Key takeaways
- An AI chatbot answers typed messages on your website, WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram. An AI voice agent answers and makes phone calls.
- Choose by how customers already contact you: mostly messages, start with a chatbot; mostly phone calls and bookings, start with a voice agent.
- Both should answer only from your approved content and hand over to a person when unsure.
- Chatbots at Xura Global start from $450 and voice agents start from $1,200. Voice agents also carry call-minute costs.
- Many businesses start with one channel and add the other later, sharing the same knowledge base and CRM.
What is the difference between an AI chatbot and an AI voice agent?
An AI chatbot handles typed conversations on your website, WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram, answering questions, sharing prices and capturing leads. An AI voice agent does the same job over the phone: it answers calls in a natural voice, books appointments, takes messages and transfers callers to a person. The difference is the channel, not the intelligence.
| Comparison | AI chatbot | AI voice agent |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Website chat, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram | Inbound and outbound phone calls |
| Best for | Product questions, prices, orders, lead capture | Bookings, enquiries by phone, missed and after-hours calls |
| Customer effort | Replies whenever it suits them | Immediate answer, no typing |
| Can send | Links, PDFs, catalogues, payment links | Follow-up SMS or WhatsApp after the call |
| Hands over to | A person in the chat, with a summary | A live transfer to a team member |
| Running costs | Hosting and maintenance | Monitoring, tuning and call minutes |
When is an AI chatbot the better choice?
An AI chatbot is the better choice when most customers message you rather than call: online stores, businesses that sell through WhatsApp or Instagram, and services where people compare options before buying. It handles many conversations at once, sends links, catalogues and payment links, and captures leads around the clock.
You get the same questions every day. Prices, delivery, sizes, opening hours and stock are ideal chatbot answers.
Customers want links or documents. A chatbot can send a price list, catalogue PDF or payment link in the conversation.
Enquiries arrive out of hours. Messages sent at night get an answer and the lead is waiting for your team in the morning.
You sell online. Chatbots can take orders, share order status and recommend products.
See what our AI chatbots can do and the channels they run on.
When is an AI voice agent the better choice?
An AI voice agent is the better choice when the phone is your main sales channel: clinics, salons, trades, restaurants, property and other appointment-led businesses. It answers every call, including at night and when your team is busy, books straight into your calendar and passes urgent callers to a person, so missed calls stop turning into lost customers.
You miss calls. Calls that ring out while staff are busy, or arrive after hours, are answered instead of lost.
Bookings drive revenue. The agent books, reschedules and confirms appointments in your calendar.
Leads need a fast follow-up. Outbound calls can follow up enquiries and confirm appointments.
Your customers prefer to talk. Some customers will always call rather than type.
Read how our AI voice agents handle calls, bookings and transfers.
How much do an AI chatbot and an AI voice agent cost?
At Xura Global, AI chatbots start from $450 for a WhatsApp assistant and AI voice agents start from $1,200 for an AI receptionist. Both have a monthly cost for hosting, monitoring and tuning, and voice agents add call minutes, charged at cost. Larger multi-channel or high-volume setups are scoped and quoted separately.
The table below shows our live packages in your currency. Monthly running costs for each package are listed on the pricing page.
| Package | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Assistant | 1 channel · up to 50 FAQs · 1 language | from $450 |
| Business Assistant | WhatsApp + website + Messenger/Instagram · up to 3 languages | from $950 |
| Custom Dashboard Assistant | Unlimited channels · custom integrations · SLA support | Custom quote |
| Package | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| AI Receptionist | Inbound · 1 number · 1 language | from $1,200 |
| Sales & Support Agent | Inbound + outbound · up to 2 languages | from $2,200 |
| AI Call Centre | High volume · multi-language · SLA | Custom quote |
Can one AI assistant handle both chat and phone calls?
Yes. A chatbot and a voice agent can share the same knowledge base, so a caller and a WhatsApp customer get the same answers, and both can log leads, bookings and conversation summaries to the same CRM or spreadsheet. Many businesses start with the channel that brings the most enquiries and add the other once it's working.
How do you stop an AI assistant giving wrong answers?
Train it only on your approved content, such as FAQs, price lists, policies and product documents, so it answers from your information rather than guessing. Set it to hand over to a person when it isn't confident, keep it out of decisions it shouldn't make, and review conversation logs regularly to correct gaps.
Approved sources only. Retrieval from your own documents keeps answers on-brand and current.
Clear limits. Refunds, complaints and anything sensitive go to a person.
Human handover. Customers can ask for a person at any time, and the assistant offers one when unsure.
Review and tune. Logged conversations show where answers need improving.
What do you need to get started?
To start, you need your FAQs, price list, policies and any product or service documents; a decision on which channel or phone number to cover first; your booking calendar or CRM if the assistant will use them; the languages your customers use; and simple rules for when a conversation should go to a person.
Want to compare a ready-made option first? Our shop has pre-built chatbots that we customise in days.
Not sure which one you need?
Tell us how customers contact you today and where enquiries get lost. We'll recommend a chatbot, a voice agent or both, with a price.
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