By Jack Ruben
KiwiPhone
Published
Updated
Buyer's guide
Best AI receptionist in 2026: the buyer's shortlist.
KiwiPhone AI Receptionist is our first pick for solo owners who want AI answering alongside a separate business number on their iPhone. Public access currently starts with its launch list. The best AI receptionist for your business also depends on whether callers need a person during the same conversation. This guide compares six options and their buying requirements. KiwiPhone publishes the guide.
Key Takeaways
Prices are in USD. ≈ marks a converted estimate; see our conversion basis.
- KiwiPhone AI Receptionist answers routine questions using your business website and takes requests for you to follow up. Free includes 5 AI pickups each week; Pro is $14 a month with unlimited AI answering on one owned number, and public access begins with the launch list.
- Quo Sona publishes clear usage pricing alongside a paid phone plan. One monthly Starter seat plus the 40-call AI tier costs $44 before taxes and fees; check that your business number is supported.
- Moneypenny combines managed AI setup with the option of human receptionists. Its live page advertises a starting price of ≈$64.96 a month; ask for the included minutes and handoff charges in writing.
- RingCentral AIR works with existing phone systems and can route calls to people. Its announcement quotes a starting price of ≈$42.43 for 100 minutes, while the current page sends buyers to sales for terms.
- Dialbird Pro costs ≈$27.84 per user monthly, with 500 credits covering about 13.9 AI minutes. Phone.inc lists Pro at $14 per employee monthly, while its receptionist is coming soon and its AI allowance remains unpublished.
Before you choose, use our free business phone checklist and call log to compare quotes against a week of your own enquiries.
what AI receptionist actually is (and what it is not).
An AI receptionist answers an incoming telephone call and speaks with the caller. It uses the information and instructions supplied by a business to handle common questions, collect details or route an enquiry. For a solo owner, its useful output is often a clear request that can be dealt with between jobs.
The setup determines how far that conversation can go. A service connected to published business information can answer questions about opening hours or the area covered. Booking requires access to a calendar and rules about which appointments it may offer. Passing a call to a person requires an available destination and a plan for unanswered transfers.
Call summaries and transcripts serve a separate purpose. They help you review what someone said after a conversation. A phone plan can advertise AI because it includes these tools, while still relying on you to answer. Ask for a demonstration of an incoming call reaching the receptionist before treating AI as part of the answering service.
Human answering services employ people to take calls. Some providers combine them with AI, giving callers a route to a trained receptionist when the conversation needs judgement. The price may include separate charges for that handoff, which should be part of the comparison.
Start with the enquiries you receive most often and the action each should produce. For KiwiPhone, the owner remains responsible for confirming bookings, prices and payments. Test that boundary with ordinary customer questions, including one the website cannot answer.
How We Ranked These AI Receptionists
We used the 13-provider competitor CSV checked on 14 October 2026, then revisited the linked official pages. We put KiwiPhone first for a solo owner who wants website-based answers and saved requests to follow up between jobs. Quo Sona follows for its published allowances and overages. Moneypenny offers managed setup with human support, while RingCentral AIR suits an existing phone system. Dialbird adds configurable agents through early access. These are editorial choices from published evidence. KiwiPhone is our own product and takes public launch-list signups. Voice quality and customer conversion rates require separate testing. Phone.inc appears as an upcoming option because its receptionist is marked coming soon and its website takes waitlist signups.
- Total monthly cost: record the answering price and any required phone subscription. Show every price in USD, marking converted estimates and retaining tax caveats.
- Included AI usage: record calls, minutes or credits. Convert credits to minutes only where the provider publishes a conversion rate.
- Action after the call: check for saved requests, appointment booking and transfer destinations, including the plan each needs.
- Owner and team fit: record included numbers, minimum users and local-number availability.
- Setup and availability: distinguish public purchase, a sales quote, early access and KiwiPhone's launch list.
- Evidence quality: use dated official sources and flag missing terms. App Store ratings cover the wider phone app and are excluded from the AI ranking.
Sources and prices checked on 14 October 2026. App ratings come from the linked storefront snapshots in that day's research. Availability, contract terms and prices can change.
