AI vs Human Answering Service Cost
At 100 calls a month (3 min each), the cheapest live-receptionist estimate is Posh at $630/mo; the cheapest AI receptionist is Phonely at $68/mo.
Live human receptionists at 100 calls
| # | Vendor · plan | Est. per month | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Posh · Luxurious | $630 | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 2 | Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists · 90 calls | $915 | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 3 | Ruby · 500 minutes | $1,725 | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
Assumes 3 minutes per call for minute-billed plans. Cheapest plan per vendor for that volume. Excludes tax, phone-number fees and add-ons.
AI receptionists at 100 calls
| # | Vendor · plan | Est. per month | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phonely · Starter | $68 (billed annually) | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 2 | Upfirst · Premium | $69.95 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 3 | AI-Receptionist.com · Essential | $70.25 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 4 | Goodcall · Starter | $79 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 5 | Telyn · Starter | $122 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 6 | Dialzara · Business Pro | $135 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 7 | Rosie · Scale | $149 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 8 | NextPhone · Pro | $199 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 9 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist · Pro (75 calls) | $212.50 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 10 | AgentZap · Starter | $236.50 (+ $499 one-time setup) | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 11 | Sameday AI · Launch | $449 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 12 | Allo | pending Plan prices are drawn as animated digits and could not be read as text. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 13 | Arini | pending No public pricing page (arini.ai/pricing returns 'page not found'). | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 14 | My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | pending Your volume is above every plan's included usage and the overage rate is not stated. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 15 | Numa | pending numa.com/pricing redirects to the homepage; no public prices. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 16 | Quo (formerly OpenPhone) Sona | pending The page shows two different per-user prices for the same plans ($19 vs $15 for Starter), so the total is pending. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
Assumes 3 minutes per call for minute-billed plans. Cheapest plan per vendor for that volume. Excludes tax, phone-number fees and add-ons.
Both, at 300 calls
| # | Vendor · plan | Est. per month | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goodcall · Growth | $129 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 2 | Rosie · Scale | $149 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 3 | Upfirst · Pro | $159.95 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 4 | Phonely · Professional | $175 (billed annually) | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 5 | AI-Receptionist.com · Business | $199 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 6 | NextPhone · Pro | $199 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 7 | Telyn · Starter | $272 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 8 | Dialzara · Business Elite | $349 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 9 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist · Pro (300 calls) | $500 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 10 | AgentZap · Professional | $632.50 (+ $499 one-time setup) | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 11 | Sameday AI · Scale | $789 | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 12 | Abby Connect · Growth (AI minutes) | $1,380 | AI + human | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 13 | Posh · Lavish | $1,755 | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 14 | Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists · 300 calls | $2,100 | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 15 | Allo | pending Plan prices are drawn as animated digits and could not be read as text. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 16 | Arini | pending No public pricing page (arini.ai/pricing returns 'page not found'). | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 17 | My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | pending Your volume is above every plan's included usage and the overage rate is not stated. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 18 | Numa | pending numa.com/pricing redirects to the homepage; no public prices. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 19 | Quo (formerly OpenPhone) Sona | pending The page shows two different per-user prices for the same plans ($19 vs $15 for Starter), so the total is pending. | AI receptionist | source · 2026-10-17 |
| 20 | Ruby | pending Your volume is above every plan's included usage and the overage rate is not stated. | Live human receptionists | source · 2026-10-17 |
Assumes 3 minutes per call for minute-billed plans. Cheapest plan per vendor for that volume. Excludes tax, phone-number fees and add-ons.
Disclosure: the Rosie and AI-Receptionist.com sign-up links are affiliate links (marked “affiliate link”), so we may earn a commission. Costs and the cheapest-first ordering are calculated identically for every vendor and never depend on affiliate status.
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