AI Receptionist Pricing in 2026: What It Costs
Updated October 30, 2026. What an AI receptionist costs for contractors and home-services businesses, using only prices we confirmed on each vendor's own pricing page. Most entry plans for AI receptionist products run from $0 to $99 a month before overage (CallRail's Voice Assist is $95 plus Lead Tracking from $55); human answering services start at $165 to $250 a month. Every row shows its source and the date we checked it.
We have not call-tested these tools. Prices are as published on the date shown and can change; confirm before buying. Some vendor links on this site are affiliate links; see our disclosure.
- Cheapest verified entry plans: Smith.ai AI-first $0 (25 calls, then $3.00/call), Upfirst $24.95/mo, Dialzara $29/mo, Rosie $49/mo, OnCrew $49/mo (60 min) and Goodcall $79/mo (vendor pricing pages, checked Oct 13–30, 2026).
- Billing differs: per minute (OnCrew; Dialzara over its plan), per call (Upfirst, Smith.ai), per unique customer (Goodcall).
- Human services cost more: Ruby from $250/mo for 50 minutes; Abby Connect from $165/mo for 50 Abby Minutes (checked 2026-10-16 and 2026-10-13).
- Coverage: 26 vendors listed; 16 have prices verified on the vendor's own pricing page. We have not call-tested any tool.
Sources and dates for every figure: Pricing facts · AI receptionist pricing 2026: full table.
AI receptionist pricing: verified entry plans, cheapest first
| Vendor | Entry plan | Billed by | Higher tiers and overage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | $0: AI-first Free (25 calls) | Per call | $3.00/call after 25 calls; Pro from $150/mo (75 calls, $2.00/call) | smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist checked 2026-10-13 |
| Quo (Sona AI agent) | $19 per user/mo (Starter) | Per user, plus AI credits | AI credit tiers $0–$199/mo; overage $0.45–$1.00 per call | www.quo.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Upfirst | $24.95/mo (Starter) | Per call | Premium $59.95, Pro $159.95, Scale $299 (lower with annual billing) | www.upfirst.ai/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Dialzara | $29/mo (Lite) | Per minute over the plan | $0.48/min over on Lite; Pro $99, Plus $199, Elite $349 | dialzara.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Rosie | $49/mo (Professional) | Monthly tiers | Scale $149/mo, Growth $299/mo; Website Texting add-on $50/mo | heyrosie.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| OnCrew | $49/mo (Starter, 60 min) | Per minute | $0.99 per extra minute; Pro $149 (200 min), Multi-Truck $349 (500 min) | oncrew.ai/pricing checked 2026-10-30 |
| HighLevel Voice AI | AI Employee $50/mo or $97/mo per location | Monthly plan | Platform Starter $97/mo; phone/SMS extra | www.gohighlevel.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Goodcall | $79/mo (Starter, 100 unique customers) | Per unique customer | $0.79 each after 100; Growth $129 (500), Scale $299 (2,000) | www.goodcall.com/pricing checked 2026-10-14 |
| bevado (formerly Frontdesk) | $99/mo ($79/mo billed annually) | Monthly plan | Business-in-a-Box; partner/enterprise custom | www.bevado.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| XBert AI (Nextiva) | $99/mo (100 interactions) | Per interaction | $0.99 per interaction after 100 | www.nextiva.com/products/xbert.html checked 2026-10-13 |
| CallRail Voice Assist | $95/mo (Voice Assist) + Lead Tracking from $55/mo | Per call over the allowance | $1/call after 50 Voice Assist calls | www.callrail.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
16 of 26 vendors in our directory have a price verified on the vendor's own page; the rest are listed on the price tracker as unverified or unpublished and are left out of this table. Entry plan = the lowest published plan; check each vendor's page for limits.
How AI receptionists charge: per minute, per call or per customer
The same $49 plan can cost very different amounts depending on the billing unit. Examples worked from the published prices above:
| If you use... | Plan math (published prices) | Total |
|---|---|---|
| OnCrew: 100 minutes in a month | Starter $49 covers 60 min; 40 extra min × $0.99 = $39.60 | $88.60 (Pro is $149 for 200 min) |
| Goodcall: 130 unique customers in a month | Starter $79 covers 100; 30 extra × $0.79 = $23.70 | $102.70 (Growth is $129 for 500) |
| Smith.ai AI-first: 40 calls in a month | First 25 calls free; 15 extra × $3.00 = $45.00 | $45.00 (Pro is $150 for 75 calls) |
Arithmetic on published prices, not a quote: we do not know your call volume, and vendors may count minutes, calls or customers differently from how you do. Check each vendor's own definition.
AI receptionist cost for contractors and home services
- Plumbers, HVAC, electricians, roofers: OnCrew is the home-services specialist in our table (Starter $49/mo for 60 minutes). Compare trade-specific options on plumbers, HVAC, electricians and roofers.
- Already on Jobber: its Receptionist is a $29/mo add-on (included in Plus), checked 2026-10-30, and Jobber offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card. See Jobber AI Receptionist pricing.
- Small crew, tight budget: start with the verified plans under $100 and test with a free trial.
- Budget a busy month: storm weeks and cold snaps push call counts up; see AI receptionist cost for small contractors and the missed-call cost calculator.
