How much does an answering service cost? 2026 pricing for 11 services

An answering service is a company that answers your business calls for you, either with live receptionists or with AI. Live answering services cost $25 to $350 a month for an entry plan. For 50 minutes of calls, expect $79 to $250 a month. AI answering plans start lower, from free for 25 calls at Smith.ai to $69 a month at Moneypenny.

Below are real prices for 11 services, plan by plan. Most come from each provider's official pricing page, checked in September 2026. Where a provider doesn't publish a number, we list the price our team was quoted when we contacted them.

Answering service pricing compared (2026)

This table compares each service's entry plans. Several live answering services now sell AI plans too, so we list both where they exist. Most services lower their per-minute or per-call rate on bigger plans, so your cost per call drops as volume grows. Click a service to see all of its plans.

How answering service pricing works

Every answering service bills in one of three ways, and add-ons stack on top. The billing model often matters more than the headline price.

Per-minute pricing

You pay for the time a receptionist spends on your calls. Most plans include a bundle of minutes, then charge $1.19 to $4.70 for each extra minute.

Rounding decides the real bill. Across 626,000 calls answered by Upfirst, the median call lasted 63 seconds, according to our virtual receptionist pricing analysis. AnswerConnect rounds every call up to the next full minute, so a 63-second call bills as two minutes. AnswerHero rounds to the quarter minute, and ReceptionHQ bills by the second on its per-minute plans.

Per-call pricing

You pay a flat fee for each answered call, however long it runs. Smith.ai, ReceptionHQ's message plans, and Upfirst bill this way. Per-call pricing is easier to budget, and it usually costs less when callers talk for a while.

Monthly plans

Most services sell tiers: a set number of minutes or calls for a monthly fee, with a lower overage rate as you move up. You risk paying for unused minutes in a slow month, or overage in a busy one.

Add-ons and fees that could raise your bill

• Appointment booking. Smith.ai charges $1.50 for each call where it books an appointment. ReceptionHQ's scheduling plan costs $49 a month plus $2.20 a minute, with a setup fee from $99.
• Call transfers. ReceptionHQ charges $0.30 per transferred call on ReceptionistPlus. AnswerHero charges $0.06 a minute to patch a call through.
• Bilingual answering. Smith.ai charges $1.00 per call for a dedicated Spanish line. Posh, PATLive, MAP, and AnswerHero include Spanish.
• After-hours and holidays. ReceptionHQ adds $0.20 to $0.30 per call outside weekday business hours and on federal holidays. PATLive, Posh, and AnswerHero don't charge extra for nights or weekends.
• Setup fees. AnswerConnect charges $49.99 on most plans. ReceptionHQ charges $50 to $99 on its assistant and scheduling plans.

Some services include everything. Posh says it has no other fees, and Moneypenny promises no feature upsells. For a full list of add-on fees and what 100 calls a month costs at each service, see our guide to virtual receptionist pricing.

How much should I pay someone to answer my phone?

You have three options: hire a receptionist, use a live answering service, or use an AI answering service. Here's what each costs for a business that gets about 150 calls a month.

The in-house figure uses the median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The live range assumes 150 calls at about two billed minutes each, or 300 minutes a month. That's $346.50 at AnswerHero (250 minutes plus overage), $479 at PATLive, and $1,190 at Ruby (200 minutes plus overage). The AI range runs from Upfirst ($59.95 for 90 calls plus 60 calls at $1.00) to Moneypenny's AI plan ($199 for 100 calls plus 50 calls at $2.19).

To estimate your own number:

1. Track how many calls you get in a month.
2. Estimate billed minutes per call. Most calls last one to two minutes, and rounding pushes that up.
3. Multiply calls by billed minutes, then price that against each plan's tiers.
4. Add any add-ons you need, like booking or after-hours coverage.

AFL-CIO Community Services in St. Joseph, Missouri, went through this math. The next human option came in at $400 a month, so they chose Upfirst instead. Read how AFL-CIO Community Services answers every call for help.

Answering service pricing by provider

Upfirst pricing and features

Entry plan: $24.95/month for 30 calls. Free trial: 14 days, no credit card.

Upfirst is an AI answering service for small businesses. It answers calls 24/7, takes messages, books appointments, transfers calls, and texts callers, in 35+ languages. Every plan includes every feature, and spam calls aren't billed. It answers with AI on every call; if you want a live person on every call, the services below do that.

Plans:

• Starter: $24.95/month for 30 calls, then $1.50 per call
• Premium: $59.95/month for 90 calls, then $1.00 per call
• Pro: $159.95/month for 300 calls, then $0.75 per call
• Scale: $299/month for 600 calls, then $0.70 per call
• Annual billing saves 20%. See Upfirst pricing.

ReceptionHQ pricing and features

Entry plan: $25/month plus $1.99 per call. Free trial: 7 days.

