Allo phone system alternatives and pricing
The short answer
Allo, the business phone system at withallo.com, costs $45 a seat a month billed monthly, or $32 billed yearly, on its Business plan for teams of 2 or more. Its software receptionist adds $32 a month per agent. No contract and a 3-day trial. Alternatives include Grasshopper for a single number, Podium for texting and reviews, and Rosie, Upfirst or CoveDesk for answering alone.
This is Allo, the business phone system at withallo.com, not a minimalist phone or a phone company’s plan. Teams hire it to share one set of calls, texts and transcripts and sync them to a CRM. It also sells a software receptionist at a public price, so the question is mostly what you’d pay in seats to get there.
Updated November 3, 2026. CoveDesk is one of the services on this page; other companies’ prices and features are from their own websites, linked below.
Allo alternatives, by what you need
- Grasshopper: A same-kind phone service with one-person and unlimited-user plans you can buy today, if you don’t need a shared CRM view. From $14/month, billed annually at $168: 1 user, as published.
- Podium: Phones plus review requests and bulk texting, which Allo’s pages don’t mention, at a much larger commitment. From $399/month: 250 bulk message credits, as published.
- CoveDesk (that’s us): if you want calls picked up, missed callers texted, and your Google profile and website looked after, all set up and run for you. Not live receptionists. Front Desk is $249/mo with 250 minutes. Free 14-day pilot.
- Rosie: Software answering without the phone system, on minute-based plans, if your team’s phones are fine as they are. From $49/month: 250 minutes, as published.
- Upfirst: Answers forwarded calls and books appointments per call, with no seats to pay for, if the receptionist is all you wanted from Allo. From $24.95/month: 30 calls, as published.
- Smith.ai: Software, live agents or a mix on one service, if some callers need a person and you don’t want to run the rules yourself. From $0/month: 25 calls answered by software, as published.
Allo pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Extra use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo (coming soon) | $15/seat/month | One person, one number, unlimited national calls | Not listed |
| Business | $45/seat/month | 2 to 250 people, one number per seat, CRM sync, shared inbox, US texts out, missed-call texts | Texts outside the US from $5 monthly credit per seat, then by destination |
| Ultra | $120/seat/month | Parallel dialer, more software agents, dedicated account manager | Not listed |
| Software receptionist (add-on) | $32/month per agent, billed yearly | 24/7 answering, calendar booking, text follow-up, CRM sync | No minute limit mentioned |
Seat prices above are for monthly billing. Billed yearly, they’re $10 for Solo, $32 for Business and $100 for Ultra. The receptionist is listed only at $32 billed yearly; its FAQ also says it costs the same as a Business seat and follows your billing, which would suggest $45 on monthly billing, so ask. Allo says add-on pricing is early and can still change. An $18 per-user figure you may see elsewhere isn’t on its pricing page.
