Cloud-based phone systems have moved business calling off traditional phone lines. They offer flexibility, scalability and advanced features that enhance productivity and customer satisfaction.
Aircall and Dialpad are two of the leading providers. Both offer solutions designed to streamline business communications and support growth strategies, and choosing between them comes down to the features you need and the pricing structure each one uses. This article compares the two so you can match one to your business.
How cloud phone systems work
A cloud phone system uses the internet, rather than physical phone lines or on-premise hardware, to manage and route phone calls. Also known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), it can provide businesses with a more flexible and scalable option than an on-premise system. Staff can make and receive calls from any device with an internet connection, which suits remote teams. Users can be added or removed without an installation. There is no hardware to buy and maintain, which can make the whole system cheaper to run than a traditional one.
Dialpad and Aircall are both built this way, and each layers its own features and benefits on top, from AI-driven tools to integrations and automation. Underneath those, most cloud phone systems share a common set of capabilities:
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VoIP technology: high-quality voice calls over an ordinary internet connection.
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Advanced Call Management features: call routing, queuing and recording.
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CRM and helpdesk integration: Integrates with customer relationship management and helpdesk software, so customer interactions are tracked in one place.
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Mobile apps: call handling from anywhere, which matters for remote work.
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Analytics and reporting tools: insight into call performance, which businesses can use to make data-driven decisions and improve efficiency.
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Customisable plans and pricing: tiers a business can match to its needs and budget.
These solutions suit businesses of any size, and knowing what the category offers as standard is the first step in choosing the right cloud-based phone system.
What Aircall offers
Aircall is a cloud-based phone system built around simplicity and a focus on essential features. Its user-friendly interface and easy setup make it popular with startups and small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those with limited technical resources.
For customer support teams, it adds communication and collaboration tools meant to make interactions and workflows more efficient, and it offers team collaboration tools for contact centres. Aircall provides businesses with the features to manage their communications, from CRM integrations to power dialers.
Key features of Aircall
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CRM integrations: Aircall integrates with popular CRM and Customer Service platforms, keeping customer data at your fingertips.
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Power dialer: boosts sales team efficiency by automating outbound call campaigns.
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Call history: reporting and call logging that tracks call durations and details of past interactions, which users can analyse to improve their mobile and remote communication.
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Analytics: dashboards with detailed insights into call volume, wait time and agent performance.
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User-friendly interface: praised for its simplicity and ease of use, which reduces the learning curve for new users. A graphical interface lets administrators build IVR menus and conditional workflows without coding, and the mobile app covers both Android and Apple devices.
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AI: call outcomes, transcripts and summarisation in the Conversation Centre dashboard, which makes conversations easier to categorise and problems easier to identify. Sentiment analysis gives insight into conversation outcomes, and talk-to-listen agent ratios are also available.
What Dialpad offers
Dialpad is another leading cloud-based phone system, known for its AI features. Dialpad Ai offers analytics and insights that can increase agent productivity and enhance the customer experience. Its infrastructure and network optimisation are meant to address connectivity issues, and it provides 24/7 phone support for Pro and Enterprise plans, while lower-tier plans have more limited support options.
Key features of Dialpad
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AI-powered tools: voice intelligence for real-time transcription and sentiment analysis. These go beyond basic logging, with automatic transcriptions and analytics aimed at busy call centres.
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Video conferencing: voice, video and messaging on a single platform, for remote team collaboration and client interactions.
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Advanced analytics: reporting that gives businesses the data behind their decisions.
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Integrated team messaging: internal communication in the same tool the team calls from.
Dialpad is designed to support growth. Its native integrations and scalable pay-as-you-grow plans are aimed at businesses of any size.
Comparing Aircall and Dialpad
Both platforms offer strong features for business communications, so the decision rests on where their strengths differ. Aircall’s is simplicity and ease of setup, and with recent add-ons in AI capabilities, transcription and dashboards, the offering has matured to suit mid-market customers looking for something easy to administer and maintain. Dialpad’s is its AI features and integrations.
Advanced call management
Advanced call management features matter for businesses handling inbound and outbound calls efficiently, and both systems offer intelligent call routing so calls reach the right agent or team.
Dialpad adds AI-generated call summaries, sentiment analysis and real-time call monitoring, which give a view into what happens inside customer interactions. Aircall offers call queuing, call recording and advanced analytics for handling high call volumes, plus call whispering, which lets supervisors give agents guidance during a live call. Which of those matters depends on the team: sales teams may want click-to-call, while support teams may get more out of call whispering.
