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RingCentral’s business communications solution, RingEX, offers advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools and an impressive workspace, making it our preferred business phone system for collaboration. During our testing, we found the AI assistant particularly helpful; it summarizes video recordings, transcribes calls and translates communications, all of which can improve team efficiency. Read on to learn more about RingEX and what makes it our best pick for collaboration.
RingEX centralizes conversations and interactions with one cloud-based phone system to manage customer and internal communications. When we evaluated the platform, features like Team Huddle, personal folders and collaborative notes stood out as clear differentiators from competitors. With the launch of AI automation and intelligence capabilities, we found the platform goes beyond basic unified communications to actively boost team efficiency and enhance customer experiences.
We appreciated how RingEX’s features let teams share ideas and coordinate on tasks across time zones without scheduling hassles. During our testing, voice and video recordings with AI-generated meeting insights, conversation recaps and real-time call notes proved especially useful for keeping distributed teams aligned — even when key members couldn’t join a call. We also tested the AI composition and translation tools and found them effective for quick, polished communication, whether you’re working with someone down the hall or in another country.
RingEX’s collaborative messaging platform with built-in AI connects your team to video conferencing, file sharing, project management and instant messaging tools. In our evaluation, we found it easy to locate and share information from messages, meetings or calls using search filters for keywords or mentions. We confirmed that employees can turn any chat into a call or video meeting with one click and capture notes from conversations automatically. We also tested RingCentral’s mobile app and verified it delivers full functionality for employees on the go.
While RingEX provides a robust solution for phone calling, we found its video collaboration features really make the platform shine. We tested the whiteboard tool for real-time brainstorming and found it intuitive — using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts, we pinned sticky notes, added graphics and uploaded images without difficulty. We especially liked the unique collaborative notes tool that lets participants add meeting notes in a shared space. We also reviewed the AI-generated highlight reels, transcripts and summaries, which are searchable by keyword or speaker and help keep the full team informed after meetings.
Like its peers on our list of the best business phone systems, the RingEX service supports voice, chat, video, SMS text messaging and fax. We appreciate how flexible the platform is. Throughout our hands-on testing, we were impressed by how seamlessly teams can move between locations or devices without disrupting meetings. With these capabilities in mind, we chose RingEX as the best solution for companies looking to encourage better teamwork and improve the customer experience.
During our testing, we were satisfied with the consistent experience across RingEX’s mobile and desktop applications. We liked the customizable menu, a unique option uncommon among VoIP solutions. Users can personalize the layout or pop out their most used tools, such as the dial pad. RingEX offers several color themes, including a dark mode to reduce eye strain and a high-contrast mode to improve accessibility.
Another standout in our evaluation was RingEX’s singular view of voicemail recordings and transcriptions, text messages and faxes. With AI-generated transcript tabs and notes in a single window, employees can see conversational insights with less toggling. Similar to what we found in our Dialpad review, RingEX has an iPad-optimized app. We confirmed it functions like a desktop application, allowing employees to use the modular pop-outs and telephony inbox.
We were also pleased to find that every subscription includes the essential RingCentral AI Assistant features for phone and video. In our experience, this delivered real-time and post-call intelligence without requiring an upgrade — a meaningful advantage for small businesses watching their budget.
Besides unlimited calling and call management tools, RingEX subscriptions offer innovative messaging, video meetings and voice channel solutions. Here are a few of our favorite RingEX features for workplace collaboration and communication.
We love that powerful AI tools for video and phone are embedded in all RingEX plans. Most competitors either don’t offer such extensive tools or reserve them for premium users. During our testing, we confirmed that RingCentral includes AI-generated transcriptions, notes and closed captioning for both voice and video, while also automatically updating your call history with action items from voice calls. These features make it easier for team members to get up to speed when joining a meeting or reviewing it afterwards.
Except for the entry-level Core plan, all other RingEX offerings expand AI Assistant tools to SMS and team messaging. We found the AI-generated summaries of team chats helpful for staying on top of key details, while compose features allow you to communicate effectively with just the click of a button. We were impressed with how easy it was to generate text from a prompt and edit for tone, length or clarity. But what really sets RingCentral’s AI tools apart is its translation feature. In our testing, we were able to quickly and accurately translate messages into 18 languages — especially handy for businesses with an international presence hoping to build strong cross-cultural teams.
For businesses looking for a more robust communications solution, RingCentral offers add-on AI products as well. Conversation Expert helps you leverage sales calls to close the deal, updating key information seamlessly into your CRM. AI Receptionist improves your customer facing phone service by answering simple queries and automatically routing calls.
When we evaluated RingCentral’s AI-generated meeting summaries and highlight reels, we could see how these tools take collaboration to the next level, especially for remote team members who can’t connect live. Beyond simple transcriptions, RingCentral creates searchable summaries and short video compilations of the key moments from every video call. It also generates relevant keywords and allows you to share time-stamped links. Our favorite feature is the ability to filter by speaker, so you can get right to the information you need without sifting through long recordings.
