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SIP Dialer, Softphone, Predictive Dialer or Auto Dialer: Which Is Which

Updated 2026-09-30 · By the SMS Conecta team (SMSConecta Inc.)

Short answer: A softphone is simply a SIP dialer app that a human uses to make and take calls manually. A predictive dialer, by contrast, is contact-centre software that dials batches of numbers on its own and routes any answered call to a free agent; an auto dialer just works down a list. Every one of these still needs a phone number and a SIP connection to reach the public network.

Vendors throw these terms around loosely, so confusion is common. This guide pulls apart the separate layers at play: the number plus the SIP account behind it, the app a person talks through, and the software that automates the dialing itself. It also clarifies SMS Conecta's role — we hand you real numbers and SIP credentials, not dialing software.

Three layers make up any calling setup

Whether it's a personal setup or a business one, the same building blocks apply. First comes a phone number tied into the public phone network. Second is a SIP account — username, password, server — that lets software make use of that number. Third is the software actually placing the calls, be that a basic dialer app, a PBX, or a full contact-centre platform.

SMS Conecta handles the first two layers only. Every real number — across 181 countries — ships with SIP credentials and a browser web dialer for manual calling. We do not offer predictive, power or auto-dialing ourselves. Tools built for that, VICIdial among them, connect to SMS Conecta numbers over SIP exactly the way a softphone would.

The terms, defined simply

  • SIP dialer: any app or device placing calls through the Session Initiation Protocol (IETF RFC 3261). People often use the phrase loosely for a plain keypad app.
  • Softphone: a SIP dialer running as software on a computer or phone — Zoiper, Linphone, MicroSIP, Bria, Groundwire and the like. A real person dials and speaks.
  • Web dialer: a softphone that lives inside a browser tab, requiring no install at all.
  • PBX: a phone system — Asterisk, FreePBX, 3CX, FusionPBX — that shares numbers across extensions and handles call routing.
  • Auto dialer: software working through a list on its own, commonly to play a recorded message or hand each dialed call to one waiting agent.
  • Predictive dialer: software that fires off several numbers per available agent at once, relying on answer-rate and call-length statistics, and only forwards answered calls through to agents.
  • Power or progressive dialer: dials the next number the moment an agent frees up, strictly one call per agent, skipping the statistical overdialing a predictive dialer does.

A side-by-side look

FeatureSoftphone / SIP dialerAuto dialerPredictive dialer
Who dialsA person, number by numberThe software, from a listThe software, several lines per agent
Typical userIndividuals, small teams, remote staffReminders, notifications, simple campaignsOutbound contact centres with many agents
Needs agents onlineYes, the user is the agentNot always (message playback)Yes, a pool of agents
Calls per agent at onceOneOne or noneMore than one, adjusted by an algorithm
Risk of abandoned callsNoneLow to mediumHigher; regulated in many countries
Setup effortMinutesHours to daysDays, plus tuning and compliance work
Connects to numbers viaSIP accountSIP trunkSIP trunk
ExamplesZoiper, Linphone, MicroSIP, Bria, web dialersModes in VICIdial and many hosted platformsVICIdial and commercial contact-centre suites

Is a SIP dialer really different from a softphone?

In practice, not really — "SIP dialer" and "softphone" refer to the same category of app. Some people keep "softphone" for full-featured clients with contact lists, presence indicators and call transfer, reserving "SIP dialer" for something closer to a bare keypad. A handful of hardware desk phones also qualify as SIP dialers, just not software-based ones.

What actually matters is whether the app handles standard SIP registration, digest authentication and G.711 codecs. Any app meeting those criteria can sign into an SMS Conecta number using that number's own username and password.

Predictive dialer compared with auto dialer

An auto dialer just moves through a list on its own. At its simplest it plays back a recorded message, or dials a single number for each agent who becomes free. A predictive dialer takes that a step further: it forecasts when agents will next be available and starts dialing ahead of time, cutting down the idle time agents spend waiting. The cost of that efficiency is the occasional abandoned or silent call, when someone answers but no agent is actually free.

That downside is exactly why automated and predictive dialing is regulated across many countries. In the US, for instance, the FCC publishes its own robocall and telemarketing rules. Anyone running automated campaigns should check the regulations for every country being called and obtain consent wherever it is required. Our acceptable use policy governs how numbers may be used as well.

Hooking a predictive dialer up to SMS Conecta numbers

Contact-centre software sees an SMS Conecta number as nothing more than a SIP trunk, so the process mirrors a PBX setup:

  1. Purchase one or several numbers in whichever countries you call or need to receive calls from.
  2. Grab each number's SIP username and password from its dashboard page.
  3. In your dialer software (VICIdial, for example, runs on Asterisk underneath), build a SIP carrier or trunk entry pointing to sip.smsconecta.com on port 5060, or 5061 if using TLS.
  4. Restrict codecs to G.711 µ-law and A-law only, and set DTMF to RFC 2833.
  5. Attach the trunk to a campaign or outbound route, then place one manual test call before switching on any automated dialing.

Matching capacity to your needs

Each number ships with 1,000 outgoing minutes and 500 outgoing SMS monthly, unlimited inbound calls and texts, starting at $1.80 per month billed yearly ($21.60 per year). That fits softphone users, small teams and support desks comfortably. High-volume outbound dialing, though, burns through minutes fast — work out your expected outbound minutes per number before launching a campaign, and reach out to support@smsconecta.com if the estimate is unclear.

Note too that SMS Conecta does not include call recording, voicemail or a customer-facing API. Where a contact-centre platform offers those extras, they run on the platform side, not on the number itself.

Included on every plan

  • Unlimited incoming SMS
  • Unlimited incoming calls
  • 500 outgoing SMS per month
  • 1,000 outgoing minutes per month
  • SIP credentials, call forwarding and web dialer
  • Keep your number as long as you want
  • Works with WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, Telegram and thousands more
  • 7-day replacement guarantee — free new number if it doesn't work for you
  • 7-day money-back guarantee if the number is unused

Numbers start at $1.80 per month, billed yearly ($21.60 per year). Settle up with USDT or USDC.

Frequently asked questions

Are softphones and SIP dialers the same thing?

For all practical purposes, yes. Both describe apps that place calls over SIP; "softphone" simply tends to imply computer or phone software rather than a physical desk handset.

How does a predictive dialer differ from an auto dialer?

An auto dialer just works through a list on its own. A predictive dialer is one flavor of auto dialer that dials multiple numbers per agent based on projected answer rates — agents wait less, though some answered calls may get abandoned as a result.

Does SMS Conecta bundle a predictive or auto dialer?

No — we supply real numbers, SIP credentials and a manual web dialer only. Separate predictive and auto-dialing tools, VICIdial being one, connect to SMS Conecta numbers over SIP.

Can SMS Conecta numbers be used inside VICIdial?

Yes — register each number as a SIP carrier using sip.smsconecta.com along with that number's own username, password and the G.711 codecs.

Is a predictive dialer necessary for a small team?

Not typically. A handful of people calling manually get along fine with softphones or the web dialer; predictive dialing exists for larger outbound-calling teams.

Are predictive dialers permitted legally?

They are allowed in most places, but under regulation — covering things like abandoned-call limits and consent. Verify the rules for each country you plan to call before switching on automated campaigns.

Related guides and use cases

Related countries

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