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AI receptionist & answering service price comparison
9 AI phone answering tools, with prices read directly from each vendor's pricing page on 2026-10-26. Prices below were read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans change often, so confirm before you buy. 'Entry price' is the cheapest published paid plan.
| Tool | Best for | Entry price | What's included | Bigger plans | Trial | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dialzara | Cheapest per-minute start for a solo owner | $29/mo | 60 minutes; $0.48/min after | Pro $99 (220 min), Plus $199 (500 min), Elite $349 (1,000 min) | 7-day free trial | Local number $3/mo extra. | pricing page verified |
| Upfirst | Low call volume, priced per call | $24.95/mo ($20/mo annual) | 30 calls; $1.50 per extra call | Premium $59.95 (90 calls), Pro $159.95 (300), Scale $299 (600) | 14-day free trial | Lists a Square integration. | pricing page verified |
| Rosie | Home services that want simple minute bundles | $49/mo | 250 minutes | Scale $149 (1,000 min), Growth $299 (2,000 min) | 7-day free trial | Website texting add-on $50/mo. | pricing page verified |
| Goodcall | Busy lines priced by unique caller, not minutes | $79/mo | 100 unique customers; $0.79 each after | Growth $129 (500), Scale $299 (2,000) | See site | Local number included. | pricing page verified |
| My AI Front Desk | Voice + texting + website chat in one plan | $99/mo ($79/mo annual) | 200 voice min, 400 texts, 100 chats; $0.25/min after | One main plan | See site | Bundles SMS and web chat. | pricing page verified |
| Smith.ai | AI first, with optional human backup | $0 (25 calls), then Pro $150/mo | Pro: 75 calls; $2/call after (Free tier $3/call after 25) | Enterprise $500/mo (300 calls) | Free tier | Human receptionist backup available at extra cost. | pricing page verified |
| Retell AI | DIY builders comfortable with a developer tool | Pay as you go, ~$0.07-$0.31/min | No monthly minimum; phone number $2/mo | Enterprise on request | Usage-based | You design the agent yourself. Not plug-and-play. | pricing page verified |
| Vapi | Developers building a custom voice agent | $0.05/min hosting + model/voice costs | $5 free credit, 1 phone number, 4 concurrent calls | Pro from $999/mo minimum | $5 credit | Transcription, LLM and voice billed on top at provider cost. | pricing page verified |
| Synthflow | Larger companies only | Enterprise contracts from $30,000/yr | Custom | Custom | Demo only | No self-serve plan listed. Not a fit for most small shops. | pricing page verified |
How to choose
- Count your calls, not your minutes. Most small shops get 50-200 calls a month. Per-call plans (Upfirst, Smith.ai) are easier to predict; per-minute plans (Dialzara, Rosie) are cheaper if calls are short.
- Plug-and-play vs. DIY. Retell and Vapi are developer platforms: cheapest per minute, but you build the agent yourself. The rest are ready to go in an afternoon.
- Health info? Dental and medical offices should ask for a signed BAA before any AI tool hears patient details.
- Test it on yourself. Every self-serve option has a trial or free tier. Call it ten times with real questions before you forward your line.