However, while these features are listed as standard with all plans, we were unable to test them during a free trial. When speaking to a service rep, we were told that many of these features require a paid upgrade to Conversation Expert. We would have appreciated more transparency around the availability of RingCentral’s AI features.
One of our favorite aspects of the RingEX platform is how easy it is to host productive online meetings with teams of varying sizes in multiple ways. For example, if you are organizing a call for your entire team, but want a private space for smaller groups, such as specific departments or regions, you can create breakout rooms. We found setting these up and assigning participants to be a breeze. Plus you can move employees to different rooms as the meeting progresses or broadcast messages to every room.
We also loved Team Huddle, an informal, chat-enabled video space ideal for connecting remote employees. During our testing, RingEX sent an alert to invitees, who were notified on their computer or mobile phone. Team Huddle rooms work well for virtual breaks, lunch-and-learn sessions and instant HR or information technology (IT) support access. Likewise, Zoom and 8×8 offer persistent chat spaces. See our RingCentral vs. 8×8 comparison to examine these solutions side by side.
RingCentral offers add-on services to expand your video meeting capabilities as well. Rooms lets you host hybrid phone or video meetings, connecting a physical conference space with a virtual meeting room. We confirmed you can manage room scheduling right from the app and smoothly transition from a virtual call to a room with a single click. Beyond that, there are tools for Webinars and Events if your business frequently hosts larger groups.
During our user testing, we didn’t encounter many VoIP systems that offered a collaborative notes feature, which set RingEX apart. We found it incredibly helpful during team huddles and one-on-one meetings. It works inside the video interface on mobile and desktop apps, and you can edit notes when your meeting ends.
RingEX allows public and private notes, which is ideal for tracking group or individual action items. The formatting options let users turn meeting notes into organized documents with paragraphs, bullet points and images. When trying out the feature, we especially liked how easy it is to tag coworkers and share notes right in the team chat, making sure relevant information always gets to the right people.
Although many competitors offer virtual whiteboards, RingCentral includes this useful collaboration tool with all of its RingEX plans. Just like notes, everyone in the meeting can contribute, and after the meeting, you can painlessly share the board with your entire team. We found the “bring everyone to me” function especially useful, which automatically moves every participant to your location on the board.
Many platforms, including Nextiva and RingCentral, offer one-to-one and group messaging with rich text, GIFs and emojis, but few efficiently organize conversations, tasks and reminders. With RingEX, we like that you can bookmark messages for private viewing or pin them for all team members in the chat. Pinned messages may include scheduled events, tasks and attachments.
We also appreciate that you can add clients to group chats or create a new messaging channel after a meeting to keep partners and teams connected. In our testing, the ability to summarize team chats and view all @mentions on a single page made it noticeably easier to stay on top of important conversations. Plus, searching keywords right in the inbox meant the information we needed was always at our fingertips.
With one click, we confirmed you can start a phone or video call from any message, whether on the desktop or mobile app. You can then share a recording of the meeting directly in the chat with your whole team or individual members.
We like that RingEX lets users manage and assign tasks directly in conversations, in the calendar or under the “Tasks” tab in the workspace. While other UC platforms like Zoom have task management capabilities, RingEX enriches the experience by letting you group tasks by color or category. Tasks can be assigned to multiple users and the program adds a status message when someone completes the job. During our review, the search feature that takes you to the spot in a conversation where the task was created proved especially useful.
RingEX’s phone system stands out for its more than 500 prebuilt integrations and open application programming interfaces (APIs). In comparison, most communication solutions we reviewed offered a few dozen. Many integrations are bidirectional, with two-way sync for advanced functionality.
For instance, using HubSpot CRM, your team can listen to voicemails, review faxes and send business SMS messages without switching to the RingEX app. This can also improve collaboration and communication across your business, especially if you’re interested in streamlining operations. RingEX also offers license-free Microsoft Teams integrations for Core users, but we were disappointed that many integrations, like CRM and industry-specific solutions aren’t included with the entry-level plan.
While testing RingEX, we found the drag-and-drop workflow builder to be a highlight of the platform. Managers can build workflows to act as an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to automatically route calls or send a message outside of business hours. We like that you can even create sequences to handle incoming chat messages, SMS or faxes. While the builder is intuitive, we appreciate that RingCentral provides templates for the most common use cases.
RingEX’s UC solution meets Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards. It’s also GDPR, PCI and SOC 2 compliant. Dynamic end-to-end encryption (E2EE) works on mobile and desktop versions for video, phone and messaging services. RingCentral takes security seriously and reps are available to discuss compliance goals for your business.
There are three standard RingEX service plans, ranging from $30 to $45 per user, per month, for one to 100 users (discounts are available for subscribers who pay annually.) Custom solutions are available for businesses with over 100 employees.
