We sell AI receptionists, which gives us every reason to make the price look small and the math look magical. So here's the version with the incentives on the table: real ranges, the pricing models that decide what you'll actually pay, the fees vendors don't put on the pricing page, and an honest comparison to hiring a human. Read it as a checklist you can use against any provider, us included.
The short answer
Most AI receptionist plans for small businesses cost between about $30 and $300 a month. Light plans with a few hundred included minutes start near $30 to $50. Busier plans with thousands of minutes, calendar and CRM integrations, and multiple numbers land around $200 to $300. On top of the base plan, per-minute overage typically runs from a few cents to roughly $0.50 a minute. For reference, our own plans start at €99/month for ~1,000 minutes, with extra minutes at €0.09. The number that actually decides your bill, though, isn't the headline price. It's the pricing model and the overage rate, so start there.
The four pricing models, explained
Nearly every vendor uses one of four models. Each is cheap in one scenario and expensive in another, and that's the whole point of knowing them.
1. Per-minute
You pay for the minutes the assistant spends on calls. Cheap at very low volume, but it spikes in your busy season, exactly when calls matter most. Watch how minutes are rounded: billing per second is fairer than rounding every call up to the next 30 or 60 seconds.
2. Per-call
A flat fee per answered call. Simple for short, simple calls, but spam and wrong numbers can still count as billable, and a few long calls can cost the same as many short ones.
3. Flat-rate subscription
A fixed monthly fee with a bundle of included minutes or calls, plus an overage rate beyond it. The most predictable model and usually the best value for steady or growing volume. The thing to check is the overage rate and whether unused minutes roll over.
4. Custom / enterprise
Negotiated pricing for high volume, multiple locations, or deep integrations. Fine for large operations, but "contact sales for pricing" on a small-business plan is usually a sign the number isn't friendly.
AI receptionist pricing models compared
| Model | Good when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Per-minute | Very low, occasional call volume | Costs spike at peak; check rounding (per-second vs 60s) |
| Per-call | Short, simple calls | Spam and wrong numbers can be billable |
| Flat subscription | Steady or growing volume; you want a predictable bill | Overage rate above included minutes; rollover policy |
| Custom / enterprise | High volume, multi-location, deep integrations | Opacity; long lock-in; setup fees |
What actually drives your price
Two businesses on the same vendor can pay very different amounts. The levers, in rough order of impact:
- Call volume. The biggest factor. More minutes or calls, higher tier. Estimate your real monthly volume before you shop.
- AI vs human. AI is dramatically cheaper per minute than live operators; hybrid sits in between.
- Integrations.Calendar, CRM, and phone-system connections can be included or charged per-integration. This is where a "cheap" plan quietly doubles.
- Hours of coverage.24/7 and after-hours coverage can cost more, though for AI it's often the same flat fee, which is much of the appeal.
- Features and customization. Bilingual support, custom scripting, multiple numbers, and call recording can all sit behind higher tiers.
- Contract length and setup fees. Annual commitments and onboarding fees change the true first-year cost more than the monthly number suggests.
AI vs a human receptionist vs a live answering service
Here's the comparison most pricing pages avoid, because it's the one buyers actually care about. The honest framing isn't "AI vs. a great receptionist"; it's "which option covers the calls you're currently missing, and at what cost."
Cost of answering your phones, by option (US, approximate)
| Option | Typical cost | Coverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house receptionist | ~$37k/yr before benefits (BLS), ~$45k+ loaded | Business hours, one call at a time | Front-desk presence, complex in-person work |
| Live virtual answering service | ~$1–$3.50/min, or a few hundred to $1,000+/mo | Often extended hours; humans on the line | High-touch calls, lower volume |
| AI receptionist | ~$30–$300/mo flat | 24/7, unlimited parallel calls | Routine intake, booking, overflow, after-hours |
| Hybrid (AI + human backup) | AI fee + occasional human cost | 24/7 AI, humans for the hard calls | Most growing small businesses |
The receptionist salary above comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A human is the only option that gives you a true front-desk presence and full human judgment. An AI receptionist isn't buying that; it's buying coverage you were never going to staff (2 a.m., the weekend rush, three calls at once) for a fraction of the cost.
