How much does a telephone answering service cost?
A telephone answering service in the US costs from about $2 to $5 a minute, or $2.15 to $11.50 a call, with a live receptionist, from the prices we checked. Monthly live plans start at $99 for 50 minutes, and 30 to 60 calls a month come to $89.50 to $720 on the plans we priced. AI answering services start free for a handful of calls, most entry plans cost $25 to $99 a month, and some, like Ringzel at $99 a month, include unlimited calls.
This guide sets out what 11 US services publish, how each one charges, what a month really costs at 30, 60 and 150 calls, and the extra charges that don't show up in the headline price. It's written for any business that gets calls it can't always take, whether you run a shop, a practice, an office or a truck. Ringzel is our product, so it's in the comparison, and every other price links to the provider's own page.
Prices checked on each provider's own website on 9 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you sign up.
Telephone answering service cost at a glance
Answering services charge in four ways, and the cheapest one depends on how many calls you get and how long they last.
| How you pay | Typical published price | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Pay per call (live) | $2.15 a call plus a $25 monthly fee, up to $11.50 a call over a bundle | A handful of calls a month |
| Monthly bundle of minutes (live) | $99 to $250 for 50 minutes, then $1.79 to $2.99 for each extra minute at PATLive | Short, predictable calls |
| Monthly plan with calls or minutes included (AI) | $0 for 25 calls to $99 for 200 minutes, then 48 cents to $3 for each extra call or minute | Steady call volume |
| Unlimited monthly plan (AI) | $99 a month for the entry plan | Busy or unpredictable months |
Live services are priced mainly by the minute or the call because a person is on every call. AI services can take many calls at once, so more of them sell larger bundles or unlimited calls.
Live telephone answering service prices
Live services start at $25 to $300 a month on their entry plans, and every one we checked answers around the clock. These use real receptionists, and most charge per minute or per call.
| Provider | How it charges | Published price | Setup fee | Contract | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnsweringService.com MessageExpress | Per call or bundle | $25 a month plus $2.15 a call, or $30 for 10 calls, $55 for 25, $95 for 50, $185 for 100. Plus sales tax, new customers | None on MessageExpress | No lock-in contract | 7 days, no card |
| PATLive | Minutes | $49 a month plus $2.99 a minute, or $99 for 50 minutes (about 20 calls), $189 for 100, $349 for 200. Extra minutes $1.79 to $2.29 on bundles | Not stated | No contracts | 14 days |
| Abby Connect | Minutes | $164 a month for 50 Abby Minutes, $329 for 100, $599 for 200. Overage at your plan's minute rate | None | Month to month | Yes, every plan |
| Ruby | Minutes | $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200, $1,725 for 500 | None for activation, onboarding or setup | Not stated on the pricing page | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Smith.ai receptionists | Calls | $300 a month for 30 calls, $810 for 90, $2,100 for 300. Extra calls $8.50 to $11.50 | None | Month to month | 30-day money-back guarantee |
Smith.ai includes lead screening, qualification and intake on every live plan, which is part of why its entry price is higher. AnsweringService.com's MessageExpress takes a message only; call transfers start on its Answer plan, from $40 a month.
AI answering service prices
AI answering services cost $0 to $99 a month on entry plans, with set calls or minutes included on all but a few. An AI receptionist answers with software instead of a person, can take any number of calls at once, and most charge a monthly fee. The difference is what the fee includes.
