Softwr

Telecommunications · head to head

Five9 vs Grain

Five9 logo

Five9

Telecommunications

Intelligent cloud contact center

From
$149/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grain logo

Grain

Remote Work

AI meeting highlights and clips

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Grain has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Grain no concurrent recording - only one meeting per account at a time
  • They diverge on capability: Five9 covers Intelligent routing, Grain covers Auto-recording.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Five9 and Grain actually diverge.

Attributes where Five9 and Grain differ
AttributeFive9Grain
Starting price$149/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, DesktopWeb, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture
CategoryTelecommunicationsRemote Work
Founded20012018

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • IVR
  • ACD
  • Dialer
  • WFM
  • Quality management
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce

Only in Grain

  • Auto-recording
  • AI highlights
  • Video clips
  • Transcription
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • Notion
  • Slack

Both cover

  • Web 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 Grain
  • Routing and managing high volume customer interactionsnot Grain

Grain

  • ai tools managementnot Five9
  • Workflow automationnot Five9
  • Reportingnot 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

Grain

  • No concurrent recording - only one meeting per account at a time
  • No automatic slide capture for presentations
  • Limited video demo context - audio-focused with poor video file support
  • Cannot record in-person meetings
  • No native mobile app
  • Limited admin controls for company-wide automatic recording
  • Free plan limited to 20 recordings if using personal email
  • No automatic file uploads on free tier
  • Lacks advanced sales analytics features of enterprise competitors
  • Limited CRM integration compared to higher-end platforms

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

Grain

Free
  • Free ForeverFree
    • Unlimited meetings up to 45 minutes each
    • AI transcription and notes
    • 90-day history
  • Starter$15/month
    • Unlimited meeting length
    • Unlimited AI highlights
    • Video clip creation
  • Business$33/month
    • All Starter features
    • Advanced team coaching
    • Deeper analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Five9 if

  • You need intelligent routing.
  • You work on Web, Desktop.
  • You also want ivr.
Five9 review

Choose Grain if

  • You need auto-recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture.
  • You also want ai highlights.
Grain review

Questions people ask

Is Five9 or Grain better?
Neither clearly leads. Five9 starts at $149/month and Grain at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Grain?
Grain has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $149/month for Five9 and Free for Grain.
Does Five9 or Grain run on more platforms?
Five9 runs on Web, Desktop. Grain runs on Web, Chrome Extension, Desktop Audio Capture.
Can I use Grain for free?
Yes. Grain has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Five9 starts at $149/month.
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 Grain is typically brought in for.
What can Five9 do that Grain cannot?
Five9 covers Intelligent routing, IVR, ACD, Dialer. Grain covers Auto-recording, AI highlights, Video clips, Transcription. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Five9: What is the minimum team size required to use Five9?

Five9 requires a minimum commitment of 50 seats for any subscription plan.

Source
Grain: Is Grain free?

Grain offers a Free Forever plan with unlimited meetings up to 45 minutes each and 90-day history. Paid plans start at $15/month per user for unlimited meeting length and advanced AI features.

Source
Five9: How is Five9 pricing calculated, per user, flat rate, or usage-based?

Five9 offers flexible pricing models: per concurrent user, per named agent, or pay-per-use. The pricing structure varies depending on the chosen bundle.

Source
Grain: Does Grain require a bot in meetings?

No. Grain uses bot-less transcription to capture meeting audio without requiring a bot participant, though video recording requires bot participation if you want recording visible.

Source
Five9: What does the entry-level Digital bundle include, and what does it cost?

The Digital bundle costs $119 per month per seat and supports digital channels only. Higher tiers (Core at $159, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise) are available, with Plus/Pro/Enterprise requiring contact with sales for pricing.

Source
Grain: What platforms does Grain work with?

Grain integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and supports desktop audio capture. It exports to Claude, ChatGPT, Slack, and CRM platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce.

Source
Five9: Are there additional charges beyond the base subscription?

Yes. All bundles include 3000 AI minutes per seat, but additional AI usage incurs charges. SMS messaging also has usage-based charges applied separately.

Source
Grain: Can Grain record multiple meetings at once?

No. Grain does not support concurrent meeting recordings, meaning only one meeting per account can be recorded at a time.

Source
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