Aircall

Overview

Aircall is a cloud-native voice platform that replaces traditional hardware desk phones with a powerful software application. Founded in Paris in 2014, it allows businesses to instantly set up international phone numbers, route calls, and manage complex call center operations remotely. By integrating deeply with popular CRMs and helpdesk tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk, Aircall automates data entry and empowers sales and support teams to handle voice interactions directly within their existing workflows.

Founder story

Aircall was founded in Paris in 2014 by Olivier Pailhès, Jonathan Anguelov, Pierre-Baptiste Béchu, and Xavier Durand. Working out of the eFounders startup studio, they realized that setting up business telephony was incredibly tedious, hardware-dependent, and disconnected from modern software. After joining the 500 Startups accelerator in San Francisco in 2015, they shifted focus to building a completely cloud-based API-driven phone system. Aircall grew rapidly alongside the rise of SaaS CRMs, eventually reaching a $1 billion valuation in 2021 and surpassing $175 million in annual recurring revenue by 2025.

What it does

• Provides instant provisioning of local and toll-free numbers in over 100 countries without requiring any physical hardware
• Features advanced call routing, interactive voice response (IVR), and skill-based queueing for support teams
• Integrates deeply with over 100 CRMs and helpdesks to automatically log calls, surface caller details, and trigger automations
• Offers real-time analytics and live call monitoring to help managers track team performance and service levels
• Enables seamless internal collaboration with call commenting, shared inboxes, and warm transfer capabilities.

Who it's for

• Inbound Customer Support Teams
• Outbound Sales Development Reps (SDRs)
• Remote & Hybrid Call Centers
• IT Administrators replacing legacy PBX systems

Why it works

• It eliminates the need for expensive physical telephony infrastructure, operating entirely via a lightweight app and WebRTC
• Deep, one-click integrations with tools like HubSpot and Salesforce prevent agents from having to switch contexts or manually log data
• The intuitive interface allows non-technical managers to instantly configure call flows and IVR menus without IT support
• Its highly scalable architecture allows fast-growing companies to add numbers and onboard new agents worldwide in minutes
• Robust analytics dashboards provide immediate visibility into call volumes, wait times, and missed calls for data-driven staffing.

Alternatives

• RingCentral
• Dialpad
• Zendesk Talk
• Talkdesk
• JustCall

Comparison overview

• Aircall vs RingCentral: RingCentral is a legacy giant offering broad unified communications (UCaaS) including video and extensive hardware support, whereas Aircall focuses strictly on a modern, software-only call center experience deeply embedded in CRMs.
• Aircall vs Dialpad: Dialpad heavily emphasizes native AI voice transcription and real-time coaching, while Aircall's core strength lies in its unmatched ecosystem of third-party SaaS integrations.
• Aircall vs Zendesk Talk: Zendesk Talk is built exclusively inside Zendesk, whereas Aircall acts as an independent telephony layer that integrates equally well with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Intercom.
• Aircall vs Talkdesk: Talkdesk targets large enterprise contact centers with highly complex workforce management needs, while Aircall is highly favored by mid-market and fast-growing scaling teams for its ease of setup.