| Provider | How it charges | Published price | Setup fee | Contract | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ringzel | Unlimited calls | $99, $179 or $299 a month, or $990, $1,790 or $2,990 a year | None | Monthly, no minimum term | 14 days, no card |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Calls | Free for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. Pro $150 a month for 75 calls, $270 for 150. Enterprise from $500 | None stated on Free | Not stated | Free plan |
| Upfirst | Calls | $24.95 a month for 30 calls ($1.50 per extra), $59.95 for 90 ($1 per extra), $159.95 for 300 (75 cents per extra). Lower if billed yearly | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Dialzara | Minutes | $29 a month for 60 minutes ($0.48 per extra), $99 for 220, $199 for 500, $349 for 1,000 | Initial setup included on the top plan | No contract | 7 days |
| Rosie | Minutes | $49 a month for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000 | Not stated | Not stated | 7 days |
| Goodcall | Unique callers | $79 a month for 100 unique customers (then 79 cents each), $129 for 500, $299 for 2,000. Repeat callers in a month count once | Not stated | Not stated | Free demo agent |
| Frontdesk | Minutes | $99 a month, or $79 a month billed yearly, for 200 voice minutes plus chat, texting and CRM | Not stated | Not stated | 7 days |
The cheapest entry prices, Smith.ai's free plan and Upfirst at $24.95, suit a small number of calls. Ringzel includes unlimited calls, so a busy month costs the same as a quiet one.
Telephone answering service rates: per call, per minute or flat
Per call
You pay a fixed amount each time the service answers, however long the call takes. AnsweringService.com charges $2.15 a call on top of $25 a month, and Smith.ai's live plans work out to $7 to $10 a call before overage. It's easy to predict if you know your call numbers. Check whether spam and wrong numbers count: Goodcall says spam and wrong numbers don't count at all on its plans.
Per minute
You pay for the time each call takes, usually as a monthly bundle. Ruby, PATLive and Abby Connect sell live minutes, and Dialzara and Rosie sell AI minutes. Short calls go further, but long calls cost more. PATLive says 50 minutes is about 20 calls, or 2.5 minutes a call.
Bundles of calls
A monthly fee covers a set number of calls, then each extra call costs more. Smith.ai's live Starter plan is $300 for 30 calls, then $11.50 a call. Upfirst's AI Starter plan is $24.95 for 30 calls, then $1.50 a call.
Flat monthly price
One price however many calls you get. Ringzel is $99 a month with unlimited calls. It costs more than pay per call in a very quiet month, and less once your calls build up.
Answering service cost at 30, 60 and 150 calls a month
At 60 calls a month, live services cost $154 to $720 and AI services $49 to $105, using each provider's cheapest plan that covers the calls. For per-minute plans we've assumed 2.5 minutes a call, the ratio PATLive gives. These are worked examples from published prices, not quotes.
| Provider | 30 calls | 60 calls | 150 calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnsweringService.com MessageExpress (live, pay per call) | $89.50 plus tax | $154 plus tax | $265 plus tax (150-call bundle) |
| PATLive (live, 2.5-minute calls) | $156.25 | $293.50 | $620.75 |
| Ruby (live, 2.5-minute calls, smallest plan that covers the minutes) | $395 | $720 | $1,725 |
| Smith.ai receptionists (live) | $300 | $645 | $1,440 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $15 | $105 | $270 |
| Upfirst (AI) | $24.95 | $59.95 | $119.95 |
| Dialzara (AI, 2.5-minute calls) | $36.20 | $72.20 | $168.75 |
| Rosie (AI, 2.5-minute calls) | $49 | $49 | $149 |
| Goodcall (AI, every caller different) | $79 | $79 | $118.50 |
| Ringzel (AI) | $99 | $99 | $99 |
By 150 calls, live services cost $265 to $1,725 a month on these assumptions, while most AI plans stay under $170. Ruby's figures use the next plan up, because its pricing page doesn't publish an overage rate.
The table only shows price. A person can use judgment on an awkward call, some services only take a message, and others book appointments or put urgent calls through to you. Our guide to AI receptionists and answering services covers when a person is the better choice.
Is a cheap telephone answering service worth it?
For fewer than 30 calls a month, a free or entry AI plan is hard to beat: Smith.ai's free plan includes 25 calls, and Upfirst's Starter plan is $24.95 for 30. For a live person on a budget, AnsweringService.com starts at $25 a month plus $2.15 a call.
Cheap can cost you if the plan stops short of what you need. Check whether the plan answers at the hours you get calls, whether it can put urgent calls through or book appointments, and what happens when you go over your allowance.
