How much does an AI receptionist cost per call?
At 100 three-minute calls a month, an AI receptionist costs about $0.67 to $4.49 per call ($66.50 to $449 a month); the median of the 22 tools we can price is $0.99. At 30 calls the range is $0.00 (Phonely's free plan) to $14.97; at 200 calls it is $0.495 to $3.945. Flat monthly plans get cheaper per call as volume rises (AptaBook: $0.99 at 100 calls, $0.495 at 200); overage plans add their per-call or per-minute rate to every extra call. We have not test-called any tool, so this is a price answer, not a quality ranking.
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Chart data as a table
| Rank | Tool | Est. cost at 100 calls | Plan used, or why there is no estimate | Entry price | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlie AI | $66.50/mo | Basic | $49/mo | |
| 2 | Quo (formerly OpenPhone) AI agent | $68/mo | AI credits tier 3 | $0/mo | |
| 3 | Upfirst | $69.95/mo | Premium | $24.95/mo | |
| 4 | echowin | $70/mo | Pay as you go | $0/mo | |
| 5 | AI-Receptionist.com | $70.25/mo | Essential | $14/mo | |
| 6 | Juney | $79/mo | Juney | $49/mo | |
| 7 | Trillet AI Receptionist | $79/mo | AI Receptionist | $49/mo | |
| 8 | ViFi | $79/mo | Starter | $49/mo | |
| 9 | Goodcall | $79/mo | Starter | $79/mo | |
| 10 | Beside | $99/mo | Unlimited | $29/mo | |
| 11 | AptaBook | $99/mo | Starter | $49/mo | |
| 12 | Nextiva XBert AI Employee | $99/mo | XBert AI Employee | $99/mo | |
| 13 | VoiceFleet | $99/mo | Starter | $99/mo | |
| 14 | Dialzara | $135/mo | Business Pro | $29/mo | |
| 15 | Rosie | $149/mo | Scale | $49/mo | |
| 16 | Art3ry AI Receptionist | $149/mo | AI Receptionist | $149/mo | |
| 17 | Phonely | $150/mo | Professional | $0/mo | |
| 18 | Newo.ai | $175/mo | Pay As You Go | $0/mo | |
| 19 | Ringly.io | $198.50/mo | Standard | $99/mo | |
| 20 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $212.50/mo | Pro | $0/mo | |
| 21 | Vida | $295/mo | Starter | $250/mo | |
| 22 | Sameday AI | $449/mo | Launch | $449/mo | |
| 23 | OpenMic AI | not published | The call allowance or the price per call is not published, so no monthly total can be worked out. | $29/mo | |
| 24 | Allo AI Receptionist | not published | The call allowance or the price per call is not published, so no monthly total can be worked out. | $32/mo | |
| 25 | My AI Front Desk | not published | The call allowance or the price per call is not published, so no monthly total can be worked out. | $99/mo |
Which tools do we pick?
Each pick states its reason below; affiliate status never decides a pick or its order.
Lowest cost per call at 30 calls
Phonely
$0/mo at 3-minute calls (Free plan: 100 minutes), so $0.00 per call.
Lowest cost per call at 100 calls
Marlie AI Partner
$66.50/mo = $0.67 per call (Basic: 250 minutes, then $0.35/min).
Second-lowest cost per call at 100 calls
Quo (formerly OpenPhone) AI agent
$68/mo including its required $19 phone plan = $0.68 per call.
Lowest cost per call at 200 calls (tied)
Beside
$99/mo Unlimited plan = $0.495 per call; vendor-stated unlimited calls.
Tied at 200 calls; no overage charges
AptaBook
$99/mo Starter (400 conversations, no overage) = $0.495 per call.
Order rule: lowest estimated monthly cost at 100 three-minute calls, then lowest published entry price, then name (the site's estimate ordering). Affiliate status does not change the order, the picks or any label.
