Softwr

Telecommunications · head to head

Five9 vs Vonage

Five9 logo

Five9

Telecommunications

Intelligent cloud contact center

From
$149/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vonage logo

Vonage

Telecommunications

Communications API platform for messaging and voice

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Vonage mMS pricing not published publicly, requires sales team quote
  • They diverge on capability: Five9 covers Intelligent routing, Vonage covers SMS messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Five9 and Vonage actually diverge.

Attributes where Five9 and Vonage differ
AttributeFive9Vonage
Starting price$149/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, DesktopAPI
Founded20012002

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Telecommunications).

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
  • ServiceNow

Only in Vonage

  • SMS messaging
  • Voice API
  • Video API
  • Number management
  • Slack
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Mobile support

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • 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 Vonage
  • Routing and managing high volume customer interactionsnot Vonage

Vonage

  • Customer engagementnot Five9
  • Lead generationnot Five9
  • Customer supportnot Five9
  • Sales automationnot 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

Vonage

  • MMS pricing not published publicly, requires sales team quote
  • International SMS rates can exceed $1.00 per message in some markets
  • Smaller developer ecosystem compared to Twilio

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

Vonage

On request
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.05/month
    • SMS and voice
    • No monthly commitment
  • Starter$100/month
    • Volume discounts
    • Premium support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated team

Which should you pick?

Choose Five9 if

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

Choose Vonage if

  • You need sms messaging.
  • You work on API.
  • You also want voice api.
Vonage review

Questions people ask

Is Five9 or Vonage better?
Neither clearly leads. Five9 starts at $149/month and Vonage at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Five9 or Vonage?
Five9 starts at $149/month and Vonage at On request.
Does Five9 or Vonage run on more platforms?
Five9 runs on Web, Desktop. Vonage runs on API.
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 Vonage is typically brought in for.
What can Five9 do that Vonage cannot?
Five9 covers Intelligent routing, IVR, ACD, Dialer. Vonage covers SMS messaging, Voice API, Video API, Number management. Both handle Salesforce, 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
Vonage: How much does Vonage SMS cost?

Vonage SMS API costs $0.00809 per outbound message and $0.00649 per inbound message in the US. There is no monthly minimum. Virtual phone numbers cost around $4.18 per month.

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
Vonage: What is Vonage Voice API pricing?

Voice API charges $0.00798/minute for US domestic calls. You pay per minute for calls made and received via the API.

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
Vonage: How does Vonage compare to Twilio for SMS?

Vonage charges $0.00809 per SMS versus Twilio at $0.0083. Vonage is marginally cheaper for SMS-heavy workloads, while Twilio offers better developer experience and broader channel support.

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
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