AI Receptionist Pricing in 2026: Complete Cost Guide

What Does an AI Receptionist Actually Cost in 2026?

The AI receptionist market has exploded, with the virtual receptionist industry reaching $6.26 billion in 2025. But pricing remains confusing — advertised rates rarely match what businesses actually pay. Per-minute fees, overage charges, per-customer surcharges, and rounding policies can inflate a $59/month plan into a $300+ monthly bill.

We analyzed the real pricing of every major AI receptionist service to give you the complete picture. No marketing spin — just the numbers.

AI Receptionist Pricing Comparison Table

Service	Starting Price	Pricing Model	True Cost (100 calls/mo)	Hidden Fees
Crixin	$0/mo (pay-as-you-go)	$0.12/minute	~$36-$72	None
Smith.ai	$95/mo (AI-only)	Per-call tiers	$95-$500+	$2.10-$2.40/extra call
Ruby	$235/mo	Per-minute tiers	$415-$800	Expensive minute overages
Goodcall	$59/mo	Per-agent + unique customers	$59-$199	$0.50/extra unique customer
Rosie	$49/mo	Unlimited minutes	$49	Feature upsells
My AI Front Desk	$65/mo	Flat monthly tiers	$65-$119	Limited complex conversations
Dialzara	$29/mo	60 minutes included	$29-$80+	Per-minute overages
Bland AI	$0.09/min	Per-minute + services	$39-$93	STT/LLM/TTS add-ons; developer required
Vapi	$0.05/min	Per-minute + third-party	$90-$100	True cost $0.30-$0.33/min

The Hidden Cost Problem

The biggest issue in AI receptionist pricing is not the base rate — it is everything else. Here is what inflates bills beyond advertised prices:

Per-Minute Rounding

Many services round up to the nearest minute. A 3-minute-10-second call costs you for 4 full minutes. Over 100 calls per month, this rounding adds 15-30% to your bill. Crixin bills per-second, so you only pay for actual talk time.

Per-Call Overage Fees

Smith.ai charges $2.10-$2.40 per call over your plan limit. If your plan includes 30 calls and you receive 60, you pay $63-$72 in overages alone — potentially doubling your bill. During busy months, these overages are unpredictable.

Unique Customer Limits

Goodcall limits the number of unique callers per tier. Their Starter plan ($59/mo) covers 100 unique customers. Each additional unique customer costs $0.50. For a dental office with 300 active patients calling throughout the year, that is $100 in surcharges on top of the base price.

Developer Costs

Bland AI and Vapi advertise low per-minute rates ($0.05-$0.09/min) but require a developer to implement. As one reviewer noted: "The biggest con for a business owner is the hidden cost of implementation — not just paying for the software, but paying for the engineer to set it up, maintain it, and fix it when an API breaks." Developer costs add $2,000-$10,000+ to the true first-year cost.

Pricing by Business Type

Solo Practitioners (Under 30 Calls/Month)

For solo lawyers, therapists, consultants, and freelancers with low call volume, pay-as-you-go is the best model. Crixin's $0.12/minute with no monthly fee means you pay only for actual calls — potentially under $20/month. Dialzara's $29 plan with 60 included minutes is another option, though you pay whether you use the minutes or not.

Small Businesses (30-100 Calls/Month)

For dental offices, salons, auto shops, and similar businesses, flat-rate plans offer the best value. Rosie at $49/month unlimited or Crixin's subscription plans provide predictable billing without overage anxiety.

Growing Businesses (100-500 Calls/Month)

At higher volumes, the gap between services widens. Ruby's per-minute billing can hit $800-$1,640/month. Smith.ai's hybrid plans exceed $500/month. AI-only services like Crixin remain under $200/month — an 80% savings that funds actual business growth.

Multi-Location Businesses

Businesses with multiple locations need multiple numbers and potentially different knowledge bases per location. Per-agent pricing (like Goodcall's) multiplies costs by location. Crixin's plans include multiple numbers and assistants at a single price.

AI Receptionist vs Human Receptionist Costs

The cost comparison between AI and human receptionists is stark:

Cost Category	Human Receptionist	AI Receptionist
Annual salary/fee	$35,000-$45,000	$588-$2,388
Benefits (health, PTO)	$7,000-$12,000	$0
Training	$1,000-$3,000	$0 (auto-learns from website)
Coverage hours	40 hrs/week	168 hrs/week (24/7)
Sick days/vacation	15-20 days/year	0 days
Total annual cost	$43,000-$60,000	$588-$2,388

That is a savings of 94-98% — enough to hire a technician, fund marketing, or invest in equipment. For a detailed comparison, see our guide on AI vs human receptionists.

What to Look for in AI Receptionist Pricing

When evaluating pricing, ask these questions:

• Per-second or per-minute billing? Per-second is always fairer.
• What counts as a billable call? Spam calls, wrong numbers, and hang-ups may be billed.
• Overage rates? Know the per-call or per-minute cost above your plan limit.
• Contract length? Avoid annual contracts until you have tested the service for at least 30 days.
• Setup fees? Most modern AI services have zero setup fees. If a provider charges for setup, question why.
• Feature restrictions by tier? Some services lock essential features (call transfers, SMS notifications, CRM integration) behind expensive tiers.

The Bottom Line

For most small businesses, the best AI receptionist pricing strategy is to start with pay-as-you-go (like Crixin's $0.12/minute plan) to understand your actual call volume, then move to a flat-rate plan once you know your usage patterns. Avoid per-minute services that round up, avoid plans with low call limits and expensive overages, and never sign an annual contract without testing first.

The law firms, dental offices, and HVAC companies that get the best value are the ones that match their plan to their actual call volume — not the ones who buy the cheapest tier and get surprised by overages.