Allo vs CoveDesk
| What to compare | Allo | CoveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Your team, on its app. A paid software receptionist answers 24/7 if you add it. Source: Allo, who answers (opens in a new tab) | A trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, in your business’s name, day or night. Not live receptionists. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call. |
| Published price | Business is $45 a seat a month billed monthly, or $32 billed yearly. Receptionist add-on $32 a month per agent, billed yearly. Source: Allo, published price (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk: $249/mo with 250 minutes. Text-Back alone: $99/mo. |
| How use is counted | Per seat and per agent. No minute limit or call-counting rule mentioned for the receptionist. Source: Allo, how use is counted (opens in a new tab) | By the minute. Seconds are added up over the month and rounded once, not per call. Extra minutes $0.35 each. Alerts at 80% and 100% of your minutes. |
| Setup fee | None. US and Canada texting needs a one-time $24 registration. Source: Allo, setup fee (opens in a new tab) | None. |
| Contract | No contract. Change plans or cancel any time, and seat changes are prorated. Source: Allo, contract (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk is month to month. See pricing for other plans. |
| Free trial | 3 days. Source: Allo, free trial (opens in a new tab) | Free 14-day pilot. We set it up, it’s live within 48 hours, and you can start with just your after-hours calls. |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated on the pages we read. Annual subscriptions are non-refundable, with special cases considered within 7 days. Source: Allo, money-back guarantee (opens in a new tab) | 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t working for you, tell us within 30 days of your first plan payment and we’ll end the plan and refund your first month’s plan fee. |
| Who sets it up | You. It’s described as live in about 10 minutes on your existing number. Source: Allo, who sets it up (opens in a new tab) | Our team sets it up, writes your script and runs it. |
| Urgent calls | Routes hot leads or set requests to a team member by rules you write. Its home-services page sends urgent and after-hours calls to your on-call tech or line. Source: Allo, urgent calls (opens in a new tab) | Urgent calls are put straight through to you. No on-call rotation yet. |
| Booking | Reads your calendar and books open slots during the call. Google Calendar is the example given. Source: Allo, booking (opens in a new tab) | Takes the details and sends them to you to call back. No calendar booking yet. |
| Job software and CRMs | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, Folk and Odoo, plus Zapier and Make. Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro aren’t named. Source: Allo, job software and crms (opens in a new tab) | None yet. Details arrive by text and in your CoveDesk account. |
| Spanish | Yes. The receptionist speaks English, French and Spanish, and missed-call replies can be set by number. Source: Allo, spanish (opens in a new tab) | Not yet. |
| Text back after a missed call | Included in Business, with no per-text fee after the $24 registration. Source: Allo, text back after a missed call (opens in a new tab) | Yes, included in Front Desk or on its own with Text-Back. |
| Review requests | Not found on the pages we read. Source: Allo, review requests (opens in a new tab) | Done for you with Google Business Profile Management, $149/mo. |
| Google profile care | Not found on the pages we read. Source: Allo, google profile care (opens in a new tab) | Done for you, $149/mo, or included in Front Office. |
| Website | Not found on the pages we read. Source: Allo, website (opens in a new tab) | Built and looked after for you, or included in Front Office. See pricing. |
Stay with Allo if
- You want phones and answering from one company. Your team takes calls on the app, and the receptionist covers the rest. CoveDesk isn’t a phone system.
- You get Spanish or French callers. The receptionist speaks both, and English. CoveDesk has no Spanish yet.
- The appointment should land on the calendar. It reads open slots and books during the call. CoveDesk takes details for a callback.
- You live in a CRM. Calls sync to HubSpot, Salesforce and others. CoveDesk has no such connection yet.
- Someone on call takes the emergencies. Its home-services page routes urgent calls to your on-call tech or line. CoveDesk sends them to the owner, with no on-call rotation yet.
What does Allo cost for a two-person team that wants calls answered?
Two Business seats and one receptionist, worked from its pricing page:
- Billed yearly. 2 × $32 + $32 = $96 a month, which is $1,152 a year and non-refundable once paid.
- Billed monthly. 2 × $45 = $90, plus the receptionist at $32 or $45 depending on how its two statements are read, so $122 to $135 a month.
- One-time. $24 to register for texting in the US and Canada.
- Worth asking. Whether one person can buy Business while Solo is coming soon, since a hard minimum isn’t stated, and whether heavy call months cost more, since no minute limit is mentioned either way.
Why owners look past Allo
- Seats come first. The receptionist is an add-on to a paid plan, so you pay for phone seats even if your only goal is getting calls answered.
- There’s no one-person plan you can buy yet. Solo is marked coming soon, and Business is described as from 2 people.
- Yearly money is gone once paid. Its help article calls annual subscriptions non-refundable, and most headline prices are the yearly ones.
- You set it up. It’s built to go live quickly on your own, which is fine if you’ll write and test the rules yourself.
- Job software isn’t named. Its CRM list is HubSpot, Salesforce and similar, without Jobber, ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro.
