Free AI Receptionist 2026: Free Plans, Trials and What They Cost Once You Outgrow Them

As of October 26, 2026, two AI receptionists have a free plan with no end date: Smith.ai's, free for 25 calls, and Phonely's, free for 100 minutes. Seven more offer a free trial. Past the free allowance, 2 three-minute calls a day cost $105 on Smith.ai and $50 on Phonely.

Free AI receptionist plans and trials compared

Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026.

Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for that volume, free plans included, plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls over 30 days. Goodcall bills per unique caller; we count every call as a new caller. Taxes and add-ons are not included. How we price.

Rows run from free plans to the free demo agent to trials, longest first. "Card needed" comes from each vendor's pricing page or terms; "Not stated" means we found no rule either way.

At 2 calls a day, Rosie's paid Professional plan costs $49, the least in the table, just under Phonely. At 3 a day Upfirst costs the least, $59.95. A free plan is the lowest bill only at very low volume.

What Smith.ai's free AI plan allows

Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call. The product page sets the terms: "25 live calls/month, CC required at signup, no charge until you authorize." (smith.ai/ai-receptionist, read October 27, 2026)

What the 25 calls cover, from Smith.ai's own pages:

• Calls reset every month. "Your counter resets to zero at the start of every billing cycle. Unused calls don't roll over." (Smith.ai help, read October 7, 2026)
• Extra calls come from a prepaid wallet. "Billing credits are a prepaid wallet." When the balance hits zero, "paid features pause and calls revert to your redirect setting" (Smith.ai help, read October 7, 2026).
• Booking costs extra on Free. The help center lists "Appointment booking - real-time calendar booking during a call, at $3/call". The product page says "All features are included in every plans, including the free plan." The help article prices the feature, so ask before you rely on it.
• One call has a ceiling. "A single call using Extra Calls and any paid features is capped at $6 total" (same help article).
• Spam counts. Answered spam uses a free call; Smith.ai lets you remove "up to 10% of their calls from their bill each billing cycle" (pricing page, read October 26, 2026).

At 1 call a day, 30 calls a month, the free plan costs $15: 5 calls past the 25 at the free plan's rate. At 2 calls a day the same plan costs $105, more than Phonely's $50.

What Phonely's free plan allows

Phonely is free for 100 minutes. Its pricing FAQ offers "100 free minutes of AI phone answering every month plus a free phone number, with no payment required to get started" (phonely.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026).

Phonely's plan card calls that "100 Free Minutes ~50 calls", which works for 2-minute calls. At 3 minutes a call, 100 minutes cover 33 calls, about 1 a day.

The free plan has no overage rate: the comparison table shows a dash where Starter shows a per-minute rate. Past 100 minutes the next step is Starter, $50/month for 200 minutes. The plan cards list "Spam filtering" from Starter up, not on Free.

Three calls a day on Phonely cost $67.50 to $74.50. The cost is a range because Phonely's page gives two different Starter overage rates.

Goodcall's free demo agent

Goodcall has no free plan and no trial. Its FAQ: "You get a free demo agent instead." You build and test it at no cost, and "You only start paying when you add a phone number and pick a plan." (goodcall.com/faq, read October 27, 2026)

The demo agent has no phone number, so it cannot take your real calls. The first paid plan is $79/month for 100 unique callers. Goodcall also uses the demo agent as its off-season option: there is "no pause", and downgrading to the demo gives up your Goodcall number, per the same FAQ.

Free trials: what each lets you do

7 of 8 AI receptionists that publish a trial rule offer one (vendor terms, read October 5 to 27, 2026). They are Dialzara, My AI Front Desk, NextPhone, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Rosie, Simple Phones and Upfirst. Only My AI Front Desk and Upfirst say no card is needed. The terms differ in what happens on the last day:

