The entire world has gone remote in the past year and a half and that means quite a few changes in the way we live and work. For those of us who work remotely, it means that communicating is vastly different. One way that you can improve your remote communication is through VoIP software. One such tool is Callfire, a fairly popular provider in this space.
However, you may not be happy with Callfire and its offering and you may be looking into Callfire alternatives. Today, we’ll show you what Callfire is all about and what other providers in the market provide a similar or better service, feature and pricing.
What is Callfire?
Founded in 2004, Callfire is one of the oldest call center software providers. It’s a cloud call center software with a range of different features to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes. From a basic call center for startups needing something for customer support all the way to their own API built for enterprise customers.
Here are some of the standout features offered by this cloud-based provider.
- call tracking and call routing
- auto attendant
- outbound campaign management
- detailed analytics and reports
- developer API
- IVR
- text messages
- voice broadcasting
Overall, it presents a solid offer for businesses of various sizes, with some commonly offered features but also some rarer ones such as voice broadcasting and a developer API for more technically advanced customers. Voice broadcasting in particular will be of interest to business owners who want to simplify and automate their outreach and messaging.
Although it has a well-rounded set of features, the pricing is the one thing that may put off many potential customers from this call center software solution.
Callfire pricing
This VoIP provider has a very interesting pricing setup. Instead of paying per user per month like most providers offer, Callfire has pricing according to plans. For example, their cheapest plan, Lite, costs $99 per month and gives you unlimited users and 2,500 minutes of talking and 2,500 text messages.
The catch here is that the number of users is unlimited, which is bound to attract customers. However, as any call center manager and business owner know, 2,500 minutes is really not a lot. If you make a lot of calls, whether inbound or outbound, you’ll find yourself running out of those minutes within days.
Within this plan, you can also get phone numbers for $2.50 per number. If you’re keen on paying only for what you use, Callfire has this option too, where you pay 6 cents per minute or text that you send.
There is a free trial available if you want to give it a spin before committing to a paid plan.
If you’re looking for a plan with unlimited minutes but a limited number of users in your call center, this may not be the best solution for you. The pay-as-you-go option is neat too, but once again, other contact center competitors offer more affordable plans.
The best Callfire alternatives
In case you like Callfire but you’re not convinced about its offer, features or pricing, there are plenty of alternatives that you can look into. Here are some of our favorites.
Ringblaze
Launched fairly recently in comparison to Callfire, this VoIP provider has everything you need to get started with making and taking calls as soon as you sign up. Geared towards small businesses and startups, Ringblaze makes it easy to take and make calls as well as collaborate with your team, no matter where they are.
It literally takes 15 minutes to get started and you can choose from your pick of local, toll-free or vanity numbers. One feature that remote teams will love is the shared callbox, where you get to see all of the call activity happening in your call center. That way, you can get a birds’ eye view of the situation at a glance.
Besides being able to make outbound calls, Ringblaze is superb for inbound ones too. Customers can get in touch with you using one of your selected numbers or by using a call widget. This Ringblaze feature embeds straight to your website, allowing customers to get in touch with you with one click, improving your customer satisfaction one click at a time.
Ringblaze pricing
This Callfire alternative has very simple and straightforward pricing. There is just one plan, priced at $15 per user per month (or $19 if you pay monthly). This gets you access to unlimited calling in the USA and Canada and a free local number, plus all the features that come with Ringblaze out of the box. You can also buy a number of 220+ countries and territories and add it to your account! There is a free trial available as well.
This contact center app is ideal for smaller teams that work remotely and want a great way to get in touch with their customers, all at an affordable monthly price.
RingCentral
One of the biggest names in the VoIP business, RingCentral is a call center software that has been around for a good while. It is loved and used by more than 400,000 businesses all over the world. It packs numerous features for big and small companies, making it one of the handy Callfire alternatives.
Some of its main features include unlimited calls in the USA and Canada, business SMS, call recording, auto attendants, online faxing and audio conferencing and more. Similarly to Ringblaze, it also has an online setting where your team members can exchange messages and share files.
If you’re looking for a solution to replace Zoom all in one go, it also has video meetings which are available even in the most affordable plan.
RingCentral pricing
RingCentral’s main business offering in 2024 is called MVP and you can try it out for free for up to 5 users and two phones and 50 minutes of calls per user. Not a lot, but just enough to get a taste. Paid plans start at $19 per user per month, getting you unlimited calls in the USA and Canada, as well as business phone numbers.
However, all the great features such as call barging, call whispering and an auto attendant come in pricier plans at $27 per month and up. Couple that with the fact that this contact center provider has a reputation for unreliable customer service, and it’s unclear whether this is such a great alternative to CallFire.
Google Voice
If you’re just getting into the world of making calls online, you may already be familiar with Google Voice. This Callfire alternative is used both by individuals and businesses who want unlimited calling in the USA through a simple-to-use app.
It has some VoIP features, but it’s a fairly short list compared to most other providers. Besides making calls, you can also use business SMS, have voice-to-text transcription, voicemail greetings and even an auto attendant.
One major benefit of Voice is that it integrates well into the existing Google toolset so getting started is a breeze. However, there are downsides too.
Features are solid for beginners but if you want to handle a proper contact center, you’ll find Google Voice inadequate. One of the biggest downsides is the fact that you can only get one business phone number per user. Also, there is the fact that for customer support you have to get in touch with Google, which is next to impossible.
Google Voice pricing
It’s also fairly cheap at $10 per user per month, making it more affordable than Callfire – depending on the number of users. However, its limited set of features and the lack of proper customer support make it a poor choice for anyone other than solopreneurs who want a way to make calls online.
See also how Google Voice compares to Dialpad.
Phoneburner
If you’re all about making outbound calls rather than handling inbound ones through your call center, Phoneburner might be your tool of choice. This cloud-based app is focused on making it easier for your sales agents to go through their lists and dial the maximum number of customers in a given time.
It allows your agents to dial as many as 80 customers in a single hour thanks to its smart power dialer. You can leave messages with one click of a button and you don’t have to waste seconds per call waiting to get to the answering machine.
The workflow automation can save you hours and if you’re willing to save even more time, Phoneburner comes with its own CRM. Some other features include local ID, business SMS, detailed analytics and reporting, voicemail for all your numbers and more.
PhoneBurner pricing
One area where Callfire really puts Phoneburner to shame is the pricing. The basic Phoneburner account will set you back $149 per user per month, giving you access to all of its features and unlimited minutes to dial as well as 30 days of recorded calls. You also get access to a free trial if you want to just take it for a spin.
While it’s a great outbound tool, Phoneburner is hardly a call center competitor to Callfire and as such, we’d recommend using something else from this list.
Conclusion
CallFire offers a comprehensive business phone solution for companies of all sizes. While the features and the quality of service are there, the strange pricing structure may be enough to sway you to some of the alternatives mentioned above.
If you’re ready to improve your customer support and outbound sales efforts as well as your internal team collaboration, give Ringblaze a try today!
It’s completely free to try and we guarantee that both your customers and your team will love it.
