8×8 Pricing and Features Comparison

8×8's packages start from $12 a month making the VoIP provider highly competitive, and one of the cheapest on the market, although its entry-level tier won't suit every business. It also offers more substantial packages, such as its X2 ($24 per month) and X4 ($44 per month) tiers, which include calls to more countries outside the US, as well as more comprehensive integrations and features.

In this 8×8 review we'll break down what the provider can offer your business, the best package to choose, how it compares to its competitors, as well as its pricing structure.

If you want to learn more about 8×8, read on. If you'd like to save time and start your journey to a new VoIP system right now, use our free comparison tool for a quote tailored to your business.

In this guide:

• 8×8 Pricing and Packages
• 8×8 Cost of Calls
• 8×8 Customer Support and Training
• 8×8 Products and Hardware
• 8×8 Alternatives
• Verdict: Is 8×8 Worth the Price?
• FAQs

8×8 Pricing and Packages

There are three main pricing tiers for 8×8's VoIP and video solutions – 8×8 Express, X2, and X4. However, there are actually more than this available, although 8×8 doesn't publicise the price of these. The brand also offers X3, X6, X7 and X8 bundles too, which add slightly more functionality. We'll explain what you get with these tiers too, but the focus is the main three tiers that 8×8 advertises, which fit the bill for most businesses.

8×8 Express Pricing

From $12, best for small businesses

8×8 Express is the brand's cheapest option, and represents very good value indeed, beating out competitors such as Ooma, whose cheapest tier is $19.95 per month, and RingCentral ($19.95). With most providers starting their pricing at around $20, 8×8 Express is certainly an appealing prospect. But what can you actually expect to get at this tier?

8×8 Express offers users a dedicated business number, free calls within the US and Canada, unlimited video conferencing, meeting recording and transcription, call management, file sharing and 1:1/team instant messaging. There is also a dedicated 8×8 app, which can be used with of the brand's tiers.

8×8 Express may lack some of the more advanced features available with VoIP, such as reporting tools and analytics, but for small businesses focused on the US and Canada, it's fantastic option.

X2 8×8 Pricing

From $24, best for growing businesses

8×8's X2 tier doesn't have the head turning price of its entry tier – in fact, it's priced slightly above most of its competitors, at $24 (although if you pay annually you do get a 25% discount). So how does this stack up against the likes of RingCentral and Ooma?

The first thing to note about the X2 package is that free calls are no longer restricted to just domestic territories. It includes free calls to what it calls ‘International Zone 1', which is Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. While the $24 price tag is a smidge more than competitors, if you make a lot of international calls, it could prove to be a big money saver.

X2 customers will also get more additional features, such as call activity analytics, unlimited fax, and more integration options, including Microsoft Teams.

X4 8×8 Pricing

From $44, best for businesses with global reach

The X4 package costs $44 per month, although there is a 23% discount if paid annually. Like the X2 tier, this also includes free international calls, but widens the net significantly, including 47 countries. These are the same as those in X2, but adding Belgium, Brazil, China, Denmark, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Poland*, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, Argentina, Chile, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Finland, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, South Africa ,Thailand and Turkey.

As you can see if your business has as truly global reach (or is aiming for one), the X4 package ticks off pretty much all the countries you're going to want to contact.

It also includes call quality reporting, supervisor analytics, and monitor, whisper and barge features.

X3, X6, X7, X8 8×8 Pricing

While Express, X2 and X4 represent the main packages that 8×8 promotes, dig into the sales literature a little further and you'll find some more tiers in the X series. There's nothing wildly different about these tiers to the X2 and X4 packages – each of them has the same basic features, but simply adds more functionality.

For example, the X6 tier adds contact center reporting and analytics, post call surveys and interactive voice response.

8×8 doesn't publicise the pricing of these tiers, so if you'd like to find out more, including what VoIP system is best for you, use our free comparison tool to find the best fit for your business.

8×8 Free Trial

For anyone on the fence about 8×8 as a service provider, the company does offer a free 30-day trial. With this, users get access to unlimited calling in the US and Canada, HD video conferencing, texting and chat, and mobile and desktop apps.

8×8 Cost of International Calls

One of the main considerations when picking a VoIP platform is the cost of calls. You'll find that most offer domestic calls for free in even their cheapest packages, but if your company makes calls outside of the US and Canada, then these costs could soon mount up.

