RingCentral AIR alternative
In Australia it costs A$62 a month for 100 minutes on top of RingEX, while Jodie is a flat A$99 ex GST with no minute cap.
Chloe from Brisbane
Jodie answering...
Lead texted to you
12 seconds after the call started
RingCentral AI Receptionist makes sense if you already run RingEX and take few calls. In Australia it is only sold as a RingEX add-on: A$62 a month covers 100 minutes, and each extra minute costs A$0.80. Jodie, the flat-rate alternative, is A$99 a month ex GST with unlimited minutes on the number you have.
Sources: RingCentral's Australian AI Receptionist pricing page, its RingEX plans page and its AI Receptionist FAQ, all checked 5 October 2026. RingEX is priced ex GST, while the AIR pricing page is silent on GST. Jodie's prices are ex GST, and unlimited minutes carry a fair-use limit of 1,000 calls a month.
Reported strengths and complaints, with the changes RingCentral has made since.
Strong out of the box
One user who recorded a two-part video walkthrough said he was really impressed with what it does straight away.
Its Australian pricing page lists website import, unlimited documents and unlimited agents.
Sounds natural
An independent tester who called its demo line in March 2026 found the natural language handling worked as described, apart from a few hiccups.
It supports Australian English, with eight voice options.
Talks over callers
One admin said it cut callers off mid-answer, for example while they spelled out an email address, and failed to end calls once they were done.
RingCentral's community manager pointed them to a support case, and no fix appeared in the thread.
Leads stuck in the portal
An admin said details the AI captured went to nobody, and support told them to look through the call log one call at a time.
RingCentral added lead email alerts in a July 2026 update.
Weak knowledge base
Users said it gave wrong answers from uploaded files and that the 500-character business description was too short.
The posts span March 2025 to April 2026, when one user called it still poor; test it on your own questions.
Upgrades for key features
An office manager said onboarding told them AI overflow after 20 seconds needed an upgraded service.
Check with RingCentral which plan covers your call flow before buying.
Paraphrased from public posts on RingCentral's community forum and one independent tester's published review, read on 5 October 2026. These are individual experiences, some from 2025, and RingCentral has released updates since.
Set your AI minutes a month to see AIR plus RingEX Essentials against Jodie Basic at A$99 ex GST. Under roughly 118 minutes, RingCentral is the cheaper option.
Cost calculator
Jodie Basic
A$99/mo
Flat. Unlimited.
Competitor: AIR add-on + RingEX Essentials (annual plan)
A$165/mo
A$85 base + A$80 overage
You'd save
A$66/month (A$792/year)
Figures from RingCentral's Australian AI Receptionist and RingEX pricing pages, checked 5 October 2026. AIR costs A$62 a month per account for 100 minutes, then A$0.80 a minute; RingEX Essentials is A$22.99 a user a month ex GST on an annual plan, or A$25.99 month to month. RingCentral bills call time in 30-second steps and does not price its extra minute bundles, so real bills may run higher. The AIR pricing page does not state GST, so A$62 is treated as ex GST here. If you already pay for RingEX, AIR on its own undercuts Jodie Basic below about 146 minutes. Jodie Basic answers and summarises calls; for bookings and transfers, Jodie Professional at A$199 becomes cheaper than AIR plus RingEX above about 243 minutes. Jodie's prices exclude GST, and unlimited minutes are subject to fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
All three are on RingCentral's own Australian pricing pages.
RingCentral only sells AI Receptionist in Australia as an add-on to RingEX, its phone system, so you pay for two products. Jodie answers calls forwarded from your current mobile or landline.
RingCentral's FAQ sells AIR 'as an add-on in the U.K. and Australia', with RingEX from A$22.99 a user a month.
After the first 100 minutes each month, AIR bills A$0.80 a minute and rounds every call up to the next 30 seconds. Jodie Basic stays at A$99 a month ex GST, busy month or quiet.
At 200 minutes, AIR plus RingEX Essentials comes to A$164.99 a month against A$99 for Jodie Basic.
RingCentral's Australian AIR pricing page has no free trial, so you talk to sales or buy outright. Jodie is free for 7 days with no card, on your real calls.
In Australia, RingCentral's free trial covers RingEX phone plans, limited to five users and 50 domestic minutes each.
