VoIP 
If you’re having difficulty deciding whether Nextiva or 8×8 will provide the best full-service business VoIP communications for your company, you’re in the right place.
Although Nextiva and 8×8 provide comparable products, the comparison isn’t always apples to apples. While the products are similar in many ways, each provider has unique strengths in cloud communications.
Our guide compares the platforms to enable you to make the right decision for your business. While we believe Nextiva is superior in multiple ways, there are a few reasons why 8×8 could meet your business’s needs.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 VoIP Comparison Table
| Features | Nextiva | 8×8 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | Starts at $20 to $60 per user per month | Starts at $15 to $44 per user per month |
| Overall Customer Ratings (Gartner) | 4.5 out of 5623 reviews | 4.4 out of 5287 reviews |
| Customer Support Ratings (Gartner) | 4.6 out of 5623 reviews | 4.2 out of 5285 reviews |
| U.S. Presence | Eight data centers in the U.S. | Three data centers in the U.S. |
| Live Customer Support | Live support included with every Nextiva plan | 8×8 Express isn’t eligible for live-assisted support |
The side-by-side comparison shows that Nextiva typically outperforms 8×8’s VoIP system in terms of overall customer ratings (including support ratings), U.S. data center presence, and live support.
Nextiva’s Professional plan also offers unlimited participants on voice and video conferencing, while 8×8’s X4 plan has a cap of 500 participants.
8×8’s starting cost is slightly lower than Nextiva’s, costing $15 per user per month instead of $20.
If you’re prioritizing cost above all else, this may be a reason to select 8×8. However, note that this can potentially result in the loss of features or support.
Nextiva’s upgraded plans cost less than its 8×8 equivalents, so if you plan to upgrade down the road, you’ll want to factor that in.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 VoIP Product Features & Pricing
Both Nextiva and 8×8 ultimately offer similar business communication features at comparable prices. There are, however, a few areas where one service may outperform the other, so let’s review each platform’s product features and pricing.
Nextiva plans, pricing, and features
Nextiva has multiple pricing plans that offer something for every business and every budget.
Our Core plan, for example, starts at $30 per month and includes the following key features:
- Unlimited calling for voice and video within the U.S. and Canada
- Unlimited audio conferencing and video meetings
- Competitive international calling rates
- Voicemail with AI transcription
- Smart call routing (Simple IVR)
- 24/7 customer support
- Notes on contacts and calls
- Desktop apps and mobile apps for both iOS and Android cell phones
Our Power Suite plan costs $60 per user per month, and includes these additional features:
- Inbound sales and service call center
- Toll-free number and 10,000 toll-free minutes
- Voicemail transcription
- Unlimited SMS
- Internet Fax
- Single sign-on
- Call recording and video meeting recording
- Microsoft Teams integration
Nextiva is a unified communications platform, using a single system for voice phone calls, video calls, and team messaging with your favorite integrations in one place.
This gives companies more internal and external control over their business communications, which they can manage through their desktops or mobile devices with dedicated apps.
8×8 plans, pricing & features
8×8 has many features that are similar to Nextiva, though you need to get into its higher-cost pricing plans to take advantage of most of the functionality.
The base plan costs only $15 a month, but this x1 plan isn’t even advertised on its site, and it packs very few features.
The x2 plan includes features like the following:
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited voice calling to 14 countries (this increases to 48 countries with its x4 plan)
- HD video and audio conferencing
- SMS, MMS, and team chat
- Microsoft Teams integration
Reporting and analytics features aren’t available until the x6 plan, and speech and text analytics are only available with the x8 plan.
8×8 does have better international calling capabilities and pricing. While its initial base plan costs less than Nextiva, it lacks features at that price point.
Finally, 8×8 doesn’t openly share pricing information on its site; you need to contact its sales team to get a quote. This may make it more difficult to assess which plan is right for you.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 Analytics
The 8×8 single platform offers clear, aggregated analytics throughout its cloud communications, allowing you to concentrate on what the data means to your workforce.
Its analytics are effective and can allow businesses to concentrate on critical voice data.
Nextiva has a built-in business intelligence tool to help you make faster, better business decisions, uncover hidden insights, and improve employee performance — no tech wizardry required.
The Nextiva platform features a voice analytics tool that gives you a real-time overview of all of your contact center’s activities, ranging from call performance metrics to customer conversation and sentiment analysis.
Nextiva’s analytics also excel in the following areas:
- Interactive maps and graphs: See complex data in easy-to-understand formats to gain actionable insight.
- Ease of use: Even for users with no prior experience with analytics tools, the platform features a user-friendly interface and pre-built reports, making it easy to begin.
- Depth of insights: Provides a wide range of insights into your business communications, including call volume, duration, customer satisfaction, and agent performance.
- Real-time reporting: Tracks your performance and identifies any potential problems immediately.
- Voice analytics: Includes a voice analytics tool to analyze customer conversations and identify trends and patterns.