How we calculated cost per call
Cost per call = the lowest usable monthly estimate for a tool at that volume ÷ the number of calls. The estimate is the site's own function (best_tier in scripts/estimator.py), which reads only fields in data/tools.json:
- Call length: every call is 3 minutes, the site's default. Minute plans use calls × 3 minutes; plans counted in calls, conversations, interactions or unique customers use 1 per call.
- Plan cost: the plan price plus any overage (usage above the included amount × the published overage rate) plus any required base fee (Quo's phone plan from $19/user/mo, echowin's $10/mo number).
- Cheapest usable plan wins. A plan with no published overage is used only up to its allowance, then the next plan up is priced. A plan that says "unlimited" is flagged as vendor-stated.
- Rounding: per-call figures are rounded to the cent after dividing, as in the price-index CSV (scripts/price_index_csv.py); where float rounding and ordinary half-up rounding disagree on an exact half cent (Beside and AptaBook at 200 calls, $0.495; Smith.ai at 100 calls, $2.125; Smith.ai at 200 calls, $1.925) we show three decimals instead of picking one; monthly figures are shown as computed.
- Scope: 39 AI tools in our data (people-staffed services are covered separately below); 24 have a computable estimate at 30 calls, 22 at 100 and 22 at 200. Prices checked 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-01.
Worked examples (each uses the tool's own published tiers):
- Marlie AI at 100 calls: $49 + 50 min over 250 included × $0.35 = $66.50 → $66.50 ÷ 100 = $0.67 per call. (Source: tools.json, marlie, checked 2026-10-19.)
- Quo AI agent at 100 calls: $49 AI credits tier 3 plan (100 of 100 calls used) + $19 required base fee = $68 → $68 ÷ 100 = $0.68 per call. (Source: tools.json, quo, checked 2026-10-22.)
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist at 30 calls: $0 + 5 calls over 25 included × $3 = $15 → $15 ÷ 30 = $0.50 per call. (Source: tools.json, smithai, checked 2026-10-21.)
- AptaBook at 200 calls: $99 Starter plan (200 of 400 conversations used) = $99 → $99 ÷ 200 = $0.495 per call. (Source: tools.json, aptabook, checked 2026-10-28.)
Not computable at any of these volumes: Avoca, AnsweringAgent, Slang.ai, Loman AI, Arini, Numa, Hostie, Frontdesk.AI, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Synthflow, Housecall Pro CSR AI, Allo AI Receptionist, Jobber Receptionist, Aeva, Robylon. Reasons are in the data: quote-only pricing, a plan with no published usage allowance, pricing in another currency, an add-on that needs another plan, or credits per call that are not published. My AI Front Desk and OpenMic AI have an estimate at 30 calls but not at 100 or 200, so they drop out of those rankings.
Cost per call at 30, 100 and 200 calls
This table is derived from data/tools.json with the method above: the five lowest estimates at each volume plus the highest, so the spread is visible. The full ranked list follows.
