An AI receptionist costs roughly $25 to $500 a month for a small business, depending on your call volume and how the provider bills. At 100 three-minute calls a month, the published plans we compared cost between about $70 and $200. A human answering service starts at $250 a month for 50 minutes.
The billing model matters more than the headline price: some providers charge per minute, some per call, and some a flat fee per agent with a cap on callers. This guide compares published prices from six providers and works out what 100 and 300 calls a month really cost.
Key Takeaways
- AI receptionists bill in three ways: per minute, per call, or a flat fee per agent with a customer cap. Compare them at your own call volume, not by the cheapest plan.
- At 100 three-minute calls a month, the published plans we checked range from about $70 to $200.
- A human receptionist service costs several dollars per minute of talk time, roughly ten times an AI receptionist.
- Check what counts as usage: spam calls, calls under a minute and transfers are billed differently by each provider.
- The cheapest plan is rarely the cheapest outcome. Missed bookings and wrong answers cost more than the subscription.
What an AI receptionist is
An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone number with a natural-sounding voice, answers questions from your own information, and books appointments, takes messages or transfers calls to a person. It runs all day, can take several calls at once, and writes up every call.
It differs from a human answering service, where real people answer your line and bill by minute or call, and from a basic IVR menu that only routes calls ("press 1 for sales"). For how it works day to day and how to set one up, see our guide to the AI receptionist for small business.
The three ways AI receptionists are priced
Each billing model rewards a different call pattern. Knowing yours tells you which to pick.
| Billing model | How it works | Cheapest when | Example (published price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per minute (bundles) | A monthly fee includes a number of minutes | Calls are short | Rosie: $49 for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000 minutes |
| Per call | A monthly fee includes a number of calls, or each call has a price | Calls are long | Upfirst: $24.95 for 30 calls, then $1 per extra call |
| Flat per agent, capped by customers | Unlimited minutes, capped by unique callers | Many calls from the same people | Goodcall: $79 per agent for 100 unique customers |
Sources: Rosie pricing, Upfirst pricing, Goodcall pricing.
AI receptionist prices compared
This table lists the entry and main plans of six providers as published.
| Provider | Plan | Price / month | Includes | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | Starter | $24.95 | 30 calls | $0.83 per call |
| Upfirst | Pro | $159.95 | 300 calls | $0.53 per call |
| Rosie | Professional | $49 | 250 minutes | $0.20 per minute |
| Rosie | Scale | $149 | 1,000 minutes | $0.15 per minute |
| Goodcall | Starter | $79 per agent | Unlimited minutes, 100 unique customers | $0.50 per extra customer |
| Goodcall | Growth | $129 per agent | Unlimited minutes, 250 unique customers | $0.50 per extra customer |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Pro | $150 | About 75 calls | $2.00 per call |
| Conecto Phone | Starter | $99 | About 750 minutes | About $0.13 per minute |
| Conecto Phone | Business | $299 | About 2,300 minutes | About $0.13 per minute |
| Ruby (human receptionists) | Entry | $250 | 50 minutes | $5.00 per minute |
| Ruby (human receptionists) | Mid | $720 | 200 minutes | $3.60 per minute |
Sources: Upfirst, Rosie, Goodcall, Smith.ai, Conecto, Ruby. Conecto Phone minutes are estimates; its plans are sold as credits, and actual minutes depend on the voice and phone number used.
What 100 and 300 calls a month really cost
Headline prices only mean something at your volume. The two scenarios below assume calls of three minutes on average and use the lowest published plan that covers the volume. Where a provider's overage price isn't published for that plan, we say so instead of guessing.
