# AI receptionist Australia: Chirp vs the alternatives How Chirp compares with Sophiie, Johnni, AiDial, AIssie and OfficeHQ, and why a managed agent gets you better results. - Publisher: Chirp AI (https://www.agentchirp.ai) - Published: 2026-09-23 - Updated: 2026-09-29 - Canonical page: https://www.agentchirp.ai/post/ai-receptionist-australia-comparison **The short answer:** Chirp is the best AI receptionist for Australian businesses that want every call answered and every job booked, without running the software themselves. An Australian team builds your agent around your rules, connects it to any software you use and tunes it every week. Chirp resolves 80.3% of customer requests on average, and it's backed by the Go-Live Guarantee. Plans start from $16 a day, plus a one-off Build & Implementation Fee. Sophiie, Johnni and AIssie are self-serve apps you set up and look after yourself. AiDial sets it up for you. OfficeHQ adds AI to a live answering service. Everything here about another vendor comes from their own website, checked in September 2026. ## AI receptionist Australia: the comparison table | | Chirp | Sophiie | Johnni | AiDial | AIssie | OfficeHQ | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Self-serve. Free plan, no setup fee | Self-serve. 7-day trial, custom builds on request | Done for you. Setup fee set in a Scope of Work | Self-serve. Free plan, no setup fee | Set up with their team. Free trial | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | Free plan. Paid prices not on the pages we read | $44 a month ex GST, paid annually | $149 a month plus a setup fee | Free plan. Voice from $99 a month | $20 a month plus GST, for 10 calls | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | ServiceM8, simPRO | ServiceM8, simPRO, AroFlo, as a quoted add-on | ServiceM8, simPRO, Tradify, AroFlo, Fergus | ServiceM8 | Not stated on the pages we read | | Emergency triage | Sorts emergencies from quotes. Safety calls triaged after hours | Flags emergencies, escalates to on-call staff | Custom after-hours on-call rosters | 24/7 emergency routing to on-call staff | Not stated on the pages we read | Not stated on the pages we read | | Australian voice | Natural Australian voice. Melbourne team | AU based, Australian-accented AI | Aussie accents. Built in Queensland | Australian voices. Hosted in Australia | Australian voices. Built in Perth | Australian company, live receptionist backup | | Human handover | Puts the call through to your office | Warm or cold transfer | Warm transfer with context | Human handover on all plans | Transfers and routing on your rules | Hands over to a live receptionist | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | Cancel any time | Month to month | A minimum term may apply | Month to month, no lock-in | No lock-in contracts | Facts about vendors other than Chirp were read on each vendor's own website in September 2026. ## Why Chirp is the best choice Most AI receptionists are software. You write the instructions, connect your systems and fix it when it gets something wrong. Chirp is a service. Our team does that work with you, and keeps doing it after you go live. That's why it performs better. | The job | A self-serve tool | Chirp | | --- | --- | --- | | Work out how your calls should be handled | You | Our team, with you | | Write the instructions the agent follows | You | Our team | | Connect it to your software | You, or a quoted add-on | Our team | | Test it before it takes a real call | You | Our team, with you | | Check what it got wrong | You | Scored on every call | | Fix it and keep it improving | You | Our team, every week | A general picture of self-serve software, not a claim about any one vendor. AiDial and OfficeHQ set up with you. ### The real cost of managing it yourself A self-serve tool is cheaper on the invoice. What you don't pay upfront, you pay for in your own hours and in calls that go elsewhere. We added it up for a typical trade business. **$45,840** is what a self-managed AI receptionist can cost a trade business in its first year, on top of the subscription. That is about $126 a day. | Cost | How we worked it out | A year | | --- | --- | --- | | Setting it up properly | 3 days defining process flows and operating logic, once, at $80 an hour | $1,920 | | Connecting your software | 2 days building the integration layers, once, at $80 an hour | $1,280 | | Managing it week to week | 2 hours a week at $80 an hour | $8,320 | | Troubleshooting | 1 hour a week at $80 an hour | $4,160 | | Maintenance and retuning | 1 hour a week at $80 an hour | $4,160 | | Performance drops | 2 calls a week handled badly, half of which would have become a $250 job | $13,000 | | Missed calls | 2 calls a week missed, half of which would have become a $250 job | $13,000 | | **Total** | First year, on top of the subscription | **$45,840** | For comparison, Chirp starts from $5,840 a year ($16 a day), plus a one-off Build & Implementation Fee. Setup, integration, troubleshooting and tuning are done by Chirp's team. An illustrative estimate for a trade business running a self-serve AI receptionist itself, in its first year, on top of the subscription. The hours and call counts are Chirp's assumptions. Your numbers will differ. Hourly and job values are from the low end and the midpoint of the ranges in the [hipages plumber cost guide](https://hipages.com.au/article/how_much_does_a_plumber_cost). Here is what that looks like in a real week. - **Lost calls.** An agent that takes a message instead of booking the job sends the caller to the next business. 85% of callers who don't reach you won't call back. - **More admin, not less.** One plumbing business we spoke with ran its own AI line. It took names and addresses, left every job pending, and the office rang each customer back to ask again. - **Frustrated staff.** Their Monday mornings went on untangling the weekend's calls while the phone kept ringing. The tool meant to take work off the team added to it. - **Technical issues that land on you.** Every fix meant another instruction, and the more they added, the more the agent lost the thread. Another business switched its bot off when the person who built it moved on. ### It works with every system you use Your agent is only useful if the booking lands where your team works. Chirp connects to the software you already run, and if yours isn't on the list, our team builds the connection. Chirp works with the software you already use: 6,000+ integrations, plus any custom connection you need. - **Ready-made connections.** More than 6,000 apps, including ServiceM8, simPRO, Fergus, HubSpot and Google Calendar. - **APIs and data connectors.** Chirp reads and writes to your systems directly, so it can look up a customer and book the job. - **Custom integrations.** If your software isn't on the list, our team builds the connection for you. Examples: ServiceM8, simPRO, Fergus, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Shopify, Notion, Zapier, Make. ### It gets better every week Every AI receptionist gets things wrong. With Chirp, every call is scored, the misses surface on their own, and our team ships the fix that week. Chirp resolves 80.3% of customer requests on average, up from 52.6% in June 2025, and rising about 1 point a month. That comes from the self-healing loop, which runs every week: 1. **Every call is scored.** Each conversation is measured against what good looks like for your business. 2. **The misses surface.** Analytics and observability show exactly where your agent fell short. 3. **The agent is retrained.** Our team makes the fix. A person is in the loop every week. 4. **The change is tested.** This week's agent is measured against last week's before anything ships. 5. **It ships, and the loop runs again.** Your agent this month is better than your agent last month. ### What it costs - Chirp plans start from $16 a day, plus a one-off Build & Implementation Fee for the custom build. - The price depends on call volume, coverage hours and the work you want handled. - Custom built, fully managed and tuned every week by an Australian team. - 90% lower cost than a part-time receptionist. - The Go-Live Guarantee: run it live for 60 days, and if it hasn't delivered, your Build & Implementation Fee comes back. ## Chirp vs each alternative ### Chirp vs Sophiie Sophiie is an AI receptionist and job platform built for trades. Its site says you can start on a free plan and be live in 10 minutes by forwarding your number. That speed comes from doing it yourself. With Chirp, a team builds, runs and improves the agent for you. | | Chirp | Sophiie | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Self-serve. Free plan, no setup fee | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | Free plan. Paid prices not on the pages we read | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | ServiceM8, simPRO | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | Cancel