HighLevel Voice AI alternative
Jodie picks up every call for a flat A$99 a month ex GST, with no agent to build and no US dollar usage bill.
Mia from Brisbane
Jodie answering...
Lead texted to you
12 seconds after the call started
GoHighLevel Voice AI is HighLevel's built-in AI phone agent. In Australia it costs three things, all in US dollars: a HighLevel subscription from US$97 a month (or an agency's fee), AI usage from about 6 cents a minute, and phone charges on each call. Jodie is a flat A$99 a month ex GST.
Every HighLevel number here comes from its own pricing page and its help articles on AI pricing, the phone system and Australian number compliance, as at 5 October 2026. HighLevel charges in US dollars, so A$ conversions use the 5 October 2026 exchange rate and are approximate. Jodie's prices are ex GST; unlimited minutes carry a fair-use limit of 1,000 calls a month.
Most public feedback comes from the agencies that build these agents for clients, so it shows how much work sits behind each one.
Lives inside the CRM
Builders rate how it books, sends texts and updates contacts without leaving HighLevel, and one found it better value than outside voice tools.
HighLevel's docs list booking, transfers, contact updates and post-call texts as standard actions.
Handles simple calls well
Operators say FAQs, call routing and after-hours messages work well, and one busy restaurant leans on it for the same questions all day.
A common tip from builders: start it on after-hours calls and keep booking simple.
Steadily improving
Agencies say it beats where it was a year ago, and one party hire business credits it with landing several full event bookings.
Check the date on any review you find, as older ones may describe an earlier version.
Long prompts lose the plot
Builders say agents start ignoring instructions once a prompt passes roughly 6,000 characters, so busier businesses need several smaller agents.
By HighLevel's own account, its AI needs ongoing human oversight once it is set up and configured.
Knowledge base misses
Builders report agents that pass testing, then fumble live callers with vague or wrong answers until someone reworks the knowledge base.
Allow time to test real caller questions and read the call logs, or ask who will do that for you.
Bookings take careful setup
Some builders saw agents book the wrong staff member or trip over multiple calendars, and moved tricky booking into post-call workflows.
Booking into several calendars is in HighLevel's help docs, but test it against your own rules first.
Usage bills swing
An agency reported tiny usage for most clients, while one popular restaurant topped US$270 in a single month, with phone the biggest line.
Every call attracts phone charges, whatever the plan, and Growth carries on billing after 100 minutes unless you block it.
Drawn from what agencies, builders and business owners have posted publicly in HighLevel user communities, summarised in our own words and read on 5 October 2026. The posts date from December 2025 to October 2026, and HighLevel updates Voice AI often.
Compare buying HighLevel just to answer calls with Jodie Basic at A$99 ex GST. Already on HighLevel? Voice AI is cheaper below about 940 minutes a month.
Cost calculator
Jodie Basic
A$99/mo
Flat. Unlimited.
Competitor: HighLevel Starter + Voice AI pay per use
US$121/mo
roughly A$174/mo
US$100 base + US$21 overage
You'd save
A$75/month (A$898/year)
How the HighLevel side is built: the US$97 Starter plan, an Australian local number at US$3 a month, then US$0.07 for every minute (US$0.045 voice engine, US$0.015 for the cheapest voice and US$0.01 inbound), showing the lowest of pay per use, AI Employee Growth (US$50 including 100 minutes) or AI Employee Unlimited (US$97). Rates are in US dollars from HighLevel's pricing page and help articles as at 5 October 2026. AI tokens, premium voices and rounding up to the full minute are not counted, so expect a higher real bill. If you already pay for HighLevel, take away the US$97 and Voice AI comes in under Jodie Basic below roughly 940 minutes a month, and under Professional (A$199 ex GST, with booking and transfers) up to roughly 3,850. Agency-run accounts are priced by the agency, so check your invoice. A$ amounts are approximate. Jodie's prices exclude GST; unlimited minutes are subject to fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
FX rates as of 2026-10-05. Jodie price is the published locale rate, not converted.
Less to build, one bill in Australian dollars and an account in your own name.
Someone has to write prompts, set up actions, load a knowledge base and test it all before HighLevel's Voice AI takes a call. Jodie reads your website instead, and most businesses have her answering calls in under 10 minutes.
HighLevel's setup guide runs seven configuration steps, then testing and a 'Final Voice AI Launch Checklist'.
Your HighLevel plan, AI minutes and phone line are each charged in US dollars, so the Australian dollar cost shifts with the exchange rate. Jodie is one A$99 monthly fee ex GST, covering unlimited minutes with nothing charged per call.
HighLevel's AI pricing help page states: 'All prices are in USD.'
When a marketing agency runs HighLevel for you, the agency decides what Voice AI costs you and may sell it under its own brand. With Jodie you sign up yourself, every price is on one page and there is no lock-in.
HighLevel's rebilling guide lets agencies 'Charge the client a multiplier or markup'.
