Best AI receptionists for tradies in Australia (2026)
We sell one of these, so read this knowing that. It’s on the list with the other 15, checked against the same 11 things, using each provider’s own pages.
The short answer
There’s no single best AI receptionist for tradies. It depends on whether you want it cheap, booked straight into your job app, or set up for you.
The cheapest start at A$49 a month plus GST. ServiceM8 sells its own agent for A$49 on top of a ServiceM8 plan. Services that set it up for you run A$149 to A$299 a month, and most charge for setup.
Every other “best AI receptionist” list we read was written by a company that sells one, and most put themselves at number one. We sell one too. Ours sits in the tables at its price, and this page says where others beat it.
How we picked and checked
We read each provider’s own website on 12 October 2026: pricing, help, terms and their pages for tradies. Every fact here comes from those pages. We didn’t sign up, ring or trial any of them, so we can’t tell you how they sound. Ring their demos for that. The 11 things we checked, ours included:
- Price for one tradie, and whether GST is added
- Minutes or calls included
- Who sets it up
- Whether it books the job during the call
- Missed-call text back
- Texts and chat
- Which job software it books into
- An Australian voice
- Whether it tells callers it’s an AI assistant
- Contract
- Who you ring for help
Best for what you need
A few calls, cheap
Voxworks or Johnni AI: A$49 a month plus GST for 60 minutes. You set them up.
Already on ServiceM8
ServiceM8’s own agent is A$49 for 500 minutes, but it lodges an enquiry for you to book. Leva Relay books into ServiceM8 for A$199 flat.
Long calls, flat price
Hey Jodie: unlimited minutes from A$99 plus tax, booking from A$199. OnTools: 1,000 minutes for A$299 with GST, no booking.
Set up for you
AI for Tradies sets it up free, A$199 with GST. Valory manages it from A$149 plus setup from A$990. Us: A$299 plus A$299 setup.
Quotes and invoices too
Sophiie is a whole job app with the phone built in, prices not published. AIssie chases overdue Xero invoices from A$99 plus GST.
Always says it’s AI
OnTools says so on every call and you can’t switch it off. Valory’s terms make you tell callers. Ours says it’s your assistant every time.
Price and setup
Cheapest first. The price is each provider’s lowest monthly plan that answers calls.
| Cheapest plan | Included | Setup fee | Who sets it up | Contract | Who you ring | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnni AI | A$49 + GST | 60 min, then 50c a min | None | You, guided | Month to month | |
| ServiceM8 Phone Agent | A$49, plus a ServiceM8 plan | 500 min, then 8c a min | None listed | You: you write its FAQs | No lock-in | ServiceM8 support |
| Voxworks | A$49 + GST | 60 min, then 99c a min | None | You, from templates | 30 days’ notice | Email; phone from A$349 |
| AIssie | A$99 + GST | 70 min, then 65c a min | None | You | Month to month | Its Perth team |
| AIVOX | A$99, GST not stated. Missed calls only; 24/7 from A$199 | 150 min, then 50c a min | None | Its team, with you | No long-term contract | Phone, weekdays |
| Chime Labs | A$99 + GST | 100 min, then 25c a min | None (onboarding A$300, optional) | You | Month to month | |
| Hey Jodie | A$99, tax added at checkout | Unlimited | None | You | Month to month | Chat or email, London hours |
| Frontly | A$149 + GST | 100 min, then A$1.50 a min | A$199 + GST | Its team, with you | Month to month | |
| Valory | A$149, taxes extra | 100 min and 50 texts, then 90c a min | From A$990 | Valory, and it keeps managing it | Month to month | Its team, by email |
| BookEveryCall | A$197, GST not stated | 120 min, then 15c a min | A$299 | BookEveryCall | No contracts | Chat |
| AI for Tradies | A$199, GST included | 100 calls, then A$2.50 a call | Free | AI for Tradies | No lock-in | |
| Leva Relay | A$199, GST not stated | No per-minute charges | None | Leva, with you | No contracts | |
| RelayDesk | A$199, GST included | 150 calls, then A$1 a call | A$400 | RelayDesk | Cancel any time | Phone (its AI answers) or email |
| OffsiteMate (us) | A$299, no GST added | 100 min and 150 texts, then 49c a min, 25c a text | A$299 | Us | Month to month | Us. A person answers |
| OnTools | A$299, GST included | 1,000 min, fair use | None | Mostly automatic, from a form | No lock-in | The owner, by phone |
| Sophiie | Not published | 30 to 2,500 calls, by plan | None, it says | You | Cancel any time | Support line, weekdays |
From each provider’s own pricing, help and terms pages, read 12 October 2026. Prices are in Australian dollars and change, so check theirs before you sign.
