Best AI answering service 2026: the buyer's shortlist

Key takeaways

• Vertical AI scores 94 of 100 on six measures chosen for a business that wants each call to end with the message in its own systems. It leads on where the message goes, testing before launch, onshore data and published results, and drops points only on price.
• AiDial ranks second at 67 and matches us on transfer and routing, with a warm handover that briefs your team before connecting. Its pricing page says its AI is hosted and processed in Australia, and PII redaction comes in a A$100 a month Compliance Pack.
• Giday ranks third at 65 and is the cheapest way to buy 100 three-minute calls, A$149 a month with GST. Its data handling page says call audio and transcripts are processed outside Australia, mainly in the United States.
• New Callings scores 57, with unlimited minutes from A$497 a month and a screened transfer that connects only after you press a key. Its privacy policy says your information may be processed and stored outside Australia.
• AnswR at 43 and Kaylo at 38 both cost less than our Starter plan for 100 calls a month. Neither names the plan on which an urgent caller is put through, and Kaylo has you set the agent up yourself.

What an AI answering service does and does not do

An AI answering service picks up your line with a voice agent, takes down who rang and why, and gets that message to you within moments of the call ending. Most also answer simple questions from your own information and put an urgent caller through to a person.

The services charge in three different ways. Four of the six here bill minutes of talk time, AiDial bills each call in blocks of up to 10 minutes, and New Callings charges a flat month with no cap on minutes. The same 100 calls cost A$149 on one price list and A$497 on another, so price your own month before you compare plans.

Two things decide whether it works for you. The message has to land where you already look, whether that is a text, an email, a work chat app or a booking in your calendar or CRM. A caller with a genuine emergency has to reach a person while still on the line, rather than through a callback hours later.

It is not a human answering service, where an operator writes the message and bills you per call. It does no follow-up after the call unless the plan sends the caller a text, and it books nothing into a system it has not been connected to.

Read the billing rule as closely as the price. A per-minute plan rounds each call, and a per-call plan may count voicemail and hang-ups.

Read what happened on 2026 business calls

How we ranked these AI answering services

We chose six measures for a business that wants every call to end with the message inside its own systems and an urgent caller put through, and weighted them to 100. Then we read each vendor's pricing, home, privacy and data pages on 8 November 2026. A measure a vendor does not publish scores 0, and its cell reads "Not published".

Where a price excludes GST we add 10 per cent, and where a page states nothing about GST we use the price shown. Measure 4 and the first part of measure 2 read the plan used to price 100 calls. The other measures read every plan and service a vendor publishes.

The best AI answering services in 2026

We scored six AI answering services sold to Australian businesses and list all six in score order. We make Vertical AI. It ranks first because the message lands in the systems you already use and no agent takes a real call untested, while Giday, AnswR and Kaylo each cost less for 100 calls. AiDial suits a briefed handover to staff with processing in Australia, Giday the lowest bill, New Callings one flat price on a busy line, AnswR bookings into a trade job system and Kaylo a 14-day trial with no card.

1. 1. Vertical AI, best for messages that land in your own systems

   We make Vertical AI, and it scores 94 of 100. Starter costs A$299 a month for 500 minutes, so 100 three-minute calls fit inside it with 200 minutes left, and extra minutes cost A$0.40. That price earns 9 of 15, the one measure where we drop points.

   Every plan takes a message and texts it to you, books appointments into your calendar and runs app connectors that can post the message to Slack or Microsoft Teams. Growth at A$599 a month adds CRM connectors, webhooks and scheduled email digests, and Scale at A$999 adds custom API tools against your own systems. That earns the full 20 for where the message goes.

   Every plan puts a caller through to a person, warm or blind, and routes after-hours and overflow calls to whoever you nominate, for the full 20 on transfer. Starter answers 2 calls at once, Growth 6 and Scale 12.

   Every plan runs synthetic test callers, and a publish gate keeps an untested agent off the line. The Launch build costs A$2,490 one-off and puts one agent live in 5 days after 15 test calls and a pass report, with the fee refunded if it runs late. After launch, the Essential care plan at A$699 a month, with the Growth platform included, watches the line and makes minor changes on request. That earns 20 of 20.

   By default the audio, speech recognition, the voice and the AI model all stay in Australia, with recordings and transcripts stored in Sydney. Card, Tax File and Medicare numbers are masked before a transcript is saved, for the full 15. Our agent on The Mayfair Emerald's courtesy bus line finishes 98 calls in 100 without a person, which earns 10 for published results.