ReceptionHQ has answered calls since 2003 and offers 24/7 live answering with no lock-in contracts. It sells separate plans for message taking, transfers, lead capture, and scheduling, so you pay only for what you use. Reviewers praise the receptionists but report slow responses from its own support team on billing questions.

Plans:

• MessageExpress (message taking): $25/month plus $1.99 per call, or $170/month for 100 calls
• ReceptionistPlus (messages and transfers): $35/month plus $2.99 per call, plus $0.30 per transfer
• MyAssistant and MyDiary (lead capture and scheduling): $49/month plus $2.20 per minute, billed by the second, setup from $50 to $99
• After-hours surcharge: $0.20 to $0.30 per call outside Monday to Friday, 5am to 7pm Phoenix time
• AI receptionist: offered, with pricing available on request

AnswerHero pricing and features

Entry plan: $39/month for 10 minutes. Free trial: 7 days.

AnswerHero offers 24/7 bilingual answering on every plan, with no setup or holiday fees. It rounds calls to the quarter minute, so short calls cost less than at full-minute services. Customers praise its support team, and some reviews mention dropped calls and missed instructions.

Plans:

• $39/month for 10 minutes ($1.99 per extra minute)
• $79/month for 50 minutes ($1.89)
• $149/month for 100 minutes ($1.59)
• $279/month for 250 minutes ($1.35)
• $499/month for 500 minutes ($1.25)
• $949/month for 1,000 minutes ($1.19)
• Call transfers: $0.06 per minute
• AI receptionist (AI only): $19/month plus $0.79 per minute
• Hybrid (human plus AI): from $510/month for 500 minutes, with AI minutes at $0.79

MAP Communications pricing and features

Entry plan: $49/month plus $1.37 per minute. Free trial: 7 days, no credit card.

MAP Communications is employee-owned and US-based, with English and Spanish answering and no long-term contract. Customers describe a helpful onboarding consultation. Some reviews mention holiday charges they didn't expect, so ask about those before you sign.

Plans:

• Pay as you go: $49/month, then $1.37 per minute
• Business: $179/month for 125 minutes ($1.30 per extra minute)
• Enterprise: $339/month for 250 minutes ($1.28)
• Premium: $649/month for 500 minutes ($1.28)

PATLive pricing and features

Entry plan: $49/month plus $2.99 per minute. Free trial: 14 days.

PATLive includes bilingual English and Spanish answering, scheduling, call recording, and integrations on every plan, with no night or weekend surcharge. Taxes and fees are added on top of the listed price.

Plans:

• Pay as you go: $49/month, then $2.99 per minute
• $99/month for 50 minutes ($2.29 per extra minute)
• $189/month for 100 minutes ($2.09)
• $349/month for 200 minutes ($1.99)
• $479/month for 300 minutes ($1.89)
• $759/month for 500 minutes ($1.79)
• $1,499/month for 1,000 minutes ($1.69)

Posh pricing and features

Entry plan: $65/month plus $2.30 per minute. Free trial: 7 days or 250 minutes, no credit card.

Posh is employee-owned and US-based, with bilingual receptionists, scheduling, and outbound calling included. Its app lets you turn call handling on and off. Posh bills for receptionist time, including time spent on tasks after the call. Some reviewers report receptionists going off script and bills higher than they expected.

Plans:

• $65/month, then $2.30 per minute
• $130/month for 50 minutes ($2.20 per extra minute)
• $215/month for 100 minutes ($2.15)
• $420/month for 200 minutes ($2.10)
• $700/month for 350 minutes ($2.00)
• $975/month for 500 minutes ($1.95)
• $1,900/month for 1,000 minutes ($1.90)
• AI + live plans: same monthly prices from $130 for 50 minutes, with AI minutes billed at about half the live rate ($1.10 overage on the entry plan)

Moneypenny (VoiceNation) pricing and features

Entry plan: $165/month for 50 minutes. Contract: none, with 30 days' notice to cancel.

VoiceNation was acquired by Moneypenny, and its pricing page now points to Moneypenny's plans. Moneypenny sells both live receptionists and an AI receptionist that can transfer calls to a person. Every plan includes transfers, bilingual answering, CRM integrations, and 24/7 coverage, with no feature tiers. Past VoiceNation customers gave the receptionists solid marks and had mixed views on billing.

Plans (live receptionists):

• $165/month for 50 minutes ($2.28 per extra minute)
• $265/month for 100 minutes ($2.12)
• $422/month for 200 minutes ($1.91)
• $985/month for 500 minutes ($1.67)

Plans (AI receptionist):

• $69/month for 25 calls ($2.49 per extra call)
• $99/month for 50 calls ($2.39)
• $199/month for 100 calls ($2.19)
• $435/month for 250 calls ($1.89)

Abby Connect pricing and features

Entry plan: $165/month for 50 minutes. Free trial: on every plan, with no setup fee.

Abby Connect has offered live receptionists for 20 years and now sells human, AI, and human-plus-AI answering on the same plans, with 24/7 coverage. Usage is counted in Abby Minutes: a minute answered by a person uses one Abby Minute, and a minute answered by AI uses half of one. You can change the mix at any time.

