Choosing between Rosie AI and Welco comes down to one question: Do you need a basic answering service with unlimited minutes, or a complete AI receptionist platform with advanced features that grows with your business?
Rosie AI offers a straightforward call answering service with unlimited minutes on all plans starting at $49/month. It works well for high-volume businesses with simple needs—answering calls, taking messages, and handling FAQs with a human-like AI trained on your business.
Welco delivers a more comprehensive solution. Beyond answering calls, it provides structured intake forms, a visual workflow builder, native CRM integrations, and unlimited minutes on the Business plan—all designed to capture leads and convert them into customers.
This comparison breaks down exactly where each platform excels, where they fall short, and which one makes sense for your specific business needs. By the end, you’ll have a clear winner for your situation.
Before diving into the details, here’s how the two platforms stack up across the features that matter most for eliminating missed calls and capturing leads.
| Feature | RosieAI | Welco |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Public tiers | Custom quotes based on volume |
| Starting Price | $49/month | $39/month |
| Minutes Included | Unlimited (all plans) | 60 min starter, 100 min pro, unlimited business |
| Communication Channels | Voice + basic SMS notifications | Voice + two-way SMS + intake forms |
| CRM/Calendar Integration | Via Zapier ($20-70/mo extra) | Native integrations + Zapier + API access |
| Workflow Customization | Text-based prompts | Visual drag-and-drop builder (Business plan) |
| Setup Time | Minutes | Under 5 minutes |
| Free Trial | 7 days | 7 days |
Rosie AI’s unlimited minutes on all plans is a genuine advantage for high-volume businesses. However, Rosie locks essential features like appointment scheduling, call transfers, and SMS during calls behind the $149/month Scale plan. Welco includes more capabilities at lower price points and offers features Rosie doesn’t have at any price—like intake forms and visual workflow builders.
Now let’s examine each difference in detail to see which platform delivers better value for your business.
Five areas where RosieAI and Welco make different bets about what your business needs.
RosieAI’s pricing is simple: $49, $149, or $299 per month. Every plan includes unlimited calling.
The catch? Features unlock as you pay more. Want appointment scheduling? That’s $149/month. Need advanced training files? You’re looking at $299/month.
This works well if you’re getting 300+ minutes of calls monthly—that $49 unlimited plan is genuinely hard to beat. But if you only use 40 minutes a month, you’re paying for capacity you’ll never use. And if you need appointment booking but barely get calls, you’re stuck paying $149 regardless.
Welco’s pricing is personalized: They quote based on your actual call volume and needs. No public prices—you’ll need to book a consultation first.
The benefit? Pricing matches what you actually use. Low-volume businesses aren’t forced to pay a $49 minimum. High-feature needs aren’t locked behind expensive tiers. You get the features you need without being pushed into plans designed for completely different businesses.
The tradeoff? You can’t browse pricing and decide instantly. You have to talk to someone—though most businesses find the 30-minute consultation helps them understand their actual needs better anyway.
Where the cost difference shows up:
| Scenario | RosieAI | Welco |
|---|---|---|
| Low volume (40 mins/month) | $49 minimum (paying for unused capacity) | $39/month |
| Medium volume (100 mins/month) | $149 to unlock scheduling features | $99 with scheduling, integrations, multi-channel included |
| High volume (300+ mins/month) | $49 unlimited (strong value for voice-only) | $149/month with unlimited minutes |
For most businesses—especially those with moderate call volumes or multi-channel needs—custom pricing ends up delivering better value. You’re paying for what you use, not subsidizing a pricing model built for different use cases.
The real question: Do you value seeing prices upfront, or would you rather pay for what you actually use?
For more context on AI receptionist pricing models across the industry, see our guide on how much AI receptionists cost. For a detailed breakdown of RosieAI’s specific plans, check out our complete RosieAI pricing review.
Both platforms answer calls and take messages. But there’s a fundamental difference in how they capture and organize caller information—and this difference significantly impacts your team’s efficiency. This is one of the clearest differentiators between the two platforms.
Rosie AI handles calls conversationally and is trained specifically on your business. The AI learns from your website, Google Business Profile, or basic business details you provide. It captures caller information through natural dialogue and sends you message summaries via email or SMS.
