If you're evaluating alternatives to 8x8's XCaaS platform, you're likely weighing a platform that tries to cover a lot of ground (unified communications, contact center, and global infrastructure) against options that may do some of those things differently or better for your specific situation.
8x8 has a broad portfolio and a strong presence in multi-region deployments. But as AI becomes more central to how businesses handle customer communication, the evaluation has expanded. Teams are increasingly asking not just whether a platform supports the right channels, but whether AI is embedded in those interactions, how AI Agents and human agents work together, and what the platform does with customer conversation data after the call ends.
The alternatives below represent some commonly considered platforms for organizations evaluating 8x8. Each takes a different approach to communications, contact center, and AI. The right fit will depend on your team's size, how customer-facing your communication needs are, and where you want the platform to take you.
What to look for in an 8x8 alternative
Communications and contact center in one platform, or separate
8x8 is often evaluated as a way to consolidate UCaaS and CCaaS under one vendor. If consolidation is a priority, it's worth asking whether a prospective platform supports both natively or requires separate products and integrations to cover the same ground. If your needs are primarily communications or primarily contact center, a more focused platform may be a better fit.
Where AI operates in the interaction
Platforms vary considerably in how AI is integrated into communication and customer service workflows. Some treat AI as a reporting layer that activates after the conversation ends. Others embed AI directly into live interactions, with real-time transcription, guidance during live calls, sentiment signals, and automated next steps. Understanding when and where AI activates is a meaningful distinction.
AI Agents and human agent workflows
AI Agents can handle a growing share of customer interactions, but the value depends on how well they integrate with human workflows. When an AI Agent escalates to a human agent, how much context carries forward? How configurable is AI Agent behavior, and how much visibility do teams have across both AI and human interactions?
Customer conversation intelligence
Customer conversations are a source of operational signal that many platforms leave largely untapped. Whether a platform helps teams act on conversation intelligence for coaching, service quality, and business decisions, or whether that data sits in a dashboard without connecting to workflows, is worth evaluating directly.
Global and multi-region support
8x8 has a strong track record in global deployments. If your organization operates across multiple countries or time zones, it is worth confirming that any alternative supports your geographic footprint, compliance requirements, and local number availability.
Integration with your existing stack
CRM, helpdesk, and productivity integrations can be a significant factor. It's worth mapping your current tools against what each platform supports natively before narrowing the field.
8x8 alternatives to consider
Below are some commonly considered alternatives to 8x8 for business communications, contact center, and AI-driven customer experience.
Dialpad
Dialpad is an AI platform for customer experience that brings together contact center, business communications, and AI Agents in a single system. It is built to support customers across voice and digital channels while turning customer conversations into actionable insight, with real-time AI embedded in the interaction rather than applied after the fact.
Organizations evaluating 8x8 alternatives may find Dialpad worth considering, particularly those looking for a platform that consolidates communications and contact center with AI built in throughout, including real-time agent guidance, AI Agents that coordinate with human agents, and conversation intelligence connected to operational workflows.
RingCentral
RingCentral offers cloud communications and contact center products that combine voice, messaging, video, and customer engagement tools in a unified platform. The company positions its portfolio around AI-powered communications, workforce engagement, and omnichannel customer experience capabilities.
Organizations looking for a broad UCaaS and CCaaS offering with a large integration ecosystem may find RingCentral worth evaluating, particularly those prioritizing communications coverage across distributed teams.
Nextiva
Nextiva offers a customer experience platform that combines business communications and contact center capabilities. The company positions its platform around connecting customer conversations, data, and workflows across the customer journey.
Businesses looking for a combined communications and contact center platform, particularly those coming from a business phone system background, may consider Nextiva as part of their evaluation.
Zoom
Zoom offers business communications and customer engagement through Zoom Phone and Zoom Contact Center, extending the broader Zoom ecosystem into cloud calling and customer-facing operations alongside its video and messaging products.
Teams already standardized on Zoom for internal collaboration that want to consolidate phone or contact center into the same ecosystem may find Zoom worth evaluating across both products.
Five9
Five9 provides a cloud-based contact center platform focused on omnichannel customer engagement, workforce optimization, and AI-assisted service. It is positioned as a contact-center-first platform rather than a unified communications solution.
Organizations that want a dedicated cloud contact center platform and are comfortable using separate tools for internal business communications may consider Five9, particularly where outbound workflows and mature CCaaS functionality are priorities.
Talkdesk
Talkdesk is a cloud-native contact center provider focused on AI-powered customer experience automation and omnichannel engagement. The platform includes AI Agents, workflow automation, analytics, and industry-specific solutions for enterprise customer service operations.
Organizations looking for a modern cloud contact center with configurable AI workflows and a faster path to deployment may find Talkdesk worth considering, particularly teams where usability and speed of adoption are priorities alongside contact center depth.
Aircall
Aircall is a cloud-based phone platform designed primarily for sales and support teams, with a focus on calling workflows, CRM integrations, and team analytics. The platform is positioned around ease of setup and integration with tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk.
Teams with straightforward calling needs, particularly sales or support teams that want a lightweight phone solution that connects easily to their existing CRM and helpdesk tools, may find Aircall worth evaluating.
How to choose the right 8x8 alternative
The right 8x8 alternative depends on your organization's priorities.
If consolidating UCaaS and CCaaS in a single platform is the goal, RingCentral and Dialpad are both designed with that model in mind, each with a different emphasis on how AI fits into the system.
If the evaluation is primarily contact center, Five9 and Talkdesk offer dedicated CCaaS platforms with depth in routing, workforce management, and customer engagement workflows.
If the team wants a lightweight calling solution that integrates with existing CRM and support tools without the overhead of a full UCaaS or CCaaS platform, Aircall may be a practical fit.
If the goal is a platform that brings contact center, business communications, and AI together with real-time intelligence embedded in the interaction, Dialpad offers a different path, particularly for teams that want AI Agents and conversation intelligence as part of the system from the start.
The important question is not just which platform covers more ground. It is which platform fits how your team communicates, how you want to support customers, and where you want AI to play a role in both.
What to expect from AI-forward platforms
The communications and contact center market is shifting. Platforms that built AI as a separate layer are being evaluated differently than those where AI is part of the operating model from the ground up.
That distinction shows up in how AI Agents handle customer requests, how real-time guidance works during live calls, how context transfers when a conversation moves from AI to human, and how conversation intelligence connects to the decisions teams make after the call.
For teams evaluating 8x8 alternatives, it is worth asking not just which platform supports the right channels, but which one is built for how communication and customer experience are likely to work over the next few years.
See how Dialpad compares
Explore how Dialpad brings AI Agents, contact center, communications, real-time AI, and conversation intelligence together in one platform.
Disclaimer: This comparison is based on publicly available information as of the date of publication. Features, pricing, and capabilities of third-party platforms are subject to change. This content is provided for informational purposes only.
Updated June 2026