HighLevel is unusually open about its rates, though an Australian bill still stacks up several separate US dollar charges.
| Jodie | GoHighLevel Voice AI | |
|---|---|---|
Base monthly price published Jodie's three plans are A$99, A$199 and A$399 ex GST. HighLevel starts at US$97, and agencies set their own prices. | ||
Cost per call known in advance No per-call charge with Jodie. HighLevel publishes per-minute rates, but warns that equal-length calls can still be billed differently. | ||
Phone charges included No call charges with Jodie. HighLevel bills an Australian local number at US$3 a month plus US$0.01 a minute inbound. | ||
Prices in your currency Jodie bills in Australian dollars, ex GST. HighLevel says all prices are in USD. | ||
Free trial with nothing billed Jodie: 7 days, no card. HighLevel's 14-day trial can still carry phone and other usage fees. | ||
No long-term contract Both are month to month. HighLevel promises no long-term contracts and bills monthly or annually. |
Busy local businesses where the phone spikes and nobody has time to tune an AI agent.
End-of-lease and regular clean enquiries come in while your hands are full, and whoever answers first usually wins the job. Jodie takes every call for one flat monthly price, with nothing to set up.
See Jodie for cleanersA homeowner with a leaking tap rings three businesses from a local ad and books whoever sounds sure first. One builder says HighLevel setups need a few rounds of tuning, while Jodie picks up your services from your website.
See Jodie for home servicesSalon agents built in HighLevel kept putting clients with the wrong staff member, one builder reported. Jodie Professional locks in the booking while the client is still on the phone, and there is nothing to build.
See Jodie for hairdressersWhen the first hot week hits Brisbane or Perth, breakdown calls pile up, and every minute lands on a pay-per-use Voice AI bill with phone charges on top. Jodie costs the same however busy summer gets.
See Jodie for air conditioning & hvacFrom about US$0.06 a minute plus AI tokens on pay as you go, or a US$50 plan with 100 minutes, or US$97 for unlimited fair use. Add phone charges and a HighLevel plan from US$97, and 300 minutes is roughly A$174 a month, against Jodie's flat A$99 ex GST.
Nothing is hidden, but four costs catch people out: phone charges on every call whatever the plan, call time rounded up to the next full minute, Growth billing on past its 100 minutes unless you block it, and possible usage fees during the free trial. Every one is charged in US dollars.
Yes: Voice AI agents inside HighLevel take inbound calls on an LC Phone or Twilio number, answer from a knowledge base, book into HighLevel calendars and hand calls to staff. Many agencies resell them to local businesses under the agency's own brand, so an AI receptionist bought from your agency may be HighLevel underneath.
Yes, if you already use HighLevel and someone will build and keep tuning the agent; HighLevel says its AI needs setup, configuration and ongoing human oversight. If you would rather not do that work, Jodie answers calls for a flat A$99 a month ex GST with unlimited minutes.
A done-for-you service like Jodie suits owners who would rather not build anything: she reads your website, is ready in under 10 minutes for most businesses and costs a flat A$99 a month ex GST. Builder tools such as Retell, Vapi and Synthflow give more control, but you still write the prompts and workflows.
HighLevel does not say. Its guide covers seven configuration steps, testing and a launch checklist, and each LC Phone Australian local number needs an approved regulatory bundle with ABN or ASIC papers, typically reviewed in 1-3 business days. Most businesses are live on Jodie in under 10 minutes.
Yes. Keep HighLevel running your contacts and marketing, and divert missed and after-hours calls to Jodie, not a Voice AI agent. Jodie's Premium plan (A$399 a month ex GST) then logs each caller as a new or updated HighLevel contact with a follow-up task, via Zapier's LeadConnector app and your own Zapier account.
Keep HighLevel for your contacts and marketing if you like, and change only who picks up the phone. Callers are covered the whole time you test.
Total time: About an hour of setup, then 5-7 days side by side
Sign up without a card and Jodie reads your website to learn your services. Your Jodie number is ready to take diverted calls straight away.
Set your business line to divert unanswered and after-hours calls to your Jodie number, through your phone provider or in HighLevel if the number lives there.
Line up Jodie's call summaries with the Voice AI call logs to see who handled callers better. On Premium, Zapier's LeadConnector app links Jodie to HighLevel if it stays your CRM.
Take the Voice AI agent out of your inbound call flow, choose 'Block AI at the limit', cancel any AI Employee plan and release spare numbers. HighLevel has no lock-in contract, and an agency running your account can do this for you.
Ring your business number from a mobile and let it ring out to check Jodie answers. When the next HighLevel or agency invoice arrives, make sure Voice AI and phone usage are gone.
Buyer's guides
This comparison is part of our independent buyer's guides ranking the whole field.
Divert your missed calls to Jodie for the trial and judge her summaries against your Voice AI logs. No card and no agent to build.
First 7 days free, then pricing from A$99/month
