Top 7 Rosie AI receptionist alternatives in 2026

Rosie has built a following with home service businesses by offering unlimited minutes starting at $49/month. For plumbers and HVAC techs who field long calls, not worrying about per-minute charges is a genuine selling point. The background noise feature that makes your AI sound like it's in a real office is a nice touch, too.

That said, there are a few things worth knowing. Appointment scheduling links, call transfers, mid-call texting, and warm transfers all require the $149/month Scale plan — the $49 Professional plan covers call answering and message-taking. Rosie offers unlimited minutes on every plan, though their terms of service note a 1,000-call-per-month threshold, after which they may move you to Enterprise pricing. Depending on your call volume and what features you need, those details might push you to explore other options.

I've been testing AI answering services for a while now as part of building Upfirst, which is on this list — so take my perspective with that bias in mind. That said, I've tried to pick alternatives that genuinely solve the specific problems Rosie users run into. Here are 7 worth looking at.

The best Rosie alternatives

Why look for Rosie alternatives?

• Key features require the $149/mo Scale plan. Rosie's $49 Professional plan handles call answering and message-taking. Scheduling links, call transfers, mid-call texting, and warm transfers are available on the Scale plan at $149/month. Some competitors include transfers and texting on lower-priced plans.
• Unlimited minutes come with a call threshold. Rosie's terms of service note that exceeding 1,000 calls per month may require moving to Enterprise pricing. Most small businesses won't hit that, but higher-volume operations should factor it in.
• Integrations are calendar-focused. Rosie connects natively to Calendly, Acuity, Appointlet, and Google Calendar, with Zapier available for everything else. There are no direct CRM connections to HubSpot, Salesforce, or field service platforms like ServiceTitan and Jobber.
• Two languages, one voice. English and Spanish with a single voice option. If you serve multilingual communities or want to match the voice to your brand, the options are limited.

Best overall alternative to Rosie

Upfirst

Upfirst pros:

• Flat-rate pricing with calls, transfers, and SMS notifications included on every plan
• Setup takes about 10 minutes -- answer a few questions about your business and you're live
• Bilingual English/Spanish answering without extra configuration
• Instant text and email summaries after every call

Upfirst cons:

• Fewer integrations than platforms like My AI Front Desk or Smith.ai
• No voice cloning or background noise customization
• Less granular workflow customization for complex call routing

Upfirst pricing

• Starter: $24.95/mo (includes calls, SMS notifications, call transfers)
• Pro: $64.95/mo (more minutes, priority support)
• Business: Custom pricing for high volume

Free trial

14-day free trial, no credit card required. You can test with real calls before committing.

Standout feature

Everything is included on every plan. Upfirst includes call transfers, SMS notifications, and bilingual answering starting at $24.95 — there's no tier-gating on core features. If you're coming from a platform where transfers or texting required an upgrade, the flat structure is a relief.

Upfirst was designed for small businesses that want professional call handling without studying a features matrix. The AI answers calls, takes messages, responds to FAQs from your knowledge base, and texts you a summary. If a call is urgent, it transfers directly to you or your team.

In practice, the simplicity is the draw. You set it up, forward your calls, and it handles the rest. There's no plan comparison to figure out which features you get at which tier.

The tradeoff is depth. Rosie gives you background noise options and more voice customization. If you need complex multi-step workflows or want your AI to sound like it's in a busy office, Rosie offers that. But if you want after-hours coverage and basic call handling that just works, Upfirst gets you there faster and cheaper.

Best human + AI alternative to Rosie

Smith.ai

Smith.ai pros:

• Real human receptionists step in when the AI can't handle a call
• Extensive integrations: Clio, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, Salesforce, HubSpot, and more
• Human verification of AI-captured data like email spellings and names
• Can bypass AI entirely for specific phone numbers so VIP callers reach you directly

Smith.ai cons:

• Expensive: $95/mo for just 50 calls, with $2.40/call overage
• No free trial -- only a 3-day money-back guarantee
• Can't send texts during calls

Smith.ai pricing

• Starter: $95/mo (50 calls, $2.40/call overage)
• Basic: $270/mo (150 calls, $2.30/call overage)
• Pro: $800/mo (500 calls, $2.10/call overage)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Free trial

No free trial. Smith.ai offers a 3-day money-back guarantee instead.