- Gamified analytics: Includes leaderboards and multiple themes, showing how many calls each agent has completed and using real-time tracking, including average talk time, total talk time, inbound calls, and more. The overall user experience is much better with Nextiva.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 Screen Pops
When businesses receive incoming calls through their VoIP services, agents may see a screen with customer data like their name, contact information, and purchase history. This is called a “screen pop” or a “call pop,” which is a common business phone and call center feature.
Nextiva and 8×8 both offer screen pop features.
Nextiva Call Pops are customizable, allowing you to choose the caller information that you want to display and where you want it to appear on the screen.
Call Pop also allows you to:
- Preview voicemail messages without having to pick up the call.
- Transfer calls to other call center users without having to hang up.
- Place calls on hold from the call pop.
- Send text messages to the caller from the call pop.
8×8 pops are simpler than Nextiva’s but are still effective. They show a caller’s name and number, along with a button that you can click to answer the call. They don’t have the same kind of customization, but they get the job done.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 Performance
Performance — which includes reliability, call quality, and uptime — should always be an important part of the decision-making process.
Both Nextiva and 8×8 consistently deliver reliable VoIP performance, with uptime SLAs of around 99.999%.
Nevertheless, there have been some reports of dropped phone calls on 8×8, especially when those calls were made over Wi-Fi.
One review on GetApp claimed that the platform was difficult to set up and that even when they were up and running, “immediately [they] noticed the call quality was poor and unreliable.”
Multiple reviews cited specific concerns regarding Wi-Fi calls.
Nextiva’s customers, however, generally praise their call quality and technical support.
Jay H., one of Nextiva’s customers, said that they were glad they had switched to Nextiva from another provider, claiming that “The support has been stellar, and the quality of our calls is significantly improved.”
When reading reviews, make sure you see reviews discussing call quality for both inbound and outbound calls. Some services may struggle with dropped calls for one but not the other.
Nextiva vs. 8×8 Support
Support is another critical consideration; you don’t want to be unable to get help with your business phone system when you need it.
Many customers have reported issues with the 8×8 support team. Concerns have ranged from difficulty reaching the support team to agents that lack the necessary expertise.
Multiple reviews stated that they didn’t receive proper support. In some cases, customers said they could only get help from an account manager but were unsure of whom to contact, especially if their account manager changed regularly.
Nextiva prides itself on outstanding customer support that is available 24/7 with multiple support options. We only hire qualified and expert agents who can resolve any customer concerns ranging from sales questions to technical problems, and more.
Many online reviews for Nextiva describe strong customer experiences, beginning with the sales team and continuing on through their entire lifecycles.
8×8 vs. Nextiva Setup and Usability
Setup is important, especially when you need to switch technology and onboard an entire team. Ongoing usability, however, is also essential.
8×8 offers a self-service setup process. While there are resources to get users started — including video tutorials and documentation — the process can be complex, especially for large businesses.
8×8 does have paid installation services for businesses struggling to set up their systems.
And while the 8×8 user interface is objectively well-designed with easy navigation, the dashboard can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of options available. Training resources are available, but depending on the size of your team, the learning curve may be steep.
Nextiva’s setup process is both straightforward and user-friendly. Most users are able to quickly get up and running. Nextiva assigns a dedicated account manager to each customer who can help with setup and configuration when there are questions.
This ease of use continues on through our overall usability. The user interface is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. And while we do offer expansive features and customization options, they’re presented in a way that’s easy to navigate, understand, and use.
Which VoIP Provider Is Right for You?
Choosing a VoIP service can seem to be overwhelming, but having a side-by-side comparison makes the process easier.
Ultimately, the right choice will depend on the needs of your business.
Nextiva is best for you if:
You want a provider that puts effective call management ahead of other functionalities.
You should also choose Nextiva if you:
- Want to get the most value for your money.
- Prefer native functionality, including for collaboration features.
- Plan to scale (or hope to scale) in the future.
- Want video communication services.
8×8 is good for you if:
Your business caters to worldwide markets, and you need a partner that will help you expand internationally. Targeting new regions could be easier with its extensive analytics and unlimited calling to 48 countries.
So, which one should you choose?
Nextiva offers a broader range of features than 8×8, including unlimited video conferencing, call forwarding, and voicemail transcription.
And while 8×8’s pricing seems lower at first glance, that’s only true for its base plan, which is light on features.
Long-term scalability and growth would most likely require more advanced features, even for small business VoIP systems, which would ultimately make Nextiva more cost-effective. Nextiva’s pricing is also more transparent, making it easier for you to plan ahead.
Finally, Nextiva has a long-standing reputation for high reliability and outstanding customer service. Those are two qualities you can’t afford to overlook when choosing business phone services.
Nevertheless, the best VoIP services for your business ultimately depend on your budget, your specific business needs, and which platform features are most important to you.
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