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I made a Google Duplex alternative

Hacker News

I made a Google Duplex alternative

Hi HN! I’ve been working on Alto, an AI phone agent that can make phone calls on your behalf — things like handling errands, confirming appointments, or negotiating bills so you don’t have to. Growing up, I often had to make phone calls for my mom because I spoke "better English." As a result, I’ve probably spent more time on hold with airlines, insurance companies, and small businesses than most people. But most AI calling tools today are built for businesses (sales calls, receptionists, etc.), so I wanted something for consumers — a personal agent you can use like Google Duplex, but with way more flexibility and real-world usefulness. Many organizations still have frustrating phone systems with long wait times, bad menus, or no online alternatives. And these same businesses will probably refuse to ever change. Alto is meant to give you a way around that, especially when the only option is calling. Right now it's early, but you can try Alto out for free. I'm working on features like profile memory (so it can remember things like your birthday or frequent flyer number), follow-up call chaining, voice customization, and eventually uploading documents for Alto to reference on calls. Since this is a soft launch, I would actually prefer if you reach out before you buy a subscription — I want to ensure your intended use case works smoothly. I would appreciate any ideas or pitfalls you see — thank you!

Visit productView on Hacker NewsMay 21, 2025
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Launch Intel predictions

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Indie HackersFits the IH revenue-focused audience · Strong signals: organizations · Missing: supports, reddit linkedin, podcasting
92%92% predicted probability of success on Indie Hackers, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
best fitHighest predicted score across all platforms for this description.
Product HuntOn track for Day 1 leaderboard · Strong signals: agent, google · Missing: mac, agents, macos
85%85% predicted probability of success on Product Hunt, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
AppSumoStrong fit for a featured deal · Strong signals: calls · Missing: plus, platform, intuitive
51%51% predicted probability of success on AppSumo, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
TrustMRRLess likely to generate early MRR · Strong signals: personal, google, way · Missing: mobile apps, ios, entrepreneurs
47%47% predicted probability of success on TrustMRR, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
Hacker NewsMay not resonate with HN audience · Strong signals: ide, io · Missing: https docs, excited, just released
37%37% predicted probability of success on Hacker News, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
nativeThis product was originally launched on this platform.
Acquire.comPre-revenue stage for this audience · Strong signals: subscription · Missing: arr, mrr, revenue
19%19% predicted probability of success on Acquire.com, based on ML models trained on real launch data.
BetaListMay not resonate with beta-testers · Missing: web3, chat, crypto
0%0% predicted probability of success on BetaList, based on ML models trained on real launch data.

Correct prediction on native model

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