What do AI receptionist apps cost?
Most start between about $29 and $100 a month for the first plan. These are the listed starting prices as of mid-2026, from the reviews in the sources below:
- Dialzara: from about $29 a month, for 60 minutes
- Rosie: from about $49 a month, for 250 minutes
- Goodcall: from about $79 a month
- Smith.ai: from about $95 a month, for 50 calls
Read the plan carefully. Some charge by the minute and some by the call, so the same month can cost very different amounts. Past the cap you pay extra, and the cheapest plans often leave the setup to you: writing what it says, connecting your calendar and testing it.
What does a live answering service cost?
A real person answering costs several times more. Ruby, one of the best-known services, lists about $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100 and $720 for 200, and it rounds every call up to the next minute. A person handles unusual calls better, but most calls to a local business are the same few questions: are you open, do you do this, how much, when can you come.
What does an AI receptionist from ohelloo cost?
$199 a month, including up to 300 minutes of calls (about 100 typical calls), plus one setup price agreed in writing before any work starts. That includes:
- Setting it up for you, with a greeting and answers in your words that you approve line by line
- Jobs booked straight onto the calendar you already use, and a text summary of every call
- Urgent calls, and anyone who asks for a person, put straight through to you
- Your number staying the same: calls forward only when you choose
- Every month, a few calls listened to and any wrong answer fixed
It also comes in every package with no setup fee: Launch at $249 a month has it answer after hours, Grow at $499 every call you can’t pick up, and Scale at $899 every call you choose.
What makes an AI receptionist cost more?
- Minutes. Answering every call costs more than answering only after hours or when you miss one.
- Booking. Putting jobs straight onto your calendar takes more setup than taking a message.
- Your other tools. Adding callers to your customer list, sending quotes or payment links.
- Upkeep. Someone has to update it when your hours, prices or services change, or it starts giving wrong answers.
Is an AI receptionist worth it?
Usually, if you miss calls from new customers. One booked job a month often covers it. Try our missed call calculator with your own numbers: calls a week, how many you miss, and what a customer is worth. If you rarely miss a call, a simple missed-call text back may be all you need.
What should I check before I sign up?
- It says it is an assistant and never pretends to be a person.
- It only answers from what you approve, and won’t quote a job it hasn’t seen.
- Urgent calls reach you, and anyone can ask for a person.
- You keep your number, and can listen back to calls.
- No long contract, and you can see what the next month will cost before it bills.
Questions
Is a cheap AI receptionist app good enough?
It can be, if you have the time to set it up, write its answers, connect your calendar and keep it updated. What you pay for with a done-for-you service is that work, and someone fixing it when an answer is off.
Will an AI receptionist replace a person?
Not for every call. It handles the common questions and bookings, and puts urgent calls or anyone who asks for a person through to you.
Can I keep my business phone number?
Yes. With ours, calls forward from your number only when you choose: after hours, when you don’t pick up, or always.
How many minutes does a small business need?
Most calls to a local business last two to four minutes, so 300 minutes is roughly 100 calls a month. Check your phone’s call history for a typical week to see your own number.
Want one set up around your business, with every line approved by you first?
See our AI receptionistSources
Last checked October 4, 2026. Prices and rules change, so check each company’s own pages before you rely on them.