How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost in 2026?

An AI receptionist costs about $29 to $1,200 a month in 2026, depending on how the vendor charges and how many minutes you use. Per-call plans run $2 to $3 a call, per-minute plans $0.07 to $0.80 a minute, and fixed monthly plans run $49 to $299. At 300 calls a month, the spread is roughly $129 to $1,160.

Key takeaways

• Three pricing models: per call, per minute (including subscription-plus-usage), and fixed monthly. The model matters more than the headline price.
• At 300 calls a month (about 1,200 minutes): per-call around $600, per-minute $420 to $1,160, fixed $129 to $299.
• Per-call wins at low volume (under roughly 70 to 125 calls a month). Per-minute wins for short calls. Fixed wins at steady volume, if you fit under the caps.
• Add-ons for booking, CRM logging and Spanish can add $1 to $3 per call on some plans; others charge a monthly language add-on or a setup fee.

What are the three ways AI receptionists are priced?

Per call. A base fee covers a set number of calls, then you pay per call. Smith.ai is the clearest example: its Free plan includes 25 calls and then charges $3 per call, and its Pro plan is $150 a month for about 75 calls, then $2 per call, as listed at the time of writing. Some vendors also charge per-call add-ons for booking ($1.50), CRM logging ($0.50) or Spanish ($1).

Per minute. You buy a bucket of minutes and pay an overage past it, or pay a base subscription plus a rate on every minute. Dialzara sells 60 minutes for $29, 220 for $99, 500 for $199 and 1,000 for $349, with overages at $0.35 to $0.48 a minute. Frontdesk (formerly My AI Front Desk) lists $99 a month for 200 minutes and $0.495 a minute after that, with enterprise pricing from $0.07 a minute. Shtello Connect is subscription plus usage: $199 a month on a 12-month plan, plus $0.80 a minute of call time and a one-time $499 setup. Ruby, which uses human receptionists, is also minute-based: 50 minutes for $250 up to 500 for $1,725.

Fixed monthly. One price regardless of call count, usually with a cap on something else. Goodcall charges $79, $129 or $249 per agent per month with unlimited minutes, though each tier caps unique customers at 100, 250 or 500. Rosie lists $49, $149 and $299 tiers.

The model matters because call volume is not fixed. A plan that looks cheap in an average month can cost double in a busy one.

How much does 300 calls a month cost on each plan?

Take a typical local business: 300 inbound calls a month at about 4 minutes each, or 1,200 minutes. Prices are as listed at the time of writing; the 300-call figure is our math.

• Smith.ai (AI receptionist, Pro), Listed: $150/mo for ~75 calls, then $2/call; At 300 calls: $150 + 225 × $2 = $600
• Smith.ai (AI receptionist, Free), Listed: $0/mo for 25 calls, then $3/call; At 300 calls: 275 × $3 = $825
• Ruby (human receptionists), Listed: 500 min for $1,725; At 300 calls: Exceeds the largest listed plan; $1,725+ (500 min covers about 125 calls)
• Dialzara, Listed: 1,000 min for $349; overage $0.35 to $0.48/min; At 300 calls: $349 + 200 × $0.35 to $0.48 = $419 to $445
• Frontdesk, Listed: $99/mo for 200 min, then $0.495/min; At 300 calls: $99 + 1,000 × $0.495 = $594
• Rosie, Listed: $49, $149 or $299/mo; At 300 calls: $149 to $299, depending on tier
• Goodcall, Listed: $79 / $129 / $249, unlimited minutes; 100 / 250 / 500 customer caps; At 300 calls: $129 to $249, depending on unique customers
• Shtello Connect (Starter), Listed: $199/mo on a 12-month plan + $0.80/min, plus a one-time $499 setup; At 300 calls: $199 + 1,200 × $0.80 = $1,159 (plus $499 setup in month one)
• In-house receptionist, Listed: About $4,800/mo fully loaded; At 300 calls: $4,800

Two things stand out. At this volume Shtello is the highest of the AI figures, because 1,200 metered minutes at $0.80 is $960 before the subscription; what that buys is the bundle, not the lowest price. And the human services are in a different bracket: you are paying for a person's time. The short answer on AI receptionist cost has the ranges if you just need a number.

When does per-call pricing win?

Per-call pricing is the best deal when your volume is genuinely low. On Smith.ai's Free plan, 20 calls a month costs nothing, 50 calls $75, and about 68 calls $129, where Goodcall's $129 fixed tier breaks even. On the Pro plan, the crossover with a $249 fixed tier is about 125 calls: $150 for the first 75, plus 50 more at $2.

Against a subscription-plus-usage plan, per-call stays cheaper for longer on price alone. At 100 three-minute calls, Smith.ai Pro is $200 and Shtello is about $439 ($199 plus roughly $240 in usage, by the company's own example). Add the $1.50 booking and $0.50 CRM add-ons to every Smith.ai call and the lines cross at roughly 220 three-minute calls, around $730 each.

