What does each one do?
RingEX is RingCentral's business phone and communications platform. Core includes unlimited domestic calling, on-demand call recording, 100 toll-free minutes, 25 SMS per user a month and HD meetings for up to 300 participants. Advanced adds CRM integrations, multiple sites and 1,000 toll-free minutes [1]. An AI Receptionist add-on starts at $39 [1].
Torchrunner is one app for solo operators and small teams who do client work. Leads, contacts, companies and engagements sit on one record with the inbox (unlimited Gmail and Outlook accounts, plus Slack, WhatsApp, SMS, LinkedIn and Telegram), a business phone line, calendar and booking pages, projects and tasks, documents and notes, and your own books.
Archie and nine specialists do the work across those modules. Runners are automations that start on a real event and log every step. Anything that leaves the business, moves money or deletes data waits for a person's yes unless you choose otherwise.
Where do they overlap?
Both give you a business number with calling, texting and an auto-attendant or receptionist.
RingCentral is a full phone system for companies with many users, sites and call queues. In Torchrunner the phone line is one module: click to call from the contact, and every call and text is logged to the client's record next to the email and the work.
What does Torchrunner replace, and what does it connect to?
For a solo operator or small team, the separate business phone app, plus the CRM, inbox and project tools around it.
Gmail and Microsoft through their official APIs, your own Stripe account, your clients' QuickBooks Online, and your own AI. Torchrunner does not list a RingCentral connection today.
How does pricing compare?
RingCentral lists taxes and regulatory fees that may apply on top [1]. As a phone system alone, RingEX costs less per user; Torchrunner's price covers the phone line plus the CRM, inbox, projects, documents and your own books.
| RingCentral RingEX [1] | Torchrunner | |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $20 per user per month paid annually | One plan: $199 a month with 1 seat and 1 engagement, phone line included |
| Advanced | $25 per user per month paid annually | Extra seat $79, extra engagement $99, per month |
| Bundles | AI Customer Engagement bundles: contact sales | Not offered |
| Billing | Monthly or annual; RingCentral says annual saves up to 33% | Month to month |
| Texting | 25 SMS per user a month on Core, 100 on Advanced | Texting from the business line, logged to the client |
| CRM, inbox, projects, books | Not part of RingEX | Included |
Who should pick which?
You need a phone system for many users across locations, with call queues, contact center features or hardware phones.
You are a solo operator or small team, and you want calls and texts on the same record as the client's email, projects and invoices, without a separate phone app.
Switching: what moves over?
Contacts move over during setup. Ask about moving an existing business number during implementation.
Implementation, including setup and data migration, is done by AtPace, our implementation partner, and priced by AtPace. Once you are in, your data stays yours: export your records as a ZIP at any time, or schedule backups to your own SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox.
Questions
Is Torchrunner a RingCentral alternative?
For a solo operator or small team that needs a business line, yes: calling, texting, an auto-attendant and click to call are built in. For a phone system across many sites with call queues, RingCentral is the better fit.
How much is RingCentral compared with Torchrunner?
RingEX Core is $20 per user per month paid annually and Advanced is $25. Torchrunner is $199 a month with 1 seat and 1 engagement, with the phone line, CRM, inbox, projects and books included.
Are calls logged to the client in Torchrunner?
Yes. Calls and texts run on your business line and are logged to the client record.
Can I keep my number?
Ask during implementation; AtPace handles setup and data migration.
Sources, checked October 25, 2026
Every RingCentral price, limit and feature above comes from RingCentral's own pages, opened on October 25, 2026. Vendors change prices often; check the source before you buy. Where a page did not say, we left the fact out.
- ›1. RingCentral RingEX plans and pricing: https://www.ringcentral.com/office/plansandpricing.html
- ›Torchrunner prices: https://torchrunner.ai/pricing
RingCentral is a trademark of RingCentral, Inc.. Other product names belong to their owners. Torchrunner is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by RingCentral.
- ›Torchrunner vs your whole stack: the eleven-tool stack, tool by tool
- ›Platform: every module, and Archie and the nine specialists
- ›Pricing: one plan, month to month, with worked examples
- ›Request access: access is by application