# Best Call Center Software 2026 | Capterra

> Find the top Call Center software of 2026 on Capterra. Based on millions of verified user reviews - compare and filter for whats important to you to find the best tools for your needs.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software

---

# Best Call Center Software

Last updated on April 2, 2026

How to find the right Call Center Software?

Learn more from our team about Call Center Software pricing features and benefits in our Call Center Buyers Guide

Verified Insights

Provider data verified by our Software Research team and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.  
[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

## What is call center software and how do I choose the right one?

Researched by: [Laura Burgess](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/laura-burgess/)and reviewed by: [Shep Hyken](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/shep-hyken-guest-contributor/)

Updated on April 2, 2026

Call center software automates the process of responding to calls within a call center environment. These calls are typically from a company’s current or potential customers and are related to technical support, sales queries, general inquiries, and more.

A wide variety of professionals—including employees in IT and software development, administrative, and customer services—use the software to access call logging, monitoring, routing, recording, and analytics capabilities. 

Most call center software products on the market are priced on a “per month” basis, and a typical entry-level pricing plan is around $16 to $175 per month. Premium and advanced system subscriptions commonly cost about $39 to $329 per month.

If you’re a first-time buyer, start your software search with your budget, number of users, precise use cases, and necessary integrations in mind. Additionally, discuss with stakeholders a list of key questions to ask software providers to determine whether an option fits your needs, such as:

_Can this tool integrate with my current systems?_

_What types of support options does the vendor provide?_

_Does this tool support speech recognition to help manage incoming calls?_

_Does this tool monitor wait time for incoming calls that haven’t been routed?_

_Does this tool offer call scripting to help agents with typical responses for common customer queries?_

_Does this tool use artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline tasks and processes for agents? If so, how?_

For more information consult our [Call Center Buyers Guide](#buyers-guide-content)

Page 1 of 20

Filter (484) Products:

Sort By:

Sponsored

* * *

Plan Type

Free Trial

Popular

85% of professionals opt for a 30-day trial before the software purchase

Other subsciption plans:

Free Version

Monthly Subscription

Annual Subscription

One-Time License

Key Features

All key features

Popular

We have selected the most important and critical features as defined by Capterra user reviews

[AI Copilot](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/721-virtual-assistant/)

[Blended Call Center](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/4148-blended-call-center/)

[Call Logging](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/475-call-logging/)

[Call Monitoring](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3633-call-monitoring/)

[Call Recording](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2761-call-recording/)

[Call Routing](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3876-call-routing/)

[Call Scripting](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/1957-call-scripting/)

[Call Transfer](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/267-call-transfer/)

[Caller ID](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/1670-caller-id/)

[Contact Management](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3-contact-management/)

[CRM](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3364-crm/)

[Dashboard](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3079-dashboard/)

[Generative AI](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2098-ai-content-creation/)

[Inbound Call Center](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2427-inbound-call-center/)

[IVR](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2660-ivr/)

[Outbound Call Center](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/3217-outbound-call-center/)

[Predictive Dialer](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/1050-predictive-dialer/)

[Progressive Dialer](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2483-progressive-dialer/)

[Queue Management](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2044-queue-management/)

[Reporting/Analytics](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/features/2900-reporting-analytics/)

Deployment

Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based

Desktop Mac

Desktop Windows

Desktop Linux

On-Premise Windows

On-Premise Linux

Desktop Chromebook

Mobile Android

Mobile iPhone

Mobile iPad

I'm looking for Call Center Software that is:

[Free](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/s/free/)

Table of Contents

-   [Essential call center software buying information](#essential-call-center-software-buying-information)
-   [What are the most reviewed call center software systems?](#what-are-the-most-reviewed-call-center-software-systems)
-   [What is call center software?](#what-is-call-center-software)
-   [Call center software pricing](#call-center-software-pricing)
-   [Call center software features rated by users](#call-center-software-features-rated-by-users)
-   [Top call center software benefits identified by users](#top-call-center-software-benefits-identified-by-users)
-   [Common challenges of call center software identified by users](#common-challenges-of-call-center-software-identified-by-users)
-   [What is call center software used for?](#what-is-call-center-software-used-for)
-   [Who uses call center software?](#who-uses-call-center-software)
-   [Common call center software integrations](#common-call-center-software-integrations)
-   [Recent trends in call center software](#recent-trends-in-call-center-software)
-   [Learn more about how call center software can help your business](#learn-more-about-how-call-center-software-can-help-your-business)

## Essential call center software buying information

[Call center software](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/) automates the process of responding to calls within a call center environment. These calls are typically from a company’s current or potential customers and are related to technical support, sales queries, general inquiries, and more.

