RingCentral vs Zoom: Pricing and Features Compared (2023)

In the battle of RingCentral vs Zoom, our research found that RingCentral is better than Zoom for businesses with specific voice over internet protocol (VoIP) needs. The system is packed with every business call feature imaginable, and its price point is slightly fairer than Zoom’s, too.

This doesn’t mean Zoom doesn’t put up a good fight though. Cornering the market for web conferencing, Zoom will be a safer bet for businesses that need strong video calling features. With a super user-friendly interface and a generous free plan, the software is also an ideal candidate for VoIP newbies. 

If cost is your top concern, you can also use our customizable comparison tool to find other providers that work within your budget. To learn more about RingCentral vs Zoom, scroll down or skip to specific selections using the menu.

In this guide:

• RingCentral vs Zoom: Key Differences
• RingCentral vs Zoom: Head-to-Head
• How RingCentral and Zoom Compare to Other VoIP Providers
• How Did We Choose a Winner?
• Verdict: RingCentral or Zoom?
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

RingCentral vs Zoom: Key Differences

RingCentral and Zoom are both top-tier communication providers, but their offerings aren't exactly equal. So, what's the difference between RingCentral and Zoom?

While Zoom is a well-known video call platform, RingCentral's niche lies in VoIP communication. This means that your ideal match will ultimately depend on which service you need more. This being said, both providers offer lots of quality voice calling and web conferencing features, so comparisons can be made between the two. Here's how they compare:

RingCentral Overview

With specialized business features and affordable pricing tiers, RingCentral is VoIP solution with a very competitive offering. In fact, our in-house reviewers believe it's one of the best business VoIP services on the market right now, second only to our front-runner Ooma.

Unlike Zoom, RingCentral is primarily known for its voice-calling features and offers unlimited calls and business SMSs within the US. However, most of its plans also facilitate video conferencing and instant messaging too – enabling its users to communicate in whichever way suits them.

Thanks to RingCentral's extensive App Gallery, users can also integrate the service with 96 third-party tools, including Salesforce, Microsoft, Slack, and Gmail. What's more, we've also ranked the provider #1 for customer support, because its live chat and support options are open 24/7 and its support team goes above and beyond to answer customer queries.

Despite RingCentral's accolades, its cheapest plan offers fairly basic features, and its customer score isn't as high as its competitors. This suggests it won't be a shoo-in for every type of business.

RingCentral is available in three main packages: Core, Advanced, and Ultra.

Zoom Phone Overivew

Throughout the pandemic, Zoom helped to connect millions around the globe. It didn't just become a hero in the consumer market. Zoom's use among businesses also rose exponentially — and for pretty good reason.

The combination of affordable premium plans and a quality free offering means Zoom's web conferencing solution appeals to businesses of all sizes and budgets. Boasting HD video and audio, video webinars, and private rooms and workspaces, its strengths clearly lie in video communication.

Yet, with the recent introduction of Zoom One — an all-in-one business VoIP and video service — the tool is also becoming increasingly popular among enterprises looking to replace their legacy phone systems. Unlike RingCentral, however, which offers more of a robust VoIP system, Zoom One isn't likely to be the top pick for businesses after specialized calling features.

While Zoom is normally the top choice among smaller businesses, its scalable plans, Basic, Pro, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise, can also fit the needs of large and growing teams.

RingCentral vs Zoom: Head-to-Head

Now that we understand the basics about RingCentral vs Zoom, let's dive in a bit deeper. Below, we'll explore more specific features and functionality for RingCentral and Zoom, so you know exactly what you're getting into with each VoIP provider. Click the links below or keep scrolling to get learn more about these two options for your business.

• Value for Money
• Business Features
• Customer Service
• Customer Satisfaction
• Security

Best for Value: RingCentral

If you're looking for a great value VoIP system that doesn't sacrifice quality, we would go for RingCentral. Zoom can't be questioned on its affordability, and its service is solid enough for most businesses. However, with RingCentral offering advanced features like call transcription, call routing, and task management for as little as $20 per user, per month, we think it offers the best bang for your buck.

We break down RingCentral's pricing plans below:

RingCentral Pricing

RingCentral Core is available for $30 per month per user, or $20 when paid annually. Core users can expect unlimited calls within the US/Canada, unlimited SMS messages, document sharing, and call log features, as well as 24/7 customer support.

RingCentral Advanced costs $35 per user per month, or $25 when paid annually. This package contains everything included in the Core plan plus a few additional features, such as automatic call recording, call monitoring tools, unlimited audio conferencing, and multi-level IVR tools. This plan integrates with external platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack, as well as CRM solutions like Salesforce and Zendesk.

RingCentral Ultra is available at $45 per user, per month, or $35 per user, per month when paid annually. On this tier, you get everything included in RingCentral Advanced, plus access to RingCentral Business Analytics, additional admin management features, and functions larger businesses in particular will find useful.

