By Matt Smith · Last verified: July 2026
Solo founders and small teams who text a lot tend to prefer Quo. It starts at $15/user/month with no seat minimum (Jul 2026). Sales teams running structured call queues lean toward Aircall. It starts at $30/user/month with a 3-seat floor (Jul 2026). Neither one is wrong. They just fit different call volumes.
Credit where due
Quo (still widely known as OpenPhone) is genuinely good at the basics small teams actually use. That means shared numbers, a clean mobile app, and SMS that reads like a normal text thread, not a support ticket queue. G2 reviewers rate it 4.7 across more than 3,000 reviews. Its no-seat-minimum pricing means a two-person team pays for two people, not a phantom third seat.
Aircall earns its higher price with call-centre features that Quo doesn't try to match. These include Salesforce CTI, call queues with skills-based routing, live call monitoring (whisper and barge), and 250+ integrations. For a sales or support team running real call volume through a shared queue, that infrastructure is the point. It's not overhead.
Capability matrix
| Capability |  Quo (OpenPhone) | Aircall |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $15/user/mo, annual (Jul 2026) | $30/user/mo, annual, Essentials (Jul 2026) |
| Seat minimum | None | 3 seats ($90/mo floor) |
| Monthly (no annual commit) | $19/user/mo | $40/user/mo, Essentials |
| Mobile app | iOS and Android, built as the primary interface | iOS and Android softphone, secondary to desktop |
| CRM integrations | HubSpot, Salesforce (Business tier+), Zoho, Pipedrive, Attio | Salesforce CTI (Professional+), HubSpot, 250+ via API |
| SMS / business texting | Core feature, unlimited US/Canada on every plan | Available but positioned as a secondary channel to calls |
| AI features | Sona AI answering agent included on every plan (1,000 free credits) | AI Assist (call summaries, sentiment) on Professional+; AI Voice Agents billed per minute |
| Countries / international | US and Canada included; other countries billed per-minute add-on | 180+ countries via WhatsApp; SMS/MMS rates vary by region |
| Call queues / routing | Basic ring groups and menus | Skills-based queues, live monitoring, call whisper and barge |
| Support | Email (Starter), live chat (Business+), phone (Scale) | Standard support on Essentials, advanced support Professional+, SLA on Custom |
| Contract terms | Cancel anytime, numbers held 60 days after cancellation | Monthly or annual; Custom tier requires 25-seat commitment |
Built for texting vs built for queues
Quo's product decisions all point at one thing. They make SMS and calling feel like a single conversation thread a small team can share. That's why it has no seat minimum. It's also why the mobile app is the main way most customers use it, not an afterthought bolted onto a desktop softphone.
Aircall's decisions point somewhere else. Call queues, skills-based routing, and live call monitoring only matter once you have enough call volume to need a supervisor watching a live queue. That's a different job. It's also why Aircall's 3-seat minimum exists. Below that size, the queue infrastructure has nothing to manage.
AI: included by default vs priced by usage
Quo bundles its Sona AI answering agent into every plan, including Starter. You get 1,000 free automation credits (about 10 AI-handled calls) before usage-based tiers kick in. Those tiers run from $25 to $199/month, per Quo's pricing page (Jul 2026). It's a flat, predictable line item.
Aircall's AI sits behind two gates. AI Assist (summaries, sentiment analysis, CRM logging) requires the Professional plan or above. AI Voice Agents are billed separately, from roughly $0.09 per minute in tiered bundles after free monthly minutes run out, per Aircall's pricing page (Jul 2026). It's more capable in a contact-centre context, but it's not a flat fee.
What happens as the team grows past 10 seats
Quo's per-user pricing scales cleanly whether you're 2 people or 50. There's no plan cliff that forces a renegotiation. The tradeoff is this: once you need queue supervision or CTI-level CRM logging, you're likely to outgrow Quo. At that point you'll go looking for a dedicated contact-centre tool anyway.
Aircall's Custom tier requires a 25-seat minimum. That's a real jump from the 3-seat Essentials floor. Reviewers on G2 note this transition is where Aircall's per-seat cost climbs fastest. The AI and CTI features that justified the switch often live on Professional or Custom, not Essentials.
Choose Quo (OpenPhone) if…
- →You're a team of 2 to 10 who wants shared numbers and SMS that reads like texting, not ticketing
- →You don't want to pay for seats you don't have; Quo has no seat minimum
- →You want one AI-included flat plan rather than usage-metered AI add-ons
- →Most of your team works from the mobile app, not a desk phone
Choose Aircall if…
- →You're running a sales or support queue where calls need skills-based routing
- →You need Salesforce CTI-level call logging, not just basic two-way sync
- →You want live call monitoring so a supervisor can whisper or barge into calls
- →You're already budgeting for 3+ seats and want 250+ integrations via API
A disclosed aside
If you're a team of 1 to 5, and neither of these quite fits (Quo's SMS focus or Aircall's queue overhead), wlur is built for exactly that gap. It's live now at $15/user/month with no seat minimums. Try it with a 7-day free trial, no card required. It's our product, so grade this entry accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenPhone the same company as Quo?
Yes. OpenPhone rebranded to Quo in 2025. The product is unchanged apart from the name. Pricing pages, help docs, and the app itself now say Quo. Most reviews and search results still reference OpenPhone, though.
Does Aircall have a cheaper plan than $30/user/month?
No published tier is cheaper. Aircall's Essentials plan starts at $30/user/month billed annually ($40/month billed monthly). Every plan carries a 3-seat minimum. So the real floor is $90/month, even for a two-person team, per Aircall's pricing page (Jul 2026).
Which one has better SMS?
Quo. Business SMS is a first-class feature on every plan, with unlimited US/Canada texting. Shared numbers let a whole team see the same thread. Aircall supports SMS too, but treats it as secondary to voice calling.
Can I use Quo for a call centre with 20+ agents?
You can, but you'll be missing skills-based queue routing and live call monitoring. Aircall's Professional and Custom tiers include those features. Reviewers running larger queues generally point toward Aircall or a dedicated contact-centre tool at that scale.
Does either tool include AI at no extra cost?
Quo includes its Sona AI answering agent with 1,000 free credits on every plan, including Starter. Aircall's equivalent, AI Assist, requires the Professional plan. Its AI Voice Agents are billed per minute on top of that.
Do either support international numbers outside the US and UK?
Aircall covers WhatsApp-based messaging in 180+ countries, with region-specific SMS rates. Quo includes US and Canada calling on every plan. It offers other countries as a per-minute or per-message add-on, per each provider's pricing page (Jul 2026).
Is there a free trial for either?
Quo offers a 7-day free trial. Aircall's trial availability varies by plan. It's typically arranged through sales for the Custom tier. Check current terms on each provider's site before committing.
Last verified: July 2026. Prices from providers' public pricing pages; complaints attributed to their sources. Spotted something stale? Tell us.