EastSherman vs HelloSetter: which AI follow-up caller fits your business?
Two different jobs at two different price points. A side-by-side using each company's published facts.
By EastSherman · Prices and features checked: October 24, 2026
Short answer: HelloSetter starts at $697 a month, calls leads within 60 seconds and books appointments into its calendar. EastSherman's AI Follow-Up Rep costs $197 a month for one business, calls back only contacts with reviewed AI-call permission from a five-minute queue, and offers your booking link instead of confirming bookings. Prices as of October 24, 2026.
Who wrote this: EastSherman wrote this page, so read it with that in mind. Every HelloSetter fact below comes from HelloSetter's own website, checked on October 24, 2026, with links to the pages we used. We haven't used third-party reviews. Where HelloSetter fits better, we say so.
If you're looking at HelloSetter and wondering whether there's a lower-cost option, the honest answer is that the two products do different jobs. HelloSetter is built around speed, booked appointments and calling uploaded lists. EastSherman is built around a lower fixed price and calling back only people whose AI-call permission has been recorded and reviewed.
The short answer
Choose HelloSetter if you want:
- Estimates booked straight into a calendar, rather than a booking link.
- Every new lead called within about a minute of arriving, as HelloSetter advertises.
- Leads from several marketplaces (Angi, Thumbtack, Porch and others) in one place.
- Campaigns that call an uploaded list of old quotes.
Choose EastSherman if you want:
- A lower fixed monthly price for one business: $197/month.
- Callbacks only to contacts with recorded, reviewed AI-call permission from your own business.
- A booking link or team request on the call, and you're fine confirming bookings yourself.
- Voice calls only, with no customer texts or automatic customer email sequences.
Side-by-side comparison
| EastSherman AI Follow-Up Rep | HelloSetter | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $197/month, or $1,967/year (works out to $163.92/month) | Starter $697/mo; Growth $1,297/mo; Scale $2,197/mo; Custom priced to volume. Listed as "founding price" for the first 10 shops |
| Setup fee | No setup fee | "No setup fees" |
| Contract | Cancel before renewal | "Month-to-month, cancel any time" |
| Trial | — | Free pilot: "14 days or 50 leads, whichever comes first" |
| What the plan is sized by | 600 voice minutes a month, one business, one reviewed source | Booked appointments a month: 20 (Starter), 50 (Growth), 120 (Scale) |
| Call timing | Queue checked every five minutes, up to five jobs per run, during your approved calling windows. Timing is not guaranteed | "Every lead called within 60 seconds" |
| Next step on the call | Offers your booking link or records a team request. The AI does not confirm a calendar booking | Books the estimate into the sales agent's calendar; HelloSetter Calendar |
| Follow-up attempts | — | Up to 8 attempts per lead (Starter); up to 16 (Growth, Scale) |
| Old leads and lists | Each contact needs recorded, reviewed AI-call permission. Quotes or past purchases alone are not consent. Purchased cold lists are excluded | "Upload any list": CSV or CRM export, up to 5,000 people per upload; 100, 300 or 500 old-lead calls a day by plan; permission confirmed by checkbox at upload |
| Lead sources | One reviewed first-party source from your own business | Angi, Thumbtack, Porch, Facebook, Google LSA, website forms and Google Sheets |
| Customer texts | Customer SMS and automatic customer email sequences are off | No SMS, per HelloSetter's own guide |
As of October 24, 2026. HelloSetter facts from its pricing page, call old leads page and AI receptionist guide (updated October 17, 2026). EastSherman facts from eastsherman.com. Published prices, checked October 24, 2026; plans include different things, and either company may change its terms.
Price: what you're paying for
The two companies price on different things, so the monthly numbers aren't a like-for-like comparison.
HelloSetter sizes plans by booked appointments. Starter is $697/month for 20 booked appointments a month, Growth is $1,297/month for 50, and Scale is $2,197/month for 120. Its pricing page says "Going over your plan never stops the AI; we suggest the next plan up." Plans also differ in follow-up attempts, calendars, phone numbers and how many old leads the AI calls a day.
EastSherman sizes the plan by call time. $197/month (or $1,967 paid yearly) covers one business, one reviewed enquiry source and 600 connected AI voice minutes a month. That could cover 100 calls averaging six minutes; actual counts depend on how long calls run. Unused minutes don't roll over. There are no automatic overage charges or upgrades. New callbacks pause when your time is used, and we alert you at 80%, 90% and 100%.