A wide variety of professionals—including employees in IT and software development, administrative, and customer services—use the software to access call logging, monitoring, routing, recording, and analytics capabilities. 

Most call center software products on the market are priced on a “per month” basis, and a typical entry-level pricing plan is around $16 to $175 per month. Premium and advanced system subscriptions commonly cost about $39 to $329 per month.\[[1](#sources)\]

If you’re a first-time buyer, start your software search with your budget, number of users, precise use cases, and necessary integrations in mind. Additionally, discuss with stakeholders a list of key questions to ask software providers to determine whether an option fits your needs, such as:

-   Can this tool integrate with my current systems?
    
-   What types of support options does the vendor provide?
    
-   Does this tool support speech recognition to help manage incoming calls?
    
-   Does this tool monitor wait time for incoming calls that haven’t been routed?
    
-   Does this tool offer call scripting to help agents with typical responses for common customer queries?
    

Shep Hyken,\[[2](#sources)\] a customer service thought leader and consultant for companies of all sizes, [recommends asking call center software vendors for a list of clients](https://www.capterra.com/resources/ai-powered-customer-service/) so you can see some of their features in action.

“I love to try before I buy,” he explains. “The easiest way to do that is to ask a software vendor what brands are using their technology. Then, shop those brands to get a sense of the experience. At that point, you'll know whether it's the customer-focused software you want to buy.”

## What are the most reviewed call center software systems? 

[Capterra Shortlist](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/shortlist/) identifies the top call center software solutions based on a proprietary blend of user ratings and popularity, helping small businesses efficiently find the most effective call center solution for their needs.\[[3](#sources)\] Here are the five most-reviewed products in our Capterra Shortlist for this category:

**Product**

**Overall score**

**Popularity score**

**Ratings score**

[Nextiva](https://www.capterra.com/p/175788/Nextiva/)

100/100

50/50

50/50

[Talkdesk](https://www.capterra.com/p/132852/Talkdesk/)

88/100

42/50

46/50

[GoTo Connect](https://www.capterra.com/p/163604/GoTo-Connect/)

85/100

39/50

46/50

[CallHippo](https://www.capterra.com/p/159578/CallHippo/)

82/100

35/50

47/50

[RingEX](https://www.capterra.com/p/242188/RingCentral-MVP/)

71/100

25/50

46/50

These rankings are determined by combining verified user ratings and publicly available web search popularity data: 

-   **Ratings score:** Relative score of the software based on ratings given by users on Capterra, normalized for number and recency of reviews.
    
-   **Popularity score**: Relative popularity of the software based on web search trends and products’ web presence.
    

## What is call center software? 

[Call center software](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/) automates the process of receiving and responding to phone calls within a call or contact center. It offers features such as automatic call distribution, incoming call routing, interactive voice response (IVR), and call recording and monitoring to enhance callers’ interactions with agents and assist agents in understanding concerns for quicker resolutions.

Call center software tools also provide a reporting and analytics dashboard to analyze performance metrics, including total calls attended, average time per call, abandonment rate, and repeat calls. These insights enable accurate assessment of call center performance to analyze customer-handling strategies and boost customer experience and service. 

Capterra covers 636 call center software products, and we published 4,511 reviews from software users in the past year.\[[4](#sources)\]

## Call center software pricing

Most call center software products on the market are priced on a “per month” basis, and a typical entry-level pricing plan is around $16 to $175 per month. Premium and advanced system subscriptions commonly cost about $39 to $329 per month. 

-   Entry-level systems generally include basic features such as click to dial, SMS/text messages, and call mute.
    
-   Premium or advanced plans usually provide additional features, including IVR, lifetime call records, role-based access control, and AI-enabled capabilities such as chatbots.
    

Hyken says one of the biggest misconceptions buyers have about AI-powered call center software is that it’s too expensive. While that may have been the case “10 years ago,” he says that it’s now “really inexpensive to the point where even the smallest businesses can afford to invest in the technology."

In fact, 47% of call center employees in one of our surveys named cost savings as one of the top benefits of adopting AI-enabled customer service software.\[[5](#sources)\] Our pricing report compares the starting prices and upgrade costs for more than a dozen top-rated call center systems.

