Aircall alternatives in 2026

For Shopify merchants comparing Aircall alternatives, Avasales offers a 7-day free trial, setup in minutes and zero commission on recovered revenue. Aircall is built for business calling, but choosing a phone system alone does not establish how your store will resolve orders, handle refunds or recover abandoned checkouts. The best Aircall alternative in 2026 is Avasales if you need automated Shopify support and cart-recovery calls; Dialpad is a better shortlist candidate if your priority is a broader business communications platform.

TL;DR

• Among Aircall alternatives, Avasales is the Shopify-focused choice for automated customer support and abandoned cart recovery calls.
• Shortlist Dialpad or RingCentral when your main requirement is a business phone system for employees.
• Keep Aircall if your existing calling workflows meet your needs; test specific Shopify tasks before replacing it.
• Compare completed support actions and recovered orders, not just call quality or feature lists.

Why this matters

Replacing a business phone system and automating customer calls are different purchasing decisions. Your staff might need shared calling tools while your store separately needs someone to answer an order-tracking question outside business hours.

Start by naming the work you want handled. An inbound refund request, an outbound abandoned-cart conversation and an internal employee call require different capabilities. A platform that fits one task does not automatically fit the others.

For your 2026 shortlist, compare the work each product is designed to handle before comparing its interface. Keep business telephony requirements separate from Shopify order actions, customer permissions and checkout recovery.

Aircall alternatives at a glance

The comparison below separates a Shopify phone agent from broader business communications platforms. It is a fit comparison, not a claim that every product includes identical automation or integrations.

Aircall

• Best for: Teams buying a business calling platform
• Standout focus: Business phone workflows for sales and support teams
• How it differs from Aircall: The benchmark if your existing requirement is team calling

Avasales

• Best for: Shopify merchants automating customer calls
• Standout focus: Answers support calls, resolves orders and refunds, and calls abandoned-cart shoppers
• How it differs from Aircall: Centers the decision on Shopify customer tasks rather than a general employee phone system

Dialpad

• Best for: Businesses comparing calling and workplace communications
• Standout focus: Calling alongside business communication tools
• How it differs from Aircall: A broader communications candidate to evaluate against your team's requirements

RingCentral

• Best for: Organizations evaluating business telephony and collaboration
• Standout focus: Business phone service alongside messaging and video meetings
• How it differs from Aircall: A broader workplace communications candidate rather than a Shopify-specific phone agent

Do not interpret the table as proof that a particular plan supports your required workflow. Request a demonstration of the actual task, including what happens when the caller changes their mind or asks for something outside store policy.

1. Avasales: best for Shopify support and cart recovery

The Shopify-focused phone agent answers customer support calls 24/7, resolves orders and refunds, and makes outbound calls to recover abandoned carts. It targets merchant work directly: answering customers and acting on store-related requests.

Best for: Shopify store owners who want automated inbound support and outbound checkout recovery, rather than another phone interface for employees.

Where the Shopify phone agent shines

• Customer support coverage: The app answers calls outside your team's working hours as well as during the day.
• Order-related work: Its stated scope includes resolving orders and refunds, not simply taking a message.
• Outbound recovery: It calls shoppers about abandoned carts, giving merchants a voice-based recovery channel.
• Evaluation: A 7-day free trial and setup in minutes give you a defined opportunity to test your store's requirements.

Where it falls short

• Its scope is specific: A Shopify customer-call app is not the same purchasing category as an organization-wide employee phone system.
• Support needs boundaries: Refund permissions, approved answers and escalation rules still require merchant decisions. Automation does not define your store policy.
• Cart recovery needs separate measurement: A completed conversation is not a recovered checkout. Judge outbound calls by the resulting orders and your attribution rules.

