Screen the call, or answer it?
Hiya AI Phone vs Vicem: when each fits
Hiya AI Phone screens unknown calls in the US and connects the ones worth taking. Vicem is an AI with its own number that answers and handles the calls you miss, in any country.
Dated.
What are the facts?
| Question | Hiya AI Phone | Vicem |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Hiya AI PhoneFrom $9.99 a month, after a 14-day free trial | VicemFrom $24 a month, your US or Canadian number included. Free for 3 days. |
| Countries | Hiya AI PhoneUS only, for now | VicemLocal numbers: 68 countries. Forwarding in many countries |
| Languages it answers in | Hiya AI PhoneNot stated on the pages we read | Vicem37 languages |
| A number of its own to give out | Hiya AI PhoneNot stated on the pages we read | VicemYes, with an email and a page |
| Works with your phone off | Hiya AI PhoneNot stated on the pages we read | VicemYes |
| Answers the caller, or only screens | Hiya AI PhoneScreens: asks name and purpose, then connects you | VicemAnswers and talks with the caller |
| Tells callers it’s an AI | Hiya AI PhoneNot stated on the pages we read | VicemYes, on every call |
| Books appointments | Hiya AI PhoneLists “assisting with scheduling” | VicemYes, into your calendar |
| Tells you what happened | Hiya AI PhoneCall summaries and transcripts | VicemA summary of every call; urgent ones reach you at once |
Checked on October 12, 2026
When the other is better.
Which one fits you?
Choose Hiya AI Phone when:
- You’re in the US and want strangers screened first. Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
- You want scam and AI-voice warnings during live calls. Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
- You want summaries of the calls you take yourself. Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
Choose Vicem when:
- You live outside the US.
- You want callers helped, not just put through.
- Callers speak any of 37 languages.
Credit where it’s due.
What does Hiya AI Phone do well?
- An AI asks unknown callers their name and purpose, then connects them. Help Net Security, 28 January 2025: Hiya AI Phone
- It warns you about scams and AI-generated voices in real time. Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
- Calls are transcribed and summarized. Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
- Hiya’s spam blocker app works in more than 40 countries. Hiya, home page
In their own words.
Where does Hiya AI Phone stop?
- It’s “currently only available in the US.”Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
- It screens: you decide whether to take the call.Help Net Security, 28 January 2025: Hiya AI Phone
- After a 14-day free trial, it’s paid.Hiya, Hiya AI Phone
Checked on October 12, 2026
Screen, or handle?
A screener decides if a call reaches you.
Vicem takes the call, finds out what’s needed, and tells you.
How do they compare?
| What it does | Hiya AI Phone | Vicem |
|---|---|---|
| Works when your phone is off | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Books into your calendar during the call | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Emails the caller back | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Its own number, email and page | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Speaks the caller’s language | Does not apply | Vicem37 languages |
| Asks you before anything important | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Anyone can check what it did | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Works on any phone | Hiya AI PhoneAndroid and iPhone | VicemYes |
| Calls for you | Does not apply | VicemYes, with Vicem Plus |
| Waits on hold for you, up to the time you set | Does not apply | VicemYes, with Vicem Plus |
| Cancels a subscription for you and gets the reference | Does not apply | VicemYes, with Vicem Plus |
| Spam calls it turns away never count against your minutes | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Junk calls and texts are handled without interrupting you | Hiya AI PhoneSpam calls, yes | VicemYes |
| Tell it who you’re expecting: they ring straight through | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Always an AI, never a call center | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Never gives out your passwords or codes | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Never says yes to extras you didn’t approve | Does not apply | VicemYes |
| Never gives out your address or where you are without asking you | Does not apply | VicemYes |
Only what Vicem does today; a dash means not stated or doesn’t apply.
Step by step.
How do you switch?
- If Hiya AI Phone forwards your calls, turn that forwarding off.
- Get your Vicem: your first US or Canadian number is included.
- Forward missed calls to that number with your phone company’s codes.
- Call yourself from another phone and let it ring out.
What do people ask?
Is Vicem a Hiya alternative?
A different job: Hiya screens and connects; Vicem answers and handles.
Can I use both?
Yes, if your missed calls forward to Vicem.
Does Vicem say it’s an AI?
Yes: every call starts by saying it’s an AI.
Want it answering your calls?
Vicem is an AI that answers your phone when you can’t. Free for 3 days.
Start free trial