8×8 offers some international calls for free, depending on the package you opt for. Go with the X2 or X4 tiers, and you'll find yourself able to call up to 47 different countries, with no chargeable rates. You can find out exactly which countries these are by looking at the pricing plans, up the page.

For context, we've compared call rates from a few of 8×8's competitors below, so you can see how they stack up against each other:

Support and Training

8×8 packages give users access to comprehensive and thorough training tools, including 24/7 online training that can be completed at the employee's own pace, with topics that cover everything a new member of staff would need to know.

It also offers virtual, trainer-led courses at convenient dates for your business, in various time zones, which offer blended learning bonus modules for new systems administrators.

There is also an 8×8 certification system, available at certain levels, including administrator, engineer and architect.

8×8 Customer Support

8×8 packages give users access to comprehensive and thorough training tools, including 24/7 online training that can be completed at the employee's own pace, with topics that cover everything a new member of staff would need to know.

This is coupled with virtual, trainer-led courses at convenient dates for your business, in various time zones, which offer blended learning bonus modules for new systems administrators.

There is also an 8×8 certification system, which will contribute to your system administrator knowledge.

Support options

• Phone: 1-408-687-4120
• Email: support@8X8.com
• Live chat support
• 24-hour support line

Training options

• Online training videos
• Online training manuals
• Virtual live courses
• Certification scheme

8×8 Products and Hardware

One of the beauties of VoIP is that it removes the reliance on hardware. You no longer need a traditional phone – you can make calls through pretty much any internet connected device, such as a PC, tablet or phone, using the 8×8 dedicated app.

However, for those that want to keep using dedicated hardware, there is a range of VoIP phones available, and they can be purchased, or loaned, directly from 8×8 themselves.

8×8 offers three payment plan options: Device as a Service (DaaS), Financing and One-time payment. DaaS allows customers to effectively loan the hardware for monthly payments. This can be cancelled at any time on return of the device, and it's also possible to upgrade to the latest phones.

Financing, is, as it sounds, paying for the device in instalments, after which  you'll own the hardware outright, with 24 – 60 month payment options.

The one-time payment option gives you the choice of simply buying the equipment directly from 8×8.

8×8 Phones and Accessories

8×8 offers a wide range of phones and accessories, from entry-level VoIP phones to conference systems, as well as headsets and phone ports.

The cheapest VoIP model on offer from 8×8 is the Cisco 7811, a competent phone that will serve most offices well, even if it's not exactly feature-rich. At the time of writing it is priced at $105, or $4.75 a month on finance. Shop around though and you might find it cheaper. We found the same model on Amazon for 25 bucks less – which could be a big saving if you're kitting out an office with multiple devices.

If you're looking for a conference phone for use in meeting rooms, 8×8 offers plenty of these, all from Poly. Chances are you'll recognize these devices form their distinctive tri-foot design. They've become a staple in offices worldwide, and for good reason – excellent sound quality and a wide range of features.

The cheapest model that 8×8 offers is the Poly IP 5000, at $379, or $13.65 per month on finance. It's best suited to smaller conference rooms, with an attendance of six participants or fewer.

8×8 also offers a range of accessories, including headsets, which can be very useful for employees who are on the phone all day and want some degree of comfort.

Read our guide on the best VoIP Phones

8×8 Alternatives

It's fair to say that VoIP is a crowded marketplace, with many brands competing for your business – that's good news for you as a customer, as the more cut-throat the competition gets, the better the value proposition as the brands maneuver to out do each other.

RingCentral is one of the biggest VoIP brands out there, so it's a natural one to compared side by side with 8×8. While offerings from both are certainly similar, there are some differences to be aware of. First off, price. RingCentral starts at $19.95 per month, while 8×8 Express begins at an ultra-competitive $12. It's hard to match that, and frankly, RingCentral can't.

However, RingCentral does take the edge in some regards. While video calls with 8×8 are restricted to 100 participants, with RingCentral, you can have up to 200.

8×8 has a more generous free trial, offering a full month, compared to RingCentral's 15 days. 

Ooma is another popular VoIP provider, and certainly one we've been impressed with. However, in our research we found that 8×8 has a much longer list of integrations than Ooma, which could well sway you, if your company relies heavily on certain platforms. 8×8 includes key platforms such as key platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Netsuite, and Outlook, and while Ooma does offer some, it's had nowhere near an as exhaustive list.

Of course, 8×8's cheapest package is also priced much lower than Ooma's too, although it's fair to say that Ooma's Office tier, at $19.99, does offer more functionality than 8×8's Express tier.

FAQs