RingCentral AIR alternative
In Canada it starts at $69 a month for 100 minutes then 70 cents a minute, while Jodie is a flat C$99 with unlimited minutes.
Liam from Calgary
Jodie answering...
Lead texted to you
12 seconds after the call started
RingCentral AI Receptionist is worth it if you get few calls, need Canadian French or rely on Salesforce, HubSpot or Zoho. In Canada it costs $69 a month standalone for 100 minutes, then $0.70 a minute. Jodie, the flat-rate alternative, costs C$99 a month before tax with unlimited minutes.
RingCentral figures come from its Canadian AI Receptionist pricing page, checked 5 October 2026. RingCentral prints a bare dollar sign there without naming the currency. This page treats its prices as Canadian dollars, so if they are US dollars RingCentral costs more. Jodie's prices are in Canadian dollars before tax, and unlimited minutes are subject to fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
What users and one independent tester report, and what RingCentral has changed since.
Ready to go quickly
A user who filmed a two-part video walkthrough said he was really impressed with what it offers from the start.
Its Canadian pricing page lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho links alongside website import and unlimited agents.
Holds a natural conversation
An independent tester who rang its demo line in March 2026 said the natural language handling did what it promised, despite a few hiccups.
It speaks Canadian French as well as English, with eight voice options.
Interrupts callers
One admin said it spoke over callers mid-answer, for example while they gave an email address, and kept calls open after a booking.
RingCentral's community manager suggested opening a support case; the thread shows no fix.
Lead details hard to reach
An admin said the details it collected reached nobody, and support said to check the call log one call at a time.
An update on 27 July 2026 added email alerts for captured leads.
Wrong answers from documents
Users reported wrong answers drawn from uploaded files, and called the 500-character business description too short.
These posts run from March 2025 to April 2026, when one user said it was still poor; test it with your own questions.
Upgrades for some call flows
An office manager said onboarding told them AI overflow after 20 seconds needed an upgraded service.
Its Canadian pricing page lists queue overflow, so ask which plan includes it before you buy.
Paraphrased from public posts on RingCentral's community forum and an independent tester's published review, read 5 October 2026. Each reflects one person's experience, some from 2025, and RingCentral has shipped updates since.
Slide to your monthly AI minutes to compare AIR's standalone plan with Jodie Basic at C$99. Below about 143 minutes, RingCentral costs less.
Cost calculator
Jodie Basic
C$99/mo
Flat. Unlimited.
Competitor: AIR standalone
$139/mo
$69 base + $70 overage
You'd save
C$40/month (C$480/year)
RingCentral figures are from its Canadian AI Receptionist pricing page, checked 5 October 2026: the standalone plan is $69 a month with 100 minutes, then $0.70 a minute. The page prints a bare dollar sign without naming the currency; the calculator treats it as Canadian dollars, and if it means US dollars RingCentral costs more. RingCentral bills call time in 30-second steps and does not price its extra minute bundles, so real bills may run higher. Its AIR and RingEX bundle ($55 plus $40 a month) is never cheaper for AIR alone, so it is left out. Jodie Basic answers calls and sends summaries; booking and transfers are on Professional at C$199, which costs less than AIR above about 286 minutes. Jodie's prices are before tax, and unlimited minutes are subject to fair use of 1,000 calls a month.
Each point is on RingCentral's own Canadian pricing page.
AIR includes 100 minutes a month, then charges $0.70 a minute, rounded up to the next 30 seconds. Jodie Basic is C$99 a month however long your calls run.
At 200 minutes a month, AIR standalone costs $139, while Jodie Basic stays at C$99.
RingCentral's Canadian standalone plan offers Contact sales or Buy now, with a free trial only on the AIR and RingEX bundle. Jodie gives you 7 days free with no card.
That bundle adds a RingEX Core phone plan: $55 for AIR plus $40 for RingEX each month.
RingCentral's Canadian AIR page states no contract term and names no currency. Jodie is month to month, priced in Canadian dollars before tax.
All three Jodie plans are on one page in Canadian dollars: C$99, C$199 and C$399 a month before tax.