any time | Why businesses pick Chirp over Sophiie: - Our team builds the agent around your rules, so you never write or test a script. - Chirp connects to any software you use, with custom integrations built by our team. - Every call is scored and the agent is tuned every week. Sources for Sophiie, checked September 2026: [Homepage](https://www.sophiie.ai/), [Comparison page](https://www.sophiie.ai/compare/sophiie-vs-hey-jodie), [Integrations](https://www.sophiie.ai/integrations), [Plumbers](https://www.sophiie.ai/trade/plumber), [Call transfers](https://www.sophiie.ai/solutions/call-transfers). ### Chirp vs Johnni Johnni is a low-cost self-serve receptionist built in Brisbane, with a 7-day free trial on every plan. Connecting your job software is a custom add-on quoted per business. With Chirp, our team connects your software as part of the build. | | Chirp | Johnni | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Self-serve. 7-day trial, custom builds on request | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | $44 a month ex GST, paid annually | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | ServiceM8, simPRO, AroFlo, as a quoted add-on | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | Month to month | Why businesses pick Chirp over Johnni: - Our team connects your software for you as part of the build. - A team owns the setup, the testing and the tuning, so none of it lands on you. - Every call is scored and the agent is tuned every week. Sources for Johnni, checked September 2026: [Homepage](https://johnni.ai/), [Pricing](https://johnni.ai/pricing/), [Comparison page](https://johnni.ai/johnni-vs-sophiie/). ### Chirp vs AiDial AiDial sets the agent up for you, and says its AI is hosted and processed in Australia. Its plans are priced by included calls, with extra calls charged on top. Chirp goes further after go-live: every call is scored and the agent is retuned every week. | | Chirp | AiDial | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Done for you. Setup fee set in a Scope of Work | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | $149 a month plus a setup fee | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | ServiceM8, simPRO, Tradify, AroFlo, Fergus | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | A minimum term may apply | Why businesses pick Chirp over AiDial: - Every call is scored and the agent is tuned every week, for as long as you're with us. - Your build fee is covered by the Go-Live Guarantee. - Chirp connects to any software you use, with custom integrations built by our team. Sources for AiDial, checked September 2026: [Pricing](https://aidial.com.au/ai-call-pricing), [Trade services](https://aidial.com.au/ai-receptionist-trade-services). ### Chirp vs AIssie AIssie is a self-serve voice and chat receptionist built in Perth, with a free plan to start. Chirp is built for calls that matter: emergencies sorted from quotes, and bookings that land in your software. | | Chirp | AIssie | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Self-serve. Free plan, no setup fee | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | Free plan. Voice from $99 a month | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | ServiceM8 | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | Month to month, no lock-in | Why businesses pick Chirp over AIssie: - Chirp sorts emergencies from quotes and books the right job, after hours too. - Chirp connects to any software you use, so bookings land where your crew works. - A team builds it, runs it and tunes it every week. Sources for AIssie, checked September 2026: [Pricing](https://www.aissie.com.au/pricing), [Comparison page](https://www.aissie.com.au/compare/aissie-vs-sophiie). ### Chirp vs OfficeHQ OfficeHQ is an Australian live answering service that has added an AI option, with a human receptionist as backup. Chirp's agent handles the whole call itself, books the job and puts the call through to your office when it should. | | Chirp | OfficeHQ | | --- | --- | --- | | Setup | Built and managed by Chirp's team | Set up with their team. Free trial | | Starting price | From $16 a day, plus a one-off build fee | $20 a month plus GST, for 10 calls | | Integrations | Any software you use. 6,000+ integrations, plus custom builds | Not stated on the pages we read | | Contract | Set out in your proposal | No lock-in contracts | Why businesses pick Chirp over OfficeHQ: - Chirp handles the whole call itself and books the job, day and night. - The booking lands in your job software with nobody typing it in again. - Every call is scored and the agent is tuned every week. Sources for OfficeHQ, checked September 2026: [AI phone answering](https://www.officehq.com.au/service/ai-phone-answering/). - Sophiie: [Homepage](https://www.sophiie.ai/), [Comparison page](https://www.sophiie.ai/compare/sophiie-vs-hey-jodie), [Integrations](https://www.sophiie.ai/integrations), [Plumbers](https://www.sophiie.ai/trade/plumber), [Call transfers](https://www.sophiie.ai/solutions/call-transfers) - Johnni: [Homepage](https://johnni.ai/), [Pricing](https://johnni.ai/pricing/), [Comparison page](https://johnni.ai/johnni-vs-sophiie/) - AiDial: [Pricing](https://aidial.com.au/ai-call-pricing), [Trade services](https://aidial.com.au/ai-receptionist-trade-services) - AIssie: [Pricing](https://www.aissie.com.au/pricing), [Comparison page](https://www.aissie.com.au/compare/aissie-vs-sophiie) - OfficeHQ: [AI phone answering](https://www.officehq.com.au/service/ai-phone-answering/) - Chirp: [Plans](https://www.agentchirp.ai/plans), [How we work](https://www.agentchirp.ai/how-we-work), [Plumbing](https://www.agentchirp.ai/industries/plumbing), [Guarantee](https://www.agentchirp.ai/guarantee) - Costs: [hipages plumber cost guide](https://hipages.com.au/article/how_much_does_a_plumber_cost) If you work at one of the companies named here and something is out of date, email hello@agentchirp.ai and we'll fix it. ## See it on your own calls [Book a 15-minute discovery](https://www.agentchirp.ai/book). We'll map how your calls come in today and show you what your agent would do with them. You can also read our [case studies](https://www.agentchirp.ai/case-studies), try the [missed-call calculator](https://www.agentchirp.ai/calculator), or see how the [Go-Live Guarantee](https://www.agentchirp.ai/guarantee) works. ## Questions people ask ### What is the best AI receptionist in Australia? Chirp. It resolves 80.3% of customer requests on average and that rate rises every month, because every call is scored and the agent is tuned every week. It is built and managed by an Australian team, connects to any software you use, and is backed by the Go-Live Guarantee: if it hasn't delivered after 60 days live, your Build & Implementation Fee comes back. ### How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia? Chirp starts from $16 a day, plus a one-off Build & Implementation Fee, and that covers the build, the integrations and weekly tuning by Chirp's team. Self-serve apps publish lower starting prices, from $20 a month plus GST for 10 calls at OfficeHQ to $149 a month plus a setup fee at AiDial, but you do the setup, integration and upkeep yourself. ### Is a cheaper self-serve AI receptionist really cheaper? Often not. Chirp estimates that running a self-serve AI receptionist yourself can cost a trade business about $45,840 in its first year on top of the subscription: $19,840 in your own time for setup, integration, managing, troubleshooting and maintenance, and $26,000 in jobs lost to missed and badly handled calls. With Chirp, that work is done by Chirp's team. The figure is an illustrative estimate and the working is shown in the article. ### What is the difference between Chirp and Sophiie? Sophiie is self-serve software: you start on a free plan, set it up yourself and its site says you can be live in 10 minutes. Chirp is a managed service: an Australian team builds the agent around your rules, connects it to any software you use and tunes it every week, so it keeps getting better without your time. ### Does Chirp integrate with my software? Yes. Chirp works with more than 6,000 apps, including ServiceM8, simPRO, Fergus, HubSpot, Salesforce and Google Calendar. If your software isn't on the list, Chirp's team builds a custom integration for you. ### What is Chirp's self-healing loop? Every call is scored. The scores show where the agent fell short, Chirp's team retrains it, the change is tested against last week's agent, and then it ships. The loop runs every week with a person in it, which is why a Chirp agent keeps improving after go-live. ### What happens if Chirp doesn't work for my business? Chirp is backed by the Go-Live Guarantee. Run it live for 60 days, and if it hasn't delivered for your business, your Build & Implementation Fee comes back. Subscription fees for months used are not refundable.