Aircall is a cloud phone system for sales, support, and service teams. You do not need old-style phone lines or big office equipment. You use it through the internet, on a computer or a mobile phone.
What makes it stand out today is its AI tools. Aircall can now answer calls on its own, reply to text messages, and help your team during live calls. It can also review calls after they end. So it is no longer just a place to make and take calls. It also helps you handle those calls better.
In this article, we will look at the main features, the pricing, the good and bad sides, and who should (and should not) use Aircall.
Main Features of Aircall
AI Voice Agent
The AI Voice Agent picks up incoming calls and answers using your company’s knowledge base. It can handle simple questions, collect the caller’s details, and check if a person could become a customer. It can also book appointments.
If the caller needs a real person, the AI transfers the call. The best part is that the person who takes over gets the call details, so the customer does not need to explain everything again.
Outbound AI Calls
The AI can also make calls. Teams use this for appointment reminders, billing follow-ups, customer surveys, and first contact with new leads. Your other software can trigger a call through a webhook. You also set the rules for when the AI should finish the call and when it should hand it to a human.
AI Messaging Agents
Many people prefer to text instead of call. Aircall’s messaging agents work on SMS and WhatsApp through your existing Aircall numbers. They can answer questions, book or change meetings, look up orders, create support tickets, and update records in your other tools. If a chat gets too hard, it goes to your staff with the full history.
AI Assist
AI Assist is for calls handled by your own team. After each call, it gives you a transcript, a short summary, the main topics, the mood of the customer, and a list of action items. It also shows talk ratios, so you can see who talked more, the agent or the customer.
Automated call scoring is another useful part. A manager cannot listen to every call. Scoring helps them check many more calls without spending hours on recordings.
AI Assist Pro
AI Assist Pro is built for teams that want help during the call, not after it. It gives live transcription, real-time prompts, sales and support playbooks, suggested questions, and customer details on screen. You can also set your own scoring rules.
Integrations
Aircall works with more than 250 apps. Some popular ones are Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Pipedrive, Intercom, and Slack. Calls, recordings, summaries, and results can be added to the right contact or ticket. This saves your team from typing the same notes again and again.
Regular Phone Features
Aircall also covers the basics of a business phone system:
- Local and toll-free numbers
- Call routing, IVR menus, and queues
- Call recording and voicemail
- SMS and analytics
- Desktop and mobile apps
- API and webhooks for developers
- AI voice support in many languages
Aircall Pricing
Aircall charges per license, and each license is basically one seat for one agent. Prices change from time to time, so always check the official Aircall website before you buy. Here is what we found at the time of writing.
| Plan | Billed Annually | Billed Monthly | Minimum Licenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $30 per license/month | $40 per license/month | 3 |
| Professional | $50 per license/month | $70 per license/month | 3 |
| Custom | Quote-based | Quote-based | 25 |
Essentials and Professional need at least 3 licenses, and Custom needs at least 25. Aircall offers a seven-day free trial for Essentials and Professional.
Add-ons and extra costs:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Aircall AI | $9 per license/month |
| Analytics+ | $15 per license/month |
| AI Assist Pro | $49 per license/month |
| Extra phone number | $6 per number/month |
Every plan includes just one phone number, and each extra number costs $6 per month. AI Assist features come included on the Professional and Custom plans. AI Messaging Agents are priced per conversation, and Aircall does not publish that rate. If you want to use AI messaging, you will need to ask the sales team for a price.
The simple lesson: the starting price looks fair, but the final bill can grow quickly once you add AI tools, extra numbers, and analytics.
Privacy and Call Data
Many people worry about what happens to their call data. Aircall says customer recordings and transcripts are not shared with outside companies to train AI models. Transcripts used for AI work are processed through Microsoft’s OpenAI service and deleted after they are sent back to Aircall.
Some points to know:
- Call recordings can be stored in Europe or the United States.
- Transcripts and AI insights are stored in the United States for now.
- If your business has strict rules about where data must stay, confirm the options before you pay.
- Laws on recording and AI calls are different in every country. Your business is responsible for telling callers and getting consent where the law asks for it.
Pros and Cons of Aircall
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| AI answers, qualifies, books, and transfers callers | Needs several licenses, so it is costly for solo owners |
| Summaries, topics, sentiment, and call scoring | Some AI features need a higher plan or extra fees |
| Live prompts and playbooks during calls | Some reviewers report call drops, echo, or audio delay |
| Connects with CRM and help desk tools | Routing and handoff rules need careful setup |
| AI works on calls, SMS, and WhatsApp | AI insights are stored in the US only |
User reviews on G2 and Capterra often praise the clean design, the CRM links, the call records, and the reports. On the other side, some users talk about call quality problems, slow support, routing setup trouble, and extra costs for features.
Who Should Use Aircall?
Aircall makes the most sense for sales and support teams that need both phone service and AI in one place. If you have a few agents, use a CRM, and want to save time on notes and call reviews, it is a good fit.
It is not the best choice for everyone. A solo business owner who only wants an AI receptionist for after-hours calls may find it too much, because of the multi-seat rule and the plan costs. A simple AI answering service can be easier to justify there.
Before you move all your customer lines, run a small test. Check how routing works, how the mobile app performs, whether your numbers can be ported, and how the audio sounds on your own internet.
Final Thoughts
Aircall is a strong phone platform for teams that want AI help at every step. The AI Voice Agent, messaging agents, call scoring, and live coaching can save time and help managers see what is really happening on calls. The integrations with CRM and help desk tools are also a big plus.
The weak points are the cost, the three-license minimum, and the extra fees for advanced AI. Call quality also seems to vary from user to user. Our advice is to start with the free trial, test it with real calls, and check the latest prices on the official site before you decide.
Alternatives to Aircall
Smith.ai: Mixes AI call handling with human receptionists in North America. It is good for intake, booking, call transfers, and sensitive talks.
Jobber AI Receptionist: Answers calls and texts inside a field service platform. It also handles customer records, scheduling, estimates, invoices, and jobs.
LucroVox: A focused AI receptionist for local service businesses. It handles lead qualification, appointment booking, CRM updates, and after-hours coverage.
Simple Phones: Gives you configurable AI phone agents. They answer calls, collect information, take messages, and route enquiries.
CloudTalk: A cloud call center tool with call routing, CRM links, and analytics. It is often compared with Aircall on price.
Ringover: A business phone system with call recording, integrations, and team tools. It is another popular choice for teams that want a lower starting price.
