How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost in Australia? (Real 2026 Prices)

The real 2026 price table

Most vendors in this market publish their pricing. One or two make you book a sales call to find out — which third-party reviewers consistently criticise, and which this table works around with published review figures.

*Competitor prices are from public pricing pages and third-party reviews as at September 2026 and can change — always confirm against the vendor's current page. Salutant's is published here.*

What actually drives the price

1. Booking vs message-taking. The cheapest "AI answering" products take a message and email it to you — you still do the booking. The products worth comparing read your live diary, offer real times, and write the appointment into your practice software. That capability is what you are actually shopping for: a message you have to action within business hours recreates the problem you were solving.

2. Which practice software it books into. Most AU vendors in this category grew up inside the Cliniko ecosystem. If your practice runs Halaxy, your options narrow sharply — and the remaining options are mostly at the expensive end.

3. How calls are metered. "Unlimited" plans price that risk into a higher flat fee. Per-call overages look cheap until a busy week. Included-minutes plans keep the entry price low for the solo practice whose phone rings steadily but not constantly — check your actual call volume before assuming any model wins.

4. Who the product is built for. Enterprise-oriented vendors carry enterprise pricing — onboarding projects, retainers, account managers. A solo psychologist or physio does not need any of that, but on the wrong product they pay for it anyway. The spread in prices is mostly this: the same job, priced for different buyers.

The hidden costs to check before signing

• Per-call or per-minute overage rates — the number that matters more than the headline plan price if your volume is unpredictable.
• Setup or onboarding fees — common at the enterprise end.
• Contract lock-in — month-to-month vs annual terms.
• What happens to cancellations and reschedules — does the product handle the request on the call, or does the caller get told to ring back in business hours?
• Whether your booking rules are enforced — a receptionist that books outside your minimum-notice window creates work and awkward phone calls. Ask every vendor how notice periods and cancellation policies are honoured; here is how we do it.

AI vs a human receptionist: the honest maths

A full-time in-house receptionist is tens of thousands of dollars a year — the right choice for a busy multi-practitioner clinic with front-desk work well beyond the phone. Human virtual reception services price per call answered, which suits low volumes but scales linearly with every ring. An AI receptionist inverts that: a flat monthly cost that does not care whether the call lands at 11am or 11pm, with the trade-off that judgement calls belong with you — which is why review workflows matter more than marketing claims about "fully automatic".

For the solo and small allied-health practice, the arithmetic usually lands the same way: the missed new-client call is the most expensive event in the practice week, and preventing it costs a flat monthly fee with AI versus a per-call bill with human services at equivalent coverage.

Where Salutant fits

Salutant is built for solo and small Australian allied-health practices. Its plans are public:

• Solo: $49 + GST a month, 180 call minutes included, 1 booking seat
• Team: $129 + GST a month, 360 call minutes included, up to 5 booking seats
• Clinic: $249 + GST a month, 720 call minutes included, up to 10 booking seats

Extra minutes are 40c each, from a prepaid balance you top up. See Salutant pricing.

Your booking policies are enforced, and a staff-review mode is on by default so nothing touches your diary without your tap. Try a free demo call.