Imagine having an AI handle your calls, transfer callers to the right person, or transcribe your voicemails into text.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, that's exactly what AI answering services can do for you.
But with the recent boom in AI, finding the right AI voice answering service can be challenging. In this article, we review five AI services we recommend to help you choose the one that best fits your needs.
Methodology
In this section, we’ll dive into a comparison of six standout AI answering services: Allô, Dialzara, IsOn24, Smith.ai, Curious Thing, and Slang.ai.
We’ve personally used these services, testing their capabilities in real business scenarios.
Summary
Here's what we found during our investigation:
- Allô is the best option for companies looking for an affordable solution packed with AI features.
- Dialzara is great for companies who need a cost-effective solution.
- IsOn24 is the perfect tool for mid-sized businesses that handle high call volumes, especially those in service-oriented industries.
- Smith.ai is a good choice for companies that want to combine AI efficiency with human support.
- Curious Thing is a great fit for medium to large enterprises looking for scalable AI solutions with features like outbound calls, lead qualification, and compliance.
- Slang.ai is a solid options for restaurants who need a specialized solution.
Let’s continue with the deep explanation of our selection.
Allô
What Sets Allô Apart?
Allô is a relatively new player in the field, launched in 2024.
But four things caught our attention and convinced us to rank it at the top of our selection:
- Its AI features: Beyond its AI answering capabilities, Allô automatically transcribes calls, generates call summaries, and handles complex conversations seamlessly.
- Its mobile-first approach: Allô was designed primarily as a mobile app. For users, that means setup is quick and easy, and everything can be managed directly from your phone.
- Its integrations: Allô integrates natively with HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio, and Notion, among other tools. Plus, its Zapier integration lets you connect it to countless additional apps.
- Its support of English, Spanish and French. Allô works seamlessly with all these four languages.
Who Is It Best For?
- Allô is ideal for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals who need to manage business and personal calls efficiently without hiring additional staff.
- It's particularly beneficial for those who are frequently on the move and require a mobile-first solution to handle client communications without missing important calls or messages like real estate professionals, construction companies, etc.
- But it could work well for small sales teams as well given its deep CRM integrations.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- Advanced AI answering capabilities: Allô can handle even the most complex phone calls without interrupting you, and its AI IVR is particularly robust.
- Second Professional Phone Number: Allô provides a dedicated business line, allowing to maintain separate personal and professional communications on the same device.
- AI-Powered Call Management: The service includes features like Whisper Mode, which informs users about who is calling and why before they answer, enabling prioritization of important conversations and blocking unwanted distractions.
- Call Transcription and Summarization: Allô automatically transcribes and summarizes calls, highlighting key points to help users stay organized and respond promptly to client needs.
- Customizable Greetings: Users can personalize voicemail greetings to deliver a professional and welcoming experience to every caller, setting the right tone from the first ring.
- Mobile App Accessibility: Allô works on an app that allows users to manage calls, view conversation histories, and access AI-generated summaries directly from their smartphones.
Pricing
- Starting at $20/month, making it one of the most cost-effective AI answering solutions on the market with unlimited inbound calls.
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Demo
Dialzara
What Sets Dialzara Apart?
Dialzara is a slightly older solution than Allô, launched in 2023.
There are four reasons we recommend it:
- Outstanding support: While we haven’t needed to contact them ourselves, many online reviews highlight the team’s responsiveness and professionalism.
- Seamless document integration: Dialzara offers multiple options to train its AI answering service with your internal documentation, and the results are impressive.
- Transparent pricing: Dialzara charges by the minute and all their plans are described on their website.
- Multilingual fluency: Dialzara can handle calls in English, Spanish and French.
Who Is It Best For?
Dialzara is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses looking for an affordable, efficient, and scalable way to manage inbound calls. It’s especially valuable for companies that aren’t particularly tech-savvy.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- 24/7 Call Answering: Dialzara's AI agents are available around the clock, ensuring no call goes unanswered, which is crucial for businesses aiming to provide continuous customer support.
- Lifelike AI Voices: Utilizing advanced natural language processing, Dialzara's AI understands and responds to callers with high accuracy and low latency, delivering a human-like interaction experience.
- Call Summarization: After each call, the system generates detailed summaries, including transcriptions, enabling businesses to review interactions and follow up effectively.
- Integration Capabilities: Through Zapier, Dialzara connects with over 6,000 applications, allowing businesses to build powerful workflows and integrate the AI receptionist with CRM systems, text messaging platforms, and more.
Pricing
Dialzara’s price starts at $29/month with 60 minutes included.
Demo
Smith.ai
What Sets Smith.ai Apart?
During our tests of Smith.ai, three things stood out:
- AI + Humans: Smith.ai is the only solution we reviewed that combines AI with human receptionists. The AI handles routine tasks, while human agents take over for more complex conversations.
- North American Agents: All virtual receptionists are based in the US.
- Outbound Campaigns: Human agents can also place outbound calls on your behalf.
Who Is It Best For?
Businesses that need 24/7 coverage but aren’t ready to rely entirely on AI answering services.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- Lead Screening & Intake: Custom qualification scripts help capture high-quality leads.
- Appointment Booking: Smith.ai can automatically schedule meetings.
- Live Chat + AI Chatbots: A 24/7 website chat supported by AI and human operators, backed by a custom knowledge base.
- Spam Blocking: Free AI-powered filtering protects your line from spam and robocalls.
