7offeringsHuman
A person answers
Live receptionists take every call. Usually billed by the minute or by the call, with the widest range of tasks.
What this meansPrices read from provider pages · November 14, 2026
Compare virtual receptionist services by who answers and what you pay
15 offerings from 12 providers: human teams, AI agents and mixes of both. Every price stays beside the minutes, calls or plan it buys, with a link to the provider’s own page.
Paid entry plans
What the first paid plan costs, and what it buys
Monthly entry fees, low to high, excluding free plans and trials. The units differ: minutes, calls and unlimited AI calls buy different work. Order is not a ranking.
HumanAIMixed human and AI
- from $25/moMessageExpress plus $1.99 per answered call in the PAYG FAQ
- $29/moLite 60 talk minutes
- $29/moBasic up to 75 phone minutes
- $99/moAI 50 calls
- $99/mo50-minute plan $2.29/additional minute
- $129/moBusiness 50 50 live answer minutes
- $150/moPro 75 real calls
- $164/moStarter 50 Abby Minutes
- $165/moPeople 50 minutes
- $199/moPro unlimited inbound calls
- $250/mo50 receptionist minutes
- $300/moStarter 30 calls
Smith.ai HybridMixed
No fixed plan. Vendor example: $771/month at 300 calls, with about 30% escalated to live agents. Source for SMITH-HYBRIDEST
Plans (opens in a new tab)Start here
First decide who should answer
The same budget buys very different service depending on whether a person, an AI agent or both pick up.
5offeringsAI
Software answers
An AI voice agent answers, books and routes. Lower entry prices; check how it hands off to a person.
What this means3offeringsMixed
Both, by design
AI takes routine calls and people take the rest. The price depends on how many calls need a human.
What this meansRead the fine print
Four things that change the bill
The headline fee is only part of the total. These provider statements show where the rest comes from.
Rounding
A 20-second call can bill as a full minute.
LEX Reception: Minute-based plans; each call is rounded up to the next minute. Source for LEX-UNIT
Explain this termWhat time counts
Message entry and wrap-up may or may not be billed.
PATLive: Bills live on-call time, excluding after-call notes, message entry and wrap-up. Source for PAT-BILLING
Explain this termAdd-ons
Booking and integrations can be charged per call.
Smith.ai Human-first: Appointment booking is a $1.50-per-call add-on. Source for SMITH-BOOKING
Explain this termLeaving
Notice periods add a month to the real cost of switching.
Moneypenny: Cancellation needs 30 days’ notice, effective from the next billing date. Source for MONEY-CANCEL
Explain this termGet comparable quotes
Send every provider the same call profile
Count your calls
Monthly calls and typical length, including short calls and spam.
List the tasks
Messages, intake, bookings, payments, dispatch or transfers.
Name your tools
Calendar, CRM and the numbers calls should transfer to.
Ask for a total
In writing: usage, add-ons, setup, taxes and notice period.