AI receptionist, answering service, virtual receptionist or voicemail?
Four ways to handle a call you can't take, and where each falls short.
Last reviewed
The short answer
An AI receptionist like Alony answers in a synthesised voice, sorts calls, books or takes details and records every call, for a fixed monthly price from A$49. An answering service or virtual receptionist uses people. Voicemail only records. Choose voicemail if callers will leave a message, a person if callers want one or calls need judgement, and an AI if you want every call sorted and written down at a fixed price.
Four terms, defined
Providers use these words loosely. This is how this page uses them.
- Voicemail. A recording the caller leaves a message on. Nobody answers, and nothing is sorted or booked.
- Answering service. People at a service answer for your business and pass on a message, sometimes transferring calls.
- Virtual receptionist. A person working remotely who answers under your business name and does more than take a message, such as booking. On this page it means a person.
- AI receptionist. Software that answers in a synthesised voice, takes details, books, puts urgent callers through to a person and records the call. Alony is one.
Side by side
| Feature | AI receptionist (Alony) | Answering service | Virtual receptionist | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI agent | A person at the service | A person working remotely | Nobody. A recording. |
| Hours | Day and night, up to your plan's minutes | Weekdays 8am to 6pm, or around the clock with after-hours live answering | Same as the answering service | Whenever the call goes unanswered |
| What the caller gets | A conversation: books, takes details or puts them through | A message taken, with a few details | More details, and on some plans custom scripts. Transfers can be an add-on. | A beep |
| Booking | Into Cal.com or GoHighLevel on Growth and up | Not listed | Appointment scheduling and diary management on some plans | None |
| Cost | A$49 to A$999 a month, with a minute cap and no overage | From $25 a month, GST added | From $33 to $49 a month, GST added | Usually part of your phone plan. Check yours. |
| Falls short | It is an AI. It stops at the minute cap, and books itself into Cal.com or GoHighLevel; other systems need a custom build. | A caller who wants something done waits for your reply | Works from what you have told them; more calls cost more | Nothing happens until you ring back |
Human-service figures: OfficeHQ, read 22 October 2026.
What two Australian answering services list
Figures as each provider shows them, with GST added. The two use the same plan names and prices, so they may be related. Check the page before you buy.
| Feature | OfficeHQ | Virtual Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Message-taking | MessageExpress from $25 a month | Message Express $25 a month and $2.50 a call, or $70 a month for 25 calls |
| Receptionist plans | $33 a month plus $3.89 a call, or $185 for 50 calls, $345 for 100 and $650 for 200 | Standard $33 a month plus $3.89 a call. Virtual Receptionist 50 is $185 for 50 calls and $3.99 for each extra call |
| Diary booking | MyDiary from $49 a month | MyDiary $49 a month plus $2.99 a minute, with a set-up fee from $99 |
| Terms | Month to month, no cancellation fees, 7-day free trial | No set-up fee on call-answering plans, cancel any time, 7-day free trial on basic plans |
| Source and date | OfficeHQ plans, read 22 October 2026 | Virtual Headquarters pricing, dated 13 August 2026, read 22 October 2026 |
These are listed prices for example plans, not a market average. Alony's own prices are on the pricing page.
Which fits
You only need to know who rang
Voicemail, if callers will leave a message.
Callers want a person, or calls need judgement
An answering service or virtual receptionist, if your volume and budget allow.
You want every call answered, sorted and written down
An AI receptionist at a fixed price, if your callers accept speaking to an AI.
Questions about answering options
What is the difference between a virtual receptionist and an answering service?
The words overlap. As a rule, an answering service takes messages and a virtual receptionist does more. Check what a plan includes, not what it is called.
Is an AI receptionist the same as voicemail?
No. Voicemail records a message. An AI receptionist holds a conversation, takes details or books, and can put an urgent caller through to a person.
Will callers know it is an AI?
They should be told. Put it in the greeting you write. Australia's privacy regulator advises that public-facing AI tools are clearly identified.
Can the AI hand a call to a person?
Yes: to the transfer number you set, inside the hours you choose, for the circumstances you list. Otherwise it takes a message.
Does an AI receptionist connect to my other software?
Self-serve, Alony books into Cal.com and GoHighLevel on Growth and up, and emails the details after every call. On Enterprise, or as a custom build, we can connect almost any system that has an API: ask us.
What does a human answering service cost?
Two Australian providers list message-taking from $25 a month and receptionist plans from $33, charged per call or in bundles, with GST added (table above). Alony lists A$49, A$239, A$549 and A$999 a month, each with a minute cap.
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