First-time buyers should be aware that:

-   Initial setup, integration, training, and data migration are common upfront costs.
    
-   Maintenance and customer support are common recurring costs.
    

Many call center platforms offer [free versions](https://www.capterra.com/call-center-software/s/free/) and trials to allow buyers to get an initial feel for their features. However, there are some limitations to take into account when trialing software for free, such as having access to limited features, making it hard to assess the full functionality of the platform. 

Regardless of these restrictions, trying the software before buying enables users to gain a practical understanding of the user interface and its general performance. Free trials also allow users to verify the compatibility with existing systems, ensuring smooth integration with [CRM](https://www.capterra.com/customer-relationship-management-software/), databases or other tools.

## Call center software features rated by users

All call center software solutions include call center management, computer telephony integration, and automatic call distribution features, and most share a variety of common features such as call monitoring, call recording, and reporting.

### Core call center software features

-   **Call center management:** Manage all call center activities, including call monitoring, recording, answering, and transfers. 90% rate this feature as critical or highly important. 
-   **Automatic call distribution:** Distribute, route, and connect customer calls. 75% of reviewers rate this feature as critical or highly important.
    
-   **IVR:** Read and accept a combination of touch tone keypad selections and voice inputs and provide the appropriate prerecorded voice response.
    

### Highly rated common call center software features

-   **Call logging:** Collect essential phone call data, such as the call origin, destination, and length. 86% of reviewers rate this feature as highly important.
    
-   **Call monitoring:** Listen to live conversations to train agents or assess their performance. 82% rate this feature as highly important.
    
-   **Call recording:** Record phone conversations for quality assurance purposes. 80% of reviewers rate this feature as highly important.
    
-   **Reporting/analytics:** View and track pertinent metrics, such as total calls attended, average handle time, and abandonment rate. 79% rate this feature as highly important.
    
-   **Call routing:** Send calls to a specific queue based on predetermined criteria. 79% of reviewers rate this feature as highly important.
    
-   **Call transfer:** Transfer a live customer call to another agent.
    
-   **Caller ID:** Identify a caller’s number and contact information before answering the phone call.
    
-   **Contact management:** Manage, organize, and store callers' contact information.
    
-   **Queue management:** Monitor wait time and abandonment for incoming requests that have not been routed.
    

## Top call center software benefits identified by users

**Improved customer service:** An inbound call center solution automates data management and collection to eliminate manual errors and save agents time. It also helps create dedicated caller profiles that provide a unified view of historical customer interaction, enabling businesses to offer personalized customer support and services. 

_“As a customer assistant this program helped me in managing clients data easily and quickly. When you have a client on the phone you have to be quick in filling the forms with its data to sell a power or gas contract and record a vocal agreement.”_

–Silvia S., self-employed, arts and crafts

**Facilitates video meetings:** Call center software that enables video meetings simplifies workflow by consolidating communication tools (calls, chats, video, etc.) in one place, and reduces the need to switch between platforms. Built-in scheduling features allow teams to easily organize and initiate video meetings with both clients and coworkers. 

_“From crystal clear voice calls to video conferencing, instant messaging, and screen sharing, we have everything we need to stay connected with clients, partners, and team members.”_

–Ace S., sales channel coordinator, retail

**Aids business growth:** Users say call center software plays a role in improving customer service with faster response times and omnichannel support, streamlining operations by automating repetitive tasks, and providing valuable insights through real-time dashboards and analytics to help with business decisions. 

_“Product has helped tremendously to increase productivity and help our campaign and business grow with the amazing features that comes equipped with the product.”_

–Yogan M., dialler manager, telecommunications

## Common challenges of call center software identified by users

It is not uncommon for prospective software buyers to face some challenges when investing in new technologies. When it comes to implementing effective call center software, user reviews most frequently cite performance issues (e.g., the software lags), lead management and pricing related problems as the most common limitations of using the platform.

For example, without proper tool training, agents may struggle to effectively manage leads, resulting in missed opportunities and inefficient handling of customer inquiries. Some call center software pricing models can be unclear, with hidden fees for things like additional features, integrations or increased volume calls.

Check that the vendor provides thorough training and offers ongoing support to ensure software onboarding. Look for transparent pricing models and fully understand what's included in the plan, including setup fees, additional users, call volume charges, or advanced features.

