Picking the right call center automation software can feel like walking into a pricing maze: monthly fees change with each tier, add-ons for call recording or SMS pile up, and per-user rates can double your bill before you know it. Dialpad costs sit at the center of that decision, from subscription tiers and usage charges to integrations, uptime guarantees, and total cost of ownership. This article breaks down pricing, plan features, hidden fees, and ROI, allowing you to compare per-seat and per-month costs and confidently choose a Dialpad plan that delivers reliable communication, advanced features, and clear value for your business without overpaying. Ready to match your call volume and feature needs to the right plan?
One helpful option is Voice AI’s text to speech tool that reads plan summaries and pricing comparisons aloud so you can quickly spot the differences and make a confident choice.
What is Dialpad?
Dialpad is a cloud-based communication platform that helps teams make calls, send messages, and run video meetings from phones, computers, or tablets. It combines Voice over Internet Protocol calling with team messaging and conferencing. Core integrations include:
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Salesforce
So conversations sit where teams already work. The platform bundles AI-powered transcription, call analytics, and searchable conversation histories to turn voice and video interactions into actionable data.
Who uses it:
- Contact centers
- Sales teams
- Support teams
- Remote-first organizations
They need real-time voice insights and unified communications across devices.
Core Technologies That Power Dialpad’s Voice Intelligence
Dialpad ships with an in-house language model trained on billions of minutes of business calls. That model drives real-time transcription, automated summaries, and sentiment signals during calls. The platform also supports a company dictionary to add industry terms, competitor names, and acronyms to improve accuracy.
Real-time assist delivers coaching prompts during conversations, and AI-generated meeting recaps and action items are editable and searchable. These capabilities focus on voice-first intelligence rather than treating voice as an afterthought.
Who Dialpad Fits and Typical Use Cases
Dialpad works well for teams that rely on voice for revenue or support. Contact centers use it for:
- Routing
- Real-time coaching
- Performance reports
Sales teams use live transcriptions and keyword tracking to find upsell signals. Small businesses can use the entry-level plan for core calling, SMS, and video meetings. Remote teams benefit from:
- Web
- Desktop
- Mobile apps
That maintains consistent numbers and history across devices. Which team in your company will get the most value from call transcripts and searchable recaps?
How Dialpad Differs from Traditional Phone Systems and Rivals
Traditional PBX setups require on-site hardware and manual maintenance. Dialpad replaces that with cloud-hosted calling, automatic updates, and device-agnostic access. Compared with competitors like Zoom Phone and RingCentral, Dialpad emphasizes voice analytics and in-house AI rather than relying on third-party models.
The company dictionary and built-in voice coaching give Dialpad a voice-centric edge for teams that need affordable intelligence tied directly to calls and meetings. At the same time, some rivals offer broader collaboration or more straightforward drag-and-drop flow builders during setup.
Why Dialpad Leads on Voice Intelligence
Every Connect subscription includes AI features that transcribe calls, create meeting recaps, and surface keywords. The in house model’s training on a large corpus of business conversations aims to reduce errors that can come from third-party models. Searchable AI recaps help teams spot customer pain points, competitor mentions, and repeat questions.
Heat maps, session histories, and out-of-the-box reports display call volumes, average speed to answer, and platform usage, ensuring that staffing decisions are data-driven. The entry-level Connect plan, billed annually, has a per-user price reported around fifteen dollars, which makes AI features accessible to both smaller teams and larger contact centers.
Usability: Day-to-Day Experience and Learning Curve
Dialpad runs in a browser and in native desktop and mobile apps so users can pick up calls on the device at hand. The AI tools reduce manual note-taking by creating editable summaries and suggested follow-up emails after calls.
Setup can be straightforward for basic use, though advanced IVR workflows and routing rules require some learning. Compared with providers that emphasize a one-click setup, Dialpad asks teams to configure call flows and keywords to get maximum value from voice intelligence.
Key Features You Should Know
- Company Dictionary: Add unlimited keywords and pronunciation hints to improve transcription accuracy and keyword tracking.
- Dialpad AI: Real-time transcription, automated summaries, and editable action items for voice and video calls.
