The best Dialpad alternatives for UK small businesses in 2026
The best Dialpad alternatives are Line for teams whose customers text and WhatsApp, Zoom Phone for unlimited calls with AI notes, Aircall for sales and support teams with many integrations, RingCentral for growing offices, and CircleLoop for simple no-contract calling.
Prices and features checked
Why UK businesses look for a Dialpad alternative
Dialpad alternatives compared
Published UK prices per user a month, excluding VAT, for the plan a small team would buy.
| Provider | Price | Contract | Texts on a UK number | Missed calls and AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DialpadThe one you are leaving | £22 per user a month, or £12 billed yearly. Pro £28, or £20 yearly | Monthly, or yearly paid up front. Yearly renews automatically | Unclear. The UK pricing page lists SMS as US and Canada only | Live transcripts and AI call summaries on every plan. AI Agent £1.49 a voice conversation |
| LineBest for teams on the move | From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text | Monthly, no setup fee, no minimum term | Yes, from UK mobile (07) numbers | AI receptionist included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter. Missed-call text back |
| Zoom PhoneBest for teams already on Zoom | £14.40 per user a month, or £12.80 billed yearly. Metered from £9.60 | Monthly or yearly. Up to 16% off yearly | UK SMS from 07 numbers only, after business ID checks | AI call summaries included. AI receptionist coming soon in the UK |
| AircallBest for sales and support teams | £30 per licence a month, or £25 billed yearly, minimum 3 licences | Monthly or yearly. Renews automatically unless you give 30 days' notice | UK SMS from 07 numbers only. Rates on request | AI Voice Agent: 50 free minutes a month, then 37p a minute. Transcripts included |
| RingCentralBest for growing offices | £18.99 per user a month, or £14.99 billed yearly, for 2 to 19 users. One user pays £23.99 | Monthly or yearly. Terms renew for the same length unless you give 30 days' notice | Not on UK numbers. Planned for Q3 2026, not launched | AI Receptionist add-on, £32 an account a month for 100 minutes, then 40p a minute |
| CircleLoopBest for simple unlimited calling with texts | £15 per user a month. Pay As You Go £5 plus calls from 3p a minute | No contract, no setup fee | From an extra 07 number, from £2 a month. 4p a text, UK only | Voicemail to text. No AI answering |
| sipgateBest for call queues on a budget | £17.95 per user a month, minimum 2 users. business S from £12.95 | Cancel monthly | Web SMS from 5.9p a message | AI Assist summaries, 10 a month included |
The best Dialpad alternatives, one by one
- Our product
1. Line
Best for teams on the move
Line fixes the two gaps small UK teams hit first on Dialpad: texting and WhatsApp on the business number, in one shared inbox. Its AI receptionist answers calls rather than summarising them, and it is monthly with no contract. It does not record or transfer calls.
- Price
- From £4 a month with one UK number, plus 5p a minute for calls you make and 8p a text
- Contract
- Monthly, no setup fee, no minimum term
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Yes, from UK mobile (07) numbers. Yes, in the same inbox as calls and texts.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI receptionist included on Pro and Business, an add-on on Starter. Missed-call text back
Why choose it
- Texts and WhatsApp from the UK business number, in one thread per customer
- AI receptionist on Pro and Business, and a missed-call text on every plan
- No contract, no setup fee, and no hardware to buy
Line vs Dialpad, in detailWatch out for
- Calls are charged per minute, so a heavy-calling team can pay more than on an unlimited plan
- No desk phone handsets
- Line does not carry 999 calls. Dial 999 from the phone's own dialler
2. Zoom Phone
Best for teams already on Zoom
Zoom Phone is the closest match for Dialpad's AI call notes, with unlimited UK and Ireland calls and summaries included, for less than Dialpad's monthly price.
- Price
- £14.40 per user a month, or £12.80 billed yearly. Metered from £9.60
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly. Up to 16% off yearly
- Texts and WhatsApp
- UK SMS from 07 numbers only, after business ID checks. Not listed.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI call summaries included. AI receptionist coming soon in the UK
Why choose it
- Unlimited UK calls at a low monthly price
- Post-call AI summaries and task extraction included
- Call queues, desk phones and the Zoom apps your team may already use
Watch out for
- 999 does not work from UK mobile numbers on Zoom
- Texts need a UK 07 number and identity documents
- Number porting can take up to 30 business days
3. Aircall
Best for sales and support teams
Aircall suits a sales or support team that lives in HubSpot, Salesforce or Zendesk, with SMS on UK mobile numbers and WhatsApp as an add-on. It needs three licences.