So for a solo consultant or a seasonal business in the off-season, per-call is cheap. The trade-off is that your bill moves with your phone, and each feature you switch on moves it further.

When does per-minute pricing win?

Per-minute pricing rewards short calls and punishes long ones. On Dialzara's $99 plan with 220 minutes, 2-minute calls work out to 110 calls for under $1 each; 6-minute calls, 37 calls at about $2.70 each.

Tight, scripted calls (confirmations, hours, directions) do well on per-minute plans. Calls that gather detail, such as HVAC, plumbing, law firm intake and medical clinics, run 5 to 8 minutes with the meter running.

Watch the per-minute rate as closely as the base price. At Shtello's $0.80 a minute, every 100 three-minute calls adds about $240 to the $199 subscription; the Pro ($349, $0.78 a minute) and Premium ($895, $0.75 a minute) tiers trim the rate slightly for a larger base.

When does a fixed monthly rate win?

A fixed rate wins once volume is steady. At 300 calls a month, the math is not close: $129 to $299 versus $419 to $1,160 on the usage-based AI plans above, and the gap widens in busy months.

The honest downside is that it is not the cheapest option under roughly 70 to 125 calls a month. Fixed-rate vendors also cap something other than minutes; Goodcall's unique-customer caps of 100, 250 or 500 mean a business with 300 first-time callers a month needs the $249 tier, not the $129 one.

Also compare what the price covers. A subscription-plus-usage plan like Shtello costs more than a fixed tier at most volumes; the case for paying it is the bundle (24/7 voice, instant text-back, booking, unified call and text inbox, setup done for you, weekly SEO content), a predictable per-minute rate, and onboarding you do not build yourself. Whether that is worth it depends on how many of those pieces you would otherwise buy separately.

What hidden costs should you check before signing?

Base price is only part of the bill. Before you compare quotes, ask about each of these:

1. Feature add-ons. Booking, CRM logging and Spanish are sometimes metered per call; $1.50 booking and $0.50 CRM add-ons add $200 to a 100-call month. Others bill monthly: Shtello includes English and charges $29 a month for Spanish and other languages.
2. Per-minute and overage rates. Rates of $0.35 to $0.80 a minute add up fast. Ask about your busiest month, not your average one.
3. Setup fees and contract term. Some vendors expect you to build the call flow yourself; Shtello charges a one-time $499 setup and does the build for you. Headline prices are often the 12-month rate: Shtello's $199 is the 12-month price, 6-month and month-to-month options cost more per month, and plans go month-to-month after the first 3 months.
4. Phone number changes. Most services work with your existing number through call forwarding; see whether you can keep your phone number.
5. Per-agent or per-location pricing. Two locations can double a per-agent price.

How does this compare with a human receptionist or answering service?

A full-time in-house receptionist costs about $4,800 a month fully loaded and covers roughly 40 hours a week. A human answering service like Ruby covers more hours but bills by the minute; 300 four-minute calls would exceed its largest listed plan. Smith.ai's human-first plan lists $2,100 for 300 calls.

An AI receptionist at $129 to $1,160 a month answers around the clock, never puts a caller on hold, and handles the routine calls. It cannot exercise judgment on a truly unusual situation, which is why the better services transfer urgent calls to a person. For a fuller breakdown, read the AI receptionist vs hiring a receptionist comparison.

If you miss calls today, each one has a cost, and for a service business one booked job often covers a month of most plans above. The guide to measuring the cost of a missed call shows how to estimate it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free AI receptionist?

Smith.ai lists a free tier covering 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. Useful for testing; at real volume it is the most expensive per call.

What is a fair price per call for an AI receptionist?

On per-call plans, $2 to $3 as listed today. On per-minute plans, a three-minute call runs $1.05 to $2.40 at the rates above, plus the subscription. On a fixed plan at 300 calls, $249 works out to about $0.83 a call.

Does a longer call cost more?

On per-minute and subscription-plus-usage plans, yes. On per-call and fixed plans, no. With detailed intake calls, this is the biggest driver of the difference between quotes.

Can I switch models later?

Yes. A common path is to start on a per-call or per-minute plan, watch the bill for three months, and move once volume is clear. Check the contract term first.

What does $199 a month actually include on Shtello Connect?

The platform: 24/7 answering of calls, texts and website chat, booking, reminders, lead follow-up, urgent-call transfer to a human, a unified call and text inbox, transcripts, and setup done for you. Call time is billed on top at $0.80 a minute, there is a one-time $499 setup, English is included, and Spanish or any other language is a $29 a month add-on.

To hear how an AI front desk sounds on a real call, listen to the live Shtello Connect demo. Plans start at $199 a month plus per-minute usage and a one-time setup, with onboarding done for you.