Best predictive dialer software for the TCPA's calling rules
7 vendors comparedVendor claims read 2026-10-22
For the owner or floor manager running outbound sales calls with more than one agent: which dialers hold the abandoned-call rate under the FCC's 3% cap, what the person who answers hears when no agent is free, and how each one handles calling hours, do-not-call lists and reassigned numbers. We read seven vendors' own documentation on 2026-10-22. For one agent dialing a list, see the power dialer comparison instead.
Verdict by use case
Best overall
The most rows backed by its own documentation: a 2.5% abandon target by default, state calling restrictions, a consent cut-off date and preview mode. Plan around one gap: numbers on its DNC list can still be dialed by hand.
Best for large contact centres
Abandon caps, time zones mapped from area code and ZIP, and DNC scrubbing before each record is dialed, set per campaign and contact list. It wants at least 15 agents for predictive pacing to work well.
Best for reassigned numbers and manual dialing
Its compliance page names internal, federal and state DNC checks before the dial, plus reassigned-number removal. Manual-dialing products sit beside the predictive dialer for leads without written consent.
Seven dialers, nine requirements
The first two rows only exist because a predictive dialer places more calls than it has agents. The rest apply to any outbound sales call: the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window, the registry and your own list, caller ID, the Reassigned Numbers Database and the consent record. "Our pick" marks the best-overall verdict.
Read the calling-window row closely. Dialers often work out a contact's time zone from the area code, and people keep their numbers when they move. Genesys adds the ZIP code where you supply one, Talkdesk uses a time zone you put in the list, and the quiet hours checker shows the window for a single number.
| Requirement | Our pickReadymode | Genesys Cloud CX | Convoso | Talkdesk | JustCall | Five9 | TCN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaign | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor | Yes | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor |
| Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 seconds | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Yes | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor |
| Calling window by the recipient's time zone | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor |
| National and state DNC scrubbing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor |
| Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound calls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor |
| Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound calls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor |
| Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Yes | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Yes |
| Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Check with the vendor | Yes | Yes |
| Records opt-in with a timestamp and the number | Yes | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor | Check with the vendor |
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaign
- No more than three percent of live-answered telemarketing calls may be abandoned, measured per campaign over each 30-day period.47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 seconds
- A call no agent picks up within two seconds of the greeting is abandoned; the caller must then hear the seller's name, a do-not-call number and a key-press opt-out.47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)(i)
- Calling window by the recipient's time zone
- No telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time at the called party's location.47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1)
- National and state DNC scrubbing
- The safe harbor needs a registry copy obtained no more than 31 days before the call.47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(2)(i)(D)
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound calls
- Telemarketers must record a do-not-call request when it is made and honour it for five years.47 CFR § 64.1200(d)(3), (d)(6)
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound calls
- Telemarketers must transmit caller ID and never block it; the number shown must take do-not-call requests during business hours.47 CFR § 64.1601(e)
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database
- A database answer of "no" that turns out wrong is a safe harbor for a call to a number that changed hands after consent.47 CFR § 64.1200(m)
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing mode
- Some state laws reach any automated system that selects and dials numbers; an agent-initiated mode keeps leads without written consent out of the predictive queue.Fla. Stat. § 501.059(8)(a) (2026)
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the number
- CTIA asks senders to keep the date, time, number and the words used to secure consent.CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023), 5.1.2
The abandoned-call rule, clause by clause
A predictive dialer bets that some calls will not be answered. When more people pick up than there are free agents, the extra calls are abandoned, and the FCC limits how often that can happen and what the person hears. Here is each clause of 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7) next to the setting it needs. The TSR and TCPA side by side covers where the two rules differ.
| Clause | What the rule says | What to set in the dialer |
|---|---|---|
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7) | No more than 3% of live-answered telemarketing calls abandoned, per campaign, over each 30-day period. | Set the cap at or under 3% on every campaign and read the rate per campaign, not as one account-wide figure. |
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7) | A call is abandoned if no live sales representative is on within two seconds of the person's completed greeting. | Measure from the end of "hello". Answering machine detection that holds a live answer counts against the two seconds. |
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)(i)(A) | The message says the call was for "telemarketing purposes", names the seller and gives a number that takes do-not-call requests in business hours. | Record exactly that and nothing else: no pitch, no offer. The number cannot be a 900 or other premium line. |
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)(i)(B) | A key-press or voice opt-out, with brief instructions, that adds the number to the seller's do-not-call list and ends the call at once. | Check the opt-out writes to the same internal list the dialer scrubs against before the next campaign. |
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(6) | An unanswered telemarketing call rings at least 15 seconds or four rings before it is dropped. | Set the no-answer timeout to 15 seconds or more on every campaign. |
| 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)(iii) | The seller or telemarketer keeps records that show compliance with the abandonment rule. | Export abandon reports per campaign and per 30-day period, and keep them with the campaign's script and message. |
Abandon budget for one campaign
Enter one campaign's figures for the current 30-day period. Pre-filled with a worked example.