Standout feature

The human backup is what sets Smith.ai apart from every other platform on this list. When a caller has a problem the AI can't resolve, a real person takes over. For businesses where a single missed nuance could cost a $5,000 job, that safety net matters.

Smith.ai started as a traditional human answering service and added AI later, which is both its strength and its weakness. The strength: they have actual trained receptionists who can handle calls AI stumbles on. They can even log into your CRM or scheduling platform manually to book appointments — something no pure-AI service can do.

The weakness: the interface reflects that legacy. Setup isn't as polished as newer AI-native platforms, and the per-call pricing adds up quickly. At 50 calls/month on the Starter plan, you're paying nearly $2 per call. A busy service business could blow through that in a week.

Where Smith.ai makes sense is for businesses where the stakes are high per call. Legal firms, medical practices, and plumbing companies bidding on big jobs benefit from knowing that when the AI hits its limits, a human catches what it misses. If your calls are mostly simple message-taking and FAQ answers, Smith.ai is likely overkill for what you need.

Best unlimited minutes alternative to Rosie

GoodCall

GoodCall pros:

• Unlimited minutes and calls on all plans with no per-call threshold
• Multiple team members can access the same account
• Texts you during test calls when the AI doesn't know an answer, helping you spot training gaps
• Clean interface that doesn't overwhelm with configuration options

GoodCall cons:

• $79/mo starting price -- more than Rosie unless you're using significant volume
• Limits unique callers per month (100 on Starter, 250 on Growth)
• English only -- no bilingual support at all

GoodCall pricing

• Starter: $79/mo (100 unique customers, 1 form, 1 logic flow, 3 directory contacts)
• Growth: $129/mo (250 unique customers, 3 forms, 3 logic flows, 60 contacts)
• Scale: $249/mo (500 unique customers, 25 forms, unlimited documents)

Free trial

Free trial available, credit card required.

Standout feature

The billing model is based on unique callers, not minutes. Instead of tracking how long each call runs, GoodCall caps how many different phone numbers call you per month. For businesses with repeat customers — regular maintenance contracts, loyal clients who call monthly — this model can work out significantly cheaper than minute-based alternatives.

GoodCall removes the per-minute math from the equation. When you're not tracking whether a 10-minute troubleshooting call just cost you $2.50, you let calls run their natural length instead of feeling pressure to keep them short.

The unique-caller model is the tradeoff to understand. If 100+ different people call your business monthly, the Starter plan won't work. But many home service businesses — especially those with maintenance agreements and repeat clients — might have 50-80 unique callers who ring multiple times. In that scenario, GoodCall's math is favorable compared to per-minute billing or plans with call thresholds.

Team access is another advantage. Rosie is oriented toward single users on lower plans. If you have a small office where multiple people need to review calls or update the knowledge base, GoodCall handles that without requiring a plan upgrade. The English-only limitation is the biggest gap — if you serve Spanish-speaking customers, this one's off the table.

Best free alternative to Rosie

Phonely

Phonely pros:

• Genuinely free plan: 100 minutes/month, no credit card needed to set up and test
• 100+ languages supported -- far beyond Rosie's English and Spanish
• Upload MP3 recordings of actual calls to train your agent on real conversations
• Detailed analytics including call sentiment, duration, and outcomes

Phonely cons:

• Can't type custom text into the knowledge base -- you must upload documents, URLs, or call recordings
• Workflow builder uses complex phone-tree logic that's not beginner-friendly
• $0.35/minute overage on Starter and Professional plans

Phonely pricing

• Free: 100 minutes/month, basic call handling
• Starter: $50/mo (200 minutes, $0.35/min overage)
• Professional: $150/mo (600 minutes, $0.35/min overage)
• Business: $500/mo (2,000 minutes, HIPAA compliance, $0.25/min overage)

Free trial

The free plan is the trial — 100 minutes monthly with no credit card to test. You'll need a credit card only when you're ready to go live with a real number.