   Best suited for: A business that wants each message in its calendar, CRM or work chat rather than a pile of texts, with its callers' data kept in Australia. It does not suit a buyer chasing the lowest bill for 100 calls, where Giday costs about half as much.

2. 2. AiDial, best for a briefed handover with processing in Australia

   AiDial scores 67 of 100 and bills by the call. A call unit covers up to 10 connected minutes, and Core costs A$149 a month for 60 units, Scale A$249 for 150 and Max A$449 for 400, read on aidial.com.au on 8 November 2026. A hundred calls cost A$248.60 on Core with 40 extra units at A$2.49, and the page does not mention GST, so it earns 9 of 15.

   AiDial publishes three ways to hand a caller over. A warm handover briefs your team before connecting, a direct transfer skips the briefing, and an optional check confirms your team member can take the call. Transfer rules follow your hours and public holidays, so it takes the full 20.

   Every plan emails a summary of each call and includes one text per unit. An integrations add-on, quoted per customer, connects booking platforms, calendars, CRMs and job systems, naming Cliniko, HubSpot, ServiceM8, Google Calendar and Calendly. No work chat app is listed, which leaves 16 of 20.

   The pricing page says AI is hosted and processed in Australia, which earns 10. PII redaction sits in the A$100 a month Compliance Pack beside 100 per cent Australian data residency and seven-year retention, so masking earns 2 of 5.

   Its team handles the technical setup, and after launch AiDial says it monitors calls and refines the assistant from real outcomes. It publishes no test calls before launch and no time to go live, so the build earns 10 of 20, and setup fees sit in each customer's scope of work. It publishes no customer results, and its AI line is 02 6422 0000.

   Best suited for: A practice or office that wants staff briefed before each transfer and an Australian-hosted service, with calls that run long. Ask for the scope of work early, since the setup fee and any minimum term live there.

3. 3. Giday, best for the lowest bill for 100 calls a month

   Giday scores 65 of 100. Its prices include GST and run from Essentials at A$19 a month, pay as you go, to Flat Out at A$299 for 700 minutes, read on giday.com.au on 8 November 2026. A hundred 3-minute calls cost A$149 a month on Busy with 350 minutes, the lowest figure here, so it takes the full 15 for cost.

   From Starter up, messages arrive by text and email and jobs are booked into your calendar mid-call, and Busy adds a ServiceM8 or job-system link. No work chat app is listed, so it earns 16 of 20 for where the message goes.

   From the A$49 Starter plan, callers are put through to the team member they ask for, and a genuine emergency can reach a number you choose. The page names no warm or screened transfer, and custom call flows and routing rules come only on Flat Out, which scores 14 of 20.

   Giday charges no setup fee and says setup is its problem. The receptionist is created on the spot in the free week, and a person on its team makes a change you ask for, usually the same business day. It publishes no test calls before launch, which leaves 15 of 20.

   Its data handling page says call audio and transcripts are processed outside Australia, mainly in the United States, with no Australia-only option, so it scores 0 for data. The home page publishes figures from one Brisbane locksmith line it calls its own business, including 2.5 minutes from hello to a job in the calendar, which earns 5 of 10.

   Best suited for: A small business that wants the lowest monthly bill for a steady flow of calls, with jobs booked straight into its calendar. It does not suit a buyer whose callers' audio has to stay in Australia.

4. 4. New Callings, best for unlimited minutes with a screened transfer

   New Callings scores 57 of 100 and is the only flat-rate service here. Business costs A$497 a month and Growth A$997, both with unlimited minutes, and Scale starts at A$1,497, read on newcallings.com on 8 November 2026. Because minutes are unlimited, 100 calls cost the same A$497 as 1,000, the most on this list for 100 calls, which earns 6 of 15.

   Within seconds of a call ending you get a text and an email. Bookings use real available times in Google Calendar, and leads go to ServiceM8, AroFlo, Ascora, HubSpot or any system that accepts a webhook. That earns 16 of 20.

   Business transfers live calls to up to 5 destinations and Growth to any number of them. The agent screens the caller, rings your mobile and connects only after you press a key to accept, and you can divert your line all the time, after hours or when nobody answers. That earns the full 20.

   Setup is done for you, most businesses go live within 24 hours, and the service is described as fully managed by its experts. It publishes no test calls before launch, so the build earns 15 of 20.

