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NextPhone vs CloudBay: Which Turns More Calls Into Jobs
We make CloudBay, so we're one side of this comparison. We aren't affiliated with NextPhone. Every NextPhone fact below links to NextPhone's own pages so you can check it.
Quick answer
A flat phone rate, or a front desk someone runs
NextPhone is a flat-rate AI receptionist. It starts at $199 a month with unlimited inbound calls. They list no setup fee on any plan. On Pro, that is because you set it up yourself. On Growth and Scale, their team does the build. CloudBay is an AI-powered growth partner for local businesses. AI Front Desk starts at $197 a month. We do a professional intake and setup on every plan, we can book appointments during the call into the system you already use, and Front Desk can answer in multiple languages. The same team can also run your website and how you show up on Google Maps.
If you are buying first for a legal CRM writeback such as Clio or MyCase, or the phone is already ringing more than you can answer and a flat unlimited phone-only rate is the whole job, NextPhone is built for that lane. If you want a front desk researched, set up, and run for you, with booking and languages configured as part of that setup, CloudBay is the better pick.
Pick NextPhone
If a legal CRM writeback such as Clio or MyCase is the main reason you are shopping, or the phone is the only job and a flat unlimited rate at high volume is what you came for.
Pick CloudBay
If you want professional setup and a managed front desk on every plan, in-call booking into the system you already use, languages configured for you, the website and Maps listing handled as fixed-price modules, or a HIPAA add-on with the agreements in place before go-live.
At a glance
NextPhone vs CloudBay at a glance
NextPhone
- Starting monthly price
- $199/mo on Pro, unlimited inbound calls
- Who sets it up
- You, on Pro. Their team, on Growth ($299) and Scale ($599)
- Setup fee
- None on Pro, Growth, or Scale. On Pro, you do it yourself. On Growth and Scale, their team builds it and they still list no setup fee.
- Calls past the plan
- No overage on inbound calls
- Time to go live
- About 5 minutes if you set it up yourself on Pro, or a few days when their team builds it
- What the phone product does
- Answers 24/7, takes intake, can book into your calendar, transfers to your team
- Calendar booking during the call
- Yes, on their published list: Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Cal.com, OnceHub
- Languages
- NextPhone publishes 14 languages and 30 voices
- Healthcare
- NextPhone's security page says they do not sign BAAs and do not allow protected health information
- Website
- Not offered
- Google Maps and local search
- Not offered
- Trial or guarantee
- 7-day free trial, month-to-month, no cancellation fees
CloudBay
- Starting monthly price
- $197/mo on Front Desk Starter, 100 calls included
- Who sets it up
- Our team, on every plan. Professional intake and setup is what the setup fee pays for
- Setup fee
- One month of your Front Desk plan, one time. That is our professional, industry-researched intake and setup
- Calls past the plan
- $1.43 per extra call
- Time to go live
- 5 to 10 business days. We do the intake, build, and testing
- What the phone product does
- Answers 24/7, texts back missed callers, can book during the call into the system you already use, can answer in multiple languages, and hands the call to you when a person is needed
- Calendar booking during the call
- Yes. We connect Front Desk to the booking system you already use, depending on your system: the HighLevel calendar, Google, Outlook, Calendly, or an industry tool like Jobber or a practice-management or therapy scheduler. We set this up for you
- Languages
- Yes. Front Desk can answer in multiple languages. We configure the language during setup, including a single agent that can handle English and Spanish
- Healthcare
- HIPAA add-on $98/mo, with the required agreements in place before a healthcare line goes live
- Website
- Build from $1,250, then Care from $98/mo
- Google Maps and local search
- Local Presence at $269/mo
- Trial or guarantee
- 30-day money-back guarantee, month-to-month
| Compared | NextPhone | CloudBay |
|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly price | $199/mo on Pro, unlimited inbound calls | $197/mo on Front Desk Starter, 100 calls included |
| Who sets it up | You, on Pro. Their team, on Growth ($299) and Scale ($599) | Our team, on every plan. Professional intake and setup is what the setup fee pays for |
