Back Office BeatSubscribe

Published by J9 Systems. What's new in business tech, and what it means for yours.

Explainer · AI

AI receptionists cost $29 to $500 a month. A human answering service starts at $250 for 50 minutes. When each one wins

AI phone answering is now an add-on in Jobber and a standalone product from Smith.ai and Goodcall. Here are the published prices, the receptionist wage they compete with, and where a person still wins.

By Ben · · 6 min read

The short version

What happened

As of October 2026, Jobber lists an AI Receptionist add-on at $29 a month, Smith.ai lists AI Receptionist plans from free (25 calls) to $150 and $500 a month, and Goodcall lists $79 to $249 per agent per month. Human answering from Ruby lists at $250 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,725 for 500 minutes.

What it means for a 10-to-50-person business

An AI receptionist answers your phone with a synthetic voice, asks your intake questions, books into your calendar or takes a message, and texts you a summary. It does not get tired, and it answers ten calls at once. It also cannot calm an angry customer the way a person can. Take a 6-attorney family law firm in Salt Lake City with 400 inbound calls a month averaging 3 minutes. Ruby's human service would need 1,200 minutes, above its 500-minute $1,725 plan. A full-time receptionist at the national median wage costs about $38,010 a year before taxes and benefits. An AI service at roughly $2 a call is about $800 a month. The sensible setup for most firms is AI for after-hours and overflow, with a person on the main line during business hours.

What to do
Ask your vendor

Before signing, ask the vendor for a two-week trial on your overflow line and a written answer on what counts as a billable call.

What it costs
What it costs
Jobber Receptionist add-on (Jobber customers only)
$29/mo
Smith.ai AI Receptionist Pro, 75 calls
$150/mo
Ruby human answering, 200 minutes
$720/mo
Full-time receptionist at the 2025 BLS median, before taxes and benefits
$38,010/yr
Writing call scripts and testing, owner time
4-6 h
Doing nothing
every unanswered call after 5 pm goes to voicemail, and most callers do not leave one
Sources
smith.ai (primary) · Jobber pricing and add-ons · Ruby pricing · Goodcall pricing · BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists · AI phone answering for trades: the missed-call math

The short version

  • Published AI receptionist prices run from $29 a month (Jobber's add-on) to $150-$500 a month (Smith.ai) and $79-$249 per agent (Goodcall).
  • A human answering service like Ruby lists $250 for 50 minutes up to $1,725 for 500 minutes. A full-time receptionist earns a median $38,010 a year before taxes and benefits.
  • AI wins on after-hours and overflow. A person still wins on angry, sensitive or complicated calls. Most firms should run both.

1. What it is

An AI receptionist is a phone service with a synthetic voice. It answers, asks your intake questions, books into your calendar or takes a message, and sends you a transcript. The better ones transfer the call to a person when a keyword or situation calls for it.

It comes in three shapes:

  • Built into your field-service software. Jobber sells a Receptionist add-on. Housecall Pro sells CSR AI. These know your calendar and customer list already.
  • Standalone AI services. Smith.ai, Goodcall and many others. They connect to your calendar and CRM.
  • Hybrid services. Human answering firms that add AI for overflow or after-hours.

2. Published prices, as of October 2026

Service Type Published price Billing unit
Jobber Receptionist AI add-on $29/mo Add-on to a Jobber plan
Housecall Pro CSR AI AI add-on Not published Ask sales
Smith.ai AI Receptionist AI Free (25 calls), Pro from $150/mo (75 calls), Enterprise from $500/mo Per call; Pro overage about $2.50/call
Goodcall AI $79, $129, $249 per agent/mo Unique callers; $0.50 per extra caller
Ruby Human $250 (50 min), $395 (100), $720 (200), $1,725 (500) Minutes

Two cautions. First, "what counts as a call" varies. Smith.ai says every answered call counts by default, with known spam filtered and an allowance to remove up to 10% as spam. Goodcall counts unique customers. Ruby counts minutes. Second, add-on prices like Jobber's sit on top of your base plan.

3. The human benchmark

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the 2025 median pay for receptionists at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year. That is wages only. Add payroll taxes, paid time off, and someone to cover lunch and sick days.

