OfficeHQ vs Frontly: Honest Comparison for Australian Business in 2026
OfficeHQ and Frontly are often shortlisted together by Australian businesses looking to fix their inbound call coverage. They look similar at a 30-second glance — both answer calls in your business name, both can take messages, both promise 24/7 coverage — but they're fundamentally different products with different commercial models.
This post is the honest version of the comparison. Where each one wins, where each one loses, and what call volume tips the decision one way or the other.
The headline difference
OfficeHQ is a human-staffed virtual receptionist service. Real Australian people answer your phone. They charge per call.
Frontly is an AI calling platform. An AI agent answers your phone. We charge a flat monthly rate.
Everything else flows from that one structural difference.
Pricing model side-by-side
| OfficeHQ | Frontly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per call (tiered by call volume) | Flat monthly rate |
| Indicative inbound rate | $1.99 to $4.99 per call (depends on tier) | $150/mo yearly (Answer) |
| Setup fee | Yes, varies | $0 |
| After-hours surcharge | Typical (premium rate) | None — same flat rate 24/7 |
| Weekend/public holiday | Premium rate | Same flat rate |
| Outbound campaigns | Not offered | Included on Reach + Front Desk |
| Bill changes with call volume? | Yes, scales linearly | No, flat |
| Lock-in | Variable by plan | Yearly (12-mo) or monthly (no commit) |
The second-to-last row is the one that matters most. If your call volume grows, OfficeHQ's bill grows with it. Frontly's bill doesn't.
Where OfficeHQ wins
Genuinely. There are scenarios where a human virtual receptionist is the better pick:
1. Very low call volume — fewer than ~10 calls a week. At that volume, even OfficeHQ's lowest tier is cheap, and you may prefer the per-call billing because you only pay when there's a real call. 2. Brand voice matters more than call cost — luxury professional services, white-glove industries, businesses where the perception of "always a real person" justifies the premium. 3. High-judgment conversations — calls that require 5+ minutes of genuine human reasoning, like legal intake or nuanced complaint handling, where AI is not yet at parity.
In those scenarios, OfficeHQ is a fine choice. We'd recommend it if it fits your situation.
Where Frontly wins
The other way around:
1. Mid to high call volume — once you're past ~10 calls a week, Frontly's flat rate beats OfficeHQ's per-call rate by a wide margin. At 25 calls per day, Frontly Answer ($150/mo yearly) saves roughly $2,500 per month vs OfficeHQ's mid-tier. 2. Predictable bills — Frontly's flat rate means no bill shock during busy seasons. OfficeHQ scales linearly with call volume. 3. 24/7 coverage at the same rate — Frontly does not charge weekend or public holiday premiums. The AI works at 3am on Christmas Day at the same rate as Tuesday at 10am. 4. Outbound campaigns — OfficeHQ does not run outbound. Frontly Reach ($1,000/mo yearly) and Frontly Front Desk ($1,050/mo yearly) include the outbound campaign manager with 5,000 outbound minutes per month. 5. Live in under a day — Frontly onboarding is same-day or next-day. OfficeHQ typically takes 5 to 10 business days.
How to pick: a 3-step framework
If you're trying to choose between them, this is the framework that works:
1. What's your weekly inbound call volume? - Under 10/week → OfficeHQ may be cheaper. Consider it. - Over 10/week → Frontly is almost always cheaper. Frontly wins.
2. Do you need outbound campaigns? - No → either platform handles inbound only. - Yes (recall, follow-up, sales discovery, arrears) → Frontly only. OfficeHQ does not run outbound.
3. Does your brand require "always a real person"? - Yes, no compromise → OfficeHQ. Pay the premium. - No, the customer just wants their question answered → Frontly. Most customers cannot tell the AI is AI on Frontly's natural voice; the few that can usually don't mind, because they get their answer faster.
That's the whole decision.
What about hybrid?
Some Australian businesses run both. OfficeHQ handles a small queue of high-touch calls during business hours; Frontly handles after-hours, weekends, and overflow. The economics work because you're using OfficeHQ for the small, high-judgment subset and Frontly for the long-tail volume. Worth considering if your business has a real "VIP caller" segment.
Final take
OfficeHQ is a good product. It's been operating in Australia for years and it does what it says. If the conditions above match your business, hire them.
Frontly is the better pick for the vast majority of Australian SMB and mid-market businesses, because the maths only works out in OfficeHQ's favour at very low call volume or under specific brand conditions. For everyone else, flat-rate AI is materially cheaper, faster to deploy, and adds outbound capability that human virtual receptionists don't offer.
[Hear Frontly's AI for yourself](/demo) (no signup, no credit card) and [activate a Frontly account](/get-started) when you're ready.