Sophiie is an Australian AI call answering product built for trades. It answers calls around the clock, books jobs, drafts quotes and chases invoices. It connects to ServiceM8 and simPRO, which matters a lot if your whole business runs through one of them.

Owners start looking for Sophiie alternatives for a few common reasons. The price is not on the website. Third parties report a setup fee on top of the monthly bill. Contract length is not published. Or the business is not a classic trade, and callers ask detailed questions about products, parts and specs rather than “can someone come out Tuesday”.

This page covers six alternatives with published AU pricing where it exists, as of September 2026. We build Help Genie, so weigh our entry accordingly. We list it first and say plainly where it loses.

If you want the cost detail first, read what Sophiie costs. If you want a fair look at the product itself, read our Sophiie review.

What Sophiie actually offers

Sophiie was founded on the Gold Coast in August 2024. Its site says it has 1,600+ customers across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US, and that it has handled 750,000+ calls. It shows a 4.8 out of 5 Google rating on its homepage (Sophiie, about page).

What it does: Answers calls 24/7, qualifies the enquiry, books jobs, creates job cards, sends quotes and invoices, and follows up. It also handles SMS, email and web chat.

Integrations: ServiceM8 and simPRO for job management, Google Calendar and Outlook, Xero and QuickBooks, Zapier and webhooks (Sophiie integrations).

Pricing: Not published. The pricing address on sophiie.ai shows a demo booking form and no figures. ServiceScale reports around A$300 a month plus a A$400 setup fee. Hey Jodie’s comparison page reports around A$800 setup, often discounted to A$400 through partner offers. Neither figure is confirmed by Sophiie.

Contract: Not published. Hey Jodie notes the contract length and notice period are not disclosed, and Aussie AI Agency says the setup fee is typically not refundable. Both are competitors, so ask Sophiie directly.

Where Sophiie is strong: It is built for trades end to end. Calls become job cards in the tools tradies already use. It is Australian-built and markets Australian accent and trade terminology support. For a plumber on ServiceM8, that fit is hard to beat.

Where it is weaker: You cannot budget without a sales call. The setup fee is a sunk cost if it does not work out. ServiceScale’s review notes callers may notice they are talking to AI and complex enquiries still need a human follow-up.

The six best Sophiie alternatives

1. Help Genie (our product)

Help Genie builds one genie trained on your own website, manuals, FAQs, price lists and SOPs. It answers customers by voice and chat on your phone line, website, email and QR codes. It is a first layer of support and hands everything else to your team with context.

Best for: Trades and service businesses whose callers ask product and technical questions. Think appliance repairers, solar and battery installers, pool and spa suppliers, equipment hire and anyone who services what they sell.

Honest trade-off: Help Genie does not book jobs into ServiceM8, simPRO or a calendar out of the box, and it does not send SMS. Deeper job-management write-back is scoped per deal. If booking straight into ServiceM8 is the whole point, Sophiie or Johnni fit better.

Pricing: Free plan to build and test. Pro is $299 a month and includes the phone number, phone, chat, web, QR and email from one knowledge base. The price is flat, with no per-call or per-minute meter. Numbers are the same in NZD, AUD and USD (Help Genie pricing).

Wins over Sophiie: Published pricing. A free plan you can build on from your website in under an hour. Answers from your manuals and spec sheets, not a script. 40+ languages. Ring the demo line on +64 9 886 4856 or hear it work.

Where it falls short: It is voice AI, not a human. No native job booking, quoting or invoicing, which Sophiie does.

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2. Hey Jodie

Hey Jodie is AI phone answering with a clear AU price list and unlimited minutes on every plan.

Best for: Sole traders and small teams who want a known monthly bill and no setup fee.

Honest trade-off: The A$99 Basic plan leaves out appointment booking, call transfers and integrations. You need Professional for those. Integrations run through Zapier, and ServiceM8 is not named on the pricing page.

Pricing: Basic A$99, Professional A$199, Premium A$399 a month, Enterprise from A$1,000. Two months free on annual billing. Prices exclude GST. No setup fee, 7-day free trial, month-to-month (Hey Jodie pricing).

Wins over Sophiie: Published price, no setup fee, cancel any time. A Professional plan at A$199 costs less per month than the A$300 third parties report for Sophiie.

Where it falls short: Less trade-specific workflow. No quoting or invoicing. More on this at Hey Jodie alternatives and Hey Jodie pricing.

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3. Johnni

Johnni is Australian AI call answering for trades that books straight into ServiceM8, Simpro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho or Google Calendar (Johnni).

Best for: Trades on ServiceM8 or Simpro who want Sophiie-style job booking with a published price.

Honest trade-off: Plans are minute-metered. Long calls use the pool faster and overage applies.

Pricing: Pay As You Go A$44, Solo A$134, Starter A$269, Growth A$809 a month, all plus GST. Included minutes run from 60 to 1,500, with overage from A$0.50 down to A$0.35 a minute. SMS is a A$50 a month add-on. No setup fee, 7-day free trial, month-to-month (Johnni pricing).

Wins over Sophiie: The closest like-for-like on job-management integrations, with published prices and no lock-in.

Where it falls short: Minute caps. A busy storm week can blow out the bill. See Johnni alternatives.

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4. OfficeHQ (the ReceptionHQ group in Australia)

OfficeHQ is a live answering service. Real people answer under your business name. Its site lists ReceptionHQ as the sister brand in New Zealand, the UK and the US (OfficeHQ).

