AI answering services: what they cost per call
An AI answering service picks up when you can't, answers common questions, takes a message or books the job, and sends you the details. Here's what each service with published plans would cost at your call volume, and how that compares with people answering.
Prices checked against vendor pricing pages as of October 15, 2026
- Services priced
- 20
- Lowest at 250 calls
- $0.40/call
- Median at 250 calls
- $0.95/call
Monthly cost at 100, 250 and 500 calls
The cheapest published plan for each service at each volume, sorted by cost at 250 calls.
| Service | 100 calls | 250 calls | 500 calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beside | $99/mo$0.99 a call, Unlimited | $99/mo$0.40 a call, Unlimited | $99/mo$0.20 a call, Unlimited |
| Quo Sona (formerly OpenPhone) | $68/mo$0.68 a call, Starter seat ($19) + Sona Tier 3 | $118/mo$0.47 a call, Starter seat ($19) + Sona Tier 4 | $218/mo$0.44 a call, Starter seat ($19) + Sona Tier 5 |
| Goodcall | $79/mo$0.79 a call, Starter | $129/mo$0.52 a call, Growth | $129/mo$0.26 a call, Growth |
| Rosie | $149/mo$1.49 a call, Scale | $149/mo$0.60 a call, Scale | $299/mo$0.60 a call, Growth |
| Upfirst | $70/mo$0.70 a call, Premium | $160/mo$0.64 a call, Pro | $299/mo$0.60 a call, Scale |
| echowin | $70/mo$0.70 a call, Pay as you go (one number) | $160/mo$0.64 a call, Pay as you go (one number) | $310/mo$0.62 a call, Pay as you go (one number) |
| AI Recepts | $99/mo$0.99 a call, Starter | $189/mo$0.76 a call, Starter | $339/mo$0.68 a call, Starter |
| Answrr | $99/mo$0.99 a call, Starter | $199/mo$0.80 a call, Growth | $364/mo$0.73 a call, Growth |
| NextPhone | $199/mo$1.99 a call, Pro | $199/mo$0.80 a call, Pro | $199/mo$0.40 a call, Pro |
| My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | $124/mo$1.24 a call, Business-in-a-Box | $237/mo$0.95 a call, Business-in-a-Box | $424/mo$0.85 a call, Business-in-a-Box |
| Nextiva XBert AI Receptionist | $99/mo$0.99 a call, XBert AI | $248/mo$0.99 a call, XBert AI | $495/mo$0.99 a call, XBert AI |
| Dialzara | $135/mo$1.35 a call, Business Pro | $299/mo$1.20 a call, Business Plus | $524/mo$1.05 a call, Business Elite |
| Dentina | $299/mo$2.99 a call, Standard (billed annually) | $299/mo$1.20 a call, Standard (billed annually) | $299/mo$0.60 a call, Standard (billed annually) |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) | $149/mo$1.49 a call, AIR standalone | $374/mo$1.50 a call, AIR standalone | $749/mo$1.50 a call, AIR standalone |
| Moneypenny AI ReceptionistHuman backup | $199/mo$1.99 a call, 100 calls | $435/mo$1.74 a call, 250 calls | $908/mo$1.82 a call, 250 calls |
| Smith.aiHuman backup | $213/mo$2.13 a call, Pro | $500/mo$2.00 a call, Enterprise | $934/mo$1.87 a call, Enterprise |
| Viva AI | $349/mo$3.49 a call, Gold (400 AI minutes) | $699/mo$2.80 a call, Gold (400 AI minutes) | $1,439/mo$2.88 a call, Diamond (1,200 AI minutes) |
| Sameday AI | $449/mo$4.49 a call, Launch | $789/mo$3.16 a call, Scale | Over plan limits |
| Abby ConnectHuman backup | $599/mo$5.99 a call, Professional (AI-answered minutes) | $1,380/mo$5.52 a call, Growth (AI-answered minutes) | Over plan limits |
| Simple Phones | $97/mo$0.97 a call, Starting plan (100 calls) | Over plan limits | Over plan limits |
Assumes 3-minute calls and, for plans billed per unique caller, a quarter of calls from repeat callers. “Over plan limits” means the published plans stop short of that volume and no overage rate is published. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons aren't included. 31 more services quote on request or don't publish enough plan detail to price; they're in the AI receptionist directory. Price your own call volume
Answering service or AI receptionist?
Mostly, they're the same products. “Answering service” comes from the live services that take messages for businesses, and AI receptionist vendors use it for the same job; most use both terms. What separates one service from another is who answers the phone.
If you want people on the line, compare virtual receptionist services, which have their own receptionists on staff. If you want an AI that books into your scheduling software, the AI receptionist directory filters by industry and integration.
At the companies that sell both, AI answering costs 23% to 50% of the live price for a 3-minute call. See the rates and where they come from.
Who answers your calls
- AI only (42)
- An AI answers each call. When it can't help, it takes a message or follows the rules you set.
- AI with human backup (8)
- AI answers first, and the company's receptionists or your own staff take the calls it hands off.
- People with AI help (1)
- Receptionists answer, and AI handles transcripts, notes or spam filtering.
What to check before you forward your calls
- How messages reach you
- Text, email, an app or your CRM, and how soon after the call.
- Urgent calls
- Whether it can put a caller through to you, and what it does when you don't pick up. 35 of 51 list live call transfer.
- What counts as a call
- Whether spam, hang-ups and wrong numbers count toward your plan.
- Recording and disclosure
- Recorded calls need consent from both sides in some states. Check your state.
- Patient and client data
- Medical and dental offices need a signed HIPAA business associate agreement. 23 services say they sign one.
By industry
Services built for one kind of business book into its software and know its call types.
Questions
How much does an AI answering service cost?
For 100 calls a month at 3 minutes each, the cheapest published plans run from $68 a month at Quo Sona (formerly OpenPhone) to $599 at Abby Connect, a median of $130. At 500 calls, they run from $99 to $1,439.
Is an AI answering service cheaper than a live answering service?
At the companies that publish prices for both, yes. For a 3-minute call, AI answering costs 23% of the live price at Smith.ai, 28% at Moneypenny AI Receptionist and 50% at Abby Connect.
Can an AI answering service transfer calls to me?
35 of the 51 AI receptionists and answering services we track list live call transfer to a person. Ask each one how it decides when to transfer and what happens when nobody picks up.
Is there a free AI answering service?
Phonely and Smith.ai offer a free plan with a monthly call limit. 21 others offer a free trial. Compare the free options.
Can an AI answering service answer only after hours?
Yes. You decide which calls reach it with your phone line's forwarding settings. Most lines can forward calls that are busy or go unanswered, and many business phone systems can forward by time of day.