When talking to call center software vendors, you should ask a few questions to help ensure you don't encounter any of the same issues:

-   How does your software handle large volumes of calls or leads? 
-   How does your software support lead tracking and management? 
-   Can leads be scored, tagged, or prioritized based on behavior or other criteria?
    
-   What happens if we exceed our call volume or user limits? 
-   Are there overage fees, and how are they calculated?
    

Over a third (38%) of software buyers also name security concerns as a top challenge when planning investments in new software.\[[6](#sources)\] This is particularly relevant to call center software, given that call centers are crucial sources of data collection.

"Customers are concerned that companies are able to glean their information as a result of AI data mining technology,” Hyken explains. “We have to do everything we can to make customers feel comfortable, especially as technology changes at an extremely rapid pace.”

Here are some ways to protect customer data in call center software:

Beyond regular system updates that address security vulnerabilities, here are three key steps to include in protecting customer data in call center software:

1.  Data disposal: Establish clear protocols for securely disposing of customer data, such as shredding physical documents and permanently deleting digital records. Ensure that data is erased using methods that prevent recovery, such as multiple overwrites with secure algorithms.
    
2.  [Multi-factor authentication](https://www.capterra.com/multi-factor-authentication-software/) (MFA): Protect data from hackers and prevent internal users from accessing unauthorized information. MFA can also help businesses comply with relevant data protection regulations like the CCPA, HIPAA, the GDPR, and industry standards such as PCI DSS.
    
3.  Security audits: Ensure that security policies are being followed, employees are taking precautions, and there are no vulnerabilities in the network, especially when handling customer’s personal information.
    

“With new technology, there will always be that risk,” emphasizes Hyken. “So we need to be diligent about protecting our customers’ data and making them feel comfortable.”

## What is call center software used for?

Analysis of our extensive call center software reviews highlights the most common use cases:

-   **Enhancing video meetings:** Features such as virtual backgrounds, real-time language translations, screen sharing, and call recording help enhance the quality of video meetings for both reps and clients. Besides the technical benefits, good audio and video quality helps all participants stay connected and increases engagement. 
-   **Managing tickets:** Inbound call center software enables businesses to create tickets, set up automatic responses, and track the ticket status online to simplify customer service processes and provide comprehensive documentation. Additionally, ticket automation features help process more tickets per day, saving businesses both time and costs. 
-   **Managing data:** Data management capabilities allow users to import data, access call history data, and leverage call analytics to get insights to improve training and quality assurance processes. Data management functions are also useful for solving customer issues, as all the required customer data is readily available during calls. 
-   **Supporting agents:** Features such as calling routing, queuing screens, pop-ups, and note-taking make it easier for agents to focus on the conversation they’re having with a customer. AI-powered tools take this support one step further by, for example, predicting what questions customers might ask and suggesting appropriate responses.
    

## Who uses call center software?

Call center software is used by a wide range of organizations across various industries to manage customer communications efficiently. Customer service departments in retail and e-commerce companies use the software to handle customer inquiries, complaints and support related to products, orders or returns, as well as managing customer interactions regarding online orders, shipping and returns. 

Sales and telemarketing teams use call center software for outbound sales calls, lead generation and closing sales deals, and to manage large volumes of outbound calls for marketing campaigns and promotions.

Some of the other key types to organizations and industries to use the software include:

-   **Financial institutions:** Banks, credit card companies and insurance firms use call center software for customer service, managing claims, fraud reporting, and loan inquiries.
    
-   **Healthcare providers:** Hospitals, clinics and insurance companies use the software to handle patient inquiries, schedule appointments, and manage claims.
    
-   **Government agencies:** Public service organizations use the platform to provide assistance for public services, process applications, and answer citizen queries.
    
-   **Travel and hospitality:** Airlines, hotels and travel agencies use call center software to manage bookings, cancellations, customer service, and other travel-related inquiries.
    
-   **Help desks and IT support teams:** In large organizations, call center software is used to manage technical support requests from employees.
    

Any business or organization that manages a significant amount of inbound or outbound communications with customers, clients or stakeholders can benefit from using call center software to aid and improve the customer experience.

While anyone related to the industries above can likely use inbound call center software, notes from our advisor calls over the past 12 months reveal some of the most common kinds of prospects.\[[7](#sources)\]

Common industries to use call center software include those related to insurance, and professional services (at 11% each, respectively), healthcare and medicine (10%) and marketing services (8%). Additionally, the majority (72%) of employees using call center software are found in businesses with one to 49 employees.