What it does
“Not found” means it wasn’t on the pages we read, so ask before you rule it out.
| Books on the call | Missed-call text back | Texts and chat | Job software | Australian voice | Says it’s AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnni AI | Yes, own calendar or Google | A$50 a month add-on | Website chat | Quoted per business | Yes | Not stated |
| ServiceM8 Phone Agent | No, it lodges an enquiry | Not found | Texts a booking link | ServiceM8 | Not stated | Your choice |
| Voxworks | Yes | Not found | Not found | ServiceM8, Fergus and more | Yes | If asked |
| AIssie | Yes | Not listed | Website, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp | ServiceM8 | Yes | Your choice |
| AIVOX | From A$199 | Not found | Reminder texts from A$299 | ServiceM8 from A$299 | Yes | Not by default |
| Chime Labs | Yes, Google Calendar | Not found | Confirmation texts | ServiceM8, Fergus and more, on A$399 | Yes | When asked |
| Hey Jodie | From A$199 | Not on its pricing page | Not on its pricing page | None listed | Not stated | Not stated |
| Frontly | Into its own dashboard | Not found | Text alerts to you | ServiceM8, Fergus and more, from A$199 | Yes | Your choice |
| Valory | Yes, supported calendars | Not found | 50 texts included | ServiceM8 or Simpro, to discuss | Not stated | Yes, by its terms |
| BookEveryCall | Yes | Yes | Web chat; two-way texts from A$397 | Not named | One option | Not stated |
| AI for Tradies | From A$449 | Yes | Replies to texts | ServiceM8, Fergus and more, from A$449 | Yes | Your choice |
| Leva Relay | Yes | Not found | Summaries to you | ServiceM8 | Yes | Not stated |
| RelayDesk | Emails you the booking | Not found | Not found | Square only | Not stated | If asked |
| OffsiteMate (us) | Yes | Yes | Texts, website chat, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp | ServiceM8, Fergus, Google, Outlook | Yes | Yes, every call |
| OnTools | No | Not offered | Not offered | ServiceM8 in testing | Yes | Yes, every call |
| Sophiie | Yes, paid plans | Not clearly stated | Texts, email, website chat | Its own job app, plus ServiceM8 | Yes | Not stated |
Same pages and date as above. Where a provider’s own pages disagree, the notes below say so.
Each one, in a line
What each one suits, what to watch for, and where it came from. Grouped by the price of the plan that answers calls.
| Best for | Watch out | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under A$100 a month | |||
| Johnni AI | A cheap start, with website chat included | Booking into ServiceM8 is quoted per business, and missed-call texts cost A$50 a month. Its Solo plan is A$149 for 200 minutes | johnni.ai pricing page |
| ServiceM8 Phone Agent | ServiceM8 users after the lowest price | It lodges an enquiry or texts a booking link, and only knows the FAQs you type in. Its Australian pricing page says prices include GST | ServiceM8’s phone page and help articles |
| Voxworks | A few calls a month | 99c a minute after 60, phone support from A$349, and 30 days’ notice to leave | voxworks.ai pricing, FAQ and terms |
| AIssie | Xero invoice chasing alongside the phone | You set it up, and its FAQ says it can introduce itself as your receptionist, though its security page says it doesn’t pretend to be human | aissie.com.au pricing, FAQ and security pages |
| AIVOX | Google Calendar or ServiceM8 booking, with a 7-day trial | The A$99 plan only answers missed calls, ServiceM8 needs A$299, and GST isn’t stated | aivox.com.au pricing and FAQ |
| Chime Labs | Hearing it book a test job before you pay | Job software needs the A$399 plan, and its terms let it train its AI on your recordings unless you opt out | chimelabs.ai pricing and terms |
| Hey Jodie | Lots of long calls | It’s a London company with London support hours, booking starts at A$199, and its plumbers page says callers think they’re speaking to your office | heyjodie.com Australian pricing, about and plumbers pages |
| A$149 to A$199 a month | |||
| Frontly | Choosing from 22 Australian voices and editing the script yourself | A$1.50 a minute after 100, and a phone line to their team is A$499 a month extra | frontly.com.au pricing and contact pages |
| Valory | Handing the whole thing over, changes included | Setup from A$990, and 90c a minute after 100 | valory.com.au pricing and terms |
| BookEveryCall | Done for you, with missed-call texts and web chat on the first plan | No company name or ABN on its site, and its trade pages show A$297 for the same plan | bookeverycall.com pricing and about pages |
