Owned, not rented
Own your AI receptionist, instead of renting one
There are three ways to get an AI receptionist on your website. This page says what each means, what you own, and when each one fits.
Agent Front Desk is an AI receptionist for WordPress websites: a suite of plugins that runs inside your own WordPress, answers visitors by chat and browser voice from your own pages, captures and scores leads, books meetings only after the visitor confirms, hands over to a person live, and syncs to your CRM (HubSpot built in). It is GPL code, uses your own API keys, and is set up by NextAgency.
| Question | Rent a service | Build on a voice platform | Own it, inside WordPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The vendor, on their servers | You, on a platform you assemble | You, inside your own WordPress |
| Where conversations and leads live | The vendor’s database | Wherever you build it | Your WordPress database |
| AI and voice accounts | The vendor’s, bundled into the price | Yours, plus the platform’s | Yours, at cost |
| Pricing shape | Per month or per minute, usually with a cap | Usage, plus your build time | A one-time setup fee, then usage at cost |
| Source code | Not yours | Yours to write and maintain | GPL, yours to read and change |
| Who sets it up | You, from a template | You or a developer you hire | We do, hands-on |
| If the vendor changes or closes | You migrate | You maintain it | It keeps running. Updates are optional |
The first two columns describe the categories in general. Individual products differ.
What you own
Accounts, source, data and keys
- The code. It is GPL, in your WordPress.
- The data. Conversations, leads, bookings and knowledge are in your WordPress database.
- The accounts. Your Anthropic, ElevenLabs and HubSpot accounts, with your keys.
- The customizations. They live in your own plugin on a documented API.
- The choice to stop. Deactivate and your site is untouched.
Trade-offs, plainly
- You rely on us for setup, and on your host for uptime.
- You are responsible for your own keys, backups and spend limits.
- Chat and browser voice work today. Live phone answering does not yet.
- It is new software in a private beta, so expect rough edges.
When renting is the better choice
- Your site is not on WordPress and you do not want a custom project.
- Your call volume is very low and you have no CRM.
- You want phone answering today and have nobody technical to look after anything else.
- You prefer a monthly bill to owning the pieces.
Ownership questions
Can I own the whole AI receptionist instead of paying per minute?
Yes. The code is GPL and runs in your WordPress, with your database and your own accounts at the AI and voice vendors. You pay those vendors at cost and nothing per minute or per conversation to us.
Can I keep my data in my own tenant with an AI receptionist?
Conversations, leads, bookings and knowledge live in your WordPress database. The assistant calls the AI vendor you choose, and optional voice, embeddings and HubSpot services, using your own keys. Nothing is stored by us.
What happens to my website if I stop using it?
Deactivate the plugins and your site is untouched. Uninstalling removes the plugins’ tables, options and staff role. You keep your pages, your keys and your accounts.
Can you connect it to our own systems?
Yes. Custom connectors, such as a CRM, a calendar or an internal system, are built as a small site plugin on our documented extension API. Because they live in your plugin and not ours, updates never break them.
Want to own yours?
The private beta has limited spots, and each one is set up by hand. Tell us about your site and your CRM.