Where CoveDesk is different
- Bought without seats. You pay for the answering, not for a phone system around it.
- Run by a team. Our people set it up and run it, instead of you writing rules in an app. There’s no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Beyond the phone. We can look after your Google profile and website at extra cost. Allo’s pages don’t mention either.
- What you give up. No phone app for your staff, no booking or CRM sync, no Spanish yet, and Front Desk counts minutes where Allo’s page mentions no limit. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call.
Switching from Allo
- Cancel in the billing section of its web app, or through Apple or Google if you subscribed there. Deleting the app doesn’t cancel anything. Source: Allo’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Subscriptions renew automatically for the same length as the original term. Source: Allo’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- After you cancel, a monthly plan runs to the end of its period and a yearly plan to the end of its year, with no refund on annual plans except special cases raised within 7 days. Source: Allo’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Moving your number out is free. Ask support for your details, start the move with your new phone company, and keep your subscription active until that company confirms. A canceled number can’t be moved. Source: Allo’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Once the period ends you can’t make or take calls, and your data is kept for 90 days. Source: Allo’s terms (opens in a new tab)
Before you cancel anything, forward your calls to the new service and make three test calls of your own: a new customer, an urgent problem and a wrong number.
How we checked this
We make CoveDesk, so we’re not neutral, and this page isn’t a review. Everything about Allo comes from its own website, read on November 3, 2026, with the pages linked below. We haven’t bought its service, and we don’t quote ratings or anyone’s opinion as fact. Where we couldn’t find a fact, we say so instead of guessing, and “not mentioned” means not on the pages we read, which isn’t a search of its whole site.
Common questions
How much does Allo cost?
Its pricing page lists Business at $45 a seat a month billed monthly or $32 billed yearly, and Ultra at $120 or $100. Solo, marked coming soon, is $15 or $10. The software receptionist is $32 a month per agent billed yearly, and extra numbers start at $5 a month.
Can Allo answer my phone for me?
Yes, if you add its paid software receptionist, which answers around the clock, books from your calendar and follows up by text. Without it, your team answers on the app, and callers you miss get an automatic text on the Business plan.
How much does an answering service cost?
Live services and software voice assistants mostly charge by the minute or the call, and our answering service pricing guide lays out the range. On Allo you pay for seats plus the add-on instead: $96 to $135 a month for two people.
Does Allo have a free trial?
Yes, 3 days. It also says there are no setup fees and no contracts. US and Canada texting needs a one-time $24 registration, so factor that in if you’ll send texts during the trial.
Can I keep my number if I leave Allo?
Yes, it says moving a number out is free. Keep your subscription active until your new phone company confirms the number is live with them, because once a number is canceled it can’t be moved. Moving also doesn’t cancel your subscription; that’s a separate step.
How do I cancel Allo?
Use the billing section in its web app, or Apple or Google if you subscribed through them. Removing the app does nothing. A monthly plan keeps working to the end of the month and a yearly one to the end of its year.
Is CoveDesk a live receptionist service?
No. CoveDesk is a phone answering service: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, that picks up in your business’s name at any hour. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call.
Sources
What this page says about Allo comes from these pages of its website, read on November 3, 2026:
- https://www.withallo.com/pricing (opens in a new tab) (plans and prices, how use is counted, setup fee, contract, review requests, google profile care, website)
- https://www.withallo.com/product/ai-receptionist (opens in a new tab) (who answers, who sets it up, booking, spanish)
- https://help.withallo.com/en/billing/manage-subscription (opens in a new tab) (free trial, money-back guarantee, switching)
- https://www.withallo.com/industries/home-services (opens in a new tab) (urgent calls, job software and crms)
- https://www.withallo.com/product/missed-call-text-back (opens in a new tab) (text back after a missed call)
- https://www.withallo.com/terms (opens in a new tab) (switching)
- https://help.withallo.com/en/phone-numbers/port-out (opens in a new tab) (switching)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check Allo’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
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