AI Receptionists for Small Business: What You Really Get for $49 to $99 a Month
Every small business owner knows the feeling: the phone rings while you’re with a customer, under a sink, or finally eating lunch. You let it go to voicemail, and the caller books with someone else.
An AI receptionist answers those calls for you, 24 hours a day. It greets callers with your business name, answers common questions, takes messages, and in many cases books appointments straight into your calendar. Prices for small businesses now start around $49 to $99 a month.
But the advertised price rarely tells the whole story. Here’s what you actually get at that price, the hidden costs to watch for, and how to choose without overpaying.
The short answer: for $49 to $99 a month you can get a solid AI receptionist that answers, takes messages and handles simple questions. Booking, call transfers and higher call volumes often push you into the $129 to $150+ range. Count your calls before you choose a plan.
What an AI receptionist actually does
An AI receptionist is a voice assistant that answers your business phone. Unlike an old phone menu (“press 1 for…”), callers just talk normally, and the AI talks back.
Most services can:
- Answer every call, including nights, weekends and holidays.
- Answer common questions from information you provide: hours, prices, location, services, parking, policies.
- Take detailed messages and send you a summary by text or email right after the call.
- Book, move or cancel appointments by connecting to your calendar (usually on higher plans).
- Transfer urgent calls to your cell phone or a colleague (often not on the cheapest plans).
- Send a text to the caller, for example with a booking link or your address.
- Speak more than one language, commonly English and Spanish.
How it connects to your phone
Usually you keep your existing business number. You simply forward calls to the AI, either all of them, only after hours, or only when you don’t pick up after a few rings. Some services also give you a new number if you prefer.
Setup typically takes from 15 minutes to an hour: you fill in your business details (some tools pull them from your Google Business Profile), test a few calls, and switch on forwarding.
What $49 to $99 a month gets you in 2026
Here are four popular services and what their entry-level plans include. Prices are US list prices as published in fall 2026; vendors change them often, so always check the current pricing page.
| Service | Entry price | What’s included | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie | $49/month | 250 minutes | No call transfers or calendar booking on this plan (only text links for appointments); both start on the $149 plan |
| Goodcall | $79/month | Unlimited minutes, up to 100 unique callers | 79¢ for each extra unique caller; 30-day call history on Starter |
| My AI Front Desk | $99/month ($79 billed yearly) | 200 minutes, plus web chat, texting and a simple CRM | $0.25 per extra minute |
| Smith.ai | Free for 25 calls; Pro from $150/month | About 75 calls on Pro ($2 per call) | $3 per extra call on the free plan; live human agents are an extra per-call add-on |
Notice that each company counts usage differently: by minutes (Rosie, My AI Front Desk), by unique callers (Goodcall) or by calls (Smith.ai). That’s why the cheapest plan on paper isn’t always the cheapest for your business.
The hidden costs to check before you sign up
1. Overage charges
Every plan has a limit. Go over it and you pay extra per minute, per call or per caller. A busy month can quietly double your bill.
2. How “usage” is counted
Ask exactly what counts. Do spam calls count? Do wrong numbers count? With caller-based pricing, does a regular customer calling from a new number count as a new caller? (Goodcall counts one phone number once a month, so a customer calling from a second number is likely counted again.)
3. Features locked behind higher plans
Appointment booking, call transfers, calendar integration and multiple languages are often reserved for the second or third tier. If you need booking, compare the plans that include it, not the entry price.
4. Integrations
Many services connect to your calendar or CRM through Zapier, which may mean another subscription and some setup time.
5. Annual commitments
Paying yearly saves 15 to 20%, but some services charge a fee or keep the discount if you cancel early. Start month to month until you’re sure.
6. Human backup
Some services, such as Smith.ai, can pass tricky calls to live human receptionists. That’s useful, but human-handled calls cost several times more than AI calls.
A real-world example: how much would you really pay?
Let’s take a small hair salon that gets 150 calls a month, lasting about 2.5 minutes on average. That’s 375 minutes, from about 110 different callers.
