Honest comparison

Conduit vs Beside: a new phone line vs keeping your number

Beside sells a business phone line with an AI receptionist built in: Beside Phone Baseline is $29/mo per business for one line and 30 AI-answered calls a month, billed immediately with no trial; Unlimited is $99/mo with no cap on AI calls (October 2026, per beside.com/phone/pricing; verified 2026-10-09). Calling and texting on the line are unlimited in the US and Canada. Check their site for current pricing.

Prices verified 2026-10-09 · source: beside.com/phone/pricing

Side by side

The same nine questions, asked of both

Beside Phone compared with Conduit, dimension by dimension
Question	Beside Phone	Conduit
Entry price and what it includes	Baseline $29/mo per business — one line, 30 AI-answered calls	Solo $79/mo — 150 minutes, 300 texts, every capability
What happens past the allowance	Move to Unlimited at $99/mo for no cap on AI calls	Message-taking; optional one-time packs; no overage billing, ever
What counts against the allowance	AI-answered calls; what counts against the 30 isn't stated on their pricing page	Only a real person talking to the assistant; spam, robocalls and hang-ups under ten seconds are refunded
Books into your calendar	Books appointment requests into your calendar (calendars not named on their pricing page)	Every plan — two-way Google Calendar, capacity-aware, no double-booking
Texting	Unlimited US and Canada texting on the line	Confirmations, reminders, missed-call text-back, mid-call links — once carrier registration clears (we file and chase it)
Emergency path	Not stated on their pricing page	Puts the caller through to you, then texts each emergency contact in turn until someone opens the alert
Disclosure	Not stated on their pricing page	Every call opens with the AI-and-recording sentence; it can't be removed
Owner visibility	Not stated on their pricing page	Every recording and transcript in Calls; one briefing every morning; every lead written down
Trial / guarantee	Baseline bills immediately, no trial; Unlimited is 7 days free with a payment method; no guarantee stated	No trial; free setup; 30-day money-back on the first payment

Entry price and what it includes: Beside Phone: Baseline $29/mo per business — one line, 30 AI-answered calls; Conduit: Solo $79/mo — 150 minutes, 300 texts, every capability
What happens past the allowance: Beside Phone: Move to Unlimited at $99/mo for no cap on AI calls; Conduit: Message-taking; optional one-time packs; no overage billing, ever
What counts against the allowance: Beside Phone: AI-answered calls; what counts against the 30 isn't stated on their pricing page; Conduit: Only a real person talking to the assistant; spam, robocalls and hang-ups under ten seconds are refunded
Books into your calendar: Beside Phone: Books appointment requests into your calendar (calendars not named on their pricing page); Conduit: Every plan — two-way Google Calendar, capacity-aware, no double-booking
Texting: Beside Phone: Unlimited US and Canada texting on the line; Conduit: Confirmations, reminders, missed-call text-back, mid-call links — once carrier registration clears (we file and chase it)
Emergency path: Beside Phone: Not stated on their pricing page; Conduit: Puts the caller through to you, then texts each emergency contact in turn until someone opens the alert
Disclosure: Beside Phone: Not stated on their pricing page; Conduit: Every call opens with the AI-and-recording sentence; it can't be removed
Owner visibility: Beside Phone: Not stated on their pricing page; Conduit: Every recording and transcript in Calls; one briefing every morning; every lead written down
Trial / guarantee: Beside Phone: Baseline bills immediately, no trial; Unlimited is 7 days free with a payment method; no guarantee stated; Conduit: No trial; free setup; 30-day money-back on the first payment

Beside Phone pricing and features are read from their own published pages and were verified on 2026-10-09 (October 9, 2026). Plans change — check their site before deciding. Trademarks belong to their owners; named for identification only.

The honest verdict

Beside bundles a business phone line — unlimited US calling and texting — with an AI receptionist, and its $29 plan is cheaper than Conduit Solo if 30 answered calls a month is enough; its $99 plan removes the cap. Beside's receptionist books into your calendar; what Beside's pricing page doesn't state is the emergency path, the disclosure, or what counts against the 30 calls, while Conduit's rows are the same on every plan: calendar booking, text-back after registration, emergencies to a human, the morning briefing, no overage. Pick Beside if you want a new phone line and the receptionist as one bill; pick Conduit if you're keeping your number and want the front-desk work done end to end.

Compare further: every comparison · the best AI receptionists, ranked honestly · what an AI receptionist costs · Conduit pricing

Questions

Common questions

Is Beside cheaper than Conduit?

If 30 AI-answered calls a month covers you, yes — Baseline is $29 a month including the phone line (October 2026, per beside.com). Past that, Unlimited is $99. Conduit Solo is $79 for 150 minutes however many calls that is, on the number you already have.

Do I have to change my phone number?

Beside is a phone line: you port your number to it or forward to it. Conduit never takes your number — you forward your existing business number to your assistant, and you can forward every call or only the ones you miss. Either way, what's printed on your cards and your Google listing keeps working.

Can I switch from Beside to Conduit?

Yes. Your number stays yours: build your assistant free, pick a plan when you're ready, and point your call forwarding at your assistant's number. Forwarding is reversible, so switching back is pointing it back. Calls work from day one; texting switches on once carrier registration clears.

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Prices on this page verified 2026-10-09 · Trademarks belong to their owners; named for identification only.