Heybird vs Beside
Heybird or Beside?
Both put an AI receptionist on your business line from your phone. They differ in how they count calls, what the AI can do beyond answering, and where they run.
Answers in your business’s name
Your greeting, your hours, your prices. Brief it in your own words, or point it at your website and it starts out knowing the basics.
Books into your calendar
Google Calendar or Outlook. It checks your hours and existing bookings before it offers a time, and confirms the details back to the caller.
Urgent calls still reach you
“The boiler’s leaking” rings you live. Everything else comes back as a short summary with the transcript, and the recording if you want it.
Spam never counts
Robocalls and sales pitches are hung up on and never billed. Hang-ups under 10 seconds and your own test calls don’t count either.
- 1
Tell it about your business
Talk to it like a new hire: hours, services, prices, who to put straight through. It fills in the settings for you.
- 2
Hear it answer
Call it from your own phone. Your free trial runs on our test line, so you hear a real call before you pay anything.
- 3
Turn it on
Forward your number with your carrier’s code (the app shows yours), or take a new local number. Change it back any time.
Side by side
Beside Phone, the AI receptionist product, as Beside publishes it.
| Heybird | Beside | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $29.99/month for 50 answered calls | $29/month for 30 AI receptionist calls (Baseline, web plan) |
| Bigger plans | $69.99 for 150 calls, $149.99 for 400 | $99/month, unlimited AI receptionist calls |
| Spam | Never counted | Spam blocking included |
| Free trial | 7 days on our test line, no card | Unlimited: 7 days free with a payment method. Baseline: no trial |
| Calls out for you | Yes: it can ring a supplier or a customer for you | The AI receptionist handles inbound calls only |
| Languages | 9: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Korean | 4: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese |
| Texting callers | Not yet in the US | Yes, calls and texts |
| Apps | iPhone | iPhone, Android and web |
| Your number | Forward yours, or a new local number | Forward yours, transfer it, or a new number |
Competitor details from their own websites, checked on 8 October 2026; prices change, so check their site before you decide. Sources: Beside Phone pricing, Beside product details.
Pay per answered call, not per minute
Flat monthly plans by the calls Heybird answers. Spam, short hang-ups and test calls are free. Seven days free to start.
- Starter$29.99/month50 answered calls
- Pro$69.99/month150 answered calls
- Scale$149.99/month400 answered calls
Questions
Which is cheaper?
At low volume Heybird gives more calls for about the same price (50 against 30). If you take far more than 150 calls a month, Beside’s $99 unlimited plan can cost less.
Can Heybird make calls for me?
Yes. Ask it to ring a supplier, confirm a booking or chase an invoice, and it reports back. Beside’s AI receptionist answers incoming calls; outgoing calls are placed by you.
Does Heybird text my callers?
Not yet in the US. Today it answers, books and takes messages by phone, and sends you the summary.
Is there an Android app?
Not yet. Heybird is an iPhone app; Beside also runs on Android and the web.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes, with both. Heybird works by forwarding your existing number, or gives you a new local number with a paid plan.
Hear it answer before you pay.
Set up takes a few minutes. Your first call can be one you make yourself.