A full-time person covers about 40 hours of a 168-hour week. Calls at 7 pm, on Saturday, or during lunch still go to voicemail.

4. A worked example: a 6-attorney family law firm

A family law firm in Salt Lake City has 6 attorneys and 4 staff. It gets about 400 inbound calls a month. Average call length is 3 minutes. About 90 of those calls come after 5 pm or on weekends.

All-human answering service. 400 calls × 3 minutes = 1,200 minutes. Ruby's largest published plan is 500 minutes for $1,725 a month. This firm would need a custom quote.

All-AI service. At roughly $2 a call (Smith.ai's Pro rate at the entry tier), 400 calls is about $800 a month. Cheaper, but family law callers are often upset. A synthetic voice asking for a case number at the wrong moment loses clients.

The hybrid. Keep the in-house receptionist on the main line from 8 to 5. Send the 90 after-hours calls and any overflow to AI for intake and a callback booking. That is about 90 to 120 calls a month, so the Pro tier or slightly above, around $150 to $250 a month. Every potential new client gets a live answer and a booked callback.

For a law firm, also check conflicts and confidentiality. The AI should collect the minimum: name, number, other party's name for a conflict check, and a callback time. It should not give legal advice.

5. Where AI beats a person

  • Calls outside business hours.
  • Five calls at once when a storm hits or a promotion lands.
  • Simple, repeat questions: hours, service area, "do you work on Saturdays."
  • Booking into open slots with clear rules.

6. Where a person still wins

  • Angry or grieving callers.
  • Emergencies that need judgment, like a gas smell or a client in danger. Set transfer rules and test them.
  • Complex intake where the next question depends on the last answer in ways you cannot script.
  • Your best repeat customers, who expect to hear a voice they know.

7. What to watch

Disclosure. Say it is an automated assistant in the greeting.

Outbound calls. In February 2024 the FCC ruled that AI-generated voices are "artificial" voices under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Outbound AI calls to consumers need prior express consent. Inbound answering is a different situation, but do not let a vendor talk you into AI follow-up calls without checking consent.

Vendor claims. In March 2026 the FTC settled with Air AI, a company that sold AI business opportunities to small business owners, over earnings and refund claims. The judgment was $18 million, mostly suspended. Ask any AI phone vendor for references from businesses your size, and get refund terms in writing.

Recording consent. Several states require every party's consent to record a call. Your greeting should cover it.

8. What to do

  1. Pull 30 days of call logs. Count calls by hour and how many went unanswered.
  2. Price two options using your real call count and length.
  3. Ask each vendor: what counts as a billable call, how spam is handled, how transfers work, and what the overage rate is.
  4. Run a two-week trial on after-hours and overflow only.
  5. Listen to 20 recordings before you expand it.

Sources and method

The verdict

Ask your vendor

Before signing, ask the vendor for a two-week trial on your overflow line and a written answer on what counts as a billable call.

Questions owners ask

How much does an AI receptionist cost?

As of October 2026, published prices run from $29 a month (Jobber's add-on, for Jobber users) to $79-$249 per agent per month (Goodcall) and $150-$500 a month (Smith.ai AI plans). Most charge by call, minute or unique caller once you pass the plan allowance.

Is an AI receptionist better than a human receptionist?

For after-hours, overflow and simple intake, often yes on cost and coverage. For upset customers, sensitive legal or medical intake, and calls that need judgment, a person still does better.

Can an AI receptionist book appointments?

Many can. Jobber says its Receptionist books jobs into your Jobber calendar and transfers urgent calls by keyword. Standalone products usually connect to common calendars and CRMs. Test it on your own booking rules first.

Do callers know they are talking to AI?

Often they can tell. Tell them anyway in the greeting. It costs nothing and avoids complaints. If you use AI voices for outbound calls, the FCC has said AI-generated voices count as artificial voices under the TCPA, which requires prior consent.

What is the cheapest answering service for a small business?

If you already run Jobber, its $29 add-on is the cheapest published option we found. Otherwise, free tiers like Smith.ai's 25-call plan let you test before you pay.

Three to five of these, every weekday morning.

Related