RingCentral publishes the AIR price and its overage rate, but not a standalone trial or the contract term.
| Jodie | RingCentral AI Receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
AI receptionist price on the pricing page Jodie lists C$99, C$199 and C$399. RingCentral shows $69 a month standalone, with 100 minutes. | ||
Extra-minute charges spelled out Jodie has none. RingCentral charges $0.70 a minute in 30-second steps, and sells extra minute bundles without a published price. | ||
Currency stated Jodie bills in Canadian dollars. RingCentral's Canadian page shows a bare dollar sign. | ||
Free trial of the standalone plan Jodie: 7 days, no card. RingCentral's standalone plan shows no free trial. | ||
Contract term stated Jodie is month to month. RingCentral's Canadian AIR page does not state the term or notice period. |
Phone-heavy trades and offices, where 100 included minutes are gone before month end.
One cold snap in Calgary or Edmonton brings a flood of frozen-pipe calls, and AIR's 100 included minutes can go in a day or two. Jodie answers them all for one flat price.
See Jodie for plumbersCalls about tripped breakers and dead outlets spike in winter as space heaters overload old circuits, and AIR bills every minute past the first 100. Jodie answers them all for a flat C$99 a month before tax.
See Jodie for electriciansRecall reminders send patients calling back all at once to book cleanings. Jodie Professional books each one into your calendar during the call.
See Jodie for dental officesShowing requests and home evaluation calls pile up at weekends. Jodie picks up every one at a flat price, so a busy open-house weekend adds nothing to the bill.
See Jodie for real estate agentsIn Canada, RingCentral AI Receptionist costs $69 a month on its own with 100 minutes, then $0.70 a minute in 30-second steps. RingCentral's Canadian page does not say which dollars it means. Jodie is C$99 a month before tax, flat, with unlimited minutes and no per-minute charge.
RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) is an AI agent that picks up business calls in a natural voice, in English, Canadian French and other languages. It answers questions from your website and documents, collects caller details and routes callers by name or need. RingCentral launched it in February 2025 to replace press-1 menus.
No, not in Canada. RingCentral sells AI Receptionist standalone from $69 a month for 100 minutes, and it works with any phone through call forwarding or SIP. A bundle with a RingEX Core phone plan is also offered, at $55 for AIR plus $40 for RingEX a month.
RingCentral AI Receptionist is a solid pick if you need Canadian French or Salesforce, HubSpot or Zoho links, and since July 2026 it can email new leads to your team. RingCentral's community forum has posts about it talking over callers and giving wrong answers from uploaded files. Test it on real calls first.
Only on the AIR and RingEX bundle in Canada, which pairs AI Receptionist with a RingEX Core phone plan. The standalone plan offers Contact sales or Buy now. Jodie gives you 7 days free with no card, so you can test her on your real calls first.
Virtual Receptionist is RingCentral's auto-attendant, a menu that asks callers to press or say an option. AI Receptionist talks with callers instead, answering their questions and sending them to the right person or number. Jodie also talks with callers, for one flat monthly price with no minute cap.
Yes. On RingEX, route unanswered or after-hours calls to a user extension that forwards to your Jodie number; if another line forwards to AIR, change that forward instead. Give both a week on real calls, then cancel AIR before it renews.
In Canada, AI Receptionist answers calls forwarded from RingEX or from another phone line. Either way, you only change where unanswered calls go.
Total time: Under 1 hour of setup, plus 5-7 days running both
No credit card needed. Point Jodie at your website to train her, and she gives you a number to forward calls to right away.
Change the call forward on your phone line, or in the RingCentral Admin Portal send closed-hours calls to a user extension that forwards to your Jodie number. AIR keeps covering the day.
Check Jodie's summaries against AIR's transcripts for the same week of calls. If Jodie handles them well, move daytime calls over the same way.
RingCentral does not publish the AI Receptionist term on its Canadian pricing page, so check your order form for the renewal date and notice period before you cancel.
Call your business line from your cell, let it ring out and confirm Jodie answers. Your next RingCentral invoice should carry no AI Receptionist charge or overage.
No credit card and no sales demo. Forward your after-hours calls to Jodie and see how she compares with AIR.
First 7 days free, then pricing from C$99/month
