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From free to more than A$1,000 a month, depending on how they count and who does the setting up. Here are real prices from providers’ own pages, the three ways they charge, and what to ask before you sign.
Self-serve AI receptionist apps we checked ran from free to about A$250 a month on their entry plans. Services that set it up for you ran from about A$149 to A$1,299 a month, and some add a setup fee.
The monthly price is half the story. The rest is what counts as usage (calls, minutes or messages), what you pay when you go over, and whether GST is added.
Ours is A$299 a month for a sole trader, set up for you. It isn’t the cheapest, and the table below says so.
| Monthly price | What’s included | Going over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OfficeHQ MyAI Receptionist | A$20 plus GST | 10 calls, with a person to take over if the AI gets stuck | A$1.50 a call plus GST |
| SipTalk AI Virtual Receptionist | 27.5c a minute, GST included | Pay as you go, on SipTalk’s business phone system | Every minute is charged |
| ServiceM8 Phone Connect Plus | A$49 | 500 call minutes and ServiceM8’s AI Phone Agent, for ServiceM8 users | 8c a minute |
| AIssie Voice Starter | A$99 plus GST | 70 minutes | A$0.65 a minute |
| Hey Jodie Basic | A$99, tax added at checkout | Unlimited minutes. Booking starts on the A$199 Professional plan | Minutes are unlimited |
| OffsiteMate Core, sole trader | A$299, no GST added | 100 minutes and 150 texts, set up for you (A$299 once) | A$0.49 a minute, A$0.25 a text |
Prices from each provider’s own pages: OfficeHQ, SipTalk, ServiceM8 and AIssie (pricing page and terms) read on 12 October 2026, Hey Jodie’s Australian pricing page read on 8 October 2026. The ranges in the short answer come from about 75 Australian AI receptionist and answering businesses whose sites and ads we read in October 2026. Theirs change, so check before you sign.
Per minute. You pay for every minute the assistant spends on the phone. SipTalk charges 27.5c a minute. Cheap when it’s quiet, and the bill grows with every chatty caller.
Per call. You pay each time it answers. OfficeHQ’s smallest AI plan is A$20 a month plus GST for 10 calls, then A$1.50 a call. Easy to follow. Ask whether spam and wrong numbers count as calls.
A monthly allowance. A set price with minutes included, then a rate for each extra minute. AIssie includes 70 minutes for A$99 plus GST, ServiceM8 includes 500 for A$49, and we include 100 minutes and 150 texts for A$299.
Which is cheapest depends on your phone. A few calls a week suits paying per call. A busy crew wants a big allowance.
Your call history shows how long each call ran. Add up last month’s minutes on calls from customers, then price every option against that number. Do it again for your busiest month.
At 100 minutes, the amount our sole trader plan includes, AIssie’s Voice Starter comes to A$99 plus 30 extra minutes at A$0.65. That’s A$118.50 plus GST. ServiceM8’s Connect Plus covers it for A$49, if you’re already on ServiceM8. Ours is A$299.
So why pay more for ours? We set it up and keep it right, and the price includes the missed-call text back, the text assistant, booking and reminders, quote follow-ups and review requests. If you only want the phone answered and you like setting up software, a cheaper app makes sense.
Pick the column for how many people work in the business.
Sole traders on the tools
A$299a month
About A$9.83 a day. Plus A$299 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA small crew
A$449a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansA bigger team with more phones ringing
A$799a month
Plus A$499 setup, once. Month to month.
Talk to the humansGo over your minutes or texts and it keeps answering: A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. It’s month to month, because 12 months is a big commitment to make to a robot. That’s the whole price. Nothing gets added on top. Questions? Ring us on 0468 075 000 or email hello@offsitemate.com.au.
From free to about A$250 a month on the entry plans of self-serve apps we checked, and about A$149 to A$1,299 a month for services that set it up for you. Ours is A$299 a month for a sole trader, with 100 minutes and 150 texts included.
Some apps have free plans, so check what the free plan covers. AIssie’s free plan, for example, answers website and social messages, not phone calls.
Both, and some charge a monthly fee with an allowance. SipTalk charges per minute, OfficeHQ’s AI plans charge per call, and AIssie, ServiceM8, Hey Jodie and we charge monthly.
Depends who. AIssie and OfficeHQ add GST, SipTalk includes it, and Hey Jodie adds tax at checkout. Ours has no GST added, so A$299 is what you pay.
You’re paying for us to set it up, read what it says to your customers and fix it. The text back, text assistant, booking and review requests come with it.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au