Answering service cost vs hiring a receptionist
A receptionist earns a median of $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 data, BLS, checked 9 November 2026). That's about $3,170 a month in pay alone, before payroll taxes, benefits, time off and a desk, for one person who can take one call at a time during set hours.
An answering service costs a fraction of that. It won't greet visitors or do the office admin a receptionist does, but if your main problem is calls going to voicemail, the worked examples above put 60 calls a month at $49 to $720. Our guide to whether an AI receptionist is worth it shows how to work out the value from your own missed calls. Our virtual receptionist guide compares remote receptionists, human and AI, on price.
How to choose an answering service on price
- 1Count your calls. Check your phone bill or call log for how many calls you miss or can't take in a typical month.
- 2Check your busy months. A plan that suits a quiet month can cost far more in a busy one if you pay per call or per minute.
- 3Work out the real monthly cost for your calls, including overage, add-ons and tax.
- 4Check the hours. Make sure evening and weekend calls are answered, not sent to voicemail.
- 5Check the contract. Look for minimum terms and notice periods before you sign up.
- 6Try it. Most services offer a free trial, so call your own number and hear how it handles a call.
Whichever you pick, you keep your own number and forward the calls you can't take to the service, so customers still call the number they know.
What Ringzel costs
Ringzel costs $99, $179 or $299 a month, all with unlimited calls and no per-call charges. It's an AI receptionist for small businesses of every type: it answers every call you forward to it, 24/7, in your business name, and asks the questions you've set. Pay yearly and it's $990, $1,790 or $2,990, so 12 months for the price of 10. See pricing.
After every call you get the recording, the transcript, a summary and a check report. Professional adds bookings into your calendar and call transfers. Monthly plans have no minimum term.
14-day free trial. No card to start. Keep your number.
Questions about telephone answering service costs
How much does a telephone answering service cost?
From the prices we checked on 9 November 2026, a live service costs from $25 a month plus $2.15 a call, or $99 for 50 minutes, and 30 to 60 calls a month cost $89.50 to $720 on the live plans we priced. AI answering services start free for 25 calls, most entry plans cost $25 to $99 a month, and Ringzel costs $99 a month with unlimited calls.
What is the average cost for an answering service?
There isn't one official average, because services charge by the call, the minute or the month. On the plans we checked, 60 calls a month cost $154 to $720 with a live service and $49 to $105 with most AI services.
Do answering services charge per call or per minute?
Both. AnsweringService.com and Smith.ai's live service charge per call. Ruby, PATLive and Abby Connect sell minutes. AI services vary: Upfirst and Smith.ai count calls, Dialzara and Rosie count minutes, Goodcall counts unique callers, and Ringzel charges one monthly price with unlimited calls.
What is the cheapest telephone answering service?
For a few calls a month, Smith.ai's free AI plan covers 25 calls, and Upfirst's AI Starter is $24.95 for 30. For a live person, AnsweringService.com's MessageExpress starts at $25 a month plus $2.15 a call.
Is there a free answering service available?
For very low volume, yes. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month, then $3 a call. Most other services offer a free trial instead, such as 14 days at PATLive and Ringzel, or 7 days at AnsweringService.com, Dialzara and Rosie.
Are there setup fees?
Most of the services we checked don't charge one, including Ruby, Abby Connect, Smith.ai and AnsweringService.com's MessageExpress. AnsweringService.com's MyAssistant plan has a setup fee based on complexity.
Do I need a contract?
Usually not. PATLive, Abby Connect, Smith.ai, Dialzara and AnsweringService.com all say month to month or no contract, and Ringzel's monthly plans have no minimum term.
Do telephone answering services still exist?
Yes. Live answering services such as Ruby, PATLive and AnsweringService.com still publish plans with US receptionists answering 24/7, alongside newer AI answering services.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes. You forward calls from your existing number to the answering service, so customers call the number they already know. Our guide to forwarding business calls shows how.