As of June 30, 2025, Avaya introduced a new policy requiring Avaya Experience Platform (AXP) customers to commit to a minimum of 200 seats. Customers with fewer seats had to either upgrade to meet this threshold or cancel their subscriptions without penalty. This change affects all AXP Public subscription bundles, including “All Media,” “Digital Only,” and “Voice Only.”

AXP is a dedicated cloud solution designed to integrate Avaya’s cloud services into existing infrastructure. The AXP Private Cloud offers a comprehensive contact center platform capable of delivering seamless, high-capacity customer experiences. It provides skill-based routing to connect customers with the most appropriate agents and real-time agent augmentation to support performance.

For many small and mid-sized businesses, this marks Avaya’s exit from the SMB market. If your business is affected by Avaya’s new seat minimum, Vodia offers a flexible solution tailored to the needs of smaller and mid-sized companies, with options designed to fit your size, budget, and existing infrastructure. Here are 8 detailed reasons why Vodia is an excellent alternative to Avaya for SMBs (plus one more reason that matters most).

1. No Seat Minimums – Pay for What You Actually Need

Unlike Avaya’s rigid 200-seat minimum, Vodia offers flexible per-user pricing with no minimum seat commitments. Whether you have five users or 150, you only pay for the seats you use. This means no wasteful spending on seats you don’t need - you can scale up or down effortlessly as your business changes. Vodia’s model reflects true SMB flexibility, letting you manage costs with precision.

2. Keep Your Avaya IP Phones and Preserve Your Investment

Switching to a new phone system shouldn’t require an expensive hardware overhaul. Vodia’s PBX interoperates seamlessly with a wide range of Avaya JP100 series IP phones, including popular models such as the J129, J139, J159, J169, J179, and J189. This interoperability enables your team to keep the phones they already know and trust, preserving your investment and minimizing disruption during migration. We support these devices for their entire lifecycle, providing you with long-term peace of mind.

3. Feature-Rich PBX Tailored for SMBs

Vodia was designed with SMBs in mind from the ground up. Unlike legacy systems retrofitted to smaller companies, Vodia offers a powerful, scalable platform loaded with enterprise-grade features without unnecessary complexity. You get call recording, voicemail transcription, CRM/PMS integration, hot desking, and advanced call routing, all built in. Whether your team is on-site, remote, or mobile, Vodia keeps your communications reliable and professional.

4. Flexible Deployment Options to Fit Your Infrastructure

Vodia adapts to your business environment. Whether you prefer on-premise deployment on Windows, Linux, or Mac servers, or you want to leverage cloud infrastructure, Vodia supports you. Our PBX is available on major cloud marketplaces, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and DigitalOcean Marketplace. For businesses looking for a hybrid approach, Vodia offers this, too. This flexibility ensures you maintain control over your communication infrastructure while benefiting from cloud technology.

5. Advanced Call Center Capabilities Out of the Box

Vodia integrates a comprehensive suite of call center features within the core PBX platform. You get skill-based routing to direct customers to the best agents, call queues to manage traffic, ring groups, real-time analytics, wallboards, and agent augmentation with real-time prompts. This eliminates the need for separate call center software, reducing costs and complexities while improving the overall customer experience.

6. Microsoft Teams Integration and the Vodia Integration Paradise

Vodia offers seamless integration with Microsoft Teams through our Microsoft-certified Session Border Controller (SBC). Your users can make and receive calls directly within the Teams interface while enjoying Vodia’s powerful call management features. But integration doesn’t stop there. Vodia is an integration paradise, connecting with a wide range of business software, including CRM systems, Property Management Systems (PMS), billing platforms, and collaboration tools. These integrations streamline your workflows, accelerate digital communication processes, and ensure you retain full control over your telephony and data.

7. AI-Enhanced Communication Tools

The latest Vodia PBX release, version 69.5.6, embraces AI with real-time integration of OpenAI and call transcription powered by Whisper API. These capabilities allow SMBs to automatically transcribe calls for quality control, training, and compliance purposes. AI-powered analytics help uncover patterns, automate routine tasks, and improve customer interactions, making this an accessible advantage, rather than a complex add-on.

8. Industry-Specific Solutions Tailored to Your Needs

Vodia serves a broad range of industries, with customized features to meet sector-specific requirements. Whether you’re in healthcare, hospitality, telecommunications, maritime and cruising, long-term care, real estate, or the public sector, the Vodia PBX adapts to your unique workflows. Our experience in these verticals means you get tailored integrations, regulatory compliance support, and functionality designed to enhance your business communications.

+1. Because You Deserve a Vendor That Doesn’t Leave You Behind

Avaya’s 200-seat policy has forced many SMBs to seek new partners quickly. Vodia believes no business should be excluded from high-quality, enterprise-grade communications because of its size. We provide transparent per-seat pricing, white-glove migration support, and ongoing service tailored to your business needs. When you choose Vodia, you gain a partner committed to growing with you, not one who will leave you behind. With Vodia, the sky’s the limit. Please get in touch with us at sales@vodia.com or call +1 (617) 861-3490 (United States), +61 2 7201 0788 (APAC), or +49 30 555 78749 (Europe).

About Vodia

Vodia Networks, Inc. provides B2B cloud communications solutions for enterprises, contact centers, and service providers. Its PBX software offers a broad range of business telephony features for on-premise and cloud deployments on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Fully SIP-compliant, Vodia integrates with numerous SIP devices and trunking providers for flexible telephony. Its multi-tenant platforms support desk phones, softphones, APIs, and third-party CRM integrations. Vodia empowers partners and users with world-class cloud PBX and personalized support to ensure success. The company operates globally, with offices in Boston, USA, and Berlin, Germany. Visit Vodia on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.