- Price
- £30 per licence a month, or £25 billed yearly, minimum 3 licences
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly. Renews automatically unless you give 30 days' notice
- Texts and WhatsApp
- UK SMS from 07 numbers only. Rates on request. Add-on, £8 per seat a month plus Meta's fees.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI Voice Agent: 50 free minutes a month, then 37p a minute. Transcripts included
Why choose it
- Over 250 integrations, including HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk
- SMS and WhatsApp alongside calls
- Call queues, recording and team reporting
Watch out for
- The highest per-user price in this ranking
- Minimum of three licences
- Number porting can take up to six weeks
Aircall UK pricingAircall SMS helpAircall AI Voice Agent charges
Line vs Aircall4. RingCentral
Best for growing offices
RingCentral suits a growing office that needs call queues, desk phones and deep integrations on one platform, priced best on a yearly contract.
- Price
- £18.99 per user a month, or £14.99 billed yearly, for 2 to 19 users. One user pays £23.99
- Contract
- Monthly or yearly. Terms renew for the same length unless you give 30 days' notice
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Not on UK numbers. Planned for Q3 2026, not launched. Only in the RingCX contact centre.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI Receptionist add-on, £32 an account a month for 100 minutes, then 40p a minute
Why choose it
- Call queues, auto attendant, recording and reporting
- Microsoft 365 and Google integrations from Standard, CRM from Premium
- Low per-user price on a yearly contract
Watch out for
- No SMS on UK numbers
- The app cannot make 999 calls over Wi-Fi
- The best prices need a yearly commitment
RingCentral UK pricingAI Receptionist pricingEmergency servicesUK SMS request
Line vs RingCentral5. CircleLoop
Best for simple unlimited calling with texts
CircleLoop suits a micro team that wants cheap calls, a call menu and call recording with no contract, and does not need AI.
- Price
- £15 per user a month. Pay As You Go £5 plus calls from 3p a minute
- Contract
- No contract, no setup fee
- Texts and WhatsApp
- From an extra 07 number, from £2 a month. 4p a text, UK only. Not offered.
- Missed calls and AI
- Voicemail to text. No AI answering
Why choose it
- No contract, no setup fee and free porting
- Apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and web
- HubSpot, Zoho, Microsoft 365 and Slack integrations
Watch out for
- No AI answering or missed-call automation
- Texting needs an extra 07 number and a request to support
- Only a 7-day free trial
CircleLoop pricingCircleLoop featuresCircleLoop SMS help
Line vs CircleLoop6. sipgate
Best for call queues on a budget
sipgate suits a small office that wants call queues and an auto attendant on a budget, with a 30-day free trial.
- Price
- £17.95 per user a month, minimum 2 users. business S from £12.95
- Contract
- Cancel monthly
- Texts and WhatsApp
- Web SMS from 5.9p a message. Not offered.
- Missed calls and AI
- AI Assist summaries, 10 a month included
Why choose it
- Call queues, auto attendant and busy lamps on business L
- 30-day free trial with no bank details
- Free number porting
Watch out for
- Minimum of two users
- Its help centre says only 01 and 02 numbers can be ported
- Unlimited AI summaries need a paid app tier
What each Dialpad alternative costs your team
Enter your team size. The bill updates for every provider on this page, with or without VAT.
200 minutes and 50 texts a month each
- Line£60.25 /mo£723 a year · Pro
- Zoom Phone£72 /mo£864 a year
- CircleLoop£75 /mo£900 a year
- sipgate£89.75 /mo£1,077 a year
- RingCentral£94.95 /mo£1,139.40 a year
- Dialpad£110 /mo£1,320 a year
- Aircall£150 /mo£1,800 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.
Which Dialpad alternative is right for you?
| If you need | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Texts and WhatsApp in one inbox | Line | Both on one UK number, shared by the team. |
| An AI receptionist | Line | Answers calls, included on Pro and Business. |
| AI notes on every call | Zoom Phone | Summaries included, unlimited UK calls. |
| CRM-led sales and support | Aircall | Over 250 integrations. |
| Desk phones and call queues | RingCentral | Full office phone system. |
| Cheap calls, no contract | CircleLoop | From £5 a user, with call recording. |
How we chose: every provider here sells to UK businesses and publishes its UK prices, except where noted. We scored each on cost for a small team, apps, texts and WhatsApp on a UK number, missed-call handling and AI, contract terms, and call handling. The full scoring is in our ranked guide to UK business phone systems. Line is our product, so it is listed first. The rest follow in the order we would recommend them to a small UK team leaving Dialpad. No provider paid to be listed.
Dialpad alternatives: questions people ask
Keep comparing
Line vs Dialpad
Feature by feature, with prices and how to switch.
RingCentral alternatives
The best RingCentral alternatives for UK small businesses.
Aircall alternatives
The best Aircall alternatives for UK small businesses.
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 .
Try the Dialpad alternative built for UK small teams
Calls, texts and WhatsApp on one UK number, in one inbox, with an AI receptionist for the calls you miss. No contract.