- Upfirst includes all features on every plan, while Rosie offers unlimited calls but reserves some features for higher tiers
- Both Upfirst and Rosie are built for small businesses, offering simple, user-friendly interfaces.
- Both provide live chat support, but Upfirst adds demos and tutorials alongside a 14-day trial, while Rosie offers a straightforward 7-day trial
If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably been in the middle of a job, and the phone rings. Do you stop what you’re doing and answer? Or do you let it go to voicemail and risk losing a customer?
AI answering services like Upfirst and Rosie promise to solve this problem — handling your calls, capturing leads, and making sure you look professional even when you’re busy. Both tools are designed for small businesses, and on the surface they look very similar.
But after testing both, I found some important differences in how they price, how flexible they are, and what the actual call experience feels like.
Pricing
Upfirst and Rosie take very different approaches to pricing.
- Upfirst starts at $24.95/month for 30 calls. Every plan includes the full feature set — call transfers, appointment scheduling, texting, spam blocking, and more. Extra calls are charged at a per-call rate, which means you only pay more if you grow.
- Rosie starts at $49/month with unlimited calls. That’s simple and predictable if you’re high-volume, but some essential features — like appointment links, transfers, and texting — don’t unlock until the $149/month Scale plan.
If you just need message-taking for lots of calls, Rosie may feel like better value. If you want advanced tools without upgrading, Upfirst’s structure is more transparent.
Notifications
Both services will notify you when a call comes in. But the difference is in control.
- Upfirst lets you set conditional notifications: text Joe only for emergencies, email Amy only when it’s a qualified lead.
- Rosie keeps things simpler: every notification goes to everyone you’ve added.
If your team has multiple roles, conditional notifications can cut down on noise. If you prefer “set it and forget it,” Rosie’s approach may suit you.
Scheduling
Scheduling is another area where the two diverge.
- Upfirst integrates directly with Google Calendar, Outlook, and others. That means the AI can suggest real-time availability during calls. It can also send scheduling links.
- Rosie can text a scheduling link, but it doesn’t know your actual calendar.
If you book lots of appointments, Upfirst’s integration saves time. If you’re fine with sending links, Rosie does the job.
Voice and call experience
How the AI actually sounds matters.
- Upfirst gives you a wide range of voices to choose from, so you can match your business’s tone. It also has voices with British, Irish, Scottish, Spanish, and other accents which is useful for international users.
- Rosie currently offers a single standard voice, but adds a unique feature: light background ambient noise, which makes the call sound more human. Upfirst has this on its roadmap.
Language support
- Upfirst supports over 90 languages and can even translate the user interface.
- Rosie supports English and Spanish.
If you serve multilingual customers, that gap may be significant.
File support & extras
- Upfirst lets you train the AI by scanning your website. It also lets you manually add information or instructions.
- Rosie also lets you scan your site, in addition to the option to connect your Google My Business Profile. On premium plans, you can upload PDFs, which can be useful if you have a lot of information to add to the receptionist.
Resources & support
Both offer live chat support, but the self-serve experience is different.
- Upfirst: book a demo from their website, watch YouTube tutorials, or use detailed guides.
- Rosie: offers chat support, but fewer tutorials and no live demos.
Free trial
- Upfirst: 14-day trial with unlimited calls.
- Rosie: 7-day trial with unlimited calls.
Upfirst vs Rosie: Which is best?
Both Upfirst and Rosie are designed for small businesses and offer straightforward user interfaces. You really can’t go wrong with either.
- Choose Upfirst if you want feature parity across all plans, customizable notifications, multiple voices, real-time scheduling, and broad language support.
- Choose Rosie if unlimited calls are your top priority, and you like the idea of extras like PDF uploads and background call noise.
Either way, you’ll stop missing calls — and your customers will thank you.
Nick Lau is a copywriter and content lead for Upfirst.ai. A self-starter at heart, he dove into marketing in 2015 by launching an e-commerce company, selling private-labeled products on Amazon and Shopify. When he’s not crafting copy, you might spot him on a winding road trip to the coasts or through forests, in search of unexplored places.
