Curious Thing AI alternative
Lucy AI pricing starts at A$24 a month but Lucy texts callers a booking link, while Jodie Professional books the job before they hang up.
Jess from Brisbane
Jodie answering...
Lead texted to you
12 seconds after the call started
Lucy by Curious Thing suits Australian sole traders who want cheap missed-call cover: A$24 a month on Professional, with no free plan since July 2025 and no trial. If callers should leave with a booked time rather than a link, try Jodie Professional, the Curious Thing alternative, at A$199 a month ex GST.
Lucy figures come from curiousthing.io pricing, product and terms pages and its 14 July 2025 plan notice, checked 13 October 2026. Lucy prices Australian numbers in Australian dollars, and its pages do not mention GST. Jodie's prices are in Australian dollars ex GST, and unlimited minutes are subject to fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
All three come straight from Curious Thing's own pricing page and terms.
When a caller wants a time, Lucy texts them a link to your booking page and leaves the rest to them. Jodie Professional checks your calendar, offers open slots and books the job on the call.
Lucy's pricing page names 'appointment setting via web link' as its booking skill.
There has been no free Lucy plan since 31 July 2025 and no trial is advertised, so you pay before Lucy takes a single call. Jodie runs free for 7 days on your real calls, with no card.
Lucy's terms call its fees non-refundable, and its FAQ rules out refunds for periods already paid.
Lucy's pages never say whether A$24 or A$99 includes GST, and its terms can curb 'excessive usage' without a figure. Jodie quotes A$99 ex GST and fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
Lucy's pricing page lists calls as 'Unlimited' on both plans; the limit sits in its terms.
A sample script built from each company's listed features, not a recording. Lucy Business at A$99 and Jodie Professional at A$199, the plans that can transfer calls.
Scenario: A Brisbane homeowner rings an air-conditioning business at 7pm to book a split-system service before summer
Competitor
Lucy
Hi, thanks for calling [your business]. Sorry we missed you. What can I help with?Caller
I need my split-system serviced before summer, sometime next week if you can.Lucy
No worries. I can text you a link to our online booking page so you can pick a time. What's your name?Caller
Jess Nguyen.Lucy
Thanks Jess. The link's on its way to this number, and I'll pass your message on to the team.Jodie
Jodie
Good evening, [your business], Jodie speaking. How can I help?Caller
I need my split-system serviced before summer, sometime next week if you can.Jodie
I can lock that in now. I have Tuesday at 9am or Wednesday at 2pm. Which works better?Caller
Tuesday at 9 is good.Jodie
Great. What's your name and the address for the job?Caller
Jess Nguyen, 22 Wattle Street, Chermside.Jodie
You're booked in for Tuesday at 9am, Jess. The technician will see you then.Both calls got answered. Lucy left Jess to book online; Jodie had the job in the calendar before she hung up.
Curious Thing publishes Lucy's Australian prices and cancellation rules. What it leaves out is GST, a trial and a limit on 'unlimited'.
| Jodie | Lucy by Curious Thing | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly price published Jodie: A$99, A$199 and A$399. Lucy: A$24 Professional and A$99 Business for Australian numbers. | ||
Priced in Australian dollars Both quote Australian dollars to Australian customers. Lucy charges UK, US and Canadian numbers in US dollars. | ||
GST basis stated Jodie's prices exclude GST. Neither Lucy's pricing page nor its terms mention GST. | ||
Free trial with no card Jodie: 7 days, no card. Lucy: paid plans only since the free plan closed on 31 July 2025. | ||
Fair-use cap on unlimited calls stated Jodie: up to 1,000 calls a month. Lucy's terms allow it to limit 'excessive usage' but give no figure. | ||
Cancellation and refund terms stated Jodie is month to month. Lucy cancels from the dashboard, runs to the end of the paid period and does not refund it. |
Businesses whose callers want a time locked in, not a link to chase later.
A customer with a tripping safety switch wants a sparky booked, not a text to follow up. Jodie Professional puts the callout in your calendar while they are still on the line.
See Jodie for electriciansQuote requests come in while you are on the tools. Jodie takes the job details and, on Professional, books the site visit straight into your calendar.
See Jodie for buildersBuyers ringing about a listing on realestate.com.au or Domain want an inspection time. Jodie Professional offers open slots and books one before they ring the next agency.
See Jodie for real estate agentsClients ringing for a cut and colour want a time, not a link to your booking page. Jodie Professional offers your free slots and books them in on the call.
See Jodie for hairdressersLucy is the AI phone agent from Curious Thing, a Sydney-based voice AI company that started in 2018 and was acquired by MaxContact in 2025. It picks up missed calls, or every call, takes messages, answers FAQs and texts callers links, then sends you an SMS and email summary.
For an Australian number, Lucy Professional is A$24 a month and Lucy Business A$99, both with unlimited calls. Curious Thing's pricing page does not say whether GST is included, and fees already paid are not refunded. Jodie is A$99 Basic or A$199 Professional a month, ex GST.
No. Curious Thing switched off the free Lucy plan on 31 July 2025 and closed free accounts that did not upgrade, and it advertises no trial on the paid plans. Jodie has no free plan either, but you can run it on real calls for 7 days without a card.
Not during the call. Lucy sends the caller an SMS with a link to your online booking page or website, and they book themselves later. Jodie Professional, A$199 a month, checks your free times and locks in the appointment while the caller is still on the phone.
You divert unanswered calls from your mobile or landline to a dedicated Lucy number using conditional call forwarding, which Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all support. Lucy answers, then texts and emails you a summary. Switch telco and you will need to set the divert up again.
Not entirely. It started in 2018 as a Sydney-based company, but MaxContact bought it in May 2025 and Lucy is now sold as Lucy by MaxContact. Lucy's terms are still governed by New South Wales law.
Lucy's site carries 2024 reviews, mostly from US users, praising how it turns voicemail into texts. Australian construction, recruitment and financial firms add testimonials about it catching calls while they are busy. The dated reviews all predate July 2025, when Lucy went paid-only.
Lucy sits behind conditional diverts on your phone, so moving across means repointing those diverts. Your calls stay covered throughout.
Total time: About 30 minutes of setup, then 5-7 days side by side
No card needed. Jodie reads your website to learn the business and gives you a number to divert to straight away.
From a second phone, call Jodie and check the greeting, the questions she asks and how she books jobs.
Divert only unanswered calls to Jodie and leave busy and unreachable diverts with Lucy. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone set each one separately. Compare the summaries.
Log in to the Lucy dashboard from a web browser and cancel. The plan runs to the end of the period you paid for, with no refund for it.
Move the busy and unreachable diverts to your Jodie number as well, then let a test call ring out and check Jodie picks up.
Buyer's guides
This comparison is part of our independent buyer's guides ranking the whole field.
No card and no sales call. Divert your missed calls to Jodie and see whose summaries you'd rather get.
First 7 days free, then pricing from A$99/month