| Calls a month | Rank (lowest first) | Tool and plan | Monthly estimate | How it is calculated | Cost per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1 of 24 | Phonely, Free | $0 | $0 Free plan (90 of 100 min used) = $0 | $0.00 |
| 30 | 2 of 24 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist, Free | $15 | $0 + 5 calls over 25 included × $3 = $15 | $0.50 |
| 30 | 3 of 24 | AI-Receptionist.com, Essential | $17.75 | $14 + 15 min over 75 included × $0.25 = $17.75 | $0.59 |
| 30 | 4 of 24 | Upfirst, Starter | $24.95 | $24.95 Starter plan (30 of 30 calls used) = $24.95 | $0.83 |
| 30 | 5 of 24 | echowin, Pay as you go | $28 | $0 + 90 min over 0 included × $0.20 + $10 required base fee = $28 | $0.93 |
| 30 | 24 of 24 (highest) | Sameday AI, Launch | $449 | $449 Launch plan (90 of 500 min used) = $449 | $14.97 |
| 100 | 1 of 22 | Marlie AI, Basic | $66.50 | $49 + 50 min over 250 included × $0.35 = $66.50 | $0.67 |
| 100 | 2 of 22 | Quo AI agent, AI credits tier 3 | $68 | $49 AI credits tier 3 plan (100 of 100 calls used) + $19 required base fee = $68 | $0.68 |
| 100 | 3 of 22 | Upfirst, Premium | $69.95 | $59.95 + 10 calls over 90 included × $1 = $69.95 | $0.70 |
| 100 | 4 of 22 | echowin, Pay as you go | $70 | $0 + 300 min over 0 included × $0.20 + $10 required base fee = $70 | $0.70 |
| 100 | 5 of 22 | AI-Receptionist.com, Essential | $70.25 | $14 + 225 min over 75 included × $0.25 = $70.25 | $0.70 |
| 100 | 22 of 22 (highest) | Sameday AI, Launch | $449 | $449 Launch plan (300 of 500 min used) = $449 | $4.49 |
| 200 | 1 of 22 | Beside, Unlimited | $99 | $99 Unlimited plan (vendor: unlimited) = $99 | $0.495 |
| 200 | 2 of 22 | AptaBook, Starter | $99 | $99 Starter plan (200 of 400 conversations used) = $99 | $0.495 |
| 200 | 3 of 22 | Quo AI agent, AI credits tier 4 | $118 | $99 AI credits tier 4 plan (200 of 250 calls used) + $19 required base fee = $118 | $0.59 |
| 200 | 4 of 22 | ViFi, Starter | $124 | $49 + 500 min over 100 included × $0.15 = $124 | $0.62 |
| 200 | 5 of 22 | Goodcall, Growth | $129 | $129 Growth plan (200 of 500 unique customers used) = $129 | $0.65 |
| 200 | 22 of 22 (highest) | Sameday AI, Scale | $789 | $789 Scale plan (600 of 1000 min used) = $789 | $3.945 |
Sameday AI's prices are listed in tools.json as "Starts at" prices. Beside's Unlimited plan is flagged "unlimited per vendor". Trillet's $49 plan is being retired in favor of Juney (tools.json notes, checked 2026-11-01); both are in the list below with the same estimates.
Ranked: lowest cost per call at 100 calls
The list and chart below are generated from data/tools.json in the site's estimate order (lowest estimated monthly cost at 100 calls, tools with no estimate last). Cost per call at 100 calls is the monthly estimate ÷ 100, so it follows the same order.
Tools on this page with a partner link, in that same order (rule: cost only; Allo last because its cost can't be computed):
Visit Marlie AI Visit AI-Receptionist.com Visit ViFi Visit VoiceFleet Visit Rosie AFFILIATE50: 50% off your first month checked 2026-10-20 Visit Allo AI Receptionist
Pros and cons of the lowest-cost tools
Each point comes from data/tools.json. Tools are shown in the order above, then by the volume where they are cheapest.
Marlie AI: $0.67 per call at 100 calls
Pros - Lowest estimate at 100 calls: $66.50/mo, $0.67 per call (Basic $49 with 250 included minutes, then $0.35 a minute). - 14-day free trial.
Cons - Minute-based: 250 included minutes cover about 83 three-minute calls (250 ÷ 3), so each call past that adds $1.05 (3 × $0.35).
Source: tools.json, marlie, checked 2026-10-19
Quo AI agent: $0.68 per call at 100 calls
Pros - $68/mo at 100 calls ($0.68 per call): AI credits tier 3 is $49 for 100 calls, plus the $19 phone plan. - 7-day free trial.
Cons - Needs a Quo phone plan (Starter $19 per user per month billed monthly); the estimate assumes 1 user. - US business texting adds a one-time $19.50 registration fee and $1.50 to $3 a month, not in the estimate.
