Pricing Guide
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Last updated
An AI receptionist costs between $25 and $350 a month in 2026, depending on how many minutes are included and how overage is billed. Human answering services start around $235 a month and usually land at $400 to $600 once per-minute billing kicks in. Yapper is $199 a month flat with 200 minutes included. Here is the full breakdown, with published rates.
The four ways receptionist services bill you
Every quote you get will follow one of four pricing models. The sticker price tells you very little until you know which model you are looking at.
1. Per-minute billing (most human services)
You buy a block of minutes, then pay an overage rate for every minute past it. Ruby starts at $235 a month for 50 minutes. AnswerConnect starts at $350 for 200 minutes plus a setup fee. The catch: a busy month is an expensive month, and spam calls can burn paid minutes.
2. Per-call billing
Same idea, counted in calls instead of minutes. Smith.ai's human plan starts at $292.50 a month for 30 calls. Thirty calls sounds like a lot until you remember a plumbing company can take that many in a week during a cold snap.
3. Flat-rate AI subscription
One monthly price with a generous minute allowance built in. This is Yapper's model: $199 a month with 200 minutes included, or $349 with 500 minutes. Because the AI answers every call itself, there is no after-hours surcharge and no per-call meter running.
4. Cheap entry plans with small allowances
Some AI services advertise $25 to $95 a month. Those plans are real, but the included volume is small: Dialzara's $29 plan includes 60 minutes, and Smith.ai's $95 AI plan covers about 60 calls. They fit very low call volume. A business taking 3 or more calls a day will outgrow them fast, so compare the price at your actual volume, not the starting price.
What AI receptionists and answering services cost in 2026
| Provider | Type | Published starting price | Billing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yapper | AI, built for trades | $199/mo (200 min) | Flat monthly or annual |
| Dialzara | AI, general | $29/mo (60 min) | Per-minute after allowance |
| Goodcall | AI, general | $79/mo | Tiered plans |
| Smith.ai (AI plan) | AI, general | $95/mo (~60 calls) | Per-call after allowance |
| Abby Connect (AI plan) | AI, general | $99/mo | Tiered plans |
| Ruby Receptionists | Human | $235/mo (50 min) | Per-minute, overage billed |
| Smith.ai (human plan) | Human + AI hybrid | $292.50/mo (30 calls) | Per-call, overage billed |
| Abby Connect (human plan) | Human | $329/mo (100 min) | Per-minute, overage billed |
| AnswerConnect | Human | $350/mo (200 min) | Per-minute, plus setup fee |
Starting prices from each provider's public pricing as of July 2026. Most providers charge more at higher call volumes. See our head-to-head comparisons for detailed feature and pricing breakdowns.
What Yapper costs
Starter: $199/mo or $1,990/yr
200 minutes of answered calls each month, 24/7 coverage, an AI agent trained on your website, job detail capture, emergency detection with live transfer to your cell, and a call summary after every call.
Pro: $349/mo or $3,490/yr
Everything in Starter, 500 included minutes, call analytics with revenue tracking, and calendar integrations for Google, Outlook, and Calendly.
Both plans start with a 7-day free trial. No credit card required, no setup fee, no contract. Full details on the pricing section of our homepage.
AI receptionist vs hiring: the math
A part-time receptionist at $18 an hour, 20 hours a week, costs about $1,560 a month before payroll taxes. Full time is roughly $3,100 a month, and either way the phone still goes to voicemail at night and on weekends, which is when a lot of emergency work calls in.
An AI receptionist at $199 a month is about 13 percent of the part-time cost and answers around the clock. Run your own numbers with the free receptionist cost calculator, then check what missed calls are already costing you with the missed call revenue calculator.
What actually drives the price
When you compare quotes, four variables decide what you really pay:
- Included minutes or calls. A $29 plan with 60 minutes can cost more than a $199 plan with 200 minutes once overage starts.
- After-hours coverage. Human services often price nights and weekends as a premium tier. AI answers at 2am for the same price as 2pm.
- Overage rates. Per-minute overage of $1.50 to $2.50 is common at human services. Eighty extra minutes at $2 is $160 on top of the base price.
- Setup and change fees. Some services charge to get started and every time you update your script. Yapper setup is self-serve and takes about ten minutes from a website URL.
Is it worth it? One job usually answers that
For a service business, the pricing question is really a missed-call question. If an average job is worth $400 and you miss two calls a week because you were under a sink or up a ladder, that is roughly $3,400 a month in work that called you first and hired someone else.
Against that number, $199 a month pays for itself with the first recovered job. That is the comparison that matters, more than which provider is $30 cheaper. If you are still weighing AI against a human service, our guides to the best AI receptionist for small business and AI receptionists vs answering services walk through the decision.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?
Published starting prices in 2026 range from $25 to $95 a month for low-volume AI plans and $199 to $350 a month for plans that can carry a real service business. Flat-rate AI receptionists like Yapper cost $199 to $349 a month with minutes included, while human answering services usually start at $235 to $350 a month and bill per minute after a small allowance.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human answering service?
Usually, yes. Human answering services bill by the minute, so a service business taking 80 calls a month often lands at $400 to $600 a month once overage and after-hours coverage are added. A flat-rate AI receptionist handles the same volume for $199 to $349 with 24/7 coverage included.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
By a wide margin. A part-time receptionist at $18 an hour costs about $1,560 a month for 20 hours a week, and that only covers business hours. A full-time hire runs roughly $3,100 a month before payroll taxes and benefits. An AI receptionist costs $199 to $349 a month and answers around the clock.
What is included in Yapper's price?
Every Yapper plan includes 24/7 call answering, an AI agent trained on your website, job detail capture, lead qualification, emergency detection with live call transfer, and call summaries sent to you after each call. Starter is $199 a month with 200 minutes included. Pro is $349 a month with 500 minutes, call analytics, and calendar integrations.
Are there setup fees or long-term contracts?
Yapper has no setup fee and no long-term contract. Plans are monthly or annual, and you can cancel from the dashboard. Some human answering services charge a separate setup fee and require onboarding calls before your line goes live, so check for both when comparing quotes.
Do AI receptionists charge per minute?
Some do. Low-priced AI plans often include a small block of minutes, such as 60 minutes for $29 a month, then bill overage per minute. Flat-rate plans include a larger allowance up front. Yapper includes 200 minutes on Starter and 500 on Pro, which covers most service businesses comfortably.
What hidden costs should I watch for?
Four things inflate the real monthly bill: per-minute overage rates, after-hours or holiday surcharges, setup and onboarding fees, and charges for spam or wrong-number calls. Ask every provider how each of these is billed before you sign up.
Keep Reading
Compare prices head to head
Yapper vs Ruby Receptionists
Ruby starts at $235 a month for 50 minutes of human answering. See how per-minute billing compares to a flat rate at real call volumes.
Read the comparisonReceptionist Cost Calculator
Plug in your own wage, hours, and call volume to see what a human receptionist, an answering service, and an AI receptionist each cost you.
Run the numbersSee what $199 a month actually gets you.
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