OfficeHQ alternative
OfficeHQ pricing is per call or per minute plus GST at its October 2026 rates, while Jodie is a flat A$99 a month ex GST.
Priya from Brisbane
Jodie answering...
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OfficeHQ advertises a 4.8-star average from 150 reviews. Customers praise friendly Australian receptionists but report slow pickup at peak times. Most plans charge per call, from A$20 a month for 10 AI-answered calls. OfficeHQ undercuts Jodie's flat A$99 below about 37 calls a month for message taking or 65 for AI, all ex GST.
OfficeHQ figures come from its call answering terms (section 6.2), AI plan page and pricing page, checked 2 October 2026. All prices are in Australian dollars and exclude GST: OfficeHQ adds GST, and Jodie adds any tax at checkout. OfficeHQ trades as ReceptionHQ in New Zealand, the UK and the US, where prices differ.
Themes from public customer reviews, set against what each OfficeHQ plan includes.
Friendly, professional staff
Reviewers describe friendly, professional receptionists who handle callers politely.
OfficeHQ says most calls are answered in Australia, with overflow support at peaks.
Easy setup, simple billing
Sole traders mention quick setup and a bill that is easy to follow.
Month to month, with a 7-day free trial and no card needed.
Clients who stay for years
Long-standing clients mention staying with OfficeHQ for 10 to 16 years.
OfficeHQ has operated since 2003.
Slow pickup at busy times
Some reviewers report long waits before a receptionist answers, and callers hanging up.
OfficeHQ says its average answer time is under 15 seconds.
Patchy receptionist training
Some recent reviews describe receptionists who seemed untrained or unprofessional.
Test your own script during the free trial before you commit.
Thin messages
Some customers say messages carry too little detail, in one case a single word.
MessageExpress and the 15-call MyReceptionist plan record three caller details.
Doubts about value
A long-time client calls it expensive for what it delivers, and one prospective buyer suspected it was the budget option for a reason.
Your OfficeHQ bill grows with your call volume, so value depends on how busy you are.
Themes are paraphrased from public reviews and comments about OfficeHQ read on 2 October 2026, and reflect individual experiences. The star rating quoted above is OfficeHQ's own published figure, checked the same day.
Pick your monthly calls to compare OfficeHQ's cheapest per-call plan, its AI plan, with Jodie Basic at A$99 ex GST. Below about 65 calls a month, OfficeHQ costs less.
Cost calculator
Jodie Basic
A$99/mo
Flat. Unlimited.
Competitor: OfficeHQ MyAI 100
A$130/mo
A$130 base
You'd save
A$31/month (A$372/year)
OfficeHQ rates are from its call answering terms (section 6.2), checked 2 October 2026, in Australian dollars excluding GST. The calculator picks OfficeHQ's cheapest per-call plan, which is MyAI Receptionist at every step, and assumes business-hours calls with no transfers, SMS or live-receptionist handoffs, which cost extra. Live plans cost more, with extra calls at A$2.35 to A$2.50 on MessageExpress and A$3.89 to A$3.99 on MyReceptionist. Jodie Basic is A$99 a month excluding GST, with unlimited calls; any tax is added at checkout.
Each one is set out in OfficeHQ's own published terms.
OfficeHQ charges by the call or the minute on every answering plan in its rate card, so a busy month costs more. Jodie Basic is A$99 a month ex GST whether you take 50 calls or 500.
At 200 calls a month, OfficeHQ's cheapest plan is A$250 ex GST and Jodie Basic is still A$99.
OfficeHQ's live plans add A$0.60 to A$1.00 ex GST to every call outside 8am to 6pm on weekdays, and unused call allowances expire monthly. Jodie costs the same at 2am as at 2pm, with no allowance to lose.
An after-hours MyReceptionist call costs A$4.89 ex GST on pay as you go; Jodie adds nothing.
When OfficeHQ's AI gets stuck, it passes the caller to OfficeHQ's receptionists and charges live rates. Jodie Professional transfers callers to you or your team for a flat A$199 a month ex GST.
OfficeHQ charges A$0.40 ex GST per MyReceptionist transfer; Jodie Professional has no per-transfer fee.
