Telecommunications · alternatives
Alternatives to 8x8
20 telecommunications tools sit alongside 8x8 in this directory. Below is what separates each from 8x8 on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 20
- With a free tier
- 2
- Cheaper to start
- 4
- 8x8 starts at
- $29.99/month
Why people look past 8x8
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the 8x8 entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for 8x8 carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 2 of the 20 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Cloud phone system for modern business
- Starts $0.010000000000001563 a month dearer, at $30/month.
Intelligent cloud contact center
- Starts $119.01 a month dearer, at $149/month.
- 4 tiers to 8x8's 2.
The world's leading cloud contact center
- Starts $80.01 a month dearer, at $110/month.
- 5 tiers to 8x8's 2.
Cloud contact center for innovative enterprises
- Starts $35.010000000000005 a month dearer, at $65/month.
- 3 tiers to 8x8's 2.
Cloud communications platform for SMS, voice, and video
- Can be used without paying; 8x8 cannot.
- Starts $29.9817 a per SMS message cheaper, at $0.0083/per SMS message.
- 1 tier to 8x8's 2.
No downloads, no logins - just video meetings that work
- Can be used without paying; 8x8 cannot.
- Starts $23 a month cheaper, at $6.99/month.
- 3 tiers to 8x8's 2.
Every 8x8 alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8x8 (this page) | $29.99/month | Subscription | 2 | |
| AircallCloud phone system for modern business | $30/month | - | - | vs 8x8 |
| Five9Intelligent cloud contact center | $149/month | Subscription | 4 | vs 8x8 |
| NICE CXoneThe world's leading cloud contact center | $110/month | Subscription | 5 | vs 8x8 |
| TalkdeskCloud contact center for innovative enterprises | $65/month | Subscription | 3 | vs 8x8 |
| Twilio | Free, then $0.0083/per SMS message | - | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Whereby | Free, then $6.99/month | Subscription | 3 | vs 8x8 |
| Ozonetel | On request | Quote | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Plivo | On request | Per message and per minute, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Bandwidth | On request | Quote | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| 46elks | €0.02/per SMS part | Per message and per minute, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Exotel | On request | Prepaid credit bundle with a fixed validity period | 4 | vs 8x8 |
| Knowlarity | 1999/month | Per agent per month | 4 | vs 8x8 |
| Telnyx | On request | Per message and per minute, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Telesign | On request | Per message and per verification, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Sinch | On request | Per message and per minute, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| Infobip | On request | Per message and per minute, priced by destination country | 1 | vs 8x8 |
| MyOperator | On request | Per month by plan, ten users included | 4 | vs 8x8 |
| RingCentral | $24.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs 8x8 |
| Genesys Cloud | $75/month | Subscription | 3 | vs 8x8 |
| Vonage | On request | Usage-based | 3 | vs 8x8 |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the 8x8 badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Cheaper than 8x8 (4)
Entry price under 8x8's $29.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Twilio , Free, then $0.0083/per SMS message
- Whereby , Free, then $6.99/month
- 46elks , €0.02/per SMS part
- RingCentral , $24.99/month
What you would be giving up
8x8 is most often brought in for business communication, customer contact, remote work, continuity. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If 8x8 is broadly right and the question is cost, the 8x8 pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Telecommunications category lists everything the directory holds, and best telecommunications tools ranks them.
8x8 runs on web, windows, macos, ios, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about 8x8 alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to 8x8?
- 20 other telecommunications tools are listed in this directory, led by Aircall, Five9, NICE CXone, Talkdesk. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to 8x8?
- 2 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Twilio, Whereby.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to 8x8?
- Yes. 4 of the alternatives below start under 8x8's $29.99/month: Twilio at Free, then $0.0083/per SMS message, Whereby at Free, then $6.99/month, 46elks at €0.02/per SMS part, RingCentral at $24.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to 8x8?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from 8x8?
- 8x8 is most often brought in for business communication, customer contact, remote work, continuity. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to 8x8?
- None of the telecommunications tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these 8x8 alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Telecommunications, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare 8x8 against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against 8x8 covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every telecommunications tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Telecommunications category, 20 tools beside 8x8. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.