Agent Voice Response vs CallFire IVR

Agent Voice Response is a self-hosted system that turns an Asterisk PBX into a real-time voice AI agent. Callers can interrupt while it speaks through voice-activity detection. Its composable microservices let operators swap automatic speech recognition, language-model, and text-to-speech engines. It supports Asterisk AudioSocket on Asterisk 18 and later, including named systems such as FreePBX, VitalPBX, Vicidial, Elastix, and custom dialplans. Listed integrations include OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Google, Ollama, Vosk, Kokoro, Ultravox, OpenRouter, CoquiTTS, and Silero. Noise cancellation and echo suppression are described before audio reaches the model. Local deployments can use Vosk or Silero, Ollama, and CoquiTTS or Kokoro, keeping caller audio on the network according to the maker. Docker microservices can scale horizontally behind a load balancer. AVR is free for personal and commercial use, with no license keys or per-minute charge. Setup requires Docker images, provider configuration, and an Asterisk dialplan extension.

CallFire IVR provides inbound and outbound interactive voice response for organizations guiding callers or collecting responses. Its auto-attendant routes incoming calls to an appropriate line or answering service, while IVR flows can be built with a drag-and-drop designer or XML editor. The system can record calls and responses, track results, export data, and analyze metrics. CallFire describes uses that include appointment reminders, payments, surveys, political polling, and emergency information hotlines. It says users can set up an unlimited number of extensions that route to forwarding numbers, and its IVR guide lists Zapier integrations. Developers can assist with custom applications using CallFire APIs. The service is available through web and API platforms, but accepts touch-tone input only and does not offer voice recognition. There is no free plan. Listed monthly plans are Lite at 99.00 USD, Startup at 199.00 USD, Grow at 299.00 USD, and Pro at 599.00 USD, each with a stated minutes/texts allowance. Calls and texts stop at zero credits; monthly allowances expire at each cycle's end.