Source: tools.json, quo, checked 2026-10-22
Upfirst: $0.70 per call at 100 calls
Pros - $69.95/mo at 100 calls ($0.70 per call) on Premium ($59.95 for 90 calls, then $1 each). - 14-day free trial. - Spam, telemarketing and robocalls are not counted, and calls under 15 seconds or where the caller never speaks are not billed.
Cons - Per-call allowances are small: Starter covers 30 calls and Premium 90, so the 100-call estimate includes 10 overage calls at $1.
Source: tools.json, upfirst, checked 2026-10-22
echowin: $0.70 per call at 100 calls
Pros - $70/mo at 100 calls ($0.70 per call): no platform fee, $0.20 a minute, plus a $10/mo phone number. - $5 free credits.
Cons - The 100-call figure includes the $10 number fee (tools.json: estimates assume 1 number). - Bundle plans say the overage beyond the bundle is not stated.
Source: tools.json, echowin, checked 2026-10-21
Beside: $0.99 per call at 100 calls
Pros - Unlimited plan is $99/mo flat for unlimited AI-answered calls (vendor wording), so $0.99 per call at 100 and $0.495 at 200. - Baseline is $29 for 30 calls.
Cons - The estimate is flagged 'unlimited per vendor': we have not tested the claim. - Extra lines are $4.99/mo and a separate per-seat in-app plan is $29.99/mo (help.beside.com, checked 2026-10-21); neither is in the estimate.
Source: tools.json, beside, checked 2026-10-21
AptaBook: $0.99 per call at 100 calls
Pros - No overage charges: at the limit you upgrade. Starter is $99 for 400 conversations, so $0.99 per call at 100 calls and $0.495 at 200. - 15-day free trial, no credit card.
Cons - A conversation counts the same on any channel (phone, chat or email), so a phone-only estimate is a floor if you also take chats and emails. - Solo ($49) covers only 50 conversations, so a 30-call month still costs $1.63 per call.
Source: tools.json, aptabook, checked 2026-10-28
Phonely: $1.50 per call at 100 calls
Pros - Free plan includes 100 minutes, which covers 30 three-minute calls at $0 ($0.00 per call).
Cons - At 100 calls you need 300 minutes. Starter has 200 and no published overage, so our estimate jumps to Professional at $150/mo ($1.50 per call).
Source: tools.json, phonely, checked 2026-10-19
Smith.ai AI Receptionist: $2.125 per call at 100 calls
Pros - $0.50 per call at 30 calls: Free plan covers 25 calls, then $3 each ($15). - Free plan to start.
Cons - Pro is $150 with 75 calls, then $2.50 a call, so $212.50/mo at 100 calls ($2.125 per call) and $1.925 at 200 on the 150-call Pro volume option.
Source: tools.json, smithai, checked 2026-10-21
What about people-staffed answering services?
Our data lists three people-staffed services with computable estimates, categorized as live-human or human-plus-AI: Posh Virtual Receptionists ($7.17 per call at 30 calls, $6.30 at 100, $6.30 at 200), Ruby ($13.17 at 30 calls, $17.25 at 100; no estimate at 200 because its plans stop at 500 minutes) and Abby Connect ($10.97 at 30 calls; no estimate at 100 or 200). They are priced from the same tiers: for example Ruby at 100 calls uses its 500-minute plan, $1,725 ÷ 100 = $17.25. Posh publishes per-minute overage; Ruby does not publish an overage rate.
Verdict
- Lowest at 100 calls: Marlie AI at $0.67 per call ($66.50/mo), then Quo at $0.68 ($68, including its $19 phone plan) and Upfirst at $0.70 ($69.95).
- Lowest at 30 calls: Phonely's free plan ($0), then Smith.ai AI Receptionist at $0.50 per call.
- Lowest at 200 calls: Beside and AptaBook at $0.495 per call ($99/mo each); Beside's is a vendor-stated unlimited plan and AptaBook's has no overage charges.
- Spread: from $0.67 to $4.49 per call at 100 calls, so the highest estimate is about 6.8 times the lowest.
