Vendor comparison
RingCentral AI Receptionist vs Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: which big-brand AI receptionist fits?
Picks and order are never sold. Paid placements are always labelled Sponsored.
RingCentral AI Receptionist
- $49/mo
- Free trial, 14 days
Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist
- $29.99/mo
- Trial with conditions (not free)
- Not published
Last updated: 18 October 2026. RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) and Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist are the AI receptionists from two of the largest business phone companies. Both sell a standalone plan that works with any phone system, both sell a cheaper path for customers already on their own phone platform, and both start with 100 minutes a month. They differ on how overage and bundles are billed, how easy the trial is to get, and which tools they connect to. Vendor pages rechecked 15 Oct 2026.
Verdict
Pick Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist if you want the lowest standalone entry of the two in our data ($29.99/mo, monthly figure not confirmed on Zoom's own page), or you already run Zoom Phone and want AI answering billed per minute on top. Zoom lists English, Spanish and 10+ other languages, transfer and dial by name, and calendar booking with Google, Microsoft, Zoom Scheduler and Calendly. Its free trial is limited to existing Zoom Phone customers on its retail page, so newcomers may need to buy to test.
Pick RingCentral AI Receptionist if you want a clear 14-day free trial on both its standalone plan and its RingEX add-on, a published per-minute overage rate billed in 30-second increments, and CRM updates to Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho. Its entry plan in our data: $49/mo. RingEX customers pay less for the add-on, and RingCentral publishes a demo line you can call.
Side-by-side
| Field | RingCentral AI Receptionist | Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| Website | ringcentral.com | zoom.com |
| What it does | RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR) answers calls 24/7 without a phone tree, routes callers, sends texts and books appointments, and works with any phone system. | Zoom's AI receptionist that greets callers, answers common questions, books appointments and routes important calls, available standalone on any phone system or as a Zoom Phone add-on. |
| Starting price | $49/mo | $29.99/mo |
| Pricing model | Usage plus base | Usage plus base |
| Included on entry plan | 100 min | 100 min |
| Overage (entry plan) | $0.50 per extra minute, billed in 30-second increments | Not published |
| Setup fee | Not published | Not published |
| Published pricing | Standalone $49/mo with 100 minutes; RingEX add-on $39/mo with 100 minutes (plus RingEX plan). $0.50 per extra minute, billed in 30-second increments | Standalone from $29.99/mo for 100 minutes, or $24.99/mo for 100 minutes billed annually; with Zoom Phone from $0.25/min billed annually plus the cost of Zoom Phone |
| Trial or free plan | Free trial, 14 days | Trial with conditions (not free) |
| Demo line | +1 (844) 587-9247 | Not published |
| Integrations | RingCentral, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho | Zoom Phone |
| Key features | 24/7 natural-language answering; Call routing and handoff with summary; Texts and appointment booking; Multiple languages with mid-call switching; Works with any phone system | 24/7 call answering; Answers FAQs like hours and stock questions; Appointment booking; Routes important calls to staff; Works with existing phone systems (standalone) |
| Industries (our tags) | Small Businesses | Small Businesses, Retail Stores |
| Practice size | Small businesses to enterprises | Small and midsize businesses |
| Listing note | None | None |
| Source | Vendor site (ringcentral.com) | Vendor site (zoom.com) |
| Last checked | 15 Oct 2026 | 15 Oct 2026 |
- What it does
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR) answers calls 24/7 without a phone tree, routes callers, sends texts and books appointments, and works with any phone system.
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Zoom's AI receptionist that greets callers, answers common questions, books appointments and routes important calls, available standalone on any phone system or as a Zoom Phone add-on.
- Starting price
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: $49/mo
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: $29.99/mo
- Pricing model
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Usage plus base
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Usage plus base
- Included on entry plan
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: 100 min
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: 100 min
- Overage (entry plan)
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: $0.50 per extra minute, billed in 30-second increments
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Not published
- Setup fee
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Not published
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Not published
- Published pricing
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Standalone $49/mo with 100 minutes; RingEX add-on $39/mo with 100 minutes (plus RingEX plan). $0.50 per extra minute, billed in 30-second increments
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Standalone from $29.99/mo for 100 minutes, or $24.99/mo for 100 minutes billed annually; with Zoom Phone from $0.25/min billed annually plus the cost of Zoom Phone
- Trial or free plan
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Free trial, 14 days
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Trial with conditions (not free)
- Demo line
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: +1 (844) 587-9247
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Not published
- Integrations
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: RingCentral, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Zoom Phone
- Key features
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: 24/7 natural-language answering; Call routing and handoff with summary; Texts and appointment booking; Multiple languages with mid-call switching; Works with any phone system
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: 24/7 call answering; Answers FAQs like hours and stock questions; Appointment booking; Routes important calls to staff; Works with existing phone systems (standalone)
- Industries (our tags)
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Small Businesses
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Small Businesses, Retail Stores
- Practice size
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Small businesses to enterprises
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Small and midsize businesses
- Listing note
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: None
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: None
- Source
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: Vendor site (ringcentral.com)
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: Vendor site (zoom.com)
- Last checked
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: 15 Oct 2026
- Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist: 15 Oct 2026
Every row comes from our vendor data, refreshed whenever the directory is rebuilt. "Not published" means the vendor does not publish it or we have not recorded it.
Pricing
RingCentral AI Receptionist (ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html, 15 Oct 2026): Standalone $49/mo with 100 minutes; RingEX add-on $39/mo with 100 minutes (plus RingEX plan). $0.50 per extra minute, billed in 30-second increments. Extra minute bundles are also sold. Our record quotes US pricing; RingCentral says Canada pricing is higher, and the product is sold as an add-on only in the UK, Australia and the EU.
Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist (zoom.com, 15 Oct 2026): Standalone from $29.99/mo for 100 minutes, or $24.99/mo for 100 minutes billed annually; with Zoom Phone from $0.25/min billed annually plus the cost of Zoom Phone. Zoom's FAQ quotes the annual standalone price rounded to the nearest dollar. We could not re-read the monthly standalone figure on the feature page on 15 Oct 2026, so treat it as unverified until you see it at checkout.
Both entry plans include 100 minutes, which is a small pool for a busy office. Past that, RingCentral prints its per-minute rate and Zoom sells add-on minutes. Compare the totals at your real monthly minutes, and compare them with small-business specialists such as Upfirst that bill per call, in the cost guide.
Features
- Phone systems: Both standalone plans work with any phone system. Zoom says that includes SIP, analog and cloud phones with no carrier change. RingCentral says the same for its standalone plan.
- Bundles: RingCentral sells AIR as a RingEX add-on. Zoom sells a Zoom Phone plus AI receptionist bundle billed per minute, plus the cost of Zoom Phone.
- Calendars and booking: Zoom lists Google, Microsoft Outlook, Zoom Scheduler and Calendly. RingCentral connects to your calendar to book, reschedule and confirm.
- CRM: RingCentral lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho. Zoom lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Microsoft Dynamics through the Zoom App Marketplace.
- Texting: Both send texts during or after calls. RingCentral says AIR now also answers inbound text messages and can book by text.
- Routing: RingCentral routes by name, department, location, keyword or context and passes a call summary on transfer. Zoom transfers and dials by name and passes context.
- Languages: RingCentral lists multiple languages with mid-call switching. Zoom lists English, Spanish and 10+ other languages with live transcription.
- Setup: Both train from your website and FAQ documents. Zoom sets up through its Virtual Agent wizard or Zoom Phone admin portal.
Setup and trial
RingCentral: Free trial, 14 days, on both the standalone plan and the RingEX add-on. Zoom: Trial with conditions (not free). Zoom's AI receptionist page shows "Start a free trial", but its retail receptionist page says the free trial is available to existing Zoom Phone customers at this time, so confirm before you count on it. More in the free trial guide.
Demo lines: for RingCentral, +1 (844) 587-9247; for Zoom, no public demo line in our data. Both vendors' own sites host recorded sample calls you can play.
Best fit by business type
| Need | Lean RingCentral | Lean Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Already on that vendor's phones | RingEX add-on | Zoom Phone bundle |
| Small businesses testing before buying | 14-day free trial on both plans | Trial may require Zoom Phone |
| Retail store questions | General SMB fit | Retail page and stock or hours FAQs |
| Salesforce or HubSpot shops | Native CRM updates, plus Zoho | Via Zoom App Marketplace, plus Dynamics |
| Medical offices | Not a tag in our data | Not a tag in our data; check compliance terms |
- Already on that vendor's phones
- Lean RingCentral: RingEX add-on
- Lean Zoom: Zoom Phone bundle
- Small businesses testing before buying
- Lean RingCentral: 14-day free trial on both plans
- Lean Zoom: Trial may require Zoom Phone
- Retail store questions
- Lean RingCentral: General SMB fit
- Lean Zoom: Retail page and stock or hours FAQs
- Salesforce or HubSpot shops
- Lean RingCentral: Native CRM updates, plus Zoho
- Lean Zoom: Via Zoom App Marketplace, plus Dynamics
- Medical offices
- Lean RingCentral: Not a tag in our data
- Lean Zoom: Not a tag in our data; check compliance terms
How to choose in one minute
- If you already pay for RingEX or Zoom Phone, price that vendor's add-on first.
- If you are on another phone system, compare the two standalone plans at your real monthly minutes, including RingCentral's overage and Zoom's add-on minutes.
- Call RingCentral's demo line (+1 (844) 587-9247) and start its free trial. For Zoom, confirm at signup whether the trial applies to you.
- Run the same booking and transfer test on both, and check that your calendar and CRM are on the vendor's list.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, RingCentral or Zoom AI receptionist?
On standalone entry plans in our data, Zoom. Zoom's entry reads $29.99/mo, a monthly figure we could not confirm on Zoom's own page, so check it at checkout; RingCentral's reads $49/mo. Both include 100 minutes, so the total depends on how far past that you go.
Do I need RingCentral or Zoom phones to use them?
No. Both sell a standalone plan that works with any phone system. Each also sells a bundle for its own phone customers.
Is there a free trial?
RingCentral offers a 14-day free trial on both plans. Zoom's retail page limits its free trial to existing Zoom Phone customers at this time.
What happens when I go over 100 minutes?
RingCentral charges a published per-minute rate, billed in 30-second increments, and sells minute bundles. Zoom sells add-on minutes; check the rate at checkout.
Do they work with Salesforce and HubSpot?
Yes. RingCentral lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho. Zoom lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Microsoft Dynamics through its App Marketplace.
Related pages
- RingCentral AI Receptionist and Zoom Virtual Agent Receptionist
- RingCentral AI Receptionist alternatives
- Rosie vs Upfirst for small-business specialists, all comparisons
- Small businesses, retail
- Best AI receptionist, cost, free trials
- Methodology · submit a correction
Disclosure
Snapshot dated 15 Oct 2026. Re-verify prices on each vendor's site before you buy. AI Front Desk List is independent and is not affiliated with RingCentral or Zoom. Picks and order are never sold. Paid placements are always labelled Sponsored. See Advertise.