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Weave earned its reputation in dentistry honestly: it’s the only phone platform in our research with direct integrations with Dentrix, Open Dental, and Eaglesoft, plus reminders, payments, and review requests built in. But it’s a premium, dental-specific platform — its pricing page advertises only “starts at $199/month” without officially confirming the billing basis. If you want a lower phone bill, a shorter commitment, or just don’t need a whole front-office platform, a mainstream VoIP provider covers your phones.
We compared five alternatives on published pricing, texting, reminder options, practice-management connections, and each vendor’s stated HIPAA/BAA posture. Pricing checked September 2026. Our research is documentation-based — never hands-on testing. See how we evaluate and our dental offices guide for the full Weave breakdown.
Weave alternatives for dental offices — quick comparison
| Provider | Best for | Starting price (Sept 2026) | Contract | Dental-PMS connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nextiva | All-round alternative with analytics | $15/user/mo, billed annually | Annual term | None on official pages |
| Ooma Office | Contract-averse small practices | $19.95/user/mo | None required | Via NexHealth (bridge, not native) |
| Dialpad | Lowest annual per-user cost | $15/user/mo, billed annually | Annual term (strict early termination) | None — CRM screen pops only |
| RingCentral RingEX | Multi-location groups & DSOs | $20/user/mo, billed annually* | Annual term | None — but real DSO customer footprint |
| Zoom Phone | Offices already running on Zoom | See Zoom’s site* | Not verified | None on official pages |
| Weave (reference) | All-in-one dental front office | From $199/mo* | Terms not published | Native: Dentrix, Open Dental, Eaglesoft |
*RingCentral’s pricing page is JavaScript-gated, so monthly-billed amounts and the top-tier price are unverified — confirm on RingCentral’s site. Zoom names its phone tiers but per-user prices didn’t render during its check; get current pricing from Zoom directly. Weave advertises “starts at $199/month” without officially confirming the billing basis — don’t treat it as per-user or per-location pricing.
The baseline: what you’d be giving up (Weave)
Weave is the reference point because it’s the only one of these six built for dental: phones plus two-way texting, appointment reminders, Missed Call Text, Call Pop with patient info, Text to Pay, and review requests. It offers three tiers — Pro, Elite, and Ultimate — with text-message caps (1,500/mo on Pro, 3,000 on Elite, 15,000 on Ultimate). Weave describes itself as having been “designed with features to support you in complying with HIPAA,” and its BAA addendum (updated April 2026) names Weave as your Business Associate. G2 4.6/5 (~433 reviews).
The trade-off is cost and specialization: treat Weave as platform pricing for phones, texting, reminders, payments, and reviews — compare it against the combined cost of a VoIP system plus reminder software.
1. Nextiva — Best all-round Weave alternative
Nextiva is the safest generalist pick: the largest review base here and clean published pricing. Pricing: Core $15, Engage $25, Scale $75 per user/month, billed annually (12-month term) — checked September 2026.
Core covers auto-attendant, SMS, voicemail transcription, and number porting; Engage ($25) adds call recording and analytics. What you lose vs. Weave: native PMS screen pops, automated reminders, and patient payments. HIPAA, in Nextiva’s words: its HIPAA support page describes a healthcare package with “the additional monitoring required by HIPAA” and requires a comprehensive BAA — but on HIPAA accounts SMS/MMS isn’t HIPAA compliant and voicemail transcription is disabled. G2 4.5/5 (~3,622 reviews).
Verdict: the closest thing to a drop-in VoIP substitute for Weave’s phone service. See our Nextiva vs Ooma comparison for more on the two leading budget picks.
2. Ooma Office — Best for practices that hate contracts
Ooma Office is the low-commitment pick: no contract required on any tier, and number transfer is advertised as free. Pricing: Essentials $19.95, Pro $24.95, Pro Plus $29.95 per user/month — verified on Ooma’s official plans page, checked September 2026. Pro adds text messaging, call recording, and voicemail transcription.
The dental connection — stated precisely: Ooma partnered with NexHealth so patient records sync from your practice management system, and the Ooma desktop app shows a Patient Caller-ID Pop with previous-visit date, next-visit date, and family member names. This is a bridge through a third-party integration, not a native PMS integration like Weave’s direct Dentrix/Open Dental/Eaglesoft connections. HIPAA, in Ooma’s words: Ooma Office has a “HIPAA mode designed to help health-care organizations to meet HIPAA requirements.” The admin signs the BAA virtually; HIPAA mode encrypts recordings and faxes, and disables SMS. G2 4.5/5 (~134 reviews).
Verdict: the easiest switch from Weave for lower cost with minimal commitment — but confirm the NexHealth connection covers your specific PMS first.
3. Dialpad — Cheapest annual per-user pricing
Dialpad matches Nextiva’s $15 entry price but adds AI call and voicemail transcription on every plan. Pricing: Standard $15/user/month billed annually ($27 month-to-month); Pro $25 annual ($35 monthly); Enterprise is custom — checked September 2026. 14-day free trial.
