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It's a split decision.
These are not direct substitutes. Five9 is a cloud contact center for routing voice and digital interactions, with AI self-service, analytics and workforce tools. Its listed entry plan is $119 per concurrent user monthly, with a 50-seat minimum. RingCentral’s Core is $20 per user monthly with annual billing ($30 month-to-month) and includes HD meetings for up to 300 participants. Pick Five9 for contact-center operations; pick RingCentral Video for meetings and events. RingCentral video-only pricing is unclear.
01Side by side
| Five9 | RingCentral Video | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $119/concurrent user/month; 50-seat minimum | $20/user/month annually; $30 monthly |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Omnichannel contact center operations | Video meetings, webinars, events, and town halls |
| Core strength | Routing, AI self-service, analytics, workforce management | AI-powered meetings and event formats |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use score: 6/10 | Ease-of-use score: 6/10 |
| Integrations/data | Connected systems, interaction analytics, number-health metrics | CRM integrations; bundle includes multi-level insights |
| Team/seat costs | 50-seat minimum; billed per concurrent user | Per user; minimum not published |
| Support | 24/7 support listed | Support terms not published |
Five9 Choose Five9 if
- Choose Five9 if you need omnichannel contact-center routing.
- Choose Five9 if AI self-service and live-agent handoffs matter.
- Choose Five9 if you can meet its 50-seat minimum.
RingCentral Video Choose RingCentral Video if
- Choose RingCentral Video if you need video meetings for work.
- Choose RingCentral Video if webinars or events are part of your mix.
- Choose RingCentral Video if annual Core pricing fits your team.
02Pricing compared
Five9 starts at $119 per concurrent user per month, according to its pricing page, and has a 50-seat minimum. That puts the listed minimum at $5,950 per month before usage charges, calculated from the per-seat price. Digital includes digital channels and 3,000 AI minutes per bundled seat; Core is $159 per concurrent user monthly and adds all channels with essential AI. Annual prices and rates for extra AI or SMS usage are not published.
RingCentral Core is $20 per user monthly with annual billing, or $30 month-to-month. It includes HD meetings for up to 300 participants, alongside domestic calling and chat. Advanced is $25 annually or $35 monthly; Ultra is $35 annually or $45 monthly and includes RingCentral Webinar. RingCentral video-only pricing is not published, so Core is a broader communications-plan comparison, not a standalone video quote.
03Features and depth
Five9 is built for contact-center operations: it routes inbound and outbound voice, chat, SMS, email, WhatsApp and video interactions, and can pass context from AI self-service to live agents. Its feature set also includes interaction analytics, forecasting, workforce scheduling and number-health metrics. The plans differ in channel and AI scope: Digital is digital-only, Core includes all channels with essential AI, and higher tiers list advanced AI and workforce engagement management (WEM). Five9 includes 3,000 AI minutes per bundled seat, with possible charges beyond that.
RingCentral Video is positioned around meetings and events, not customer-interaction routing. Its AI Meetings lineup includes meetings, Town Halls, Rooms, Webinars and Events. Core meetings support up to 300 participants; Ultra includes RingCentral Webinar and unlimited storage. RingCentral’s AI Customer Engagement Bundle adds voice, SMS and AI products, but its price is not published. The practical split: Five9 manages customer-service interactions; RingCentral Video supports workplace meetings and event formats.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The published review summaries give both products an ease-of-use score of 6/10, but they do not explain the scoring or provide setup details. We would not treat that as evidence that either one is easier to deploy.
The scope points to different learning curves: Five9 covers routing, AI handoffs, analytics and workforce tools, while RingCentral Video centers on meetings and events. That suggests more contact-center configuration for Five9, not a verified setup-time comparison. Five9’s 50-seat minimum is also a substantial buying commitment. Its review summary flags reliability concerns in user reports; RingCentral Video’s user feedback is described as unclear.
Questions people ask
Are Five9 and RingCentral Video direct substitutes?
No. Five9 is contact-center software for routing customer interactions and managing AI, analytics and workforce operations. RingCentral Video is for meetings and events. RingCentral’s broader plans include calling and chat, but its video-only price is not published.
Which costs less?
RingCentral Core has the lower listed starting price: $20 per user monthly with annual billing, or $30 month-to-month. Five9 Digital is $119 per concurrent user monthly with a 50-seat minimum. The plans cover different jobs, so the lower price does not make them equivalent.
Does Five9 include video meetings?
Five9 lists video among its customer-engagement channels, but the published materials do not describe it as a workplace video-meeting product. RingCentral Video specifically lists AI-powered meetings, Town Halls, Rooms, Webinars and Events.
Can RingCentral Video replace a contact center?
Not on the information available for RingCentral Video. RingCentral separately lists RingCX AI Contact Center as an add-on starting at $65 per user, with the billing period not stated. Check its scope and quote before comparing it with Five9.