Best for
Canadian organizations that want the system configured and managed for them, recordings and AI call analytics kept in Canada, month to month terms, and a Toronto technician who works with their IT team.
Vantact
Buyer's guide · Reviewed September 2026
Dialpad Alternatives for Canadian Businesses (2026)
The main Dialpad alternatives for Canadian businesses are Vantact, RingCentral, 8x8, Ooma Office, and the business phone systems from Bell, Rogers and Telus. Two questions separate them from Dialpad and from each other: who sets up and runs the phone system, and where call recordings, transcripts and AI data are stored.
Dialpad is a US company with engineering offices in Vancouver and Kitchener-Waterloo. Its security page states that permanent customer data, including call records, recordings and transcripts, is stored in the United States on Google Cloud Platform. It's built for customers to administer themselves: Dialpad's small business page describes onboarding through interactive product tours and live chat, and phone support is included on the Pro and Enterprise plans, with Standard supported by web and chat 24 hours a day, five days a week. That model suits a team with someone who wants to run the phone system in house.
This guide compares seven providers Canadian organizations commonly shortlist when they look past Dialpad. Criteria below were taken from each vendor's public site in September 2026. Where a fact is not published, the table says "Not stated." It is a buyer's comparison, not a ranking. The same vendors are compared against RingCentral on RingCentral alternatives for Canadian businesses; carrier style contracts are covered on Vantact vs Bell, Rogers, and Telus.
Quick match
Best for
Teams that depend on a specific integration from a large app catalogue.
RingCentral
Best for
Small teams that want a checkout CAD price and no term.
Ooma Office
Best for
Organizations that already buy Bell internet or want a carrier access path.
Bell Business Phone
Side by side
Vendor comparison
Cells are Yes, No, or Not stated. Named figures are listed only when the vendor publishes them. Cells for vendors other than Vantact reflect each vendor's own website as of September 2026. Dialpad is shown first for reference.
| Vendor | Public pricing | Canadian owned | Data hosted in Canada | Contract | CAD billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dialpad (for reference) | Yes: Standard USD $15/user/mo annually | No | NoUS via Google Cloud | Annual discount; monthly option | Not statedUSD listed |
| Vantact | Quote | Yes | Yes | Month to month | Yes |
| RingCentral | Yes: RingEX Core $40/user/mo monthly; lower rate on annual billing | No | Not statedAvailable on request | Annual discount; monthly option | Not stated |
| 8x8 | Quote | No | YesCanada listed among regional centres | Not stated | Not stated |
| Ooma Office | Yes: Essentials $24.95 CAD/user/mo | No | Not stated | Month to month | Yes |
| Bell Business Phone | Yes: Fully featured $29.43/mo, 3 year term, no internet | Yes | YesCanadian network | 3 year typical for advertised rates | Yes |
| Rogers Business Phone | Yes: Advantage Voice Basic $26/seat/mo, 3 year term | Yes | Not statedStated for Unison only | 3 year typical for advertised rates | Yes |
| Telus Business Connect | Yes: Complete $35/seat/mo bundled, 3 year term | Yes | Not statedRingCentral AI on Business Connect | 3 year typical for advertised rates | Yes |
Dialpad (for reference)
- Public pricing
- Yes: Standard USD $15/user/mo annually
- Canadian owned
- No
- Data hosted in Canada
- NoUS via Google Cloud
- Contract
- Annual discount; monthly option
- CAD billing
- Not statedUSD listed
Vantact
- Public pricing
- Quote
- Canadian owned
- Yes
- Data hosted in Canada
- Yes
- Contract
- Month to month
- CAD billing
- Yes
RingCentral
- Public pricing
- Yes: RingEX Core $40/user/mo monthly; lower rate on annual billing
- Canadian owned
- No
- Data hosted in Canada
- Not statedAvailable on request
- Contract
- Annual discount; monthly option
- CAD billing
- Not stated
8x8
- Public pricing
- Quote
- Canadian owned
- No
- Data hosted in Canada
- YesCanada listed among regional centres
- Contract
- Not stated
- CAD billing
- Not stated
Ooma Office
- Public pricing
- Yes: Essentials $24.95 CAD/user/mo
- Canadian owned
- No
- Data hosted in Canada
- Not stated
- Contract
- Month to month
- CAD billing
- Yes
Bell Business Phone
- Public pricing
- Yes: Fully featured $29.43/mo, 3 year term, no internet
- Canadian owned
- Yes
- Data hosted in Canada
- YesCanadian network
- Contract
- 3 year typical for advertised rates
- CAD billing
- Yes
Rogers Business Phone
- Public pricing
- Yes: Advantage Voice Basic $26/seat/mo, 3 year term
- Canadian owned
- Yes
- Data hosted in Canada
- Not statedStated for Unison only
- Contract
- 3 year typical for advertised rates
- CAD billing
- Yes
Telus Business Connect
- Public pricing
- Yes: Complete $35/seat/mo bundled, 3 year term
- Canadian owned
- Yes
- Data hosted in Canada
- Not statedRingCentral AI on Business Connect
- Contract
- 3 year typical for advertised rates
- CAD billing
- Yes
Vendor facts reviewed September 2026. Prices exclude taxes and regulatory fees unless the vendor says otherwise. Plan names and allotments change; confirm on the vendor's current order page.
