Cost

Answering Service Cost Calculator: Receptionist vs Service vs AI

There are three ways to make sure your phone gets answered, and they differ by more than an order of magnitude in price. Here is what each actually costs per month, what you get for it, and how to work out which is cheaper than the calls you are currently losing.

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What are missed calls costing you right now?

Compare this figure against the monthly costs above.

Your estimate

Calls missed per month
65
Customers lost per month
26
Revenue missed per month
$11,700
Revenue missed per year
$140,400

An estimate based on the numbers you entered, not a guarantee.

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Option 1: Hire A Receptionist

  • Wage at $20–$25/hour full time: roughly $3,400–$4,300 a month.
  • Add payroll taxes, benefits, equipment and paid leave — commonly 20–30% on top.
  • Coverage is business hours only, minus breaks, sick days and holidays.
  • Realistic total: $4,000–$5,500 a month for 40 hours of weekly coverage.

Option 2: A Human Answering Service

  • Typically priced per call or per minute, often with a monthly minimum.
  • Common small-business plans land somewhere between $200 and $600 a month.
  • Busy months — the good ones — cost more, and overages arrive after the fact.
  • After-hours and holiday coverage is frequently priced at a premium.

Option 3: An AI Receptionist

  • Flat $99/month Starter, $199 Growth, $299 Pro, plus a one-time setup fee.
  • Includes 250, 500 or 1,000 minutes of AI call time respectively.
  • 24/7/365 coverage at no extra cost — nights, weekends and holidays included.
  • Unlimited simultaneous calls, so nobody hears a busy line during a rush.
  • No contract and a 7-day free trial on Starter, cancel anytime.

Cost Per Answered Call

At 40 answered calls a month, a $99 plan works out at roughly $2.50 a call. A $4,500-a-month receptionist answering the same volume during business hours only is over $110 a call — and answers none of the ones that arrive at 8pm on a Saturday.

The Number That Actually Decides It

None of these costs matter next to what you are losing. Run the calculator below with your real figures: if missed calls are costing more than the monthly fee, the decision is arithmetic rather than preference.

Simple pricing, no contracts

7-day free trial on every plan · Cancel anytime · No contracts. Start on Starter — $99/month. Growth and Extreme Pro are direct upgrades. Pick the call volume that fits your business.

Starter

STARTER

$99/month

$99 one-time setup fee

250 AI minutes/month

7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

  • AI receptionist
  • Lead capture
  • Message taking
  • FAQ handling
  • Spam protection
  • Custom call instructions
Start Your Free 7 Day Trial

Growth

⭐ MOST POPULAR

$199/month

$199 one-time setup fee

500 AI minutes/month

7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

  • Everything in Starter, plus:
  • Appointment booking
  • More advanced call handling
  • Warm transfers
  • Additional customization
Start Your Free 7 Day Trial

Extreme Pro

EXTREME PRO

$299/month

$299 one-time setup fee

1,000 AI minutes/month

7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

  • Everything in Growth, plus:
  • Advanced call routing
  • Expanded customization
  • Additional business training
  • Priority setup/support
Start Your Free 7 Day Trial

7-day free trial on every plan · Cancel anytime · No contracts

Compare all plans →Or call (415) 413-5576

Frequently asked questions

What does an answering service cost per month?

Human services commonly run $200–$600 a month for small businesses on per-call or per-minute pricing. An AI receptionist is $99–$299 flat with call minutes included.

Is hiring a receptionist ever the better value?

Yes, when the role is much more than the phone — front desk, in-person greeting, admin and scheduling all at once. If the job is purely answering calls, it is hard to justify the cost gap.

Are there per-call fees with an AI receptionist?

No. You pay the monthly plan and use the included minutes; there are no per-call operator charges.

Keep reading

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