RingOut vs Heya
RingOut vs Heya: which one fits your business?
Heya builds custom AI workers that answer enquiries and handle follow-up work for larger Australian businesses, while RingOut is a ready-to-use AI receptionist with published plans. This page sets out how each works, what it includes and how it is priced.
- Sign up online and choose a plan yourself
- Built for small and local businesses
- Published prices from $40.83 a month yearly
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How RingOut and Heya differ at a glance
These products sit at different ends of the market. Heya designs AI workers around a business's operations and integrates them with its systems, while RingOut is a set product that small businesses can switch on themselves.
| What matters | Heya | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of product | Ready-to-use AI receptionist | Custom AI workforce and coordination platform |
| Best suited to | Small and local businesses | Mid-sized and larger organisations |
| Channels | Phone calls | Phone, SMS, email and WhatsApp |
| How you get started | Choose a plan and set it up yourself | Co-design engagement with Heya's team |
| Time to go live | Self-serve setup | Within weeks of kickoff for mid-market deployments |
| Pricing | Published plans from $40.83 a month on yearly billing | Fixed monthly price per AI worker, by quote |
| Integrations | Google Calendar and Calendly | Smokeball, Microsoft 365, Xero, RMS and custom APIs |
| Where data is handled | Sydney storage for recordings; live speech handled offshore | Australian data centres, with sovereign options |
Heya details on this page were taken from heya.au on 12 October 2026. A cell marked "Not listed" covers something Heya does not publish.
What is Heya, and what is RingOut?
Heya and RingOut both use AI to answer business enquiries, but they are sold and set up in very different ways.
AI workforce platform
Heya
Heya is a Melbourne company that builds AI workers for Australian businesses. Its workers answer calls, texts, emails and WhatsApp messages, then carry out the follow-up work such as bookings, document chases, payment reminders and CRM updates. Each deployment is designed with Heya's team and priced by quote.
- Built forMid-sized and regulated organisations
- Main jobCoordinating follow-up work across systems
- Charges byFixed monthly fee per AI worker
AI receptionist service
RingOut
RingOut is an AI receptionist that small and local businesses can set up themselves. Miya, its receptionist, picks up inbound calls in your business name, uses the information you give her to answer questions and books callers into Google Calendar or Calendly. You forward your existing number to RingOut, and calls she cannot resolve are passed to your staff with notes.
- Built forSmall and local businesses
- Main jobAnswering calls and filling the diary
- Charges byMinutes on a published monthly plan
How RingOut and Heya compare, feature by feature
Heya covers far more ground after the call, while RingOut concentrates on the call itself and on getting the caller booked.
| Feature | Heya | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers inbound calls 24/7 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Books appointments | ✓ Google Calendar or Calendly | ✓ Through connected calendars and systems |
| SMS, email and WhatsApp | Coming soon | ✓ |
| Follow-up and chase work | ✕ | ✓ Reminders, document chases, payment links |
| Integrations with business systems | Calendars only | ✓ Smokeball, Xero, RMS, Microsoft 365 and more |
| Records of each conversation | ✓ Recordings and transcripts from Growth | ✓ Structured records and audit trails |
| Spam call screening | ✓ Professional plan and above | Not listed |
| Self-serve sign-up | ✓ | ✕ |
| Published prices | ✓ | ✕ |
| Reporting on conversations | ✓ Call outcomes and analytics | ✓ Operational intelligence reporting |
RingOut and Heya pricing side by side
RingOut publishes fixed plans, while Heya prices each AI worker after scoping the work, so the table compares how each one charges.
| Plan level | Heya | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly plans with included call minutes | Fixed monthly fee for each AI worker deployed |
| Starting price | $49 a month for 60 call minutes | Not published; quote after co-design |
| Larger plans | Three larger plans, from $149 to $699 a month | Scoped to the work each AI worker does |
| Extra usage | Extra minutes at your plan's rate | No per-minute charges |
| Onboarding | Self-serve, with no setup fee | Co-design engagement with a named delivery lead |
| Commitment | Monthly, or yearly with two months free | Quarterly review against agreed outcomes |
Pricing information was collected from both websites on 12 October 2026. RingOut quotes Australian dollars before GST, and Heya publishes no prices. See RingOut's full plans.
Who RingOut is for, and who Heya is for
The right choice depends mostly on the size of your business and how much work happens after each call.
RingOut is for
- Sole traders and small teams that want call cover this week
- Businesses that want a clear monthly price before they start
- Owners who mainly need callers answered and booked
- Clinics, salons, trades and agencies with simple booking needs
Heya is for
- Mid-sized firms with follow-up work spread across several systems
- Law, property and insurance businesses using tools such as Smokeball or RMS
- Organisations that need SMS, email and WhatsApp handled alongside calls
- Regulated businesses that want sovereign Australian hosting
Why businesses switch from Heya to RingOut
Smaller businesses that look at Heya often find RingOut a better match when all they need is reliable call answering.
Prices you can see upfront
RingOut's plans are published, from $40.83 a month on yearly billing, so you know the cost before you talk to anyone.