RingCentral also offers a free trial for 14 days, for businesses looking to try before they buy.

Check out our RingCentral pricing guide for more information.

Zoom Phone Pricing

There are two options when it comes to Zoom Phone pricing. For starters, you can go with the basic Zoom Phone plans, which simply provide the VoIP service.

Zoom Phone offers three different pricing plans, which come in at $10 per user, per month, $15 per user, per month, and $20 per user, per month. Each one offers different options for where you can get unlimited calls to and from. Here's how those plans match up against each other:

However, Zoom One, the provider's all-in-one software for VoIP, meetings, and team chat, offers five main pricing tiers. We discuss them below.

Zoom Basic is free to use and offers businesses a pretty generous package. It lets users host meetings with up to 100 attendees for up to 40 minutes, and provides automatic captions and messaging, and whiteboard features.

Zoom Pro costs users $12.49 per user, month. Zoom Pro users can host meetings without time limits, store up to 5GB of cloud recordings, access live chat support options, and benefit from all the features in the Standard plan.

For slightly larger ventures, Zoom Business is available at $16.66 per user, per month. Its offering isn't remarkably different from Zoom Pro, but it does feature additional single-sign-on, managed domains tools, and lets companies include their own branding.

Next up, we have Zoom Business Plus. Zoom Plus retails for $20.83 per user, per month. Advertised as Zoom's ‘best value' plan, the tier lets users set up meetings with up to 300 attendees and store up to 10 GB of cloud recordings. The plan also offers business phone capability, making it the cheapest option for businesses looking for VoIP technology.

Finally, Zoom Enterprise is the provider's most exhaustive package. It offers Zoom's full feature set, including everything in the former plans, advanced VoIP tools, unlimited editable whiteboard, automated and translated captions, and unlimited cloud recording storage. Prices for Zoom Enterprise are available on request.

To learn more, check out our Zoom pricing guide today

Best for Business Features: RingCentral

Unlike traditional phone lines, VoIP systems allow you to carry out a wide range of functions. Fortunately, both RingCentral and Zoom offer sterling features, so businesses won't lose out either way. Below we compare the provider's feature set side by side.

RingCentral's Top Features

• Global coverage with 80+ countries
• Video calling with up to 200 participants
• Specialist VoIP features include call whisper, barge, monitoring, and transcript tools
• Automatic call recording
• Android and Apple apps
• Integrations with Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, G-Suite, Zoho, Zendesk, and many more
• No add-on for desktop phones

Zoom One's Top Features

• Unlimited Domestic Calls
• Video calling with up to 1000 participants
• Background blurring
• Immersive view
• Integrations with Dropbox, HubSpot, Zendesk, Salesforce, Slack, and many more
• Android, Apple, and desktop apps
• VoIP features such as call queue, business SMSs, and caller ID are available but at a premium 

With a Tech.co rating of 4.4/5 for VoIP features, we think RingCentral takes the edge this round. From automatic call recording to call transcripts, motoring, and whispering, the provider offers just about every business call feature possible. The system also offers excellent software integrations and doesn't charge extra for desktop phone add-ons – making it easier to incorporate into your business's existing tech.

However, RingCentral doesn't offer advanced video calling features, and its cheapest plan misses out on the function altogether. Therefore, if you're looking for a versatile solution with top-notch web conferencing features, Zoom One will be a safer bet.

To discover more business telephone options, use our specialist VoIP comparison tool.

Best for Customer Service: RingCentral

If you're switching to a new VoIP system, chances are you'll need a little assistance when learning the ropes. This is why a provider's customer support options are so important.

When it comes to customer service, our research suggests RingCentral is second to none, here's why:

RingCentral Customer Service

Live chat, user forums, and round-the-clock support are available to users on all plans, meaning that queries don't need to remain unanswered for long. However, the real gem in RingCentral's crown lies in its unique knowledge base, RingCentral University.

RingCentral University is a jam-packed resource center that contains everything you need to help you make the most of the VoIP system. It even grants users access to online courses and webinars on a range of themes from onboarding and remote working through to call queue management and business faxing.

With so much practical guidance and support available to RingCentral users, the provider's customer service is unmatched. In fact, after reviewing their support options and comparing them to similar options on the market, our independent team of researchers have rewarded their support options a 5/5 — the highest score possible.

Support options

• Phone: 1-888-528-7464
• Community-led support
• Live chat support
• 24-hour support line

Training options

• Central training resource
• Webinars
• Drop in sessions
• Online courses

Zoom Customer Service

While Zoom's support options aren't quite fleshed out as RingCentral's, they're still pretty impressive.

Like RingCentral, Zoom's in-house teams of experts are also available 24/7 hours a day, making the service especially useful for businesses operating outside standard working hours.

Zoom packages also give users access to robust onboarding support and a bespoke learning center with a dedicated Zoom Phone section. Here, users of the VoIP service can learn more about setting up their accounts, organizing their features and adjusting their settings, among other topics.

