Apps That Contact Businesses for You: An Honest Comparison

Looking for an app that calls businesses for you? Two consumer tools fit: Google Search for some US price checks, and Reqly for most other questions in the US and Canada.

Fastest way:

1. Place books online or has chat? Use that first.
2. US price check? Search the service, tap Have AI check pricing.
3. Anything else, or in Canada? Ask in the Reqly app.
4. Own a business? You want an AI receptionist instead.

Reqly publishes this guide, so weigh our take accordingly. We’ve linked sources for every claim about other products.

Before any app: does the place have a booking page, its own app or a chat button? Use that. It’s usually fastest, and you get a confirmation straight from them.

Which one should you use?

• Google’s “Have AI check pricing” if you’re in the US and need a price for a supported service
• Reqly for any other question, most local places, or if you’re in Canada
• An AI receptionist only if you’re the business owner

1. US price check: use Google’s version

1. Search for a service near you, like oil change near me.
2. If you see Have AI check pricing, tap it.
3. Fill in what you need and when, then tap Submit.

It’s US only, in English, for signed-in users 18 and over (Google Search Help). Google contacts nearby shops and sends you the prices and availability. Paid Google AI plans get higher limits (TechCrunch).

Google is adding categories like home repair, beauty and pet care. No button on your search? That category probably isn’t covered yet.

2. Anything else, or in Canada: use Reqly

Reqly asks the place your question for you and texts you back the live answer. Using it takes three steps:

1. Share a place to Reqly from Apple Maps, Google Maps or Yelp, or type your question.
2. Ask about hours, walk-ins, prices, appointments, reservations or a custom order.
3. Get the answer by text.

Here’s what that looks like:

It’s free on iPhone and Chrome, in the US and Canada. It can ask several places at once, and retries later if a place isn’t available. It’s not for emergencies.

What to look for in an app that calls for you

• Coverage: which businesses, which kinds of questions, and which countries.
• Cost: free, free with limits, or a paid plan.
• Privacy: what it needs from you, and whether it shows ads or sells data.
• How answers come back: text, email or in-app, and what happens if nobody’s available.

Side-by-side comparison

Google is also testing Gemini calls for Pixel 11 owners with a paid plan (TechCrunch).

Features change often, so check each tool’s current details.

3. Business owners: AI receptionists are a different product

Search “AI phone assistant” and most results are AI receptionists. A business buys one so a bot answers its own phone. If the page says “never miss a lead,” it’s a business tool, not a tool for customers.

If calls feel stressful in general, see our guide on being scared to make phone calls. To message a place directly, see whether you can text a business.