Choosing an AI receptionist in Canada: the four things that actually decide it.
Every one of these answers the phone and books appointments. The demo will sound fine on all of them. What separates them is how you are charged, whether French is included, where your callers' data ends up, and what happens on the month you are busy. Here is how to check each one, and where AskMuse lands.
Per call, per minute, or per caller — and they are not comparable.
This is the one that surprises people. The same 200 calls a month cost wildly different amounts depending on which unit a company meters, and a plan that looks cheap on the page can be the expensive one for your call pattern.
You know the ceiling. A long call and a short one cost the same, so a chatty customer is not a surprise on the invoice. Ask what counts as a call — does a 6-second wrong number use one up?
Cheap if your calls are short, and it punishes exactly the calls you want: the one where somebody is deciding to book. Ask what a minute costs once the bundle runs out.
Generous for repeat customers, since the same person calling five times is one unit. Worse for a business whose callers are mostly new. Ask how a returning caller is identified.
Some services are people, or people plus AI. The quality is high and so is the number. If the price is in the hundreds, you are paying for staff, not software — which may be the right answer for you.
Read off each company's own page, 25 September 2026.
| Service | The plan that covers it | List price | Metered by |
|---|---|---|---|
| AskMuse | Pro — 200 calls | $99.99 CAD / month | calls, up to 10 minutes each |
| AI receptionist, billed per caller | Mid plan — 250 unique callers | $129 USD / month, per agent | unique callers; minutes unlimited |
| AI receptionist, billed per minute | Mid plan — 1,000 minutes | $149 USD / month | minutes |
| Staffed answering service | 300 calls | $2,100 USD / month | calls, answered by people |
Example prices read off 3 real providers' published pricing pages on 25 September 2026. AskMuse is billed in Canadian dollars; those 3 publish in US dollars. These plans are not like for like — one counts callers, one counts minutes, one is a staffed service — which is the point of the section above. Run your own numbers before you decide, and check each page yourself: they change.
Ask whether French is included or sold to you.
A Canadian business gets French callers, and not only in Quebec. The question to ask is not "do you support French" — nearly everyone says yes — but on which plan, on which number, and does the follow-up text come back in French too. A receptionist that answers in French and then texts the confirmation in English has not really answered in French.
On AskMuse, English and French are on every plan, on the same number, with the texts and booking confirmations following the caller's language. Pro and above add nine more: Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Japanese.
Ask the question plainly, and expect a plain answer.
Your callers hand over a name, a number and an address. Ask any service three things: where is that stored, is it used to train AI models, and what happens to it if I leave. A vague answer is an answer.
Ours, so you can hold us to it: never sold, never shared for advertising, and model training is off at every supplier that touches a call. Close your account and the leads and bookings are removed within 30 days, with an email when it is done. This site sets no cookies and runs no analytics, which is why you did not get a consent banner when you arrived. Where each supplier runs is written out in the privacy policy.
Built in Canada, priced in Canadian dollars, French on every plan.
40 calls on Solo, 100 on Starter, 200 on Pro. A call up to 10 minutes counts as one call. Spam and anything under 15 seconds never counts.
No exchange rate on your statement and no foreign transaction fee from your card issuer — every other service on this page bills Canadians in US dollars.
No contract, no setup fee, keep your own number. Turn it off from the dashboard if it is not good enough.
Call the demo line and try to trip it up. It is the same receptionist a customer would get, not a recording.
AI receptionist in Canada: the questions buyers ask.
How much does an AI receptionist cost in Canada?
AskMuse starts at $39.99 CAD a month for 40 calls on Solo, $59.99 for 100 calls on Starter and $99.99 for 200 calls on Pro. A call up to 10 minutes counts as one call, and spam and anything under 15 seconds never counts.
Does the AI receptionist answer in French?
Yes. On AskMuse, English and French are on every plan, on the same number, and the texts and booking confirmations follow the caller’s language. Pro and above add 9 more: Punjabi, Hindi, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Japanese.
Is AskMuse billed in Canadian dollars?
Yes. Every plan is priced and billed in Canadian dollars, so there is no exchange rate on your statement and no foreign transaction fee from your card issuer.
What happens to my callers’ data?
It is never sold and never shared for advertising, and model training is off at every supplier that touches a call. Close your account and the leads and bookings are removed within 30 days, with an email when it is done.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep the number you already advertise and forward the calls you want answered — all of them, or only the ones you miss. You can turn it off the same way you turned it on.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 7 days on the receptionist plans, with no contract and no setup fee. No card is needed: 15 AI receptionist calls are included, and you pay only if you pick a plan when the trial ends.