The main difference between the two is that hard phones refer to physical phones like desk phones or conference phones. In contrast, softphones refer to the software or app installed on devices that enable them to perform telephony functions. Both are great options when you have a cloud-based phone system. Hard phones give you the familiar feeling of having a handheld telephone. Some even have additional functionalities like noise cancellation. But if you cannot afford hard phones, you can opt for softphone apps that come free with your provider. The RingCentral App is free to download for every RingEX subscriber.