Frontly vs OfficeHQ
OfficeHQ offers live Australian receptionists and an AI receptionist backed by them. Frontly is an AI front desk built to run your process: a workflow you edit yourself, callers remembered across calls, more than 40 languages on one number, and outbound campaigns from the same platform. Here is how they compare.
The short answer
Should I choose Frontly or OfficeHQ?
Choose OfficeHQ if you want a live Australian receptionist ready to take over whenever the AI cannot. Choose Frontly if you want the front desk itself to run your process: bookings made in the call, a workflow you change yourself, returning callers recognised, 40+ languages on one number, and outbound campaigns alongside inbound.
- You want to change how calls are handled yourself, in a visual workflow builder, rather than asking a provider to update a script
- Your callers speak more than English: Frontly holds full conversations in more than 40 languages on the same number
- You want returning callers recognised and the conversation to pick up where it left off
- You want every booking, lead and transcript captured as a structured record in your Frontly dashboard, not a summary emailed after the call
- You run outbound work too: recalls, reminders, arrears and follow-up from the same platform
CAPABILITY
Built for how your business runs
Both answer around the clock. The difference is how much of your process the front desk can run on its own.
| What your front desk needs | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Answers every call 24/7, public holidays included | Yes | Yes |
| Visual workflow builder you edit yourself, no code | Yes | Set up by their team |
| Full conversations in 40+ languages on one number | Yes | Not published |
| Remembers returning callers across calls | Yes | Not published |
| Books the appointment during the call | Yes | Not published for AI |
| Every booking, transcript and outcome in one dashboard | Yes | Summary after each call |
| Warm transfer to your team with a spoken briefing | Yes | To their receptionists |
| Hands a call between specialised AI agents | Yes | Not published |
| Outbound AI campaigns from your own lists | Yes | Not published as AI |
| Every caller answered at once, no queue | Yes | Not published |
| Customised to your process on our own codebase | Yes | Not published |
| Call records hosted in Australia | Yes | Not published |
Swipe the table to see the OfficeHQ column.
How each is billed
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Billing basis | Flat monthly rate, sized by call minutes | Per call, by plan tier |
| Setup fee | Waived on annual | Not published |
Swipe the table to see the OfficeHQ column.
Who picks up when the AI cannot
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Live human backup | Your own team, with a spoken briefing | Their Australian receptionists |
| Handover between specialised AI agents | Yes | Not published |
Swipe the table to see the OfficeHQ column.
Capture & delivery
| Feature | Frontly | OfficeHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings captured in your dashboard | Yes | Not published |
| Full transcript on every call | Yes | Summary after the call |
| Audit logs | Enterprise | Not published |
Swipe the table to see the OfficeHQ column.
DEEP DIVE
Key Differences Explained
When OfficeHQ is genuinely the better choice
If the thing you value most is a live Australian receptionist ready to take a call the moment the AI cannot, OfficeHQ's model is built around exactly that, and their receptionist plans remain a solid choice for low call volumes. It also suits professional services where the sense of always having a real person on hand is part of the brand. Frontly hands calls to your own team with a spoken briefing rather than to a receptionist pool. If a person from an answering service is what you want behind the AI, choose them. We would rather you bought the right product.
Three questions that decide it
First, who should pick up when the AI cannot? If it is a receptionist from an answering service, that points to OfficeHQ; if it is your own team, already briefed on the caller, that points to Frontly. Second, how much of your process should the front desk run? To answer, take the details and pass them on, either will do; to qualify, book, route by intent, remember the caller and follow up outbound, choose Frontly. Third, who calls you? English speakers are served by either, while callers more comfortable in Mandarin, Hindi or another language are served by Frontly.
A front desk that runs your process, not a script
Frontly's visual workflow builder is the same tool our team uses. Add a qualifying question, branch on a new kind of enquiry, change who gets called at 6pm, and it is live on the next call without raising a ticket. The agent answers from your own knowledge base, recognises returning callers, books the appointment during the call, and can hand the caller to a specialised agent, for example a language selector that routes to a dedicated English or Mandarin agent.
More than 40 languages on the same number
Frontly holds full conversations in more than 40 languages, matching each caller automatically or pinned to one. For an Australian practice or agency whose callers are more comfortable in Mandarin, Hindi or another language at home, that is the difference between a booking and a hang-up, and it needs no second number or press-one menu.
Inbound and outbound on one platform
Frontly also runs outbound campaigns from your own lists: recalls, appointment reminders, arrears and follow-up, with smart retry for unanswered calls and Do Not Call Register screening. The same caller history sits behind both directions, so an outbound call knows what the last inbound one was about.
The hybrid model many businesses run
Some practices keep a human answering service for the calls where a personal touch matters most and use Frontly for after hours, weekends, overflow and outbound work. Frontly can warm-transfer to whoever you nominate, including an answering service you already use, so the two sit side by side rather than one replacing the other on day one.
INDUSTRY FIT
Is Frontly right for your industry?
AI front desk for any business is the job both services are hired for, and the difference is what happens after hello: a message taken for later, or the enquiry handled, booked and filed while the caller is still on the line.
AI intake reception for law firms often keeps a human service specifically for intake quality, so the honest question is whether a scripted AI intake captures the same detail. Hear it handle one and judge for yourself.
AI receptionist for real estate agencies runs on buyer enquiries that arrive outside inspection hours, and those need an answer and a booked inspection on the call, not a summary for the morning.
AI after-hours front desk is the overlap where this comparison matters most: the point after hours is usually to decide whether anyone needs waking at all, and to handle everything else without them.
AI front desk for hotels loses the most when an enquiry becomes a note for later, because a reservation question left overnight is usually booked through an online travel agent by morning, commission included.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. OfficeHQ offers MyAI Receptionist, which answers 24/7 and can transfer to its Australian-based receptionists, alongside its live receptionist plans. Frontly is an AI front desk built to run your process: a workflow builder you edit yourself, returning callers recognised, more than 40 languages on one number, and outbound campaigns from the same platform.
At low call volumes, OfficeHQ's per-call AI tiers usually cost less; they start at $20 a month for 10 calls. Frontly is a flat monthly rate for a call-minute allowance, and the comparison that matters is how much of your process each platform can run, not a few dollars a month. Every Frontly plan and rate is on our pricing page.
Yes. Frontly handles the qualification and booking, then warm-transfers to your team, or to an answering service you already use, for anything that needs a human decision. The transfer carries a spoken briefing, so the person picking up already knows who is calling and why.
Yes. Frontly holds full conversations in more than 40 languages on the same number, matching each caller automatically or staying pinned to one. Coverage varies by language, so place a test call in the language your callers use before you plan around it.
Usually about an hour for a standard setup. We map how your calls are handled today, point your number at Frontly or provision a new local number, build your workflow, and can keep your existing service as a transfer destination while you settle in.
Yes. Frontly is built and operated in Australia by DemoLabs, and caller records, transcripts and bookings are stored on Australian infrastructure. Limited call content is processed by specialist speech providers under no-retention terms, as our privacy page sets out.
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