AI Answering Service Pricing Compared: Real Monthly Bills in 2026

TL;DR

• As of October 2026, the cheapest AI receptionist plans range from free (Smith.ai, 25 calls) up to $99 a month (Frontdesk). Which one costs least depends on your call volume.
• At 30 two-minute calls a month, Smith.ai, AIRA, Upfirst, Beside and Dialzara all cost less than Juney's $49. At 75 calls, Juney, Rosie and Marlie all come to $49. At 150, Marlie costs less ($66.50 against $89).
• Price the plan that books and transfers: Rosie, Marlie and Dialzara keep calendar booking for higher plans.
• Juney: $49 a month for 150 minutes, then top-ups of 100 minutes for $20, bought in the app (as of October 2026).

On this page 8 sections

Every pricing page leads with its entry plan. What you pay depends on how many calls you get, how long they run and which plan has the features you need. Each price below was read off the vendor's own pricing page on 22 October 2026.

How do AI answering service (AI receptionist) prices compare in 2026?

As of October 2026, entry plans run from $0 for 25 calls (Smith.ai) to $99 for 200 minutes (Frontdesk), and a human receptionist service starts at $250. The bigger differences sit past the entry price: what an extra call or minute costs, and which plan books jobs and puts callers through.

"Not stated" means we didn't find it on the vendor's pricing page, not that the answer is no. Beside's lines are for the US and Canada only. We left out Phonely, whose pricing page gives two different minute figures for each paid plan (Phonely review); Fonio, which prices in euros for German-speaking Europe; Nexa, a human service with no published prices; and Jobber's Receptionist, a $29 add-on to a Jobber plan with no usage allowance listed.

Sources (checked 22 October 2026): AIRA, Upfirst, Smith.ai and its plan details, Beside, Dialzara, Rosie, Marlie, Goodcall, Frontdesk, Ruby. Prices are US dollars per month.

For one service in depth, see our reviews of Smith.ai, Dialzara, Frontdesk, Rosie and Marlie, or compare Juney with each one.

Price is one of seven checks. The others, from languages to who answers first, are in What's the Best AI Answering Service for a Small Business in 2026?

What does each service charge as your calls grow?

Most services have three or four plans. Each step up buys a bigger allowance, and usually a lower rate past it. As of October 2026:

Juney has one allowance and every feature, paid monthly or yearly. Smith.ai's Pro plan comes in three sizes, and Goodcall counts each caller once a month however often they ring.

What would you pay at 30, 75 and 150 calls a month?

At 30 calls the lowest bills are $15 to $29; at 75 calls they cluster around $49 to $60; at 150 calls they spread from $66.50 to $270. Each bill below uses the service's lowest-cost plan for that month, as of October 2026, before tax and any carrier charges.

The assumptions: calls average 2 minutes (60, 150 and 300 minutes), every call is answered by the service, and for Goodcall 4 in 5 calls come from a different person (24, 60 and 120 callers). That's stricter than Goodcall's own estimate of about 150 calls from 100 callers; at its ratio the 150-call bill stays at $79. Smith.ai's free-plan figure assumes you switch overages on.

How the less obvious ones add up:

• AIRA and Upfirst at 150 calls: $59.95 for 90 calls plus 60 calls at $1.00. The 300-call plan costs more.
• Dialzara at 75 calls: $29 plus 90 minutes at 48¢. At 150 calls, the $99 plan plus 80 minutes at 45¢ beats the $29 plan ($144.20).
• Marlie at 150 calls: $49 plus 50 minutes at 35¢.
• Frontdesk at 150 calls: the plan's own pool of 1,000 credits covers about 40 extra minutes. The other 60 take two $10 top-ups of 1,000 credits, which leaves some credit for next month.
• Goodcall at 150 calls: 120 callers is 20 past the allowance, at 79¢ each.

Where others cost less than Juney: at 30 calls, Smith.ai ($15), AIRA and Upfirst ($24.95), Beside and Dialzara ($29). At 75 calls, nothing in the table costs less, and Rosie and Marlie cost the same with 100 minutes to spare. At 150 calls, Marlie ($66.50) costs less, but its $49 plan doesn't book or transfer.

Ruby is left out of the table because it costs several times more at every volume: 30 two-minute calls already pass its 50-minute plan, and the next plan up is $395. AI vs Human Answering Service Cost: What You'd Pay in 2026 works through human plans call by call.

What if you need booking and transfers?

Then three bills go up. Rosie books and transfers from its $149 plan, Marlie from $99, and Dialzara syncs a calendar and makes warm transfers from $99 (as of October 2026). Priced on those plans:

• Rosie: $149 at 30, 75 and 150 calls (1,000 minutes).
• Marlie: $99 at all three (500 minutes).
• Dialzara: $99, $99 and $135.

The rest already book and transfer on the plans in the table, AIRA's booking through Zapier. Juney books into Google Calendar and puts callers through on both plans, so its bill stays at $49, $49 and $89. That moves Juney ahead of Marlie at 150 calls once booking is on the list, but still behind Smith.ai, AIRA, Upfirst and Beside at 30.

