8x8 Contact Center vs Five9: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between 8x8 Contact Center and Five9 comes down to understanding what each tool does best. This comparison breaks down the key differences so you can make an informed decision based on your specific needs, not marketing claims.
Bottom line: Five9 wins this matchup. Our overall Call Center pick is Dialpad. Our free Call Center pick is Dialpad. Pick 8x8 Contact Center if you need call center.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
We've tested both tools. Here's who should pick what:
8x8 Contact Center
Cloud contact center with UCaaS
Best for you if:
- • You want industry-leading 99.999% financially backed uptime SLA
- • You want unified UCaaS and CCaaS on a single platform
Five9
Intelligent cloud contact center
Best for you if:
- • You want leverages AI (Five9 Genius AI) for agentic CX, enabling seamless, personalized, and effortless customer experiences
- • You want intelligent cloud contact center
| At a Glance | 8x8 Contact Center | Five9 |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Custom | $119/moDigital |
Best For | Call Center | Customer Support |
Rating | 3.6/5 | 4.1/5 |
Free plan | No | No |
Choose 8x8 Contact Center or Five9?
Choose 8x8 Contact Center if
Cloud contact center with UCaaS
- You want industry-leading 99.999% financially backed uptime SLA
- You want unified UCaaS and CCaaS on a single platform
- Your work is call center-shaped, not customer support-shaped
Choose Five9 if
Intelligent cloud contact center
- You want leverages AI (Five9 Genius AI) for agentic CX, enabling seamless, personalized, and effortless customer experiences
- You want intelligent cloud contact center
- Your work is customer support-shaped, not call center-shaped
| Feature | 8x8 Contact Center | Five9 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Paid | Paid |
| User Rating | ★3.6/5 933 reviews | ★4.1/5 1,109 reviews |
| Categories | Call CenterCustomer Support | Customer SupportAI Agents |
In-Depth Analysis
8x8 Contact Center
Cloud contact center with UCaaS
8x8's pricing for their Contact Center solution, starting at ~$85/user/month, is on the higher end compared to some competitors, especially considering add-ons like Workforce Management and Speech Analytics.
Watch out
Workforce Management is an add-on for Contact Center.
Strengths
- +Industry-leading 99.999% financially backed uptime SLA
- +Unified UCaaS and CCaaS on a single platform
- +Comprehensive AI-powered analytics and quality management
- +Global reach with local numbers in 100+ countries
- +Strong integration ecosystem with major CRM and helpdesk tools
Weaknesses
- -Contact center pricing is quote-based and not transparent
- -Multi-year contracts often required for best pricing
- -Advanced features like WFM and speech analytics are add-on modules
- -Interface can feel complex for smaller teams
- -Onboarding and setup can take weeks for full deployment
Key features
Five9
Intelligent cloud contact center
Five9's pricing, starting at $119/month for Digital and $159/month for Core, is on the higher end for cloud contact center solutions, especially considering the Digital tier lacks voice.
Strengths
- +Leverages AI (Five9 Genius AI) for agentic CX, enabling seamless, personalized, and effortless customer experiences.
- +Offers a highly flexible and scalable platform with five distinct solution packages (Digital, Core, Plus, Pro, Enterprise) to cater to diverse business needs and growth.
- +Provides comprehensive omnichannel support including voice, chat, email, SMS/MMS, and social messaging.
- +Integrates with popular CRM (Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dynamics, Zendesk, Oracle) and UC (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, RingCentral, ATT Office@hand) platforms.
- +Includes robust Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) solutions with options for Five9's own WEM or integration with partners like Verint (VCS) or Calabrio.
Weaknesses
- -Pricing for 'Plus', 'Pro', and 'Enterprise' packages requires direct sales contact, lacking transparent upfront costs for advanced features.
- -Some features, such as WhatsApp integration and additional usage-based pricing for certain functionalities, are noted as coming soon or may incur extra costs.
- -A minimum of 50 seats is required for concurrent user pricing, which might be a barrier for very small businesses.
Key features
Pricing: 8x8 Contact Center vs Five9
| Plan | 8x8 Contact Center | Five9 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | N/A | $119 Digital |
| Tier 2 | N/A | $159 Core |
| Tier 3 | N/A | Custom Plus |
| Tier 4 | N/A | Custom Enterprise |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on 8x8 Contact Center pricing and Five9 pricing.
Who Should Use What?
On a budget?
Both are paid. Compare plans on their websites.
Go with: Five9
Want the highest-rated option?
8x8 Contact Center: 3.6/5 (933 reviews). Five9: 4.1/5 (1,109 reviews).
Go with: Five9
Value user reviews?
8x8 Contact Center: 933 reviews (3.6/5). Five9: 1,109 reviews (4.1/5).
Go with: Five9
3 Questions to Help You Decide
What's your budget?
Both are paid. Pricing won't help you decide here.
What's your use case?
8x8 Contact Center is a call center tool. Five9 is in customer support. Pick the category that matches your needs.
How important are ratings?
Five9 is rated higher: 4.1/5 vs 3.6/5.
Key Takeaways
Five9
- Higher user rating: 4.1/5 vs 3.6/5
- Larger review base (1,109 reviews)
- Our pick for this comparison
8x8 Contact Center
- Better fit for call center
The Bottom Line
Five9 wins this matchup. Our overall Call Center pick is Dialpad. Our free Call Center pick is Dialpad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 8x8 Contact Center or Five9 better?
Five9 is rated in our evaluation. Both are paid.
What are 8x8 Contact Center and Five9 used for?
8x8 Contact Center: Cloud contact center with UCaaS. Five9: Intelligent cloud contact center.
What does 8x8 Contact Center cost vs Five9?
8x8 Contact Center is a paid tool. Five9 is a paid tool. Visit their websites for detailed pricing.