- Real Time Analytics and Reporting: Visual charts, heat maps, and scheduled reports for calls, sessions, and keyword mentions.
- Real Time Assist Speech Coaching: In-call prompts to slow down speech, reduce filler words, and guide agents.
- Intelligent Call Routing: Multilevel auto attendants, IVR templates, and automatic speech recognition to capture caller responses.
- Messaging, SMS, MMS, and Video: Team chat, text messaging, and video meetings for internal and external collaboration.
These features come in across plans, with higher tiers adding scheduled reporting, priority support, and more advanced admin controls.
Setup and Deployment: From Numbers to IVR
Assigning phone numbers, mapping call flows, and porting existing numbers are built into the admin console. Many teams can get basic calling and messaging running within minutes without IT help. Dialpad offers a free thirty-minute onboarding session from the app to guide new admins. Complex IVR systems or enterprise-scale routing will require more time and testing, and some organizations pay for professional implementation to speed rollout.
Customer Support Options and Service Levels
Support varies by plan. Standard subscribers get multilingual web and chat support during business hours. Pro subscribers gain twenty live agent support with phone access. Enterprise customers receive priority routing, a dedicated account manager, a dedicated support number, and a ninety-nine point nine percent uptime SLA.
Professional implementation and dedicated onboarding often incur additional costs. Every plan includes access to a knowledge base and community forum with templates and guides.
Drawbacks and Operational Limits to Watch For
Pricing transparency can be weak, so estimating Dialpad costs before a contract can feel uncertain. Seat minimums and limits on office locations may restrict how flexibly small teams scale seats or mix plan tiers.
Standard plan support hours end on weekends, and higher-level phone support requires a Pro or Enterprise plan. Some small businesses may find that the automation and collaboration features offered are below what other vendors provide at similar price points. Do seat minimums or service hour restrictions change how you plan coverage for your teams?
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- Cloudtalk Competitors
- Dialpad AI Voice
- Five9 Competitors
- Dialpad Competitors
- Five9 Alternatives
- How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Contact Centers
- Genesys Alternative
- IVR Service Provider
- Nextiva Alternatives
- Multi Level IVR
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- NICE Competitors
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- Nuance IVR
How Much Does Dialpad Cost?
Dialpad Connect supplies business voice, SMS, and limited video meeting capability from a business phone number on a cloud VoIP platform. The plan family separates basic telephony features from advanced contact center and AI features.
Connect works as a phone system with call routing, IVR, call recording, transcriptions, desk phone support, and basic admin controls. Pricing depends on plan tier and billing cycle, and some mission-critical features appear only at higher tiers or on Enterprise.
Connect Add-ons and Per Number Extras
- Conference room line: $15 per number per month.
- Internet fax: $10 per number per month.
- Additional international or toll-free numbers: $15 per number per month.
- Additional local numbers: $5 per number per month.
These add-ons apply across Connect plans and raise monthly billing per phone number rather than per user.
Standard Plan: Features, Limits, and Price Points
- Price when billed annually: $15 per user per month (billed $180 per user per year).
- Price when billed month to month: $27 per user per month (about $324 per user per year).
Included
- IVR
- Call recording
- Desk phone support
- Call barge and whisper
- Call transcriptions
- Standard VoIP features are commonly expected from business phone systems.
Not Included At This Tier
- International texting
- Zapier and Slack integrations
- Dialpad API
- Custom moments for tracking call triggers
- Additional numbers in some cases
These omissions can force upgrades or add-ons for teams that need integration or global messaging.
Pro Plan: What You Gain And Pricing Details
- Price when billed annually: $25 per user per month.
- Price when billed month to month: $35 per user per month.
Added at Pro
- International texting
- Integrations with Zapier and Slack
- Access to the Dialpad API
- Custom moments for keyword tracking
- The ability to request additional numbers.
Still not included in Pro
- Phone extensions and priority support. One hundred percent uptime SLA and some enterprise-grade features are available only with the Enterprise plan.
Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing And Enterprise Features
Dialpad lists Enterprise as custom-priced; you must contact sales for a quote.
