Nova by Nelvox vs fonio.ai
The short answer
- fonio.ai costs least: €119 (about $133) a month for 100 calls and €164 (about $184) for 500.
- Pick fonio.ai if you want the lower bill.
 Nova by Nelvoxbilingual Canadian small businesses that miss calls during rush or after hoursVisit site |  fonio.aiEuropean small businesses and practices wanting every call answered in their languageVisit site | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| At 100 calls a month | Nova by NelvoxCA$199about $140 | fonio.ai€119about $133Lowest |
| At 500 calls a month | Nova by NelvoxCA$369about $260 | fonio.ai€164about $184Lowest |
| Advertised from | Nova by NelvoxCA$199 (about $140) a monthabout $140 | fonio.ai€119 (about $133) a monthabout $133 |
| The advertised plan covers | Nova by NelvoxThe CA$199 (about $140) plan covers all 100 calls. | fonio.aiThe €119 (about $133) plan covers all 100 calls. |
| Bills | Nova by Nelvoxper minute | fonio.aiper minute |
| Keeps answering past your allowance | Nova by NelvoxYesCalls keep being answered past the allowance | fonio.aiPartlyPast the included minutes the vendor auto-adds 100-minute packages at a published price |
| Free trial or plan | Nova by NelvoxNoThere is no free plan or trial on your own line | fonio.aiPartlyThere is a 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Month to month, cancel online | Nova by NelvoxYesAll three plans are month to month with no minimum term, cancellable whenever you want | fonio.aiPartlyPlans are quoted per month with a cheaper yearly billing option |
| On the call | ||
| Books appointments | Nova by NelvoxYesNova books during the call per the business's own rules | fonio.aiYesThe assistant checks real availability in a connected Google or Microsoft calendar |
| Transfers to a person | Nova by NelvoxYesNova transfers callers to the designated person and briefs them | fonio.aiPartlyTransfers are blind by default, handed straight to a number, SIP URI or team member |
| Human receptionists as backup | Nova by NelvoxNoThe humans behind a failed call are your own team, not Nelvox agents | fonio.aiNoThere is no staffed answering service behind the AI |
| After-hours rules | Nova by NelvoxYesNova answers 24/7/365 and the forwarding rule itself can differ by time | fonio.aiYesBusiness hours are stored for the company and each transfer |
| Urgent calls escalated | Nova by NelvoxYesNova listens for emergency keywords | fonio.aiPartlyThe vendor says the assistant recognizes urgent medical requests and flags them |
| Texts your callers | Nova by NelvoxPartlyNova texts the caller automatically to confirm an order or booking | fonio.aiPartlyThe assistant can text the caller or your team before, during or after a call |
| Call summary by text | Nova by NelvoxYesThe business owner gets the call's details by SMS (or email) | fonio.aiPartlyA call summary is produced after every conversation and shown in the app |
| Language, privacy and trying it | ||
| Languages | Nova by NelvoxPartlyEnglish and French | fonio.aiYes60+ languages |
| HIPAA, with a signed BAA | Nova by NelvoxNot stated | fonio.aiNot stated |
| Hear it before you buy | Nova by NelvoxYesTwo live demo numbers are published: a general Nova line and a restaurant demo | fonio.aiYesThe vendor offers a test call where the AI phones a number you enter |
| What it connects to | ||
| Google Calendar | Nova by NelvoxNot stated | fonio.aiYesGoogle Calendar, Microsoft Outlook through a connected Microsoft account, Calendly |
| Outlook | Nova by NelvoxNot stated | fonio.aiYesGoogle Calendar, Microsoft Outlook through a connected Microsoft account, Calendly |
| Calendly | Nova by NelvoxNot stated | fonio.aiYesGoogle Calendar, Microsoft Outlook through a connected Microsoft account, Calendly |
| Your trade’s software | Nova by NelvoxPartlyNelvox says scheduling and EMR compatibility varies by system | fonio.aiPartlyServiceTitan is documented for trades and TheFork for restaurants |
| Keep your number | Nova by NelvoxYesYou keep your existing number and forward it to the dedicated Nova number | fonio.aiYesThe standard setup keeps your existing business number and forwards it to a fonio number |
| In short | ||
| What it is | Nova by NelvoxNova is Nelvox's AI phone receptionist for Canadian small businesses, answering calls in French or English around the clock. Nelvox configures it for each business, takes orders, bookings and messages, and transfers calls that need a person.All answers for Nova by Nelvox | fonio.aifonio.ai is a European AI phone assistant that answers a business's incoming calls around the clock, books appointments in a connected calendar and passes caller details into CRMs and spreadsheets. It is sold self-serve in per-minute plans, with GDPR terms and EU hosting.All answers for fonio.ai |
| Checked | Nova by NelvoxOctober 15, 2026 | fonio.aiOctober 15, 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.