| Setup fee | None on Pro, Growth, or Scale. On Pro, you do it yourself. On Growth and Scale, their team builds it and they still list no setup fee. | One month of your Front Desk plan, one time. That is our professional, industry-researched intake and setup |
| Calls past the plan | No overage on inbound calls | $1.43 per extra call |
| Time to go live | About 5 minutes if you set it up yourself on Pro, or a few days when their team builds it | 5 to 10 business days. We do the intake, build, and testing |
| What the phone product does | Answers 24/7, takes intake, can book into your calendar, transfers to your team | Answers 24/7, texts back missed callers, can book during the call into the system you already use, can answer in multiple languages, and hands the call to you when a person is needed |
| Calendar booking during the call | Yes, on their published list: Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Cal.com, OnceHub | Yes. We connect Front Desk to the booking system you already use, depending on your system: the HighLevel calendar, Google, Outlook, Calendly, or an industry tool like Jobber or a practice-management or therapy scheduler. We set this up for you |
| Languages | NextPhone publishes 14 languages and 30 voices | Yes. Front Desk can answer in multiple languages. We configure the language during setup, including a single agent that can handle English and Spanish |
| Healthcare | NextPhone's security page says they do not sign BAAs and do not allow protected health information | HIPAA add-on $98/mo, with the required agreements in place before a healthcare line goes live |
| Website | Not offered | Build from $1,250, then Care from $98/mo |
| Google Maps and local search | Not offered | Local Presence at $269/mo |
| Trial or guarantee | 7-day free trial, month-to-month, no cancellation fees | 30-day money-back guarantee, month-to-month |
Full plan details stay on NextPhone's pricing page and CloudBay's pricing page.
Your volume
How the price compares at your call volume
Both companies publish their prices, so you can do this with last month's call log from your phone carrier. The monthly rates below use each company's own published figures.
NextPhone Pro
- 100 calls
- $199, unlimited
- 200 calls
- $199
- 400 calls
- $199
CloudBay AI Front Desk
- 100 calls
- $197 on Starter, plus our one-time professional setup
- 200 calls
- $340 on Starter ($197 + 100 calls at $1.43), or $485 on Growth for 400 calls
- 400 calls
- $485 on Growth
| Inbound calls in a month | NextPhone Pro | CloudBay AI Front Desk |
|---|---|---|
| 100 calls | $199, unlimited | $197 on Starter, plus our one-time professional setup |
| 200 calls | $199 | $340 on Starter ($197 + 100 calls at $1.43), or $485 on Growth for 400 calls |
| 400 calls | $199 | $485 on Growth |
On phone-only math, once your volume is well above 100 calls a month, NextPhone's unlimited rate costs less. That is real. It is also not the whole decision.
At 100 calls, the monthly prices are almost the same. The difference is what you are buying. NextPhone Pro's $199 has no setup fee because you set it up yourself. CloudBay's one-time setup fee, equal to one month of your plan, is the professional, industry-researched intake and setup: we learn how your shop runs, we build the agent, and we go live with you. After that first month, a 100-call shop is comparing two bills that sit $2 apart.
If you want it built for you at around 100 calls, CloudBay Starter at $197 a month is less than NextPhone Growth at $299, which is the first NextPhone plan where their team does the build. If you also need a website or help showing up on Google Maps, NextPhone has no product for that. Those are separate fixed-price modules at CloudBay, from the same team.
Run your own numbers.Pull last month's inbound count, price it on both pricing pages, then look at where those calls came from. If the website or the Maps listing is quiet, the missed-call calculator is a clearer way to see what unanswered demand is worth than comparing phone bills alone.
NextPhone
NextPhone
Best for businesses that already have a steady stream of calls, want every one answered at one flat price, and are buying first for a legal CRM writeback such as Clio or MyCase.
- How it bills: one flat monthly rate, unlimited inbound calls, no per-minute charges, no overage. They list no setup fee on any plan. On Pro, that is because you set it up yourself. Pay yearly and they say you save about 17% (Pro $1,990 a year, Growth $2,990, Scale $5,990).