Based on the published prices above (an illustration, not a quote):
- Rosie: 375 minutes is more than the 250 in the $49 plan, so the salon needs the $149 plan, which also adds transfers and calendar integration.
- Goodcall Starter: 100 callers included plus 10 extra at $0.79 = about $87 a month.
- My AI Front Desk: $99 for 200 minutes plus 175 extra minutes at $0.25 = about $143 a month.
- Smith.ai: 150 calls is about twice what the $150 Pro plan covers at $2 a call (roughly 75 calls). The next published plan is Enterprise at $500 a month, so ask Smith.ai about its 6-month or custom plans.
Same business, prices from about $87 to several hundred dollars a month. The lesson: count your calls and minutes first, then compare.
How to count your calls
Check your phone provider’s call log or your business phone app for the last two or three months. Note:
- Total calls per month (including missed ones).
- Average call length.
- How many are from repeat customers.
- When calls come in: if most missed calls are after hours, you might only need the AI outside business hours, which cuts usage a lot.
Is an AI receptionist worth it for your business?
It’s probably worth it if:
- You regularly miss calls because you’re working with customers or on the job: salons, trades, clinics, repair shops, cleaning services, real estate.
- Many calls ask the same questions: hours, prices, availability.
- One new customer pays for the monthly cost. If an average job is worth $150 and the AI saves you even one booking a month, the math works.
Think twice if:
- You get very few calls. A good voicemail greeting and a text-back app might be enough.
- Your calls are complex, emotional or high-stakes, like legal emergencies or medical triage, where callers need a human right away.
- Your customers are mostly older people who strongly prefer talking to a person. In that case, use AI only after hours.
How to set one up the right way
- Write down your top 20 questions callers ask, with clear answers. This becomes the AI’s script.
- Decide what the AI should never do. For example: never quote prices for custom jobs, never promise same-day service, always transfer calls that mention “emergency.”
- Start with after-hours only. Forward calls to the AI evenings and weekends for two weeks and read every summary.
- Call it yourself as a confused customer, an angry customer, and someone with an unusual request. See how it handles each.
- Check the call summaries daily for the first month and fix any wrong answers.
- Then expand to “when I don’t answer” during the day.
Honesty, privacy and the law
- Let callers know. Many businesses add a line like “You’ve reached the virtual assistant for Maria’s Salon.” Most callers don’t mind, but few like being misled.
- Call recording rules. Most services record and transcribe calls. In the US, some states, such as California and Florida, require everyone on the call to consent to recording. Make sure your greeting mentions recording if required where you operate.
- Health and personal data. If you run a clinic or handle health information, you need a service that signs a BAA (Business Associate Agreement) under HIPAA. Check this directly with the vendor; not every plan or provider offers it.
- Data storage. Ask where recordings and transcripts are stored, and for how long.
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?
Entry plans start around $49 to $99 a month, and some services have free trials or a small free tier. Most small businesses that need booking and call transfers end up paying $100 to $150 a month, depending on call volume.
Can I keep my business phone number?
Usually yes. You forward your existing number to the AI receptionist, all the time, after hours only, or when you don’t answer.
Will callers know they’re talking to AI?
Many will, and it’s best to say so. Today’s AI receptionists sound natural and handle normal conversation well, but they can still misunderstand unusual requests.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Yes, if it connects to your calendar or booking software. This feature is often included only on mid-tier plans, so check before you choose.
What happens if the AI can’t answer a question?
It takes a message and sends you a summary, or transfers the call to you if your plan includes transfers. You set these rules during setup.
Is it better than a human answering service?
It’s much cheaper. Human answering services often cost several dollars per call. A human is better for complex or sensitive calls. Some services combine both: AI for routine calls and humans for the rest.
Sources
- Rosie pricing, Rosie, November 2026
- Goodcall pricing, Goodcall, November 2026
- Goodcall FAQ (how unique customers are counted), Goodcall, November 2026
- My AI Front Desk pricing, My AI Front Desk, November 2026
- How billing and pricing work, My AI Front Desk, April 2026
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist plans, Smith.ai, November 2026
Pricing changes often. We’ll update this guide as plans change.
Featured image: Photo by Alex Hudson on Unsplash.
