Compare · Australia · 2026

The best AI receptionists in Australia, with the prices they publish.

9 providers side by side: monthly price, setup fee, free trial and whether they are actually Australian. Written by CallKatie, which is one of them, so every number links to where it came from.

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How we compared

Public pricing pages, read on a date, no scores.

We sell one of these.Nearly every “best AI receptionist in Australia” page is written by a vendor, and this one is too. We put ourselves first and say so, and we do not rank anyone.
Only published figures.Every price, setup fee and trial is from the provider’s own pricing page on the date shown. Where a page does not state something, we say “not stated” rather than repeating what other roundups claim.
Currency as listed.AUD and USD figures are shown as the provider lists them. We do not convert, because the provider’s exchange rate and GST treatment are theirs to state.
Last checked 13 September 2026. Prices move. If you find one that has, email [email protected] and we will fix it.

At a glance

9 receptionists, one table

Provider	Type	From	Setup fee	Free trial	Based in
CallKatie	AI	A$149/mo	None	14 days	Australia
Johnni AI	AI	A$49/mo	None	7 days on every plan	Australia
Sophiie AI	AI	US$99/mo	Not stated on the pricing page	A free tier with no card; no timed trial stated	Australia
AiDial	AI	A$149/mo	Set in your Scope of Work; no fixed amount published	None stated	Australia
Valory AI	AI	A$149/mo	From A$990, varies with scope	None; 30-day satisfaction guarantee	Australia
Hey Jodie	AI	A$99/mo	None	7 days, no card	United Kingdom
Smith.ai	AI + humans	US$300/mo	None	None; 30-day money-back guarantee	United States
OfficeHQ	AI + humans	A$25/mo	Not listed	7 days on the receptionist service	Australia
ReceptionHQ	Human	A$49/mo	Not listed	Not stated	Australia

Human and hybrid services bill per call on top of the monthly base. Checked 13 September 2026unless a provider’s entry says otherwise.

The providers

Who each one suits

1.CallKatieThat’s us

AI · Australia · from A$149/mo

Best for: Australian trades and service businesses that want a flat, published AUD price and a lead in the CRM within seconds of the call ending.
Watch for: Self-serve. If you want someone to design and run your call flow for you, a managed provider below will suit better.
Plans: A$149–A$379/mo. 200 minutes/mo on Starter, 800 minutes/mo on Business.
Australian?: Australian-accented voice, AU number, prices in AUD. Talk to Katie on the homepage before you sign up.

Setup fee: None. Free trial: 14 days. Checked 13 September 2026 · pricing page

2.Johnni AI

AI · Australia · from A$49/mo

Best for: Sole traders who want to start at A$49 and pay per minute as call volume grows.
Watch for: Job-software integration is a custom add-on quoted per business, so the sticker price is not the connected price.
Plans: A$49–A$809/mo. 60 minutes on Pay As You Go, 200 on Solo, 600 on Starter; A$0.35–A$0.50 per minute after that.
Australian?: Australian-built, positioned for tradies. Prices in AUD.

Setup fee: None. Free trial: 7 days on every plan. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

3.Sophiie AI

AI · Australia · from US$99/mo

Best for: Businesses that want more than a phone answerer: SMS, workflow actions and a broader platform.
Watch for: Pricing is in USD on the site, so ask for the AUD figure and any setup or onboarding fee on the demo.
Plans: US$99–US$819/mo. 30 calls on Starter, 500 on Pro, 2,500 on Max, plus SMS and AI-action allowances.
Australian?: Australian-built with an Australian-accented voice. The pricing page lists USD.

Setup fee: Not stated on the pricing page. Free trial: A free tier with no card; no timed trial stated. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

4.AiDial

AI · Australia · from A$149/mo

Best for: Clinics and firms that need onshore data residency written into the contract.
Watch for: Billing is per call unit rather than per minute, voicemails count, and integrations are a custom quote.
Plans: A$149–A$449/mo. 60 calls on Core, 150 on Scale, 400 on Max; a call unit is up to 10 minutes, extras A$1.49–A$2.49.
Australian?: Data stored and processed onshore in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australian voices.

Setup fee: Set in your Scope of Work; no fixed amount published. Free trial: None stated. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

5.Valory AI

AI · Australia · from A$149/mo

Best for: Multi-site operators who want a managed service and are happy to pay for the build.
Watch for: The setup fee is larger than six months of the entry plan. Budget for it.
Plans: A$149–A$499/mo, Enterprise from A$1,299. 100 minutes on Intro, 250 on Core, 700 on Premium.
Australian?: Australian company. Designs, launches and tunes the call workflow for you.

