Price index · Checked October 20, 2026
AI Receptionist Cost Comparison (2026): the real bill at 300 calls a month
Starting prices don't tell you much. Here's what each product would cost a typical small office (300 calls a month, 3-minute average) using only the vendor's public pricing.
| Product | Advertised | Real cost | Type | Plan used | The math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vapi | $0.05/min | ≈ $74-116/mo + telephony + build time | Developer voice AI platform (build your own) | Usage only | Per min: $0.05 + $0.0095-0.0099 + $0.0077-0.0452 + $0.0146-0.0238 = $0.082-0.129. × 900 = $73.62-$116.01, before phone-carrier charges. |
 Allo AI Receptionist | $32/mo | $90/mo (usage caps not published) | Business phone system + AI receptionist add-on | Business seat + AI Receptionist, monthly | $45 seat + $45 AI agent = $90 ($64 if billed annually). Allo doesn't publish a call/minute cap for the receptionist, so confirm before relying on this. |
 Retell AI | $0.07/min | ≈ $115/mo + build time | Developer voice AI platform (build your own) | Pay as you go | ($0.055 + $0.04 + $0.015 + $0.015 telephony) × 900 min = $112.50 + $2 number = $114.50. Model/voice choices can push this to ~$0.31/min ($279+). |
 Bland AI | $0.14/min | ≈ $126/mo + build time | Developer voice AI platform (build your own) | Start | 900 min × $0.14 = $126 (transfer minutes extra). Warm transfers and scheduling require Enterprise. |
 Goodcall | $79/mo | $129/mo | AI receptionist (self-serve) | Growth | 300 calls ≈ 200 unique callers (Goodcall's own ratio is ~1.5 calls per customer). Starter would be $79 + 100 × $0.79 = $158, so Growth at $129 is cheaper. |
 Rosie | $49/mo | $149/mo | AI receptionist (self-serve) | Scale | 900 minutes fits inside Scale's 1,000 minutes, so no overage. |
 Upfirst | $24.95/mo | $159.95/mo | AI receptionist (self-serve) | Pro | 300 calls are included in Pro. Call length doesn't matter. |
 NextPhone | $199/mo | $199/mo | AI receptionist (flat rate) | Pro | Flat price; unlimited calls. |
 My AI Front Desk | $99/mo | ≈ $264/mo | AI receptionist + CRM bundle | Business-in-a-Box + credits | 900 − 200 included = 700 extra min. Included pool covers 40 min; 660 min × $0.25 = $165. $99 + $165 = $264. |
 Dialzara | $29/mo | $352/mo | AI receptionist (self-serve) | Business Elite + local number | 900 min fits in Elite (1,000 min) = $349, plus $3 number = $352. Plus with overage would be $199 + 400 × $0.40 = $359 + $3. |
 Slang.ai | $399/mo | from $399/mo | Industry-specific (restaurants) | Core (1 location) | Starting price per location; call limits not public. |
 Newo.ai | $0 to start | ≈ $449/mo | AI receptionist (self-serve) | AI Receptionist | 300 calls ≈ 300 units (3-min average; longer calls would add units). $299 + 100 × $1.50 = $449. Pay-as-you-go would be 300 × $1.75 = $525. |
 Arini | $499/mo | $499/mo (unverified) | Industry-specific (dental) | Starter (per Capterra) | Flat rate per Capterra listing; call caps not public. |
 Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $150/mo | ≈ $501/mo | AI receptionist with live-human backup | Pro, 300-call tier | 300 calls × $1.67 = $501. Call length does not matter (per-call billing). |
 Sameday AI | $449/mo | $789/mo | Industry-specific (home services) | Scale | 900 min exceeds Launch's 500 and its overage rate isn't published, so Scale (1,000 min) = $789. |
 Synthflow | $30,000/yr | ≥ $2,500/mo (contract minimum) | Voice AI platform (enterprise) | Enterprise | $30,000 ÷ 12 = $2,500/mo minimum, regardless of volume. |
 Ruby | $250/mo | ≈ $3,128/mo | Live human receptionists (with optional AI enhancements) | Call Ruby 750 + 150 overage minutes | 900 min: $2,550 + 150 × $3.85 = $3,127.50 (the 1,000-minute plan is $3,350). Per-call rounding up would push this higher. |
 Weave AI Receptionist | $199/mo | $199 + AI add-on (not public) | Industry-specific (healthcare practice platform add-on) | Base + AI Receptionist | Weave's base plan is $199/mo; the AI add-on is priced by quote, so a full figure can't be computed. |
 Loman | Contact sales | Contact sales | Industry-specific (restaurants) | — | No public prices. |
 Numa | Contact sales | Contact sales | Industry-specific (car dealerships) | — | No public prices. |
 Sonant | Contact sales | Contact sales | Industry-specific (insurance agencies) | — | No published price. |
| Air AI | n/a | Not available | Voice AI (discontinued) | — | Product no longer sold at its domain. |
Bars are scaled to $800; longer ones are cut off at the right edge (shown with a break).
Reading this table
- Build-your-own platforms (Vapi, Retell, Bland) are cheapest per minute but you, or an agency, must build and maintain the agent. Budget setup time or an agency fee.
- Per-call and per-caller plans (Upfirst, Smith.ai, Goodcall) don't care how long calls are. Per-minute plans (Dialzara, Rosie, My AI Front Desk, Ruby) do: if your calls average 5 minutes, those bills grow.
- "Contact sales" means no public price. We don't guess.
- Ruby is a live human service, included as a benchmark.
Assumptions: 300 calls/month, average 3 minutes per call (900 talk minutes), billed monthly (not annual), US local number, no add-ons.
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