What to do: write down the two or three features you can't do without, then price only the plans that include them.

How does the billing model change the ranking?

The billing model decides which calls are expensive, so it can reorder the table. As of October 2026, AIRA, Upfirst and Smith.ai charge per call; Juney, Dialzara, Marlie, Frontdesk and Rosie per minute; Beside a flat price with a 30-call cap on its $29 plan; and Goodcall per different caller.

Change the call length and see the order move:

• Long calls favor per-call plans. At 75 calls of 4 minutes (300 minutes), AIRA and Upfirst stay at $59.95 and Goodcall at $79, while Marlie rises to $66.50, Juney to $89, Frontdesk to $119, Dialzara to $135 and Rosie to $149.
• Short calls favor per-minute plans. At 150 calls of 1 minute (150 minutes), Juney, Rosie and Marlie stay at $49, while AIRA and Upfirst reach $119.95 and Smith.ai $270.
• Repeat callers favor Goodcall. A regular who rings five times in a month counts once.
• A steady, known volume suits a cap. Beside's $29 plan covers 30 AI-answered calls; past that, its $99 plan has no cap.

What counts as a call or minute differs too. Upfirst doesn't bill calls under 15 seconds, calls where nobody speaks or spam. Goodcall doesn't count spam or wrong numbers. With Juney, calls from numbers you've blocked don't use minutes.

What's not in the headline price?

The entry price leaves out the rules that change a month's bill. These are the ones we found on the vendors' own pages in October 2026:

• Plan jumps that stay. When you go over on Rosie, it moves you up to the next plan, and you stay on the higher plan until you move back.
• Credits that expire. Frontdesk's 1,000 included credits expire at the end of each month; top-ups bought with auto-reload don't expire.
• Overage that starts switched off. Smith.ai's free plan has overages off by default. Switch them on and each call past 25 costs $3.00.
• No trial on the entry plan. Beside's $29 plan bills at checkout; its trial is on the $99 plan.
• Extras per line or agent. Beside charges $4.99 a month for each extra line, and Upfirst $9.95 for each extra agent. Rosie's website texting add-on is $50 a month.
• Your phone carrier. If the service works by call forwarding, your carrier may charge for forwarded calls.

Cheap Answering Service: What You'll Actually Pay in 2026 covers setup fees and carrier charges in more depth.

What to do: before you pick, write down your bill at last month's call volume on the plan with your features, plus the rule for going over. That's the number to compare.

Where does Juney's price fit?

As of October 2026, Juney is $49 a month, or $490 for a year paid upfront. Both plans include 150 minutes a month, which Juney puts at about 75 calls, depending on how long they run. Past that, you buy top-ups of 100 minutes for $20 in the app, and they don't expire. You start on a 7-day free trial that includes 50 answering minutes, and there's neither a setup fee nor a contract. Prices are in US dollars. See Juney's plans and free trial.

Minutes go only on calls Juney answers, including the ones she takes as voicemail messages. Under Ringing mode, choose Ring me first, and you get about 15 seconds to answer. A call you pick up uses no minutes; if it rings out, Juney answers. Your phone only gets that first ring while you're signed in to the app. Signed out, Juney takes the call at once. On a day you can't take calls, Straight to Juney has her answer every one.

Both plans have every feature: booking into Google Calendar, a booking link texted mid-call, a summary after each call, and urgent callers put through to a second number you choose, such as a partner's mobile. She tells whoever answers who's calling and why before connecting them, and takes a message if they can't take it. The number can't be the one you forward to her. You set it up and run it from your phone. No computer, no dashboard.

The limits, plainly: Juney handles calls, and while she texts callers booking links and follow-ups, customers' texts and emails stay with you. She books into Google Calendar only, speaks English only, works with business numbers in the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, and has no human backup. Juney is built by Trillet, the voice AI platform trusted by over 4,000 businesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which AI receptionist costs least for a handful of calls?

At 25 calls a month, Smith.ai's free plan costs nothing (as of October 2026). For up to 30 calls, AIRA and Upfirst cost $24.95, Beside's $29 plan covers 30 AI-answered calls on a US or Canadian line, and Dialzara's $29 plan covers 60 minutes. Juney's $49 plan costs more at that volume.

Do spam calls count against my plan?

It depends on the service. As of October 2026, Upfirst doesn't bill spam, silent calls or calls under 15 seconds, and Goodcall doesn't count spam or wrong numbers. Juney doesn't screen spam on its own; you block numbers by hand, and blocked numbers don't use minutes.

Is paying for a year upfront worth it?

Only if you're sure the service fits. As of October 2026, yearly billing saves 20% at AIRA, Upfirst and Frontdesk, two months at Rosie, and $98 at Juney ($490 against twelve months at $49). Run the free trial first, then decide.

Updated for October 2026: clarified the name and behavior of Ring me first.

Related Resources

• How Much Does an AI Answering Service Cost in 2026?
• Best AI Answering Service for Trades in 2026: The Checks That Matter
• AI Answering Service Free Trial: How to Test One Before You Pay
• Help center: Ring your phone first
• Help center: Does call forwarding cost anything?