Guide · Prices checked 2026-11-09
AI receptionist vs answering service vs hiring a receptionist
By Brandon Baney. Built from vendor pricing pages; no tool here has been call-tested yet. How we check prices.
The three options side by side
| AI receptionist | Live answering service | Hire a receptionist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $24.95–$449/mo (median $79, 9 published) | $49–$250/mo (median $65, 3 published); AI + live backup $0–$164/mo | About $3,167.50/mo in wages at the BLS median ($18.27/hr). Taxes and benefits extra. |
| How it bills | Minutes, calls, unique callers or flat monthly | Minute blocks, overage per minute | Hourly wage or salary |
| Published per-minute rate | $0.20–$0.85/min (overage or pay-as-you-go) | $2.30–$2.99/min (overage or pay-as-you-go) | $0.30/min of paid time at the median wage, busy or not |
| Hours covered | 5 of 10 standalone AI tools state 24/7 answering on their own pages; check the plan | 1 of 4 live services state 24/7 in our data; check hours and night rates on the plan | One full-time person covers 40 of 168 weekly hours (24%), before breaks and time off |
| Handles well | Volume spikes, after-hours, consistent scripts, instant summaries | Unusual calls, upset customers, judgment calls | Everything an office needs: phones, scheduling, billing, walk-ins |
| Watch out for | Accuracy on addresses and names; emergency rules; minute overage | Per-minute cost in busy months; script drift between agents | Sick days, turnover, training, one call at a time |
| Setup | Usually self-serve | Onboarding call and script | Hiring and training |
AI and answering-service prices: vendor pricing pages, checked 2026-11-02 to 2026-11-09. Wage: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (OEWS May 2025 data), checked 2026-11-02. Wages only. Payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, training, and cover for breaks and sick days are not included.
Which one fits your shop
The usual first step is an AI receptionist on missed and after-hours calls. It's the cheapest way to stop losing calls while you're on a job. Start with a free trial.
Keep the person for the day; cover overflow, lunch and after-hours with AI or a hybrid service. Emergencies should go to your on-call tech.
Price the busy month, not the quiet one. Compare overage on minute plans with per-call plans and with a second hire.
Before you decide
- Count last month's calls and missed calls from your phone provider's log.
- Work out what a missed call costs you with the missed-call cost calculator (your numbers, nothing pre-filled).
- Call two or three options yourself with real scenarios: an emergency, a price shopper, a booking. Our call scripts are free.
- Check the cancel terms before you forward your business line.
None of these tools has been call-tested by TradeTested yet. CallBench will publish recorded test calls; until then this guide compares published prices and terms only.
FAQ
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
On list price, yes: standalone AI entry plans run $24.95–$449/mo (median $79, 9 published), against a BLS median receptionist wage of $18.27/hour ($38,010/year, about $3,167.50/month in wages alone, May 2025 data). A person does far more than answer phones, so the comparison only holds for the phone part of the job.
What's the difference between an AI receptionist and an answering service?
An answering service puts trained people on your line; an AI receptionist is software. People handle unusual and upset callers better; software costs far less per minute and can answer many calls at once. Hybrid services do both.
Can I use both?
Yes. Some shops use AI after hours and a person during the day, or a hybrid service where AI answers and hands hard calls to a human.
Price changes and new tools, every week
One short email for home-service owners. We track vendor prices so you don't have to.
TradeTested is independent. We may earn a commission from some links, and sponsored placements are always labeled. How we make money · How we verify