Service model
Managed or self managed: the main difference
Self managed (Dialpad's model)
Your admin builds call flows, ring groups and after hours routing in Dialpad's admin portal, using product tours, the help centre and chat support. Phone support is on the Pro and Enterprise plans.
Suits
A team with an admin who wants to own the configuration.
Fully managed (Vantact's model)
Vantact's team builds each system around how the customer works. Call flows, hunt groups, after hours routing, recording rules and integrations are configured to the customer's requirements, and changes are handled by a Vantact technician on request. Vantact's technicians work directly with the customer's IT team or network provider on firewall rules, QoS and call quality, and attend on site in Ontario when a problem needs hands on the equipment.
Suits
Organizations that want the phone system run for them, including businesses without in house IT.
The trade off: a managed system is set up by quote rather than online checkout, and Vantact's support desk runs Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm ET, with an emergency line for service affecting outages, rather than a 24 hour general helpdesk.
AI and data
AI features, and where the data is stored
AI is Dialpad's main selling point, and its Standard plan includes real time transcripts and call summaries. Dialpad's security page states that recordings and transcripts are stored in the United States on Google Cloud Platform.
Vantact's AI call analytics produces AI call summaries, AI call transcripts, sentiment analysis, customer loss prevention alerts based on sentiment, and a missed calls report showing who couldn't get through, who was called back and how fast, and who is still waiting. It's processed on Vantact hardware in Toronto, and nothing leaves Canada. It's an add on, enabled per extension on the seats that need it.
AI voicemail transcription is a separate feature that uses a Google speech service. It isn't enabled for healthcare clients, who receive voicemail as audio only.
Vendor notes
The vendors, one at a time
Claims for vendors other than Vantact are from that vendor's own site. Limitations are the published gaps, not attacks.
Vantact
Ownership
Yes Canadian owned
Yes Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Yes Custom configured per customer
Yes Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Yes Multi site
AI features
call summaries, call transcripts, sentiment analysis, customer loss prevention alerts, conversation intelligence, voice assistant, voicemail transcription
Support
Toronto team, first contact resolution, works directly with your IT, on site when needed, Mon to Fri 9 am to 5 pm ET
Vantact is a privately held, 100% Canadian owned hosted PBX provider headquartered in Toronto (North York), founded in 2016. Voice, recordings, SMS, and electronic fax are hosted in Canada. Service is month to month with CAD quotes rather than a public price list. Support is handled by Vantact's own Toronto team. The person who answers is a technician who can resolve the issue on that call, working directly with the customer's IT staff or provider rather than routing through tiered first, second and third level queues. Vantact sends a technician on site in Ontario when a problem needs hands on the equipment. Business hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm ET, with an emergency line for service affecting outages. SMS, fax, call recording, auto attendant, queues, and mobile/desktop apps are included in the platform; AI call summaries, AI call transcripts, sentiment analysis, customer loss prevention alerts based on sentiment, conversation intelligence, AI voice assistant, AI voicemail transcription are add ons. Existing Poly, Yealink, Cisco, Grandstream, and Snom phones can be provisioned. The trade off is that Vantact's general helpdesk keeps business hours; vendors that advertise round the clock live answer will suit a group that expects overnight support for non urgent requests. The honest limitation is that there is no self serve checkout or published per seat figure, so a buyer has to request a quote to compare line by line against Dialpad's pricing page.
RingCentral
Ownership
No Canadian owned
Not stated Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Yes Multi site
AI features
AI Virtual Assistant (included), AI Receptionist (add on)
Support
Not stated
RingCentral (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is a US UCaaS vendor. Its Canadian site publishes voice, SMS allotments, internet fax, meetings and AI tools, with RingEX Core at $40 per user per month on monthly billing and a lower rate on annual billing. Core includes on demand call recording and 25 SMS per user per month; Advanced adds CRM integrations and multiple sites. The AI Virtual Assistant is included and the AI Receptionist is an add on. Its PIPEDA materials describe Canadian data storage as available on request, and its integration catalogue is large. It suits teams that depend on a specific integration. Compared with Dialpad, RingCentral describes Canadian data storage as available on request; it is not Canadian owned, and residency still has to be confirmed in writing for each account.
