Aircall Pricing: Breakdown of Plans, Costs, and Hidden Fees

If you know anything about VoIP solutions, you’ve probably heard of Aircall. It’s an advanced calling platform trusted by over 15,000 clients to speed up sales processes, improve communication with prospects, and close more deals.

But how does it compare in terms of cost and value? Is it the best fit for your team, or are there better options?

In this article, we’ll uncover Aircall’s pricing structure and explore if it’s the right choice for your business.

Key takeaways:

• Aircall’s plans range from $30 to custom quote-based options. Its pricing is based on a per-license model, meaning you might pay for licenses some team members don’t need. Therefore, it’s a better choice for medium to large businesses.
• Essential features such as AI-powered tools, advanced analytics, and international calls are only available as paid add-ons. They can inflate the platform’s price, making it more expensive than competitors. For example, Cloudtalk offers similar or even superior features at a lower starting price and a more flexible per-user pricing model.
• Aircall offers good integrations and features like call routing and monitoring, but some users have reported call quality issues and customer support delays.

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Aircall Plans and Pricing Explained

Aircall charges per license, meaning the cost is based on phone lines, not individual users. This can be less affordable than per-user pricing, where you only pay for what you need. With the license model, you might have to buy more licenses than you use.

Here is a summary of the key features of each plan, their pricing, and the type of business each plan is best for:

Aspect/Feature Included

Essential

Professional

Custom

Price

$30 /license/month, billed annually.

$50 /license/month, billed annually.

Quote-based plan.

Smart Routing

Queue Callback

Call Monitoring

Mandatory Tagging

Advanced Analytics

Only as an add-on.

Only as an add-on.

Only as an add-on.

Voicemail

AI Features

Only as an add-on.

Only as an add-on.

Only as an add-on.

Ideal For

SMBs.

Mid–size businesses and growing teams.

Large enterprises.

A minimum of 3 licenses is required for the Essentials and Professional plan and 25 for the Custom plan.

Also, if you’d like to test before buying, Aircall offers a 7-day free trial. However, it isn’t easy to find on the website. In addition, nonprofits can get a 50% discount on annual plans.

And now, let’s take a closer look at each pricing plan.

Essentials Plan

Aircall’s Essentials Plan is a solution for smaller teams looking for basic call center features. It costs $40/license per month when billed monthly and $30/license per month when billed annually.

Although it’s made for small teams, keep in mind the add-ons and additional charges, such as access to call recordings and analytics.

Professional Plan

The Professional Plan from Aircall is designed for growing teams that need more advanced features. However, it might be expensive if you’re in the early stages of growth and need an affordable option. Paying monthly will cost you $70 per license, but it’s $50 if billed annually.

Custom Plan

The Aircall Custom Plan is a good choice for large teams and enterprises that need tailored solutions with premium features and support. It is a quote-based plan, so you’ll need to contact the sales team to know the amount you’ll pay. Remember that it requires a minimum of 25 licenses, so if your team is smaller, you won’t be able to get this customized plan.

CloudTalk vs. Aircall: Which Offers the Best Pricing?

CloudTalk vs. Aircall: A Breakdown of Plans

CloudTalk offers four pricing plans, each with its own set of features:

1. Starter ($25/user per month): It is similar to Aircall’s Essentials Plan but more affordable. It includes basic features suited for small businesses just starting out.
2. Essential Plan ($30/user per month): This plan is designed for SMBs and growing teams. At the same price point, it offers more advanced features than Aircall, such as advanced analytics with unlimited history.
3. Expert ($50/user per month): This plan is ideal for teams that require more robust tools, such as WhatsApp integration for both inbound and outbound messages—a feature Aircall doesn’t offer.
4. Custom Plan (price varies): This personalized plan is designed for larger teams with specific needs. It includes features like custom onboarding, unlimited outbound calls with flat rates, enterprise-level security, developer support, and custom reporting tailored to your business requirements.

One key advantage of CloudTalk is that it charges per user rather than per license, like Aircall. This model lets you pay only for the actual number of users on your team, making it a more cost-effective solution.

