AI Receptionist Cost Calculator
Pricing in this market is a maze of per-call, per-minute and per-agent models. Enter your volume once and see what you would actually pay at each provider.
Total call time: — minutes/month
| Provider | Model | Your monthly cost |
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Prices checked Oct 2026 from public sources; vendors change pricing — verify before buying.
How we calculate
We use each vendor's published entry pricing as of October 2026, with these simplified, stated assumptions. Upfirst (AI): $24.95/month including 30 calls, extra calls at about $0.83 each (the same effective per-call rate). Quo Sona (AI add-on to a Quo phone plan): about $25/month including roughly 40 calls, extra calls at about $0.63 each; a Quo phone plan is required on top. Goodcall (AI): flat $79 per agent per month for up to 100 unique callers, then about $0.50 per additional caller. Rosie AI: minute bundles — $49 for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000 — we select the smallest bundle covering your minutes and estimate overage beyond the largest bundle at $0.15/minute. Dialzara (AI): $29 including 60 minutes, with higher minute bundles above that; we model the entry bundle plus $0.48/minute overage. Smith.ai AI: sources disagreed in October 2026 — one listed $95 for 50 calls, another listed free for 25 calls then about $3 per call — so we model a mid estimate and show it as a range in the table; check smith.ai directly for current tiers. Ruby (human, for contrast): minute bundles of $250/50, $395/100, $720/200 and $1,725/500 minutes with steep per-minute overage — the table shows why human cover costs what it does.
These are estimates for comparison, built from public pages — not quotes. Our methodology page explains the sourcing, and our guide to how much an AI receptionist costs walks through the same numbers in prose. If you are still deciding between a person and software, the human vs AI cost calculator is the fairer comparison. And if you have not yet run your own numbers, start with the missed-call calculator: a $79 plan is cheap or expensive depending entirely on what a missed call costs you.
Frequently asked questions
Why do vendors price so differently?
Three billing models dominate: per call, per minute, and a flat per-agent fee. The same call volume can cost two or three times more on the wrong model — per-minute plans punish businesses with long calls, per-call plans punish businesses with many short ones. This calculator puts your volume through every model.
Are these prices guaranteed?
No. Prices checked Oct 2026 from public sources; vendors change pricing — verify before buying. Where sources conflicted (Smith.ai's AI tiers were listed two different ways in October 2026), we show a range and say so.
What is not included in these prices?
Your underlying phone line, setup or onboarding fees some vendors charge, and paid add-ons such as appointment booking per call. The 'How we calculate' section states every assumption.
Which is the best AI receptionist?
The cheapest for your volume is a starting point, not a verdict: language support, booking integrations and human backup differ. Compare the shortlist this tool produces against the features in our cost guide.
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