Buyer’s guide
How to choose an AI receptionist in Canada
Updated November 6, 2026
Choose your business details, voice, primary language and available Canadian number before payment. Save your setup and come back to edit it whenever you need.
Already started? Return to your saved setupCompare what the entry plan includes, not only its price: whether it counts minutes or calls, what happens when you run out, whether it books during the call, which languages it answers in, and where your call data goes. Then call each demo line and listen. Below are eight checks, with the facts we found on each company’s own pricing page.
1. The price in Canadian dollars, and what it includes
In Canada, an AI receptionist's entry plan costs $29 to $179 CAD a month at the 10 other companies we checked that price in Canadian dollars, and US$0 to US$14.99 a month at the 3 that price in U.S. dollars (prices checked on October 14, 2026, each from the company's own pricing page). Cedri costs $18.99 CAD a month, with 30 answered calls included. These are the monthly prices as published, with no taxes added. On 9 of the 14 pricing pages, paying for a year costs less. Every price links to its source on the AI receptionist prices page.
2. Minutes or calls
Of the 14 entry plans we checked, 8 count minutes and 4 count calls. A long call uses more minutes, but it is still one call. Think about how long your own calls run before you compare. Cedri counts answered calls: 30 a month, and calls under 10 seconds don’t count.
3. What happens when you run out
Read the pricing page for what happens past the plan: some bill extra minutes, some sell packs, some pause until the next month. A receptionist that stops answering in a busy week costs you the calls you bought it for. Cedri keeps answering past 30 calls, and extra calls come in packs on the web: 10 for $12.99, 25 for $29.99 or 50 for $49.99.
4. Booking during the call, on the plan you will buy
On 10 of the 14 pricing pages, the entry plan lists booking or calendar sync. On 3, booking starts on a higher plan. If you want the appointment in your calendar before the caller hangs up, check that it is on the plan you are pricing, not the next one up.
5. English and French on the same call
In much of Canada, and in all of Quebec, callers switch languages. Check that both are on one number with no menu, and listen to a call that switches. What a bilingual AI receptionist should do.
6. Your phone number
Ask whether you can keep the number on your truck and your website. With Cedri you keep it and forward it to your Cedri line, or you pick a new local Canadian number. How call forwarding works.
7. Where your call data goes
Read the security page before you sign, and in Quebec, think about Law 25. Cedri says it in one line: Your bookings and customer records live in Canada. Your call audio and its transcript pass through the United States. Security.
8. Hear it before you pay
Call each company’s demo, in each language you need, and ask what your own callers would ask. Cedri’s demo line is (437) 475-4321. It is a demo, not a support line. Recorded calls with full transcripts are on the demo page.
What Cedri is, and what it is not
Cedri is an AI phone receptionist for small businesses in Canada. It answers the business line in English and French, books the appointment during the call, and texts the details to the owner and to the customer. One plan: $18.99 CAD a month, 30 answered calls included. To sign up: go to cedri.ca/signup or use the iPhone or Android app. Setup takes about five minutes, and you pay when your line goes live.
- It is not a live answering service: no person answers. It is an AI, and it says so at the start of every call.
- It is not a phone company. You keep your carrier and forward your line.
- It has a monthly allowance: 30 answered calls a month are included, and packs cover the rest.
- It is sold in Canada only.
- Cedri (cedri.ca) is made by Cedri Inc. It is not a product of Zen Solutions or CliniCall, and it has no link to the US EPA's CEDRI reporting system or to the CeDRI research centre in Portugal.
Questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost in Canada?
In Canada, an AI receptionist's entry plan costs $29 to $179 CAD a month at the 10 other companies we checked that price in Canadian dollars, and US$0 to US$14.99 a month at the 3 that price in U.S. dollars (prices checked on October 14, 2026, each from the company's own pricing page). Cedri costs $18.99 CAD a month, with 30 answered calls included. AI receptionist prices page.
What is the best AI receptionist for a small business in Quebec?
There is no single answer: it depends on how many calls you get, how long they run, whether you need booking on the entry plan, and French on the same call. Compare those four on each company’s pricing page, then call each demo in French. Cedri answers in French and English on the same line, books during the call and costs $18.99 CAD a month for 30 answered calls. AI receptionist for Quebec businesses.
Is an AI receptionist the same as an answering service?
Not quite. An answering service has people on the line who take messages. An AI receptionist is software that answers every call, day and night, and on 10 of the 14 entry plans we checked it also lists booking or calendar sync.
Do I need a new phone number?
Not with Cedri: you forward your current number to your Cedri line, or pick a new local Canadian number if you prefer. Ask each company you compare the same question.
How do I get help with Cedri?
Write to support@cedri.ca or use the contact form. A person on the team answers, usually within one business day.
Cedri at a glance
Price: $18.99 CAD a month, or $189.99 a year. One plan, no contract. You pay when your line goes live.
Calls: 30 answered calls a month included. Calls under 10 seconds don’t count. Past 30, Cedri keeps answering, and extra calls come in packs on the web: 10 for $12.99, 25 for $29.99 or 50 for $49.99.
Languages: English and French on the same line. Apps for iPhone and Android.
On the phone: Cedri says it is an AI assistant and that the call may be recorded.
Your number: keep it. Forward it to your Cedri line.
How call forwarding worksTry it: call the demo line at (437) 475-4321.
Brand line: Canada's Bilingual AI Receptionist
$18.99 CAD a month, 30 answered calls included.
To sign up: go to cedri.ca/signup or use the iPhone or Android app. Setup takes about five minutes, and you pay when your line goes live.
One plan, $18.99 a month with 30 answered calls. See what’s included
Hear it answer: call the demo line at (437) 475-4321. It is a demo, not a support line.
Get the app on iPhone and Android.