Agent productivity and analytics
Both vendors offer tools designed to boost agent productivity. Aircall’s power dialers and click-to-call cut the manual work of placing calls. Dialpad’s AI voice intelligence can assist in live coaching and training of contact centre agents.
On reporting, Aircall’s analytics provide deeper insights into call volume, wait time and agent performance, with AI-powered capabilities added more recently. Data of that kind can enhance the customer experience as well as agent productivity.
Integration and configuration
Aircall and Dialpad both integrate with popular CRM platforms, which allows businesses to keep all customer data at their fingertips. Aircall’s focus on CRM, Service Desk and third-party dashboard integrations, such as HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom and Plecto, gives it tighter connectivity across an organisation.
The two take different routes to customisation. Dialpad’s API and webhooks let businesses connect the phone system to other applications. Aircall’s Custom plan handles it as a configuration exercise instead, covering custom IVR menus, call routing rules and integrations with specific CRM systems.
Scalability and reliability
Dialpad’s cloud-based system manages large incoming call volumes. Aircall’s distributed architecture is built for consistent connectivity across regions. A business with high call volumes or multiple teams should test both against its own load, so the system can handle the volume and still deliver reliable customer service.
Compatible platforms
Cloud phone systems are made to be flexible about devices and operating systems, so businesses can keep using what they already have. Support typically covers Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and Chrome OS.
Most offer mobile apps alongside the desktop and laptop clients, so users can make and receive calls, access contacts and manage communications from wherever they are.
Security and compliance
Dialpad features encryption, secure data storage and GDPR compliance. Aircall offers data encryption, secure servers and adherence to industry standards. Assess either against the rules you actually operate under, such as HIPAA compliance in healthcare or PCI-DSS in finance.
Support, training and onboarding
Aircall’s customer support is accessible via phone, email and live chat, and both vendors place a strong emphasis on customer engagement and satisfaction. For onboarding, Dialpad offers a dedicated account manager, online training and 24/7 support, while Aircall provides a personalised plan, online training and dedicated support. Larger teams may need customised training. Teams with limited IT resources may care more about how much ongoing support comes with the plan.
Interface and setup
The user experience of a cloud phone system matters to administrators and daily users alike. Key features of the interface include a dashboard covering call activity and key metrics, a call log, a contact directory and a settings menu where administrators configure the system. Shared call inboxes are worth looking for if calls have to be routed across a team.
Setup should be quick enough to keep downtime and disruption down. Most cloud phone systems offer a guided setup process that walks users through each step, with step-by-step instructions, a knowledge base and, on some plans, a dedicated account manager or support team.
Pricing: Aircall vs Dialpad
Aircall’s pricing is transparent, with clear distinctions between its three plans. Essentials covers basic integration at competitive pricing and lets customers scale from there. Professional adds advanced features and support from a dedicated account manager, and depending on where calls are made, that plan can cover all call costs, both inbound and outbound. Aircall’s plans include toll-free numbers, which large enterprises and call centres rely on for customer support and sales operations.
Dialpad prices on a pay-as-you-grow model across Standard, Pro and Enterprise. Standard carries the features small and medium-sized businesses need. Pro adds advanced analytics and more customisation options. Enterprise is for larger organisations with high-volume communication needs, with dedicated account managers and priority support.
Cost effectiveness for small businesses
For a small business, Aircall’s Essentials plan is the cost-effective entry point. Dialpad’s Standard plan is slightly more expensive but offers a broader range of features, which may make it the better value if your communication needs are more complex.
Custom plans for enterprise needs
Aircall’s Custom plan allows for tailored solutions to meet specific business requirements, including real-time analytics to monitor and report on team performance. Dialpad’s Enterprise plan offers advanced features and dedicated account managers. Both are priced case by case.
Making the right choice for your business
The choice between Aircall and Dialpad comes down to your specific business needs, the size of your organisation and your budget.
Aircall is the simpler system to set up, use and administer, and it scales as the business grows, which suits startups and small businesses, and, with its more recent AI additions, mid-market teams. Dialpad leads with AI: transcription, sentiment analysis and voice intelligence, on plans built to grow with high-volume communication needs. Neither is the better product in the abstract. Work out which features your team will actually use, check both against the compliance rules you operate under and decide from there.
