AI receptionist cost by trade
Prices checked weekly; last checked Nov 2, 2026.
The price lists we track are the same for every trade. What changes is your calls. At our example numbers, the lowest estimated bill runs from $49 a month (junk removal and hauling) to $118 (HVAC). Long calls, storm or heat-wave spikes and night calls push the bill up. Pick your trade for the full bill across 19 vendors.
What an AI receptionist costs in your trade
Each row uses that trade page's example numbers Unverified. They are examples, not survey data from your business.
| Trade | Example calls a month | Average call | After hours | Lowest estimated bill | Middle bill | Every vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | 200 | 3 min | 40% | $105.33 | $212.30 | See every vendor for plumbing |
| HVAC | 250 | 3.5 min | 35% | $118 | $257.75 | See every vendor for HVAC |
| Electrical | 150 | 3 min | 25% | $79 | $196 | See every vendor for electrical |
| Roofing | 180 | 4 min | 20% | $94.80 | $219 | See every vendor for roofing |
| Garage door | 120 | 3 min | 35% | $79 | $151.90 | See every vendor for garage door |
| Pest control | 150 | 3 min | 15% | $79 | $196 | See every vendor for pest control |
| Water damage restoration | 90 | 5 min | 45% | $59.95 | $169.50 | See every vendor for water damage restoration |
| Lawn care and landscaping | 170 | 3 min | 20% | $89.53 | $199 | See every vendor for lawn care and landscaping |
| Handyman | 125 | 3 min | 20% | $79 | $159.25 | See every vendor for handyman |
| Painting and drywall repair | 100 | 3 min | 15% | $68 | $135.65 | See every vendor for painting and drywall repair |
| Junk removal and hauling | 55 | 3 min | 15% | $49 | $93.50 | See every vendor for junk removal and hauling |
Lowest estimated bill is the lowest full monthly bill among the vendors with a published price at those numbers. Middle bill is the median of those bills; between 13 and 14 of the 19 vendors we track publish a price at each trade's numbers. Each bill includes any plan, seat or phone number the vendor requires. Taxes, one-time fees and optional extras are not included. Prices as published on each vendor's own page, checked 2026-11-02.
Only after-hours calls
The same example numbers, with the AI answering only the calls that come in after hours.
| Trade | After-hours calls a month | Lowest estimated bill | Middle bill | Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | about 80 | $49 | $105 | Check plumbing after hours |
| HVAC | about 88 | $59.95 | $133.19 | Check HVAC after hours |
| Electrical | about 38 | $36.20 | $81.46 | Check electrical after hours |
| Roofing | about 36 | $33 | $80.87 | Check roofing after hours |
| Garage door | about 42 | $42.95 | $83.24 | Check garage door after hours |
| Pest control | about 22 | $0 (a free plan) | $78.50 | Check pest control after hours |
| Water damage restoration | about 40 | $40.70 | $91.65 | Check water damage restoration after hours |
| Lawn care and landscaping | about 34 | $27 | $80.08 | Check lawn care and landscaping after hours |
| Handyman | about 25 | $0 (a free plan) | $78.50 | Check handyman after hours |
| Painting and drywall repair | about 15 | $0 (a free plan) | $78.50 | Check painting and drywall repair after hours |
| Junk removal and hauling | about 8 | $0 (a free plan) | $78.50 | Check junk removal and hauling after hours |
Why the same price list gives different bills by trade
Call length
On a per-minute plan, long calls cost more. In our examples, roofing calls run 4 minutes and water damage restoration calls run 5 minutes, against 3 minutes for most trades.
After-hours share
Water damage restoration (45%) and Plumbing (40%) have the highest share of night and weekend calls in our examples. If you only want those calls covered, see what after-hours answering costs.
Seasonal spikes
HVAC gets heat and cold waves, roofing gets storms, and lawn care and landscaping gets spring. A plan that fits a quiet month can run over in a busy one. See what 25% more calls does to each bill.
Many short calls
Handyman, garage door and junk removal work is many small jobs. Per-call and per-customer billing matter more there than per-minute billing.
In each trade's own words
- Plumbing: Burst pipes and backed-up drains don't wait for business hours, so plumbers tend to see more night and weekend calls than most trades.
- HVAC: No-heat and no-cool calls pile up on the hottest and coldest days. That seasonal spike decides which pricing model hurts you.
- Electrical: Most electrical calls are estimates and scheduling during the day. Emergencies after hours are rarer but urgent.
- Roofing: Roofing calls come in waves after a storm, and inspection calls run long. A flat-rate plan can beat a per-minute plan in a storm month.
- Garage door: A broken spring or a door stuck shut with the car inside is urgent for the caller, who will often just try the next company. Most jobs are a single short visit, so calls are short but each one can be a booked job.
- Pest control: Calls mix new customers asking for a quote with existing customers moving a recurring visit, while your technicians are out on routes. A new customer on a recurring plan can mean a year of visits, so one answered call can be worth more than one job.
- Water damage restoration: A burst pipe or a flooded basement can't wait until morning: the EPA says water-damaged areas should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Calls come at any hour and can run long, with questions about insurance, and the jobs are large compared with a typical service call. Source: EPA: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home
- Lawn care and landscaping: Lawn care and landscaping calls follow the seasons: spring cleanup and design season is the busiest stretch, summer is maintenance and irrigation, fall is cleanup again, and winter is off-season for most crews. A plan that fits a quiet month can run over in April. Source: SubCall: Contractor Call Volume Benchmarks by Trade (seasonal patterns)
- Handyman: Handyman work is many small jobs: a door that sticks, a leaking faucet, a list of fixes before a move. Most calls are quote requests and scheduling, and each one can be a separate small job, so call count matters more than call length.
