Best AI receptionist Australia 2026: the buyer's shortlist

Key takeaways

• Hey Jodie scores highest, 69 of 100, on 6 measures read from each vendor's own page on 19 October 2026. It gives unlimited minutes from A$99 a month plus GST and holds 4.8 on Trustpilot from 74 reviews.
• AnswR has the lowest rate a minute, A$0.27 on its A$399 Business plan. Giday has the lowest entry price, A$49 a month with GST.
• AiDial and Vertical AI are the only two vendors that state the AI runs in Australia. Hey Jodie processes in Ireland and the United States and Giday in the United States, each by its own published policy.
• Sophiie publishes no price, so it scores 6 of 100 on this method. It reports more than 1,600 businesses on board, and you get its price from a demo.
• We make Vertical AI and it ranks third at 66. Johnni ties on points, and Hey Jodie and Johnni both score higher than us on reviews and entry price.

What an AI receptionist is and is not

An AI receptionist answers your business line instead of a person or a voicemail box. It works out what the caller wants, answers from your own material, and either finishes the job or hands the call to a person. Where a booking system, a CRM or a job system exposes an API, the agent reads and writes to it during the call.

It is not a front desk. It does not greet people at a counter, chase a supplier or cover for a sick colleague. It is not a human answering service either, where a person in a call centre takes a message for you.

It is also not a chat window on a website. The caller speaks, a speech model turns the words into text, a language model decides the reply, and a voice model speaks it back while the caller waits. Where each of those models runs decides where your callers' words go, and the residency table further down shows it for our own stack.

• Takes a new enquiry with the name, the number, the address and the reason for calling, and writes it to your system.
• Answers after hours and at weekends, when nobody is rostered to the line.
• Qualifies a caller and transfers a live call to a person, rather than promising a callback.
• Confirms, moves or cancels an appointment already in the calendar.
• Sends the caller an SMS with a booking time or a link while the call is still running.
• Leaves a transcript, a recording and a structured summary of every call.

Read the 2026 call statistics

How we ranked these AI receptionists

We scored each vendor from its own published pages, read on 19 October 2026, and from Trustpilot where the vendor has a page. A measure a vendor does not publish scores 0.

Where a vendor adds or excludes GST, we add 10 per cent. Where it does not state GST, we use the price shown. We set the weights before scoring any vendor, and a tie goes to the lower entry price.

The best AI receptionists in Australia in 2026

We scored 11 Australian AI receptionists on the 6 measures above and list the top 6 here in score order. We make Vertical AI. It ranks third, level on points with Johnni, and Hey Jodie and Johnni both score higher than us on reviews and entry price. The other 5 vendors sit in the side-by-side table with their scores.

1. 1. Hey Jodie, best for unlimited minutes at a flat price

   Hey Jodie scores 69 of 100 and is one of two shortlisted vendors with more than 10 reviews on a named platform, at 4.8 on Trustpilot from 74 reviews, read on 19 October 2026.

   Its Australian plans cost A$99, A$199 and A$399 a month, and each one carries unlimited minutes. Its pricing page says "we don't cap your call volume on any plan".

   GST is added at checkout, so the entry plan costs A$108.90. Enterprise starts at A$1,000 a month, and annual billing gives 2 months free. Bookings and call transfers start on Professional, and integrations run through Zapier on Premium only.

   Its integrations page names 2 direct connections, Rex and GoHighLevel, so it scores 3 of 15 on integrations. It scores 0 of 15 on processing. Its privacy policy says it processes data in Ireland and the United States by default and does not offer single-region pinning.

   Jodie AI Limited is registered in England and Wales. Matt Horner and Max Feller co-founded it in November 2024.

   It reports over 2,000 paying businesses and over 1 million calls handled as of 25 September 2026, and says the agent speaks 32 languages. The trial runs 7 days with no credit card, and it publishes no demo phone number.

   Best suited for: A business with high or unpredictable call volume that wants one flat monthly price. It fits a line where the agent takes messages and books, and where offshore processing is acceptable.