Best for: Businesses that want a human voice on every call, especially for upset or complex callers.

Honest trade-off: Standard cover is 8am to 6pm weekdays unless you add after-hours. Most calls are answered in Australia, with overflow to offices in NZ, the UK and the US.

Pricing: MessageExpress from A$25, MyReceptionist from A$33, MyAssistant and MyDiary from A$49 a month, plus GST, with usage and add-ons on top. MyReceptionist 15 is A$39 for 15 calls. Month-to-month, no cancellation fees, 7-day free trial (OfficeHQ pricing).

Wins over Sophiie: Humans. Low entry price. No lock-in.

Where it falls short: Costs rise with every call. A human cannot answer detailed product questions unless you script them. See ReceptionHQ alternatives.

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5. OracleCMS

OracleCMS is an Australian call centre offering live answering 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays (OracleCMS).

Best for: Larger trade and service businesses that need round-the-clock human cover and scripted call handling.

Honest trade-off: Like Sophiie, it does not publish a price. There is a setup charge plus usage charged on the minutes spent handling your calls. Quotes are case by case.

Pricing: Not published. Setup fee plus per-minute usage, quoted per business.

Wins over Sophiie: Human operators around the clock for emergencies and sensitive calls.

Where it falls short: Opaque pricing, per-minute usage, and no job booking into your trade software unless scripted.

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6. Smith.ai and Goodcall (US options)

Two well-known US products come up in most roundups. Both price in US dollars and neither documents Australian numbers on its pricing page.

Best for: Businesses with US operations or a US number.

Honest trade-off: Currency risk, US-centric setup, and support in US hours.

Pricing: Smith.ai’s AI plan has a Free tier with 25 calls, Pro from US$150 a month, and Enterprise from US$500, billed per call, month-to-month with 30 days notice (Smith.ai). Goodcall runs from US$79 to US$249 a month per agent, capped by unique customers, with US$0.50 per extra customer (Goodcall).

Wins over Sophiie: Published pricing and mature products. Smith.ai adds human escalation.

Where it falls short: Not built for Australian trades. See Smith.ai alternatives for NZ and AU and Goodcall alternatives.

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Side-by-side comparison

Option	Monthly price (as of Sep 2026)	Setup fee	Contract	Billing model	Job booking into trade software
Sophiie	Not published, reported around A$300	Reported A$400 to A$800	Not published	Not published	Yes, ServiceM8 and simPRO
Help Genie	Free plan, Pro $299	Build free first	Monthly	Flat, no meter	No, scoped per deal
Hey Jodie	A$99 to A$399 plus GST	None	Month-to-month	Flat, unlimited minutes	Via Zapier on Professional and up
Johnni	A$44 to A$809 plus GST	None	Month-to-month	Minute pools plus overage	Yes, ServiceM8 and Simpro
OfficeHQ	From A$25 plus GST plus usage	Not stated	Month-to-month	Per call or per minute	Scripted by people
OracleCMS	Not published	Yes	Quoted	Per minute	Scripted by people
Smith.ai	Free, then from US$150	Not stated	Month-to-month	Per call	Via integrations, US focus

Best alternative by scenario

You run ServiceM8 or Simpro and want calls booked as jobs. Johnni is the closest match with published prices. Sophiie is worth the demo if you also want quoting and invoicing in one place.

You want the lowest known monthly bill with no setup fee. Hey Jodie Basic at A$99 plus GST, if you can live without booking and transfers.

Your callers ask about products, parts, models and specs. Help Genie. Send us your manual and the genie answers from it. See how that works for trades and appliances.

You need a human on every call. OfficeHQ for small volumes, OracleCMS for 24/7 scripted cover.

You want to test before you talk to sales. Help Genie’s free plan, Hey Jodie’s and Johnni’s 7-day trials. Sophiie is demo first.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a cheaper alternative to Sophiie? On published prices, yes. Hey Jodie starts at A$99 and Johnni at A$44, both plus GST with no setup fee. Whether they are cheaper for you depends on the features you need. Our Sophiie pricing guide walks through first-year cost.

Which Sophiie alternative books jobs into ServiceM8? Johnni names ServiceM8 and Simpro on its homepage. Hey Jodie connects through Zapier. Help Genie does not book into ServiceM8 natively.

Can Help Genie replace Sophiie? For answering product and service questions and capturing leads to email, often yes. For booking jobs, sending quotes and chasing invoices, no. Run both side by side on a spare number before you switch. The ROI calculator helps size what missed calls cost you.

Do these prices include GST? Hey Jodie, Johnni and OfficeHQ list prices excluding GST. Sophiie does not publish prices, so ask whether any quote includes GST.

Is there a free way to test first? Help Genie has a free plan with no credit card. Hey Jodie and Johnni offer 7-day trials. OfficeHQ offers a 7-day trial on MyReceptionist.

The bottom line

Sophiie is a serious product for Australian trades, and its ServiceM8 and simPRO fit is a real advantage. The catch is budgeting blind until the demo, plus a setup fee third parties put at A$400 to A$800.

If you want trade job booking with a price list, look at Johnni. If you want the simplest known bill, look at Hey Jodie. If you want a human voice, look at OfficeHQ or OracleCMS. If your callers ask questions your manuals already answer, try Help Genie. Compare more options on /compare or see how it works.

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