- Painting and drywall repair: Painting and drywall repair are project work. Most calls are estimate requests and scheduling during the day, with few emergencies, so a smaller share of calls comes after hours than in trades like plumbing. Source: SubCall: Contractor Call Volume Benchmarks by Trade (after-hours share)
- Junk removal and hauling: Junk removal callers often want the job done soon. In one published study of a junk removal company's calls, 28% of callers asked for same-day or next-day service, and many calls ended with a request to text photos for a price. Source: Adimize: Junk Removal Call Study, published October 16, 2026
How vendors bill: minutes, calls, conversations or customers
| Billing unit | Vendors we track | What raises the bill | Matters most for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per minute | 7 of 19 | Long calls | Roofing, water damage restoration |
| Per call | 4 of 19 | Many short calls | Handyman, garage door, junk removal |
| Per conversation | 1 of 19 | Many short calls | Handyman, garage door, junk removal |
| Per unique caller | 1 of 19 | Many new callers | Trades where most callers are new customers |
| Flat monthly price | 3 of 19 | Nothing within the plan's limits | Trades with big seasonal spikes, like HVAC and roofing |
Counts come from each vendor's billing unit as its pricing page describes it. The rest of the 19 publish no usage price. "Matters most for" is our reading of the example numbers above Unverified.
Only nights and weekends?
If you forward only night and weekend calls to the AI, it bills fewer calls. The after-hours table above uses each trade's example share. After-hours answering cost, vendor by vendor.
Already on field-service software?
Jobber, Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan each sell a built-in option. See Jobber Receptionist, Housecall Pro CSR AI and ServiceTitan AI Voice Agent for what they cost and what they require.
Is it worth it for a contractor?
It depends on how many missed calls turn into jobs. The break-even math shows how many jobs a month cover the bill.
Common questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a contractor?
At our example numbers for 11 trades, the lowest estimated bill runs from $49 to $118 a month Unverified. Your own call count and call length decide your bill. Try your numbers in the calculator.
Do AI receptionists charge different prices by trade?
None of the published price lists we track sets a different price by trade. Bills differ because trades get different numbers of calls, call lengths and after-hours shares.
Which trades pay more?
Trades with more calls, long calls or big seasonal spikes. Per-minute plans cost more for long calls, like roofing and water damage restoration. Seasonal trades can run over a plan in a busy month.
What's the best AI receptionist for trades?
It depends on your call volume and how the vendor bills. Use your trade's page to see the bill for every vendor at your numbers.
Can an AI receptionist answer only after hours?
Yes, if you forward only night and weekend calls to it. See the after-hours cost page for the bill with only those calls.
Does it work with Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan?
Each has its own built-in option. See their pages for what they cost and what they require.
Where the example numbers come from
These are example numbers, not survey data. Each trade page says where its numbers come from. Third-party sources are Reported: we quote them as those pages do and have not re-checked them.
Lawn care and landscaping
- Calls a month: 170, the middle of the 90 to 250 a month that SubCall's contractor call volume benchmarks list for landscaping teams of 2 to 5 people Reported.
- After hours: 20%, the middle of the 15 to 25% SubCall lists for landscaping Reported.
- Call length: 3 minutes, rounded from the 2.9-minute average for home services calls in CallRail's study of 100 million calls (August 2020) Reported.
- SubCall sells an AI receptionist and says its ranges are aggregated from public marketing benchmarks and trade association reporting, not measured averages.
Handyman
- Calls a month: 125, the middle of the 70 to 180 a month that SubCall's contractor call volume benchmarks list for handyman teams of 2 to 5 people Reported.
- After hours: 20%. SubCall gives no after-hours figure for handyman work; we used the middle of its 15 to 25% for general contracting, the closest trade it lists Unverified.
- Call length: 3 minutes, rounded from the 2.9-minute average for home services calls in CallRail's study of 100 million calls (August 2020) Reported.
- SubCall sells an AI receptionist and says its ranges are aggregated from public marketing benchmarks and trade association reporting, not measured averages.
Painting and drywall repair
- Calls a month: 100, between the middle of the 60 to 160 a month that SubCall's contractor call volume benchmarks list for painting teams of 2 to 5 people and the middle of its 50 to 130 for drywall Reported.
- After hours: 15%, the middle of the 10 to 20% SubCall lists for both painting and drywall Reported.
- Call length: 3 minutes, rounded from the 2.9-minute average for home services calls in CallRail's study of 100 million calls (August 2020) Reported.
- SubCall sells an AI receptionist and says its ranges are aggregated from public marketing benchmarks and trade association reporting, not measured averages.
Junk removal and hauling
- Calls a month: 55. Adimize's study of one owner-operated junk removal company in Southern California counted 327 calls from its Google Ads over about six months, late March to the end of September 2026 Reported. That is one company, one market and ad calls only, so treat it as a floor, not an industry average.
- After hours: 15%. In the same study, 9% of job inquiries came on a Saturday or Sunday and 21 of 269 came after 5 pm; we rounded the combined share down for overlap Unverified.
- Call length: 3 minutes, rounded from the 2.9-minute average for home services calls in CallRail's study of 100 million calls (August 2020) Reported.
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