Allo vs Upfirst
An honest comparison of Allo and Upfirst for AI phone answering. Find out which service fits your business best.
Quick Overview
Allo is ai phone system for small teams at 14€/user/month with unlimited calling. Upfirst is ai answering service and virtual receptionist for small businesses. Both serve the AI phone answering space, but they differ in pricing, features, and target audience.
Allo vs Upfirst: At a Glance
Allo
AI-First
Best for: Small teams and entrepreneurs needing a complete AI-powered business phone system with unlimited calling
Upfirst
AI-First
Best for: Small businesses, solopreneurs, and service professionals needing budget-friendly 24/7 call coverage
Allo vs Upfirst: Feature Comparison
See how these two services compare on key features.
| Feature | Allo | Upfirst |
|---|---|---|
| AI Call Handling | Yes | Yes |
| Appointment Booking | Yes | Yes |
| Lead Capture | Yes | Yes |
| Call Recording | Yes | Yes |
| Call Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Voicemail | Yes | Unknown |
| SMS Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Bilingual Support | No | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliance | No | No |
| CRM Integration | Yes | Unknown |
| Zapier Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated Phone Number | Yes | Yes |
| Custom AI Training | Yes | Unknown |
| Custom Greetings | Yes | Unknown |
| Spam Filtering | Unknown | Yes |
| Quick Setup | Yes | Yes |
Pricing Comparison
How Allo and Upfirst compare on cost.
Allo Pricing
Per-user monthly pricing with all features included
14€/user/month (Business plan, ~$15 USD)
Business: 14€/user/mo
All features included: AI Receptionist, AI call summaries, unlimited national calls, call recording, voicemail transcription, international calls to 90+ countries, business SMS, shared numbers, CRM integrations, 7-day free trial
Starter: 108€/year
Limited feature set — no AI Receptionist, no AI call summaries, no AI call tags; designed as a basic phone line
Pricing is in euros. 10DLC registration (required for US SMS/calling) costs an additional 24€. Extra phone numbers cost 5€ each. The Starter plan does not include the AI Receptionist feature. All pricing is per user.
Upfirst Pricing
Per-call pricing with monthly tiers
$24.95/month (Starter)
Starter: $24.95/mo
30 calls included, $1.50 per additional call, all features included
Premium: $59.95/mo
90 calls included, $1.00 per additional call, all features included
Pro: $159.95/mo
300 calls included, $0.75 per additional call, all features included
Scale: $299/mo
600 calls included, $0.70 per additional call, all features included
Annual billing saves 20% (Starter: $20/mo, Premium: $48/mo, Pro: $128/mo, Scale: $240/mo). Per-call pricing — you pay the same whether a call is 30 seconds or 10 minutes. Spam calls, calls under 15 seconds, and pocket dials are not counted. 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Allo
Strengths
- Complete AI business phone system — calling, SMS, AI receptionist, and CRM all in one platform
- Competitive pricing at 14€/user/month (~$15 USD) with all features included
- Unlimited national calling minutes included
- International calling to 90+ countries included at no extra cost
- Native CRM integrations with HubSpot and QuickBooks
Weaknesses
- Per-user pricing — costs scale with team size (a 5-person team pays 70€/month)
- AI Receptionist not available on the Starter plan — requires the Business plan
- No HIPAA compliance advertised — not suitable for healthcare businesses
- Only supports English and French — no Spanish support
- Primarily a phone system, not a dedicated AI answering service — may be more than needed if you only want call answering
Upfirst
Strengths
- Low starting price at $24.95/month — one of the cheapest AI answering services
- Most features included on every plan — minimal upselling or tier-gating
- 35+ language support on all plans
- Per-call pricing means longer calls don't cost more
- Spam calls, pocket dials, and calls under 15 seconds are not billed
Weaknesses
- Only 30 calls included on the $24.95/mo Starter plan — businesses with moderate call volume will quickly exceed this
- Per-call pricing can be expensive for short calls — a 30-second call costs the same as a 10-minute call
- Overage costs add up quickly at $1.50 per additional call on Starter
- No HIPAA compliance — not suitable for healthcare or regulated industries
- Basic integrations compared to more robust platforms
Looking for a Better Option? Try Dialzara
While Allo and Upfirst each have their strengths, Dialzara offers a purpose-built AI answering service starting at just $29/month with features that both services charge more for — including bilingual English/Spanish support, appointment booking, call transfers, HIPAA compliance, and Zapier integration on every plan.
Flat pricing with 60 minutes included. No per-user charges.
Enter your website URL and your AI agent is ready to go.
Healthcare-ready on all plans, starting at $29/month.
Allo vs Upfirst: FAQ
Common questions about the differences between Allo and Upfirst.