Plans:

• $165/month for 50 Abby Minutes
• $329/month for 100 Abby Minutes
• $599/month for 200 Abby Minutes
• $1,380/month for 500 Abby Minutes
• Overage is billed at your plan's per-minute rate ($3.30 on the 50-minute plan)

Ruby Receptionists pricing and features

Entry plan: $250/month for 50 minutes. Guarantee: 21 days or 500 minutes, for first-time customers.

Ruby offers US-based live receptionists 24/7, plus live chat. Scheduling, Spanish, and payment collection are included, though bilingual service runs only on weekdays, 5am to 6pm Pacific. Ruby doesn't publish its overage rate; we were quoted $4.70 a minute. Its pages describe rounding in 30-second or 60-second increments, so ask which applies to you.

Plans:

• $250/month for 50 minutes
• $395/month for 100 minutes
• $720/month for 200 minutes
• $1,725/month for 500 minutes

Smith.ai pricing and features

Entry plan: $300/month for 30 calls. Guarantee: 30-day money-back guarantee, up to $1,000.

Smith.ai's live receptionists handle lead qualification, intake, and payments, and they're popular with law firms. It bills per call, doesn't count spam, and includes five intake questions. Many tasks cost extra per call, so the total depends on what you turn on. Smith.ai also sells separate AI receptionist plans.

Plans (live receptionists):

• Starter: $300/month for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra call)
• Basic: $810/month for 90 calls ($10.50)
• Pro: $2,100/month for 300 calls ($8.50)
• Per-call add-ons: $1.50 to book an appointment, $1.00 for payments, $1.00 for a dedicated Spanish line, $1.50 for six extra intake questions

Plans (AI receptionist):

• Free: 25 calls a month, then $3.00 per call
• Pro: from $150/month for 75 calls ($2.50 per extra call)
• Enterprise: from $500/month for 300 calls

AnswerConnect pricing and features

Entry plan: $350/month for 200 minutes, plus $49.99 setup. Free trial: 14 days or 150 minutes.

AnswerConnect is a live-only service with 24/7 answering, scheduling, CRM integrations, and call recordings on every plan, with no contract. It rounds each interaction up to the next full minute, but the first 30 interactions under 30 seconds each month are free.

Plans (US):

• Entry: $350/month for 200 minutes, plus $49.99 setup ($2.50 per extra minute)
• Growth: $395/month for 300 minutes, no setup fee ($1.85)
• Standard: $575/month for 400 minutes, plus setup ($1.85)
• Larger plans run from $795 for 550 minutes to $3,375 for 2,500 minutes

How to lower your answering service bill

• Match the billing model to your calls. Short, simple calls favor per-minute plans with fine rounding. Longer or unpredictable calls favor per-call plans.
• Ask how spam and wrong numbers are billed. Upfirst and Smith.ai don't charge for spam. ReceptionHQ doesn't charge for calls under 5 seconds or telemarketing calls.
• Ask for the setup fee to be waived, especially if you're committing to a larger plan.
• Keep your script short. Every extra question adds talk time on a per-minute plan.
• Test before you commit. Most services here offer a trial or money-back guarantee. Call your own number and read the message you get back.

FAQs about answering service costs

How much does an answering service cost per month?

Live answering services cost $25 to $350 a month for an entry plan. Fifty minutes of calls costs $79 to $250 a month, and 200 minutes costs $279 to $720. AI answering plans start lower, from free for 25 calls at Smith.ai.

How much does a traditional answering service cost per month?

Traditional answering services with live receptionists cost $25 to $350 a month to start. For 50 minutes of calls, expect $79 to $250 a month, and for 200 minutes, $279 to $720. Extra minutes cost $1.19 to $4.70 each, depending on the provider and plan.

Is per-call or per-minute pricing cheaper?

Per-minute is cheaper when calls are short and the service rounds finely, like AnswerHero's quarter-minute rounding. Per-call is cheaper when callers talk longer or your call length varies.

What is the cheapest answering service?

For live answering, ReceptionHQ starts at $25 a month plus $1.99 per call, for message taking only. AnswerHero's AI plan starts at $19 a month plus $0.79 per minute. For AI, see our comparison of the cheapest AI answering service options.

Do answering services charge extra for after-hours calls?

Some do. ReceptionHQ adds $0.20 to $0.30 per call outside weekday business hours. PATLive, Posh, and AnswerHero include nights and weekends. AI answering services answer 24/7 at the same rate.

Are AI answering services cheaper than live ones?

Usually. AI plans start from free (Smith.ai, 25 calls) to $69 a month (Moneypenny, 25 calls), and many include booking and transfers. Live plans start higher and often charge per use for those features. Several live services, including Moneypenny, AnswerHero, Posh, and Smith.ai, now sell AI plans alongside their receptionists. For a side-by-side look at AI options, see the best AI answering services. Upfirst has a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.