## Common call center software integrations

Call center software reviewers usually deem the process of integrating the tool with other solutions as intuitive and easy, highlighting the importance of opting for integration-friendly tools. This avoids disrupting existing processes further down the line as business and software needs evolve.

We analyzed our extensive reviews database and based on that, we determined the three categories that most often integrate with call center software are [CRM](https://www.capterra.com/customer-relationship-management-software/), [live chat](https://www.capterra.com/live-chat-software/) and [help desk](https://www.capterra.com/help-desk-software/) software. 

Based on the conversations our advisors have had with hundreds of prospective call center software buyers, the majority (83%) are looking for an integrated suite only—i.e., a system that doesn’t need to be integrated with other software solutions. 

Integrated suites are favored for incorporating various functionalities in a comprehensive solution, but they usually come at a higher cost or lack some customizability. During software evaluation, confirm that your shortlisted provider offers integration support to ensure seamless data flow between the systems.

## Recent trends in call center software

[Growing adoption of AI-powered call center technology](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-ai-benefits-customer-service-operations/): 53% of U.S. employees who work in call centers are already using customer service software with AI features. According to Hyken, “Organizations that are not on board already are going to be playing catch up.”

Hyken urges hesitant buyers to view AI as a way to support agents, as well as an opportunity for them to hone their soft skills. “The role of AI is to free your employees to focus on higher level issues,” he says. “If it's supporting the agent who's helping the customer, all the agent needs to do is interpret the information, then take that information and communicate it to the customer in a way the customer understands."

**Employee outlook on AI usage in customer service operations is positive:** Despite some of the concerns surrounding customer service technologies, most U.S. employees who work in customer services (61%) believe AI-powered software has positively impacted customers.

The future of AI adoption looks relatively promising, as customer service employees believe that 52% of customer inquiries will be managed exclusively by AI (rather than human agents) within the next five years.

[Increasing investment in third-party agencies](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-technology-helps-to-improve-customer-satisfaction/): 52% of U.S. call center employees say their company is either planning on bringing on a partner or considering the option of hiring an agency to handle its service calls. Hyken points to growth as the biggest indicator that your company should take this step, or “the need for more staff than you could hire quickly enough.”

Hiring a third-party agency can free up time and resources for your business, allowing staff to focus on core processes. However, you’ll still want to invest in call center software to ensure that agents are following the same protocols and processes as your in-house team.

## Learn more about how call center software can help your business

For more information on call center software, check out our catalog and the following articles listed below:

-   [Inbound vs. Outbound Call Centers: Choose the Right Strategy](https://www.capterra.com/resources/inbound-vs-outbound-call-centers/)
    
-   [What is a Call Center?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/what-is-call-center/)
    
-   [How to Scale Your Customer Service Operations: A CX Pro’s Roadmap](https://www.capterra.com/resources/ai-powered-customer-service/)
    

Sources

1.  **Capterra software pricing data**: Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from our call center software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in our directory that offer them. [Read the complete methodology.](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/#software-buyers-guides-methodology)
    
2.  [Shep Hyken](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/), LinkedIn
    
3.  **Capterra Shortlist:** Capterra Shortlist identifies the top products in our software categories based on a proprietary blend of user ratings and popularity. We featured the products with the most reviews at the time of Capterra Shortlist publication. [Read the complete methodology.](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/#capterra-shortlist-methodology)
    
4.  **Capterra reviews data:** Capterra reviews are collected from verified users for individual software products. For this report, we analyzed reviews from the past year as of the production date. [Read the complete methodology](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/#software-buyers-guides-methodology).
    
5.  [As Half of U.S. Businesses Use AI in Customer Service Operations, Their Biggest Obstacle Is Maintaining Consumer Trust](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-ai-benefits-customer-service-operations/), Capterra
    
6.  **Capterra’s 2024 Tech Trends Survey:** The 2024 Tech Trends Survey was conducted online in July 2023 to understand the timeline, organizational challenges, adoption and budget, vendor research behaviors, ROI expectations, and satisfaction levels for software buyers. [Read the complete methodology](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/#software-buyers-guides-methodology).
    
7.  **Capterra advisor call notes:** Findings are based on data from telephonic conversations that Capterra’s advisor team had with small-to-midsize businesses seeking call center software tools. For this report, we analyzed phone interactions from the past two years as of the production date. [Read the complete methodology](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/#software-buyers-guides-methodology).