Start without a project
There is no co-design engagement. You choose a plan, add your details and forward your calls.
Sized for small teams
Plans start at 60 call minutes a month, which suits a sole trader or a small office.
Focused on the phone
If calls are where you lose work, RingOut covers that without paying for coordination you do not need.
Changing over from Heya while keeping your number
Changing over takes four steps, and you can test RingOut while your current setup keeps running.
Heya also handles texts, email and follow-up work, so plan who will take over those tasks before you switch.
Gather your business details
Note your services, prices, hours and the enquiries Heya handles for you today, so Miya can answer them.
Connect a calendar
Link Google Calendar or Calendly so bookings land where your staff already look.
Forward your calls
Ask your phone provider to forward your business number to RingOut.
Check with test calls
Ring in a few times and confirm the answers before ending your Heya engagement.
Our review and comparison guide
How we approached the Heya comparison, given how differently the two products are sold.
How we compared RingOut and Heya
Both products were measured on the same set of questions using only published material. Heya's homepage and pricing page, read on 12 October 2026, supplied every detail about Heya.
- What it is built to do
- How it handles a call
- Features included
- How pricing works
- Who it suits
A note on fairness
Because we build RingOut, we have spelled out where Heya is ahead, including multi-channel work and deep integrations. Heya prices each deployment separately, so request a quote before comparing costs.
Our verdict by category
| If you need | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Call answering for a small business on a set budget | RingOut | Published yearly plans from $40.83 a month and self-serve setup |
| Follow-up work across texts, email and WhatsApp | Heya | Its AI workers handle the tasks that come after the call |
| Integration with Smokeball, Xero or RMS | Heya | Native integrations are part of its deployments |
| Getting started without a sales process | RingOut | You can sign up and set it up yourself |
| Sovereign hosting for a regulated organisation | Heya | It hosts in Australian data centres with sovereign options |
RingOut and Heya questions, answered
What is Heya AI?
Heya is a Melbourne-based company that builds AI workers for Australian businesses. Its workers answer calls, texts, emails and WhatsApp messages, then handle follow-up tasks such as bookings, document chases and CRM updates. Each deployment is designed with Heya's team and priced as a fixed monthly fee per worker.
What is the difference between Heya and RingOut?
The difference is scale and setup. Heya builds custom AI workers for larger organisations through a co-design engagement, while RingOut is a ready-made receptionist that small businesses switch on themselves. RingOut focuses on answering and booking calls, whereas Heya also runs the follow-up work across your systems.
Is RingOut a good alternative to Heya?
Yes, for small businesses that mainly need calls answered. RingOut has published plans and self-serve setup, so you can start quickly on a known budget. It does not handle texts, email, WhatsApp or follow-up chasing, so businesses that need that coordination are better served by Heya.
How much does Heya cost compared with RingOut?
RingOut charges $49 a month for 60 call minutes, or $40.83 a month billed yearly, and rises to $699 for 1,750 minutes; prices exclude GST and setup is free. Heya does not publish prices; it charges a fixed monthly fee for each AI worker, set after scoping the work with your team.
Which is better for a small business?
RingOut is usually the better fit for a small business. It is set up without a project or sales process and priced from $40.83 a month on a yearly plan. Heya describes its typical customers as mid-market and enterprise organisations, with deployments co-designed around their operations.
Does Heya or RingOut handle texts and email?
Heya does. Its AI workers cover phone, SMS, email and WhatsApp on one thread. RingOut handles voice calls only at present, with follow-up texts on the way, so Heya is the stronger option if you want every channel handled by one system.
Which integrates with more business software?
Heya does. It lists native integrations with Smokeball, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, RMS, Xero, Stripe and Trello, and builds custom integrations during deployment. For bookings, RingOut links with Google Calendar and Calendly, and each call is logged in the RingOut dashboard.
Where do Heya and RingOut keep data?
Heya says customer data stays in Australian data centres and offers sovereign deployment. RingOut holds its recordings and transcripts in Sydney, and the audio of a live call is handled by American speech services that keep no copy. Regulated organisations may prefer Heya's fully onshore approach.
How quickly can I start with Heya or RingOut?
RingOut can be set up by the business itself on a published plan. Heya runs a co-design engagement with a named delivery lead and says mid-market deployments go live within weeks of kickoff. That suits businesses ready to invest in a planned rollout.
Is a new phone number needed to move from Heya to RingOut?
No. Calls reach RingOut by forwarding from the number your customers already know, so nothing changes for them. If Heya set up the line you use, sort out ownership of that number with Heya before the engagement finishes.
See a ready-made receptionist answer your calls
Hear a ready-made receptionist on calls like yours, and check whether it covers your needs before you scope a bigger project.
- Hear a sample call first.We play a sample call set up for your type of business.
- Know the price before you start.Every plan is published, starting at $40.83 a month on yearly billing with nothing to pay for setup.
- Keep the number customers know.Call forwarding means nobody needs to learn a new number.
Prefer to sign up yourself? Get started today. Starter costs $49 a month, and annual billing knocks two months off.
Talk through your enquiries
Explain how calls are handled in your business now and we will point out where RingOut fits in.
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