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A Beside alternative for walk-in customers
Beside makes your phone calls easier to keep track of. If the questions that eat your day come from people at your counter, you need something else.
Quick answer
If your problem is the people at your counter, Kioskly AI is the alternative: it runs on an iPhone or iPad and answers walk-in customers out loud, in 25 languages, from your own information. If your problem is phone calls, Beside's work number, call transcripts and summaries do things Kioskly AI doesn't. Some businesses use both.
What Beside does
Beside is a work phone number with an AI assistant. Its App Store listing describes a new business number in your local area code, automatic transcripts of calls and voicemails, an AI you can ask to find details from past conversations, and summaries after each call with suggested actions and calendar events. It's popular with people who live on the phone, like real estate agents and salespeople.
What Kioskly AI does differently
Kioskly AI doesn't touch your phone line. It runs on an iPhone or iPad at your counter, lobby or entrance, and answers the questions customers ask in person: where things are, opening hours, prices you've recorded, policies, Wi-Fi and parking. It answers out loud, shows the words on screen, and speaks 25 languages.
Kioskly AI vs Beside at a glance
| Kioskly AI | Beside | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it helps | Customers at your counter | You, with your calls and messages |
| Where it works | An iPhone or iPad at your counter | A new business phone number |
| What it does | Answers questions out loud from your information | Transcribes and summarizes calls, suggests next steps |
| Languages | 25 assistant languages | App in English |
| Price (US) | Free | Free, with in-app purchases |
| Rating (US) | New | 4.8 |
When Kioskly AI is the better choice
- The same questions interrupt your team at the counter all day.
- Many of your customers are tourists or speak other languages.
- You want an assistant that answers only from your information, and sends allergy, medical, booking and billing questions to your staff.
- You have a spare iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later.
Customer
Are you open on Sunday?
Kioskly
Yes, we're open on Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Employee Mode · Store
When Beside is the better choice
- Your business happens on the phone, and you need a separate work number.
- You want transcripts and summaries of your calls.
- You rarely see customers in person.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Kioskly AI if your busiest questions are asked face to face, at a counter, a front desk or a lobby.
- Choose Beside if you need a work number with call notes, though it won't help the customer standing in front of you.
- Choose Kioskly AI if you serve visitors in many languages: with Premium, each one is answered in theirs.
- Choose Beside if you mainly need to remember what was said on calls, though its app is in English only.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kioskly AI answer phone calls?
No. It works in person: customers ask the iPhone or iPad at your counter and it answers out loud. For calls, use a phone app alongside it.
Can I use Beside and Kioskly AI together?
Yes. They don't overlap: Beside handles your work number and call notes, Kioskly AI handles the questions people ask at your counter.
Is Kioskly AI free?
It's free to download and to try with real customers. Premium adds unlimited customer answers, language switching for customers and autodetect.
Kioskly AI is made by us, Arai Tech. Beside's features, privacy label and rating come from its US App Store listing and can change.