2. 2. Johnni, best for trade job software

   Johnni scores 66 of 100, level with Vertical AI, and ranks second on the lower entry price. Monthly plans cost A$49, A$149, A$299 and A$899 plus GST for 60, 200, 600 and 1,500 minutes, read on johnni.ai/pricing on 19 October 2026.

   The page shows annual prices by default, 10 per cent lower at A$44, A$134, A$269 and A$809. It counts 60 minutes as about 30 calls.

   Minutes past the allowance cost 50, 45, 40 and 35 cents. With GST the Growth plan works out at A$0.66 a minute. Its review page shows 5.0 from 19 Google reviews, which earns the full 20 points on reviews.

   It names 7 integrations, and ServiceM8, Simpro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Zoho are add-ons quoted per business, with Google Calendar included. No other vendor on this list names ServiceTitan.

   It scores 0 on processing, because its privacy policy of 21 September 2026 says it stores personal information on servers in Australia, the United States and the EU. Its FAQ names OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, Google and Twilio as the stack.

   You can ring its demo agent on 07 4519 7035. The trial runs 7 days with 30 free setup minutes, and it takes a card without charging it. Brodie Legget is named as founder.

   Best suited for: A trades business on ServiceM8, Simpro or ServiceTitan that wants each job written into its software. The integration is quoted per business, so get that price before you compare plans.

3. 3. Vertical AI, best for agents that work inside your own systems

   We make Vertical AI. It scores 66 of 100, level with Johnni, and ranks third on the tie-break of entry price.

   Plans cost A$299, A$599 and A$999 a month for 500, 1,000 and 2,000 minutes, then A$0.40 a minute. The Scale plan works out at A$0.50 a minute, and AnswR, Kaylo and Hey Jodie all beat that rate.

   Our A$299 entry price scores 6 of 15, against 15 for Giday and Johnni. We score 0 on reviews, because our Google Business Profile has fewer than 10 reviews and this site publishes no rating.

   We score the full 15 on processing. By default, call audio, speech recognition, the voice and the AI model stay in Australia, and call records are stored in Sydney. The residency table below shows where each part of the call runs.

   We also score the full 15 on integrations. The agent can reach more than 1,000 business apps during a call, among them Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk and Google Calendar. An agent built around a system no plan supports costs from A$2,490 once.

   You can ring our demo agent on 1800 570 693. We are a Perth team, and our published schedule goes live 5 business days from acceptance.

   Best suited for: A business whose agent has to read and write a CRM, a booking system or a job system during the call. It also suits a buyer who needs model inference in Australia and will pay more a minute for it.

4. 4. AiDial, best for AI processing in Australia, priced per call

   AiDial scores 64 of 100, and its pricing page lists "AI Hosted & Processed in Australia" on every plan, and its compliance page says it uses large language models hosted in the Australia region. A paid Compliance Pack at A$100 a month separately lists "No overseas AI model calls", so ask which calls leave Australia on a base plan.

   It prices per call. Core is A$149 a month for 60 calls, Scale A$249 for 150 and Max A$449 for 400, and each call unit covers up to 10 connected minutes. Extra calls cost A$2.49, A$1.99 and A$1.49.

   An AI chatbot add-on costs A$50 a month, and integrations are quoted. At 3 minutes a call, Max works out at about A$0.37 a minute.

   GST is not stated, and setup fees are set in a statement of work, read on 19 October 2026. Its integrations page shows 30 systems, the most of any vendor here after us, among them Cliniko, Halaxy, ServiceM8, HubSpot and 3CX.

   It publishes no review rating, and Trustpilot holds no page for it. The AI line is 02 6422 0000, and a web form rings you with a demo. The team is on the Sunshine Coast, and the pricing FAQ lists English, Mandarin and Spanish among its languages.

   Best suited for: A clinic or a regulated business that wants Australian AI processing stated on the pricing page. Per-call pricing suits longer calls, because a 9-minute call costs the same as a 1-minute one.

5. 5. AnswR, best for the lowest rate a minute

   AnswR scores 53 of 100 and has the lowest rate a minute in this set. Its Business plan costs A$399 a month with GST for 1,500 minutes, which is A$0.27 a minute. Starter is A$99 for 200 minutes and Professional A$199 for 500, with overage at A$0.60, A$0.50 and A$0.40 a minute.