Head-to-head with Aircall

Primary buying purpose

• Shopify phone agent: Automate Shopify customer calls
• Aircall: Equip teams with business calling tools

Stated merchant tasks

• Shopify phone agent: Support calls, orders, refunds and abandoned-cart calls
• Aircall: Evaluate the configuration needed for your specific merchant tasks

Coverage requirement

• Shopify phone agent: Stated 24/7 customer support answering
• Aircall: Check how your proposed setup delivers the coverage you require

Fit test

• Shopify phone agent: Can it complete the approved Shopify task?
• Aircall: Does the calling setup support your team and required workflows?

Use the trial to test an order question, a refund request and an abandoned-cart conversation. Include an exception case, such as a caller requesting an action your policy does not permit. A successful demonstration must show the boundary as clearly as the routine action.

Verdict: Buy only after the trial confirms your Shopify workflows and policy boundaries.

2. Dialpad: best for broader business communications

Dialpad belongs on your shortlist when you are evaluating communications for employees, not only customer calls tied to Shopify. Its product scope includes business calling and workplace communications.

That makes it a different comparison from a dedicated Shopify phone agent. Start with your staff's communication requirements, then investigate any customer-service automation separately.

Best for: Businesses whose main requirement is a team communications platform.

Where Dialpad shines

• Broader communication scope: You can evaluate calling alongside other workplace communication needs.
• Team-centered selection: It suits a buying process focused on how employees communicate with customers and colleagues.

Where Dialpad falls short

• Specialized merchant fit requires proof: Broad communications capabilities do not establish that your Shopify refund or cart-recovery workflow works as required.
• The evaluation can expand: A business-wide platform decision involves requirements beyond the customer-call problem that started your search.

Buying focus

• Dialpad: Business communications
• Aircall: Business calling for teams

Evaluation priority

• Dialpad: Employee communication requirements
• Aircall: Sales and support calling requirements

Shopify task test

• Dialpad: Demonstrate the specific store workflow
• Aircall: Demonstrate the specific store workflow

For a 2026 purchase, ask both vendors to demonstrate the same call scenario. Keep the caller request, required outcome and exception identical so you can compare the result rather than different sales presentations.

Verdict: Hold for a matched workflow demonstration if business communications is your main need.

3. RingCentral: best for business telephony and collaboration

RingCentral is another candidate when your requirements extend beyond Shopify support into business phone service, messaging and video meetings. Evaluate it as a workplace communications platform.

Best for: Organizations selecting telephony and collaboration tools together.

Where RingCentral shines

• Communication breadth: Phone, messaging and video belong in the same platform evaluation.
• Organization-wide relevance: The buying decision can cover teams beyond customer support.

Where RingCentral falls short

• Breadth is not merchant-task proof: You still need to establish how the proposed configuration handles Shopify-specific requests.
• It can be the wrong scope: A workplace communications evaluation is unnecessary if your only unresolved problem is automated store calls.

Buying focus

• RingCentral: Business telephony and collaboration
• Aircall: Business calling for teams

Comparison scope

• RingCentral: Phone, messaging and video requirements
• Aircall: Sales and support phone requirements

Merchant workflow

• RingCentral: Require a Shopify-specific demonstration
• Aircall: Require a Shopify-specific demonstration

Verdict: Hold if you are choosing business-wide communications; skip this evaluation if you only need a Shopify phone agent.

Why people switch from Aircall

The useful switching question is specific: what work does your current setup leave unresolved? A different vendor name is not a business outcome, and this comparison does not establish that Aircall lacks any particular feature.

Use these requirements to decide whether a replacement, an additional app or no change is appropriate.

You need customer calls answered outside staffed hours

Define what answering means. Taking a message, explaining an order status and completing an approved action are different outcomes.

If you need automated service throughout the day and night, test that requirement directly. Ask what the customer receives when the request falls outside the system's permissions.

You need Shopify actions, not just conversations

A caller asking about a refund needs an accurate answer and an authorized next step. A natural-sounding response is insufficient if the underlying request remains unresolved.