CloudTalk is more flexible in terms of the minimum number of users required:

• For the Starter and Essential plans, you only need a minimum of 1 user;
• For the Expert plan, the minimum is 3.
• For the Custom plan, the requirement increases only to 10 users. Aircall requires a minimum of 25 users.

Now let’s take a broad comparison of the Aircall and CloudTalk plans:

Key Insights

In summary, here’s how we can compare the features of CloudTalk and Aircall:

• 24/7 Live Support: While Cloudtalk offers 24/7 live human support from the Essential plan, Aircall only provides 24/5 chat support.
• Voicemail Drop: Cloudtalk provides the Voicemail Drop feature in all plans, starting from the Essential plan, whereas Aircall only includes it in the Professional plan.
• Call Flow Designer: Unlike Aircall, which restricts the Call Flow Designer to the Professional plan, Cloudtalk offers it in all plans from the Essential level.
• International Numbers: Cloudtalk provides international numbers in over 160 countries across all plans, compared to Aircall, which covers over 100 countries.

Here’s what some customers say when comparing Cloudtalk with Aircall:

Aircall’s Hidden Fees: What You Need to Know

We’ve mentioned some add-ons and extra costs not included in the basic plans. Here’s the full list of unexpected charges that you should consider:

• Additional numbers: All plans include only one phone number (local or toll-free). Additional numbers cost $6 per number per month.
• Limited storage: The Essentials plan from Aircall only offers one year of call recording storage. For unlimited storage, you need to upgrade to the Professional plan ($50 per license per month).
• Advanced Analytics: To get unlimited history and advanced filters, you must pay $15 per license monthly or choose the custom plan, requiring at least 25 users.
• International calls: Unlimited worldwide calls are only included in the Custom Plan, and even then, it states that additional international calling bundles are available.
• SMS limits: After reaching 4,000 outgoing messages per user per month, Aircall will charge for each additional message.
• AI-powered features: AI functionalities like call summaries and Sentiment Analysis are only available as an add-on starting at $9/license.

The Pros and Cons of Using Aircall for Your Business

After taking a closer look at Aircall’s plan pricing, let’s examine the pros and cons based on users’ feedback:

Pros

• Set it up easily: Users report configuring Aircall is straightforward and doesn’t require extensive hardware installation. 
• Monitor and analyze quickly: Aircall’s Call Monitoring feature lets managers train staff and improve sales techniques. However, remember that the most advanced analytics are only available as add-ons.
• Integrate seamlessly: Aircall connects effortlessly with over 100 applications, including popular CRM and helpdesk tools like Zendesk and HubSpot. 
• Leverage advanced call features: Features like call routing, voicemail transcription, and call recording make communication smoother and improve customer interactions.

 Cons

• Expect higher costs: Aircall’s basic plan starts at $30 per license per month, which is already more expensive than more sophisticated plans from other providers. Moreover, you’ll need to pay extra for advanced features through add-ons.
• Deal with inconsistent call quality: Users have reported echoes, disconnections, and audio latency issues. 
• Face customer service challenges: Some users have complained about Aircall’s customer support, mentioning slow responses and insufficient help with problems.
• Tackle mobile app glitches: Some users have reported that the mobile app has technical problems, such as not notifying them of incoming calls and experiencing glitches that affect its functionality.

CloudTalk Beats Aircall: A Clear Winner on Price

In summary, Aircall offers robust integrations and features for medium to large businesses, but its per-license pricing and paid add-ons can make it expensive. Some users have reported call quality and support issues, making alternatives like CloudTalk potentially more cost-effective.

On the contrary, CloudTalk’s pricing is flexible and affordable. It charges per user rather than per license, so you only pay for what you need. Therefore, it’s ideal for SMBs looking to grow.

It also includes more advanced features in its lower-tier plans, giving you more value. With international numbers available in over 160 countries (compared to Aircall’s 100+), CloudTalk is an excellent option for businesses with global ambitions.

Thanks to its global partnerships with telecom operators, you can trust CloudTalk’s call quality, ensuring stronger connections and optimal call routes.

Ready to make the switch? Try CloudTalk and see the difference for yourself.