AI receptionists, explained honestly

Every missed call is ad spend you already paid for.

A plain-English buyer's guide to AI receptionists and answering services for contractors, HVAC, plumbers, auto shops and dental offices. Real prices from vendor sites, no rankings, no hype.

Calculate your missed-call cost See AI receptionist prices

Prices checked Nov 7, 2026Vendor facts from official sitesNo sign-up

6vendors with published prices

$0–$500published monthly plan prices

3billing models: minutes, calls, callers

Nov 7, 2026last price check

The problem

The phone rings while your hands are full

You're on a ladder, under a sink or with a patient. The call goes to voicemail. Some callers leave a message; others just dial the next business in the search results.

If that caller came from a Google ad, you paid for the click and got nothing. An AI receptionist answers, takes the details, books or texts back, and sends you a summary.

It isn't magic. It's a phone line with a script, a calendar and a knowledge base you have to set up. This site shows what each tool says it does and what it costs.

Put a number on it

Start here

Guides for local service businesses

Best AI receptionist for small business

A shortlist by situation, built from published plan details.

AI receptionist pricing

Every plan we could verify, side by side, checked Nov 7, 2026.

Missed-call cost calculator

Calls, missed share, close rate and job value in; lost revenue out.

For contractors, HVAC and plumbers

Emergency transfers, booking and job details that matter in the trades.

Missed-call text back

What it is, when it's enough and the texting rules to know.

Goodcall vs Rosie vs My AI Front Desk

Three popular tools, three different ways of billing.

Three billing models

How AI receptionists charge

The cheapest plan depends on how your calls look. Long calls favor per-call or per-caller billing; many short calls favor minutes.

Billed by minutes

Rosie

From $49/moMinutes per month

Fits if: you want English and Spanish on every call and a simple minute bundle

English and Spanish on every call; iOS and Android apps
Calendar booking, warm and live transfers, and texting callers mid-call start on Scale
Professional sends appointment links by text and includes 2 message-taking scenarios
Zapier (1,000+ apps); annual billing advertised as 2 months free

Trial: 7-day free trial. Source: vendor pricing page, checked Nov 7, 2026. Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the prices or facts on this page.

Visit Rosie

Billed by calls

Upfirst

From $24.95/moCalls per month

Fits if: your calls run long and you want texting and transfers on the cheapest plan

Two-way texting, warm and waterfall transfers and scheduling on every plan
Calendars listed: Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square, Clio
Calls under 15 seconds, or where the caller never speaks, aren't billed
Extra agents $9.95/mo each

Trial: 14 days or 100 calls, no card required. Source: vendor pricing page, checked Nov 7, 2026.

See Upfirst pricing

Billed by unique callers

Goodcall

From $79/moPer unique caller per month

Fits if: the same customers call you several times a month

Bills per unique phone number per month, not per minute; spam and wrong numbers don't count
Local number included, or forward your existing number
External tools via API, MCP server or custom code; Zapier for existing agents
Call history: 30 days (Starter), 90 days (Growth), unlimited (Scale)

Trial: Free demo agent; pay when you connect a number. Source: vendor pricing page, checked Nov 7, 2026.

See Goodcall pricing

Compare all published plans

Watch on YouTube

Short videos from AI Marketing Code on using AI in marketing for local businesses.

Visit the channel

Missed calls are only half the leak

If you pay for Google Ads, a free audit from High Priority Marketing shows where calls come from, which ones you're paying for and where the spend goes. Same owner as this site.

Get the Google Ads audit

Questions

Questions owners ask

What is an AI receptionist?

Software that answers your business phone with a natural-sounding voice, answers common questions from information you give it, takes messages, and on many plans books appointments, texts callers or transfers urgent calls to you.

How much does an AI receptionist cost?

On the vendor pricing pages we checked Nov 7, 2026, entry plans ranged from a free 25-call plan (Smith.ai) and $24.95 a month (Upfirst Starter) up to $79 to $150 a month for fuller plans. See the pricing table.

Will an AI receptionist replace my office staff?

It's best at overflow and after-hours calls, and at the same ten questions callers always ask. Calls that need judgment, pricing or empathy still need a person, so most plans include a way to transfer or take a message.

Is this site sponsored by any of these vendors?

No vendor sponsors this site or reviews our pages. We're in one affiliate program, Rosie's: if you sign up through a link marked "affiliate link", we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the prices or facts we publish. The site is owned by Charles Williams, who also runs High Priority Marketing, a Google Ads agency; links to the HPM audit go to that business. Details are on the disclosure page.