How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?
Ready-made AI receptionist services generally start at around $79 a month and go up from there as call volume grows. Live human plans cost more, often starting in the low hundreds. If you want an assistant built around the way your business actually works, that is a one-off project instead, and it costs more at the start.
The sticker price matters less than three things: how many calls you get, how unusual they are, and what a missed or mishandled call costs you.
What do ready-made AI receptionist services charge?
Most are subscriptions priced by volume, either calls or customers helped. Goodcall's own site says its plans start at $79 a month and are priced by the customers the agent helps rather than by the minute. Smith.ai's own pricing guide describes an AI Receptionist starter plan with 25 calls included at no monthly charge, with paid tiers for higher volume.
These figures change often, and some providers publish several versions of their pricing across pages. Treat any number, including these, as a starting point and confirm it on the provider's current pricing page before you decide.
How does that compare with a live receptionist?
Live plans are usually priced by receptionist minutes or calls. Ruby's plans page lists, at the time of writing, 50 minutes for around $250 a month, with higher tiers for more minutes. You are paying for a trained person answering under your firm's name, which is a different thing from software.
| Ready-made AI receptionist | Live virtual receptionist | Custom-built assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical pricing shape | Monthly subscription by calls or customers | Monthly plan by minutes or calls | One-off project, then light upkeep |
| Starting point (published) | About $79 a month (Goodcall) | About $250 a month (Ruby) | From $6,000 (Bay House) |
| Best for | Routine calls and after hours | Sensitive or unusual calls | A business whose process is its own |
| Who shapes the answers | You, within the provider's template | Your script, followed by a person | Built around your business |
For more on choosing between the first two, see the comparison of AI and virtual receptionists in our stories
What drives the price up?
- Call volume. More calls or customers moves you into a higher tier, and calls beyond your allowance may be billed separately.
- Booking and integrations. Connecting to your real calendar or customer system is where simple plans often stop and costlier ones begin.
- Live hand-off. Passing a call to a person mid-conversation, or routing to a live receptionist as backup, adds cost.
- Set-up and upkeep. Someone has to write what it says about fees and services, and keep it current.
What does a missed call actually cost you?
This is the number worth working out yourself. Count the calls you miss in a typical month, multiply by the share that would have become paying work, and by what a client is worth to you. For a firm where one new client is worth thousands, even a few missed calls a month can outweigh a year of subscription fees. For a business where calls are low-value and routine, the cheapest plan is probably enough.
When is it worth paying for something built for you?
A ready-made service answers in its own way, from your answers. That suits plain, repeatable calls. If you take work where the first conversation matters, such as legal, design, restoration or advisory work, you may want an assistant that knows your fee structure, your process and your tone, and that hands off to you at the right moment.
One legal point is worth knowing before you add anything that calls people rather than only answering. The FCC has confirmed that its robocall rules under the TCPA apply to AI technologies that generate human voices, so outbound calling needs its own advice.
Questions to ask before you buy
- What is the total monthly cost at my real call volume, including overage?
- Is there a set-up fee, and who writes and maintains what it says?
- Can it hand a call to a person, and how quickly?
- Where are recordings and transcripts stored, and who can see them?
Where Bay House fits
We do not sell a phone subscription. We build AI assistants for the written side of a small firm: enquiries by email and web form, follow-up and a daily summary of where each lead stands. Assistants draft replies for your approval, and nothing is sent without it. One Assistant starts from $6,000 and an assistant suite from $15,000, each beginning with a review of your week; see our pricing. Many clients pair that with a live answering service for the phone. For the written side in practice, see How can a small business use AI to answer enquiries without losing the personal touch?
Common questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Published plans from ready-made providers begin at tens to low hundreds of dollars a month and climb with the number of calls or customers handled. Goodcall, for example, says its plans start at $79 a month. Check the provider's current pricing page, because plans and allowances change.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?
Usually the monthly fee is lower than a salary or a live answering plan, but the two are not like for like. An AI receptionist is strongest on routine and after-hours calls. Many firms keep a person for sensitive calls and use AI for the rest.
Are there hidden costs with an AI receptionist?
Ask about overage charges for calls beyond your plan, set-up fees, phone number or integration charges, and who maintains the answers it gives. A low headline price can grow quickly if your call volume is above the plan.
