Five apps say they answer your phone. Only three call back out.

There is no single winner, which is why this page opens with a picker rather than a ranking. If you want both incoming and outbound calling on either platform, OsmO and Call.io are the two real options. On iPhone only, add Mitra. For identification and spam, Hiya is the focused choice. For basic ask-before-ringing on a recent iPhone, Apple already gives it to you free.

Three of these five document outbound calling: OsmO, Mitra and Call.io. Hiya and Apple Call Screening handle incoming calls only. OsmO is the one that will ring several places at once and wait in a hold queue, which matters when you are price-checking or chasing a refund.

No. OsmO, Call.io and Mitra all work on the number you already have — OsmO and Call.io through conditional call forwarding, so calls you do not answer route to the assistant instead of voicemail. No SIM swap, no porting, no second line on your bill. It is reversible with one tap.

Three: OsmO, Call.io and Hiya Spam Blocker. Mitra is iPhone-only and requires iOS 26, and Apple Call Screening is part of iOS. If you are on Android and want a call actually placed for you, the choice is OsmO or Call.io.

Most are free to download and then charge for the part you actually want. OsmO gives you seven days free. Hiya requires Premium for its Call Screener. Apple Call Screening is genuinely free because it is built into iOS. Because Apple and Google set localized prices, taxes and trial eligibility, the purchase screen in your own store is the only accurate figure — check it there.

That is the fear worth taking seriously, and it is why the call record matters more than the screening. An app that only silences unknown numbers leaves you guessing. OsmO answers, asks why they are calling, and gives you a summary plus the full transcript, so a courier at the gate or a clinic with results gets through as information even when the call did not get through as a ring.

On OsmO, yes — written per-caller instructions like sharing a gate code with delivery drivers, always connecting family, or declining loan offers outright. Call.io also describes custom rules. Hiya and Apple offer screening settings rather than scripting what the assistant should say.

Software that answers your phone and talks to the caller on your behalf. It asks who is calling and why, acts on the answer according to rules you set, and gives you a record afterwards — a summary, a transcript, or at minimum the reason. Some also place calls out for you. Most work on your existing number through conditional call forwarding rather than giving you a second line, though availability and setup vary by carrier, plan, country and device.

A spam blocker matches the number against a database of numbers other people reported, then silences or labels the call — nobody ever speaks to the caller. An AI call assistant has the conversation instead, so it can tell a courier at your gate from a loan pitch even though both are unknown numbers, and it can take a message. On this page Hiya is the blocker-first option; OsmO, Call.io and Mitra are assistants; Apple Call Screening sits in between, asking the reason but not taking a message. Some products do a bit of both.