OfficeHQ publishes its full rate card, but the per-call rates and surcharges sit in its terms, not on its pricing page.
| Jodie | OfficeHQ | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly plan prices on the pricing page OfficeHQ lists 'from' prices for its live plans; its AI plan is priced on a separate page. | ||
Per-call cost clear from the pricing page Jodie charges none. OfficeHQ's per-call rates of A$1.50 to A$3.99 ex GST are in its terms, section 6.2. | ||
After-hours cost clear from the pricing page Jodie has none. OfficeHQ's live-plan surcharges of A$0.60 and A$1.00 a call ex GST are in its terms. | ||
Free trial without a card Both offer 7 days free with no card. | ||
Month-to-month terms Both are month to month. You cancel OfficeHQ by email, and prepaid fees are not refunded. | ||
Full monthly bill from the pricing page alone Jodie: A$99 a month ex GST, whatever your call volume. OfficeHQ: you need its terms and your call mix. |
OfficeHQ markets to these businesses too. Here is where a flat price changes the maths.
A burst pipe at 9pm is an after-hours call, which costs extra on OfficeHQ's live plans. Jodie answers it for the same flat price as a 9am quote.
See Jodie for plumbersAfter a storm, fault calls arrive all at once and OfficeHQ meters every one. Jodie stays at a flat A$99 a month ex GST, however busy the week gets.
See Jodie for electriciansBuyer calls peak on Saturdays around open homes, when OfficeHQ's live plans add an after-hours surcharge to every call. Jodie answers weekend calls at no extra cost.
See Jodie for real estate agentsQuiet months do not bank calls for tax time, because OfficeHQ's unused allowances expire monthly. Jodie's flat price covers the July to October rush.
See Jodie for accountantsOfficeHQ customers praise friendly, professional Australian receptionists and easy setup, and some have stayed for over 15 years. Recent complaints mention slow pickup at peak times, patchy receptionist training and thin messages, and OfficeHQ's MessageExpress plan records only three caller details.
OfficeHQ is an Australian virtual receptionist and answering service founded in Sydney in 2003, with its head office on the Sunshine Coast. It sells live receptionist plans, virtual business addresses and an AI receptionist with human backup, and says more than 25,000 businesses use it.
OfficeHQ's AI plan starts at A$20 a month for 10 calls, then A$1.50 a call. Live answering starts at A$25 a month plus A$2.50 a call for messages, or A$33 plus A$3.89 a call with transfers, and its most popular live plan is A$185 for 50 calls, all plus GST. Live plans charge more for after-hours calls, and transfers and SMS cost extra.
OfficeHQ costs less than Jodie's A$99 a month below about 37 calls on its message-taking plan, or 65 on its AI plan, both ex GST. It also suits businesses whose callers expect a live person every time. Above those volumes, Jodie's flat price costs less, with no after-hours or per-call charges.
Yes. OfficeHQ sells MyAI Receptionist, which answers calls 24/7 and passes callers to a live Australian-based receptionist if they ask or the AI gets stuck. It starts at A$20 a month for 10 calls plus GST, and calls handed to a live receptionist are charged at OfficeHQ's live rates.
Yes. OfficeHQ trades as ReceptionHQ in New Zealand, the UK and the US, with a similar set of plans. ReceptionHQ prices are in local currency, so they are not a guide to OfficeHQ's Australian rates.
Yes, if it is your own number: you move your divert from OfficeHQ to Jodie and callers notice nothing. If customers call a number OfficeHQ assigned you, its terms say OfficeHQ keeps it unless it agrees otherwise in writing, so get that agreement before you cancel.
OfficeHQ is month to month, so there is no lock-in to wait out. Check two things first: whether callers dial a number OfficeHQ assigned you, and when your prepaid month ends.
Total time: Under 30 minutes of setup, plus 5-7 days with OfficeHQ as a fallback
Sign up with no card. Jodie learns your services from your website, and you get a Jodie number to divert calls to.
Point your number's divert at Jodie instead of OfficeHQ. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone each use slightly different codes, and most changes take a minute.
Ring your business number from another phone and confirm Jodie answers and the call summary arrives. Repeat after hours to check the overnight divert.
Leave your OfficeHQ account open while Jodie takes real calls, ideally inside a month you have already paid for. Read each call summary, and switch the divert back if anything is missed.
If customers dial a number OfficeHQ assigned you, get written agreement to keep it first. Then email OfficeHQ to cancel, as its terms require, before your next billing month, because prepaid fees are not refunded.
Buyer's guides
This comparison is part of our independent buyer's guides ranking the whole field.
No card needed. Point your divert at Jodie and keep OfficeHQ as a fallback while you test.
First 7 days free, then pricing from A$99/month