Visible features:
- Single sign-on options like:
- Okta
- Azure
- OneLogin
- Priority routing
- Service level agreements
- Phone extensions
- Unlimited ring groups
- A dedicated support number is included.
Items not listed as included:
- Explicit premium support response time guarantees or premium add-ons pricing
- Expect contract-level negotiation and potential volume discounts for large deployments.
Dialpad Meetings: Video Only Option And Who It Suits
Meetings focuses on video conferencing only and can serve users who do not need Dialpad voice. There is a Free tier and a Business tier. Meet rooms license and toll-free dial-in are available as add-ons and billed separately.
Meetings, Add-ons, and Per Room Charges
- Rooms license fee: $34 per room per month.
- Toll-free dial-in number: $20 per user per month.
These add-ons are priced per room or per user and stack on top of Meetings plan fees.
Meetings Free Plan: Limits And What You Get
- Cost: free.
- Limits: up to 10 participants per meeting and a maximum meeting duration of around 45 minutes
Screen share and audio recording are available, but full video recording is not on the free tier. Reliability can vary with the free service level, and technical issues may occur.
Meetings Business Plan: Pricing And Expanded Capabilities
- Price when billed annually: $15 per user per month.
- Price when billed month to month: $20 per user per month.
- Added: Meeting recordings, AI meeting transcriptions, support for up to 150 participants, and meeting durations of up to five hours.
This plan provides advanced meeting AI tools and higher participant limits for teams that need recorded sessions and better transcription.
Dialpad Support Plans: Contact Center Focused Pricing Overview
Support plans target customer service teams and bundle omnichannel tools AI AI-assisted workflows, and self-service agents. Three named tiers appear with clear per-user list prices for:
- Essentials
- Advanced
- Premium
These include escalating AI and digital channel capabilities.
Essentials Support Plan: Price And Included Features
- Annual price: $80 per user per month.
- Monthly price: $95 per user.
Included
- IVR
- Call recording
- Desk phone support
- Inbound and outbound call support
- Call barge and whisper
- Call transcriptions
Essentials do not include:
- Real-time assist
- Live assistance
- Custom moments digital virtual agents
- AI CSAT requires an upgrade.
Advanced Support Plan: Price And What Opens Up
- Annual price: $115 per user per month.
- Monthly price: $135 per user.
Included in Advanced
- Real-time assist
- Live assistance
- Custom moments
- Digital virtual agents
- Support for a single digital channel
Items still gated above this tier include:
- All digital channels
- AI AI-generated scorecards
- AI CSAT is included in the Premium plan.
Premium Support Plan: Full Contact Center Feature Set And Cost
- Annual price: $150 per user per month.
- Monthly price: $170 per user.
Included
- Omnichannel routing across voice and digital channels
- AI-generated quality scorecards
- AI customer satisfaction scoring
- The complete set of support automation features.
This tier aims at large enterprise contact centers where per-user cost and advanced analytics outweigh the budget impact.
Hidden Fees and Per-Usage Charges that Affect Total Dialpad Costs
- Porting fees: Dialpad charges to port numbers and toll-free numbers often incur additional costs. Exact port fees vary by type of number and carrier.
- Administrative cost recovery fee: Dialpad applies a yearly administrative fee for compliance and filings; billing behavior can be monthly per user when on monthly plans or collected up front for annual plans. Public reports show amounts over $60 in some cases, but the company does not publish a single standard figure.
- E911 regulatory fee: typically about $0.99 per outbound enabled number per month.
- Texting limits and overage pricing: SMS limits can be small for included messages; Dialpad SMS includes roughly 250 messages per user per month, and overages can range from $0.008 to $0.016 per inbound or outbound SMS and $0.024 to $0.048 per inbound or outbound MMS.
- Per minute charges for certain contact center products: for AI Contact Center plans expect per minute charges such as $0.01 per minute inbound and $0.02 per minute outbound in some usages.
- Calling credits and toll-free incoming minute charges: some reviewers reported needing to buy credits for inbound toll-free access and seeing per-minute charges for incoming calls on some number types. These fees can affect monthly bills quickly for high-call-volume teams.
