Avaya vs Zoom – Comparing features and costs to help you choose

When selecting a communication solution for your business, the options can seem overwhelming. Two well-known names in the business communications world, Avaya and Zoom, are often compared due to their extensive feature sets and wide-reaching capabilities. In this analysis, we’ll take a closer look at Avaya vs Zoom, comparing their key features, pricing, and the pros and cons of each, to help you make an informed decision for your business.

Feature/Category	Avaya	Zoom
Overview	Telecommunications veteran offering voice, video, and contact centre solutions.	Leading video conferencing provider expanding into unified communications.
Voice Services	Avaya Cloud Office (powered by RingCentral), robust cloud-based VoIP with advanced call management features.	Zoom Phone offers cloud-based VoIP with essential features, designed for easy integration with video services.
Video Conferencing	Avaya Spaces provides video meetings with up to 1,000 participants, though less feature-rich than Zoom.	Zoom Meetings allows for up to 1,000 participants, with advanced features like virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, and HD video.
Unified Communications (UC)	Comprehensive UC platform integrating voice, messaging, video, and contact centre solutions. Customisable for enterprises.	Unified communications focus with a strong emphasis on video meetings, chat, and integrations with Zoom Phone for a seamless experience.
Contact Centre Solutions	Advanced omnichannel contact centre capabilities, suitable for large enterprises handling multiple communication channels.	No dedicated contact centre solution. Third-party integrations may be required for contact centre functionality.
Customisation	Highly customisable with deep integration options (CRM, AI tools, etc.) for large businesses and specific industries.	Limited customisation compared to Avaya. Best suited for smaller to mid-sized businesses looking for simplicity.
Team Collaboration	Avaya Spaces offers team messaging, file sharing, and collaboration tools but lacks the polish of Zoom’s team collaboration features.	Offers team chat, file sharing, and integrations with popular tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Security	Strong encryption, role-based access controls, and compliance features for enterprise security.	Includes end-to-end encryption, waiting rooms, role-based security, and compliance tools, especially for video meetings.
Integrations	Extensive integrations with business tools (CRM systems, productivity apps) and bespoke setups for large enterprises.	Offers a wide range of integrations with third-party tools, including Microsoft Office, Slack, and Salesforce, but with less customisation flexibility.
Scalability	Highly scalable, making it a good option for enterprises with complex communication needs.	Scalable, but more focused on the needs of small to mid-sized businesses.
Mobile App	Avaya has mobile-friendly UC capabilities, but app performance is not a primary focus.	Zoom’s mobile app is highly rated for both video and voice functionality, ideal for remote or hybrid workforces.
Ease of Use	More complex to set up and manage, particularly with bespoke customisation. Best suited for experienced IT teams.	User-friendly and intuitive, with minimal setup and management complexity, appealing to businesses without dedicated IT teams.
Pricing (UK market)	– Essentials: £15/user/month – Standard: £20/user/month – Premium: £25/user/month – Ultimate: £30/user/month.	– Pro: £11.99/user/month – Business: £15.99/user/month – Business Plus: £18.99/user/month (includes Zoom Phone) – Enterprise: £19.99/user/month.
Zoom Phone Pricing	Not applicable (Zoom Phone is a Zoom product).	– From £8/user/month for basic VoIP services. Additional features will increase the cost.
Best For	Large enterprises with complex telephony and omnichannel contact centre needs.	Small to medium-sized businesses needing a cost-effective, user-friendly video conferencing and UC platform.
Pros	– Strong telephony services. – Customisable solutions for large enterprises. – Omnichannel contact centre capabilities. – Excellent CRM and AI integration options.	– Industry-leading video conferencing. – Affordable and scalable pricing. – Seamless integration of voice, video, and messaging. – Easy to use and deploy.
Cons	– Higher complexity and cost for bespoke solutions. – Video conferencing tools are less advanced than Zoom’s.	– Limited customisation compared to Avaya. – Zoom Phone is newer, with fewer advanced telephony features. – Not ideal for large enterprises with extensive communication needs.

Avaya overview

Avaya is a veteran in the world of telecommunications, with decades of experience providing voice, video, messaging, and customer engagement solutions. Their strength lies in traditional telephony services and contact centre solutions, making them a popular choice for businesses with complex communication needs, particularly in industries such as healthcare, finance, and customer service.

Key features of Avaya

1. Voice services: Avaya provides a highly reliable, cloud-based voice solution, Avaya Cloud Office, powered by RingCentral. It offers essential business phone services, including call routing, voicemail, call forwarding, and auto-attendants.
2. Contact centre solutions: Avaya is well-known for its contact centre platforms, which offer omnichannel capabilities, allowing businesses to manage customer interactions across voice, chat, social media, and email.
3. Unified communications (UC): Avaya offers UC solutions that integrate voice, messaging, video conferencing, and team collaboration. This includes mobile access, providing employees with the flexibility to work from anywhere.
4. Avaya Spaces: This is Avaya’s answer to team collaboration, offering video conferencing, messaging, and file sharing in a single platform. It allows for up to 1,000 participants, with screen sharing and recording features.
5. Customisation: Avaya’s services can be tailored for large enterprises, offering more advanced features such as AI-driven customer service tools, integration with CRM systems, and scalability to meet business growth.

