Bea by Be Connect vs Aira
The short answer
- Aira costs least at 100 calls a month: $69.95.
- Bea by Be Connect costs least at 500: NZ$419 (about $235).
- Pick Bea by Be Connect if you want the lower bill at 500 calls.
- Pick Aira if you want the lower bill at 100 calls or a summary by text after each call.
 Bea by Be ConnectNZ and Australian trades and clinics that miss calls while workingVisit site |  Airaservice businesses losing calls while staff are with customers or on a jobVisit site | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| At 100 calls a month | Bea by Be ConnectNZ$137.50about $77 | Aira$69.95Lowest |
| At 500 calls a month | Bea by Be ConnectNZ$419about $235Lowest | Aira$299 |
| Advertised from | Bea by Be ConnectNZ$79 (about $44) a monthabout $44 | Aira$24.95 a month |
| The advertised plan covers | Bea by Be ConnectThe NZ$79 (about $44) plan covers 40 of 100 calls.60 cost extra. | AiraThe $24.95 plan it advertises covers 30 of 100 calls. Premium costs less for all 100. |
| Bills | Bea by Be Connectper minute | Airaper call |
| Keeps answering past your allowance | Bea by Be ConnectYesCalls past the allowance keep being answered | AiraPartlyCalls past the allowance keep being answered and bill as overage at a per-call rate |
| Free trial or plan | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyA seven-day free trial lets you run Bea on your existing business number before paying | AiraNot stated |
| Month to month, cancel online | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyBilling is month to month with no annual lock-in | AiraPartlyBilling is month to month with no long-term contract required |
| On the call | ||
| Books appointments | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyBooking into a connected calendar is real but needs the Business plan or above | AiraPartlyWith a supported scheduling connection it checks real availability |
| Transfers to a person | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyTransfers to your team are included from the entry plan and rule-driven | AiraYesCalls transfer to your team and the agent briefs them with the caller's name |
| Human receptionists as backup | Bea by Be ConnectNoNo human receptionists sit behind the AI | AiraNoEscalation goes to your own staff, not to a human agent working for Aira |
| After-hours rules | Bea by Be ConnectYesAnswering runs round the clock including public holidays | AiraPartlyIt answers 24/7 including evenings, weekends and holidays |
| Urgent calls escalated | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyEmergency recognition is configurable and escalation follows your rules | AiraYesPriority criteria you define trigger a transfer to a named person or number |
| Texts your callers | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyBea can send an SMS during call handling and do SMS follow-up on Pro | AiraPartlyIt texts callers mid-call with a booking link, address or custom message |
| Call summary by text | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyA written summary follows every call, but the entry plan lists summaries | AiraYesSummaries arrive by SMS, email or both straight after the call |
| Language, privacy and trying it | ||
| Languages | Bea by Be ConnectNot stated | AiraYes31 languages |
| HIPAA, with a signed BAA | Bea by Be ConnectNot stated | AiraNoThe vendor states plainly that it is not HIPAA covered and signs no BAA on any plan |
| Hear it before you buy | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyThe site embeds switchable recorded demo scenarios and a 'Talk to Bea' widget | AiraNot stated |
| What it connects to | ||
| Google Calendar | Bea by Be ConnectNot stated | AiraYesGoogle Calendar, Outlook and Calendly are all named for booking |
| Outlook | Bea by Be ConnectNot stated | AiraYesGoogle Calendar, Outlook and Calendly are all named for booking |
| Calendly | Bea by Be ConnectNot stated | AiraYesGoogle Calendar, Outlook and Calendly are all named for booking |
| Your trade’s software | Bea by Be ConnectPartlyThe only named third-party business system is Xero accounting on the Pro plan | AiraPartlyField service and legal software are covered |
| Keep your number | Bea by Be ConnectYesYou keep your existing business number and forward it to Bea | AiraYesYou keep your existing business number and forward calls to Aira |
| In short | ||
| What it is | Bea by Be ConnectBea is an AI phone receptionist sold to New Zealand and Australian small businesses by telco Be Connect. It answers inbound calls around the clock, captures caller details, books appointments and transfers calls under rules the business configures.All answers for Bea by Be Connect | AiraAira is an AI phone answering service for small service businesses that answers calls 24/7, captures caller details, books appointments and routes or transfers callers. It is sold in four per-call plans alongside the vendor's other business agents.All answers for Aira |
| Checked | Bea by Be ConnectOctober 14, 2026 | AiraOctober 14, 2026 |
Costs are for 100 or 500 calls a month of 2½ minutes each, on the cheapest public plan. How we price
“About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of Oct 15, 2026.