8x8
Ownership
No Canadian owned
Yes Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Yes Multi site
AI features
transcripts, meeting summaries, sentiment
Support
24/7 follow the sun via portal, chat, or phone
8x8 (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is a US UCaaS vendor. 8x8 Work combines voice, video, chat, business SMS/MMS (US and Canada), and unlimited internet fax. Call recording is listed; AI meeting transcripts and summaries are published. Materials describe regional data residency with a presence in Canada, and 24/7 follow the sun support via portal, chat, or phone. Current public pages do not publish a self serve CAD price or a month to month term. CAD billing is not labelled on the Work pages. It suits teams that want SMS and fax in one US UCaaS suite. Compared with Dialpad, 8x8 lists Canada among its regional data centres; it is not Canadian owned, and a quote is required for CAD seat cost.
Ooma Office
Ownership
No Canadian owned
Not stated Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Yes Multi site
AI features
AI receptionist, answering
Support
24/7 business support; HQ Sunnyvale, CA
Ooma Office (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is the Canadian storefront of Ooma, Inc. (Sunnyvale, California), with a Vancouver office noted in company materials. Canadian plans are month to month: Essentials $24.95, Pro $29.95, and Pro Plus $34.95 CAD per user per month. Digital fax is on the published matrix; texting is allotted on Pro (100 messages) and Pro Plus (400), with bulk SMS packages extra. AI answering/receptionist appears on the Canada business pages. Business support is listed 24/7. It suits small teams that want a checkout price and no term. Compared with Dialpad, Ooma publishes CAD month to month pricing; it does not state that recordings are hosted in Canada, and the parent company is not Canadian owned.
Bell Business Phone
Ownership
Yes Canadian owned
Yes Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Yes Multi site
AI features
Not stated
Support
Canada; 24/7 technical support
Bell (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is a Canadian carrier. Small business Fully featured Business Line is listed at $29.43 per month without internet on a three year contract ($20.43 when bundled), plus $125 installation per line, with stated annual increases and early cancellation charges. Bell Total Connect is the cloud/VoIP collaboration product (voice, Webex meetings, portal managed attendants and hunt groups) on Bell's Canadian MPLS/fibre network. Technical support is advertised 24/7. CAD billing is native. It suits organizations that already buy Bell internet or want a carrier grade access path. Compared with Dialpad, Bell is Canadian owned and bills in CAD; its advertised SMB phone rates are term based landline style lines, business SMS is not stated on those packages, internet fax is a separate Bell product, and AI features are not listed on the phone package pages.
Rogers Business Phone
Ownership
Yes Canadian owned
Not stated Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Not stated Call recording
Not stated Multi site
AI features
Not stated
Support
Not stated
Rogers (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is Canadian owned. Its business phone page sells Advantage Voice with published per seat pricing: Basic at $26 per seat per month on a three year term with a handset included, from $21 when bundled with an eligible three year business internet plan, and Microsoft Teams based options at $28.95 and $39.95. Plans include Canada/US long distance and a virtual receptionist, with voicemail to email and call forwarding. Rogers' enterprise Unison materials place that platform in a Rogers datacentre; the Advantage Voice page does not state where data is hosted. CAD billing is native. It suits buyers who want voice on the same account as Rogers mobility or internet. Compared with Dialpad, Rogers is Canadian owned and bills in CAD; its advertised rates are on three year terms, and data location, AI, call recording and support hours are not stated on the plan page.
Telus Business Connect
Ownership
Yes Canadian owned
Not stated Hosted in Canada
Capabilities
Not stated Custom configured per customer
Not stated Call tracking numbers
Yes Call recording
Not stated Multi site
AI features
AI Assistant, receptionist
Support
Sales 8 am to 11 pm ET Mon to Fri; 24/7 noted on shop page
TELUS Business Connect (per vendor site, Sep 2026) is TELUS's cloud phone system. The shop page advertises three year terms and CAD per seat rates, with Voice Plus at $25, Enhanced at $30 and Complete at $35 per seat per month when bundled on a three year contract. Higher editions include unlimited Canada/US calling, IP fax, Canadian SMS, and an AI Assistant. Sales hours are listed 8 am to 11 pm ET Monday to Friday, with 24/7 noted on the cloud phone page. TELUS and RingCentral have publicly announced RingCentral AI capabilities on Business Connect. It suits TELUS bundle customers who want a carrier invoice. Compared with Dialpad, TELUS is Canadian owned and bills in CAD; Business Connect is not an independent Canadian UCaaS stack in the marketing record, and Canada only data residency is not stated as a default on the shop page, so residency still has to be confirmed in the contract.