All prices are shown in USD. Estimates marked ≈ use the 13 October 2026 closing exchange rate, rounded to cents for subscriptions and four decimal places for usage charges. Providers may bill in another currency. Confirm your local offer and any taxes or fees before buying.
The Best AI Receptionists in 2026
The services below fit different working arrangements. Start by deciding whether a saved callback request is enough for your customers. If they need live booking or a person on the same call, include those costs in your quote. Check the supplied knowledge with realistic questions before directing customer calls to any service.
1. KiwiPhone AI Receptionist, best for solo owners who can follow up between jobs.
KiwiPhone answers business calls when the owner is busy, using the business website to answer routine questions. It can take the caller's request so the owner has something clear to return to. A separate business number keeps these enquiries apart from personal calls on the same iPhone.
The Free plan includes 5 AI pickups per week. Pro costs $14 a month and includes unlimited AI answering on one owned number alongside unlimited domestic calls. Weekly Free allowances reset on Monday at 00:00 UTC, with unused pickups expiring. Short or failed starts can use an allowance, so treat pickups as starts when planning a trial.
The workflow suits common questions about opening hours, services and areas covered. After a call, saved text and follow-up tasks help the owner decide whom to contact. The owner confirms appointments, gives final prices and takes payment. Each account serves one owner, and the current product works in English. Check that local numbers are available for your business during signup.
Public access currently begins with the launch list. We put KiwiPhone first for its fit with an owner's callback workflow. The Android app is undergoing internal testing, while this guide describes the iPhone offer. During a trial, check how clearly the saved request explains what the caller needs and whether you have enough information to return the enquiry.
Best suited for
KiwiPhone suits an owner whose hands are occupied when customer enquiries arrive. It fits businesses where a prompt callback can settle the details and the website answers routine questions.
KiwiPhone
27-second animationExample call with fictional customer details.
2. Quo Sona, best for AI answering with published usage charges.
Sona is the AI answering agent inside Quo, the phone service formerly called OpenPhone. It handles routine questions and captures messages in the same workspace used for business conversations. Its published allowances and overage rules make costs easier to estimate. Start by confirming that Quo supports the business number you need.
Quo Starter costs $19 per user on monthly billing, with 10 Sona calls included per workspace each month. The 40-call Sona tier costs $25, bringing one Starter seat and that allowance to $44 monthly before taxes and fees. The 100-call tier costs $49 in addition to the phone plan.
Sona uses 100 credits per call and excludes calls under 15 seconds. Overages start disabled; exhausted credits send calls through the configured fallback route. If you enable extra usage, the 40-call tier charges $0.75 per additional call. These details make it possible to model a busy month using the number of enquiries you receive.
Knowledge can come from a website or uploaded documents. Quo's knowledge guide should be part of setup, especially if prices or service areas change often. Paid Sona tiers require online billing. Check that arrangement before subscribing through Apple, and verify the Quo plan required for any team transfer or routing features you expect to use.
Best suited for
Sona suits a business already using Quo for calls and customer messages, where its numbers are available. It is useful when the team wants AI-handled enquiries to appear alongside its existing conversations.
3. Moneypenny, best for managed setup with human receptionist support.
Moneypenny offers AI answering with a specialist helping to set up the business knowledge and call flows. Its current page advertises prices from ≈$64.96 a month. Included AI minutes, tax treatment and the cost of human handling need a written quote. Ask for an estimate using your expected monthly calls and the share that needs human help.
The service can answer routine questions and collect caller details, with advertised options for booking appointments and routing calls. A business can direct escalation to its own team or Moneypenny's receptionists. For an owner who wants help designing the call flow, that managed setup is part of the appeal.
Start the sales conversation with a week's typical enquiries and a clear handoff rule. For example, you might want routine opening-hour questions answered automatically and a booking problem passed to a person. Ask the team to show what happens when the destination is busy, then include the human portion in your monthly estimate.
Moneypenny's wider service has an established company history and management apps. The CSV recorded a 4.33 out of 5 score from 92 ratings for the Moneypenny app. Those ratings cover the app as a whole. They provide no separate measure of its AI voice or the outcome of an AI-handled enquiry.
Best suited for
Moneypenny suits a business that wants someone to help configure answering and maintain the call flow. It is also worth considering when callers regularly need a human receptionist during the same conversation.
