AI receptionist price index
What an AI receptionist costs in 2026, plan by plan
As of October 26, 2026, an AI receptionist costs $112.50 to $270 a month for 5 three-minute calls a day, and $199 to $695.30 at 13 a day, the small-business average Google's CallJoy found in testing. One full-time receptionist on the BLS median wage costs $4,399 a month with benefits and turnover.
AI receptionists at your call volume
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.
| Service | At 13 a day | Entry plan | 3 calls/day (90/mo) | 5 calls/day (150/mo) | 13 calls/day (390/mo) | If calls double (13 to 26 a day) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NextPhone | $199 | $199/month (unlimited calls) | $199 | $199 | $199 | No change | getnextphone.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Upfirst | $227.45 | $24.95/month (30 calls) | $59.95 | $119.95 | $227.45 | +$197.55 | upfirst.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Phonely | $292.50 to $389.50 | Free (100 minutes), then $50/month (200 minutes) | $67.50 to $74.50 | $112.50 to $137.50 | $292.50 to $389.50 | +$292.50 to $409.50 | phonely.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Rosie | $299 | $49/month (250 minutes) | $149 | $149 | $299 | Not computable | heyrosie.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| My AI Front Desk | $331.50 | $99/month (240 minutes: 200 voice plus a 1,000-credit pool worth 40) | $106.50 | $151.50 | $331.50 | +$292.50 | myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Dialzara | $408.50 | $29/month (60 minutes) | $121.50 | $199 | $408.50 | +$409.50 | dialzara.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | $584 | From $49/month (100 minutes) | $134 | $224 | $584 | +$585 | ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html, read October 26, 2026 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $695.30 | Free (25 calls), then $150/month (75 calls) | $187.50 | $270 | $695.30 | +$692.70 | smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, read October 26, 2026 |
| Simple Phones | Not computable | From $97/month (100 calls) | $97 | Not computable | Not computable | Not computable | simplephones.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Slang.ai (restaurants only) | Not computable | From $399/month per location (allowance not published) | Not computable | Not computable | Not computable | Not computable | slang.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for the volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls over 30 days. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.
Virtual receptionists with live people
| Service | Entry plan | 50 calls/mo | 100 calls/mo | 200 calls/mo | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus | $35/month (pay per use at $2.99/call) | $135 | $260 | $505 | receptionhq.com/service/live-call-answering/virtual-receptionist, read October 26, 2026 |
| Go Answer | $175/month (100 minutes) | $262.50 | $345 | $700 | goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read October 26, 2026 |
| Specialty Answering Service | $44/month (pay per use at $1.54/min) | $231 | $384.20 | $783 | specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| MAP Communications | $49/month (pay per use at $1.37/min) | $211.50 | $403 | $777 | mapcommunications.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Answering Service Care | $40/month (pay per use at $1.75/min) | $264 | $409 | $774 | answeringservicecare.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| PATLive | $49/month (pay per use at $2.99/min) | $293.50 | $479 | $938 | patlive.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| AnswerFirst | $30/month (pay per use at $1.60 to $1.95/min) | $270 to $322.50 | $510 to $615 | $990 to $1,200 | answerfirst.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Posh | $65/month (pay per use at $2.30/min) | $322.50 | $630 | $1,170 | posh.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Moneypenny | $165/month (50 minutes) | $397.50 | $661 | $1,194 | moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-people, read October 26, 2026 |
| Abby Connect (live and AI) | $164/month (50 minutes) | $493 | $898 | $1,656 | abby.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists | $300/month (30 calls) | $530 | $915 | $1,965 | smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, read October 26, 2026 |
| Ruby | $250/month (50 minutes) | $620 | $1,160 | $2,125 | ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, read October 26, 2026 |
Build-your-own voice platforms (Bland, Retell AI, Synthflow, Vapi) are priced on their own page: their per-minute rate leaves out the phone line and the setup work.
Hire vs AI: your volume, your state
150 calls a month (30 days) × 3 min = 450 minutes.
