Choosing a phone concierge to call businesses abroad
To call a shop, restaurant, hotel or clinic in another country, you can have an AI make the call for you, translate the call live while you talk, or ask a person to call. Here is how the main options compare, with facts taken from each provider’s own pages on 7 November 2026.
Updated · AskLucien product team
Calls support 82 languages. The app interface is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Arabic, Korean, Turkish, Greek, Romanian and Czech.
Services that call businesses abroad for you, compared
| Service | How it works | Where it can call | Languages on the call | Price | What you get back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AskLucien | An AI makes the whole call for you | More than 200 countries and territories | 82 | Prepaid credits; a 3-minute call to a French landline is about 0.80 € | The answer, a summary, the full transcript and a translation |
| LocalCall.ai | An AI agent call, a live translated call, or a direct call, in the browser | 226 destinations | Not stated on the pages we checked | Agent calls from $0.09 a minute; credit packs from $9.99 | Not stated on the pages we checked |
| Tomi | An AI agent places outgoing calls, on the web or inside Claude, ChatGPT or Telegram | 35 destinations | 12 | First 5 minutes free, then $9 or $19 packs; for example $0.30 a minute to the US, $0.50 to Germany | Not stated on the pages we checked |
| 1aicall | Live call translation, or an AI agent that calls for you | Says any number; no list published | Says more than 100 | First translated call up to 2 minutes free; other prices shown in the app | A summary and a transcript |
| Genspark Call for Me | An AI agent inside Genspark | 7 countries: United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China | No list; Genspark says it speaks the local language | Genspark credits | A transcript and a summary in the app, and a summary by email |
| Hotel concierge or host | A person calls for you | Wherever you are staying | Theirs | Usually free for guests | What they tell you |
These services change quickly. Check each provider’s own site before you choose. For assistants that call in the United States only, see AI services that make phone calls for you, compared.
Which one should you pick?
- You are staying in a hotel and the call can wait until the desk is free: ask the concierge.
- You want to talk yourself and only need the words translated: use live translation on your phone or a translated-call app. See tools for calling in a language you don’t speak.
- You need one clear answer, such as a booking, a price or opening hours, and would rather not be on the call: use an AI that calls for you.
- The country or language is unusual: check the provider’s destination and language lists first. AskLucien covers 82 languages and more than 200 countries and territories.
Hands-off calling or live translation
With live translation, you make the call and talk; the app translates both sides as you go. You can react to surprises, but you need to be free, connected and comfortable on the phone.
With an AI that calls for you, you write the request once. The AI calls, asks your questions in the local language, accepts alternatives only within the limits you set, and writes back. It suits short, practical calls, and it does not care about time zones.
Call Pâtisserie Dumas in Lyon and ask whether they can make a birthday cake for 12 people for Saturday. Ask the price and the latest time to order. Speak French.
Per-call estimates or a subscription
Most services in the table charge per minute or per call from prepaid credit. Before you choose, check whether you see the cost before the call, whether unanswered attempts are charged, and whether credit expires.
AskLucien shows an estimate before dialling and the final charge afterwards. Credits come in one-time packs from 10 € or monthly plans from 9.99 €, and new accounts get 600 welcome credits when they save a card. See pricing.
Checking what was said
A one-line answer is easy to read but hard to check. When a call is in a language you don’t speak, a full transcript with a translation lets you verify dates, prices and names. A transcript can contain errors, so check anything important before you rely on it. See call results and privacy.
Numbers that cannot be called
Every service limits some destinations. AskLucien does not call emergency, premium-rate or satellite numbers, and stops before dialling when a destination has no current rate. See languages and countries and calling businesses abroad with Lucien.
Questions and answers
- What is the best phone concierge to call shops abroad?
- It depends on the country and on whether you want to be on the call. If you would rather not talk, an AI that calls for you, such as AskLucien, makes the call in the local language and writes back. If you want to talk yourself, use live translation on your phone.
- Can an AI call a business in another country for me?
- Yes. AskLucien calls landlines and mobiles in more than 200 countries and territories, in 82 languages. Other services cover fewer destinations; check their lists before you choose.
- Do I need a local SIM card?
- Not with AskLucien. It places the call itself; you only need the web app or the iPhone or Android app.
- How do I know the business really said yes?
- Read the transcript and its translation. They show what the business said, not only the summary.
- When was this comparison checked?
- On 7 November 2026, on each provider’s own pages. Prices and coverage change, so check before you choose.