| AI for Tradies | A trades-only service set up free, GST included | The A$199 plan mostly takes messages, job software starts at A$449, and its pages disagree on whether callers hear it’s AI | ai-tradies.au pricing and features pages |
| Leva Relay | ServiceM8 bookings with no minutes to count | Its site says most callers don’t realise it’s AI, and support is by email | Leva’s Relay and ServiceM8 pages |
| RelayDesk | A shopfront that takes orders as well as jobs | Bookings arrive by email, and its terms say it isn’t built for emergencies | relaydesk.com.au and its terms |
| A$299 a month, or not published | |||
| OffsiteMate (us) | Tradies who’d rather not touch software and want the texts, chat, booking and review requests set up and watched | It doesn’t put calls through to you, there’s a setup fee, and no free trial, so ring the demo on 0485 000 166 | Our prices page |
| OnTools | A plain message-taker that always says it’s AI, run by one person you can ring | It doesn’t book jobs or text customers, and it’s still finding its first 10 customers. It offers 30 days’ money back | ontools.ai about and terms |
| Sophiie | Swapping your job app for one that also answers the phone, quotes and invoices | Its prices aren’t on its website | sophiie.ai home and comparison pages |
Where we fit
We’re A$299 a month for a sole trader, no GST added, plus A$299 setup. Most on this page cost less: Voxworks and Johnni AI from A$49 plus GST, Hey Jodie A$99 with unlimited minutes, AI for Tradies A$199 with free setup.
The extra pays for us to set it up, read what it says to your customers and fix it. When you want a human, ring us on 0468 075 000. Missed-call texts, the text assistant, booking, reminders and review requests come on every size.
Where others do more: ours doesn’t put calls through to you. AIssie, Chime Labs, Frontly and Valory can, and Hey Jodie on its higher plans. We don’t do quotes or invoices. Sophiie does both, Chime Labs writes quotes, and AIssie chases Xero invoices. And 100 minutes is tighter than Hey Jodie’s unlimited.
If you just want the phone answered and you like setting up software, a cheaper app makes sense. Better you find that out here than on our invoice.
Who’s not on the list
We only checked services sold to Australian tradies. Left out: AI Client Builder (sells to US contractors), Bella (run from Dubai, priced in pounds), RipperReceptionist (trade plans on a waitlist), MayneAI (sells prompt packs, doesn’t answer phones) and Caffeinate Digital (builds custom agents, no set price).
Others sell to tradies and aren’t checked here yet, including CallKatie, AiDial and Reptri.
Best AI receptionist questions
Which AI receptionist is best in Australia?
It depends on the job. For price, Voxworks and Johnni AI start at A$49 plus GST. On ServiceM8, its own agent is A$49. For one set up and run for you, look at AI for Tradies, Valory, BookEveryCall or us.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Chime Labs has a free plan for test calls only, and AIssie’s free plan answers written messages, not calls. Sophiie has a free plan too. Hey Jodie, AIVOX, Johnni AI and Leva Relay offer 7-day trials, Voxworks and Sophiie 14 days.
Do AI receptionists tell callers they’re AI?
Some always do: OnTools on every call, and Valory’s terms make you tell callers. Others leave it to you, and Voxworks says so only if asked. Ours tells every caller it’s your assistant.
Can I trust AI receptionist reviews?
Check who wrote them. Every best-of list we read was written by a company selling an AI receptionist, us included. Each fact on this page comes from the provider’s own pages, so you can check it.
Which AI receptionists work with ServiceM8?
ServiceM8’s own agent, Leva Relay, AIssie, Voxworks, Sophiie and us, plus Chime Labs on A$399, AIVOX on A$299, AI for Tradies on A$449, Frontly on A$199, and Johnni AI and Valory by arrangement.
Keep reading
- AI receptionist prices in Australia, compared
- Other AI receptionists or OffsiteMate
- ServiceM8’s AI Phone Agent or OffsiteMate
- AIssie or OffsiteMate, row by row
- What OffsiteMate costs, all three sizes
- Ring the demo before you decide
- What a missed call costs a tradie
- Answering service prices in Australia, compared
- Picking after-hours cover for a trade business
- 24/7 answering: which hours you’re really paying for
This phone is answered.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au