| Option | Type | A month | Per call | The math |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phonely | AI | $112.50 to $137.50 | $0.75 to $0.92 | Starter: $50 for 200 + 250 extra min × $0.25 to $0.35 |
| Upfirst | AI | $119.95 | $0.80 | Premium: $59.95 for 90 + 60 extra calls × $1.00 |
| Rosie | AI | $149 | $0.99 | Scale: $149 covers 1,000 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | $151.50 | $1.01 | Business-in-a-Box: $99 for 240 + 210 extra min × $0.25 |
| Dialzara | AI | $199 | $1.33 | Business Plus: $199 covers 500 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| NextPhone | AI | $199 | $1.33 | Pro: $199 flat, unlimited calls |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | AI | $224 | $1.49 | Standalone: $49 for 100 + 350 extra min × $0.50 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI | $270 | $1.80 | Pro (150 calls): $270 covers exactly 150 calls |
| ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus | Live | $385 | $2.57 | ReceptionistPlus 150: $385 covers exactly 150 calls |
| Go Answer | Live | $550 | $3.67 | Virtual Receptionist 500: $550 covers 500 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| MAP Communications | Live | $595 | $3.97 | Enterprise (250 minutes): $339 for 250 + 200 extra min × $1.28 |
| Specialty Answering Service | Live | $600.20 | $4.00 | 220 Minute: $269 for 220 + 230 extra min × $1.44 |
| Answering Service Care | Live | $639 | $4.26 | Enterprise (500 minutes): $639 covers 500 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| AnswerFirst | Live | $750 to $907.50 | $5.00 to $6.05 | Pay as you go: 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min × $1.60 to $1.95 + $30 base |
| PATLive | Live | $759 | $5.06 | 500 minutes: $759 covers 500 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| Posh | Live | $900 | $6.00 | 350 minutes: $700 for 350 + 100 extra min × $2.00 |
| Moneypenny | Live | $985 | $6.57 | 500 minutes: $985 covers 500 min; 150 calls × 3 min = 450 min |
| Abby Connect (live and AI) | Live and AI | $1,346.50 | $8.98 | Professional (200 Abby Minutes): $599 for 200 + 250 extra min × $2.99 |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists | Live | $1,440 | $9.60 | 90 calls: $810 for 90 + 60 extra calls × $10.50 |
| Ruby | Live | $1,635 | $10.90 | 350 minutes: $1,210 for 350 + 100 extra min × $4.25 |
| In-house receptionist (one full-time hire, US median wage) | Hire | $4,399 | $29.32 | 1.00 staff × 2,080 h × $24.60 (wage $18.27 + benefits other than paid leave) + $1,611 turnover = $52,782 a year ÷ 12 |
Cheapest published paid plan plus published overage at your volume and call length; prices from each vendor's own page. In-house: BLS median wage for 2,080 paid hours (paid leave included), other employer benefits and quits (the model); the same at any call volume. Not computable at this volume from published plans: Simple Phones, Slang.ai. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are not included.
Guides
- AI receptionist cost
Every AI plan priced at 3, 5 and 13 calls a day, with the billing rules that move the bill.
- Hire a receptionist or use AI?
BLS wage, benefits, paid leave and turnover against virtual and AI plans at the same volumes.
- Virtual receptionist pricing
Live services from ReceptionHQ to Ruby, per minute and per call.
- Best AI receptionist
Ranked by call pattern on published prices, terms and integrations.
- Best AI receptionist for small business
Picks by situation, each earned by a published number.
- Which receptionist writes to your software
Clio, HubSpot, Jobber, ServiceTitan and more: built in, via Zapier, or not documented.
- Virtual vs AI receptionist
Live people per minute against AI per call or flat.
- Free AI receptionists
Free plans and trials, and what each one allows.
- Build your own AI receptionist
Vapi, Retell, Bland and Synthflow: the per-minute rate and what it leaves out.
Every vendor
- Abby Connect pricing · alternatives
- Bland pricing · alternatives
- Dialzara pricing · alternatives
- My AI Front Desk pricing · alternatives
- NextPhone pricing
- Phonely pricing · alternatives
- Posh pricing · alternatives
- Retell AI pricing · alternatives
- RingCentral pricing · alternatives
- Rosie pricing · alternatives
- Ruby pricing · alternatives
- Simple Phones pricing · alternatives
- Slang.ai pricing · alternatives
- Smith.ai pricing · alternatives
- Synthflow pricing · alternatives
- Upfirst pricing · alternatives
- Vapi pricing · alternatives
Price log
- Upfirst: cancellation notice recorded as none. Its pricing FAQ says "You can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade anytime, no questions asked," the same strength as other cancel-anytime terms. Its setup-fee summary now reads "None stated": no page says ...
- Retell AI: corrected the transfer term. Its pricing page says "Once the call is transferred, the AI voice agent fee stops. Only the telephony fee continues for the remainder of the transferred call." The index had said the whole call was billed after ...
- My AI Front Desk: the 1,000 monthly overage credits its pricing page lists as included ("Extra credits you get each month in case you go over your included usage") now count as 40 included minutes, so Business-in-a-Box covers 240 minutes before the ...
- Phonely: its Professional plan card says 650 minutes and its comparison table 750; the card is used. When two plans tie on their lowest cost, the one with the narrower range is chosen, so Phonely at 300 calls a month prices on Professional alone.
The data
Every plan in the index as CSV and JSON, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Ask ChatGPT, Claude or any MCP client for a vendor's prices or a comparison at your volume: the ReceptionistPrices app.
For a business that already pays an answering service, AnsweringPrices.com prices live vs AI answering service cost at the same volumes.