Line vs Dialpad: which suits a UK small business?
Dialpad is a cloud phone system for desk-based teams, with AI transcripts of every call and a low price if you sign up for a year. Line is built for small teams whose customers text: SMS and WhatsApp on your UK number in one shared inbox, an AI receptionist that answers calls, and no contract. Pick Dialpad for AI call notes. Pick Line if customers text you.
Prices and features checked
- Inbound call, answered by the AI receptionist19:40 · after hours
Thanks, Priya. I have noted a quote for a kitchen rewire in SW4. Someone will call you tomorrow morning.
Molly, AI receptionistCallback request, logged by the receptionist
Quote for a kitchen rewire. Postcode SW4. Prefers mornings.
Morning Priya, Tom here. Could I pop round at 9:30 on Thursday?
SMS · TomThursday works. I'll WhatsApp you the gate code.
WhatsApp · 08:52
Line or Dialpad: the short answer
- Customers text or WhatsApp you, and the team needs one inbox for both
- You want an AI receptionist to answer calls when nobody can
- You want to pay monthly without a yearly contract
- Most of the team works on mobiles, away from a desk
- You want AI transcripts and summaries of every call
- You need a press-1 call menu, call recording and call transfer
- You use Salesforce, HubSpot or Microsoft Teams and have three or more users
- You call the US and Canada often and want those calls unlimited
Line vs Dialpad at a glance
Published UK prices and features, checked against Dialpad's own pages.
| Feature | Line | Dialpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text | £22 a user a month on monthly billing, or £12 on a yearly contract paid up front |
| Contract | Monthly. No contract and no setup fee | Monthly or yearly. Yearly is paid up front and renews automatically unless you give 30 days' notice |
| Texts on a UK number | Yes. Two-way SMS on UK 07 numbers, on every plan | Unclear. The UK pricing page lists SMS as US and Canada only. The help centre lists UK SMS, without picture messages |
| Yes, on the same number and in the same inbox | Only in the Dialpad Support contact centre, from £94 a user a month on a yearly contract | |
| Shared inbox | Calls, voicemails, texts, WhatsApp, web chat and email in one thread per customer | Shared lines for calls. A shared inbox for messages only in the contact centre product |
| AI receptionist | AI receptionist answers calls in a British voice. Included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter | AI Agent through sales, £1.49 a voice conversation, built for its contact centre |
| AI call notes | Transcripts of voicemails and of calls the AI receptionist answers | Live transcripts and AI summaries of every call on every plan, once an admin switches AI on |
| Call handling | Opening hours, ring groups, forwarding and voicemail. No call recording, call transfer or call queues | Multi-level call menu, call recording and transfer on every plan. Three ring groups and no hold queues on Standard |
| Apps and hardware | iPhone app and web app. No desk phones | iOS, Android, desktop and web apps. Bring your own Poly, Yealink or Cisco desk phones |
| Integrations | REST API and webhooks. Google and Microsoft calendars for the AI receptionist | Google Workspace on Standard. Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams and Zapier on Pro, minimum 3 users |
| Moving your number in | Request it in Settings. UK moves usually take a few weeks | 22 working days for landlines, 5 for mobiles, with a one-time UK fee |
| 999 calls | Does not carry 999 calls. Dial 999 from the phone's own dialler | Yes, with an emergency address registered for each user |
| Free trial | Free demo call with the AI receptionist. No free trial | 14 days, card required. The sign-up defaults to yearly billing |
| Support | Live chat, email, WhatsApp and phone, in UK working hours | 24/7 web and chat. Phone support from Pro |
Dialpad pricing UK (2026)
Dialpad Connect, its phone system, has three UK plans, priced per user. The yearly price is paid for twelve months up front.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly contract | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | £22 | £12 | Unlimited UK, US and Canada calls, one number per user, call menu, three ring groups, call recording, AI transcripts and summaries, Google Workspace. |
| Pro | £28 | £20 | Minimum 3 users. Hold queues, 25 ring groups, extra numbers, Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, and phone support. |
| Enterprise | Quote | Quote | Minimum 100 users. Extensions, unlimited ring groups and offices, uptime SLA. |
What the headline price leaves out
- Extra numbers cost extra. Dialpad no longer publishes the price.
- WhatsApp needs Dialpad Support, a separate contact centre product from £94 a user a month on a yearly contract.
- The AI Agent costs £1.49 for each voice conversation it handles, bought as credits through sales.
- Porting UK numbers in carries a one-time fee. Microsoft Teams and extra offices have setup fees.
- Leave a yearly plan early and you pay the rest of the year. Refunds only within 3 days of a charge.
Is Line cheaper than Dialpad?
On monthly billing, Line usually costs a small team less, because Dialpad Standard is £22 a user a month. On a yearly contract Dialpad drops to £12 a user, paid up front, and for a team that talks on the phone for hours a day that can cost less than Line's per-minute calls. Line's Pro and Business plans have no per-user charge, and include WhatsApp, the shared inbox and the AI receptionist. Price your own team below.