Common Add-ons and Optional Features With Price Notes
- Internet fax: license plus $0.10 per page beyond plan limits.
- Meetings for larger participant counts or longer durations: starts at $15 per user per month when upgrading from free Meeting limits.
- Platinum support or priority SLAs: pricing is available upon request.
- Global unlimited calling: may be available, but after a set minute threshold, international calls often move to calling credits.
- Dialpad Business Intelligence and managed coaching teams, AI CSAT, and other advanced analytics: priced by request.
- Conference room line and extra phone numbers: see the per-number prices earlier.
These add-ons convert base seat pricing into a more customized monthly bill for the specific features you need.
AI Focused Plans and Where the Costs Sit
- AI Meetings: Free plan for personal use and Business plan with unlimited meetings, advanced AI tools, and CRM integration. Business pricing: $15 per user per month.
- AI Contact Center: priced as Support plans with Essentials at $80 per user per month, Advanced at $115 per user per month and premium at $150 per user per month. Expect per-minute usage fees for high call volumes and optional premium analytics priced separately.
- AI Sales: packages aimed at sales teams with AI-driven coaching and automation. Typical price bands mirror a sales-focused structure, such as Essentials at $60 per user per month, Advanced at $95 per user per month, and Premium at $150 per user per month. Enterprise-grade features often require contact with sales for custom pricing and possible discounts.
How Billing Cycles, Discounts, Trials, and Quoting Usually Work
Annual billing reduces per-user cost compared with paying month to month across many Dialpad plans. Volume discounts and negotiated contract terms are typical for large deployments and Enterprise accounts.
The Meetings free tier provides a no-cost entry point for basic video needs. Trial availability for Connect or other paid tiers can change, so ask sales for current trial offers and for promotional discounts tied to annual contracts or seat counts.
Questions to Help You Select a Tier
- How many users need voice and SMS versus only meetings?
- Do you need international texting and multiple phone numbers?
- Will you require AI-assisted quality scoring or omnichannel digital support?
Answer these, and you can map features to the price tiers and anticipated add ons that affect your Dialpad costs.
Related Reading
- Call Handling Best Practices
- RingCentral Alternatives
- Smart IVR
- Talkdesk Alternative
- Talkdesk Studio
- Talkroute Alternatives
- Voice Bot Solutions
- Zoom Phone Alternatives
- AI Voice Actors
- Alternatives to Nextiva
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7 Things to Keep in Mind before Committing to Dialpad
1. International Calling: Small Plans, Big Bills
If your team calls or texts customers overseas, Dialpad costs can surprise you. International minutes and SMS are charged separately, and rates vary by plan, so your monthly bill can change as your usage changes. You also cannot send international text messages on the lower tiers, and buying an international number requires upgrading to the Pro plan.
Checklist for International Costs
- Request a per-country rate sheet for calls and SMS, and have it confirmed in writing.
- Request a sample invoice that shows international charges for your expected usage.
- Confirm which plan includes outbound international SMS and which does not.
- Check whether inbound international calls are charged and at what rate.
- Verify whether you can buy international numbers on the plan you want or if you must upgrade.
- Ask about taxes, surcharges, and usage-based billing for international minutes.
- Estimate monthly international spend under conservative and high use scenarios.
2. Toll-Free Numbers: Extra Monthly Fees And Limited Texting
Toll-free numbers may look cheap until you add per-minute calling fees and setup charges. Dialpad’s toll-free numbers start at a monthly fee plus per-minute charges. Important detail: Dialpad does not support SMS on toll-free numbers, so if your business needs text messaging, you may need to buy a separate local number.
Checklist for Toll-Free Fees and Sms Limits
- Confirm the monthly fee per toll-free number and any setup fees.
- Ask for the per-minute charge for toll-free calls and whether it varies by plan.
- Verify SMS support and know that toll-free numbers may not send or receive texts.
- Find out whether porting toll-free numbers costs extra and how long it takes.
- Get a clear statement on billing granularity, minutes rounding, and overage rules.
- If texting is required, price an additional local number and add that to your TCO.