   Its privacy policy says your information may be processed and stored outside Australia, and it publishes nothing on redaction, which scores 0 for data. Its testimonials carry no measured figures, so it scores 0 for results. The free trial runs 7 days or 10 minutes, whichever comes first, and New Callings lists ABN 29 369 358 071.

   Best suited for: A business with heavy call volume that wants one fixed monthly figure and a screened transfer to a mobile. Up to 581 three-minute calls a month, AnswR's Business plan costs less.

5. 5. AnswR, best for bookings into a trade job system with no lock-in

   AnswR scores 43 of 100. Starter costs A$99 a month for 200 minutes, Professional A$199 for 500 and Business A$399 for 1,500, with GST included, read on 8 November 2026 from a pricing page last updated on 7 November. A hundred 3-minute calls cost A$159 on Starter with 100 extra minutes at A$0.60, which earns 12 of 15.

   Starter sends SMS and email notifications and syncs with Google Calendar. Professional adds Jobber, ServiceM8, Klippa and Simpro, and Business adds Xero, Cliniko and HubSpot, so AnswR earns 16 of 20 for where the message goes.

   Urgent calls are forwarded to you under rules you set for emergencies, but the site does not say which plans include it and names no warm transfer. That scores 10 of 20.

   Monthly plans include setup and onboarding, and the home page says AnswR handles everything for you, which earns 5. It publishes no test calls, no tuning after launch and no time to go live.

   Its privacy policy names no country where recordings or transcripts are held or processed and says nothing about redaction, so it scores 0 for data, and it publishes no customer results. Monthly plans run month to month, cancelled from the dashboard, and include 7 days free. Minutes do not roll over, and every plan includes a local mobile number. AnswR is Melbourne based and Australian owned.

   Best suited for: A trade business on Jobber, ServiceM8 or Simpro that wants each booking in that system and no contract. Confirm in writing which plan puts urgent callers through before you rely on it.

6. 6. Kaylo, best for a 14-day trial with no card

   Kaylo scores 38 of 100. Solo costs A$99 a month for 100 minutes, Professional A$199 for 400 and Business A$349 for 1,000, with overage at A$0.80, A$0.60 and A$0.40 a minute, read on kaylo.com.au on 8 November 2026. The page states nothing about GST, and 100 three-minute calls fit inside Professional at A$199, which earns 12 of 15.

   Professional sends messages by text and email and books appointments into your calendar with availability checks. Business adds custom integrations but names no system, so Kaylo earns 12 of 20 for where the message goes. Solo sends email notifications only.

   Kaylo says it connects urgent calls to you or your team, but no plan lists live transfer among its inclusions. Multi-staff call routing appears on Business, and the two together score 10 of 20.

   You set Kaylo up yourself by answering a few questions about your services, hours and how calls should be handled. It publishes no test calls, no tuning after launch and no time to go live, so the build scores 0, though there are no setup fees or lock-in contracts.

   Its privacy policy says data is stored securely in Australia but not where calls are processed, which earns 4 of 15, and it publishes no customer results. The 14-day free trial needs no credit card, the longest on this list. Kaylo is based on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

   Best suited for: A business that wants two weeks of real calls before it pays, and takes around 100 calls a month. Ask Kaylo which plan carries live transfer, since its plan cards do not say.

Every AI answering service scored side by side

A cell holds the published fact first and its points second. Add a row's points and you get the score on the right.

Which AI answering service fits the way you work

Pick the row that matches where your messages should land and how busy your line is. Each fact was read on the vendor's own pages on 8 November 2026.

Results from a line our agent answers

Our agent answers the courtesy bus line at The Mayfair Emerald in central Queensland. The median call lasts 54.5 seconds, long enough for a name, a headcount, an address and a read-back.

Each job reaches the drivers as a card, and the median wait for a driver to accept it is 1 minute 58 seconds. From the first ring to a driver holding the job takes about 2 minutes 52 seconds, against about 12 minutes when the bar took the calls.

Read the case studies

A message on the demo line, then a call with our team

Ring 1800 570 693 and leave our demo agent a message the way a caller would. Then book a call with our team in Perth. Tell us how many calls you take and which systems the messages should reach. We show you the plan that fits and how a transfer reaches your phone. You leave with a monthly price and a start date.

Call the demo agent on 1800 570 693