How much does an AI receptionist cost?

An AI receptionist is usually priced by use, so your monthly bill depends on how many calls you get and how long they last. As published examples, Smith.ai lists $150 a month at 75 calls, and a CloudTalk review puts Goodcall at about $79 to $249 a month, based on unique callers. For comparison, Ruby’s human receptionists start at $250 for 50 minutes. All prices here are in US dollars.

These are examples, not benchmarks. Vendors change their pricing often, so confirm the current figure on the vendor’s own page before you budget. If you are in Australia, ask for local pricing and whether a quote includes GST.

The three ways AI receptionists are priced

Almost every plan uses one of three models, and the right one depends on your calling pattern.

Per call

You pay for each answered call, usually with a set number included each month. This suits businesses with many short calls, such as booking lines. Check what counts as a call, because a wrong number or spam call may still use up your allowance.

Per caller

Some plans count unique callers rather than total calls. This suits businesses where the same customers ring several times about one job. A customer who calls three times may count once.

Per minute

You pay for talk time. This suits short, simple calls. It gets expensive when calls run long, so it is a poor fit if your callers usually need detailed answers.

Published prices, side by side

The prices were checked in November 2026. A plan’s sticker price matters less than its price at your volume, so compare them using your real call numbers.

Costs that do not show on the pricing page

The monthly price is rarely the whole cost. Ask about each of these before you sign.

• Overages. What you pay once you pass the plan’s allowance, and whether the rate jumps.
• Spam and wrong numbers. Whether they count toward your calls or minutes.
• Connections. Whether your calendar, CRM and phone number cost extra, or need custom work.
• Setup and scripting. A receptionist is only as good as its instructions. Someone has to write your services, hours, prices and handover rules, then keep them current.
• Review time. Your team should listen to calls, especially in the first few weeks.
• Contract terms. Whether you can leave month to month, and whether you keep your call data.

How it compares with hiring a person

A full-time receptionist is a different kind of cost. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median receptionist pay at $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, as of May 2025, before benefits, equipment and cover for time off.

That person does far more than answer phones, so a price comparison alone is misleading. Our AI receptionist vs answering service guide compares what each option actually handles.

How to work out your own monthly cost

You need three numbers from your phone records or provider:

1. Calls per month
2. Average call length in minutes
3. The share of calls that arrive after hours

Then calculate the same month under each plan you are considering:

• Per call: calls × price per call, plus the base fee
• Per minute: calls × average minutes × price per minute
• Per caller: unique callers × price per caller

Add setup, connections and a realistic allowance for overages. Run it for a quiet month and a busy month, since a plan that looks cheap in a quiet month can be expensive at your peak.

When an AI receptionist is not worth paying for

It is hard to justify when you get few calls and can answer them yourself, or when most calls are complex, sensitive or high value. A missed call only costs you something if that caller would have become a customer, so start by looking at what your missed calls are actually worth.

If the problem is really a slow site or a form nobody answers, fix that first. Our guide to signs your business has outgrown its software can help you find where the real bottleneck is.

Questions to ask before you sign

• What is my likely monthly cost at my call volume, including overages?
• Do spam calls count?
• Which calendars and CRMs connect, and at what cost?
• How does a call reach a person when the AI cannot help?
• Who writes and updates the script?
• Can I cancel month to month, and do I keep my call records?

If you want this set up to fit how your business runs, see what our AI automation team builds. We will tell you plainly if a simpler option would serve you better.