Short answer
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
As of 2026, self-serve AI receptionist apps commonly start from roughly $30 to a few hundred dollars a month, usually with limits on minutes or calls. Done-for-you setups, where a provider builds, trains and maintains it for you, typically cost a few hundred dollars a month or more. Human answering services usually charge per minute or per call. Prices change often, so always check current plans.
The three common pricing models
- Per minute or per call. Common with answering services and some AI tools. Cheap at low volume, expensive when you get busy.
- Tiered monthly plans. A set number of minutes or calls, with overage fees beyond that.
- Flat monthly fee. One price for typical small business volume. Easiest to budget.
Self-serve vs. done-for-you vs. human service
| Self-serve AI app | Done-for-you AI receptionist | Human answering service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | From about $30/mo, plus usage | A few hundred dollars/mo or more | Per minute or per call |
| Setup work | You configure it | Provider builds and trains it | Provider writes a script |
| Knows your business | As well as you set it up | Trained on your information | From a script |
| Books appointments | Often, with setup | Yes | Sometimes |
| Best for | Hands-on owners with simple needs | Busy owners who want it done right | Complex or sensitive calls |
General ranges as of 2026. Features and prices vary by provider.
Costs nobody mentions
- Your setup time. Self-serve tools need hours of configuring and testing to sound right.
- Overage fees when a busy season blows past your plan's minutes.
- Phone and texting fees, including U.S. carrier registration for business texting.
- Integrations with your calendar or CRM, sometimes on higher tiers only.
- Ongoing tuning. Prices, hours and services change. Someone has to update the AI.
Is it worth it?
Use simple math. Take the value of an average job and how many calls you miss each month. If the AI receptionist books even one extra job a month that's worth more than its monthly cost, it pays for itself, before counting the time it saves you.
Our lost-revenue calculator runs this math with your own numbers.
What ours costs
Our AI Phone Receptionist is $499 a month, done for you, including setup, training on your Company Brain and ongoing tuning. It's also included in the AI Front Desk plan at $1,497 a month, together with AI chat, instant follow-up, missed-call text back, booking, reviews and a lead CRM. Very high call volumes are quoted up front.