At a glance
| Criterion | Onoff (business use) | AI voice agent (Alyas) |
|---|---|---|
| Problem solved | Separating business and personal calls on a single phone | Getting the calls you can’t take answered |
| Number | National mobile number in the app, porting of an existing number possible | Keeps your number: receives the calls your line forwards to it |
| When you don’t pick up | Customisable voicemail; message transcription on iOS with Premium | The AI holds a conversation, answers questions and takes down contact details |
| Availability | On/Off mode switched manually, can be scheduled with Premium | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Forwarding | To another number, all calls or only missed calls; listed in the basic plan on the Offers page, but linked to Premium on the Features page | Transfer to a single number, at the caller’s request |
| SMS | SMS and MMS; scheduled sending with Premium | No |
| Appointments | Not mentioned in the plans reviewed | Google Calendar or Cal.com |
| Displayed price (as of 1 October 2026) | France number: €7.19 per month paid monthly, or €58.99 per year (€4.92 per month) paid annually; Premium option on top (€4.99 per month paid monthly, €2.99 per month paid annually); no indication of whether VAT is included or excluded; prices differ by country | Monthly subscription with included minutes (see the Pricing page), 10-day trial with no card |
What Onoff offers a self-employed professional
With Onoff, your business number lives in an app alongside your personal number. The Offers page lists a national mobile number, an allowance of national call minutes and SMS/MMS, visual voicemail, a “Do not disturb” mode, call forwarding and a withheld number. Onoff Telecom presents itself as an operator recognised by the Arcep, the French telecoms regulator.
The Premium option, which Onoff promotes for professionals, adds the web app, use on several devices, scheduling of On/Off hours, internet calls, “Onoff Calls” (calls made over GSM when the internet connection is not optimal), voicemail transcription on iOS, a greeting message in several languages, an AI anti-spam box and note-taking during calls.
What a second number does not solve
A dedicated number does not add anyone to pick up. On a job site, in a meeting or behind the wheel, the call rings on the same phone as usual; if nobody takes it, it goes to voicemail. A customer who does not want to leave a message calls back later or calls someone else.
Alyas takes these calls for you. It announces that it is an AI and that the call is recorded, answers from what you have given it (website, text, PDF), takes down the name, number and request, offers a time slot if your Google Calendar or Cal.com is connected, and sends you a transcript and a summary. It does not send SMS and does not make outbound calls: callbacks remain up to you.
Making the two work together
Onoff’s help centre states that forwarding is set from the mobile app, to the number of your choice, with two modes: forward all calls or only missed calls. The second mode matches the use described here: you pick up when you can, and the calls you let go would be forwarded to Alyas instead of ending up in voicemail.
The first mode can be useful during a day on site or while you are on holiday, when all call answering is handed over to the agent. Before choosing, check two points with Onoff: whether forwarding requires the Premium option (the Offers page lists it in the basic plan, the Features page links it to Premium) and whether forwarded calls are deducted from your plan.
And for a team: Onoff Business
Onoff Business is the offer aimed at companies: one licence per business number, an admin interface to assign numbers, mobile and web apps, an interactive voice response system called Greetings, team statistics, an AI call quality score and CRM integrations. This is a team telephony tool, to be compared with cloud phone systems; Alyas can be added to it in the same way, if forwarding to an external number is available.
Our verdict
For a tradesperson or self-employed professional who mainly wants to separate work and personal life, a second number like Onoff’s is the right tool. If they miss calls because their hands are full, the number alone is not enough: Alyas provides an AI agent that answers, gives information and books appointments. The two can also be combined, by forwarding only the missed calls from the Onoff number to Alyas.
Frequently asked questions
What does Onoff offer professionals?
For individual use, Onoff promotes its Premium option (web app, several devices, scheduled hours, voicemail transcription on iOS). For teams, Onoff Business provides numbers per employee, an IVR, statistics and CRM integrations.
Can you forward only the missed calls from an Onoff number to Alyas?
Onoff’s help centre describes a forwarding mode limited to missed calls, set from the mobile app to the number of your choice. Check with Onoff whether forwarding requires the Premium option, which its Features page mentions next to this function, and whether these forwarded calls use up minutes from your plan.
Does Alyas replace a second number?
No. Alyas does not give you a line to make calls or a phone app: it answers the calls forwarded to it. If you want to separate work and personal calls, you still need a dedicated number.