Who starts the call?
If another person calls your number, use receptionist mode. If you choose a destination and ask ClawCall to dial, use caller mode.
One product, both sides of the call
Need calls handled? ClawCall works both directions.
Every paid plan makes outbound calls. Unlimited Reserve Plus also answers one active reserved number as your AI receptionist. In either direction, ClawCall handles the conversation and captures the evidence.
Outbound AI callerEvery paid plan
Inbound AI receptionistReserve Plus
Both directionsConversation · transcript evidence
Choose the ClawCall mode that starts on the right side
The category distinction is direction: an AI receptionist answers inbound, while an AI caller starts outbound. ClawCall spans both with the right plan.
On a narrow screen, swipe horizontally inside the table to compare both models.
| Decision point | AI receptionist / answering service | Outbound AI caller |
|---|---|---|
| Who initiates? | A customer, lead, patient, vendor, or other contact calls the number owner. | The user or an authorized workflow chooses a destination and starts the call. |
| Whose number? | The buyer owns, forwards, or configures the number that receives calls. | The service provides an outbound calling identity; the destination belongs to the other party. |
| Primary job | Begin with a fixed recording disclosure, follow configured instructions, gather context, optionally hand off, or take a message. | Navigate a phone tree, wait on hold, ask or act, then report the result. |
| Context source | Standing business or owner instructions plus what the incoming caller says. | A per-call briefing: goal, known facts, constraints, alternatives, and fallback behavior. |
| Human handoff | On Reserve Plus, can hand the incoming caller to one configured external number. | May consult and join the user into the active outbound call when participation is needed. |
| Evidence | Captured transcript evidence and call details show what the caller asked and how the receptionist responded. | Network outcome plus captured transcript evidence shows what happened during the outbound task. |
| ClawCall mode | Unlimited Reserve Plus with one active reserved number. | Outbound AI calling on every paid plan. |
| Choose it when | The costly failure is someone calling your number and not getting help. | The costly failure is a phone errand never getting done because nobody makes the call. |
Four questions choose the mode and plan
Start with direction, then match the ClawCall plan and handoff behavior to the phone work you need handled.
Which plan unlocks the mode?
Every paid plan makes outbound calls. Inbound AI receptionist behavior requires Reserve Plus and one active reserved number.
What happens when AI needs you?
Receptionist mode can use an optional handoff number. Caller mode can consult and join you when verification, payment, or your voice is required. Post-join recording and transcription follow your “Record bridged conversations” setting, so captured evidence may end at the bridge.
What result do you need back?
ClawCall returns call details and captured transcript evidence. For outbound work, the network outcome alone does not prove the task succeeded.
Put ClawCall on either side of the conversation
Use caller mode to get outgoing phone work done, or receptionist mode to answer the active reserved number and handle incoming context.
Turn preferences and limits into a completed call
Book or reschedule an appointment, ask about a charge, dispute a bill, cancel a subscription, or reserve a table without handling the conversation yourself.
Let ClawCall handle menus and hold
ClawCall works through the IVR and queue, then speaks with the person who answers or brings you in when your participation is needed.
Answer callers with your configured profile
On Reserve Plus, ClawCall begins with a fixed recording disclosure, then answers one active reserved number using your inbound instructions plus global voice and personality settings.
Connect the caller when a person should take over
Configure one external handoff number for receptionist mode. For broader queues, multiple lines, seats, or CRM routing, choose a contact-center platform.
Choose the ClawCall plan that matches the direction
Every paid plan includes outbound AI calling. Unlimited Reserve Plus adds inbound AI receptionist behavior when one active reserved number is configured.
Unlimited · $4.99/moMake user-directed outbound calls from shared ClawCall numbers. This is the simplest path for appointments, billing, cancellations, queues, and other phone errands.
Unlimited Reserve · $8.99/moAdd one private reserved caller-ID number for outbound calls. This plan does not include the AI inbound assistant.
Unlimited Reserve Plus · $14.99/moAdd AI receptionist behavior on one active reserved number while keeping the same outbound AI calling capability.
Start with the direction you need ClawCall to handle.
Try outbound calling with a US +1 number you control; the free trial includes 30 calls and 30 minutes, whichever lasts later, with no credit card. Choose Reserve Plus when you also need ClawCall to answer an active reserved number.