The hidden costs nobody puts on the pricing page
This is the section we have the most incentive to skip, so here it is in full. When you compare quotes, hunt for these:
- Setup / onboarding fees.A one-time charge that isn't in the monthly number. Common, not always disclosed up front.
- Overage rates. The price per minute or call once you pass your bundle. A low base with a brutal overage is a trap if your volume is lumpy.
- Per-integration charges. The base plan looks cheap until you add the calendar and CRM you actually need.
- Annual lock-in.A discount in exchange for a year you can't leave. Fine if you're sure; expensive if you're not.
- Billable junk.On per-call or per-minute plans, spam, wrong numbers, and hang-ups can all land on your bill. Ask how they're handled.
- "Unlimited" with an asterisk.Read what unlimited actually means; there's almost always a fair-use cap.
How to calculate your real cost (and ROI)
The price is only half the decision. The other half is what the missed calls are costing you now. A quick, honest calculation:
- Estimate missed calls per month. Check your phone logs for unanswered and after-hours calls. Most owners underestimate this badly.
- Apply a conservative conversion rate. Of those missed callers, how many would have become customers if someone had picked up? Even 10–20% is often realistic, especially for time-sensitive leads.
- Multiply by revenue per customer. Recovered calls × conversion × average customer value = monthly revenue the service could recover.
- Compare to the all-in monthly fee. For most service businesses, recovering a single missed job a month covers the entire cost several times over.
Run the same numbers honestly in the other direction, too. If you already answer essentially every call yourself, the recovered-revenue figure is small and the case is weak. Don't buy a solution to a problem you don't have.
So, is it worth it?
For a business drowning in routine calls, bleeding leads after hours, or paying people to answer the same questions all day, an AI receptionist is one of the cheapest ways to stop losing revenue, and the ROI math usually isn't close. For a very low-volume business that already catches every call, it's a solution looking for a problem, and we'd rather you not buy it than churn in a month.
Either way, judge it on the all-in number at your volume, not the sticker. To evaluate any provider properly, use our AI receptionist buyer's guide, and for the bigger picture on what AI can and can't do, see can an AI receptionist replace a human. See what our AI receptionistdoes on a call, and when you're ready to price it for your own calls, our plans are here.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Most AI receptionist plans for small businesses run from about $30 to $300 a month, depending on call volume and features. Light plans with a few hundred minutes start near $30 to $50; busier plans with thousands of minutes and integrations land in the $200 to $300 range. Per-minute overage on top is typically a few cents to about $0.50 a minute. The headline number matters less than the pricing model and the overage rate.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
Almost always, on raw cost. A full-time in-house receptionist in the US earns around $37,000 a year before benefits, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which lands closer to $45,000+ fully loaded. A live virtual answering service runs from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars a month. An AI receptionist covers nights, weekends, and overflow for a flat fee that's a fraction of either, though it doesn't replace everything a great human does.
What's the difference between per-minute and flat-rate pricing?
Per-minute billing charges for the time the assistant spends on calls, which is cheap at low volume but spikes exactly when you're busiest. Flat-rate (subscription) gives you a fixed monthly bill with a bundle of included minutes and an overage rate beyond it, which is more predictable. For steady or growing call volume, flat-rate is usually the better deal and the easier number to plan around.
Are there hidden fees with AI receptionists?
Often, yes. Watch for setup or onboarding fees, per-integration charges that quietly double a cheap base plan, overage rates buried in the fine print, annual lock-in contracts, and per-call billing that counts spam and wrong numbers as billable. Always ask for the all-in monthly cost at your real call volume, including the integrations you need, not the headline tier.
How do I calculate if an AI receptionist is worth it?
Estimate the calls you currently miss per month, multiply by your average revenue per booked customer and a conservative conversion rate, and compare that recovered revenue to the monthly fee. For most businesses, recovering even one or two otherwise-missed jobs a month covers the entire cost. If you genuinely answer every call already, the savings are smaller and the case is weaker.