3. Canceling Service: Expect Friction Unless You Test It
Dialpad does not let you cancel via live chat. The official cancellation route requires contacting customer service by phone or email. That creates risk: failed cancellations or poor follow-through can leave charges on your card.
Checklist to Protect Your Billing
- Read the cancellation policy and have the exact cancellation steps in writing.
- Ask whether cancellations must be made via phone or if email suffices.
- Test the cancellation flow during your trial and document each step.
- Request confirmation of cancellation in writing and save it.
- Confirm whether refunds are prorated and how billing cycles affect charges.
- Add a calendar reminder before renewal dates to avoid unwanted auto-renewals.
4. Scaling Costs: Seat Minimums And Hidden Upgrade Triggers
Listing a per-user price hides the actual Dialpad costs as your business grows. The Pro plan requires a minimum of three users, and Enterprise imposes a 100-user minimum. Limits on ring groups and shared numbers often force early upgrades. Those constraints make scaling expensive and inflexible.
Checklist to Model Scale Costs Accurately
- Ask about seat minimums for every plan and whether you pay for unused seats.
- Get limits on ring groups, shared numbers, and departmental seats by plan.
- Confirm how many users you can add before you must upgrade to the next tier.
- Ask about price breaks for larger volumes or annual billing.
- Model a 12-month total cost of ownership that includes needed upgrades.
- Request a written quote for the configuration you will need at 3, 6, and 12 months.
5. Auto Reply And Sms Automation: Basic And Gated Behind Higher Tiers
Dialpad’s SMS tools are limited. You cannot save templated messages as reusable snippets on lower plans, schedule texts, or use full message automation. Auto replies exist only on Pro and Enterprise and only for outside business hours. That reduces your ability to automate follow-up and scale messaging workflows.
Checklist to Verify Messaging Automation
- Confirm whether template snippets and message scheduling are included in the plan you want.
- Test auto reply behavior and check whether it works during business hours.
- Ask whether message templates are reusable and shared across users.
- Verify API access or webhook options for third-party SMS automation.
- Simulate your common text workflows during a trial to see fundamental limitations.
- Check whether these features carry extra fees or require support to enable.
6. Setup And Ui: Expect Time And A Learning Curve
Dialpad offers a lot of settings, and that can slow down setup. Admins must configure business hours, voicemail, call routing, AI settings, and multiple numbers, plus an additional meeting number. The UI has many options that are not obvious, which can add hours to the onboarding process.
Checklist to Plan Setup and Onboarding
- Request a walkthrough of the admin console and a demo account you can explore.
- Ask for the estimated time to full deployment and whether hands-on onboarding is included.
- Confirm who handles number porting and whether there are extra fees or downtime.
- Identify a single internal owner to complete the setup and schedule their training.
- Get documentation on how business hours, voicemail, and call routing interact.
- Test the mobile app admin functions if you expect to manage from phones.
7. Team Collaboration: Missing Features You Might Need
Dialpad provides shared numbers and basic messaging, but it lacks internal threads, tagging contact notes, and SMS data in analytics. Those gaps make it harder to hand off conversations, keep context, and measure team texting performance.
Checklist to Confirm Collaboration and Analytics
- Verify support for internal threads and the ability to tag or assign items to teammates.
- Ask whether you can attach contact notes to call or SMS records for future context.
- Confirm whether SMS interactions appear in analytics and how they export.
- Check permissions, audit trails, and message history retention for compliance.
- Test integrations with your CRM and ticketing systems so teammates see a unified context.
- Ask for examples of team workflows built on their platform or available integrations.
Quick Test Step Before You Sign
Treat a trial like a purchase rehearsal and run the scenarios that matter to you. Simulate international calls and text traffic, set up a toll-free and a local number, add and remove users to see billing behavior, test cancellation, and validate collaboration flows.
Checklist to Conclude Your Evaluation Without Committing
- Run a 7 to 14-day pilot using real workflows and real numbers.
- Request sample invoices and a written quote that includes all surcharges and setup fees.
- Test the cancellation process and save a written confirmation of any test cancellation.
- Compare three vendors on total monthly cost for your projected usage and on feature parity.