Keep control without doing the whole call
You decide whether ClawCall leaves a message
Include the authorized message or fallback in the task. ClawCall can leave a concise voicemail when instructed instead of improvising one.
Take over only when the call needs you
For verification, payment, negotiation, or a conversation you need to finish yourself, ClawCall can consult you before connecting the calls. Post-join recording and transcription follow your “Record bridged conversations” setting, so captured evidence may end at the bridge.
Read what happened, not just whether someone answered
A network outcome describes the line. Judge task success only from the transcript evidence actually captured, including what was agreed or left unresolved.
Use ClawCall for focused US phone work
ClawCall supports English-language calls to US +1 numbers. It is not for robocalls, predictive dialing, or bulk/high-volume automated outreach or sales campaigns.
Put ClawCall to work in either direction
Try an outbound phone errand, configure receptionist mode with Reserve Plus, or connect ClawCall to your application or AI agent.
Try a phone errand
Give ClawCall a US +1 destination you control, a clear task, and decision limits, then review the captured evidence when the call finishes.
Try ClawCall →Answer your active reserved number
Use Reserve Plus to configure inbound instructions, global voice and personality settings, and an optional external handoff number.
Compare calling plans →Browse focused phone errands
See ClawCall handle appointments, billing, cancellations, airlines, restaurants, utilities, menus, and hold time.
Browse use cases →Use REST or connect an AI agent
Trusted applications can use the API; compatible AI hosts can use OAuth-protected hosted MCP and 11 bounded tools.
Using ClawCall as an AI caller or receptionist
- What is the simplest difference between an AI receptionist and an AI caller?
- Direction. An AI receptionist answers calls coming into an owned number; an AI caller starts calls going out to a chosen destination. ClawCall supports both modes: outbound calling on every paid plan and inbound AI receptionist behavior on Unlimited Reserve Plus with an active reserved number.
- What outbound work can ClawCall handle?
- ClawCall handles focused phone errands such as booking or rescheduling appointments, asking billing questions, disputing a charge, cancelling a subscription, calling an airline, reserving a table, contacting a utility, navigating a phone tree, and waiting on hold. You provide the destination, goal, known facts, and decision limits; ClawCall returns the outcome and captured transcript evidence.
- How does ClawCall work as an AI receptionist?
- Unlimited Reserve Plus can answer one active reserved number using configurable inbound instructions plus global voice and personality settings. Inbound calls begin with a fixed recording disclosure; the assistant then follows those instructions, gathers useful context, and can optionally hand the call to one configured external number. This is a focused self-serve receptionist, not a broad multi-line, multi-seat contact center or CRM platform.
- Is an AI answering service different from an AI receptionist?
- The terms overlap. “Answering service” often emphasizes coverage, message capture, and escalation; “receptionist” describes the broader front-door role. ClawCall’s Reserve Plus mode answers the active reserved number, follows the configured inbound profile, gathers context, and can optionally hand off the call.
- Which ClawCall plan fits each direction?
- Every paid plan supports outbound AI calling. Unlimited Reserve adds a private reserved caller-ID number but not inbound AI answering. Unlimited Reserve Plus adds AI receptionist behavior on one active reserved number while retaining outbound calling. You can try outbound calling with the free trial before choosing a paid plan.
Verified product details
ClawCall’s outbound caller and inbound receptionist modes, plan gates, handoff behavior, security limits, and evidence model are grounded in the current product and implementation details below.
- ClawCall documentation — outbound workflow, evidence, live join, reserved numbers, inbound instructions, voice, personality, and optional handoff; checked 2026-09-03.
- ClawCall pricing — Unlimited, Reserve, Reserve Plus, trial, English, and US +1 limits; checked 2026-09-03.
- ClawCall security and data handling — current attestation and data-handling boundaries; checked 2026-09-03.
- US Federal Trade Commission: Telemarketing Sales Rule guide — bulk telemarketing programs as a separate regulated workload; checked 2026-09-03.
The FTC source is informational, not legal advice. ClawCall does not claim a vendor ranking, customer result, reliability, completion-rate, or market-share benchmark on this page.