Quick Answer
The best AI receptionist depends on two things: who sets it up and how many calls you take. For the lowest price and you'll build it yourself, Upfirst, Rosie and Goodcall run about $129 to $299 a month at 500 calls. For live people, Ruby and PATLive. For an AI front office set up for you and live this week, Sockly: $997 a month for up to 500 calls.
AI search answers for "best AI receptionist" mostly repeat each vendor's own marketing. This page does the opposite: it puts 19 services in one table, takes every price from the vendor's own pricing page on November 10, 2026, and works out what each one costs at around 500 calls a month, which is where a busy shop, salon, firm or clinic lands. Sockly is one of the 19, and it's not the cheapest. It's here so you can see exactly where it fits.
How we compared them
Three numbers decide the bill: the cheapest published plan, what the same vendor charges at around 500 calls a month, and what it meters (minutes, calls, unique callers or a flat fee). Per-minute plans punish long calls; per-call and per-unique-caller plans don't. We used each vendor's monthly list price and showed the arithmetic, so you can redo it for your own volume.
Best by situation
There isn't one best AI receptionist. There's a best one for how you work:
- Cheapest that still answers every call: Upfirst ($299 for 600 calls) or Rosie ($299 for 2,000 minutes). Goodcall is $129 if most callers are different people.
- Already on a phone system: RingCentral, Zoom, Phone.com and Quo sell AI answering as an add-on to their own phone service.
- Home-service shop already on Jobber: Jobber's AI receptionist is a $29 add-on that books into the Jobber calendar you already use.
- Restaurants: Slang.ai is the specialist, with reservation-system integrations.
- You want real people on the phone: Ruby, PATLive, Smith.ai and AnswerConnect. Where they publish it, expect $2,344 to $3,800 a month at 500 calls.
- You want it built for you and live this week, and you'd rather never think about minutes: Sockly. It answers in your business's name on the first ring, books on Google Calendar or Outlook, sends urgent calls to your cell, and texts you a summary of every call.
Where Sockly wins, and where it doesn't
Sockly costs more than every self-serve AI option in the table. You're paying for the setup: we write the agent around your services, questions and booking rules, connect the calendar and routing, and make it live this week, with $0 setup. It bills per call, never per minute, and calls keep being answered past 500 with no overage fee. If you'd rather build and tune an agent yourself, a self-serve tool will cost you less.
Five questions to ask any vendor
Whoever you pick, get these answered in writing before you pay:
- What does a 4-minute call cost me, and what happens at the end of my plan's minutes?
- Who builds the agent: me, or you? How long until it's live on my real number?
- Does it book on my real calendar, or just take a message?
- What happens to an urgent call at 9 pm?
- Can I hear it answer as my business before I pay?
AI receptionists and answering services, published prices checked November 10, 2026
| Service | Built for | Cheapest published plan | Around 500 calls a month | Billed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dialzara | AI, self-serve | $29/mo for 60 minutes | $524/mo ($349 for 1,000 min + 500 min at $0.35) | Per minute |
| Upfirst | AI, self-serve | $24.95/mo for 30 calls | $299/mo (Scale plan, 600 calls) | Per call |
| Rosie | AI, self-serve | $49/mo for 250 minutes | $299/mo (Growth plan, 2,000 minutes) | Per minute, in plan buckets |
| Goodcall | AI, self-serve | $79/mo for 100 unique callers | $129/mo if they're 500 different callers | Per unique caller |
| Quo (Sona) | Phone system with an AI agent | $19/user/mo, 10 AI calls included | $218/mo for one user ($19 + $199 credits for 600 calls) | Per call, in credits |
| Marlie | AI, self-serve | $49/mo for 250 minutes | $349/mo ($199 for 1,000 min + 500 min at $0.30) | Per minute |
| Kall8 | AI add-on to a Kall8 line | $55/mo for 250 minutes, plus a Kall8 plan from $14.95 | About $382/mo plus standard call charges (rate not on the page) | Per minute |