Standout feature

Training your AI by uploading recordings of real phone calls is genuinely unique. Instead of writing scripts and hoping the AI interprets them correctly, you give it examples of how conversations at your business actually go. The AI learns your team's tone, common questions, and how you handle specific situations.

Phonely gives you something Rosie doesn't: a way to test AI answering with zero financial commitment. The free 100 minutes let you route real calls through the system and see how it performs before spending anything.

Language support is the other big differentiator. Rosie covers English and Spanish, which works for a lot of businesses. Phonely supports over 100 languages. If you serve a diverse community where callers might speak Vietnamese, Mandarin, French, or Korean, that breadth matters.

The downside is accessibility. Phonely's workflow builder assumes you're comfortable with phone tree logic and conditional branching. It's powerful, but a dental office manager who just wants calls answered probably won't enjoy configuring it.

Still, for testing AI answering risk-free or for serving multilingual communities, Phonely is the clear pick on this list.

Best mobile-first alternative to Rosie

SkipCalls

SkipCalls pros:

• Native iOS and Android apps -- manage everything from your phone on a job site
• $19/month starting price, roughly 60% less than Rosie's base plan
• Integrates with Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, and Salesforce
• Weekly billing option ($3.99/week) for commitment-free testing

SkipCalls cons:

• No call transfers on any plan
• Web portal locked behind Starter plan -- weekly subscribers are mobile-only
• English and Spanish only, same as Rosie

SkipCalls pricing

• Weekly: $3.99/week (3-day free trial)
• Starter: $19/mo (60 minutes, 1 agent)
• Growth: $49/mo (180 minutes, 3 agents)
• Business: $99/mo (450 minutes, 10 agents)
• Enterprise: $249/mo (1,200 minutes, unlimited agents)

Free trial

3-day free trial on the weekly plan. Credit card required, but you can cancel before the first $3.99 charge.

Standout feature

The mobile apps aren't just a responsive website crammed into a phone screen. They're actual native apps built for tradespeople who spend their days in trucks and on job sites. You can review call summaries, tweak your AI's responses, and manage settings without touching a laptop.

SkipCalls goes after the same audience as Rosie — plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, contractors — but takes a different approach. Where Rosie is a web-first platform you manage from a desktop, SkipCalls assumes you're managing your business from your phone between jobs.

The pricing is competitive. At $19/month for 60 minutes, it's one of the most affordable options in this space. The Business plan at $99/month includes 450 minutes, and across all tiers you get field service integrations — Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan — that route call data into tools home service businesses already use.

The dealbreaker for some will be the lack of call transfers. SkipCalls takes messages and books appointments, but it can't patch a caller through to you live. If your workflow is "AI takes the message, I call back between jobs," that's fine. If you need urgent calls routed to you immediately, you'll need to look elsewhere on this list.

Best CRM integration alternative to Rosie

My AI Front Desk pros:

• Native integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio, and dental CRMs (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Opendental)
• Built-in lightweight CRM with kanban board for tracking follow-ups
• Voice cloning and 10+ high-fluency languages
• Records calls even after they're transferred -- useful for quality assurance

My AI Front Desk cons:

• $99/mo for only 200 minutes with 12 cents/credit overages
• Starter plan limited to 2 parallel calls and 2 "actions" (like texting or transferring)
• Setup is more involved than simpler alternatives

My AI Front Desk pricing

• Starter: $99/mo (200 minutes, 2 parallel calls, 2 actions)
• Growth: $149/mo (300 minutes, 4 parallel calls, 6 actions, booking workflows)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (unlimited parallel calls, unlimited actions)

Free trial

Free trial available, no credit card required.

Standout feature

The native CRM integrations set this apart. Where Rosie routes everything through Zapier, My AI Front Desk connects directly to HubSpot, Salesforce, and Attio. For dental practices, the Dentrix, Eaglesoft, and Opendental integrations mean patient data flows into your existing system without middleware.

My AI Front Desk is the alternative for businesses whose main frustration with Rosie is the integration gap. If your workflow depends on leads appearing in your CRM the moment a call ends, or on patient records updating in your dental software, this platform handles that natively.