- Published price: Pro is $199/mo. You set it up yourself, in about 5 minutes. Growth is $299/mo. Their team builds, tests and tunes it. Live in days. Their homepage says this plan updates your CRM, including HubSpot and Clio. Scale is $599/mo. Custom call flows and routing, plus 2-way texting and outbound from your business number. Enterprise is custom, for multiple locations and custom setups.
- Worth knowing (from NextPhone's own pages): a 7-day free trial, month-to-month with no cancellation fees, and a free 30-minute onboarding call. It says it books into Google and Outlook calendars and tools like Calendly, Acuity, Cal.com and OnceHub, works in 14 languages with 30 voices, labels spam, transfers calls to your team, and offers an iOS app on every plan. You can forward your existing number or get a new one. Their security page says they do not sign Business Associate Agreements and do not allow NextPhone to be used for protected health information.
CloudBay
CloudBay AI Front Desk (that's us)
Best for local service businesses that want an AI front desk run for them, by a team that can also handle the website and the Maps listing.
- How it bills: a set number of calls on every plan, with a published price for each call past it.
- Published price: Starter is $197/mo for 100 calls, $197 one-time setup. Growth is $485/mo for 400 calls, $485 one-time setup. Scale is $989/mo for 1,000 calls, $989 one-time setup. Each call past your plan is $1.43. The setup fee is one month of your plan.
- What it does: answers calls day and night, texts back people you missed, can book appointments during the call into the system you already use, can answer in multiple languages, and hands the call to you when a person is needed. You see each lead in your dashboard.
- Booking: we connect Front Desk to the booking system you already use, depending on your system. That can be the HighLevel calendar, Google, Outlook, Calendly, or an industry tool like Jobber or a practice-management or therapy scheduler. We set this up for you.
- Languages: Front Desk can answer in multiple languages. We configure the language during setup, including a single agent that can handle English and Spanish.
- Who does the work: we do a professional intake and setup on every plan, and we update it when your hours, services or prices change. The one-time setup fee is one month of your plan, and that is the work, not an extra tax. Live in 5 to 10 business days, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Healthcare: clinics, therapists and chiropractors can add HIPAA-ready infrastructure for $98/mo. We put the required agreements in place before a healthcare line goes live.
- Also from the same team: Website + Hosting starts at $1,250 to build, then Care from $98 a month. Local Presenceis $269 a month for map-rank and review tracking. You can add them; you don't have to.
When NextPhone fits
When NextPhone is the better call
We'd rather tell you this than have you feel talked past.
Legal CRM writeback
You are buying first for a legal CRM writeback, such as Clio or MyCase. NextPhone lists those integrations. That is their lane, not the reason we built CloudBay.
A flat unlimited phone bill
The phone is already ringing more than you can answer, your marketing is already handled, and a flat unlimited phone-only bill is the whole job. On phone-only math at high volume, their unlimited rate can cost less.
When CloudBay fits
When CloudBay is the better call
Professional setup on every plan
You want a professional intake and setup, not a builder you configure yourself. Our setup fee is that work, on every plan, not only after you move up a tier.
Booking into the system you use
You want appointments booked during the call into the system you already use. Say a plumber in Tucson already books jobs in Jobber, or a therapy practice already runs on its own scheduler: we connect Front Desk to that system where we can, and we tell you plainly if we cannot.
More than one language
You need the line answered in more than one language. We configure that during setup, including a single agent that can handle English and Spanish.
Website and Maps, too
Missed calls are one leak, and you also want the website and the Google Maps listing fixed, each as a fixed-price module from the same team.
Healthcare agreements before go-live
You run a healthcare, therapy or chiropractic practice and need a HIPAA add-on with the agreements in place before go-live. NextPhone's security page says they do not sign BAAs and do not allow protected health information.
Text-back and a 30-day guarantee
You want missed callers texted back, a clear dashboard, and a 30-day money-back guarantee after you're live, not only a short trial before launch.
