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Comparison·October 9, 2026·5 min read

Aira Alternative: HireJosie vs Aira

Aira is a low-priced AI receptionist that bills per call. HireJosie bills per minute and has a free plan with a live number. Which one costs less depends almost entirely on how long your calls run, so that's where this comparison spends most of its time. Aira's numbers come from its public pricing page.

Aira bills per call

Aira lists four plans. Starter is $24.95/month for 30 calls, with extra calls at $1.50 each. Premium is $59.95 for 90 calls at $1.00 over. Pro is $159.95 for 300 calls at $0.75, and Scale is $299 for 600 calls at $0.70. There's no free plan on the pricing page.

Aira's own pitch is that nothing runs away on you: a 10-minute call and a 30-second call each count as one. Appointment booking and call transfer come with every plan, and Google Calendar is among the listed integrations.

HireJosie bills per minute

Free gets you a dedicated number, 15 AI minutes a month and every feature, no credit card. Pro is $29/month for 200 minutes, then $0.25 per extra minute, no contract. At an average of 3 minutes a call, that's roughly 165 calls.

Quick comparison

AiraHireJosie
Entry price$24.95/month (30 calls)Free, then $29/month
Free planNot listed on pricing pageYes: live number, 15 AI minutes/month
MeteringPer callPer minute
Mid-tier price$59.95/month (90 calls)$29/month (200 minutes)
Overage$1.00 to $1.50 per call on Starter and Premium$0.25/minute
Appointment bookingIncluded on all plansReal-time, into Google Calendar, on every plan
Call transferIncluded on all plansYes, warm transfers
Post-call SMS to callersNot listed on pricing pageYes, on every plan

How call length changes the price

Take a business with 30 short calls a month, about a minute each. That's 30 minutes of talk time. Aira's Starter at $24.95 is cheaper than HireJosie Pro at $29, unless the 15 free minutes are enough for you. Now stretch those same 30 calls to 10 minutes each. On Aira the bill doesn't move, and it's now a very good deal. On HireJosie it's 300 minutes, which still fits inside Pro but costs more than Aira.

Flip it for volume. 90 calls at 3 minutes each is 270 minutes: $59.95 on Aira Premium, $29 on HireJosie Pro. The gap widens from there, since Aira charges $1.00 for every call past 90 while HireJosie keeps absorbing short calls until you reach 500 minutes. So long, infrequent calls favor Aira, and short, frequent ones favor HireJosie. If you don't know which describes you, the free plan will tell you within a week or two.

Aira also publishes a list of 31 languages, which matters if you serve callers who don't speak English. HireJosie is the one to pick if you want a free plan with a real number, or a text confirmation sent to every caller afterward.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Aira cost per month?

Aira's published plans are Starter at $24.95/month (30 calls), Premium at $59.95/month (90 calls), Pro at $159.95/month (300 calls) and Scale at $299/month (600 calls). Extra calls are billed per call.

Does Aira have a free plan?

Aira's pricing page doesn't list a free plan. HireJosie has a free plan with 15 AI minutes a month and a dedicated phone number.

Is HireJosie cheaper than Aira?

It depends on call length and volume. HireJosie starts at $0, and Pro is $29/month for 200 minutes. Aira starts at $24.95 for 30 calls. For many short calls, minute-based pricing costs less, and for a few very long calls, per-call pricing can.

Try HireJosie free for 7 days

200 AI minutes a month, a dedicated phone number and real-time appointment booking. Cancel anytime before day 7 and you pay nothing.

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