What Rosie captures: Caller’s name, phone number, reason for calling, and answers to custom questions you define. You’ll get call recordings, transcripts, and summaries for every interaction.
You can set specific questions for message taking—like “What service are you interested in?” or “What’s your timeline?”—and Rosie will ask these during calls. This works well for straightforward scenarios.
The limitation: Information comes as conversational summaries. While you can define custom questions, the output format varies based on how the conversation flowed. You’re extracting structured data from text summaries rather than receiving it in a consistent, organized format.
Welco includes intake forms that collect specific fields during calls. Instead of extracting information from conversation summaries later, you get structured data—name, phone, email, insurance details, service type, preferred appointment times—organized consistently for every call.
Real example: A dental office gets a new patient call.
The practical difference: intake forms eliminate manual data extraction. Every call produces the same organized output, regardless of how the conversation flowed.
For these businesses, structured intake forms save hours of manual data entry weekly.
Winner: Welco. Intake forms are a capability Rosie simply doesn’t offer. If consistent, structured data collection matters to your business, Welco is the only choice between these two platforms.
Structured data collection is just one aspect of workflow efficiency. Let’s examine how each platform handles customization and call routing.
As your business evolves—new services, seasonal hours, holiday schedules, additional team members—your AI receptionist needs to adapt. The way each platform handles customization determines how quickly and easily you can make changes. This is another key differentiator.
Rosie AI uses a training-based approach to configure call handling. You provide your website URL, Google Business Profile, or basic business details, and Rosie learns your hours, services, and information automatically. You can then:
This approach works well for many businesses. Rosie learns from your existing content, and you refine responses based on actual call patterns. The system is intelligent and adapts to caller needs.
Consideration: There’s no visual representation of call flows. You’re configuring through settings, FAQs, and training content. When business requirements change, you update these elements and test by calling rather than seeing the logic visually before it goes live.
Welco includes a visual workflow builder where you see and modify call routing logic graphically. Instead of configuring through settings alone, you drag nodes onto a canvas and connect them to create call flows:
Why this matters: You see exactly how calls will flow before they go live. You can test changes visually. Non-technical team members can make updates without deep configuration knowledge.
You need to update after-hours routing for the holidays:
Winner: Welco. Visual workflow builders provide clarity and flexibility that training-based configuration cannot match. For businesses with complex or frequently-changing call flows, Welco adapts faster and with less guesswork.
Workflow customization handles your internal processes. But how do these platforms connect with the other tools your business already uses?
RosieAI uses custom prompts and training files to configure how calls are handled. You write out instructions in text form telling the AI how to behave, what to say, and how to route calls. Higher-tier plans ($299/month Growth plan) include training files for more complex scenarios and deeper customization.
This works well for straightforward call flows. If your needs are simple—answer calls, take messages, maybe transfer to your phone—text-based configuration gets the job done.
Welco includes a visual drag-and-drop workflow builder where you can see and modify call routing logic graphically. Instead of writing text instructions, you drag nodes onto a canvas and connect them to create call flows: “If the caller asks about pricing, say this. If they want an appointment, collect this information. If it’s after hours, do this instead.”
Why this matters:
When your business changes—new hours, seasonal services, holiday schedules, new team members—you need to update how calls are handled.
With text prompts, you’re editing instructions and hoping the AI interprets them correctly. With visual workflows, you see exactly how calls will flow, can test changes before they go live, and non-technical team members can make updates without touching code or prompts.
Practical example:
You need to update after-hours routing for the holidays:
The difference: For businesses with simple, static call flows that rarely change, text-based prompts work fine. For businesses with changing requirements, seasonal adjustments, or multiple routing scenarios, visual workflows save time and reduce errors.
RosieAI connects to external tools through Zapier, a third-party automation platform. While RosieAI advertises access to “1,000+ apps” including CRMs, calendars, and booking systems, users must create and maintain their own Zapier account separately.
This approach requires:
Higher-tier RosieAI plans offer API access for more advanced custom integrations.
