5 best virtual receptionist services for Australian businesses in 2026

A virtual receptionist answers your business calls when your team can't. In Australia that now means one of two things: a live, remote receptionist who picks up on your behalf, or an AI receptionist that answers, books and routes calls on its own.

This guide compares five options for Australian businesses, with pricing checked in October 2026, so you can match the right one to your call volume, budget and tech stack.

TL;DR

The best virtual receptionist depends on who should answer: a person, an AI, or both. Live services in this guide start from A$25 a month for message-taking, with per-call charges as volume grows. AI receptionists answer 24/7, cost less per call, and hand complex or sensitive calls to your team.

• Best affordable live answering: OfficeHQ, for sole traders and small businesses.

• Best premium virtual office: Servcorp, for firms that want a prestige address and phone answering in one package.

• Best AI receptionist inside your phone system and CRM: Aircall, for teams that want calls answered, booked and logged in the tools they already use.

• Best flat-rate AI for small businesses: Hey Jodie, for tradies and local businesses that want unlimited minutes.

• Best AI for trades back-office work: Sophiie, for tradies who want quoting and invoicing alongside call answering.

Virtual receptionist services compared

What are the best virtual receptionist services in Australia?

Each service below is grouped by the job it does best. Prices are monthly list prices in AUD and exclude GST unless stated.

1. OfficeHQ

OfficeHQ offers low-cost live answering plans, from simple message-taking to call transfers and appointment booking.

Its tiered plans let small businesses start with message-taking and add transfers, lead capture or diary management as they grow, with a 7-day free trial to test the service.

Best for: Sole traders and small businesses that mainly need calls answered and messages taken professionally.

Key features:

• Message-taking: Calls answered in your business name, with messages sent by email or SMS.

• Call transfers: Callers put through to you when you're available.

• Appointment scheduling: Bookings, cancellations and rescheduling managed in your calendar.

Pricing:

• MessageExpress: From A$25/month

• MyReceptionist: From A$33/month, with call transfers. An introductory plan covers 15 calls for A$39.

• MyAssistant and MyDiary: From A$49/month

Watch out for: Per-call charges on top of the base plan add up quickly once call volume grows.

2. Servcorp

Servcorp bundles a prestige business address and local phone number into a virtual office package, aimed at firms that want a premium front.

It suits professional firms that want a CBD address, phone answering and access to meeting rooms rather than a standalone answering service.

Best for: Consultancies and professional firms that want a premium address and phone presence in one package.

Key features:

• Business address: A premium address to register and promote your business.

• Local phone number: A local number answered by a dedicated receptionist.

• Workspace access: Coworking and meeting rooms available on higher packages.

Pricing:

• Virtual Office: From A$237.30/month, excluding tax

• Address Package: From A$128.80/month, excluding tax

Watch out for: You're paying for an office package, so it costs more than a dedicated answering service if all you need is calls answered.

3. Aircall

Aircall's AI receptionist answers every call, books appointments on the call and routes callers to the right teammate with full context, all inside the phone system and CRM your team already uses.

Most answering services stop at taking a message. Aircall's AI receptionist resolves the request when it can, then logs the call, transcript and outcome in your CRM. When a caller needs a person, it transfers them to your team with the full conversation attached, so no one repeats themselves.

It's one of several AI voice agents on the platform. Teams can add an AI Sales Agent to qualify inbound leads, an AI Support Agent to resolve common questions, or an AI Order Agent for ecommerce order calls.

Best for: Sales and support teams that want an AI receptionist connected to their CRM, helpdesk and intelligent routing, not a separate answering service.

Key features:

• Natural conversation and intelligent routing: Callers say what they need in their own words, no phone menu, and the AI resolves the request or routes the call with context.

• Appointment booking and reminders: Schedules, reschedules and cancels appointments on the call, and rings ahead to confirm attendance.

• 38 languages: Answers in the caller's language at any hour.

• CRM logging: Verifies the caller, updates records and logs every call in tools like HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk.

• Set up in minutes: Start from a template, add your business information and knowledge sources, and go live without IT.

• Agent Performance dashboard: Tracks resolution, goal completion and transfer rates, and flags fixes ranked by impact.

Integrations: 250+ native integrations, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Shopify, Calendly and Stripe.

Pricing (Australia):

• With an Aircall phone plan: Plans from A$45/licence/month (billed annually), including 50 free AI Voice Agent minutes every month plus 100 at sign-up.

• AI Voice Agents on their own: A$152/month minimum, no Aircall phone system needed.

• Usage beyond free minutes: A$0.69/minute up to 2,500 minutes, then A$0.49/minute.

• Bundles: A$265 for 500 minutes, A$1,100 for 2,500 minutes, custom rates from A$0.29/minute above 10,000 minutes.

See the full Aircall pricing page for phone system plans.

Results from teams already live: SJWD Water District handles 90% of after-hours calls automatically, and Aircall measured 95% caller satisfaction across 18,000 AI routing calls.

Watch out for: Per-minute billing means long calls cost more, and standalone use has a monthly minimum. Clear transfer rules keep complex calls short and with your team.

4. Hey Jodie

Hey Jodie is an AI receptionist with flat monthly pricing in Australian dollars and unlimited minutes, built for small businesses and tradies.

Jodie answers calls 24/7, captures job details and sends them on by SMS or email. Flat pricing makes costs predictable for businesses with busy, unpredictable phones.