Work out your own volume in the calculator, see every published price on AI receptionist pricing, and read how we estimate on the methodology page. Trial two tools on your own line before you commit.
For every tool in one table, with a free CSV, see the 2026 AI Receptionist Price Index.
Related
Every tool on this page, sorted by estimated cost at 100 calls
| Tool | Entry price | Est. at 30 calls × 3 min | Est. at 100 calls × 3 min | Est. at 200 calls × 3 min | Free trial | Books jobs vs takes messages | Caveats | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlie AIPartner AI receptionist | from $49/mo | $49 (Basic) | $66.5 (Basic) | $134 (Standard) | 14-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Visit |
| Quo (formerly OpenPhone) AI agent Phone system with AI call handling | from $0/mo | $39 (AI credits tier 1) | $68 (AI credits tier 3) | $118 (AI credits tier 4) | 7-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | Required Quo phone plan: Starter $19/user/mo billed monthly ($15 billed annually), quo.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-22. Estimates assume 1 user. | Compare alternatives to Quo (formerly OpenPhone) AI agent |
 UpfirstAI receptionist | from $24.95/mo | $24.95 (Starter) | $69.95 (Premium) | $159.95 (Pro) | 14-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Upfirst |
 echowinAI receptionist builder | from $0/mo | $28 (Pay as you go) | $70 (Pay as you go) | $130 (Pay as you go) | $5 free credits | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | $10/mo per phone number, echo.win/pricing, checked 2026-10-21. Estimates assume 1 number. | Compare alternatives to echowin |
| AI-Receptionist.comPartner AI receptionist (phone answering, 55+ languages) | from $14/mo | $17.75 (Essential) | $70.25 (Essential) | $145.25 (Essential) | 7-day free trial, no credit card (30 minutes of live calls) | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Visit |
| Juney AI answering service (phone app for small business) | from $49/mo | $49 (Juney) | $79 (Juney) | $139 (Juney) | 7-day free trial (50 minutes) | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
 Trillet AI ReceptionistAI receptionist (+ agency white-label) | from $49/mo | $49 (AI Receptionist) | $79 (AI Receptionist) | $139 (AI Receptionist) | not found | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
| ViFiPartner AI receptionist (AI phone assistant with post-call briefings) | from $49/mo | $49 (Starter) | $79 (Starter) | $124 (Starter) | 7-day free trial, no credit card (25 AI minutes) | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Visit |
 GoodcallAI receptionist | from $79/mo | $79 (Starter) | $79 (Starter) | $129 (Growth) | Free demo agent (no trial) | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Goodcall |
| Beside AI receptionist + business phone | from $29/mo | $29 (Baseline) | $99 (Unlimited) | $99 (Unlimited) | Free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Beside |
| AptaBook AI receptionist (chat, voice, email) | from $49/mo | $49 (Solo) | $99 (Starter) | $99 (Starter) | 15-day free trial, no credit card | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to AptaBook |
 Nextiva XBert AI EmployeeAI receptionist (add-on to phone system) | from $99/mo | $99 (XBert AI Employee) | $99 (XBert AI Employee) | $198 (XBert AI Employee) | 30-day money-back guarantee | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Nextiva XBert AI Employee |
 VoiceFleetPartnerAI receptionist | from $99/mo | $99 (Starter) | $99 (Starter) | $299 (Growth) | 7-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Visit |
 DialzaraAI receptionist | from $29/mo | $43.4 (Business Lite) | $135 (Business Pro) | $239 (Business Plus) | 7-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
 RosiePartnerAI receptionist | from $49/mo | $49 (Professional) | $149 (Scale) | $149 (Scale) | 7-day free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Visit |
| Art3ry AI Receptionist AI receptionist (done-for-you, small business) | from $149/mo | $149 (AI Receptionist) | $149 (AI Receptionist) | $194 (AI Receptionist) | not found | — | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
| Phonely AI phone agent | from $0/mo | $0 (Free) | $150 (Professional) | $150 (Professional) | Free plan | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
