Software · head to head
Five9 vs Aircall
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Five9 a 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month; Aircall a minimum of 3 users on the published plans, rising to 25 on the Custom tier
- They diverge on capability: Five9 covers Intelligent routing, Aircall covers Cloud phone.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Five9 and Aircall actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Five9
- Intelligent routing
- ACD
- Dialer
- WFM
- Quality management
- ServiceNow
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Oracle
Only in Aircall
- Cloud phone
- Call routing
- Power dialer
- Call recording
- Integrations
- HubSpot
- Intercom
- Pipedrive
Both cover
- IVR
- Analytics
- Salesforce
- Zendesk
- SOC2
- GDPR
- Web support
- Desktop support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Five9
- Cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messagingnot Aircall
- Routing and managing high volume customer interactionsnot Aircall
Aircall
- Cloud phone system for sales and support teamsnot Five9
- Call routing, IVR and shared numbersnot Five9
- Logging calls against CRM records through integrationsnot Five9
- Power dialling outbound lists on the Professional tiernot Five9
- SMS and MMS alongside voicenot Five9
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Five9
- A 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month
- Prices are per concurrent user rather than per named agent, which changes what a seat means when shifts overlap
- Voice is excluded from the Digital plan and requires a quote
- Usage based charges apply on top of the per seat rate
- Three of the five tiers publish no price at all
Aircall
- A minimum of 3 users on the published plans, rising to 25 on the Custom tier
- Essentials is limited to 3 teams; unlimited teams need Professional
- Salesforce CTI, the power dialer and advanced analytics all require Professional
- SSO, API support and an SLA are Custom tier only
- AI voice and messaging agents are separate add-ons billed per minute or per conversation on top of the seat price
Pricing, plan by plan
Five9
$149/month- Core$149/month
- Inbound/outbound
- IVR
- Basic CTI
- Premium$169/month
- Core + Chat/email
- Quality management
- Optimum$199/month
- Premium + WFM
- Proactive chat
- Ultimate$229/month
- Full suite
- Advanced analytics
Aircall
$30/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Aircall review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Aircall if
- You need cloud phone.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want call routing.
Questions people ask
- Is Five9 or Aircall better?
- Neither clearly leads. Five9 starts at $149/month and Aircall at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Five9 or Aircall?
- Five9 starts at $149/month and Aircall at $30/month.
- Does Five9 or Aircall run on more platforms?
- Five9 runs on Web, Desktop. Aircall runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- What is Five9 best used for?
- Five9 is most often used for cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging, routing and managing high volume customer interactions. Of those, cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging and routing and managing high volume customer interactions are not what Aircall is typically brought in for.
- What can Five9 do that Aircall cannot?
- Five9 covers Intelligent routing, ACD, Dialer, WFM. Aircall covers Cloud phone, Call routing, Power dialer, Call recording. Both handle IVR, Analytics, Salesforce, Zendesk.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Aircall: What is the minimum cost to start with Aircall?
Aircall requires a 3-license minimum on annual billing, making the real entry price $90 per month ($30 per user times 3 users) for the Essentials plan, not the advertised $30 per user.
SourceAircall: Does Aircall include AI call features in base plans?
No, AI Voice Agents and AI Assist Pro are separate add-ons billed on top of base plans. The Essentials and Professional plans include call recording and analytics but not AI features.
SourceAircall: How many countries can I create phone numbers in?
Aircall supports creating local phone numbers in 100 or more countries, enabling businesses to appear local to customers regardless of location.
SourceAircall: What is Aircall's uptime guarantee?
Aircall guarantees 99.95 percent uptime with seven global data centers and system redundancy on every level.
Source