Best for: Tradies, real estate agencies and local businesses that want AI answering without a per-minute meter.

Key features:

• Unlimited minutes: Every plan includes unlimited call minutes.

• Job capture: Collects caller details and sends notifications.

• Free trial: Seven days free, with no setup fees.

Pricing:

• Basic: A$99/month

• Professional: A$199/month

• Premium: A$399/month, with integrations via Zapier

• Enterprise: From A$1,000/month

Watch out for: It's a standalone AI answering tool, so there's no phone system, contact centre tooling or native CRM integration behind it.

5. Sophiie

Sophiie is an Australian AI receptionist for trades businesses that pairs call answering with back-office automation.

According to its website, Sophiie goes beyond answering calls and booking jobs to chase quotes, send reminders and follow up invoices, which suits tradies who want admin handled as well as the phone.

Best for: Trades businesses that want an AI receptionist and back-office help in one tool.

Key features:

• 24/7 call answering: Answers and books jobs around the clock.

• Quotes and reminders: Follows up on quotes and sends booking reminders.

• Invoice follow-up: Helps chase payments and track job admin.

Pricing: Not published. Plans are quoted after a demo.

Watch out for: You can't compare costs until you've booked a demo, and the trades focus makes it a weaker fit for other industries.

How we picked these services

We shortlisted services that appear most often in Australian comparisons of "virtual receptionist" and "AI receptionist" searches, then compared them on four things:

• Who answers: AI, live person, or both.

• Published pricing: Every price was checked on each provider's own website in October 2026. Where a provider doesn't publish prices, we say so rather than guess.

• Integrations: Native CRM, helpdesk and calendar connections.

• Handoff to humans: How cleanly a call reaches your team when it needs to.

Aircall makes this list, so weigh our pick accordingly. We've placed it where it fits best, not first.

Should you choose an AI receptionist or a live virtual receptionist?

Choose an AI receptionist if most of your calls are routine: bookings, FAQs, routing and lead capture. Choose a live receptionist if your calls are emotional, high-value or need judgement every time. Many Australian businesses now use AI first and send exceptions to a person.

Read more on AI voice agents vs. human agents and what an AI voice agent is.

How much does a virtual receptionist cost in Australia?

Published plans in this guide range from A$25 to A$476 a month before usage charges, from message-taking at the low end to premium virtual office packages at the high end. The pricing model matters as much as the headline price:

To estimate your cost, multiply your monthly calls by your average call length, then compare that against each plan's included minutes or calls, per-call charges and any setup fees.

What should you look for in a virtual receptionist service?

• Handoff quality: The caller should reach a person with full context, not start over.

• Integrations: Calls, transcripts and outcomes should land in your CRM and helpdesk automatically.

• Appointment booking: Look for live calendar access, not just message-taking.

• After-hours cover: Check whether evenings, weekends and public holidays cost extra.

• Setup fees and contracts: Some AI receptionists charge setup fees, and some live services set minimum terms.

• Privacy: Check encryption, access controls and how call data is handled under the Australian Privacy Principles. Aircall's approach is on its security page.

• GST and overage terms: Check whether prices include GST and what happens when you exceed your plan.

Answer every call with Aircall's AI receptionist

Missed calls are missed revenue. Aircall's AI receptionist picks up every call, books the appointment, logs it in your CRM and brings your team in only when a caller needs a person. New accounts get 100 free AI minutes at sign-up, plus 50 every month, with no long-term contract.

Hear how it sounds and set one up in minutes. See the AI receptionist.

Frequently asked questions about virtual receptionist services

What is a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is a remote service that answers your business calls. It can be a live person working off-site or an AI receptionist that answers, books and routes calls automatically. Both greet callers, take messages and transfer calls to your team.

What is the difference between an AI receptionist and a virtual receptionist?

A virtual receptionist is usually a live person answering remotely and billed by the call or minute. An AI receptionist is software that answers instantly, handles many calls at once, works 24/7 in multiple languages and costs less per call. It hands complex calls to your team.

What is the best virtual receptionist service in Australia?

It depends on what you need. OfficeHQ is the affordable live option, Servcorp suits firms that want a premium virtual office, Aircall suits teams that want an AI receptionist connected to their phone system and CRM, and Hey Jodie suits small businesses that want flat-rate AI answering.

How much does a virtual receptionist cost per month in Australia?

Live virtual receptionists in this guide start from A$25 to A$49 a month for entry plans, with per-call charges as volume grows. AI receptionists range from flat plans around A$99 a month to usage-based pricing from about A$0.49 to A$0.69 per minute.

Is a virtual receptionist worth it?

Yes, for most small businesses that miss calls. A virtual receptionist costs a fraction of a full-time hire, answers outside business hours and captures leads that would otherwise go to voicemail. AI receptionists make the maths stronger for high call volumes.

What is the best virtual receptionist for tradies?

Hey Jodie and Sophiie are built for trades: Hey Jodie for flat-rate AI answering, Sophiie for answering plus quoting and invoicing. For trades businesses that want calls routed to the right person and logged in their CRM, an AI receptionist like Aircall's is worth testing.

Can an AI receptionist book appointments?

Yes. Aircall's AI receptionist checks your calendar and schedules, reschedules or cancels appointments during the call. It can also ring ahead to confirm attendance and reschedule no-shows.

Does an AI receptionist work with my existing phone system?

It can. Aircall's AI agents run through your existing Aircall numbers or the phone system you already have, so there's nothing to migrate or rip out.