The built-in kanban CRM is a nice bonus even if you already use HubSpot or Salesforce. It gives you a quick visual of which call follow-ups are pending, in progress, or complete — without switching to your main CRM for every task. And the post-transfer call recording is something few competitors offer. When you transfer a call to your cell, the recording keeps going, which is valuable for training and quality review.

The tradeoff is cost and complexity. At $99/month for 200 minutes, it's a higher entry point than several alternatives on this list, and the per-minute billing means you'll want to keep an eye on usage. The Starter plan's 2-action limit also means you may need to choose between texting a caller a link and transferring them to your team. If integration depth is your priority, the price premium makes sense. If you just need calls answered, simpler options on this list may be a better fit.

Best budget alternative to Rosie

Dialzara

Dialzara pros:

• $29/month entry point -- 41% less than Rosie's base plan
• Guided setup walks you through configuration step by step
• Chat widget lets you test your AI by typing questions before going live with real calls
• Pre-built Zapier workflow templates for common tasks like follow-up texts

Dialzara cons:

• Only 60 minutes on the Lite plan -- fine for low volume or after-hours only
• No native SMS: texting requires setting up a Zapier integration
• Call transfers locked behind the $99/mo Pro plan

Dialzara pricing

• Lite: $29/mo (60 minutes, 5 knowledge base uploads)
• Pro: $99/mo (220 minutes, call transfers, Zapier/Make integrations)
• Plus: $199/mo (500 minutes, 1:1 onboarding call)

Free trial

Free trial available, but credit card is required and it auto-converts to paid if you don't cancel. Set a calendar reminder.

Standout feature

The chat simulation widget lets you test your AI before a single real caller encounters it. You can type in edge-case questions, weird phrasing, and common objections to see how the agent responds — then adjust your knowledge base before going live. It's a small feature, but it prevents a lot of awkward first-week calls.

Dialzara hits a sweet spot for businesses that want to test whether AI answering works for them without committing $49+/month. At $29, the Lite plan is the cheapest paid option on this list.

The guided setup is worth noting. Where some platforms drop you into a blank dashboard and wish you luck, Dialzara walks you through each configuration step and pre-loads Zapier workflow templates for common tasks. Want to send a follow-up text after every call? There's a template with screenshots showing you exactly how to set it up.

The 60-minute limit on Lite is the main constraint. That's roughly 15-20 calls at 3-4 minutes each, which works for after-hours coverage or very low-volume businesses, but not for full-time answering. And call transfers require the $99 Pro plan, so the budget advantage narrows once you need that feature.

If you're a solo operator handling 5-10 calls a day and want basic AI answering to catch what you miss, Dialzara's Lite plan is hard to argue with at $29. If you need more than message-taking, the Pro plan's value depends on how it compares to what else you could get at $99.

Which Rosie alternative is right for you?

Want calls answered simply without studying plan tiers? Upfirst at $24.95/mo includes transfers and SMS on every plan, with a 10-minute setup.

Need a human for high-stakes calls? Smith.ai is the only option here with real human receptionists who take over when AI hits its limits. More expensive, but the safety net is real.

Done counting minutes entirely? GoodCall's unlimited model eliminates overage math. If you have repeat customers, their unique-caller billing often works out cheaper than it looks.

Want to try AI answering with zero risk? Phonely gives you 100 free minutes with no credit card. Also the only real option if you need more than English and Spanish.

Manage your business from your phone? SkipCalls was built for home service pros on job sites. Native apps, Jobber and Housecall Pro integrations, $19/mo starting price.

CRM is the center of your workflow? My AI Front Desk connects natively to HubSpot, Salesforce, and dental software. You'll pay more, but your leads land where they belong automatically.

Just testing the waters on a tight budget? Dialzara at $29/mo with a chat widget to preview your AI before going live. Low commitment, low risk.

Most of these offer free trials or free tiers. The best way to find your fit is to test two or three with actual calls from your business. What works for an HVAC company fielding emergency calls differs from what works for a dental office booking cleanings, and no comparison article can fully account for your specific call patterns.