Abandon rate
2.42%
Abandons left under 3%
70
The cap for 12,000 answered calls is 360 abandoned calls. A dialer set to exactly 3% has no margin for a bad hour; Readymode's default plan, for one, targets 2.5%.
Is a predictive dialer an autodialer?
Since 2021 the answer turns on one Supreme Court case, and it changes less than vendors' marketing suggests. The longer version is in what counts as an autodialer; Florida's rules are in the state telemarketing laws guide.
“We hold that a necessary feature of an autodialer under §227(a)(1)(A) is the capacity to use a random or sequential number generator to either store or produce phone numbers to be called.”
A predictive dialer usually calls a list someone uploaded rather than generating numbers. That is why some vendors now say their dialer is not an autodialer at all: Readymode's compliance page says so in its FAQ. Two cautions before you rely on it. The Court's own footnote 7 says “an autodialer might use a random number generator to determine the order in which to pick phone numbers from a preproduced list”, so how a dialer orders a list can matter. And a vendor's reading of its product is not a court's.
What applies either way
The Court said its decision does not touch the separate ban on artificial or prerecorded voice calls. None of these depends on the autodialer definition:
- The 3% abandoned-call cap and the two-second message47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)
- No telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at the called party's location47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(1)
- National Do Not Call Registry and your internal do-not-call list47 CFR § 64.1200(c)(2), (d)
- Caller ID transmitted, never blocked47 CFR § 64.1601(e)
- Consent for artificial or prerecorded voice calls, unless an exemption applies47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A), (B)
State law can reach further than the federal definition. Florida bars an unsolicited sales call that “involves an automated system for the selection and dialing of telephone numbers” without the called party's prior express written consent (Fla. Stat. § 501.059(8)(a)).
Florida also narrows the window to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the called person's time zone and allows no more than three sales calls to a person in 24 hours on the same subject (Fla. Stat. § 501.616(6)). A dialer's built-in state rules are a convenience, not a ruling: check them against each state you call.
That is the job of the manual-mode row in the table. Leads that came without written consent go to a preview or manual queue where an agent places each call; the rest can run predictive. The Calling pillar covers consent wording and calling hours state by state.
Vendor by vendor
Each card repeats the table's rows with the detail from the vendor's own page.
Readymode
What it is
A cloud predictive dialer with a built-in CRM, sold to outbound sales teams. Preview, power, progressive and predictive modes run from the same queues.
Who it fits
Small and mid-size outbound teams that want abandon pacing, state calling rules and a consent cut-off set in one admin screen.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignYes
The default 2.5% Autoconfig plan paces dialing to an abandon threshold of 2.5%. The Aggressive (Manual) plan dials 3 per agent and its abandon rate varies.
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneYes
With State Calling Restrictions on, a record outside its local window is skipped and deferred. The daily window resets at 12:00 a.m. Pacific.
- National and state DNC scrubbingYes
Through integrations with outside compliance vendors, not a built-in registry feed.
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
Numbers on the list are not called by the dialer, but agents can still dial them manually.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
A default number, area-code proximity matching or rotation; a business caller ID name is set up through support.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseCheck with the vendor
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
Preview mode needs the agent to dial each call.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberYes
Stores a consent date mapped from the lead file and stops dialing once it is older than the days you set.
Genesys Cloud CX
What it is
An enterprise contact-centre suite whose outbound dialer runs predictive, power, progressive, preview and agentless campaigns.
Who it fits
Contact centres with 15 or more agents on a campaign and an admin who will configure lists, time sets and DNC sources.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignYes
An Abandon Rate property sets the maximum percentage of abandoned calls for power, predictive and agentless campaigns.
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneYes
Maps contacts to a time zone by area code and, when supplied, ZIP code. Numbers it cannot map default to 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.