Decision criteria
How to choose
-
Who runs the system
Ask who builds the call flows, who makes changes when staff join or leave, and who you call when something breaks. Self managed systems put that work on an in house admin; managed providers do it for you.
-
Data residency
Ask where live voice, recordings, voicemail, transcripts and AI data, SMS, fax, analytics, and backups are stored, including failover regions. "Available in Canada" is not the same as "this tenant is Canada only."
-
Network and call quality
Most call quality problems are network problems. Ask whether the provider will work with your IT team or network provider on firewall rules, QoS and bandwidth, or whether you'll troubleshoot from documentation.
-
Contract length
Dialpad advertises its lowest per user rates on annual billing. Compare the advertised rate with the term it requires.
-
Migration path
Number porting, overlapping service until cutover, and who files the Dialpad port out should be written into the project plan before anyone cancels the old account.
Switching
Switching from Dialpad
Porting numbers out
Canadian numbers generally move under local number portability. The gaining provider starts the port, and the numbers must remain active on the Dialpad account until it completes, so keep the account open through the transfer. The account admin supplies the account details exactly as they appear on the account. Confirm the current checklist with both providers before the port is submitted; this page is not legal advice.
Overlap period
Keep the Dialpad account paid and online through the port window. Cancelling first is a common way to stall a port. Run the new hosted PBX in parallel: new numbers or temporary DIDs for testing, then a scheduled cutover when the port FOC date lands. Expect a few business days for simple local numbers and longer for large or toll free batches. If the account is on annual billing, check the term before scheduling the cutover. After the port, cancel Dialpad so the account does not keep billing.
BYOD phones
Standard SIP desk phones can often be factory reset and pointed at the new provider. Vantact documents Poly, Yealink, Cisco, Grandstream, and Snom as provisionable; other Canadian hosts publish similar lists. Rental hardware, or sets tied to a multi year phone rental clause, may have to go back. Budget a spare set of analog adapters only if fax machines or door buzzers still need a physical line. See using existing phones for the Vantact path.
FAQ
FAQ
Six questions Canadian buyers ask when they start a Dialpad replacement search.
Is Dialpad a Canadian company?
No. Dialpad is a US company. It has engineering offices in Vancouver and Kitchener-Waterloo, and its security page states that customer recordings and transcripts are stored in the United States.
Where does Dialpad store call recordings and transcripts?
Dialpad's security page states that permanent customer data, such as contact lists, call records, recordings and transcripts, is stored in the United States on Google Cloud Platform and backed up daily. Buyers who need Canadian residency should confirm in writing where voice, recordings, transcripts, AI data and backups will live for their account.
What is the difference between a managed and a self managed phone system?
In a self managed system, the customer's own admin configures call flows, users and routing in the vendor's portal and troubleshoots with the vendor's help centre and support. In a managed system, the provider builds and maintains the configuration to the customer's requirements, makes changes on request, and works with the customer's IT team when something goes wrong. Vantact's systems are configured and maintained by its own team.
Does Dialpad include phone support?
On the Pro and Enterprise plans. Dialpad's support page states that Standard includes web and chat support 24 hours a day, five days a week, while Pro and Enterprise add 24/7 coverage and phone support.
Can a business keep its phone numbers when leaving Dialpad?
In general, yes. Canadian numbers usually move under local number portability. The new provider starts the port, and the numbers must stay active on the Dialpad account until the transfer completes, so don't cancel first. If the account is on annual billing, check the term before scheduling the cutover. Exact steps vary by account; this is not legal advice.
Does Vantact offer AI call summaries and transcripts like Dialpad?
Yes, as an add on enabled per extension. Vantact's AI call analytics produces AI call summaries, AI call transcripts, sentiment analysis and a missed calls report, processed on Vantact hardware in Toronto; nothing leaves Canada. Dialpad includes transcripts and call summaries in its Standard plan, so compare the per seat cost of each.
If Dialpad is on the way out and a managed system, Canadian hosting of recordings and AI data, or a local support desk are the reason, talk to Vantact about a Dialpad replacement. Quotes are in CAD; there is no long term contract on the published terms.