| My AI Front Desk | AI, self-serve | $99/mo for 200 minutes | $414/mo ($99 + 1,300 min at $0.25, less included credits) | Per minute |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | AI, self-serve | $49/mo for 100 minutes | $749/mo ($49 + 1,400 min at $0.50) | Per minute |
| Zoom AI Receptionist | AI, self-serve | $29.99/mo for 100 minutes | Not published (extra minutes not priced) | Per minute |
| Phone.com AI Receptionist | AI add-on to a Phone.com plan | $29.99/mo for 100 minutes | Not published (overage not stated) | Per minute |
| Jobber AI Receptionist | Add-on to Jobber field-service software | $29/mo add-on plus a Jobber plan from $49/mo | Not published (no usage terms stated) | Flat add-on |
| Slang.ai | AI for restaurants, set up with you | From $399 per location (period not stated) | Not published (quote) | Quote, per location |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI first, live-agent backup | Free for 25 calls; paid from $150/mo for 75 calls | $800/mo (500 calls) | Per call |
| Ruby | Live receptionists | $250/mo for 50 minutes | Not published (largest plan: 500 minutes for $1,725) | Per minute |
| PATLive | Live receptionists | $49/mo plus $2.99 a minute | $2,344/mo ($1,499 for 1,000 min + 500 min at $1.69) | Per minute |
| Smith.ai Receptionists | Live receptionists | $300/mo for 30 calls | $3,800/mo ($2,100 for 300 calls + 200 at $8.50) | Per call |
| Abby Connect | Live receptionists, AI, or both | $164/mo for 50 Abby Minutes | Not published as a number | Per minute |
| AnswerConnect | Live receptionists, 24/7 | Not published (quote form) | Not published | Quote |
| Sockly | AI front office, set up for you | $997/mo for up to 500 calls, $0 setup | $997/mo (up to 500 calls; calls keep being answered past that, no overage fee) | Per call, never per minute |
Every price is from the vendor's own pricing page, checked November 10, 2026: dialzara.com/pricing, upfirst.ai/pricing, heyrosie.com/pricing, goodcall.com/pricing, quo.com/pricing, marlie.ai/pricing, kall8.com/ai-receptionist, myaifrontdesk.com/pricing, ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html, zoom.us/pricing/receptionist, phone.com/ai-receptionist, getjobber.com/pricing, slang.ai/pricing, smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, patlive.com/pricing, smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, abby.com/pricing, answerconnect.com/view-pricing. The 500-call column assumes about 3 minutes a call (1,500 minutes) on per-minute plans. Monthly list prices; several vendors discount annual billing. Prices change, so confirm on their site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI receptionist for a small business?
If you'll set it up yourself, Upfirst, Rosie and Goodcall are the lowest-cost options with published prices, about $129 to $299 a month at 500 calls. If you want it set up for you and live this week, Sockly is $997 a month for up to 500 calls with $0 setup.
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Paid entry plans run $19 to $164 a month. At around 500 calls a month, published self-serve AI prices run about $129 to $749. Live answering services that publish prices run $2,344 to $3,800 at the same volume.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
Yes, at the same volume. At around 500 calls a month, PATLive works out to $2,344 and Smith.ai's live receptionists to $3,800 on their published plans. Self-serve AI options are $129 to $749, and Sockly, set up for you, is $997.
Which AI receptionist is set up for you?
Most AI receptionists are self-serve: you write the instructions and connect the tools. Sockly is set up for you with $0 setup and goes live this week. Slang.ai does setup for restaurants, and Dialzara sells a managed option at $1,500 or more a month.
Can I hear one answer as my business before I buy?
With Sockly, yes. Call 470-280-8910 and say your business name to hear Sockly answer as you. Most self-serve vendors let you build and test a free agent.
Call 470-280-8910 and say your business name to hear Sockly answer as you. Then compare it with any service in the table.
Ready to Never Miss Another Call?
Live on your number this week. $997/month for up to 500 calls, $0 setup, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get it on your numberOr hear it first: call 470-280-8910 and say your business name.
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Published: November 10, 2026
Last Updated: November 10, 2026