RingCentral recently added a fourth custom-priced package, the Customer Engagement Bundle, for businesses needing a streamlined service for internal and external communications, without upgrading to a full contact center platform. We appreciate that the vendor doesn’t charge a setup fee and provides discounts for annual billing.
Here’s how the business communications plans compare.
Service Plan | Price (cost per user, per month) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
Core | $30 |
|
Advanced | $35 | Everything in Core, plus:
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Ultra | $45 | Everything in Advanced, plus:
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Customer Engagement Bundle | Custom pricing | Everything in Ultra, plus:
|
Our analysis revealed that RingEX Core costs more than Zoom Phone or Dialpad. However, the feature-rich base plan includes license-free Microsoft Teams integration, useful AI-powered features and unlimited video and audio conferencing, which aren’t typically standard on entry-tier packages.
We appreciate that a business VoIP phone number and unlimited calls in the United States and Canada come with all service packages as do most collaboration tools, such as team messaging and document sharing.
The vendor offers additional products to expand service to meet your company’s needs. Advanced users can upgrade their reporting package by adding Business Analytics Pro, which comes standard with the Ultra plan. Pricing for add-ons is as follows (when billed annually):
Users can also purchase additional phone numbers and bulk messaging for the following prices:
RingCentral also provides VoIP phones and headsets for purchase or lease. They offer a wide variety of hardware including desktop, cordless and conference phones. However, thanks to the excellent desktop and mobile apps, you can use your own device as a business softphone without having to pay for hardware.
RingEX is a complex system but setup can go quickly for small single-site businesses. Companies with advanced routing and permission requirements should expect a lengthier rollout. RingEX offers detailed implementation guides and professional migration services for businesses of all sizes.
The refreshed admin portal improved the software’s user interface, making bulk uploading new users and configuring permissions quicker. However, RingEX’s comprehensive self-service and training resources distinguish it from competitors. It offers the largest database of tutorials and training guides of all the phone system vendors we investigated. With RingCentral’s blog and support articles, users can view featured training across all RingCentral products and tools.
The remote access feature allows your IT team to support new users during onboarding and beyond. It will enable your IT staff to request control during screen-sharing sessions and troubleshoot issues, regardless of whether your employees work remotely or on-site.
RingCentral provides live phone support and chat 24/7 for all RingEX accounts. This is uncommon as only a few business phone vendors we reviewed offer phone support for entry-level subscribers. However, the standard support is scripted and question-and-answer based, meaning agents refer to prewritten guides and may not be able to assist with hands-on troubleshooting. Furthermore, when contacting support via chat, you’ll first deal with an AI agent, although complicated requests will be passed on to a person.
RingEX users will find live chat usually is the fastest technical support channel. Users can open a support case online, which RingCentral recommends for nontime-sensitive matters. The provider typically replies within 48 hours. We also found the community forum easy to navigate and relatively active, with fellow users answering questions within an hour or two. Additionally, RingCentral provides a plethora of self-guided resources and makes it easy to request extra help without leaving the app.
In our experience, support was quick to respond and usually helpful, although a few times the answers they provided did not fully address our queries. For example, when we asked about AI-generated video call summaries, the agent tried to sell us a paid add-on related to sales teams.
RingCentral has accumulated a significant amount of negative reviews online related to customer service. Users found it difficult to get in touch with reps and many issues took months to resolve, and in some cases, never received a solution. The most common complaint is that cancelling a RingCentral contract is difficult and many businesses ended up paying for months of service they didn’t need. However, we were able to cancel our trial right in the app and received email confirmation within 48 hours.
RingEX is a feature-packed platform that may not be suitable for every company. It’s on the pricier side for small businesses that have complex routing needs or run seasonal operations. When comparing RingCentral and Vonage, we found that Vonage could be less expensive in some cases. With mobile-only plans, pricing based on team size, and pay-as-you-go extensions, small teams can tailor a solution to fit their budget. Our Vonage review explains how companies can customize their phone system.
While we appreciate that RingEX includes international calling and translation features, businesses with a large international presence might be disappointed that RingEX does not offer unlimited international calling. An organization expanding globally may prefer 8×8. Our 8×8 review noted that the provider supports international workforces and customers with unmetered calls to 48 countries. On the other hand, our review of GoTo Connect found it was a better option for U.S.-based firms with multiple sites.
RingEX’s voice and video conferencing capacities are impressive. We like that 1,000 participants are included for voice and the platform can support up to 200 people for video, even on the basic plan. However, larger companies in need of a video solution for large audiences might find RingEX lacking. We found in our review of Zoom that premium plans allow up to 300 video participants, with the ability to expand capacity to 5,000 for an additional charge.
For our RingEX review, we consulted with customer service representatives, participated in demos, downloaded desktop and mobile apps and spoke to RingEX users. We tested collaboration features by interacting in group spaces and assessing the system’s ease of use and AI and automation technologies. Our evaluation compared RingEX against competitors by looking at pricing, usability and integrations.
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