Alternatives / AI Tools
Five9 alternatives
10 comparable AI tools to Five9 — with starting prices and when to choose each. Prices checked November 12, 2026.
Five9 is a cloud contact center for blended inbound and outbound teams. Its published bundles are $119 (Digital) and $159 (Core) per concurrent seat per month, with a 50-seat minimum and usage on top; Plus, Pro and Enterprise are quoted. Buyers look elsewhere when they have fewer than 50 agents, want named-user prices with WEM included, or want pure pay-per-use.
Five9 alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesys Cloud | $75/user/mo billed annually (CX 1, voice); $115 for omnichannel CX 2 | No | Omnichannel centers wanting AI and WEM in one plan |
| NiCE CXone | $110/agent/mo (Omnichannel Suite) | No | Large centers wanting one suite price list |
| Talkdesk | Not published (contact sales); Talkdesk Express is credit-based | Yes: Talkdesk Express, 25 licenses and $100 credit for US/Canada firms under 50 employees | Teams wanting AI agents with a small-business on-ramp |
| Amazon Connect | $0.038 per voice minute plus telephony; $0.010 per chat message | No (pay per use, no minimums or seat licenses) | AWS shops with developers and spiky volume |
| Zoom Contact Center | $69/user/mo billed annually (Essentials) | No | Zoom Phone and Zoom Workplace customers |
| RingCX (RingCentral) | $65/user/mo billed annually, $75 monthly (Standard) | No | RingCentral phone customers adding agents |
| Dialpad | $89/user/mo (Contact Center Essentials, annual pricing shown) | No free plan; trial not stated for contact center plans | Mid-size teams wanting phones and CC on one AI platform |
| Aircall | $30/license/mo billed annually (Essentials), 3-license minimum | Free access to start (trial length not stated) | SMB support and sales teams of 3 to 50 |
| CloudTalk | EUR 25/user/mo billed annually, EUR 34 monthly (Starter) | Free trial (14 days) | Small call centers in Europe and the US |
| Retell AI | $0.07 to $0.31 per minute, pay as you go | Yes: sign up free, pay per minute; 20 concurrent calls included | Automating calls with an AI voice agent |
Prices read from each vendor's own pricing page on November 12, 2026. Vendors change plans often; follow the pricing link on each card to confirm.
When to choose each one
Genesys Cloud
$75/user/mo billed annually (CX 1, voice); $115 for omnichannel CX 2Choose it when: you want published named-user prices with no stated seat minimum, and WEM included from CX 3 ($155). Weakness: advanced AI draws on Experience Units billed by usage, and plans need an annual commitment.
NiCE CXone
$110/agent/mo (Omnichannel Suite)Choose it when: you want five published per-agent suites ($110 to $249) covering routing, WEM, analytics and AI agents from one vendor. Weakness: AI sessions are billed per use ($0.25 per session on Ultimate) and setup is a sales-led project.
Talkdesk
Not published (contact sales); Talkdesk Express is credit-based · Free: Yes: Talkdesk Express, 25 licenses and $100 credit for US/Canada firms under 50 employeesChoose it when: you are under 50 employees in the US or Canada and want a contact center with no contract (Express), or an enterprise wanting Talkdesk's agentic CXA suite. Weakness: enterprise prices are quote-only.
Amazon Connect
$0.038 per voice minute plus telephony; $0.010 per chat messageChoose it when: your volume swings by season or you run on AWS already: there are no seats, no minimums and no long-term contract. Weakness: you build more yourself, and telephony is billed separately.
Zoom Contact Center
$69/user/mo billed annually (Essentials)Choose it when: you already use Zoom Phone and want an inbound omnichannel center for much less per seat. Weakness: AI Expert Assist ($40), WFM ($20) and QM ($30) are paid add-ons, and outbound is less of a focus than at Five9.
RingCX (RingCentral)
$65/user/mo billed annually, $75 monthly (Standard)Choose it when: your company phones are on RingCentral and you want voice plus 20+ digital channels with ACD, IVR and screen recording, billable monthly. Weakness: AI quality, agent assist and WFM cost $20-25/user each below the Elite plan.