 Newo.aiAI receptionist | from $0/mo | $52.5 (Pay As You Go) | $175 (Pay As You Go) | $299 (AI Receptionist) | 50 free units | — | — | Compare alternatives to Newo.ai |
 Ringly.ioAI phone agent for Shopify stores | from $99/mo | $99 (Standard) | $198.5 (Standard) | $397.5 (Standard) | 30-day money-back guarantee | — | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
 Smith.ai AI ReceptionistAI receptionist (human options available) | from $0/mo | $15 (Free) | $212.5 (Pro) | $385 (Pro 150 calls) | Free plan (25 calls/mo) | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Smith.ai AI Receptionist |
 VidaAI agent platform | from $250/mo | $263.5 (Starter) | $295 (Starter) | $340 (Starter) | not found | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Vida |
 Sameday AIAI CSR for home services | from $449/mo | $449 (Launch) | $449 (Launch) | $789 (Scale) | not found | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to Sameday AI |
 OpenMic AIDIY voice-agent builder | from $29/mo | $29 (Starter) | not estimated | not estimated | Free trial | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Compare alternatives to OpenMic AI |
 Allo AI ReceptionistPartnerPhone system with AI receptionist add-on | from $32/mo | not estimated | not estimated | not estimated | 3-day free trial; no setup fees, no contracts | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | AI Receptionist add-on: per AI agent, billed yearly; plus a seat plan: Solo $10/seat/mo yearly ($15 monthly), Business $32 ($45), Ultra $100 ($120). withallo.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29 | Visit |
 My AI Front DeskAI receptionist | from $99/mo | $99 (Business-in-a-Box) | not estimated | not estimated | not found | Books appointments (mentioned on site) | — | Find your best match (2 min) |
Estimates use published list prices plus required fees; see how estimates work.
Feature fields marked “keyword-matched” are mentions found on the vendor's website and haven't been independently verified yet. Prices are hand-copied from vendor pricing pages. How we make money.
Best AI receptionist by budget
What do people ask most?
These are the questions we get most, answered from published vendor data.
How much does an AI receptionist cost per call?
At 3-minute calls and published list prices, the monthly estimate divided by calls works out to $0.00 to $14.97 per call at 30 calls a month (median $1.63), $0.67 to $4.49 at 100 calls (median $0.99) and $0.495 to $3.945 at 200 calls (median $0.75). Tools checked 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-01 (data/tools.json).
Why does the cost per call fall as call volume rises?
Many plans are a flat monthly fee with a call or minute allowance, so extra calls spread the same fee further. AptaBook's Starter plan, for example, is $99 for 400 conversations: $0.99 per call at 100 calls and $0.495 at 200. Plans with overage add their per-call or per-minute rate to every call past the allowance.
What is the cheapest AI receptionist per call at 30 calls a month?
Phonely's Free plan (100 minutes) covers 30 three-minute calls at $0. After that, Smith.ai AI Receptionist is $0.50 per call ($15: 25 free calls, then $3 each) and AI-Receptionist.com is $0.59 ($17.75 on Essential). Free plans are limited and need a check against your own volume.
Are people-staffed answering services cheaper per call?
Not in our data. The people-staffed services we track cost more per call wherever we can compute it: at 100 calls, Posh Virtual Receptionists is $6.30 per call ($630/mo) and Ruby is $17.25 ($1,725/mo), against $0.67 to $4.49 for the AI tools. Abby Connect, Ruby (at 200 calls) and Answering Legal have no computable estimate at some or all of these volumes.
What is not included in these cost-per-call numbers?
Setup fees, taxes and add-ons are not included. Quo's required phone plan and echowin's $10 number fee are included, but Quo's one-time US texting registration and monthly messaging fee are not, and AI-Receptionist.com bills transferred minutes and SMS at market rates on top of the plan (tools.json notes, checked 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-28). Every call is assumed to last 3 minutes; longer calls cost more on minute-based plans.