Receptionist · 7 min read · Updated
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?
Short answerMost AI receptionist services for small businesses cost roughly $25 to $200 a month for the software, based on 2026 published pricing, plus a one-time setup fee if you want it trained on your business. Human answering services typically start around $235–$250 a month for a small bundle of minutes. Your real cost depends on how many calls you get, how long they last, and what the receptionist needs to connect to.
The three ways AI receptionists are priced
Almost every provider uses one of three models. Knowing which one fits your call pattern matters more than the headline price.
- Per minute: you pay for total talk time. Good if your calls are short and predictable; expensive if callers like to chat.
- Per call: you pay for each call answered, regardless of length. Easier to budget if you know your monthly call count.
- Flat monthly: a fixed fee with a cap on calls or features. Simple, but check what happens when you go over the cap.
Here is what that looked like in published pricing earlier this year, as compiled by one AI receptionist vendor (AIRA, March 2026; prices change often, so check each provider before buying):
| Provider | Model | Starting price (USD/month) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIRA | Per call | $24.95 (30 calls) | AI |
| Dialzara | Per minute | $29 (60 minutes) | AI |
| Rosie | Per minute | $49 | AI |
| Goodcall | Flat monthly | $59 | AI |
| My AI Front Desk | Flat monthly | $64.99 | AI |
| Smith.ai | Per call | $292.50 (30 calls) | AI + human |
Entry plans are cheap because they include very few calls. A busy trade business taking 300+ calls a month will usually land on a mid or upper tier.
AI receptionist vs. a human answering service vs. hiring
Human answering services charge mostly by the minute. Ruby, one of the best-known US services, lists plans from $250 for 50 minutes and $395 for 100 minutes a month (CloudTalk, updated August 2026). That's excellent for warm, human conversations, but costly for high call volume.
An in-house receptionist costs far more but does far more. The US median pay for receptionists was $18.27 an hour ($38,010 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, before payroll taxes and benefits, and a single person can't cover nights, weekends or two calls at once.
In practice, many small businesses use an AI receptionist for after-hours and overflow calls, and keep people for the conversations that need a human touch.
Costs that don't show on the pricing page
- Setup and training. Writing approved answers, booking rules and transfer rules takes time. Off-the-shelf tools leave this to you; a done-for-you setup is a one-time fee.
- Overage. Extra minutes or calls beyond your plan are often billed at a higher rate.
- Integrations. Connecting to your calendar, CRM or field-service software may need a higher tier or custom work.
- Upkeep. When your prices, hours or services change, the receptionist's answers must change too.
Is it worth it? A quick way to check
The real comparison isn't the monthly fee. It's the cost of calls you currently miss. In a survey of US micro-businesses by the answering service Moneypenny, 69% of callers who reached voicemail hung up without leaving a message (Moneypenny, 2016; older data, but the behavior is familiar to most owners).
Do this simple calculation with your own numbers:
- Count the calls you miss in a typical week (check your phone's call log).
- Estimate how many of those would have become customers.
- Multiply by your average job or order value.
Example (illustrative): 10 missed calls a week × 1 in 5 becoming a customer × a $300 average job = about $600 a week in missed revenue. Against that, a $100–$200 monthly plan is easy to justify. If you rarely miss calls, it may not be worth it, and that's a fine answer too.
How to choose the right AI receptionist
- Match the pricing model to your call pattern (short and frequent calls favor per-call; few long calls favor per-minute).
- Make sure it can transfer urgent calls to a real person and take detailed messages.
- Check it books into the calendar you already use.
- Ask what data it records, where it's stored, and how long it's kept, especially in healthcare.
- Test it yourself with your ten most common questions before you switch it on.
If you'd rather not set it up yourself, our AI receptionist service handles the setup, scripting, phone forwarding and testing for you, and our business process automation can send every booking straight into your CRM.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Some tools offer free trials, but ongoing service almost always has a monthly fee because every call uses phone minutes and AI processing. Budget at least the entry tier of a paid plan.
Do AI receptionists charge per minute or per call?
Both exist, along with flat monthly plans. Per-call pricing is easier to budget if your call count is steady; per-minute pricing is cheaper when calls are short.
Can an AI receptionist replace my front-desk staff?
Rarely completely. It's best at after-hours, overflow and routine calls such as hours, prices and bookings. Most businesses keep people for complex or sensitive conversations.
Sources
- AIRA — www.getaira.io
- CloudTalk — www.cloudtalk.io
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — www.bls.gov
- Moneypenny — moneypenny.com
Written by the INTELVYRA team. Prices and figures were checked on the date above and can change. Always confirm current pricing with each provider.