4. RingCentral AIR, best for adding AI answering to an existing phone system.
RingCentral positions AIR as an AI receptionist that can work with an existing phone system. It is useful to consider when a business already has established numbers and a way to distribute calls. The AIR page describes question answering, lead capture and appointment scheduling, with routing based on names or locations.
RingCentral's AIR Everywhere announcement quotes a starting price of ≈$42.43 a month including 100 minutes. The current pricing page directs buyers to sales. Treat the announcement as a starting point for a quote and ask about tax, extra minutes and the exact purchase requirements for your business.
At an assumed average of 2 minutes per AI conversation, 100 minutes would cover 50 calls. That is a planning calculation using a chosen duration. Longer conversations use the allowance faster, so the total bill depends on the calls your business receives and any additional bundles.
AIR can use a website, FAQs and uploaded documents. A useful trial should include a caller asking for a named person and another asking something absent from the supplied information. RingCentral also sells the wider RingEX phone system, whose subscription has separate terms. Confirm which services appear on your quote before comparing the total with a combined phone-and-AI package.
Best suited for
RingCentral AIR suits a business that wants to preserve its existing telephone setup while adding AI answering. It also fits teams that need enquiries routed to specific people or destinations.
5. Dialbird, best for building configurable AI call flows.
Dialbird, formerly Chalkboard, combines phone numbers with configurable AI agents. The pricing page labels Dialbird 2.0 as early access. The plan recorded in our 14 October CSV lists Pro at ≈$27.84 per user monthly or ≈$22.54 a month paid annually. Confirm the plan available to you and its tax treatment before paying.
Pro includes one business number, one custom AI agent and 500 monthly credits. Agent time uses 36 credits per minute, so that allowance covers about 13.9 minutes. At an assumed 2 minutes per call, it is enough for roughly 7 conversations. Monthly credits expire, and the research did not establish the full top-up tariff or exhausted-balance behaviour.
The Business plan is listed at ≈$157.77 monthly or ≈$131.25 a month paid annually. It includes 3 users, 2 numbers and 5,000 credits. At 30 credits per minute, the allowance covers about 166.7 AI minutes. The higher plan adds actions such as booking and transfers, which can matter more than the number of credits for a busy team.
Supply business information through website links or files and test each route before using it with customers. The iPhone listing had only 4 ratings in our research, averaging 4 out of 5. That small sample gives limited evidence about everyday reliability, and it covers the wider app.
Best suited for
Dialbird suits an owner or small team willing to configure an agent and monitor credit usage. Its higher plans merit a closer look when the call must trigger a booking action or reach a colleague.
6. Phone.inc, best for shops watching for AI that uses order history.
Phone.inc is an upcoming option for businesses whose callers ask about orders or existing bookings. Its AI receptionist page marks the feature coming soon, and website signup leads to a waitlist. The advertised workflow gathers the caller's request and passes useful context to the owner or a colleague.
Planned functions include taking messages with transcripts and turning requests into callback tasks. The receptionist can use connected tools to look up an order or check a booking, according to the provider. You choose whom it may transfer callers to. A demonstration with your own questions will show how much work still needs a person after that opening exchange.
The integration catalogue lists 23 entries, with Shopify for orders and HubSpot for customer records. Custom tool connections also appear in the catalogue. This makes Phone.inc worth following if answering the phone means opening another app to find what a customer bought. Ask which connections are available when your invitation arrives and what information they can read.
Pro costs $14 per employee monthly and advertises all AI features. The calling plan includes 600 local minutes per number each month; a separate AI allowance remains unpublished. Free costs $0 for one person with incoming calls, while additional numbers start at $9 monthly. Treat those as the published phone-plan terms while the receptionist awaits release. Apple's iPhone listing returned zero ratings in our dated snapshot, so there is little public app feedback to assess.