Avaya pricing

Avaya Cloud Office’s pricing is tiered based on the number of features and users. For businesses in the UK, you can expect the following approximate pricing:

• Essentials: £15 per user/month – This plan includes basic calling, messaging, and collaboration features.
• Standard: £20 per user/month – Adds video conferencing and integrations with productivity tools.
• Premium: £25 per user/month – Includes advanced call handling features and integration with CRM tools.
• Ultimate: £30 per user/month – Designed for larger businesses, offering expanded video conferencing features and analytics.

Note: Pricing for Avaya’s contact centre solutions and custom enterprise offerings is generally provided upon request, as these tend to be bespoke.

Zoom overview

Zoom rose to global prominence as a go-to video conferencing platform, but its business offering is far more comprehensive, with solutions that cover unified communications, team collaboration, and even cloud phone systems.

Key features of Zoom

1. Video conferencing: Zoom’s video meetings are its flagship feature, offering high-quality HD video and audio. Zoom Meetings allows for up to 1,000 video participants and includes screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, and meeting recordings.
2. Zoom Phone: This is Zoom’s cloud-based business phone system. It provides VoIP services with features like call forwarding, voicemail, call recording, and automated attendants. Zoom Phone integrates directly with Zoom Meetings for seamless transitions between voice and video calls.
3. Zoom Rooms: Designed for hybrid work environments, Zoom Rooms provides a solution for meeting rooms, integrating video conferencing and room control technology.
4. Team chat: Zoom also offers team collaboration tools, including group messaging, file sharing, and integration with other productivity apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
5. Security features: Zoom includes encryption, role-based access controls, and waiting rooms to ensure meetings are secure and compliant with business regulations.

Zoom pricing

Zoom’s pricing is also tiered based on features and user needs. Below are the key plans for businesses in the UK:

• Pro: £11.99 per user/month – Includes meetings for up to 100 participants, with 1 GB of cloud recording.
• Business: £15.99 per user/month – Allows up to 300 participants, with company branding, recording transcripts, and more.
• Business Plus: £18.99 per user/month – Adds Zoom Phone for a comprehensive unified communications solution.
• Enterprise: £19.99 per user/month – Offers meetings for up to 500 participants, with enhanced admin controls and Zoom Rooms.

Zoom Phone plans are separate from the video conferencing subscriptions and start from around £8 per user/month for basic calling features, with advanced plans costing more depending on your required features.

Comparing costs – Avaya vs Zoom

• Avaya: While Avaya offers highly competitive pricing for its core telephony services, custom solutions for larger businesses or contact centres can increase costs significantly. It’s ideal for companies that need reliable, tailored communication tools but may require a higher investment.
• Zoom: Zoom’s pricing is more transparent and often more affordable for smaller to mid-sized businesses. Its straightforward pricing model is a plus, though additional features like Zoom Phone will increase the overall cost.

Comparing features – Avaya vs Zoom

1. Voice services

• Avaya: Avaya has long been trusted for its telephony services, and its partnership with RingCentral brings modern VoIP functionality through Avaya Cloud Office. This makes it highly reliable for businesses seeking a robust voice communication solution with integrated features.
• Zoom: Zoom Phone is a newer entrant in the voice services market, but it is designed for businesses that need an all-in-one platform for video, voice, and messaging. Its tight integration with Zoom’s video services makes it an excellent choice for businesses looking to blend these communications tools.

2. Video conferencing

• Avaya: Avaya Spaces offers video meetings with solid collaboration features, but Zoom’s prominence in this area is undeniable. While Avaya provides what businesses need for internal video meetings, it may lack some of the polish and features that Zoom excels at, such as virtual backgrounds and breakout rooms.
• Zoom: Zoom is the industry leader in video conferencing. Its scalability, high-quality video, and wide range of collaboration tools set it apart, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes, especially those with a hybrid or remote workforce.

3. Unified communications

• Avaya: Avaya’s strength lies in offering a wide range of communication tools, from traditional telephony to advanced contact centre solutions. This makes it a good fit for larger enterprises with more complex communication needs.
• Zoom: Zoom’s unified communications offering is more straightforward and user-friendly. With its video conferencing at the core, it’s an excellent option for businesses seeking an integrated communication platform without the need for extensive customisation.

4. Customisation and integrations

• Avaya: Avaya’s ability to customise solutions to specific industries or business needs is a significant advantage, especially for enterprises. Its deep integrations with CRM systems and other business tools can enhance operational efficiency.
• Zoom: Zoom offers various integrations with popular business tools, such as Microsoft Office and Slack, but it does not provide the same level of deep customisation as Avaya.

Pros and cons of Avaya vs Zoom

Conclusion – Which is right for your business?

Choosing between Avaya vs Zoom depends on your business’s specific needs. If your business requires a robust telephony system or an advanced contact centre solution with extensive customisation, Avaya is the better choice. However, for businesses focused on video communication, collaboration, and straightforward unified communications, Zoom offers a more user-friendly, scalable, and cost-effective solution.

For small to medium-sized UK businesses, Zoom’s affordability and ease of use make it a strong contender, especially if video conferencing is a top priority. On the other hand, Avaya remains a solid choice for larger enterprises that demand custom solutions and powerful voice services.

Ultimately, your decision should be guided by the size of your business, the complexity of your communication needs, and your budget.

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