IVR or an AI receptionist: which should your office use?
An IVR plays a recorded menu ("press 1 for sales") and sends the caller to a person or a department. An AI receptionist talks: the caller says what they want, in Hindi or English, and it answers from your details, books a visit or takes a message. An IVR suits an office with staff free to take the calls it routes; an AI receptionist suits an office where nobody is free to pick up. Damaruka starts at ₹1,999 a month plus GST.
Providers' prices read from their own pages on 17 October 2026. They change; the sources are at the end.
An IVR and Damaruka, side by side
- Answers by itself
- A classic IVRYesDamarukaYes
- How it understands the caller
- A classic IVRKeys pressed, or choices from a spoken menuDamarukaWhatever the caller says, in Hindi, English or both
- Puts the caller through to a person
- A classic IVRYes: menus, departments, office hoursDamarukaNot yet
- Answers a question from your details
- A classic IVRNot in the base plans the providers listDamarukaYes, from your website and the answers you add
- Books a visit during the call
- A classic IVRNot in the base plans the providers listDamarukaYes, into Google Calendar
- Takes a message
- A classic IVRMissed call services at Exotel; not named on MyOperator's IVR pageDamarukaYes, with a summary in your app
- Call centre tools
- A classic IVRYes: many agents and numbers, recordings, dashboards, dialers, WhatsApp and SMS campaignsDamarukaNo
- Entry price
- A classic IVRExotel ₹9,999 for five months; MyOperator ₹5,000 a month billed yearly; Acefone about ₹9,594 a month at its six seat minimumDamaruka₹1,999 a month plus GST, 250 minutes
| Detail | A classic IVR | Damaruka |
|---|---|---|
| Answers by itself | Yes | Yes |
| How it understands the caller | Keys pressed, or choices from a spoken menu | Whatever the caller says, in Hindi, English or both |
| Puts the caller through to a person | Yes: menus, departments, office hours | Not yet |
| Answers a question from your details | Not in the base plans the providers list | Yes, from your website and the answers you add |
| Books a visit during the call | Not in the base plans the providers list | Yes, into Google Calendar |
| Takes a message | Missed call services at Exotel; not named on MyOperator's IVR page | Yes, with a summary in your app |
| Call centre tools | Yes: many agents and numbers, recordings, dashboards, dialers, WhatsApp and SMS campaigns | No |
| Entry price | Exotel ₹9,999 for five months; MyOperator ₹5,000 a month billed yearly; Acefone about ₹9,594 a month at its six seat minimum | ₹1,999 a month plus GST, 250 minutes |
What IVR plans cost in India
The published plans of three large providers. Each also sells AI voice agents, through sales only, with no price on its pages.
- Exotel
- PlanDabblerPrice₹9,999 for 5 monthsWhat it includes₹5,000 of call credit, 1 number, 3 agents, multi level IVR
- Exotel
- PlanBelieverPrice₹19,999 for 11 monthsWhat it includes₹9,500 of call credit, 2 numbers, 6 agents
- MyOperator
- PlanSedanPrice₹5,000 a month, billed yearly (₹60,000), plus GSTWhat it includesIVR, 10 users, call recording
- MyOperator
- PlanSUVPrice₹15,000 a month, billed yearly, plus GSTWhat it includesSmart IVR and routing, CRM and integrations
- Acefone
- PlanProfessionalPrice₹1,599 a user a month, at least 6 usersWhat it includesUnlimited calls within India, 1 number
| Detail | Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exotel | Dabbler | ₹9,999 for 5 months | ₹5,000 of call credit, 1 number, 3 agents, multi level IVR |
| Exotel | Believer | ₹19,999 for 11 months | ₹9,500 of call credit, 2 numbers, 6 agents |
| MyOperator | Sedan | ₹5,000 a month, billed yearly (₹60,000), plus GST | IVR, 10 users, call recording |
| MyOperator | SUV | ₹15,000 a month, billed yearly, plus GST | Smart IVR and routing, CRM and integrations |
| Acefone | Professional | ₹1,599 a user a month, at least 6 users | Unlimited calls within India, 1 number |
Exotel's plan price is call credit plus rental; whether its and Acefone's prices include GST is not stated on their pages. Knowlarity, Ozonetel, Tata Smartflo and Callerdesk had no price we could read.
Where an IVR is better
Where an IVR is better
- It puts callers through to people: departments, agents, a toll free line, a whole team. Damaruka does not transfer calls yet.
- It comes with call centre tools: many agents and numbers, recordings, dashboards, dialers, WhatsApp and SMS campaigns.
- A recorded menu says exactly the same words every time; nothing is generated.
- If you already run one of these providers, you can add their AI voice agents without changing provider.
What an IVR does not do
- Understand a caller who says what they want instead of pressing a key.
- Answer a question from your own details: your fees, your timings, your projects.
- Book a visit or take a message in the same call.
Sources
- 1MyOperator, IVR, read 17 October 2026
- 2MyOperator, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 3Exotel, business phone system pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 4Exotel, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 5Acefone, pricing (India), read 17 October 2026