San Francisco-based Dialpad is one of the world’s best VoIP services, but the company faces some stiff competition in the light of more businesses committing to Internet-based communication platforms.
If you're shopping around for a VoIP business phone system it's worth considering, could Dialpad's VoIP services be right for your team? The answer to the question will depend on the size of your business, your calling needs, whether you care about AI features, and so much more.
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and many businesses around the world use the tech to replace transitional calls. There are a lot of services on the market and so we recommend spending some time checking out both Dialpad and its competition.
Every business needs something specific, and VoIP offerings can range from fairly cheap for small businesses to feature-heavy behemoths that cost a pretty penny. Many services offer a free trial, which might be the perfect way to read test without having to commit to a subscription.
In TechRadar's Dialpad review, we take a close look at every aspect of this company, including its customer service, plans and pricing, main features, and more, to help you decide whether it's the best VoIP service available for your business.
Dialpad VoIP: Plans and pricing
Dialpad has a wide range of services available that get bundled together in three different tiers, including video conferencing tools. Every plan gets unlimited calling (within your country, the US, and Canada), unlimited SMS and MMS messaging, and unlimited video calling, so things look pretty promising from the get-go.
The Standard plan costs $23 per user per month (or the equivalent of $15 when paid annually), and leverages some pretty smart AI for things like real-time call and voicemail transcription and even automated post-call summaries. In terms of third-party integrations, Google Workspace is as far as it goes.
If you’re looking to integrate with other apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zendesk, and HubSpot, the Pro tier may sound more attractive, and supports up to 10 office locations and gets the important addition of 24/7 support. Expect to pay $35 per user per month (or $25 per month paid annually).
The top-end Enterprise plans take things to the limit with unlimited office support, a claimed 100% uptime, and single sign-on (SSO) with tools like Okta. Pricing for this plan is not disclosed publicly and you'll have to speak to Dialpad directly.
Regardless of plan, video calling is restricted to 10 participants (Nextiva can host up to 250 members), but each meeting can last up to five hours (compared with Nextiva’s 45-minute limit). This is where the separate ‘Meetings’ plans come in.
The 14-day free trial is an industry standard. While we prefer trials that last a month (or 30 days), two weeks should still be enough time for a dedicated IT team to try things out.
Dialpad VoIP: Features
Dialpad provides an excellent VoIP for business service, backed by numerous advanced features. Let's dive in.
Based on machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), Dialpad’s built-in voice intelligence features are excellent. They are designed to provide automatic call notes and transcripts, assist customer service agents in real time, and more.
Dialpad isn’t the only company to offer AI assistance, though, so if this is important to you, it may be worth considering other offerings like RingCentral, which has recently announced a bundle of AI updates.
To go above and beyond standard VoIP voice calling, Dialpad includes impressive audio and video conference calling features, such as screen sharing, conference on-hold music, and various user controls.
If it’s just something you may need occasionally, the included capabilities should be fine. A pair of video conferencing-specific plans do exist if you need to branch out – one free, and another for $20 per user per month ($15 annually).
If it’s primarily the phoning functions that interest you, it’s refreshing to see that every single plan gets call forwarding, three-way calling, and recording functionalities. Hold queues are also standard on all but the cheapest plan.
Finally, Dialpad enables virtual faxing directly from your desktop dashboard. You will have to purchase a fax add-on for this, but this shouldn’t be too expensive – although the price will vary depending on what plan you’re using.
Get a Dialpad VoIP free trial
To start a free trial with Dialpad, simply work through a short sign-up process. Here, you can choose a phone number, select the plan you want to use after the free trial has finished, and confirm personal details.
Download the desktop app on Windows or macOS, and mobile apps on Android or iOS, and log in to your account to get started.
Dialpad VoIP: User interface
We trialled the Dialpad VoIP Windows desktop and web apps, and came away very impressed with the service.
For starters, the web app is simple and intuitive, if a little basic, and lets you make calls, send messages, listen to voicemail and recorded calls, and manage your contacts.
The Windows app is similar, but with even more features, meaning that the old enterprise adage that having a desktop app holds true as the dedicated desktop clients will almost always provide the best experience.
And finally, the web dashboard lets you view analytics, manage the program’s settings, and set up your business phone system with many more features included.
Dialpad VoIP: Support
When you’re setting up your Dialpad account, there’s every chance that you will run into some sort of problems or need advice on something. If so, you can speak with the customer service team via phone, live chat, or online ticket submission. There’s also an online forum where you can ask questions and browse previous conversations.
On top of this, Dialpad has a comprehensive Help Center containing hundreds of articles, guides, video tutorials, and other self-help resources. Use the search bar at the top of the screen to find relevant information or simply browse by category.
Pro and Enterprise plans get 24/7 support, but the standard 24/5 support on Standard plans should be adequate for smaller companies that are unlikely to run into issues on the weekend.
Dialpad VoIP: Security
It’s always nice to see transparency and openness surrounding a company’s security measures, and Dialpad excels here. It provides clear information about the tools it uses to ensure your personal information and any sensitive data is kept safe at all times, and it does this well.
At the simple end of the spectrum, it includes tools to enable you to define clear user permissions and access controls, manage which users have access to which integrations and features, and ensure things are being run the way they should be.
In addition, all communications are fully encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security) technology and AES 256-bit security. And what’s more, all data is encrypted while at rest, greatly reducing the risk of hacks or data breaches.
All things considered, Dialpad’s security features are excellent.
Dialpad VoIP: The competition
Dialpad provides excellent business VoIP service across the board, but there are plenty of other providers worth considering.
For example, the 8x8 X Series is an excellent option for those on a tight budget. It’s similarly priced at $15 per user per month, and all plans are fairly well equipped including the most basic.
Another decent option is Aircall, which focuses on providing high-quality VoIP services coupled with a whole host of CRM integrations, all in a neat and easy-to-use package. It is a little more expensive, but it still offers a lot to like.
We recommend checking out GoTo Connect, RingCentral, Zoom, and Nextiva, to make sure your business gets the right fit.
Dialpad VoIP: Final verdict
Dialpad impressed as soon as we landed on its website for the first time, and nothing changed during our review.
The VoIP service's features are excellent, and are backed by powerful security integrations, plus there are versatile subscription options for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from one-man-bands to enterprises.
What’s more, its prices are quite competitive, and most plans come with a 14-day free trial. Ultimately, we’d recommend signing up for the trial and testing the platform if you’re looking for a reliable, feature-rich VoIP service provider.
