Quick answer
An AI receptionist costs a small business $14 to $150 a month on paid entry plans, as of October 2026. At 50 three-minute calls a month, the bill computed from nine published price lists runs from $32.75 to $99; at 400 calls, from $79 to $718.50. Vendors bill per minute, per call, or flat per agent with a caller cap.
Key takeaways
- Goodcall counts callers, not calls: $79 a month per agent covers unlimited minutes and 100 unique callers, then $0.50 for each one beyond.
- Rosie has no overage rate. Go past your minutes and you move to the next plan: $49 for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000.
- The crossover check: Upfirst (per call) is cheaper than Goodcall (flat) below 110 calls a month, and Dialzara (per minute) below 165 minutes.
- A small plan plus overage is often the lower bill: Dialzara's $29 plan beats its $99 plan up to 205 minutes a month.
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
An AI receptionist costs a small business $14 to $150 a month on paid entry plans, and the bill at 50 three-minute calls a month runs from $32.75 to $99 across nine published price lists. I took every price from the vendor's own pricing page on October 5, 2026; the totals are my arithmetic.
Two details move the bill more than the headline does. Goodcall counts different phone numbers, not calls, so a regular who calls ten times counts once. Rosie has no per-minute overage: its pricing FAQ says that if you exceed your minutes, you are moved up to the next plan and stay there until you change it back.
Think of a ride across town: a taxi meter (per minute), a fixed fare (per call) or a bus pass (flat). For what the software does on a call, see the AI phone answering guide.
What do AI receptionists charge under each billing model?
AI receptionists bill per minute, per call, or at a flat monthly rate per agent, and each published price list uses only one of those units. Ten vendors, as of October 2026:
| Billing model | Vendor | Published monthly plans | Extra usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per minute | AI-Receptionist.com | 75 minutes for $14; 100 for $39; 350 for $99; 1,000 for $199 | $0.25 a minute on every plan |
| Per minute | Dialzara | 60 minutes for $29; 220 for $99; 500 for $199; 1,000 for $349 | $0.48, $0.45, $0.40 and $0.35 a minute, by plan |
| Per minute | Rosie | 250 minutes for $49; 1,000 for $149; 2,000 for $299 | None; you move to the next plan |
| Per minute | My AI Front Desk | 200 voice minutes for $99, bundled with chat, texting and a CRM | 25 credits a minute; 1 credit = $0.01 |
| Per call | Upfirst | 30 calls for $24.95; 90 for $59.95; 300 for $159.95; 600 for $299 | $1.50, $1 and $0.75 a call on the first three plans |
| Per call | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | 25 calls for $0; 75 for $150; 150 for $270; 300 for $500; 500 for $800 | $3 a call on the free plan; $2.50 and $2.17 on the 75- and 300-call plans |
| Per call | Moneypenny AI answering | 25 calls for $69; 50 for $99; 100 for $199; 250 for $435 | $2.49 a call on the smallest plan, down to $1.89 on the largest |
| Per call | Quo Sona | 10 calls included with every Quo phone plan (from $19 per user); 40 for $25; 100 for $49; 250 for $99 | $1, $0.75, $0.65 and $0.55 a call, by tier |
| Flat per agent | Goodcall | $79, $129 or $249 per agent, unlimited minutes | Includes 100, 250 or 500 unique customers; $0.50 for each one beyond |
| Flat per agent | Allo | $32 per agent, billed yearly, as an add-on to a paid Allo plan | No call or minute allowance listed |
Sources: AI-Receptionist.com, Dialzara, Rosie, My AI Front Desk, Upfirst, Smith.ai, Moneypenny, Quo, Goodcall, Allo.
Prices are for monthly billing, except Allo's.
What would 50, 150 or 400 calls a month cost?
At 3 minutes a call, 50 calls a month cost $32.75 to $99, 150 calls cost $79 to $308.50, and 400 calls cost $79 to $718.50, depending on the vendor. Three minutes is the talk time Dialzara's usage estimator starts with. Each cell is that vendor's lowest total at that volume, which is sometimes a smaller plan plus overage.
| Vendor (unit) | 50 calls (150 minutes) | 150 calls (450 minutes) | 400 calls (1,200 minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-Receptionist.com (minute) | $32.75 = $14 + 75 × $0.25 | $107.75 = $14 + 375 × $0.25 | $249 = $199 + 200 × $0.25 |
| Dialzara (minute) | $72.20 = $29 + 90 × $0.48 | $199, the 500-minute plan | $419 = $349 + 200 × $0.35 |
| Rosie (minute) | $49, the 250-minute plan | $149, the 1,000-minute plan | $299, the 2,000-minute plan |
| My AI Front Desk (minute) | $99, the 200-minute plan | $151.50 = $99 + 5,250 credits | $339 = $99 + 24,000 credits |
| Upfirst (call) | $54.95 = $24.95 + 20 × $1.50 | $119.95 = $59.95 + 60 × $1 | $234.95 = $159.95 + 100 × $0.75 |
| Smith.ai (call) | $75 = $0 + 25 × $3 | $270, the 150-call plan | $717 = $500 + 100 × $2.17 |
| Moneypenny (call) | $99, the 50-call plan | $308.50 = $199 + 50 × $2.19 | $718.50 = $435 + 150 × $1.89 |
| Quo Sona (call), with one $19 seat | $51.50 = $19 + $25 + 10 × $0.75 | $100.50 = $19 + $49 + 50 × $0.65 | $200.50 = $19 + $99 + 150 × $0.55 |
| Goodcall (unique caller) | $79 | $79 to $104 | $79 to $204 |
How to read three of the rows:
- Goodcall. The low figure applies when 100 or fewer different numbers call. The high figure assumes every call comes from a new number: $104 is $79 plus 50 extra callers at $0.50, and $204 is the $129 plan plus 150 extra callers.