Human and hybrid answering services
| Vendor | Entry plan | Billed by | Higher tiers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Connect | $165/mo (Starter, 50 Abby Minutes) | Per Abby Minute | Essential $329 (100), Professional $599 (200), Growth $1,380 (500); minutes double when AI handles the call | www.abby.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Ruby | $250/mo (50 minutes) | Per minute | 100 min $395, 200 min $720, 500 min $1,725; overage rates not published | www.ruby.com/pricing checked 2026-10-16 |
Developer voice-AI platforms (usage-priced)
These are build-it-yourself platforms with usage-based pricing, so they are not comparable to a flat monthly receptionist plan.
| Platform | Published price | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retell AI | from $0.07/min (voice engine) | Per minute; total depends on model and telephony | www.retellai.com/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Vapi | $5 free credits, then pay per minute | Provider costs listed separately; Core success package $29/mo | vapi.ai/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
| Bland AI | Start $0.14/min, $0 platform fee | Build $0.12/min + $299/mo platform fee | www.bland.ai/pricing checked 2026-10-13 |
Vendors left out because the price is not verified
Sameday, Avoca AI, Lucrovox, echowin, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Podium, Ziwi Engage, Synthflow, Thoughtly, Dialpad AI Reception. Either the vendor publishes no price or we could only find a figure on a third-party site, so we do not show a number here. See each vendor page for the status.
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost in 2026?
Among the 16 vendors whose prices we confirmed on their own pricing pages (Oct 13–30, 2026), most entry plans for AI receptionist products run from $0 to $99 per month before overage: Smith.ai AI-first $0 (25 calls, then $3.00/call), Upfirst $24.95/mo, Dialzara $29/mo, Rosie $49/mo, OnCrew $49/mo (60 min) and Goodcall $79/mo. Human answering services cost more: Ruby from $250/mo for 50 minutes and Abby Connect from $165/mo for 50 Abby Minutes. See the price table.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for contractors?
No vendor in our directory publishes a contractor-only price list. The home-services specialist OnCrew lists Starter $49/mo for 60 minutes, Pro $149/mo for 200 minutes and Multi-Truck $349/mo for 500 minutes, then $0.99 per extra minute (oncrew.ai/pricing, checked 2026-10-30). General receptionists such as Upfirst ($24.95/mo), Dialzara ($29/mo), Rosie ($49/mo) and Goodcall ($79/mo) are also used by contractors. Trade pages: plumbers, HVAC, electricians, roofers.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for home services businesses?
Home-services businesses typically choose between a standalone AI receptionist (entry plans above) and an add-on inside their field-service software. Jobber's Receptionist is a $29/mo add-on on Core, Connect and Grow and is included in Plus (getjobber.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-30). Housecall Pro's pricing page lists CSR AI without a price (checked 2026-10-23), and ServiceTitan does not publish a price for its AI Voice Agent (checked 2026-10-20); see our Jobber, Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan guides. We have not call-tested any of these tools.
What is the cheapest AI receptionist?
By published entry price, Smith.ai's AI-first plan is $0 for 25 calls (then $3.00 per call), followed by Upfirst at $24.95/mo and Dialzara at $29/mo (checked Oct 13–30, 2026). The cheapest plan is not always the cheapest bill: overage differs, so use the worked examples above and read the cheapest AI receptionists compared.
Is AI receptionist pricing per minute, per call or per customer?
It depends on the vendor. OnCrew bills by minutes (60 included on Starter, then $0.99 per extra minute), Dialzara charges per minute over the plan ($0.48/min on Lite), Upfirst and Smith.ai bill per call, Goodcall bills per unique customer ($0.79 each after the first 100 on Starter), and XBert AI by Nextiva bills per interaction ($0.99 after 100). Price your busiest month, not your average one.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human answering service?
On published entry prices, yes: most AI plans start at $0 to $99/mo, while Ruby lists 50 minutes for $250/mo and Abby Connect lists 50 Abby Minutes for $165/mo (checked 2026-10-16 and 2026-10-13). The units differ (minutes of a human receptionist versus AI plan allowances), so compare on your own call volume. See AI receptionist vs answering service.
Can I try an AI receptionist for free before paying?
Several vendors offer trials: Rosie 7 days, OnCrew and Upfirst 14 days, Dialzara 7 days and HighLevel 14 days (checked 2026-10-23), plus Jobber's 14-day trial of its Grow plan with no credit card (checked 2026-10-30). Goodcall offers a free demo agent you can build and test. See all free trials.
What extra costs should I watch for?
Overage and add-ons: OnCrew charges $0.99 per extra minute and $0.05 per alert text beyond the included texts, Goodcall $0.79 per extra unique customer on Starter, Smith.ai $3.00 per call beyond the free 25, Dialzara $0.48 per minute over on Lite, Quo $0.45–$1.00 per call beyond its AI credits, and HighLevel lists phone and SMS as extra. Ruby does not publish overage rates on its pricing page.
How do you verify these prices, and how often do they change?
We read each vendor's own pricing page and record the plan, the source URL and the date. Only prices confirmed that way appear in the table. Vendors can change prices at any time, so each row shows its check date and links to the source; confirm before you buy. Machine-readable copy: pricing-facts.json; every fact with its source is on Pricing facts.
Method and sources
Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page (links in the table) and were last checked Oct 13–30, 2026. We record the plan names as the vendor writes them. Vendors change prices without notice. Full list with sources: Pricing facts · llms.txt · JSON.
Free: the Missed-Call Playbook + weekly AI receptionist price updates
Pricing changes, new tools and setup tips for plumbers, HVAC, electricians and roofers. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
No spam, unsubscribe anytime. beehiiv handles subscriber emails; see our privacy note.