Aircall vs Five9: Which contact centre solution is right for you?

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The contact center industry is undergoing a fundamental shift. For decades, enterprise teams relied on on-premise, hardware-heavy phone systems that required months of implementation, dedicated IT teams, and costly consultants. Five9 became a leader during that era, offering powerful—but complex—enterprise contact center software.

Today, modern sales and support teams move faster. They operate remotely, rely on CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce, and expect tools that deploy instantly without hardware or IT bottlenecks. That’s where Aircall stands apart.

Aircall is the agile, cloud-native alternative to Five9’s more legacy enterprise software. While Five9 is designed for complex, hardware-heavy contact centers with long implementation cycles, Aircall is built for modern teams—offering instant setup, zero hardware, and deep native integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce.

If you’re comparing Five9 vs Aircall, the real difference isn’t features—it’s philosophy. Five9 is built for large, legacy enterprise environments. Aircall is built for modern, growth-focused teams that value speed, autonomy, and seamless integrations.

Key takeaways:

• Five9 is best suited for very large (5,000+ seat) enterprises with complex, on-premise infrastructure and dedicated IT teams.Aircall is a modern, cloud-native phone system built for fast-moving sales and support teams.

• Aircall deploys in minutes or days, while Five9 implementations often take months.

• Aircall offers native, one-click CRM integrations; Five9 often requires custom development.

• Aircall empowers managers to make instant changes—no IT tickets required.

At a glance: Aircall vs. Five9 comparison table

The table below highlights the most important differences buyers consider when comparing Aircall vs Five9.

1. Setup and implementation speed

The most significant difference between Aircall and Five9 becomes apparent before you even make your first call. It lies in the implementation process.

For traditional providers like Five9, implementation is treated as a major infrastructure project. Because Five9 was originally architected for on-premise environments, deploying it often involves a "lift and shift" approach. This process typically requires hiring third-party implementation consultants, paying significant professional services fees, and enduring a timeline that can stretch from three to six months. During this time, your team is in limbo, waiting for the system to go live so they can start working.

Aircall flips this model upside down. As a 100% cloud-based solution, Aircall eliminates the need for desk phones, servers, or on-premise hardware. You can provision numbers and set up users instantly. This means you don't need to schedule a technician to visit your office or wait for hardware shipping.

Modern businesses rely on crystal-clear calls delivered over the internet, not copper wires. Because of this cloud-native architecture, Aircall customers typically go live in days, not months. For a sales team carrying a quota or a support team handling a surge in tickets, that difference in speed translates directly to revenue and customer satisfaction. You gain the ability to onboard new agents remotely in seconds, regardless of where they are located in the world.

2. Integrations: Plug-and-play vs. custom development

For most teams, the phone system is the CRM. If calls, notes, recordings, and outcomes don’t sync automatically, agents waste time and data quality suffers.

Five9 can integrate with major platforms, but those integrations are typically implemented through APIs, middleware, or professional services. That means higher setup costs and less flexibility when workflows change.

Aircall’s integrations are native by design. Calls automatically log to HubSpot and Salesforce, contact records appear in real time, and managers can trigger automations without developers or consultants.

For example, our HubSpot integration is one of the highest-rated in the ecosystem. It doesn't just log calls; it creates a bi-directional flow of data. When a call comes in, the HubSpot contact card pops up on the agent's screen instantly. When the call ends, the recording and notes log automatically to the correct ticket or deal.

Similarly, our Salesforce integration is designed to be installed in minutes. It empowers teams to trigger complex automations based on call outcomes without needing a Salesforce architect to build a custom solution.

This "plug-and-play" philosophy ensures that your data is always accurate and your agents never have to toggle between windows or manually enter data.

3. Ease of use & admin autonomy

The true test of a contact center solution isn't just how it runs on day one, but how easy it is to manage on day 100.

In a Five9 environment, making changes to the system usually falls to the IT department. If a sales manager wants to change the routing order for a queue or record a new welcome message, they typically have to submit an IT ticket. They then wait for an administrator with specific technical certification to make the change. This bottleneck slows down operations and prevents teams from reacting to real-time business needs.

