AI receptionist pricing: what each option costs

Search for what an AI receptionist costs and you get ten different answers. That is because the vendors count different things. One charges per call. One charges per minute. One sells it as an extra on top of software you may not use.

This page puts the published prices in one table, explains what drives each bill, and shows one made-up shop priced three ways. If the category is new to you, start with what an AI receptionist is.

The price table

Prices and features checked October 2026 against each vendor's own pages. Plans and order terms can differ, so confirm yours with the vendor before you buy. Each row links to the comparison page with its sources.

What drives the cost

Five meters show up in the table. The same shop can land at very different totals depending on which one it meets.

• Per call. Smith.ai sells calls in monthly blocks, and ServiceTitan's Virtual Agent is $2.75 per voice call. A quiet month still has the plan's monthly price on a block plan.
• Per minute. RingCentral includes 100 minutes and then charges $0.50 a minute. Ruby's plans are sized in minutes.
• Per seat. ChatGPT Business is priced per seat, so a shop with a few staff pays for each one.
• Add-on on software. Jobber's $29 add-on and Housecall Pro's phone add-on only make sense if you already pay for, or want, the software under them.
• Quote. Podium and ServiceTitan's core platform publish no price. Ask for the full number, including extras. Weighing a switch? See Podium alternatives and ServiceTitan alternatives.

Setup, extras and overage sit outside the headline number. Smith.ai charges for booking and for SMS and email follow-up. Ruby bills live chat on its own line.

A made-up example

This is a made-up example, not a forecast. A shop gets 90 calls a month, and each one runs about two minutes, so 180 minutes in all. Replace both numbers with your own call log before you compare. To weigh any price against the jobs you lose, try the missed call calculator.

• RingCentral AIR standalone. 180 minutes is 80 above the 100 included. That is $40 in usage plus the $49 plan, $89 before taxes or other charges.
• Smith.ai live. 90 calls fits the $810 block exactly. A month with 100 calls would carry extra-call charges.
• Smith.ai AI Pro. $150 covers 75 calls. The other 15 are extra calls, and the price for them is on Smith.ai's current page.

The meters differ, so the totals are not like for like. Calls and minutes are different units, and a live human is a different service from an AI. The point is that the headline price tells you little until you put your own volume through it. To see which products fit a trade business, read the best AI receptionist for service businesses.

Live answering service cost

If you searched for what a human answering service or virtual receptionist costs, the live plans in the table are your answer. Real people answer, so the floor is higher. The virtual receptionist page covers who sells it, and AI answering service vs live sets the two kinds side by side.

• Ruby runs $250 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,725 a month for 500 minutes. It uses trained, US-based receptionists for calls and chat.
• Smith.ai live plans are $300 for 30 calls, $810 for 90 and $2,100 for 300, with no setup fee. If you cancel, Smith.ai bills through the current cycle.
• Smith.ai also lists a money-back guarantee for new live-plan clients, with overage excluded. Its pages give different time limits, so ask which applies.

Live answering fits shops whose callers expect to reach a person. Busy-season months can push you past the block, so size the plan from your busiest month, not an average one.

How to pick

• Callers expect a human voice. Look at the live plans, and size the block to your busy months.
• You already run Jobber or Housecall Pro. Start with the add-on from the software you have, and ask what is included. See Jobber and Housecall Pro.
• You want to keep your phone system. RingCentral sells its AI Receptionist on its own, or as a cheaper add-on to its RingEX phone plan.
• You want to build it yourself. A general assistant such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude costs little a month, but you configure, check and maintain the work.
• You want it handled for you. SvarKlar is one founder running an AI that answers your calls and messages. It is $295 a month, setup is free, and you can cancel any time. Book a call to get yours.

Whichever you choose, test the urgent call first. A caller who smells gas or sees a downed line should hear "call 911 or the utility" before any question about the job. Our trade guides for HVAC and plumbing show how that looks in practice.