Price your own team
200 minutes and 50 texts a month each
- Line£60.25 /mo£723 a year · Pro
- Dialpad£110 /mo£1,320 a year
Seat prices are each provider's published price for the plan a small team would buy, with UK calls included up to the provider's fair use limit. Line charges a plan fee plus the calls and texts you use. Handsets, extra numbers and add-ons are not included.
Can Dialpad send texts from a UK number?
Dialpad's own pages disagree. Its UK pricing page says SMS is only available in the US and Canada, while its help centre lists UK SMS without picture messages. Line sends and receives texts on a UK 07 number on every plan.
Dialpad
Dialpad built its texting around US numbers and US carrier registration. In the UK, its help centre says SMS works but MMS does not, and its rate card lists 13p for a text to a UK number. Ask Dialpad to confirm UK texting in writing before you sign a yearly contract.
Line
Every Line plan includes a UK 07 number that calls and texts. Replies land in a shared inbox, in the same thread as that customer's calls and voicemails, and anyone on the team can pick them up.
- Inbound call, 4 minTuesday · answered by Dan
- Missed callWednesday 18:20
Voicemail transcript
Hi, it's Sarah. Can you call me back about the quote for the bathroom?
Also free Friday morning if that's easier.
WhatsApp · 18:24Thanks Sarah. Dan will call you at 9 tomorrow.
SMS · Jo
Does Dialpad support WhatsApp?
Only in Dialpad Support, its contact centre product, which costs from £94 a user a month on a yearly contract. Line puts WhatsApp on your business number on every plan.
Dialpad
In Dialpad, WhatsApp is a digital channel of the contact centre, managed by an admin, alongside web chat and email. It is not part of Dialpad Connect, the phone system most small businesses buy.
Line
Connect WhatsApp from the Channels page using Meta's own sign-up. Customers message the number they already have, and WhatsApp threads sit next to calls and texts in the shared inbox.
Which is better at AI, Dialpad or Line?
They use AI for different jobs. Dialpad transcribes and summarises the calls your team takes. Line's AI receptionist answers the calls your team cannot take.
Dialpad
Dialpad AI writes live transcripts, post-call summaries and action items on every plan, once an admin switches it on. Its AI Agent can answer calls and chats, but it is sold through sales at £1.49 a voice conversation and runs on its contact centre channels.
Line
Line's AI receptionist answers calls in a British voice, takes the caller's details and leaves the transcript in the inbox. It is included with the Pro and Business plans and is an add-on on Starter. Line does not summarise calls that people answer.
- Inbound call, answered by the AI receptionist19:05 · after hours
Hartley Plumbing, you're through to Molly. How can I help?
Molly, AI receptionistMy radiator is cold at the top. Can someone look at it this week?
CallerI can arrange that. What is your postcode, and is this the best number to call you back on?
Molly, AI receptionistCallback request, logged by the receptionist
Radiator cold at the top. CF10. Prefers Thursday.
Is Dialpad a contract?
It can be. The low price is for a yearly plan paid up front, which renews automatically unless you give 30 days' notice. Line is monthly with no contract.
Dialpad
Dialpad's terms make you pay the rest of a yearly term if you leave early, and refunds only apply within 3 days of a charge. You can cancel online only on a monthly plan with 10 users or fewer. Reviewers in the UK report renewals they did not expect.
Line
Line bills monthly, with no minimum term and no setup fee. You top up credit for calls and texts, and you can stop at any time.
Does Line have the call features Dialpad has?
Not all of them. Dialpad has a multi-level call menu, call recording and call transfer on every plan. Line covers opening hours, ring groups, forwarding, voicemail and a missed-call text, and does not record or transfer calls.
Dialpad
Dialpad Standard includes a call menu, three ring groups, manual call recording and transfers. Hold queues, automatic recording for ring groups and hold music need Pro.
Line
Line routes each call through a workflow: a Time Rule for opening hours, a ring group that rings only people set to Available, then a missed-call text and voicemail. If you need recording or transfer today, Dialpad fits better.
Rebuild your Dialpad setup in Line
Each Dialpad feature you rely on, and the Line workflow step that does the same job.
| In Dialpad | In Line |
|---|---|
| Departments (ring groups) | Ring Members/GroupsRings everyone set to Available, at once or in turn, for the time you choose. |
| Business hours and holiday routing | Time RuleSends calls down an Open hours or an Outside hours branch, using your business hours. |
| Visual voicemail and transcription | VoicemailRecords a message after your greeting, transcribes it and emails the team. |
| Call forwarding | Forward CallsDials any number and shows your Line number as the caller ID. |
| SMS (US and Canada) | Shared inboxTwo-way texts on your UK 07 number, shared by the team, on every plan. |
| AI Agent (contact centre) | AI receptionistAnswers calls on your number, takes the details and leaves the transcript in the inbox. |
| No equivalent | Send Missed-Call SMSTexts the caller from your number when nobody answers. |
- Inbound CallYour UK business number
- Time RuleMon–Fri, 8:00 to 18:00
- Open hoursRing Members/GroupsEveryone set to Available, for 20 seconds
- No answer, or outside hoursSend Missed-Call SMSTexts the caller from your number
- No answer, or outside hoursVoicemailTranscribed and emailed to the team
Templates to set up on day one
The messages and greetings most teams moving from Dialpad set up first. Copy one, change the details in brackets, and paste it into the step shown.