The phone is part of getting found
You want a partner that treats the phone as part of getting you found and getting the work booked, not as the only product in the bag.
Before you sign
Three questions before you sign anything
How many calls did you get last month, and where did they come from?
Your carrier's log has the count. If most of them came from Google or your website, check those too.
Who changes the agent when your hours or prices change?
You, in a dashboard, or a team that does it for you on every plan.
Is the phone the only leak?
An unlimited line is a good way to answer the calls you already get. It does not fix a site that doesn't earn the call, or a Maps listing that hasn't been tended.
Questions
Straight answers
Is CloudBay a NextPhone alternative?
Yes. Both products answer business calls with AI and can book during the call. NextPhone is a flat-rate phone agent with a 7-day trial. CloudBay is a managed front desk, starting at $197 a month, with professional setup on every plan, booking into the system you already use, and languages configured for you. The same team can also handle your website and Google Maps listing. If you searched for a NextPhone alternative because you want more booked work, not only a cheaper way to cover the line, start with CloudBay.
Is NextPhone cheaper than CloudBay?
On phone-only math at higher call volume, usually yes: NextPhone Pro is $199 a month with unlimited inbound calls. CloudBay Front Desk starts at $197 a month for 100 calls, plus a one-time professional setup fee equal to one month of your plan, and $1.43 for each call past the plan. At 100 calls the monthly prices are almost the same. NextPhone Pro has no setup fee because you set it up yourself. CloudBay's setup fee is the intake and build we do for you. CloudBay is the better buy when you want that setup done, you also want the website or Maps listing handled, or you need the HIPAA add-on.
Does CloudBay book appointments during the call?
Yes. We connect Front Desk to the booking system you already use, depending on your system. That can be the HighLevel calendar, Google, Outlook, Calendly, or an industry tool like Jobber or a practice-management or therapy scheduler. We set this up for you. NextPhone's pricing page says it books into Google and Outlook calendars and into Calendly, Acuity, Cal.com and OnceHub, and can text the caller a confirmation.
Can Front Desk answer in more than one language?
Yes. Front Desk can answer in multiple languages. We configure the language during setup, including a single agent that can handle English and Spanish. We do not publish an exact language count. NextPhone publishes 14 languages and 30 voices on its pricing page.
Does NextPhone work for healthcare practices?
NextPhone's security page says they do not sign Business Associate Agreements and their terms do not allow NextPhone to be used for protected health information. CloudBay offers a HIPAA add-on for $98 a month, with the required agreements in place before a healthcare line goes live.
Does NextPhone set it up for me?
On Growth ($299/mo) and Scale ($599/mo), their pricing page says their team builds, tests and tunes the agent, and those plans list no setup fee too. On Pro, there is no setup fee because you set it up yourself. CloudBay does a professional intake and setup on every plan. That is what the one-time setup fee pays for, and we keep it current after launch.
Can I keep my business phone number?
With CloudBay, yes. We usually move your number to our phone system so everything stays in one place, or we can forward your calls instead. Nothing changes until you've heard it work on test calls and said OK. NextPhone says you can forward your existing line or get a new number.
Do spam calls count?
NextPhone says it labels spam and can block callers, and its comparison content says spam and wrong numbers are not billed. Ask us on a call how CloudBay handles spam on your line.
Is there a contract?
CloudBay is month-to-month with a 30-day money-back guarantee. NextPhone says it's month-to-month with no cancellation fees and a 7-day free trial.
Why does CloudBay have call limits if NextPhone is unlimited?
So every CloudBay plan has a known monthly price and a published rate for each call past it. If you grow, you can move up a plan. Full details are on our pricing page. Unlimited answering is a good fit when the only job is covering a line that's already busy. Our plans are built so you can also add the website and Local Presence without turning the phone bill into a surprise.
Ready to see if CloudBay is the better NextPhone alternative for your shop?
Book a 15-minute call. Bring last month's call count. We'll show you the plan that fits, and we'll tell you honestly if a phone-only tool is enough.