So EastSherman's monthly price is lower, but you're buying call time and a booking link, not a set number of booked appointments. Which model makes more sense depends on your lead volume and how you like to book work.
Consent and old leads
This is where the two approaches differ most.
HelloSetter lets you upload a CSV or CRM export of old quotes and call them on its campaign numbers. On its call old leads page, HelloSetter says: "Everyone on the list must have asked you for a quote or be a past customer who agreed to be contacted by phone. You confirm this with a checkbox when you upload, and we warn you when people on the list asked more than 3 months ago." It also checks your do-not-call list before every call and calls only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the lead's time zone.
EastSherman doesn't take list uploads. You connect one reviewed source from your own business, and each contact needs recorded permission for the configured AI call, reviewed before the call can go ahead. A quote or past purchase alone isn't treated as consent, and purchased cold lists are excluded. That's stricter and slower to set up, and it means some old contacts won't be callable until they've given permission.
Why we built it that way: the FCC treats AI-generated voices as "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, so AI calls generally need the person's prior express consent, and marketing calls need prior express written consent. Our permission review is a product safeguard, not legal advice.
Speed
To be straight about it: HelloSetter advertises "Every lead called within 60 seconds." EastSherman doesn't promise anything like that. Our queue is checked every five minutes, up to five jobs per run, during your approved calling windows, and timing isn't guaranteed. Calls are queued, not instant, and uncertain calls are held for review. Outside your calling window, callbacks wait.
If calling every new lead within a minute is your top priority, HelloSetter is built for that. If you want consented, polite callbacks at a lower fixed price and can live with a queue, EastSherman may fit. There's more on what the response-time research does and doesn't show in speed to lead for contractors.
Who should choose which
HelloSetter is likely the better fit if:
- You buy leads from marketplaces like Angi or Thumbtack and want them all called fast.
- You want estimates booked into your sales agents' calendars without you lifting a finger.
- You have a large file of old quotes you want called on a schedule.
- Your budget runs to $697/month or more, and you want to try it on a free pilot first.
EastSherman is likely the better fit if:
- You're a smaller shop and $197/month fits better than $697.
- Your enquiries come from your own website form or another first-party source.
- You'd rather call back only people whose AI-call permission has been recorded and reviewed.
- You're happy for the AI to offer your booking link or take a request, with your team confirming the job.
If your bigger problem is missed incoming calls, neither outbound tool is the answer on its own. See AI receptionist vs AI follow-up rep.
Consented callbacks for one business, $197/month.
No setup fee, 600 voice minutes a month, and Maya or Miles as your AI Follow-Up Rep. Cancel before renewal.
Frequently asked questions
How much does HelloSetter cost?
As of October 24, 2026, HelloSetter's pricing page lists Starter at $697/month, Growth at $1,297/month, Scale at $2,197/month and a Custom plan priced to volume. The listed prices are labelled founding prices for the first 10 shops. HelloSetter pricing page (checked October 24, 2026)
Is EastSherman cheaper than HelloSetter?
On monthly price, yes: $197 versus HelloSetter's $697 entry plan. But the plans include different things. HelloSetter sizes plans by booked appointments and books into a calendar; EastSherman covers 600 voice minutes and offers your booking link.
Does EastSherman book appointments like HelloSetter?
No. EastSherman's AI Follow-Up Rep offers your booking link or records a team request; the AI does not confirm a calendar booking. HelloSetter's pricing page says it books into the HelloSetter Calendar.
Which is faster?
HelloSetter advertises that every lead is called within 60 seconds. EastSherman checks its queue every five minutes, up to five jobs per run, during your approved calling windows, and doesn't guarantee timing.
Can I upload my old lead list to EastSherman?
No. EastSherman doesn't take list uploads. Each contact needs recorded, reviewed AI-call permission from your own business, a quote or past purchase alone isn't consent, and purchased cold lists are excluded.
Does either send texts?
EastSherman: customer SMS and automatic customer email sequences are off. HelloSetter: its own AI receptionist guide lists "no SMS" as a limitation.
Ready to follow up with consented enquiries? See how it works · See pricing · More questions