Dialpad vs Aircall

Having used just about every single VoIP on the market over the past decade, Dialpad is the clear innovator in the space.

So much in-fact that I personally use Dialpad as my professional relationships number (work/angel investing/networking). This is because the mobile app actually feels like a modern SMS app, and is the most stable of the bunch.

The added perk is that I've integrated Dialpad with our CRM (Copper) so all texts and calls automatically log into the CRM (and even automatically create new leads in the CRM if the number doesn't yet exist in our CRM).

You'll see software like RingCentral (the 800lb gorilla in the space) claims to "integrate" with everything, but it doesn't integrate as you'd actually like it to (it's just marketing-speak), and the desktop + mobile apps are incredibly outdated on all fronts.

There's more modern VoIP solutions on the market like Aircall and JustCall, which do have better "native integrations", although they pale in comparison to the UI/UX of Dialpad + have no AI intelligence features like Dialpad does (sentiment analysis, AI call review, etc.).

If you're unable to justify the investment into a custom integration with Dialpad, you'll probably be better off with Aircall or JustCall. Although, if you're interested in using the best tool in the space (clear leader) and are open to investing in a proper integration with your CRM, Dialpad won't let you down.

• Best-in-class VoIP UX: The mobile app feels like a modern SMS app and is more stable than most competitors.
• Strong AI features: Includes sentiment analysis, AI call review, and other intelligence features that most VoIP tools lack.
• Modern interface compared to legacy tools: Much better UI/UX than older VoIP platforms like RingCentral.
• API and Zapier support: Provides flexibility for automation and integrations if you're willing to build around it.
• Dialpad Meetings included: A built-in meeting platform comes with the subscription.

• Weak native integrations: Existing integrations are selective and often incomplete or unreliable.
• Buggy CRM integrations: Some native integrations (e.g., Copper) do not sync data properly or consistently.
• API limitations for messaging automation: Not designed for triggering automated SMS/MMS campaigns via API.
• Regulatory SMS costs: Business messaging now incurs additional costs and regulatory fees.

Dialpad is what we've use for our business phone number for, gosh, I've lost count how many years. Probably something like 7-8 years. We have multiple business phone numbers so that we keep our "professional" conversions seperate from personal.

Dialpad is in a bit of an odd boat here. They are quite selective about what apps they choose to build native integrations with, and you can't completely trust their site in determining if the integration exists. This at times makes us feel like they initially built the integration as an MVP v1 more for marketing purposes than anything (to be able to say "we integrate with this software" to check the box for a new buyer).

Their API is decent, and they even have a Zapier connector (which we always appreciate), although it's quite complicated to get it to actually function how you'd like it to work.

I will note that A2P (Application to Person) messaging is starting to get worse and worse. Dialpad and other VoIP services used to function more like P2P (Person to Person) messaging, but because businesses have taken advantage of this, carriers and the government have stepped in.

The result? A worse experience and higher costs for everyone. Dialpad now charges on-top of your monthly fee for sending messages (although they will cover the first 250 per user/mo), with stipulations (e.g. local SMS, not international or messaging an application—think Google 2FA codes, yep, those now charge you $0.01.

Dialpad offers different pricing tiers depending on whether you’re using it primarily as a business phone system, a sales dialer, or a customer support platform.

Aircall is a business phone system (VoIP) that plugs into your CRM and helpdesk, automatically logging calls, texts, and customer interactions.

If you're looking for one of the best VoIP solutions on the market and native, out-of-the-box native integration is important to you, then you'll be in good hands with Aircall would be your best bet.

While this might sound slightly confusing as we have Dialpad listed as our "Top Pick", that's because things get quite a bit more complex when you look holistically across the VoIP space. We for example chose Dialpad as the Voice over IP solution for our business, but as an integration company, we aren't afraid of building out a custom Copper + Dialpad Integration. That said, we know we aren't the average company, and to justify investing in that doesn't make sense for many companies.

Aircall actually integrates natively with many of the best CRM software and tools on the market. This means out of the box, minimal setup required. So while the integration might not be the best we've seen, it accomplishes the goal of logging texts and phone calls into the other software, which is usually what teams are ultimately looking for when it comes to a VoIP integration.

They have a relatively robust API if you do want to go the custom route, integrating Aircall into other tools.

If you're more technical and are familiar with the best integration software on the market, Aircall actually uses Tray on the back-end to integrate with many of these tools natively. Which while that's not something we particularly love, it does seem to work well enough, and it has enabled them to build more native integrations out of the gate.