Reception by GlossGenius vs Wakeman
The short answer
- Wakeman costs least: $149 a month for 100 calls and $641.50 for 500.
- Reception by GlossGenius has the lowest advertised price, $50, but costs $153 at 100 calls.
- Pick Reception by GlossGenius if you want booking in Google Calendar, booking in Outlook or booking in Calendly.
- Pick Wakeman if you want the lower bill.
 Reception by GlossGeniussingle-location salons and spas already running on GlossGeniusVisit site |  Wakemanplumbing, HVAC and electrical shops with 2-15 trucks that miss after-hours callsVisit site | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| At 100 calls a month | Reception by GlossGenius$153 | Wakeman$149Lowest |
| At 500 calls a month | Reception by GlossGenius$653 | Wakeman$641.50Lowest |
| Advertised from | Reception by GlossGenius$50 a month | Wakeman$149 a month |
| The advertised plan covers | Reception by GlossGeniusThe $50 plan covers 40 of 100 calls.60 cost extra. | WakemanThe $149 plan covers all 100 calls. |
| Bills | Reception by GlossGeniusper minute | Wakemanper minute |
| Keeps answering past your allowance | Reception by GlossGeniusYesCalls keep being answered past the allowance | WakemanYesPast the included minutes you pay a published per-minute rate by plan |
| Free trial or plan | Reception by GlossGeniusPartlyReception answers real client calls at no charge for every member through November 30 | WakemanPartlyYou can forward your real business line to it |
| Month to month, cancel online | Reception by GlossGeniusPartlyGlossGenius states it sells without contracts | WakemanYesMonth to month with no minimum term |
| On the call | ||
| Books appointments | Reception by GlossGeniusYesReception writes the appointment into the GlossGenius calendar during the conversation rather than texting the caller a booking link | WakemanPartlyIt can book on the call and write the job into Jobber, but booking ships switched off |
| Transfers to a person | Reception by GlossGeniusNoThere is no warm or live transfer | WakemanPartlyA caller who asks for a person a second time |
| Human receptionists as backup | Reception by GlossGeniusNoNothing it cannot resolve reaches a human agent at GlossGenius | WakemanNoNo people at Wakeman take over a call |
| After-hours rules | Reception by GlossGeniusPartlyIt answers 24/7 including evenings, weekends and holidays | WakemanYesYou set weekly business hours per day |
| Urgent calls escalated | Reception by GlossGeniusNot stated | WakemanYesSix named hazards trigger scripted safety steps |
| Texts your callers | Reception by GlossGeniusPartlyIt holds real text conversations | WakemanPartlyIt texts a caller the booking details or a follow-up after a dropped call |
| Call summary by text | Reception by GlossGeniusPartlyEach conversation shows a short summary in the Reception dashboard on web and mobile | WakemanYesThe job reaches you by text right after the call, with a dashboard Today screen as well |
| Language, privacy and trying it | ||
| Languages | Reception by GlossGeniusNot stated | WakemanNo20+ languages |
| HIPAA, with a signed BAA | Reception by GlossGeniusNoGlossGenius offers a BAA for HIPAA compliance | WakemanNot stated |
| Hear it before you buy | Reception by GlossGeniusYesA recorded sample call plays on the product page | WakemanYesThere is a public demo number you can call and role-play a customer on |
| What it connects to | ||
| Google Calendar | Reception by GlossGeniusYesNo Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly booking by Reception is documented | WakemanNoNo calendar product is connected: times come from availability you set inside Wakeman |
| Outlook | Reception by GlossGeniusYesNo Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly booking by Reception is documented | WakemanNoNo calendar product is connected: times come from availability you set inside Wakeman |
| Calendly | Reception by GlossGeniusYesNo Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly booking by Reception is documented | WakemanNoNo calendar product is connected: times come from availability you set inside Wakeman |
| Your trade’s software | Reception by GlossGeniusNot stated | WakemanPartlyJobber is supported on every plan once booking is on |
| Keep your number | Reception by GlossGeniusYesYou keep your existing business number and forward it with carrier codes | WakemanYesYou keep your existing number and switch on conditional forwarding with a short dial code |
| In short | ||
| What it is | Reception by GlossGeniusReception is an AI front desk sold as an add-on to the GlossGenius salon and spa platform. It answers calls and texts around the clock and books, reschedules or cancels appointments directly in the business's GlossGenius calendar.All answers for Reception by GlossGenius | WakemanWakeman is an AI phone receptionist for US home-services contractors that answers the calls a team misses, triages emergencies and writes the job down. It books into Jobber once the owner switches booking on.All answers for Wakeman |
| Checked | Reception by GlossGeniusOctober 15, 2026 | WakemanOctober 16, 2026 |
Costs are for 100 or 500 calls a month of 2½ minutes each, on the cheapest public plan. How we price