Standard covers auto-attendant, SMS/MMS, call recording, and AI transcription; Pro adds hold queues and multi-location support. No dental-PMS integrations on official pages, and no bundled reminders or payments. HIPAA, in Dialpad’s words: online BAA signing is available on all paid accounts, and “once a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is signed, all Dialpad products can be used compliantly by healthcare industry customers.” G2 4.4/5 (~4,202 reviews).
Verdict: the lowest-cost way to replace Weave’s calling — but the annual term has teeth.
4. RingCentral RingEX — Best for multi-location groups & DSOs
RingCentral (branded RingEX) is the enterprise-grade alternative: multisite management, deep analytics, and real dental-industry adoption (Pacific Dental Services and Heartland Dental are customers — vertical adoption, not a PMS integration; we found no prebuilt Dentrix integration on official pages). Pricing: officially published as Core $20 and Advanced $25 per user/month billed annually — but the pricing page is JavaScript-gated, so monthly-billed amounts and the top-tier price are unverified; confirm on their site. 14-day free trial (up to 20 lines).
Advanced adds automatic recording and multisite management over Core’s IVR, SMS/MMS, and call queues. HIPAA, in RingCentral’s words: RingCentral publishes a customer BAA available to paying covered-entity customers. G2 4.2/5 (~1,432 reviews) — the weakest scores here, though respectable.
Verdict: the Weave alternative for multi-location groups and DSOs; overkill for a single-location practice.
5. Zoom Phone — Best if your office already lives on Zoom
Zoom Phone only makes sense as a Weave alternative if your practice already uses Zoom for meetings: one vendor, one admin console, one bill. Pricing: Zoom names its tiers — US & Canada Metered, US & Canada Unlimited, Pro Plus, and Business Plus — but per-user prices didn’t render on its pricing page during our check. We won’t quote third-party numbers as fact: get current pricing from Zoom directly.
Includes IVR, voicemail, call recording, SMS/MMS, and multilocation options — but no dental specialization: no PMS integrations on official pages and no bundled reminders or payments. HIPAA, in Zoom’s words: Zoom’s healthcare data sheet says organizations can enable HIPAA-compliant programs by executing a BAA; we couldn’t verify the exact BAA scope per Zoom Phone tier — ask Zoom to confirm in writing. G2 4.6/5 (~2,671 reviews).
Verdict: only worth considering if you’re already paying for Zoom; otherwise the picks above give you more transparency for less effort.
Who should switch — and who should stay with Weave
Stay with Weave if: your front desk leans on patient screen-pops from Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft and automated reminders save you real staff hours. None of the alternatives is a true substitute — they’re cheaper phones, not a cheaper Weave.
Switch to a generalist if: your PMS already handles reminders, or Weave’s platform fee is hard to justify for a small practice. Nextiva is the best all-rounder, Ooma is the no-contract pick, Dialpad is the cheapest entry. But price the stack, not just the phones: a $15/user VoIP plan looks like savings until you add reminder software, payments, and review requests back as separate tools. See our dental phone system cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Weave worth the cost over a cheaper VoIP provider?
It depends on what you buy besides dial tone. Weave’s “starts at $199/month” is platform pricing for phones, texting, reminders, payments, and reviews with native Dentrix/Open Dental/Eaglesoft integrations. A $15–25/user VoIP plan is cheaper per user but covers calling only — budget reminder software separately.
Can any Weave alternative integrate with Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft?
No — not directly. Weave is the only provider here with official, direct integrations with all three. Ooma comes closest through its NexHealth partnership — a bridge, not a native PMS integration.
What about automated appointment reminders?
None of the five bundles dental appointment reminders; you’d rely on your practice-management system’s own reminders or a separate tool.
Why can’t I get a straight per-user price for Weave?
Its official pricing page advertises only “starts at $199/month” without officially confirming the billing basis — ask Weave directly for a quote.
Do I need a HIPAA-compliant phone system for my dental office?
If the system handles protected health information — appointment-related voicemails generally qualify — the standard approach is a signed BAA with your vendor plus their HIPAA-mode settings. Confirm your setup with compliance counsel; this isn’t legal advice.
Can I keep my existing office number if I switch?
Yes — number porting is standard across all five. Ooma advertises free transfer; don’t cancel your old service until the port completes.
The bottom line
- Best all-round alternative: Nextiva Core ($15/user/mo, annual) — clean pricing, recording and analytics on Engage ($25).
- No-contract pick: Ooma Pro ($24.95/user/mo) — month-to-month, free porting, the only dental-facing integration (via NexHealth) among the generalists.
- Tightest per-user budget: Dialpad Standard ($15/user/mo, annual) — but the annual term has real teeth.
- Multi-location groups & DSOs: RingCentral RingEX — centralized management Weave’s platform pricing doesn’t fit.
- Already on Zoom: Zoom Phone; everyone else should skip it.
- Stay with Weave if: your front office depends on native Dentrix/Open Dental/Eaglesoft screen-pops — none of the above replaces them.
Last updated: September 2026. Pricing was checked on vendors’ official pages in September 2026 and changes frequently — confirm current pricing before you buy.
Related guides
For the HIPAA side of the decision, see our guide to phone systems for HIPAA-regulated practices.