The short answer
Live answering services start in the hundreds of dollars a month for a small bundle of minutes or calls. A receptionist costs tens of thousands a year. An AI receptionist starts at $99 a month.
- Live answering, billed per minute
- Ruby starts around $250 a month for 50 minutes (ruby.com, September 2026)
- Live answering, billed per call
- Smith.ai starts around $300 a month for 30 calls (smith.ai, September 2026)
- A hired receptionist
- Median wage $18.27 an hour, about $38,010 a year, before taxes and benefits (BLS, May 2025)
- An AI receptionist
- FrontDesk Talk is $99, $199, or $399 a month with 200, 450, or 1,000 minutes of Talk Time included
Prices change. Check each provider’s site for current plans. Names are used only to compare; we aren’t affiliated with them.
Three ways answering services charge
Per minute
You buy a bundle of minutes each month. Every minute an agent spends on your calls counts against it, and extra minutes cost more. Busy months cost more. Ask how the service rounds partial minutes and whether time on hold or transfers counts.
Per call
You buy a bundle of calls. A 30-second “are you open?” call and a 10-minute intake call count the same. Predictable if your calls are long, pricey if most are short. Ask what counts as a call, like spam and wrong numbers.
Flat monthly
You pay one price for a plan with a set allowance included. FrontDesk Talk works this way: a flat plan with minutes of Talk Time included, and $0.45 for each minute over. Ask what happens when you go over, and whether you get a warning first.
- What counts as a minute or a call, and how are partial minutes rounded?
- What does it cost when I go over my plan?
- Is there a setup fee, a contract, or a cancellation fee?
- Do nights, weekends, and holidays cost the same as weekdays?
- Can it book on my calendar, or only take messages?
- Are Spanish-speaking callers covered, and does it cost extra?
What a receptionist costs
The median wage for receptionists was $18.27 an hour in May 2025, about $38,010 a year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add payroll taxes, any benefits, and cover for sick days and vacations.
A receptionist is the right call when you have walk-in customers or calls that need real judgment. They cover the hours they work, usually about 40 of the 168 in a week.
What an AI receptionist costs
FrontDesk Talk is a flat monthly plan with minutes of Talk Time included. It answers 24/7, handles many calls at once, and speaks English and Spanish on every plan.
Extra Talk Time is $0.45 a minute. Pay yearly and get 2 months free. No contract.
FrontDesk Talk plans at a glance
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Talk Time (minutes) | Works out to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Talk | $99 | $990 | 200 | About 50¢ a minute |
| Real Talk | $199 | $1,990 | 450 | About 44¢ a minute |
| Big Talk | $399 | $3,990 | 1,000 | About 40¢ a minute |
A worked example: 100 calls a month
Say your business gets 100 calls a month and each one lasts about 3 minutes. That’s 300 minutes. Here is what each option looks like.
| Option | How it’s priced | 300 minutes in a month |
|---|---|---|
| Hired receptionist, full time | Hourly wage | About $3,168 a month in wages at the BLS median ($38,010 a year ÷ 12), before payroll taxes and benefits. Covers about 40 of the 168 hours in a week. |
| Live service billed per minute (Ruby entry plan) | Minutes bundle | The entry plan, around $250 a month, covers 50 minutes. 300 minutes needs a bigger plan. See ruby.com for current bundles. |
| Live service billed per call (Smith.ai entry plan) | Calls bundle | The entry plan, around $300 a month, covers 30 calls. 100 calls needs a bigger plan. See smith.ai for current bundles. |
| FrontDesk Talk, Small Talk plan | Flat plan + minutes | $99 for the first 200 minutes, plus 100 extra minutes at $0.45 each, for $144 a month. |
| FrontDesk Talk, Real Talk plan | Flat plan + minutes | $199 a month. 450 minutes are included, so 300 fits with 150 to spare, and you get booking and texting too. |
Live service figures are entry plans as listed on their sites in September 2026. We don’t list their larger plans here because bundles change often. Check with each provider for a quote.
What are missed calls costing you?
Move the sliders to match your business. It's your numbers, not ours.
Walking out the door each month
$2,598
That's about 10 jobs a month going to whoever picked up.
The Real Talk plan is $199 a month. It pays for itself after 1 booked job.
How to choose
Count your calls first
Look at a month of call history. How many calls, how long, and what time of day? That tells you which pricing model is cheapest for you.
Decide what the call should end with
If a message is enough, most options work. If you want the appointment booked on the call, pick a service that books.
Price your busiest month
Per-minute and per-call plans cost more when you’re busy. Price the month you dread, not an average one.
Match the caller
Upset, grieving, or complicated calls may need a person. Routine questions and bookings are where AI does well, around the clock.
Questions
How much does an answering service cost per month?
It depends on the model. As of September 2026, Ruby’s live answering starts around $250 a month for 50 minutes and Smith.ai’s receptionist plans start around $300 a month for 30 calls. AI receptionists like FrontDesk Talk start at $99 a month for 200 minutes of Talk Time.
Is per-minute or per-call pricing cheaper?
Per-call is usually better if your calls are long. Per-minute is usually better if most calls are short. Look at your own call history before you choose.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
At the entry level, yes. Our Small Talk plan includes 200 minutes of Talk Time for $99, about 50 cents a minute, and extra Talk Time is $0.45 a minute. Live services cost more because a person answers every call.
What does a receptionist cost compared with an answering service?
The median receptionist wage was $18.27 an hour in May 2025, about $38,010 a year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s before payroll taxes and benefits, and it covers business hours only.
What else does FrontDesk Talk charge for?
Your plan price, plus $0.45 for each minute of Talk Time over your allowance. We text you before you get close. Monthly plans have no contract.
Sources, checked September 2026: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (median pay, May 2025); Ruby pricing; Smith.ai pricing. Prices and features change, so check each site for current details.
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