   A Pay As You Go option costs A$19 to set up and A$0.75 a minute. The pricing page says all prices are in Australian dollars with GST included for Australian customers, and Enterprise pricing is custom. It reads "Last updated: 29 May 2026", and we read it on 19 October 2026.

   It names 8 integrations, gated by plan. Jobber, ServiceM8, Simpro and Klippa come with Professional, Xero, Cliniko and HubSpot with Business, and Google Calendar sits alongside them.

   It scores 0 on processing, because its privacy page names Vapi, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, OpenAI, Twilio, Supabase, Vercel and Render as processors and gives no region for any of them. It shows no review rating, and Trustpilot holds no page for it.

   AnswR is Melbourne based, its site gives 2024 as its founding year, and it also runs New Zealand and Irish sites. The trial runs 7 days, and the site carries a demo call button with no number published.

   Best suited for: A business with high call volume that wants the cheapest minutes and runs a system on AnswR's list. It suits a buyer who does not need the AI to process in Australia.

6. 6. OneBookPlus, best for a receptionist and a booking system in one subscription

   OneBookPlus scores 52 of 100, and its AI receptionist is a A$79 a month app on a OneBookPlus base plan, which starts free, plus a A$25 AI Companion. That is A$104 a month with GST, unless you are on the A$69 Growth plan, which includes the Companion.

   The app includes 100 conversations a month, and a call up to 4 minutes counts once. Extra packs cost A$39 for 50, A$139 for 200 and A$299 for 500, read on 19 October 2026. At 3 minutes a call, the A$104 works out at about A$0.35 a minute.

   Transcripts, call records and contacts stay in AWS Sydney. The page says the live call passes through phone and voice providers in the United States, so it scores 7 of 15 on processing. A mobile number for SMS costs A$22 a month.

   It names 4 live integrations: Zapier, Google Calendar, Stripe and webhooks. The page says it has no ServiceM8 or Simpro integration and no live Xero or MYOB sync. Its reviews page lists 5.0 on Google from 5 reviews, below the 10 this method counts.

   Founder and chief executive Bishal Shrestha is in Melbourne. The trial runs 14 days with a web demo account and no demo phone number.

   Best suited for: A small service business that needs a booking calendar and an AI receptionist and has neither yet. It does not suit a trades business that runs ServiceM8 or Simpro.

Every AI receptionist scored side by side

Each cell gives the published fact, then the points it earned. The scores add up to the total in the last column.

Which AI receptionist fits your calls

No vendor leads on every measure, so pick the row that matches your calls. Each fact was read on the vendor's own page on 19 October 2026, and the Trustpilot figure on Trustpilot the same day.

AI receptionist for tradies

An AI receptionist answers the calls a tradie misses on the tools. It takes the address, the problem and a preferred time, and books the job into your calendar or job system. On the lines we run, 28 per cent of calls arrived outside 9am to 5pm on a weekday.

Johnni sells ServiceM8, Simpro and ServiceTitan connections as quoted add-ons, with plans from A$49 a month plus GST, read 19 October 2026. Our agents reach ServiceM8, Tradify and other job systems with an API through a custom API tool. That tool comes with the Scale plan at A$999 a month or with a build from A$2,490.

You list the emergencies that cannot wait, such as a gas leak, flooding or live wiring. When a caller describes one, our agent tells them to ring 000 or the gas emergency line, then transfers the call to whoever is on call.

• Starter costs A$299 a month for 500 minutes and answers 2 calls at once. Extra minutes cost A$0.40.
• The agent answers the number on your ute and your quotes, forwarded to it, or a new Australian number.
• Every call is recorded and transcribed, so you can check a disputed booking against what the caller said.

AI receptionist for tradies

What an AI receptionist costs in Australia

Every price below was read from the vendor's own page on 19 October 2026. Prices move, so the date matters more than the figure.

Ten of the 11 vendors publish a price. Sophiie publishes none, and its /pricing address redirects to its home page. New Callings dropped its A$297 plan after 8 October 2026 and now starts at A$497 with unlimited minutes.