Sorry we missed your call. This is [Business name]. Reply to this text with what you need and we will get back to you today.
Thanks for calling [Business name]. We are closed now and open again at [8am]. Reply here and we will pick it up first thing, or book online at [link].
You have reached [Business name]. We cannot take your call right now. Leave your name, your number and what it is about, and we will call you back today. You can also text this number.
Thanks for choosing [Business name], [first name]. If you were happy with the work, a quick review helps a small business like ours: [review link]. If anything was not right, reply here and [Name] will sort it.
You answer calls for [Business name], a [trade] in [area]. Take the caller's name, number, postcode and what they need. Offer a visit between [hours] on [days]. If the caller describes [an emergency, for example a leak], say [Name] will call back within 15 minutes and mark the call urgent. Do not quote prices. Say [Name] will confirm the price.
You can now text or WhatsApp us on [number], the same number you call. We reply during [opening hours], and we will see your message even if we are on a job.
How to switch from Dialpad to Line
Most small teams finish in an afternoon, then wait for the number to move.
- 1
Open Line and choose a UK number
Sign up, pick a UK mobile number and make a test call. The new number works straight away, so you can run Line beside Dialpad while you set it up. Nothing changes for your customers yet.
- 2
Rebuild your call flow from a template
Open Workflows and start from a template such as Business Hours Call Routing or Ring Then Voicemail. Set your opening hours in the Time Rule and choose who rings. The table above shows the Line step for each Dialpad feature.
- 3
Invite the team and install the app
Invite each person by email. They install the Line app on iPhone, or use the web app on a laptop. Only people set to Available ring, so nobody gets calls on a day off.
- 4
Connect WhatsApp and switch on the AI receptionist
Connect WhatsApp to the same number from Channels, so texts, WhatsApp and calls land in one inbox. Then switch on the AI receptionist and give it your opening hours, your services and how you take bookings.
- 5
Move your number from Dialpad
Go to Settings, then Porting. Enter the number, the account holder and the address Dialpad holds, upload a recent bill and sign the letter of authority. Our team sends the request and tells you the switch date. UK moves usually take a few weeks. Calls keep reaching Dialpad until that date, and Ofcom rules limit any loss of service on the day to one working day.
- 6
Cancel Dialpad after the move completes
Wait until calls to your number ring in Line, then cancel Dialpad. Cancelling first can release the number before it moves.
- Message history, using Dialpad's message data export
- Call history and analytics as CSV
- Call recordings and voicemails you need to keep
- Your ring groups, call menu and opening hours, as screenshots to rebuild from
What Dialpad customers say
Recurring themes in public reviews, paraphrased and linked to the source.
Charges after cancelling
UK reviewers in 2026 describe months of charges after a confirmed cancellation, and slow refunds. Trustpilot
Automatic renewals
Reviewers report yearly and multi-year terms renewing without warning, then refused cancellations. Trustpilot
Slow support
Long chat waits and no phone support on the lowest plan come up again and again. Trustpilot
Features sold piecemeal
A UK reviewer called it mis-selling when features they expected needed £139-a-month add-ons. Trustpilot
Porting delays
Reviewers mention ports running weeks late and a hard onboarding. Trustpilot
Clean, easy app
Reviewers find the interface simple to learn on laptop and phone. Capterra
AI transcripts save time
Call summaries and searchable transcripts are the most praised feature. Capterra
Clear calls
Many reviewers rate call quality highly across devices. Trustpilot
Our verdict on Dialpad: Dialpad puts live transcripts and AI call summaries on its entry plan, with unlimited UK calls. It is expensive on monthly billing, its UK pricing page lists texting as US and Canada only, and Microsoft Teams and CRM integrations start on Pro. See how it ranks
Line vs Dialpad: questions people ask
Keep comparing
Dialpad alternatives
The best Dialpad alternatives for UK small businesses, ranked with prices.
Line vs RingCentral
Line texts and WhatsApps from your UK number today. RingCentral has no SMS on UK numbers.
Line vs Aircall
Line gives a small team texts, WhatsApp, a shared inbox and an AI receptionist without a three-seat minimum or a yearly renewal.
Business phone systems ranked
14 UK providers scored on published prices and features.
Line wrote this comparison. Every competitor fact comes from the provider's own UK pages or public reviews, linked here. Last reviewed .
Move from Dialpad without losing your number
Start with a new UK number today and run it alongside your current system. Move your existing number across when you are ready.