• Upfirst, 14 days, no card. "Full access to every feature in your selected plan for 14 days. You can forward real calls and test responses with no commitment." (upfirst.ai/pricing, read October 27, 2026)
• RingCentral AI Receptionist, 14 days. Trials let you "set up their AI Receptionist, test call handling, and see how it fits" before paying (ringcentral.com pricing, read October 26, 2026).
• Simple Phones, 14 days. "Start a 14-day free trial and create an AI agent instantly." (simplephones.ai/pricing, read October 26, 2026)
• My AI Front Desk, 7 days, no card, but usage is billed. Its terms: "You will still be responsible for usage fees, as defined in section eleven, despite being on a free trial." (myaifrontdesk.com terms, read October 27, 2026)
• Rosie, 7 days, card on file. The terms require "a valid payment method". They convert the trial "to a Subscription at the end of the free trial period, unless you cancel prior to the end" (heyrosie.com/legal/terms, read October 27, 2026).
• Dialzara, 7 days. "After the free trial has expired, you will be charged for the full amount of the subscription service." The same terms: "WE DO NOT OFFER THE OPTION TO REVOKE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION SHORTLY AFTER MAKING YOUR PURCHASE." (Dialzara terms, read October 27, 2026)
• NextPhone, 7 days. "Start a 7-day free trial (cancel before it ends and you're not charged)" (getnextphone.com/pricing, read October 26, 2026).

A week of trial covers about 5 business days of calls. If your call mix varies by day of the week, a 14-day trial shows two of each.

What a free AI receptionist costs once you outgrow it

Smith.ai's free plan stays the lowest bill only while your calls stay low. On our 3-minute arithmetic it costs more than:

• Upfirst from about 37 calls a month, against Upfirst's Starter at $24.95/month for 30 calls.
• Rosie from about 42 calls a month, against Rosie's Professional at $49/month for 250 minutes.
• NextPhone from about 95 calls a month, against a flat $199/month for unlimited calls.

At 30 calls a month the free plan's $15 is still less than Dialzara's $43.40. At 2 calls a day, every other vendor in the table except NextPhone costs less than Smith.ai's $105.

Moving up inside Smith.ai is a jump, not a slope. Its first paid plan is $150/month for 75 calls, so 3 calls a day cost $187.50. For every vendor at 3, 5 and 13 calls a day, see AI receptionist cost.

Which free option fits which small business

Under 1 short call a day, no card: Phonely. Its plan is free for 100 minutes, with a free number and no payment required. That covers 30 three-minute calls a month at no charge, without spam filtering; longer calls use it up faster.

Under 1 call a day of any length: Smith.ai's free plan. It counts calls, not minutes, and costs $15 at 30 calls a month, less than Upfirst's $24.95. It needs a card, and booking is billed per call on Free.

Testing with real calls before you pay: Upfirst. 14 days, no card, real calls forwarded, and a paid plan that costs $59.95 at 3 calls a day, the least in the table at that volume.

Building before you commit: Goodcall's demo agent. You can hear your agent answer before paying, but it takes no live calls until you buy Starter, $79/month for 100 unique callers.

For picks once you are paying, see best AI receptionist for small business. One full-time receptionist on the BLS median wage costs $4,399 a month with benefits and turnover, 73.4 times Upfirst at 3 calls a day (hire vs AI receptionist).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a completely free AI receptionist?

Yes, within limits. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, and Phonely is free for 100 minutes a month (prices checked October 26, 2026). Both bill or require an upgrade once you pass the allowance.

What happens when the Smith.ai free calls run out?

Extra calls cost $3.00 a call, paid from a prepaid credit balance. If the balance reaches zero, Smith.ai's help center says paid features pause and calls go to your redirect setting. Unused free calls do not roll over to the next month.

Do free AI receptionist trials need a credit card?

Upfirst and My AI Front Desk say no card is needed for their trials, and Phonely's free plan needs no payment. Smith.ai's free plan needs a card at signup, and Rosie's terms require a valid payment method for its trial. My AI Front Desk still bills usage fees during its trial.

How many calls does a free AI receptionist plan cover?

Smith.ai's free plan covers 25 answered calls a month. Phonely's covers 100 minutes, which is 33 calls at 3 minutes each, or about 50 at the 2 minutes Phonely's own page assumes.

Does Goodcall have a free trial?

No. Goodcall offers a free demo agent you can build and test without a phone number. You start paying when you add a number and choose a plan, from $79/month for 100 unique callers.

Do trials turn into paid plans automatically?

At Rosie, Dialzara and My AI Front Desk, yes: their terms convert the trial to a paid subscription unless you cancel first. NextPhone says you are not charged if you cancel before the 7 days end. Dialzara's terms add that it does not offer a way to revoke a subscription shortly after purchase.