The effective rate a minute of a monthly plan

A plan price on its own tells you nothing. Divide the plan by the minutes it includes and the plans separate. AnswR, Giday, Johnni, Kaylo, Valory and Vertical AI publish both numbers, so the table uses those six, with GST added to Johnni's and Valory's prices.

AnswR Business works out at A$0.27 a minute and Kaylo Business at A$0.35, against A$0.50 on our Scale plan and A$0.60 on Starter. On talk time alone both are cheaper than us at every comparable allowance. Giday works out at A$1.33 to A$1.66 a minute and starts at A$49, the lowest entry price in the set.

Which pricing model suits your call volume

On talk time alone we are not the cheapest, and the table above says so. At 400 minutes Kaylo Professional is A$199 against our Starter at A$299. At 1,000 minutes Kaylo Business is A$349 against our Growth at A$599, and AnswR Business gives 1,500 minutes for A$399.

The plans stop being comparable when the agent has to reach your systems. A self-serve plan gives you a configured product with a fixed integration list. A build gives you an agent that reads and writes your job management system, your CRM and your calendar during the call, and a one-off build fee from A$2,490 buys that.

The other thing the gap buys is the residency in the next section and a test suite the agent has to pass before it answers a real line. Decide whether either is worth it before you compare the monthly figure.

Pick on what the call has to do, not on the headline rate. A line that takes messages is a plan. A line that has to book against live availability in a system a vendor has never heard of is a build.

• Under about 1,000 minutes a month with no integration beyond a calendar: a cheaper self-serve plan exists and we are not it.
• Any volume, with the agent reading and writing a system you already run: a build is the only shape that does it.
• A line where a wrong answer costs a booking or a complaint: ask for the test suite before the price.

Where Australian call data is processed

Four of the 11 vendors name who processes the live call. Giday, Hey Jodie and OneBookPlus state that it runs in the United States or Ireland, and AnswR names its processors without a region. AiDial states that its AI is hosted and processed in Australia, read on 19 October 2026.

The distinction that matters is between storing data in Australia and processing it in Australia. A provider can hold your transcripts in Sydney and still send every word offshore to be turned into text or into an answer. Ours keeps every part of the call in Australia by default, and the table shows each one.

What distance to Sydney costs a call

Audio has to reach the model and come back before the caller hears a word. Australian distances are long enough to hear, and no page ranking for this search publishes a figure for it.

These are one-way network latencies from each capital to a data centre in Sydney. A round trip is double that figure, and the model's own thinking time sits on top of it. Perth decides a vendor, because 58ms each way is 116ms of the response budget spent before any processing starts.

What to ask a vendor before you buy

Each question below has an answer a vendor either has or does not have. A vendor who cannot answer the first two has not thought about where your callers' words go.

• Name the speech-to-text vendor and the region it processes in. Australian hosting of the database is a different claim.
• Name the model vendor and the region it runs inference in. Storing in Australia and processing in Australia are different things.
• What is the effective rate a minute of this plan, being the price divided by the minutes included.
• What happens on the call after the included minutes run out. A cut-off and an overage rate are different failures.
• Which time zone does the business-hours engine resolve against. A vendor who answers with an offset rather than a zone name gets Queensland wrong for half the year.
• Which systems does the agent write to during the call, rather than after it in a nightly sync.
• What is the transfer path when the agent cannot answer, and does the caller wait or get called back.
• How is the agent tested before it answers a real line, and can you see the scenarios.

Results from the AI receptionists we run

The Mayfair Emerald, a Queensland pub, put its courtesy bus line on one of our agents. 98 calls in 100 never reach a person, the median call runs 54.5 seconds, and drivers accept 95 per cent of pickups.

Across the AI receptionists we run for Australian businesses, 28 per cent of calls arrived outside 9am to 5pm on weekdays over 90 days in 2026. Those are the calls a business-hours front desk never hears.

Read the case studies

Ring the demo agent, then book a call

Ring 1800 570 693 and our demo agent answers. Ask it a question about your own business. Then book a call with our Perth team. We go through your call volume and the systems the agent has to reach. You leave with a monthly price and a go-live date.

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