NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant vs Twilio Studio
NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant
nch.com.au
Twilio Studio
twilio.comSide by side
| Figure | NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant | Twilio Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2,999/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 2 |
| Spec score · Interactive Voice Response Software | 7.9 (#8) | 7.4 (#14) |
| Founded | 1993 | 2008 |
| Integrations | NCH says IVM can auto-detect its Axon IP PBX on the same server and offers free plugins for ODBC/SQL, internet access, fax-back services, and hardware control. | Studio documentation includes tutorials for Slack, WhatsApp customer support menus, Twilio Conversations, and RCS messaging. |
| Support | NCH lists email support and offers paid priority phone support for 12 months or email-only support for one month on the purchase page. | Twilio directs Studio users to its support team and the Twilio tag on Stack Overflow for help. |
Plans
NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant
- IVM Telephone Attendant Professional monthly plan$2,999 a month
- IVM Telephone Attendant Basic Answering Machine$6,995, paid once
- IVM Telephone Attendant Small Business$9,900, paid once
- IVM Telephone Attendant Small Interactive System$25,900, paid once
- IVM Telephone Attendant Professional$38,500, paid once
- IVM Telephone Attendant Enterprise$89,900, paid once
In their own words
NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant
NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant is telephone management software for small to medium businesses, combining voicemail, call attendant, interactive voice response, and autodial functions. Incoming call menus can route or redirect callers during or after office hours. The product lists support for up to 64 simultaneous telephone lines, along with caller ID logging, keypad menus, call transfer subject to phone-company or PBX features, and remote telephone access. Incoming messages can be saved as WAV files. Voicemail boxes can forward messages by email or provide internet or remote access, and the software also supports automated outbound calls and messages. IVM connects through a professional telephony board, TAPI-compliant voice modem, VoIP SIP service, or PBX such as Axon. NCH says it can detect its Axon IP PBX on the same server and offers plugins for ODBC/SQL, internet access, fax-back, and hardware control. It is listed for Linux and Windows, though its system requirements specify Windows XP through 10 and 64-bit Windows support. A free trial download is available, but there is no free plan. Listed purchase options include $6,995 as a one-time purchase for Basic Answering Machine and $89,900, paid once for Enterprise; the Professional monthly plan is $2,999 a month.
Twilio Studio
Twilio Studio is a visual builder for creating, editing, and managing communication workflows with low-code or no-code tools and optional custom code. Users place widgets on a canvas, and flows can start from inbound messages, voice calls, webhooks, or other Studio Flows. Workflows can handle voice, messaging, and other communication applications, and Studio can exchange data with backend systems to add context to Twilio-powered conversations. Twilio lists IVRs, appointment reminders, SMS surveys, call center workflows, autoresponders, and call forwarding as use cases. Its documentation includes tutorials for Slack, WhatsApp customer support menus, Twilio Conversations, and RCS messaging. The free tier includes 1,000 flow executions per month. A Flow can contain up to 2,000 widgets, including Subflows; an Execution ends after 1,000 steps or 30 days, and Execution and Step data is retained for 30 days after an Execution starts. Outbound HTTP requests from specified widgets are limited to 10 seconds. Additional Twilio communications charges are separate.