Beside

Name: Beside
Brand: Beside
Rating: 3.2 (1 reviews)

AI Native

Beside is a business phone service that provides a US phone number, an automated AI receptionist for inbound calls and texts, and generates searchable call artifacts (transcripts, summaries, daily recaps) across iOS, Android, macOS, and web.

Est 2023|Valuation $90M|Raised $31.9M|27 Ref Customers

LinkedIn 3K|Website|Web traffic 45K|FTEs 43|HQ richmond

MarketsInteractive Voice Response (IVR)

01Competitive Landscape

| Aspect | Beside | RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) | Nextiva (with XBert AI Receptionist add-on) | |--------|--------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | Starting Price | Published per-seat pricing available from the vendor; self-serve trial available. | Published monthly pricing for core plans; vendor notes additional AI receptionist pricing may apply. | Published entry-level per-user pricing for core UCaaS plans; AI receptionist capabilities are offered as add-ons and pricing is not clearly disclosed on the main pricing pages. | | Intended Use Case | Mobile-first small businesses where missed inbound calls are a primary revenue leak; field-service operators needing call artifacts and basic booking. | Organizations using the RingCentral ecosystem or those requiring an AI receptionist that integrates with mature UCaaS features and admin controls. | Teams seeking a broader UCaaS/CX platform with routing, reporting, and optional AI modules; scaling dependent on seat counts and selected modules. | | Key Strength | Focused offering that combines a business phone number, an AI receptionist, and generated call artifacts (transcripts, summaries, recaps). | Established UCaaS vendor with a mature telephony and admin ecosystem; broader routing and contact-center capabilities. | Integrated communications platform with pathways to more advanced CX capabilities and enterprise features. | | Key Weakness | Reported call delivery/reliability issues in some user reviews; potential gaps in advanced transfer/forwarding workflows. | Can become costly when bundling advanced features; may be more complex than SMB-focused tools. | Pricing and add-on complexity; value depends on seat counts and which CX/AI modules are required. |

Narrative competitive analysis

- Beside compared to UCaaS suites (RingCentral/Nextiva/Dialpad) - Beside differentiates as a product focused on an automated receptionist plus call intelligence and mobile-first usability for owner-operators and small teams. - UCaaS competitors tend to be stronger when buyers need mature PBX features, multi-site administration, advanced contact-center constructs, compliance tooling, or standardized enterprise procurement processes. - Beside compared to human answering services (Ruby) - Beside may be less expensive and provides always-on automated coverage; however, human receptionists typically provide higher reliability on nuanced, high-stakes, or empathic interactions and avoid automated-handling failure modes.

01Competitive Landscape

Aspect	Beside	RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR)	Nextiva (with XBert AI Receptionist add-on)
Starting Price	Published per-seat pricing available from the vendor; self-serve trial available.	Published monthly pricing for core plans; vendor notes additional AI receptionist pricing may apply.	Published entry-level per-user pricing for core UCaaS plans; AI receptionist capabilities are offered as add-ons and pricing is not clearly disclosed on the main pricing pages.
Intended Use Case	Mobile-first small businesses where missed inbound calls are a primary revenue leak; field-service operators needing call artifacts and basic booking.	Organizations using the RingCentral ecosystem or those requiring an AI receptionist that integrates with mature UCaaS features and admin controls.	Teams seeking a broader UCaaS/CX platform with routing, reporting, and optional AI modules; scaling dependent on seat counts and selected modules.
Key Strength	Focused offering that combines a business phone number, an AI receptionist, and generated call artifacts (transcripts, summaries, recaps).	Established UCaaS vendor with a mature telephony and admin ecosystem; broader routing and contact-center capabilities.	Integrated communications platform with pathways to more advanced CX capabilities and enterprise features.
Key Weakness	Reported call delivery/reliability issues in some user reviews; potential gaps in advanced transfer/forwarding workflows.	Can become costly when bundling advanced features; may be more complex than SMB-focused tools.	Pricing and add-on complexity; value depends on seat counts and which CX/AI modules are required.

Narrative competitive analysis

Beside compared to UCaaS suites (RingCentral/Nextiva/Dialpad)
- Beside differentiates as a product focused on an automated receptionist plus call intelligence and mobile-first usability for owner-operators and small teams.
- UCaaS competitors tend to be stronger when buyers need mature PBX features, multi-site administration, advanced contact-center constructs, compliance tooling, or standardized enterprise procurement processes.
Beside compared to human answering services (Ruby)
- Beside may be less expensive and provides always-on automated coverage; however, human receptionists typically provide higher reliability on nuanced, high-stakes, or empathic interactions and avoid automated-handling failure modes.