Scenario A: 100 calls a month (about 300 minutes)
| Provider | Plan that covers it | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | Premium (90 calls) plus 10 extra calls at $1 | $69.95 |
| Goodcall | Starter, if those calls come from 100 or fewer people | $79 |
| Conecto Phone | Starter (about 750 minutes) | $99 |
| Rosie | Scale (Professional's 250 minutes is not enough) | $149 |
| Smith.ai | Pro, at the published $2.00 per call | About $200 |
| Ruby (human) | More than the 200-minute plan | Over $720 |
Scenario B: 300 calls a month (about 900 minutes)
| Provider | Plan that covers it | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Goodcall | Growth, if those calls come from 250 or fewer people | $129 |
| Rosie | Scale (1,000 minutes) | $149 |
| Upfirst | Pro (300 calls) | $159.95 |
| Conecto Phone | Business (about 2,300 minutes) | $299 |
| Smith.ai | 300-call tier | About $500 |
| Ruby (human) | Beyond the largest published plan (500 minutes, $1,725) | Quote required |
Change the average call length and the ranking changes. With one-minute calls, per-minute plans get cheaper; with eight-minute calls, per-call plans win. Run your own numbers with your phone bill's average call duration.
Costs that don't show on the pricing page
The monthly fee is only part of what you pay. Ask about these before signing:
- Phone numbers. Some plans include a number; others charge monthly rent for each. Conecto Phone plans include one to five numbers, covering carrier rent up to $3 a month each.
- What counts as a call. Spam, robocalls, wrong numbers and calls under 30 seconds may or may not count toward your limit.
- Transfers. Forwarding a call to your mobile can use minutes on both legs of the call.
- Overage rates. Know the price per extra call or minute before a busy month finds it for you.
- Setup and onboarding. Some providers charge for done-for-you setup; others are self-serve.
- Integrations. Calendar booking, CRM sync and text messages are sometimes add-ons.
- Unused minutes. Some bundles reset every month. Conecto Phone credits roll over.
AI receptionist vs human receptionist cost
A human answering service costs several dollars per minute of talk time: $5.00 per minute on Ruby's entry plan and $3.45 per minute on its largest published plan (500 minutes for $1,725). Ruby pricing The AI plans in this guide work out between about $0.13 and $0.20 per minute, or $0.50 to $2.00 per call.
A human still wins on judgment: a difficult complaint, a sensitive medical or legal call, or a caller who needs reassurance. Many businesses combine both, letting the AI answer and transfer the calls that need a person.
How to choose an AI receptionist for your budget
- Pull last month's call log. Count calls, average duration and how many came from repeat callers.
- Price your volume on three billing models. Use the scenario method above.
- Test it with real questions. Call the trial number with your ten most common questions and one awkward one.
- Check the booking flow. If appointments matter, confirm it writes to your actual calendar.
- Check where calls end up. Transcripts and messages should land where your team already works, not in a separate app nobody opens.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Published plans for small businesses start around $25 a month for a few dozen calls and reach $300 to $500 for several hundred calls. At 100 three-minute calls a month, the plans we compared cost between about $70 and $200.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
For routine calls, yes, by a wide margin. Human answering services charge several dollars per minute of talk time, while AI receptionists cost cents per minute or a few dollars per call at most.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Some providers offer free trials or a small free allowance. Smith.ai publishes a free plan with 25 calls a month and $3.00 per call after that. Trials help you test quality; check the price after the trial ends.
Do AI receptionists charge per minute or per call?
Both exist, plus flat plans with caller caps. Per-minute bundles are cheaper for short calls, per-call pricing is cheaper for long calls.
What is included in an AI receptionist's price?
Usually answering, message-taking and call summaries. Appointment booking, call transfers, extra phone numbers, text messages and CRM integrations vary by plan.
Disclosure and how we compared
Conecto makes Conecto Phone, one of the six products in this comparison, and this guide is published on Conecto's site. To keep the comparison fair, every price comes from the vendor's public pricing page on the date above, the scenarios use the same assumptions for every provider, and we note where Conecto is not the cheapest option. Conecto Phone is an add-on to any Conecto Chat plan, including Free; its calls share the same inbox, contacts and knowledge as website chat. See how Conecto Phone works or compare all plans.