Welco offers both native integrations and Zapier access, giving you the best of both worlds. Their approach includes:
Over 12 months, the difference adds up:
| Setup | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| RosieAI Scale + Zapier Professional | $149 + $19.99 (minimum) = $168.99 | ~$2,028 |
| RosieAI Scale + Zapier higher tier | $149 + $30-$70 = $179-$219 | $2,148-$2,628 |
| Welco (custom pricing) | Custom (all-inclusive, no Zapier fee) | Varies by usage and features |
Winner: Welco. Broader native integration options, more Zapier connections (8,000+ vs 1,000+), and API access provide more flexibility. However, Rosie’s built-in calendar integrations on the Scale plan work well for appointment-focused businesses.
For more on Welco’s CRM and calendar integration capabilities, see our integration guide.
With integrations covered, let’s examine support options—because even the best AI needs human backup occasionally.
When something goes wrong with your AI receptionist—or when you need help configuring complex scenarios—how quickly can you get assistance?
Rosie provides support through:
Rosie emphasizes ease of setup—train Rosie on your website or Google Business Profile in minutes, customize settings, and start forwarding calls. Many users report being live within an hour.
Welco provides multiple support channels:
Both platforms emphasize quick setup:
| Setup Aspect | Rosie AI | Welco |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated time | Minutes | Under 5 minutes |
| Auto-learning from website | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days (all features + unlimited minutes) | 7 days |
| Demo available | Not prominently advertised | Yes, free demo calls |
Winner: Tie on setup; Welco on support options. Both platforms get you started quickly. Welco’s multi-channel support (including phone) provides more flexibility for urgent issues.
Now let’s look at the specific business scenarios where each platform makes the most sense.
Rosie AI is a solid platform with genuine strengths. If these describe your situation, Rosie is likely the right choice.
Choose Rosie AI if:
Welco delivers stronger value for businesses that need more than basic call answering. If these describe your situation, Welco is the clear choice.
Choose Welco if:
Welco’s intake forms and workflow capabilities make it particularly effective for:
Both Rosie AI and Welco are capable AI receptionist platforms. The right choice depends on your specific business priorities.
| Advantage | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Unlimited minutes on all plans | High-volume businesses save significantly—$49/month for unlimited is unmatched |
| Transparent public pricing | See costs immediately without sales calls |
| Simple, effective setup | Train on your website and go live in minutes |
| Proven track record | 1.4M+ calls handled, 1,400+ businesses |
Where Welco Wins
| Advantage | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Structured intake forms | Consistent data collection—Rosie doesn’t offer this at any price |
| Visual workflow builder | See and modify call logic graphically—Rosie doesn’t offer this |
| More features at lower prices | Scheduling at $39/month vs $149/month |
| Native integrations + API | Real-time CRM sync without Zapier dependency |
| Multi-channel support | Phone support when urgent issues arise |
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited minutes at entry level | 🏆 Rosie | $49/month unlimited is unmatched |
| Starting price | 🏆 Welco | $39 vs $49 |
| Appointment scheduling access | 🏆 Welco | All plans vs $149/month |
| Data collection | 🏆 Welco | Intake forms vs messages only |
| Workflow customization | 🏆 Welco | Visual builder vs training-based |
| Integration breadth | 🏆 Welco | Native + 8,000 Zapier + API vs 1,000 Zapier |
| Pricing transparency | 🏆 Rosie | Public pricing, no consultation needed |
Choose Rosie AI if:
Choose Welco if:
For most growing businesses that need more than basic call answering—structured data capture, visual workflows, native integrations, or scheduling without premium pricing—Welco delivers more value for your investment.
This is a critical distinction many businesses overlook. Some AI receptionists can only book new appointments, while others can handle the full lifecycle—modifications, cancellations, and rescheduling.
RosieAI can handle appointment modifications through its conversational interface, though the specific capabilities depend on your Zapier integration setup and how your scheduling system’s API works.
Welco can manage appointment changes through its workflow system, accessing your calendar in real-time to show availability for rescheduling. The structured approach makes it easier to confirm what’s being changed.
Before choosing either platform, test specifically how they handle “I need to move my Tuesday appointment to Friday” scenarios—not just initial bookings.
