Cheapest AI receptionist for under 50 calls a month
If you only need an AI receptionist for a few calls a week, for example missed calls while you're on a job, the cheapest plan can look very different from the cheapest plan at higher volume.
The goal is the provider that fits how your business actually takes calls. Priced on your real volume, that may cost less than you expect.
Lowest estimated bill
| Calls a month | Lowest estimated bill | Calculator |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | A free plan, $0 a month (see the full table); next lowest: Upfirst, $24.95 a month | Check in the calculator |
| 35 | A free plan, $30 a month (see the full table); next lowest: Upfirst, $32.45 a month | Check in the calculator |
| 50 | Rosie and Simple Phones, tied at $49 a month | Check in the calculator |
The numbers we used
| Calls a month | 50 Unverified |
|---|---|
| Average call length | 3 minutes Unverified |
| Calls outside business hours | 30% Unverified |
| Calls the AI answers | All calls |
| Prices as published | Read on each vendor's own pricing page on 2026-10-30 |
Also priced at 20 and 35 calls with the same call length.
Unverified means these are example numbers we chose, not survey data. Use a month from your phone log for your own estimate.
Every vendor, sorted by bill at 50 calls
| Rank at 50 calls | Vendor | 20 calls | 35 calls | 50 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosie | $49Professional: within the plan | $49Professional: within the plan | $49Professional: within the plan |
| 1 | Simple Phones | $49Basic: plan sized to cover your calls (hard cap) | $49Basic: plan sized to cover your calls (hard cap) | $49Basic: plan sized to cover your calls (hard cap) |
| 3 | Quo Sona (formerly OpenPhone) | $29Starter, 1 user: 10 calls over the plan; $19/mo required Starter seat, includes 10 Sona calls | $44Starter, 1 user: 25 calls over the plan; $19/mo required Starter seat, includes 10 Sona calls | $51.50Starter + Sona Tier 2: 10 calls over the plan; $19/mo required Starter seat + $25/mo Sona Tier 2 credits |
| 4 | Upfirst | $24.95Starter: within the plan | $32.45Starter: 5 calls over the plan | $54.95Starter: 20 calls over the plan |
| 5 | RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) | $49Standalone: within the plan | $51.50Standalone: 5 minutes over the plan | $74Standalone: 50 minutes over the plan |
| 6 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $0Free: within the plan | $30Free: 10 calls over the plan | $75Free: 25 calls over the plan |
| 7 | Dialzara | $32Business Lite: within the plan; includes $3/mo required phone number | $53.60Business Lite: 45 minutes over the plan; includes $3/mo required phone number | $75.20Business Lite: 90 minutes over the plan; includes $3/mo required phone number |
| 8 | Goodcall | $79Starter: within the plan | $79Starter: within the plan | $79Starter: within the plan |
| 9 | Jobber Receptionist | $78Core + Receptionist add-on: within the plan; $49/mo required Jobber Core plan + $29/mo Receptionist add-on | $81.95Core + Receptionist add-on: 5 conversations over the plan; $49/mo required Jobber Core plan + $29/mo Receptionist add-on | $93.80Core + Receptionist add-on: 20 conversations over the plan; $49/mo required Jobber Core plan + $29/mo Receptionist add-on |
| 10 | My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) | $99Business-in-a-Box: within included minutes + credit pool | $99Business-in-a-Box: within included minutes + credit pool | $99Business-in-a-Box: within included minutes + credit pool |
| 11 | OnCrew | $49Starter: within the plan | $93.55Starter: 45 minutes over the plan | $138.10Starter: 90 minutes over the plan |
| 12 | NextPhone | $199Pro: flat price, unlimited calls | $199Pro: flat price, unlimited calls | $199Pro: flat price, unlimited calls |
| 13 | Abby Connect (human + AI) | $164Starter: within the plan; all-AI answering (counts half) | $172.20Starter: 3 minutes over the plan; all-AI answering (counts half) | $246Starter: 25 minutes over the plan; all-AI answering (counts half) |
| 14 | Sameday AI | from $449Launch: "starts at" price; overage not published | from $449Launch: "starts at" price; overage not published | from $449Launch: "starts at" price; overage not published |
| 15 | Ruby (live receptionists + AI) | $395100 minutes: plan sized to cover your minutes; overage not published | $720200 minutes: plan sized to cover your minutes; overage not published | $720200 minutes: plan sized to cover your minutes; overage not published |
Price known, usage limits not published
- Allo AI Receptionist: $60 (Solo seat + AI Receptionist add-on: usage limits not published; $15/mo required Solo seat + $45/mo AI Receptionist add-on)
- CallRail Voice Assist: $75 (Voice Assist: usage limits not published; standalone, no CallRail plan required)
No public price for this usage
- Avoca AI: n/a (price not published)
- Housecall Pro CSR AI: n/a (CSR AI price not published; needs a Housecall Pro plan from $79/mo)
We list these separately instead of guessing what they would charge.
Free plans usually cover a set number of calls and charge per call after that, so check the table at your own volume. If you go over your plan's calls, Simple Phones releases your phone numbers Verified, so pick a plan above your busiest month.
These bills come from the same calculation as the calculator, using each vendor's published plans as of 2026-10-30. Each bill includes any plan, seat or phone number the vendor requires before you can add call answering. Taxes, one-time fees and optional extras aren't included. For Goodcall we assume 1.5 calls per unique customer, Goodcall's own ratio. Vendors are sorted by estimated bill alone.
Other comparisons: free trials and free plans, after-hours-only answering.