- National and state DNC scrubbingYes
Scrubs each record before dialing through a DNC.com or Gryphon subscription you hold with that provider.
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
Up to 1,000 internal DNC lists. Entries cannot be deleted; an expiry date in the past makes the dialer skip them.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
Caller ID name and number set per campaign.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseCheck with the vendor
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
Preview mode shows the record and the agent dials; External mode hands dialing to a desktop dialer.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
Convoso
What it is
A cloud dialer for high-volume outbound sales, with predictive and other automatic modes plus separate manual-dialing products.
Who it fits
Outbound sales floors that dial in several states and want reassigned-number checks and manual dialing in the same platform.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignCheck with the vendor
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneCheck with the vendor
StateTracker limits daily attempts per lead by area and ZIP code; a calling-hours setting is not described on the pages we read.
- National and state DNC scrubbingYes
Checks leads against internal, federal and state do-not-call lists before dialing.
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
Internal lists are part of the same pre-dial check.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
Signs outbound calls under STIR/SHAKEN; caller ID reputation tools are a separate feature.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseYes
Identifies and removes reassigned numbers.
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
CallCatalyst and Click-to-Comply for agent-initiated dialing.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
Talkdesk
What it is
A cloud contact centre whose Talkdesk Dialer runs predictive and preview campaigns. For new customers, predictive dialing comes with Talkdesk Advanced Dialer.
Who it fits
Teams already on Talkdesk for inbound that want outbound campaigns in the same workspace.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignYes
A Max. abandonment rate per campaign. Talkdesk warns the rate can run past it and advises stopping a US campaign that does.
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneYes
Campaign calling hours applied to a time zone you supply for each record, with Daylight Saving Time handled.
- National and state DNC scrubbingCheck with the vendor
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
One Do Not Call list per campaign; entries can carry an expiry date.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
Several caller IDs per campaign, used in order across attempts.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseCheck with the vendor
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
Preview dialing: the agent reviews the record and decides to call or skip.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
JustCall
What it is
A cloud phone system with a Sales Dialer. Power, dynamic and predictive campaigns; predictive needs the SalesPro plan.
Who it fits
Small sales teams that want a phone system and a predictive dialer under one login.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignCheck with the vendor
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsYes
A pre-recorded message plays on calls marked Abandoned; you set how long a call waits for an agent first.
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneYes
Calling hours by the contact's local time zone, set per state for the US. Contacts held back by time zone cannot be overridden by hand.
- National and state DNC scrubbingCheck with the vendor
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
A Do Not Dial list under Restricted Contacts.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
Register a caller ID name (CNAM) for US calls from the Compliance Center.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseCheck with the vendor
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeCheck with the vendor
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
Five9
What it is
A cloud contact centre with predictive, progressive, power and preview dialers and a Manual Touch Mode.
Who it fits
Outbound or blended centres that want the dialer inside a full contact-centre suite.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignCheck with the vendor
The product page says power dialing adjusts to abandon rates; a cap for predictive campaigns is not stated.
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneYes
Listed as time zone rules dialing.
- National and state DNC scrubbingCheck with the vendor
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsYes
Listed as DNC list management.
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsYes
Local caller ID, and Certified Caller signs calls under STIR/SHAKEN.
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseCheck with the vendor
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
Manual Touch Mode turns off automated dialing; agents dial each contact or skip it.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
TCN
What it is
A cloud contact-centre platform with predictive and preview dialers; its compliance pages also cover collections rules (Regulation F).
Who it fits
Teams that want reassigned-number checks and manually approved calls next to the predictive dialer.
- Caps the abandoned-call rate at 3% per campaignCheck with the vendor
- Plays an ID and opt-out message when no agent is free within 2 secondsCheck with the vendor
- Calling window by the recipient's time zoneCheck with the vendor
- National and state DNC scrubbingCheck with the vendor
- Keeps an internal do-not-call list for outbound callsCheck with the vendor
- Sends a caller ID name and number on outbound callsCheck with the vendor
- Checks numbers against the FCC Reassigned Numbers DatabaseYes
Identifies disconnected US and toll-free numbers with the date of disconnection.
- Offers an agent-initiated (manual or preview) dialing modeYes
Manually Approved Calling: calls are reviewed and approved before they are dialed.
