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Software · head to head

Flock vs RingCentral

Flock logo

Flock

Software

Organized team communication platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RingCentral logo

RingCentral

Software

Unified communications platform for enterprise

From
$24.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flock has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Flock the Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10; RingCentral the pricing page shows no per user rate until you enter a user count, so the headline plan cost is not published outright
  • They diverge on capability: Flock covers Team chat, RingCentral covers VoIP calling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flock and RingCentral actually diverge.

Attributes where Flock and RingCentral differ
AttributeFlockRingCentral
Starting priceFree$24.99/month
Free tierYesNo
Founded20141999

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android), 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 Flock

  • Team chat
  • Channels
  • Threads
  • File sharing
  • Polls
  • Integrations
  • Mobile apps
  • Zapier

Only in RingCentral

  • VoIP calling
  • Video conferencing
  • Team messaging
  • SMS/MMS
  • File storage
  • Call recording
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce

Both cover

  • Slack
  • SOC2
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Windows support
  • Macos support
  • Ios support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flock

  • Team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharingnot RingCentral
  • Running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspacenot RingCentral
  • Video conferencing and screen sharing for small teamsnot RingCentral

RingCentral

  • Cloud phone system with business numbers, extensions and call routingnot Flock
  • Combining voice, video meetings and team messaging in one subscriptionnot Flock
  • Adding contact centre and analytics capability to a distributed workforcenot Flock

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flock

  • The Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10
  • Starter storage is 5 GB for the entire team, against 10 GB per member on Pro and 20 GB per member on Enterprise
  • Starter allows a single team admin and a single approved domain
  • Group video calls and screen sharing require the Pro plan; Starter is limited to 1-1 video calls
  • Group video calls are capped at 20 participants even on Enterprise
  • Single Sign-On and Active Directory sync are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise is quote only, with no published rate, and is positioned for organisations with 100 or more members
  • Unlimited auto-join and announcement channels require Enterprise; Starter and Pro get one of each

RingCentral

  • The pricing page shows no per user rate until you enter a user count, so the headline plan cost is not published outright
  • The advertised saving of up to 33 percent requires paying annually rather than monthly
  • Cost centre management, multiple support admins, custom roles and adoption analytics are limited to the Advanced and Ultra packages
  • AI Receptionist starts at $39 a month, Conversational Intelligence at $60 a month, the Call Queues Booster is $35 a month and the Business SMS Booster is $25 a month, all charged on top of the plan
  • SMS is excluded from the free trial

Pricing, plan by plan

Flock

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited chats
    • Channels
    • File sharing
  • Pro$5/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced search
    • API access

RingCentral

$24.99/month
  • Essentials$24.99/month
    • Calls, meetings, messaging
    • Video conferencing
    • File sharing
  • Standard$34.99/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Advanced features
    • Call recording

Which should you pick?

Choose Flock if

  • You need team chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want channels.
Flock review

Choose RingCentral if

  • You need voip calling.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.
RingCentral review

Questions people ask

Is Flock or RingCentral better?
Neither clearly leads. Flock starts at Free and RingCentral at $24.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flock or RingCentral?
Flock has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flock and $24.99/month for RingCentral.
Does Flock or RingCentral run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Flock for free?
Yes. Flock has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RingCentral starts at $24.99/month.
What is Flock best used for?
Flock is most often used for team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing, running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace, video conferencing and screen sharing for small teams. Of those, team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharing and running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspace are not what RingCentral is typically brought in for.
What can Flock do that RingCentral cannot?
Flock covers Team chat, Channels, Threads, File sharing. RingCentral covers VoIP calling, Video conferencing, Team messaging, SMS/MMS. Both handle Slack, SOC2, Cloud deployment, Web support.
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Related pages

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