Which should you choose?
| Choose FirstVoice if… | Choose Talkify if… |
|---|---|
| You'd rather run your business than configure software | You have time to learn the software and set it up yourself |
| Every missed call is a job worth hundreds of dollars | Missing the odd call doesn't cost you much |
| You want someone improving your script every month | You're comfortable writing and testing your own call flows |
| You want new leads called back in seconds | You have hours to spare to learn a new tool |
| You want a direct line to the founder and no contract | You'd rather do it yourself than hand it to specialists |
FirstVoice and Talkify side by side
The FirstVoice column is from our own site. The Talkify column is from Talkify's public pages, linked in each row and checked on 15 September 2026. If anything is out of date, email akaash@firstvoice.co.nz and we'll correct it.
| Feature | FirstVoice | Talkify |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Our voice AI specialists. We build the voice, scripts and calendar connection, test it with you and keep it tuned. You don't learn a thing. | Self-serve: you build your own agent in their drag-and-drop builder. Their Custom Setup starts from $499 on a 12-month contract. Source |
| Ongoing changes | Script updates included on every plan (1, 3 or unlimited a month). | You edit the agent yourself in their builder. Source |
| Starting price | $297 a month, setup included, no GST added. | $129 + GST a month for the first 3 months, then $199 + GST ($228.85 incl. GST). Source |
| Minutes included | 200, 600 or 1,500 a month. | Up to 200 a month on their monthly plans. Source |
| Try it first | Free personalised demo within 24 hours, then a free 2-week trial on your real calls. We set it up; no credit card. | You sign up and build your own agent. Source |
| Calling new leads back | Speed-to-lead add-on calls Facebook, website and Google Ads leads back in seconds, within your calling hours. | Outbound agents billed per call. Source |
| Your phone number | A new NZ number, or keep your existing number with call forwarding. | They supply the line on their own carrier account and say the number stays yours if you leave. Source |
| Support | A direct line to the founder: 021 179 1870. | 0800 support line. Human support Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm NZT. Source |
| Who's behind it | A New Zealand service, backed by a New Zealand technology company that has been running since 2002. | Talkify Limited, answering calls since 2024, built by a Christchurch software studio. Source |
| Export your data | Yes: recordings and transcripts, any time. | CSV export is published for outbound campaign results. Source |
| Invoices | NZD. Not GST-registered, so no GST added. | NZD with GST. Source |
What's your time worth?
A self-serve receptionist looks cheaper until you count the hours. Learning the builder, planning your call flows, connecting your calendar, testing and fixing it all takes time you could spend on your own business. Put in your own numbers.
What you'd earn on the tools, with clients or running the business.
Learning the builder, writing call flows, connecting your calendar, test calls and fixes.
Reading transcripts, fixing answers, updating prices and hours.
Your time doing it yourself
$2,940
That's 98 hours in the first year that you're not spending on your own business.
Counting your time, FirstVoice works out $1,881 cheaper in the first year.
You're good at what you do. Do that. We'll do this.
Try it before you pay anything: we build it, set it up on your real calls and run it free for two weeks.
Get my free demoFirst year, NZ dollars. Talkify uses its published Reception plan checked 15 September 2026: $129 + GST a month for 3 months, then $199 + GST. FirstVoice Starter is $297 a month with no GST added. The hours are your own estimate. An estimate, not a quote.
What the price difference buys
After Talkify's founding rate ends, its Reception plan is $228.85 a month including GST. FirstVoice Starter is $297 with no GST added. For the difference, voice AI specialists build your receptionist, test it with you, update the script every month, and you deal directly with the founder. You don't learn, build or maintain any of it.
If you want it set up for you: first 12 months
| First 12 months, done for you | Talkify Reception + Custom Setup | FirstVoice Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | From $499 + GST | Included |
| Monthly | $129 + GST for 3 months, then $199 + GST | $297 |
| 12-month total | $3,078.55–$3,320.05 incl. GST* | $3,564.00, no GST added |
| Contract | 12 months | Month-to-month |
| Support | Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm | Direct line to the founder |
*The lower figure assumes Talkify's founding rate applies alongside Custom Setup; the higher figure uses its standard $199 rate for all 12 months. Based on published pricing checked 15 September 2026.
Talkify's questions about FirstVoice, answered
Talkify publishes a comparison page about FirstVoice that lists things our old website didn't say. Fair enough. Here are the answers.
- How long have you been going? FirstVoice launched in 2025, backed by a New Zealand technology company that has been running since 2002.
- Where does support answer from? Our support line, 021 179 1870, goes direct to the founder.
- Who provides the phone line? Your choice: a new NZ number, or keep the number your customers already know and forward it.
- What do changes cost once you're live? Nothing extra. Script updates are included in every plan.
- What does it cost? Plans start at $297 a month, setup included, month-to-month with no lock-in, and you can try it free for two weeks first. See pricing.
Questions to ask any AI receptionist before you sign
- Who writes and tests the call script: you or them?
- When a caller asks something it wasn't set up for, who notices and who fixes it?
- How many hours a month will you spend managing it?
- What will you pay each month, including GST, once any introductory rate ends?
- Is calling new leads back included, or billed per call?
- If you want it set up for you, what does that cost and how long is the contract?
The bottom line
With Talkify you learn the software and build the receptionist yourself, then keep it right every month. With FirstVoice, voice AI specialists do all of that for you, and you get a free 2-week trial on your real calls before you pay anything. You're good at what you do. Do that, and we'll do this.
Comparing more than two? See every NZ Talkify alternative, grouped by who sets it up for you.
Sources
- talkify.nz/pricing (checked 15 September 2026)
- talkify.nz/reception (checked 15 September 2026)
- talkify.nz/agents (checked 15 September 2026)
- talkify.nz/support (checked 15 September 2026)
- talkify.nz/outbound-calls (checked 15 September 2026)
- talkify.nz/alternatives/firstvoice (checked 15 September 2026)