The RingCentral alternative, without the heavy suite or the add-on AI.
RingCentral is a full UCaaS suite (phone + video + more), billed per seat, with AI as an add-on (RingSense ~$60 USD/user) and an SMS quota. Relay does one thing simply, flat-priced per team, with AI via BYOK.
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A team of 10: RingCentral vs Relay
With RingCentral: ~$30 USD/seat (≈ $300 USD for 10), a 25-text/user quota then overage, and AI as a paid add-on (RingSense ~$60 USD/user).
With Relay: $57/mo for a team of 10, SMS at cost with no quota, AI with your own key.
Software only, team of 10. Relay Business = 8 seats included + 2 (= $57). Competitor billed per seat. Add your telecom at cost (Twilio, SignalWire or Telnyx). Public-pricing estimates 2026 — re-verify.
What Relay does differently.
Per-team base
No per-seat price that climbs with every hire. A $17–97 base that already includes your seats.
SMS without a quota
RingCentral caps at ~25 texts/user then overcharges. With your Twilio, your texts are at cost, no trap cap.
AI without a paid add-on
Their AI (RingSense) is a paid per-user add-on. At Relay: your OpenAI/Claude key, your real usage, a few dollars.
Light, not a suite to learn
No video, no 40 modules. The dialer and texts front and center, the rest discreet.
Switching takes 5 minutes.
Connect your Twilio
Paste your SID and Auth Token — AES-256 encrypted, never in clear.
Keep or get your number
Keep an existing number on your account, or buy one in two clicks.
Call and text
From your browser, in 5 minutes. Your team shares the number.
Relay isn’t for everyone.
Stay with RingCentral if…
- You need a unified suite (video, contact center, large fleet).
- Your organization is large and highly structured.
Choose Relay if…
- You just want to call and text, without paying for the whole platform.
- The SMS quota and the paid AI add-on cost you a lot.
- You prefer flat per-team pricing and your own Twilio.