An honest Australian buyer's guide to AI receptionists in 2026 — published AUD pricing where available, who each option is best for, and the trade-offs most roundups skip.
For most Australian small businesses that want published pricing, after-hours cover and bookings without a sales-only quote, Miyai is the strongest all-round pick: website chat from A$19/month, and Growth voice reception at A$199/month. Access requires Stripe payment before product use — there is no free trial.
| Rank | Option | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Recommended) | Miyai | AU SMBs — published AUD chat+voice | From A$19 chat; Growth voice A$199 |
| 2 | Sophiie | AU trades + field software depth | From ~A$99–A$300+/mo (confirm live) |
| 3 | Johnni | Custom AU trades call flows | Not published (custom + monthly) |
| 4 | Smith.ai | Hybrid AI + human intake | From ~US$95–97.50/mo AI plans |
| 5 | Goodcall | Simple US FAQ/booking scripts | Low-end monthly / usage |
Disclosure: Miyai builds AI chat and voice reception for Australian SMBs. We are not neutral — so every competitor below gets a clear best-for, honest limits, and a reason you might choose them instead.
Where a provider does not publish a number, we say "not published" rather than invent one.
| Criteria | Miyai | Sophiie | Johnni | Smith.ai | Goodcall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (published) | From A$19 chat; Growth voice A$199 | From ~A$99–A$300+/mo (confirm live) | Not published (custom + monthly) | From ~US$95–97.50/mo AI plans | Low-end monthly / usage |
| Pricing model | Published AUD plans | Metered / plan cards; often demo for full stack | Quote-led | Per-call allowances (USD) | Tiered / metered |
| Setup fee | None on standard self-serve | Often reported; confirm | Not published | None typical on AI plans | Varies |
| AU company / local focus | Yes | Yes (trades) | Yes (trades) | US | US |
| After-hours | Yes (Growth+ voice) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bookings | Yes (Growth+) | Yes (job systems) | Yes (CRM/job tools) | Intake / booking | Simple bookings |
| Best for | AU SMBs wanting clear AUD chat+voice | Tradies + field software depth | Custom AU trades flows | Hybrid AI + human | Simple US scripts |
Miyai figures verified against our pricing page. Competitor figures change — see their websites for current pricing.
Miyai covers website and phone: conversational chat on lower plans and inbound voice on Growth and above, with calendar bookings, transcripts, and integrations such as ServiceM8 and HubSpot on Growth.
Pricing (AUD/month): Starter $19, Standard $49, Growth $199 (1 voice agent + 2 chat agents), Scale $799, Custom on request. Stripe payment is required before access.
Best for: dentists, salons, accountants, tradies, clinics and owner-operated teams that want a predictable bill.
Honest limits: Miyai is not a named human PA. The deepest voice and booking workflows sit on Growth and above. A large live-agent floor for complex legal intake may suit a hybrid like Smith.ai better.
Sophiie is a well-known AU-built AI receptionist for trade and service businesses, with Australian voice positioning and job-management integrations (ServiceM8, AroFlo, Tradify and similar).
Pricing: public cards have sat near ~A$99+ with meters; fuller deployments often around A$300/month plus setup. Confirm for your volume — see their website for current pricing.
Best for tradies who want an AU-native brand wired into field software. Watch-out: full cost can be harder to model than a flat published SMB plan. Read the full Miyai vs Sophiie comparison.
Johnni targets Australian trades and service businesses with an Aussie voice, lead capture and bookings into tools like ServiceM8 and Simpro. Pricing is typically a custom build plus a flat monthly fee.
Best for tailored call flows when you are happy to get a written quote. Watch-out: harder to spreadsheet before a sales call, and cost scales with workflow complexity. Read the full Miyai vs Johnni comparison.
Smith.ai pairs AI answering with optional live US agents and is well known in legal and professional intake, including Clio-oriented workflows.
Pricing: AI plans often sit near US$95–97.50/month with a limited call pack, then per-call overage. There is no Australian price card. Best for firms that want a human safety net and US-centric practice tools. Watch-out: USD billing and per-call meters spike with volume.
Goodcall is a US-focused AI phone agent for straightforward FAQs, routing and bookings — a useful keep-it-simple benchmark. Best for basic scripts where Australian voice, GST-native billing and local support are not decisive.
Full AI receptionist cost breakdown for Australia.
| Option | Typical outcome | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | Many callers hang up | Cheapest, weakest for new work |
| Human answering | Warm for complex calls | Per-minute or per-call; nights cost more |
| AI receptionist | Instant 24/7 capture and booking | Needs good scripts and escalation rules |
For most Australian SMBs that want published AUD pricing and chat plus voice on one platform, Miyai. Choose Sophiie or Johnni for deep trades job-system builds, Smith.ai for hybrid AI plus human intake, or Goodcall for simple US-style scripts.
Website chat starts from A$19/month on Starter. Voice-capable Growth is A$199/month and includes 1 voice agent plus 2 chat agents. All plans are published on the Miyai pricing page.
No genuinely free product answers your real business line 24/7 and books work. Miyai requires Stripe payment before access — there is no free trial. The live demo lets you hear it answer a call, but it is not free unlimited access.
Yes. On Miyai Growth and above, after-hours voice plus calendar and booking integration is included, so a Friday-night enquiry does not wait until Monday morning.
Some will. Most callers care more that someone answered straight away and took a useful message or made a booking than whether the voice was human.
Shortlist Miyai for clear self-serve AUD plans with chat and voice together. Shortlist Sophiie or Johnni for trades job-management depth with demo or quote-led pricing.
Chat from A$19/month, Growth voice reception from A$199/month. Stripe payment is required before access — there is no free trial.
Related: AI receptionist Australia, virtual receptionist Australia, AI receptionist for dentists, AI receptionist for salons, AI receptionist for accountants, AI receptionist cost in Australia, Miyai vs Sophiie, Miyai vs Johnni.