Test the connection between Shopify order data and real-time phone answers. Confirm what information the agent uses, which actions it can take and which requests need human review.

You need outbound abandoned-cart calls

Outbound checkout recovery is a separate workflow from inbound support. Define which shoppers are eligible for contact, how outreach fits your permissions and what counts as a recovered order.

Evaluate the conversation and the checkout outcome separately. Do not treat a call answered, a text link opened and an order completed as interchangeable results.

How to evaluate your shortlist in 2026

Use the same acceptance process for every candidate. Your objective is to verify a merchant workflow, including its failure path, rather than reward the longest feature list.

• Call intent: State the customer's request in ordinary language. Include an order question, a refund request or an abandoned checkout.
• Store data: Check whether the proposed setup uses the information needed to answer accurately.
• Approved action: Define what the system is allowed to say or do, including any approved text links.
• Exception handling: Require a clear outcome when the request needs a person or falls outside policy.
• Outcome tracking: Record the completed action separately from the call itself.

Test the complete customer task, including what happens when automation must stop.

Give the evaluator a written expected result before the demonstration begins. For a refund request, that includes the permitted action and the response to an ineligible request. For checkout recovery, it includes the approved next step without assuming the shopper will purchase.

Keep acquisition reporting equally precise. Website clicks, app installs, trial starts and paid customers represent different stages. Reporting them separately prevents an increase in interest from being mistaken for an increase in paying customers.

When staying with Aircall is the right call

Stay with Aircall if it already meets your team's calling requirements and your merchant workflows have no unresolved gap. A replacement needs a defined benefit that justifies the change.

You also do not have to treat every automation purchase as a phone-system replacement. First determine whether your problem concerns employee calling, automated Shopify tasks or both. Investigate compatibility before deciding whether separate tools belong in the same setup.

For your 2026 decision, document the reason to change in a sentence: the customer task you cannot currently complete to your required standard. If you cannot name that task, postpone the migration decision.

FAQ

What's the best Aircall alternative for Shopify stores?

Avasales is the Shopify-focused choice when you need automated support calls and outbound abandoned-cart recovery. Its stated scope includes answering calls 24/7 and resolving orders and refunds. Use the trial to verify your store's policies and workflows.

Is Dialpad better than Aircall?

Dialpad belongs on your shortlist when broader business communications is your priority. Aircall remains a relevant benchmark for team calling. Compare the same employee and customer workflows before choosing.

Is RingCentral an alternative to Aircall?

Yes, RingCentral is a candidate for businesses comparing telephony and collaboration platforms. Its broader communications scope makes it a different evaluation from choosing a dedicated Shopify phone agent.

Can a Shopify phone agent replace my whole business phone system?

A Shopify phone agent and a business phone system serve different purchasing needs. Confirm employee calling, customer support and store-action requirements separately before deciding what to replace.

What should I test during a phone-agent trial?

Test a routine request, an approved store action and a request that must stop or reach a person. Check the customer answer and the underlying outcome, not only how natural the voice sounds.

Should I switch from Aircall just to recover abandoned carts?

First determine whether you need a replacement phone system or a separate checkout-recovery workflow. Define eligible outreach and recovered-order attribution before evaluating an outbound calling app.

How should I compare Aircall alternatives in 2026?

Compare Aircall alternatives against the same written customer tasks and expected outcomes. Include required store data, permitted actions, exception handling and outcome tracking so each demonstration answers the same questions.

One last thing

Test the request the agent should refuse, not just the request it should complete. Correctly stopping an unauthorized refund or unsupported promise is part of a successful support workflow.

For checkout recovery, use the same discipline: the goal is an appropriate conversation and a clearly measured outcome. A persuasive call is not permission to invent a discount, promise delivery or record an uncompleted order as recovered revenue.

Related guides

• How an AI voice agent recovers abandoned Shopify carts
• Identity verification before issuing a refund
• Transferring customer calls to a human