Dialpad
$89/user/mo (Contact Center Essentials, annual pricing shown)Choose it when: you want company phones and a contact center from one vendor with built-in AI transcription. Weakness: Premium (with WFM, $149) is annual only, and Dialpad is merging with Ada (announced Nov 2026), so plans may change.
Aircall
$30/license/mo billed annually (Essentials), 3-license minimum · Free: Free access to start (trial length not stated)Choose it when: you run a small support team that needs a shared phone line, CRM sync and an AI voice agent, not a full CCaaS. Weakness: no workforce management or advanced routing of a true contact center.
CloudTalk
EUR 25/user/mo billed annually, EUR 34 monthly (Starter) · Free: Free trial (14 days)Choose it when: you need a call center from 1 user with numbers in many countries, a dialer on the Expert plan (EUR 49, 3 licenses) and an AI receptionist (50 free minutes). Weakness: US and Canada bills add an 11% cost recovery fee.
Retell AI
$0.07 to $0.31 per minute, pay as you go · Free: Yes: sign up free, pay per minute; 20 concurrent calls includedChoose it when: your goal is to automate routine inbound or outbound calls with an AI agent that hands off to your existing center, without replacing it. Weakness: it is a developer platform, not a contact center: no agent desktop, WFM or QA.
"Visit" buttons are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never decides which tools are listed or their order.
Why people look for Five9 alternatives
- The pricing page sets a 50-seat minimum, so a Core order starts near $7,950/month before usage (Five9 pricing page).
- Usage-based charges sit on top of seat prices, which makes totals hard to forecast (Five9 pricing page).
- Reviewers on G2, Capterra and Software Advice report inconsistent support and a learning curve on reporting.
- Plus, Pro and Enterprise bundles, which add advanced AI and WEM, are quote-only (Five9 pricing page).
- Teams wanting AI voice agents without a full CCaaS migration can buy those standalone today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Five9 for a small team?
Five9 requires 50 seats, so small teams usually pick Aircall (3-license minimum, $30/license billed annually) or CloudTalk (from 1 user, EUR 25 billed annually). US and Canadian firms under 50 employees can also try Talkdesk Express with 25 free licenses.
What is cheaper than Five9?
On published prices, RingCX starts at $65 and Zoom Contact Center at $69 per user per month billed annually, versus Five9's $119 Digital and $159 Core per concurrent seat. Amazon Connect has no seat fee at all and bills $0.038 per voice minute plus telephony.
Five9 vs Genesys: which is better?
Five9 suits outbound-heavy and blended centers that want to choose their own CRM and WEM vendor; it prices per concurrent seat with a 50-seat floor. Genesys Cloud suits omnichannel centers that want WEM and AI in one plan, priced per named user from $75 with no stated minimum.
Is there a pay-as-you-go alternative to Five9?
Amazon Connect charges only for use: $0.038 per voice minute plus telephony, $0.010 per chat message, no seats or minimums. Retell AI is pay per minute for AI voice agents.
Can I add AI voice agents without replacing Five9?
Yes. Developer platforms such as Retell AI run AI phone agents per minute and can transfer calls to human agents in your existing center. We compare them in [our guide to AI voice agent platforms](https://www.stork.ai/blog/best-ai-voice-agent-platforms-2026).
Sources (14) · checked November 12, 2026
- https://www.five9.com/pricing
- https://www.genesys.com/pricing
- https://www.nice.com/pricing
- https://www.talkdesk.com/pricing/
- https://www.talkdesk.com/express/
- https://aws.amazon.com/connect/pricing/
- https://zoom.us/pricing/zoom-contact-center
- https://www.ringcentral.com/pricing/contact-center.html
- https://www.dialpad.com/pricing/
- https://aircall.io/pricing/
- https://www.cloudtalk.io/pricing/
- https://www.retellai.com/pricing
- https://www.g2.com/products/five9-intelligent-cloud-contact-center-platform/reviews
- https://www.capterra.com/p/132405/Five9/reviews/
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