We should say up front that NTRVSTA wrote this list, and we make an AI interviewer that offers an audio-only mode. We ranked it as an honorable mention, below, because phone delivery isn't one of its published features. Facts about the other tools come from their own sites, cited at the end.
TL;DR
AI phone screening tools replace the recruiter's first call with an AI voice that asks questions, follows up and scores the answers. Pick by who you hire. Frontline employers should look at Fountain or Classet, staffing firms at ConverzAI or Alex, and teams hiring for office and technical roles at CodeSignal or Metaview.
- Best for a full AI first-round recruiter with fraud and ID checks: Alex
- Best for frontline and hourly roles inside a hiring platform: Fountain (Anna)
- Best for low-cost phone interviews for engineering and sales roles: CodeSignal
- Best for simple, published pricing for hourly phone screens: Classet
- Best for staffing agencies working an existing ATS database: ConverzAI
The picks at a glance
What actually matters when choosing AI phone screening
The biggest difference is whether the AI really listens. Some tools read a fixed script and record what the candidate says. Others ask a follow-up when an answer is thin, which is what a good recruiter does. Call each vendor's demo line yourself, give a vague answer on purpose, and see what happens. Our guide to how AI interviews are scored lists what to look for in the report that comes back.
Next, think about reach. A true phone screen calls the candidate's number or lets them call in, which suits hourly workers on the move and people without a laptop. Browser-based voice screens are easier to brand and to pair with code or a whiteboard. Many tools here do both. Also check texting: for frontline roles, the scheduling and reminder texts often matter as much as the call.
Last, check the paperwork. Ask how scores are explained, whether a person signs off on every rejection, and whether the tool has a bias audit. If you hire in NYC, our list of tools with published LL144 bias audits is a good cross-check.
1. Alex
Alex (the company formerly called Apriora) describes itself as an AI recruiter. It says it scores applications for fraud risk, screens resumes against job criteria, runs an always-on first-round interview by phone or video, and books qualified candidates onto team calendars. It also offers real-time proctoring and an ID check that matches a government ID to a live selfie, plus SMS and WhatsApp. Alex says it supports 30 languages and 33+ ATS integrations.
Pricing isn't published. The pricing page offers a 30-minute demo.
Best for: staffing firms and enterprises that want an AI phone screen bundled with fraud, ID and scheduling.
2. Fountain (Anna)
Fountain is a frontline hiring platform (ATS, CRM, sourcing, onboarding and shift scheduling). Its voice AI interviewer, Anna, runs structured interviews by phone or in the browser. Fountain's support FAQ says Anna asks clarifying questions and adapts to candidate responses by default, then returns a score, summary, transcript and recording for human review. Fountain describes interviews of around five minutes for frontline roles.
Anna is also sold on its own through the ADP Marketplace. Fountain says it's SOC 2 compliant. Pricing isn't published. Read our NTRVSTA vs Fountain comparison for a closer look.
Best for: hourly and frontline employers (restaurants, logistics, gig work) that want phone screens inside one hiring stack.
3. CodeSignal
CodeSignal says candidates talk with its AI Interviewer by phone or browser on their own schedule. The agent asks follow-up questions when answers are thin and returns an overall score, a skills evaluation, insights and a transcript. CodeSignal offers prebuilt interviewers for sales, finance, marketing, accounting, recruiting, BDR and product roles, plus custom ones.
Its pricing is public. Build is $79/mo billed annually and covers product, design and engineering interviewers. Grow is $479/mo billed annually and adds sales, customer success and marketing. Extra credits are $20 each.
Best for: teams screening salaried roles by phone on a modest, predictable budget.
4. Metaview
Metaview's Screening agent, launched in September 2026, runs an on-demand two-way voice conversation on phone or desktop. Metaview says it adapts to the role and the candidate's answers, can include role-plays and code to explain or debug, and returns a recording, summary and rubric score. Its FAQ says screening works in most major languages, including Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Hindi and Arabic.
The first 25 screens are free. The paid screening rate isn't published.
Best for: teams that already use Metaview for interview notes and want the phone screen in the same place.
5. Classet
Classet's AI recruiter, Joy, calls applicants for a first phone interview using the employer's questions and must-haves, answers candidate questions, and handles scheduling and follow-ups by text and email. It also runs a 24/7 Call-to-Apply line. Classet labels each call Strong, Good, Borderline or Weak with quoted evidence, and says humans make every decision. Joy follows the employer's script, and Classet doesn't describe adaptive follow-ups.
Pricing is published: Hiring Hub starts at $249/mo billed annually ($349 month to month) with 50 completed interviews, and every account gets 20 free interviews. Classet says a third party, Warden AI, audits the system for bias every month.
