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Bea by Be Connect vs Sona by Quo

The short answer

  • Bea by Be Connect costs least at 100 calls a month: NZ$137.50 (about $77).
  • Sona by Quo costs least at 500: $232.
  • Sona by Quo has the lowest advertised price, $25, but costs $82 at 100 calls.
  • Pick Bea by Be Connect if you want the lower bill at 100 calls.
  • Pick Sona by Quo if you want the lower bill at 500 calls or a connection to your trade’s software.
Bea by Be Connect vs Sona by Quo, compared
Bea by Be ConnectNZ and Australian trades and clinics that miss calls while workingVisit siteSona by Quosmall US and Canadian teams already wanting one phone system to answer missed callsVisit site
Cost
At 100 calls a monthBea by Be ConnectNZ$137.50about $77LowestSona by Quo$82
At 500 calls a monthBea by Be ConnectNZ$419about $235Sona by Quo$232Lowest
Advertised fromBea by Be ConnectNZ$79 (about $44) a monthabout $44Sona by QuoFree, then $25 a month
The advertised plan coversBea by Be ConnectThe NZ$79 (about $44) plan covers 40 of 100 calls.60 cost extra.Sona by QuoThe $25 plan it advertises covers 40 of 100 calls. Tier 3 costs less for all 100.
BillsBea by Be Connectper minuteSona by Quoper call
Keeps answering past your allowanceBea by Be ConnectYesCalls past the allowance keep being answeredSona by QuoYesThe vendor documents both behaviors and which is the default
Free trial or planBea by Be ConnectPartlyA seven-day free trial lets you run Bea on your existing business number before payingSona by QuoPartlyThere are two free ways in but each is bounded: a 7-day trial of everything including Sona
Month to month, cancel onlineBea by Be ConnectPartlyBilling is month to month with no annual lock-inSona by QuoYesMonth-to-month is published alongside a cheaper annual option
On the call
Books appointmentsBea by Be ConnectPartlyBooking into a connected calendar is real but needs the Business plan or aboveSona by QuoPartlySona can text a scheduling link mid-call and, with Jobber connected
Transfers to a personBea by Be ConnectPartlyTransfers to your team are included from the entry plan and rule-drivenSona by QuoPartlyTransfers to a teammate, a shared inbox or an external number are supported
Human receptionists as backupBea by Be ConnectNoNo human receptionists sit behind the AISona by QuoNot stated
After-hours rulesBea by Be ConnectYesAnswering runs round the clock including public holidaysSona by QuoYesBecause Sona is a step in Quo's call flow builder you can place it only after the business-hours branch, or on every call
Urgent calls escalatedBea by Be ConnectPartlyEmergency recognition is configurable and escalation follows your rulesSona by QuoPartlyEscalation is real but is something you author: a job instruction can detect the situation
Texts your callersBea by Be ConnectPartlyBea can send an SMS during call handling and do SMS follow-up on ProSona by QuoYesA Send SMS action texts the live caller from the same business number
Call summary by textBea by Be ConnectPartlyA written summary follows every call, but the entry plan lists summariesSona by QuoPartlySummaries and transcripts land in the Quo inbox immediately
Language, privacy and trying it
LanguagesBea by Be ConnectNot statedSona by QuoPartlyEnglish, Spanish and French
HIPAA, with a signed BAABea by Be ConnectNot statedSona by QuoPartlyA BAA is signed on both paid plans, but the vendor carves texting out of covered services
Hear it before you buyBea by Be ConnectPartlyThe site embeds switchable recorded demo scenarios and a 'Talk to Bea' widgetSona by QuoYesA public demo line is published so you can hear Sona before signing up
What it connects to
Google CalendarBea by Be ConnectNot statedSona by QuoYesQuo's own integrations directory lists CRMs, field-service and automation tools
OutlookBea by Be ConnectNot statedSona by QuoYesQuo's own integrations directory lists CRMs, field-service and automation tools
CalendlyBea by Be ConnectNot statedSona by QuoYesQuo's own integrations directory lists CRMs, field-service and automation tools
Your trade’s softwareBea by Be ConnectPartlyThe only named third-party business system is Xero accounting on the Pro planSona by QuoYesTrade systems are covered directly - Jobber
Keep your numberBea by Be ConnectYesYou keep your existing business number and forward it to BeaSona by QuoYesQuo lists basic and advanced call forwarding on both plans
In short
What it isBea 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 ConnectSona by QuoSona is the AI voice agent built into Quo (formerly OpenPhone), a business phone system, answering inbound calls day and night. It is dropped into a Quo call flow, where it answers questions, takes messages, texts callers and transfers to staff.All answers for Sona by Quo
CheckedBea by Be ConnectOctober 14, 2026Sona by QuoOctober 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.