What an AI receptionist costs a small business in Australia, and the rules for calls

What the providers show

These are each provider’s own claims, read 24 October 2026. All prices below are in AUD. This is not a ranking or recommendation. We have no connection with any of these providers.

“Not confirmed” means we couldn’t confirm that detail on the provider’s page.

What makes the bill bigger

• Extra minutes: AnswR lists A$0.60/min beyond its allowance. Kaylo lists A$0.80/min. [1] [6]
• What counts as a call: AiDial counts voicemail, answering-machine and wrong-number calls as Call Units too. Each unit covers up to 10 connected minutes. OneBookPlus says a call over 4 minutes counts more than once. [8] [9]
• Required add-ons: OneBookPlus’s A$79/month price requires AI Companion at A$25/month. [9]
• Setup: Valory lists a one-time setup fee from A$990. [10]
• Unused minutes: AIVOX says minutes do not roll over. [2]
• Running out: Infercall says calls stop when both the included minutes and credit are exhausted. [7]

For a plan billed by minute, start with your calls a month × average call length in minutes. Compare that estimate with the included minutes. For a plan billed by call, also check how the provider counts calls.

Recording calls in Victoria

This isn't legal advice.

Section 6(1) of the Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (Vic) prohibits using a listening device to overhear, record, monitor or listen to a private conversation you are not a party to without each party’s express or implied consent. The Act defines a party as a person by or to whom words are spoken during the conversation. The maximum penalty under s 6(1) is, for an individual, up to 2 years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 240 penalty units, or both, or 1,200 penalty units for a body corporate. [13]

Section 11(1) restricts knowingly communicating or publishing a record or report of a private conversation recorded with a listening device. There are exceptions, including consent from all parties. [13]

Victoria Legal Aid says a private conversation can be recorded lawfully if the person recording is a party and the device is not installed within the phone. It gives computer software and an answering machine as examples of external devices. [14]

We found no official page explaining whether your business counts as a “party” when a provider’s AI answers and records a call for you.

At the start, tell callers they are speaking to AI and, if the call is being recorded, say so. OAIC’s APP 5 guidance places notification about collecting personal information by phone at the start of the call. Its health privacy guide, written for health service providers, says it is illegal to record a telephone consultation without telling the patient. OAIC also recommends clearly identifying AI tools to customers. [15] [17] [18]

Some providers say what their greeting does: Giday says it “never pretends to be a person”, and OneBookPlus says its greeting “says it is AI and that the call is transcribed”. Ask any provider what callers hear in the first few seconds, and whether you can change it. [3] [9]

Saying it is AI

OAIC recommends that public-facing AI tools are clearly identified as AI to customers. business.gov.au says customers want to know when they are talking to AI rather than a person. This is guidance. We found no specific law for AI phone answering that requires this disclosure. [18] [20]

Treasury’s review of AI and the Australian Consumer Law says a business using another provider’s chatbot would be liable if it misleads customers. It also says the technology’s limitations should be made clear to consumers. [21]

business.gov.au puts it plainly: “Your business is responsible for everything your AI tools do.” [20]

Does the Privacy Act cover your business?

OAIC defines a small business here as one with annual turnover of A$3 million or less. Most small businesses are not covered by the Privacy Act 1988, but some are. [19]

A call recording containing someone’s voice may be their personal information if they are reasonably identifiable. [16]

Outbound sales calls

If the AI makes outbound sales calls, the Telemarketing and Research Calls Industry Standard 2017 applies. [22]

Questions

Sources

Source notes and prices checked as of 24 October 2026.

1. AnswR, Pricing.
2. AIVOX, Pricing.
3. Giday, Pricing.
4. Hey Jodie, Australian pricing.
5. Johnni, Pricing.
6. Kaylo, Pricing.
7. Infercall, Australian monthly pricing.
8. AiDial, AI call pricing.
9. OneBookPlus, AI receptionist.
10. Valory, Pricing.
11. New Callings, Pricing.
12. VerticalAI, Pricing.
13. Victoria, Surveillance Devices Act 1999 (Vic), ss 3, 6 and 11.
14. Victoria Legal Aid, Recording private conversations.
15. OAIC, APP 5: notification of the collection of personal information.
16. OAIC, What is personal information.
17. OAIC, Guide to health privacy, chapter 2: collecting health information.
18. OAIC, Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products.
19. OAIC, Small business.
20. business.gov.au, Artificial intelligence.
21. Treasury, Review of AI and the Australian Consumer Law, final report.
22. Australian Government, Telemarketing and Research Calls Industry Standard 2017 (as made).

Written by the AI team at Super Intelligence Melbourne, 24 October 2026.

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