Pricing
Smith.ai is the most expensive solution we reviewed.
Their Starter plan costs $95/month for 50 calls.
Demo
IsOn24
What Sets IsOn24 Apart?
IsOn24 is the oldest tool in this selection. Founded in 2014, it has gradually evolved into a full-fledged AI answering system.
While it may feel a bit dated compared to more modern services (particularly when it comes to the voices they offer), IsOn24 has a clear advantage: its affordable pricing. The entry-level plan includes 1,000 minutes of calls for just $49/month.
It also supports text messaging, which is a useful addition if you’re looking for a multi-channel solution.
Who Is It Best For?
IsOn24 is ideal for companies looking for an affordable AI answering service.
Keep in mind that IsOn24 only supports English, which may be an issue if your business operates across multiple countries or serves diverse customer groups.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- AI Voice Assistant: IsOn24 answers incoming calls using AI, providing responses that mimic human interaction.
- Appointment Scheduling: The system allows clients to book appointments over the phone, via text messages, and online. These appointments integrate with the user's existing calendar, streamlining scheduling processes.
- Two-Way Texting: IsOn24 facilitates real-time text communication with customers, enabling businesses to send and receive messages from any device.
- Automatic Call Queue: During high call volumes, IsOn24 queues incoming calls, allowing the team to answer them in order from any phone, tablet, or computer, ensuring no call is missed.
- Integration Capabilities: The platform integrates with various applications through Zapier (which could generate additional charges for you).
Pricing
IsOn24 starts at $49/month with 1,000 minutes included.
Demo
Lucy (by Curious Thing)
What Sets Curious Thing Apart?
Lucy is an AI-answering service offered by Curious Thing, an Australian startup.
Its main strength is probably its ease-of-use which made it a solopreneur's favorite. It was also very popular for its free plan, but this option has disappeared recently.
Important note: when we tested Lucy, it was only available in Australia, USA, Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, UK and Singapore.
Who Is It Best For?
SMBs or solopreneurs who want to benefit from AI answering service but don't have time for a complex setup process.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- Outbound Calling: Curious Thing can initiate calls to customers for various purposes, such as reminders, feedback collection, or re-engagement campaigns, helping businesses maintain proactive communication.
- FAQ Handling: The AI assistant is capable of answering frequently asked questions, reducing the workload on human agents and providing instant responses to customer inquiries.
- Appointment Scheduling: It can manage appointment bookings and reminders, integrating with existing calendar systems to streamline scheduling processes.
- Customizable Voice and Language: Businesses can choose the voice personality and language of the AI assistant to align with their brand identity and cater to a diverse customer base.
- Scalability: Curious Thing is designed to handle a large volume of interactions, making it suitable for businesses experiencing rapid growth or seasonal spikes in customer engagement.
Pricing
Curious Thing offers flexible pricing plans designed to fit various business needs, starting with a free tier for those looking to explore the service before committing.
Lucy Business is the plan that includes the virtual AI receptionist, and its price is $99/month.
Demo
Slang.ai
What Sets Slang Apart?
Slang.ai is an AI-powered voice assistant tailored specifically for the restaurant and hospitality industry.
It automates phone call handling, including answering common questions, managing reservations, and directing callers to online ordering platforms, aiming to enhance customer experience and streamline operations
Who Is It Best For?
- Small to medium-sized restaurants and hospitality businesses.
- Restaurants, cafés, and hospitality venues seeking to automate customer interactions and improve service efficiency.
Pros & Cons
Key Features
- Automated Call Handling: Slang.ai answers incoming calls, providing information on menu items, hours of operation, and other frequently asked questions, reducing the burden on staff.
- Reservation Management: The AI assistant can book and modify reservations, integrating with existing reservation systems to ensure seamless scheduling.
- Order Direction: It directs callers to online ordering platforms, facilitating takeout and delivery orders without human intervention.
- 24/7 Availability: Slang.ai operates around the clock, ensuring customers can reach the restaurant at any time, which is crucial for establishments with late hours or high call volumes.
Pricing
Slang.ai offers different pricing plans to meet the diverse needs of restaurants.
- Starting plan costs $199/month including outbound SMS and call reporting
Demo
Conclusion
Evaluate your call volume, industry, and specific business requirements to select the service that aligns best with your goals. And remember, many of these platforms offer free trials or basic plans, so you can test their capabilities before making a long-term commitment.
- Allô looks like the best option for small businesses because of its mobile apps that let you handle your business on the go.
- Dialzara is the cheapest and might be the best option for cost-conscious entrepreneurs who don’t receive many calls.
- Curious thing is probably the best option for larger companies who value compliance and are ready to invest a significant budget in their AI assistant.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the best AI answering service?
In our review of ten answering services, we found Allô to be the best option. It handles calls effectively, supports a wide range of countries, offers the right integrations, and is reasonably priced.
How much does an AI answering service cost?
Most AI answering services offer entry-level plans for less than $30 per month. Plans designed for larger companies with more employees typically cost around $100 per month.
Is there a free AI voice answering service?
AI answering services usually rely on advanced algorithms and costly APIs. That’s probably why there are no free AI phone answering services on the market.
What is an AI answering service?
An AI answering service is a technology-driven solution that uses artificial intelligence to automatically respond to customer inquiries and support their requests.
These services leverage natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to understand, interpret, and provide accurate answers to a wide range of questions, offering instant and efficient customer support without the need for human intervention.