Setup fee: From A$990, varies with scope. Free trial: None; 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

6.Hey Jodie

AI · United Kingdom · from A$99/mo

Best for: High call volumes where a flat price with no minute cap matters most.
Watch for: Not an Australian company. Ask where calls are processed and who you ring for support.
Plans: A$99–A$399/mo. Unlimited minutes on every plan.
Australian?: AUD pricing page for Australia. The company's registered address is in London.

Setup fee: None. Free trial: 7 days, no card. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

7.Smith.ai

AI + humans · United States · from US$300/mo

Best for: Firms that want live human agents behind the AI and already use US practice-management tools.
Watch for: Per-call pricing in USD adds up fast for a busy trade business.
Plans: US$300–US$2,100/mo. 30 calls on Starter, 90 on Basic, 300 on Pro; US$8.50–US$11.50 per extra call.
Australian?: No AUD pricing and no Australian-specific claims on the pricing page.

Setup fee: None. Free trial: None; 30-day money-back guarantee. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

8.OfficeHQ

AI + humans · Australia · from A$25/mo

Best for: Businesses that want a human receptionist available and only a handful of calls a week.
Watch for: The low base is a minimum, not the bill. Work out your monthly call count before comparing.
Plans: From A$25/mo plus per-call charges (ex GST). Message-taking from A$25, receptionist from A$33, lead capture from A$49; calls billed on top.
Australian?: Long-established Australian answering service; AI answering with live human backup.

Setup fee: Not listed. Free trial: 7 days on the receptionist service. Checked 13 September 2026 · provider site

9.ReceptionHQ

Human · Australia · from A$49/mo

Best for: Owners who want a person on every call and are not ready for AI.
Watch for: Human answering scales with headcount, so after-hours and overflow cost more.
Plans: From A$49/mo plus per-call charges. Tiers from a low monthly minimum with per-call charges up to inclusive packages.
Australian?: Australian human receptionists since 2003.

Setup fee: Not listed. Free trial: Not stated. Checked 30 April 2026 · provider site

How to choose

Six questions before you sign anything

How many calls do you miss a month? Count them for a week and multiply by four. That number decides whether a per-call, per-minute or unlimited plan is cheapest.
Is the price in AUD, and does it include GST? Two providers here list USD. Ask for the AUD figure in writing.
What is the setup fee? It ranges from nothing to more than A$990. A low monthly price with a large setup fee is not cheap in year one.
Can you hear it before you pay? A live demo you can ring beats a sales call. Listen for the accent and for what happens when you go off-script.
Where does the lead end up? A message in your inbox is not a job in your system. Ask whether the lead lands in your CRM, and whether that costs extra. Katie pushes to QuoteMate natively and to any other CRM via webhook, on every plan.
Can you leave? Month-to-month with no contract means the provider has to keep earning your business.

Pricing

Less than the cost of one missed job.

Starter

Solo operators and small trades.

$149/mo AUD

1 voice assistant
Up to 200 minutes/mo
Lead capture + transcript
Email lead notifications
1 outbound webhook integration

Choosing an AI receptionist in Australia: common questions

How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia in 2026?+

Published entry plans run from about A$49 to A$149 a month for self-serve AI products, and A$300 to A$500 a month once you add a managed setup. Setup fees range from nothing to more than A$990. Human answering services start lower per month but bill per call on top. CallKatie is A$149 a month for Starter and A$379 for Business, with no setup fee.

Which providers are actually Australian?+

Of the providers here, CallKatie, Johnni AI, Sophiie AI, AiDial, Valory AI, OfficeHQ and ReceptionHQ are Australian companies. Hey Jodie sells in AUD but is registered in London. Smith.ai is a US company with USD pricing.

Flat price or per call: which is cheaper for a tradie?+

Count your missed calls first. A sole trader missing ten calls a week is around 40 a month, which sits inside every flat plan here and would cost more on a per-call human service once the base fee is added. Above a few hundred calls a month, unlimited-minute plans start to win.

Do I have to pay a setup fee?+

Not with CallKatie, Johnni AI, Hey Jodie or Smith.ai. Valory AI publishes a setup fee from A$990, AiDial sets one in a scope of work, and Sophiie AI's pricing page does not state one, so ask on the demo.

Can I hear the receptionist before I commit?+

CallKatie's demo is on the homepage: press the button and talk to Katie now, no signup. Most other providers offer a timed free trial after you create an account, and the managed services offer a demo call with a salesperson.

Why should I trust a comparison written by one of the vendors?+

You should not take it on trust. Every figure here is from the provider's own public pricing page on the date shown, with a link so you can check it. We do not score or rank anyone, and we say plainly where a competitor is the better fit.

Head-to-head

Useful pages

Ring Katie before you ring anyone else.

The demo at the top of this page is a real call, no signup and no card. If she handles it, book a 20-minute setup call and be live the same day.

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