At a glance
| Criterion | Aircall | Alyas |
|---|---|---|
| Type of product | Cloud telephony and customer communication | AI voice agent that answers calls |
| Tool for the team that answers | Softphone on web, desktop and mobile | None, no softphone |
| Queues and call distribution | Yes, by team | No |
| Channels | Calls, SMS, WhatsApp | Calls and website chat widget |
| AI voice agent | AI Voice Agent, billed per minute | Core of the product, minutes included |
| Integrations | More than 250 (CRM, helpdesk…) | Google Calendar and Cal.com |
| Data hosting | To be checked with Aircall | European Union |
What Aircall is
Aircall presents itself as an AI-powered customer communication platform. Its foundation is a cloud telephony system: a softphone available in the browser, on desktop or on mobile, numbers in many countries, an interactive voice response (IVR) system, warm call transfer, call recording and call analytics.
The Teams feature groups users by language, role or skill and distributes calls simultaneously, at random or to whoever has been idle longest, with an adjustable queue. Calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages are brought together in the same tool, which connects to the main CRMs and helpdesks on the market.
Aircall also offers an AI voice agent
Aircall sells an AI Voice Agent that answers inbound calls, qualifies requests, routes the caller to the right person, updates the CRM, creates tickets and books appointments. Its help centre states that it is available to all customers as a standalone product, without the paid Aircall AI add-on, and billed on usage by the minute.
For a business already using Aircall, testing this built-in agent is therefore a logical step before looking for an outside solution: calls, history and CRM all stay in one place.
When Alyas is an alternative
If you are looking for an “Aircall alternative” without having a team on the phone all day, the question may be the wrong one: you do not need a call centre, you need someone to pick up. That is the case for a practice, a tradesperson or a small agency whose calls get lost during appointments or in the evening.
Alyas answers 24/7 using the information you give it (website, text, PDF), announces that it is an AI, takes contact details, offers a slot via Google Calendar or Cal.com and sends you a summary of every call. Prices are set out on the Pricing page, with a 10-day free trial, no card required.
When Alyas is a complement
A sales or support team that lives in Aircall needs its softphone, its queues and its CRM integrations: Alyas does not replace them. It can, however, take out-of-hours calls or those that go unanswered.
Aircall states that calls can be forwarded to voicemail or to another line. That is the mechanism used to hand part of your calls to an outside agent; check in your configuration which forwarding scenarios are available on your number.
Our verdict
A team that answers calls all day and works in a CRM should keep Aircall, and can try its built-in AI Voice Agent first. A small business without a receptionist, whose main aim is to stop leaving calls unanswered, will find Alyas a more direct solution.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aircall offer an AI voice agent?
Yes. Aircall offers an AI Voice Agent that answers inbound calls, qualifies and routes them, and can book appointments. According to its help centre, it is billed on usage by the minute and does not require the paid Aircall AI add-on.
Can Alyas replace Aircall for a sales team?
No. Alyas provides no softphone, no multi-agent queues and no SMS. It is designed to answer and handle calls in place of a person, not to equip a team that works on the phone.
Can Alyas be used alongside Aircall?
Yes, if your Aircall configuration allows those calls to be forwarded to another line: unanswered or out-of-hours calls are then forwarded to Alyas, which answers, takes contact details and sends a summary. Check the forwarding scenarios available on your number.