- Include onboarding time, number porting, and expected future upgrade costs in your comparison.
- Get final contract terms in writing and ask for a clear escalation path for billing disputes.
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- CX One Inc
- Dialpad AICX One Inc
- CXP Software
- Dialpad AI
- Dialpad IVR
- Dialpad News
- Contact Center Solution
- Difference Between Chatbot and Conversational AI
- Dialpad Port Out
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Try our Text to Speech Tool for Free Today
Voice AI replaces long voiceover sessions with fast, natural-sounding audio. Our text to speech tool produces human-like deliveries that carry emotion and personality, not the flat robotic tone you often hear from cheap TTS.
Choose from a growing library of AI voices, generate speech in multiple languages, and produce professional audio for videos, courses, apps, and prototypes. Need a quick demo or a polished narration for a training module, which voice should we try first.
Features Creators and Developers Actually Use
We offer selectable voices, language support, voice tuning controls, and an API that fits into build pipelines. Developers can call our SDK to synthesize audio on demand or pre-render files for batch export.
Content creators can adjust cadence and expression without hours in a studio. Educators can localize lessons with multilingual voices and keep the tone consistent across lessons. Which feature would speed up your workflow the most?
How Voice AI Compares on Pricing Versus Dialpad Costs
- Dialpad costs often center on per-user per-month subscription rates, seat licenses, bundled minutes, and add-on charges for features like call recording, transcription, or advanced analytics.
- Expect to see implementation fees, onboarding fees, carrier fees for SIP trunking, number porting fees, and overage charges for international calling.
- Monthly fee structures and annual plans can lower per-seat costs, but the total cost of ownership still grows when you add hardware, support fees, SMS costs, and metered calls.
Voice AI takes a different path for TTS value. We offer free trials, pay-as-you-go options, and transparent per-minute or monthly subscription plans that focus on synthesis and storage costs rather than telephony line charges. That means lower license costs for content generation, no carrier fees, and no porting charges to worry about. Looking for a direct cost comparison for your team size and expected minutes per month
Watch Out for Hidden Charges in Contact Center Pricing
When comparing Dialpad pricing or any cloud phone system pricing, look beyond base seat cost. Analytics costs, AI features costs, transcription fees, call recording storage fees, SMS per message charges, and upgrade fees add up quickly.
Some vendors charge extra for premium support, white glove onboarding, or shorter cancellation windows in contract terms. Bundled minutes can cover basic usage, but international calling rates and per-minute billing for outbound calls often create surprise invoices. Will your finance team need a monthly breakdown of those line items?
How Voice AI Lowers Production Cost and Speeds Delivery
Recording in a studio adds scheduling, talent fees, and editing time. With Voice AI, you eliminate the need for talent booking and reduce post-production because the audio arrives ready for placement.
For teams that need multiple language versions or frequent script edits, per-minute billing and batch synthesis reduce incremental costs. Users experience faster iteration cycles because changing a line of copy no longer requires another studio session. Which projects in your pipeline suffer most from slow audio turnaround
Security Compliance and Storage Fees You Should Expect
We encrypt audio in transit and at rest and offer configurable retention to control storage costs tied to call recording type services. Transcription and metadata extraction may carry separate fees similar to other providers who bill for analytics or storage.
Support tiers define how quickly issues get resolved and influence overall support fees. Does your project require long-term retention or on-demand deletion?
Integrations That Fit Contact Center and Content Workflows
Voice AI plugs into content management systems, e learning platforms, and apps through REST API and webhooks. For contact center use cases, we support integration into IVR and notification systems where a cloud phone provider would handle call routing.
That means you can synthesize messages with our API and deliver them over a telephony provider that charges for minute rates and carrier services. Do you want a sample integration plan for your current stack?
Try the Tool Free and Measure Real Savings
Start with a free trial to produce sample assets and track minutes, monthly charges, and any incremental transcription or storage fees. Compare those line items to Dialpad pricing models that include per-seat per-month charges, bundled minute limits, and common add-on costs.
Measuring cost per finished minute and time saved in production shows how TTS affects ROI for marketing, training, and product audio. Want help running numbers for a three-month pilot session