Best for: trades, logistics, healthcare and other hourly employers that want quick phone screens and a clear price.
6. ConverzAI
ConverzAI sells a Virtual Recruiter to staffing firms. It says the agent engages candidates by phone, text and email, can lead interviews autonomously, and reactivates candidates already in the ATS by matching them to open roles. Its integrations read like a staffing stack: Bullhorn, Avionté, Ceipal, JobDiva, TempWorks and more. ConverzAI says it's SOC 2 Type II and has third-party AI bias audits. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: staffing agencies that want to call through their existing database at scale.
7. Tenzo
Tenzo's AI recruiter, Morgan, runs 24/7 voice AI interviews by phone or video, plus resume review, fraud detection and scheduling. Tenzo says it supports 40+ languages and 57+ two-way ATS integrations, and that a de-biasing layer strips protected-class information from transcripts before evaluation. Candidates can opt out of the AI interview. Pricing is a custom quote scoped to volume and roles.
Best for: staffing firms and high-volume employers that screen in many languages.
8. Humanly
Humanly reaches applicants by SMS, email, chat and voice, and its suite now includes phone screening from Qualifi, one of the companies Humanly announced buying in October 2025. Humanly says its AI Interviewer asks every candidate the same structured questions across chat, voice and video, then delivers a ranked shortlist with transcripts. Pricing isn't published.
Best for: frontline employers that want phone screens as one step in a wider conversational funnel.
Honorable mention: NTRVSTA (us)
NTRVSTA runs a live AI interview that adapts its questions and difficulty to each answer, either as a video avatar or as audio only. The audio mode gives you a voice interview with no camera, which some candidates prefer. But calling a candidate's phone number isn't one of NTRVSTA's published features, so it isn't a like-for-like match for the tools above.
Where NTRVSTA isn't the right fit: high-volume hourly hiring with SMS apply and chat scheduling is better served by Fountain, Classet or a conversational ATS. NTRVSTA is a screening layer, not an ATS, and its public API is coming soon, not live. Where it does fit is deeper first rounds for technical and non-technical roles, with STAR behavioral questions, a system-design whiteboard and AI resume scoring. Plans start at $299/mo, and an audio interview uses 1 credit per minute.
Best for: teams that want a longer, adaptive voice or avatar interview rather than a quick phone qualifier.
Try a sample NTRVSTA interview
Our pick
- Hourly roles, and you want one platform from apply to onboarding: Fountain.
- Hourly roles, and you want a phone screen with a price you can see today: Classet.
- Staffing agency with a big Bullhorn or JobDiva database: ConverzAI, or Alex if fraud and ID checks are a priority.
- Salaried sales, finance or engineering roles on a budget: CodeSignal.
- Many languages in one pipeline: Tenzo. Our multilingual interview software list goes further.
- A deeper adaptive first round instead of a short qualifier call: NTRVSTA, or see our candidate screening software roundup.
Questions
What is an AI phone screen?
It's a first-round call where an AI voice asks the screening questions instead of a recruiter. The better tools follow up when an answer is vague, then send you a score, a summary, a transcript and a recording. A person still decides who moves forward.
Will candidates hang up on an AI caller?
Some will, so set it up well. Tell candidates in the job post or text message that the first screen is with an AI, keep it short, and give them a way to ask for a human or an accommodation. Tenzo, for example, says candidates can opt out of the AI interview.
Is an AI phone screen legal in New York City?
If the tool scores or ranks candidates for a NYC job, Local Law 144 likely applies, which means a bias audit within the past year and advance notice to candidates. Ask each vendor for its audit. This is not legal advice.
How long should an AI phone screen be?
Match it to the role. Fountain describes its frontline interviews as around five minutes. Salaried and technical roles usually need 15 to 30 minutes to get enough signal. Shorter is kinder to candidates, so only ask what you'll actually use.
If you'd like to hear an adaptive AI voice interview before choosing, book a 20-minute demo or run a sample interview on yourself. Our pricing is on the homepage.
Prices and features for every tool here were checked in October 2026. Vendors update both often, so confirm with each one before you buy.
Sources
- Alex homepage
- Alex pricing
- Fountain homepage
- Fountain Anna FAQ
- Fountain on ADP Marketplace
- CodeSignal AI Interviewer
- CodeSignal pricing
- Metaview Screening agent
- Metaview September 2026 launch post
- Classet homepage
- ConverzAI homepage
- Tenzo homepage
- Tenzo pricing
- Humanly AI interviews
- Humanly on its acquisitions
- NTRVSTA pricing
- NYC DCWP: AEDT frequently asked questions
