The AI receptionist market has exploded. Dozens of providers, each with different pricing models — per minute, per call, flat monthly, usage-based. I spent two weeks comparing them all.
The TL;DR
| Tier | Price Range | Examples | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $27–$55/mo | Rosie, Dialzara, Alayic | Basic call answering, voicemail upgrade |
| Pro | $50–$150/mo | GoodCall, VoiceFleet | Booking integration, CRM sync, multi-turn AI |
| Premium | $200+/mo | Smith.ai, Ruby, Moneypenny | AI + human hybrid backup |
The Hidden Costs That Wreck Your Budget
- Per-minute overages — Ruby charges $4.90/min over plan. One busy week = hundreds extra.
- Integration middleware — Need Zapier? Add $20–$69/month.
- Phone number provisioning — Most US providers = US numbers only. International virtual number = $5–$15/mo extra.
- GDPR compliance — Using US provider for EU business? Legal review = €500–€2,000.
The ROI Math
For a business missing 15–20 calls/week with average booking value of €100–€200:
- Calls captured by AI at 60–70% conversion
- Revenue recovered: €3,600–€5,400/month
- AI cost: ~€75–€150/month
- ROI: 2,400%+
My Takeaway
Stop comparing headline prices. Total cost of ownership — including numbers, compliance, integrations, overages — is what matters. The "cheapest" option on paper is rarely cheapest in practice.
The full breakdown with every provider's pricing table is on our blog.
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