How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost?
Most AI receptionist tools advertise a low monthly price, but your real bill depends on setup, call minutes and who does the building. Here is how the pricing works, with worked examples you can check against your own call volume.
The Short Answer
With The AI Call, a small business taking 200 three-minute calls a month pays about $189 to $339 a month, plus a one-time $299 setup fee. The $99 plan price alone does not cover call minutes, so always ask any provider what a full month would cost at your call volume.
The Three Parts of Your Bill
Setup
Designing call flows, importing your information, connecting your calendar and testing. Self-serve tools often charge nothing here because you do this work yourself. Our setup is $299 on Starter and $1,199 on Growth.
Monthly plan
Pays for the agent and its upkeep. Ours is $99 on Starter and $399 on Growth, and it includes ongoing tuning by our team.
Call minutes
Usage for the time your agent is on calls. Ours typically runs $0.15 to $0.40 per minute depending on the telephony provider, voice model and volume.
Worked Examples
These examples assume an average call length of three minutes. Your own average may be shorter or longer, which changes the usage line in direct proportion.
| Scenario | Plan | Usage per month | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 calls (600 minutes) | Starter, $99 | $90 to $240 | $189 to $339 |
| 500 calls (1,500 minutes) | Starter, $99 | $225 to $600 | $324 to $699 |
| 500 calls (1,500 minutes) | Growth, $399 | $225 to $600 | $624 to $999 |
At 200 calls a month on Starter, the first year comes to about $2,567 to $4,367 including setup. Every later year drops by the $299 setup fee.
AI Receptionist Cost Compared With the Alternatives
| Option | Typical monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-serve AI tool | From about $14 to $199 to start | Low entry price, but you set it up and maintain it yourself |
| Done-for-you AI receptionist (us) | From $99 plus usage, $299 setup | Built, tested and tuned for you |
| Traditional answering service | $300 to $1,500, often $1.50+ per minute | Live agents reading a script, usually taking messages |
| In-house receptionist | $3,500 to $5,000 with taxes and benefits | A person on site, about 40 hours a week, one call at a time |
We are not the cheapest option, and we do not try to be. In November 2026, Google results showed self-serve providers advertising entry prices such as $14 a month (ai-receptionist.com), $18 a month (Allo) and $49 to $199 a month (NextPhone). Those prices change often and may have different limits on minutes and features, so check each provider's current plan. If you are comfortable building call flows yourself, a self-serve tool can be a sensible choice. If you want someone else to build and maintain it, a done-for-you service is what you are paying for.
Is an AI Receptionist Worth the Cost?
The simple test is how many customers you lose to missed calls. If one recovered job or appointment covers the monthly bill, the numbers are easy to justify. If you rarely miss calls and each customer is worth little, you may not need one yet.
Our ROI calculator lets you enter your own call volume, missed-call rate and lead value to estimate this for your business.
Open the ROI calculatorFrequently Asked Questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Advertised entry prices range from about $14 to $199 a month for self-serve tools. Our done-for-you Starter plan is $99 a month plus usage of typically $0.15 to $0.40 per minute, which comes to about $189 to $339 a month at 200 three-minute calls.
Why is there a setup fee?
It pays our engineers to design your call flows, import your knowledge base, connect your calendar and CRM, set up phone routing and test the agent. You do not have to configure any software.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Some tools offer free trials or very limited free tiers, which can be useful for testing. A free plan rarely includes enough minutes or integrations to run a business phone line, so check the limits carefully. You can hear how ours sounds in our live demo at no cost.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring someone?
For phone coverage alone, usually yes. A full-time in-house receptionist typically costs $3,500 to $5,000 a month with taxes and benefits and takes one call at a time. A person also does work AI cannot, such as greeting visitors, so compare against what you actually need done.
Are there long-term contracts?
Not with us. Plans are month to month, and you can upgrade, downgrade or cancel your monthly plan.
See If It Fits Your Phone Line
Tell us about your calls and we will tell you honestly whether an AI receptionist makes sense.
Book a 15-minute call