Best suited for
Phone.inc suits a shop willing to wait for an assistant that can check order history before handing over a call. Confirm the release date and AI usage terms before relying on it for customer enquiries.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare the monthly package, included usage and the action you need after a call. All prices are USD, with ≈ marking converted estimates; the notes identify tax and availability limits.
| Service | Monthly price (USD) | AI allowance | Next step for the caller | Buying route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KiwiPhone | Free $0; Pro $14 | 5 pickups/week Free; unlimited Pro on one owned number | Owner follows up from saved request | Public launch list; iPhone offer |
| Quo Sona | $19 Starter + $25 for 40-call tier; taxes/fees extra | 10 included; 40 at shown paid tier | Saved conversation and configured fallback | Check number support; online billing for paid AI |
| Moneypenny | From ≈$64.96; full terms by quote | Confirm minutes and human charges | AI flow with optional human escalation | Managed sales and setup |
| RingCentral AIR | Announcement from ≈$42.43; confirm current quote | 100 minutes in announced offer | Routing and booking options | Sales; check availability and phone setup |
| Dialbird Pro | ≈$27.84/user; tax treatment needs confirmation | 500 credits ≈ 13.9 minutes | Messages; booking/transfers on higher plans | 2.0 early access; monthly or annual |
| Phone.inc | $14/employee Pro; tax basis needs confirmation | Coming soon; AI allowance unpublished | Planned callback task or transfer to a person | Website waitlist; confirm AI release |
Which AI receptionist fits your use case.
| Your business | Shortlist | Why it fits | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo tradesperson returning calls between jobs | KiwiPhone | Website questions and saved callback requests | Public launch timing |
| Service business needing a human fallback | Moneypenny | Managed AI and receptionist handoff | Full quote with human charges |
| Business keeping an existing phone system | RingCentral AIR | AI answering and routing | Compatibility and current tariff |
| Team using a shared phone inbox | Quo Sona | Calls and messages in one workspace | Seats and monthly AI calls |
| Team building booking flows | Dialbird Business | Agent actions and colleague transfers | Plan tier and credit usage |
| Shop fielding order enquiries | Phone.inc | Planned order lookup with human handoff | AI release and integration access |
What results look like
Worked examples using assumed figures for planning.
Worked example: a florist receives 12 calls while preparing an event order. Suppose 8 callers ask questions covered by the website and 4 leave requests for the owner. That gives the owner 4 follow-ups to review, with the quality of each saved request deciding how useful the service was.
In a separate illustrative week, a tradesperson calls back 6 captured enquiries and agrees 2 jobs. The enquiry-to-job rate would be 2 ÷ 6, or about 33%. These assumed figures explain how to measure a trial; they are not KiwiPhone customer results.
Use the downloadable call log and checklist to record your own outcomes. Keep completed jobs separate from quotes and bookings so the results describe what happened. We will add customer case studies when measured results and publication permission are available.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Quo includes 10 Sona calls per workspace with a phone plan starting at $19 per user monthly, while the 40-call AI tier adds $25. Other services charge by minutes or a quoted package; KiwiPhone offers 5 weekly AI pickups on Free and unlimited AI answering on Pro at $14 monthly through its launch process.
What information does an AI receptionist need?
Supply current services, opening hours and the area your business covers. Add clear instructions about requests that need the owner's judgement and check how the provider learns changes.
How do I check whether it answers accurately?
Try questions drawn from real enquiries, including an unclear request and one whose answer is absent from your website. Review what it says and the saved follow-up before sending customer calls to it.
What happens when a caller wants a person?
That depends on the service and the call flow you set. Moneypenny offers human escalation, while KiwiPhone takes a request for the owner to follow up.
How does AI appointment booking work?
It needs a connected calendar and rules for availability. Some plans from Moneypenny, RingCentral and Dialbird advertise booking; KiwiPhone leaves appointment confirmation with the owner.
What languages can callers use?
KiwiPhone currently works in English. Ask other providers for their current language list and test the languages and accents your customers use.
How should I compare calls with minutes or credits?
Estimate monthly call volume and average conversation length, then apply the provider's published unit costs. Include fallback rules and any extra charge after the allowance runs out.
How can I try KiwiPhone?
Join the free launch list and KiwiPhone will email you when access is ready. The list requires no payment card, and Pro is an optional upgrade when you use the app.
Join the free KiwiPhone launch list
Give customers a separate number for your business. KiwiPhone can answer while your hands are full. Saved requests help you decide whom to call back. The Free plan includes 5 AI pickups each week. Joining the list requires no payment card, and we will email you when access is ready. Join the free launch list to hear when you can get started.