A simple example:

• With Five9, changing a call routing rule or IVR flow typically requires submitting an IT ticket and waiting.

• With Aircall, a sales or support manager logs in and makes the change in seconds—no technical expertise required.

This self-sufficiency is one of the biggest reasons modern teams switch to Aircall.

Aircall is built for admin autonomy. We believe the people managing the teams, the sales directors and support leads, should have the power to manage the tool. The Aircall dashboard is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing non-technical admins to execute changes in seconds.

Empowering sales leaders

Sales managers can instantly configure the Power Dialer to help their reps fly through lead lists efficiently. If they notice a rep struggling on a live call, they can use Call Whispering to coach them in real-time without the prospect hearing.

Empowering support managers

Support leads can adjust their IVR (Interactive Voice Response) menus on the fly to deflect common queries during peak hours. They can also review the Talk-to-listen ratio of their agents to make sure they are actively listening to customer issues rather than dominating the conversation.

Furthermore, Aircall includes advanced features like Conversation Intelligence directly in the platform. This allows managers to transcribe calls and spot trends without needing to purchase and integrate separate third-party software. With Aircall, you don’t need an IT degree to run a world-class contact center.

4. Pricing transparency and value

Enterprise software contracts are often notorious for their opacity. When evaluating Five9, it's important to look beyond the "per-seat" license cost and calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Legacy providers frequently charge significant fees for implementation, mandatory training sessions, and premium support tiers. Additionally, because the system often requires custom coding for integrations, you must factor in the ongoing cost of developer hours to keep the system running. If you want to unlock advanced features, you may find they are gated behind higher-tier packages.

Aircall strives for transparency. We offer predictable, all-inclusive billing that scales with your team. Our goal is to provide enterprise-level features, like call monitoring, analytics, and advanced routing, without the hidden enterprise fees. You shouldn't have to pay extra just to get help when you need it, which is why we include support in our plans.

For a detailed breakdown of our packages, you can view the Aircall pricing page. We believe you should know exactly what you are paying for, with no surprises on your invoice.

Common questions about switching from Five9

These are the most common questions buyers ask when evaluating Five9 vs Aircall.

Is Aircall cheaper than Five9?

When you factor in the total cost of ownership, Aircall often provides better value. Five9 contracts frequently include hidden costs such as implementation fees, professional services, mandatory training, and maintenance charges. Aircall operates on a transparent subscription model without these heavy upfront capital expenditures.

Does Aircall need desk phones?

No. Aircall is a 100% softphone solution. Your team can make and receive calls from our desktop app, web browser, or mobile app. This contrasts with Five9, which often relies on hardwired desk phones and on-premise servers, limiting the flexibility of remote or hybrid teams.

How long does implementation take?

Aircall implementation is measured in minutes and days. You can create numbers and add users instantly. In contrast, Five9 implementation is typically a consulting project that takes three to six months to complete, requiring significant time and resource investment from your team.

Who is Five9 actually for? (The honest truth)

Five9 is a strong solution—but only for a very specific type of organization.

• Choose Five9 if: You're a massive legacy call center (5,000+ seats) that requires on-premise server maintenance. You have a dedicated IT department to manage telephony and need highly customized, code-heavy routing that involves proprietary internal databases.

• Choose Aircall if: You're a growth-focused team that values agility and speed. You need a reliable phone system that integrates with your CRM out of the box, requires zero IT support to manage, and enables you to onboard remote agents instantly.

The verdict is simple. Five9 is a strong fit for massive, traditional contact centers. But for everyone else; for the teams that run on HubSpot, Salesforce, and high-speed internet, the legacy complexity is a burden, not a benefit.

Why modern teams choose Aircall

In 2026, the competitive advantage for most businesses is speed. The ability to spin up a new sales team in a new region overnight, or the ability to switch your support workflow instantly when a crisis hits, is what separates the leaders from the laggards.

Choosing a phone system is no longer just an IT decision; it's a strategic one. You need a partner that moves as fast as you do. You need a platform that empowers your managers to coach effectively and your agents to work efficiently.

Stop waiting on IT tickets. Start talking to your customers today. See how Aircall helps modern sales and support teams launch faster, work smarter, and scale without complexity.

Published on February 6, 2026.