Finally, if users have more complex queries, Zoom Community is an open forum where you're able to connect with other Zoom users by asking questions and seeking targeted advice.

Support options

• Phone: 1-888-799-9666
• Live chat support
• Knowledge forum
• 24-hour support line

Training options

• Online training sessions
• Specialized security training
• Virtual live courses

Best for Customer Satisfaction: Zoom

Customer satisfaction essentially reflects how happy you're likely to be with the product. It's an important metric to consider when deciding which VoIP service to opt for because it takes into account the reputation of the brand and how successful it is in pleasing its customer base.

According to our research, we think Zoom narrowly wins this time — but it's a close call.

Zoom Customer Satisfaction

One of Zoom's greatest selling points is its accessibility. The platform is streamlined, intuitive, and incredibly easy to set up, making it ideal for first-time users or those looking for a shallow learning curve. Once Zoom is up and running, the software is easy to navigate, too. Its settings are well labeled and its layout is user-friendly so getting to grips with the product is light work.

With over 300 million active users, worldwide, it's clear that the provider knows how to satisfy its customers. This suggests that whether you're using Zoom One for video conferencing, live chats, or calls — you're likely to be satisfied with the overall experience.

RingCentral Customer Satisfaction

Boasting a customer satisfaction score of 3.5/5, RingCentral isn't leading the pack when it comes to user experience, but it doesn't fall too far behind Zoom either.

Similarly to Zoom, RingCentral is very easy to use, and everything on the platform is clearly labeled and serves a distinct purpose. Thanks to the system's stripped, uncluttered back design, it's also a solid option for VoIP newbies.

Unfortunately, RingCentral's offering isn't faultless. Despite claiming to have an uptime of 99.99%, some customer reviews suggest that calls can drop frequently and for extended periods of time. What's more, the service has also been criticized for its inadequate handling of customer queries, so users should bear this feedback in mind before moving forward with the service.

Best for Security: Zoom

Unfortunately, due to their reliance on the internet, business telephone systems are becoming increasingly common targets for cybercriminals. This is why VoIP security should be a top concern for businesses searching for new software.

According to our research, both RingCentral and Zoom offer sterling security features – but Zoom comes out top yet again. Below we stack the providers up side by side to explain why.

Zoom Security

While Zoom hasn't always been renowned for its world-class security, the provider has recently updated its defenses in response to some serious security flaws that came to light throughout the pandemic. Now, thanks to the rollout of Zoom 5.0, the software offers enhanced end-to-end encryption (E2EE), stringent password controls, and solid staff training options to keep its user base safe from threats.

This renewed commitment to security means that Zoom is one of the best business phone options for ventures that prioritize data privacy.

RingCentral Security

Securing an impressive Tech.co score of 4/5 for security, RingCentral isn't far behind when it comes to security features.

RingCentral users benefit from an extensive security package, including multifactor authentication tools, E2EE, secure password controls, and compliance certifications. Premium and Ultimate customers also have access to role-based user permissions which give select individuals' accessibility to different areas of the system.

How Do RingCentral and Zoom Compare with Other VoIP Providers?

RingCentral is one of the best specialist VoIP services out there, and for a video-first platform, Zoom also provides excellent business call features. However, while these providers are some of the best in the game, they won't fit the needs of every business.

At Tech.co, our researchers have spent weeks comparing business call services, including all the best Zoom alternatives, against hundreds of metrics so you don't have to. If you're curious about what other options could offer you, here's a summary of how some other VoIP providers compare.

How Did We Choose a Winner?

We don't pick winners out of a hat at Tech.co. Every product and service we review on our site has been analyzed diligently by our team of in-house researchers. We like being transparent about it too, so here's some insight into our research process:

About our research

Our dedicated in-house research team works closely with our writers to match you with the best products and services on the market. Through user testing and desk-based research, they leave no stone unturned when assessing what providers have to offer. They've even devised their own research framework so they can make sure their findings are completely watertight.

What factors do we consider?

When devising the best VoIP systems on the market and pitting providers head-to-head, we're basing our decision on seven main criteria:

• Price – What are the short and long-term costs of the product?
• External connections – Does the product offer a lot of third-party integrations?
• Features – How many features are included in the package, and are they high quality?
• Customer Support – How comprehensive are the provider's support options, and are they available around the clock?
• Security – How sophisticated are its security features?
• Customer Score – How popular was this product among its users?
• Scalability – Is a product able to scale with a business over time?

After examining each VoIP product against these seven metrics, our research team then uses these findings to create a final rating. These ratings are displayed as a score out of five, and they're designed to give you a clear overview of a system's performance. We assign each VoIP product an overall score, as well as scores across multiple categories. This way, we can display which VoIP system we think is best overall, and which ones excel in certain fields.

RingCentral vs Zoom: Frequently Asked Questions