics, and video conferencing for up to 250 participants.
- Enterprise: £25 per user/month, including all the features of lower tiers, plus custom API integrations and advanced analytics.
Nextiva also offers custom pricing for large organisations, with flexible options depending on the scale and specific requirements.
RingCentral pricing
RingCentral offers a four-tier pricing model:
- Essentials: £16 per user/month, covering basic call and messaging functions with 100 minutes per user.
- Standard: £20 per user/month, adding unlimited audio meetings, integrations with productivity tools, and business SMS.
- Premium: £25 per user/month, including more advanced call management, analytics, and support for up to 200 participants in video meetings.
- Ultimate: £30 per user/month, offering unlimited storage and the most comprehensive range of features for large enterprises.
As with Nextiva, RingCentral’s plans can be customised for larger businesses, and discounts are often available for annual commitments.
Customer support and reliability
For many businesses, customer support and reliability are deciding factors. Both Nextiva and RingCentral offer strong support options, but with a few differences:
- Nextiva: Provides 24/7 support for all users, including live chat, email, and phone support. It has a reputation for excellent customer service, especially for smaller companies that may require more hands-on support. Nextiva also offers an impressive 99.999% uptime guarantee, giving businesses confidence in service reliability.
- RingCentral: Also offers 24/7 support on higher-tier plans but limits support to business hours for users on lower plans. RingCentral is known for its extensive online resources, including tutorials and community forums. With a 99.999% uptime guarantee, it matches Nextiva in reliability, but businesses needing constant access to support may find Nextiva slightly more responsive.
Pros and cons summary
To help you see the strengths and weaknesses of each platform at a glance, here’s a quick summary:
| Feature | Nextiva | RingCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Simple interface, excellent customer service, strong CRM integration, affordable tiers | Extensive integrations, advanced collaboration tools, strong analytics, flexible pricing plans |
| Cons | Limited messaging functions, fewer integration options | Higher cost for advanced plans, less responsive support on lower tiers |
| Best for | Small to medium businesses needing reliable support and CRM integration | Medium to large businesses needing advanced collaboration and extensive third-party integrations |
Nextiva vs RingCentral – Which should you choose?
- Choose Nextiva if you’re looking for a straightforward system with excellent customer support and CRM integration at a competitive price. Its simpler setup and supportive customer service make it an excellent choice for smaller to mid-sized businesses or those who need a less complex system.
- Choose RingCentral if your business requires a robust set of collaboration tools, integrations with many third-party applications, and advanced call management options. RingCentral’s comprehensive features make it ideal for larger enterprises or those prioritising advanced collaboration and team management capabilities.
Final thoughts
Selecting the right phone system for your business requires balancing features, budget, and future needs. Both Nextiva and RingCentral offer reliable, feature-rich solutions, with Nextiva leaning towards a straightforward, support-focused approach and RingCentral excelling in collaboration and integration capabilities.
By assessing the specific communication needs of your team, you can determine which system aligns best with your business goals, ensuring a seamless and effective phone system that supports your growth.
FAQ – Nextiva vs RingCentral comparison
Nextiva is generally better for smaller businesses due to its simplicity, user-friendly interface, and strong customer support. It also offers cost-effective plans, especially for teams focused on basic calling features and CRM integrations without extensive collaboration requirements.
Nextiva’s starting plans are typically more affordable. RingCentral’s plans offer additional collaboration tools and integrations, which can justify the cost for larger teams. However, Nextiva provides excellent value for businesses focused primarily on calling and CRM functionality.
Yes, Nextiva provides 24/7 support across all its plans, whereas RingCentral limits 24/7 support to its higher-tier plans. Nextiva’s reputation for responsive, helpful customer service makes it an attractive choice for businesses needing more accessible support.
Both Nextiva and RingCentral integrate with major CRMs like Salesforce. However, RingCentral has more third-party integrations overall, while Nextiva focuses on seamless CRM functionality and may be easier to implement with basic CRM requirements.
RingCentral offers a broader set of features, especially in team collaboration, messaging, and analytics. These extras make it a solid choice for companies needing more than basic calling functions. However, for simpler setups, Nextiva covers essential features well.
RingCentral provides more detailed, AI-driven analytics and real-time call management, making it ideal for call centres. Nextiva also offers analytics but focuses on productivity insights, which are effective for customer-focused teams needing simpler reporting.
Yes, both platforms boast a 99.999% uptime guarantee, ensuring reliable service. This standard is suitable for businesses that need uninterrupted communication and dependable performance from their phone system providers.
RingCentral offers more advanced video conferencing tools, such as breakout rooms and whiteboards, making it better suited for collaborative video meetings. Nextiva’s video capabilities are strong but more basic, with a focus on straightforward, large-capacity meetings.
Nextiva is generally easier to set up, with a straightforward onboarding process suitable for smaller teams. RingCentral’s wider feature set may require more configuration, making it more complex initially, especially for teams new to advanced phone systems.
RingCentral is typically better for remote teams due to its extensive team collaboration and task management features. For businesses with frequent remote work, RingCentral’s messaging, file sharing, and advanced video conferencing can significantly enhance productivity.