- My AI Front Desk. Extra minutes cost 25 credits each. The totals subtract the 1,000 monthly overage credits the plan includes. Credits reload in $10 blocks.
- Quo Sona. You need a Quo phone plan first. Without the seat, subtract $19.
Allo is left out: its page lists no call or minute allowance.
The rows are not like for like. Rosie's $49 plan takes messages and texts appointment links; calendar booking and transfers start on its $149 plan. Upfirst lists both on its $24.95 plan.
Should you choose flat or usage-based pricing?
Choose usage-based pricing below the crossover and flat pricing above it: between Upfirst and Goodcall the crossover is 110 calls a month, and between Dialzara and Goodcall it is 165 minutes. I call this the crossover check. It is my arithmetic on two named price lists, not a market rule.
- Per call or flat. Upfirst's 90-call plan is $59.95, then $1 a call. So 109 calls cost $78.95 and 110 cost $79.95, and Goodcall's flat $79 is cheaper from 110 calls.
- Per minute or flat. Dialzara's 60-minute plan is $29, then $0.48 a minute. So 164 minutes cost $78.92 and 165 cost $79.40, and Goodcall is cheaper from 165 minutes.
The pair matters. Rosie's $49 plan stays under Goodcall's $79 for all of its 250 minutes, so run the check with the two vendors on your shortlist.
The flat side has a condition. Goodcall's $79 covers 100 unique customers, so flat pricing fits a business whose regulars call back often. It fits less well when every caller is a first-time lead.
When does a cheap AI receptionist plan cost more than the next one up?
A cheap plan costs more once its overage passes the price gap to the next plan, and on Dialzara that happens at 206 minutes a month. At 205 minutes the $29 plan comes to $98.60. At 206 it comes to $99.08, just over the $99 plan.
Below that line the small plan wins. At 150 minutes, Dialzara's $29 plan plus 90 minutes of overage is $72.20, which is $26.80 less than the $99 plan its estimator recommends at that volume. The $99 plan adds calendar sync and bilingual answering, so pick it for the features, not the minutes.
Far above the line the small plan loses. At 450 minutes the $29 plan comes to $216.20, which is $17.20 more than the 500-minute $199 plan.
The line sits elsewhere on every price list. AI-Receptionist.com charges $0.25 for an extra minute on every plan, so its $14 plan plus overage stays under its $39 and $99 plans at any volume, and passes the $199 plan only above 815 minutes.
Which line items are missing from the headline price?
The headline price leaves out what counts as a billable unit, any required base plan, extra agents, and the integrations you connect.
- The unit that gets counted. Upfirst does not bill calls under 15 seconds or calls where the caller never speaks. Smith.ai lets you remove up to 10% of calls from the bill for spam.
- A required base plan. Allo's AI receptionist is an add-on to a paid plan, and its Business plan is $32 a seat a month billed yearly. Quo's Sona is part of a Quo phone plan, and Nextiva sells XBert ($99 a month per 100 interactions) as an addition to a Nextiva plan.
- Extra agents and add-ons. Upfirst charges $9.95 a month for each additional agent; Rosie's texting add-on is $50 a month.
- The integration tier. Upfirst and Rosie list Zapier on every plan, which is how call details reach your CRM. Zapier is a separate account with its own plans; this Zapier and Make comparison covers it.
When is an AI receptionist the wrong spend?
It is the wrong spend when callers only need to leave a message, or when the calls need judgment the software does not have. For a handful of non-urgent calls a week, the voicemail you already have does the job. Medical, legal or emergency calls need a fast transfer to a person. The two honest uses are overflow, when nobody can pick up during business hours, and after-hours calls.
FAQ
Which AI receptionist is the cheapest?
It depends on volume. At 50 three-minute calls a month, the lowest computed bill among nine price lists checked on October 5, 2026 is AI-Receptionist.com at $32.75. At 150 or 400 calls, Goodcall is lowest at $79 when 100 or fewer different numbers call. When every caller is new, Quo's Sona is lowest: $100.50 at 150 calls and $200.50 at 400, with one Quo seat. These are published prices, not a quality test.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Smith.ai's AI Receptionist lists a $0 plan with 25 calls a month and $3 for each call after that, as of October 2026. Quo includes 10 Sona calls a month on every phone plan, which is free only if you already pay for Quo. Rosie, Dialzara, My AI Front Desk and AI-Receptionist.com each list a 7-day free trial.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a live receptionist service?
At the two vendors here that sell both, the AI plan has the lower entry price. Smith.ai lists its AI Receptionist at $150 a month for 75 calls and its live plan at $300 for 30 calls. Moneypenny lists AI answering at $69 for 25 calls and live answering at $165 for 50 minutes. Two price lists are not a market rule, and a person handles an upset caller better than a script does.
Do you pay extra for a second location or a second AI agent?
Usually yes. Upfirst charges $9.95 a month for each additional agent. Goodcall prices every plan per agent, from $79 a month. Dialzara lists multi-agent and multi-location setup only on its $199 and $349 plans.
Your next step
- Count last month's calls from your phone bill or call log.
- Count how many different numbers called. That is what a unique-customer allowance measures.
- Time ten calls and multiply the typical length by your call count.
- Find your row in the 50, 150 or 400-call table, then run the crossover check on your two finalists.
- Test on overflow or after-hours calls with a 7-day trial or Smith.ai's $0 plan, then compare the usage with your estimate.
The AI receptionist setup guide walks through the configuration.