Lightspire vs a human receptionist
Lightspire or a receptionist?
A good receptionist is hard to beat, and hard to afford for a small business whose phone rings while everyone is busy. Here's how an AI voice agent compares, and when a person is still the better choice.
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All comparisonsSide by side
| What | Lightspire | Human receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lightspire: A$49, A$129 or A$299 a month (GST included), with 100, 300 or 800 minutes of talking time. Top-ups when you need more. Enterprise, with custom integrations for groups and franchises: talk to us. | Human receptionist: A wage plus super and leave, and a desk to sit at, whether the phone rings or not. |
| When calls are answered | Lightspire: Whenever a call reaches it, nights and weekends included. Your opening hours decide which times it books. | Human receptionist: During their working hours. Breaks, sick days and holidays need cover. |
| Bookings | Lightspire: Into Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly, within your opening hours and booking rules. | Human receptionist: Into whatever system you use, and they can make exceptions. |
| Judgement | Lightspire: Answers from what you've taught it: your services, prices, hours and common questions. Puts callers through to a person when they ask. | Human receptionist: Reads the situation, calms an upset customer and uses judgement nobody wrote down. |
| Records | Lightspire: A recording, transcript and summary of every call, in your dashboard. | Human receptionist: Notes, as good as the person taking them. |
| Everything else | Lightspire: Only the phone. | Human receptionist: Greets walk-ins, does admin and a hundred other jobs. |
Last checked 16 October 2026. The human receptionist column describes the kind of service in general, not any one provider; prices and features vary, so check with the provider. Lightspire's prices include GST.
Which suits you?
Lightspire is the better fit when
- Calls come in while you're with a client or on the tools.
- You can't justify a full-time person for the phone alone.
- You want calls answered after hours and on weekends.
A human receptionist is the better fit when
- Customers walk in and need someone at the front desk.
- Most calls need judgement, negotiation or a personal touch.
- There's enough other work to keep a person busy between calls.
Many businesses use both: their receptionist answers during the day, and Lightspire takes the overflow, lunch breaks and after-hours calls, putting callers through to the desk when someone asks for a person.
Stop losing the calls you can't take
Get a free demo made for your business, then try it on your own calls for 14 days, no card needed, and nothing is charged when it ends. Or sign up, hear your agent and choose a plan from A$49 a month, and cancel from your billing page any time.