RingCentral Comparison and Review

Pros:

• Low monthly fee per line for two ore more lines
• Unlimited local minutes provided
• 30-day free trial (for plans with 2 or more users)
• Vanity numbers available
• Free to port existing number into service
• Smart system (ACD) queuing for incoming calls
• 24/7 Phone support (for plans with 2 or more users)
• Mobile applications available for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry

Cons:

• One user plans are expensive and don't offer 24/7 phone support
• US-based support is only available for plans with 20 or more users
• Free trial is only available for plans with 2 or more users

Conclusion:

RingCentral Office is a high quality business VoIP provider, primarily targeting businesses that need at least two users and offer real value to those needing twenty or more user plans. One-user, Standard plans are a bit pricey at $49.99/ month, but two to nineteen users are $34.99/ month/ user or $24.99/ month/ user if you pay annually. Also, you only get 24/7 customer support on plans with 2 or more users. For your monthly payment, RingCentral provides extensive functionality such as voicemail, call forwarding, auto attendant service, conference calling, and Internet faxing. RingCentral is one of two business VoIP providers currently reviewed on ChooseWhat.com to offer a 30-day free trial (again, for 2+ user plans only). This free trial combined with RingCentral’s high quality 24/7 customer support and pre-configured ready to call phones makes it one of the better product offerings on our site.

Pricing

RingCentral Office offers tiered pricing plans based on the number of lines that you request and the service plan. We reviewed the Standard Service plan, which we think is the best value for most business owners, which includes unlimited local and long distance phone calls over a local phone line, 1,000 free toll-free minutes, mobile apps for all smart phones except Windows, and a conference bridge. RingCentral Office Standard charges $49.99 per line for 1 user, $34.99 per line for 2 to 19 users, $31.99 per line for 20 to 99 users, and $29.99 per line for 100 to 999 users. There are no start-up fees and RingCentral offers a 30-day free trial for 2+ user plans.

Online Features

The online interface is an important feature of any Business VoIP system. By logging into the online interface, you are able to set up and maintain your system, as well as view call logs, access voicemails, and more. RingCentral offers a high quality online interface as well as a setup wizard to help you customize its interface. You can store an unlimited number of call logs which can be filtered and sorted. You can also record and download calls and send voicemails as emails.

Phone Numbers

RingCentral offers local numbers in 49 states and Washington D.C. If you prefer to have a toll-free number, RingCentral offers, at no additional cost, 855, 866, 877, and 888 numbers while true 800 numbers and vanity numbers are available for a $30 one-time fee. Toll-free lines are limited to 1,000 free minutes per month and cost $0.04 per minute for each additional minute. You may select whichever combination of local and toll-free lines that suits your personal business. It also offers local numbers in Canada. Additional local or toll free numbers are available for $4.99 per month. Porting an existing number from a different telecom provider into your Business VoIP system is free.

Technological Requirements

RingCentral will work with any high-speed, stable Internet connection and requires a minimum of 64 Kbps of bandwidth per call. Current cable modem service providers generally provide at least 1000 Kbps of bandwidth, so no additional Internet service will be required for most users. While not mandatory, RingCentral suggests using a Quality of Service (QoS) enabled router. QoS routers prioritize voice traffic over lower priority network traffic to provide as clear a signal as possible.

Technological Accessories

RingCentral sells IP enabled phones by Polycom and Cisco starting at $99 per phone. When ordered in conjunction with service, the phones are mailed to you preconfigured for your account. RingCentral also provides its own softphone for use with its service. A softphone is a computer program for making and receiving phone calls with speakers and a microphone connected to your computer. An HD Voice enabled conference phone is also available for $599. Analog Telephone Adapters (ATA) that plug standard telephones into your system are also available from RingCentral.

Conference Calling, Internet Faxing, and Mobile Apps

Conference calling and Internet faxing are additional services that are often included with a Business VoIP system. RingCentral provides a conference bridget that can accommodate up to 1,000 users. RingCentral provides a dedicated local or toll-free number exclusively for sending and receiving Internet faxes at no additional cost. There is no limit to how many faxes you may send and receive, although 200 messages is the maximum that may be stored at any one time. RingCentral offers mobile applications for the iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry. With the mobile application, you can access your call logs, contacts, and messages, as well as change your call routing and voicemail settings.

Customer Service

RingCentral’s phone support is available 24/7 for plans with 2 or more users. US based support is available for customers with 20+ user plans. RingCentral Office also offers email support, forums, FAQs, and tutorials. Their customer support is high quality and located in the Philippines and US. The company also has server redundancies to ensure minimum service interruption in case one of its servers goes offline.