The AIR price and its overage rate are public. The RingEX plan it depends on sits on another page, and no GST basis, AIR trial or contract term is shown.
| Jodie | RingCentral AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
AI receptionist price on the pricing page Jodie shows A$99, A$199 and A$399. RingCentral shows A$62 a month per account for 100 minutes. | ||
Extra-minute charges spelled out Jodie has no per-minute rate. RingCentral charges A$0.80 a minute in 30-second steps; its extra minute bundles carry no public price. | ||
Required phone plan priced on the AI receptionist page Jodie needs no phone plan. The RingEX plan AIR requires is priced on a separate page, from A$22.99 a user a month ex GST. | ||
Free trial of the AI receptionist Jodie: 7 days with no card. The Australian AIR pricing page has only Contact sales and Buy now. | ||
Contract term stated Jodie runs month to month. RingCentral's Australian AIR page gives no term or notice period for the add-on. | ||
GST basis stated for AIR Jodie quotes ex GST. RingEX is priced ex GST, but the AIR pricing page is silent. |
Trades and practices that live on the phone, where 100 minutes rarely lasts the month.
Burst pipes and blocked drains bring calls in waves, and AIR's 100 included minutes can disappear in one stormy week. Jodie picks up every call, and your monthly bill stays the same.
See Jodie for plumbersMost sparkies run the business from a mobile in the ute, not a desk phone system. Jodie works with that mobile number, so there is no RingEX plan to buy underneath.
See Jodie for electriciansSchool holidays bring a rush of parents ringing to book the kids in for check-ups. Jodie Professional puts each one straight into your calendar while the parent is still on the line.
See Jodie for dental clinicsSaturday open homes bring a rush of buyer enquiries and appraisal requests. Jodie takes every one for the same monthly fee, however many open homes you run.
See Jodie for real estate agentsRingCentral AI Receptionist costs A$62 a month per account in Australia for 100 minutes, then A$0.80 a minute in 30-second steps. It is only sold as an add-on, so you also pay for RingEX, from A$22.99 a user a month ex GST, billed annually. Jodie is A$99 a month ex GST with unlimited minutes.
Yes, if you are in Australia. RingCentral's own FAQ says AIR is sold standalone in the US and Canada but only as an add-on in the UK and Australia. Calls can be forwarded to it from any number, yet the account underneath still needs RingEX, from A$22.99 a user a month ex GST, billed annually.
RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) is an AI agent that answers business calls in a natural voice, answers questions from your website and documents, and routes callers by name or need. RingCentral launched it in February 2025 to replace press-1 menus. It reached Australia in October 2025, with support for Australian English.
RingCentral AI Receptionist is a reasonable fit if you already run RingEX: the voice sounds natural, it routes callers by name and, since July 2026, it can email new leads to your team. One admin on RingCentral's community forum said it talks over callers. Ask for a demo on your own call types first.
Not on the Australian AIR pricing page, which only offers Contact sales or Buy now. New RingEX subscribers can trial the phone system, limited to five users and 50 domestic call minutes each. Jodie is free for 7 days with no card, so you can try her on real calls first.
Virtual Receptionist is RingCentral's auto-attendant, a phone menu where callers press or say an option. AI Receptionist replaces the menu with a spoken conversation that answers questions and routes callers by name or need. Jodie holds a real conversation as well, for one flat monthly price with no minute cap.
Yes. Leave RingEX in place and point unanswered or after-hours calls at a user extension that forwards to your Jodie number, rather than at AIR. Run the two side by side for a week, then ask RingCentral to drop the AIR add-on before it renews.
The RingEX phone system stays where it is and only the AI changes. Your calls stay covered the whole time you test.
Total time: Under 1 hour of setup, plus 5-7 days running both
No card needed. Jodie learns your business from your website, and you get a Jodie number to forward calls to straight away.
In the RingCentral Admin Portal, route closed-hours calls to a user extension that forwards to your Jodie number rather than to AIR. AIR still handles daytime calls.
Read Jodie's call summaries next to AIR's transcripts for the same days. Once you are happy, move business-hours calls across the same way.
RingCentral's Australian pricing page gives no term for the add-on, so find the renewal date and notice period on your order form. Then ask your account rep to remove AIR.
Call your business number from your mobile, leave it unanswered and make sure Jodie answers. Your next RingCentral invoice should show no AIR charge or overage.
No card and no sales call. Forward your after-hours calls to Jodie and judge her summaries against AIR's.
First 7 days free, then pricing from A$99/month