- Records opt-in with a timestamp and the numberCheck with the vendor
How we read the claims
Questions buyers ask
What counts as an abandoned call?
Under 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7), a telemarketing call is abandoned if it is not connected to a live sales representative within two seconds of the called person's completed greeting. No more than three percent of live-answered calls may be abandoned, measured for each calling campaign over each 30-day period. Calls by or for tax-exempt nonprofits are outside the rule.
Does answering machine detection eat into the two seconds?
It can. The clock starts at the end of the greeting, and a person who answers waits while the dialer decides whether it reached a human. JustCall's help centre says detection takes around 4 to 5 seconds; Genesys suggests switching detection off and turning on agent auto-answer to cut the delay. Ask the vendor how long a live answer waits before it reaches an agent or the abandon message.
Is a predictive dialer an autodialer after Facebook v. Duguid?
The Supreme Court held on 2021-04-01 that an autodialer must have the capacity to use a random or sequential number generator to store or produce the numbers it calls. A dialer that only calls a list you upload often falls outside that, which is why some vendors, Readymode among them, say theirs is not one. That is the vendor's reading, not a ruling, and the Court noted that a generator can also be used to pick the order of numbers from a list.
If our dialer is not an autodialer, do the calling rules still apply?
Yes. The calling window, the National Do Not Call Registry, the internal do-not-call list, caller ID and the abandoned-call limit all apply to telemarketing calls whatever equipment places them. The Do Not Call private action allows up to $500 per call after more than one call in 12 months, up to three times that ($1,500) if the court finds the violation willful or knowing.
How long must the phone ring before the dialer hangs up?
At least 15 seconds or four rings for an unanswered telemarketing call (47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(6)). The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule uses the same figure in its abandoned-call safe harbor, so set the no-answer timeout to at least that in every campaign.
Which caller ID does a predictive dialer have to send?
A telemarketer must transmit caller ID, either the calling number or the billing number, plus its name when the carrier allows, and must never block it (47 CFR § 64.1601(e)). It may show the seller's name and customer-service number instead, as long as that number takes do-not-call requests during regular business hours. If the dialer rotates local numbers, each number shown has to meet that test.
Sources
- 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(7)fetched 2026-10-22
- 47 CFR § 64.1601(e)fetched 2026-10-22
- Fla. Stat. § 501.059(8)(a) (2026)fetched 2026-10-22
- CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023), 5.1.2fetched 2026-10-22
- Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, No. 19-511 (U.S. Apr. 1, 2021), slip opinionfetched 2026-10-22
- 16 CFR § 310.4(b)(1)(iv), (b)(4) (Telemarketing Sales Rule)fetched 2026-10-22
- 47 U.S.C. § 227(c)(5) (do-not-call private action)fetched 2026-10-22
- Fla. Stat. § 501.616(6) (2026)fetched 2026-10-22
- FCC: Reassigned Numbers Databasefetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Predictive dialing best practicesfetched 2026-10-22
- JustCall: Choosing the Right Sales Dialer Campaignfetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: Managing Background Dialing Speedfetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: State Calling Restrictionsfetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: Security & Compliancefetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: The Do Not Call List in Readymodefetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: How to Configure Caller ID Settingsfetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: Predictive Dialerfetched 2026-10-22
- Readymode: Configure Consent & Opt-In Timeframesfetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Campaign properties by dialing modefetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Automatic time zone mapping overviewfetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Use DNC scrubbing provided by Contact Center Compliance Corporationfetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Create a new internal DNC listfetched 2026-10-22
- Genesys Cloud: Dialing modesfetched 2026-10-22
- Convoso: Outbound contact center compliance toolsfetched 2026-10-22
- Convoso: Multiple dialing modesfetched 2026-10-22
- Talkdesk: Creating a Campaignfetched 2026-10-22
- Talkdesk: Time Zonesfetched 2026-10-22
- Talkdesk: Talkdesk Dialer Overviewfetched 2026-10-22
- JustCall: Sales Dialer Account Settings Explainedfetched 2026-10-22
- JustCall: Calling Hours in Sales Dialerfetched 2026-10-22
- JustCall: Data Control Toolsfetched 2026-10-22
- JustCall: CNAM for your JustCall numberfetched 2026-10-22
- Five9: Outbound contact centerfetched 2026-10-22
- Five9: Auto dialer softwarefetched 2026-10-22
- TCN: Compliance and data managementfetched 2026-10-22