How much does an answering service cost? 2026 prices
What live answering services and AI receptionists cost, from their own price pages, worked through for a plumbing or HVAC business with 150 calls a month.
Updated October 6, 2026
An answering service costs anywhere from about $80 to well over $1,500 a month. Where you land depends on one thing more than any other: whether you pay by the minute, by the call, or a flat monthly fee. A busy plumbing or HVAC company can pay ten times more on one model than another for the same calls.
Below are the published prices of six well-known services in October 2026, taken from their own pricing and help pages. They are then worked through for a typical home-services business. Prices change, so check the linked pages before you sign anything.
The three ways answering services charge
- By the minute (live receptionists). You buy a bundle of minutes. Every minute a receptionist spends on your calls counts, including the time it takes to write down an address.
- By the call (live receptionists). You buy a number of calls a month. A one-minute call and a ten-minute call cost the same.
- Flat monthly (AI receptionists). A fixed fee covers the calls, usually with a limit on something else, such as the number of different callers.
Published prices, October 2026
| Service | How it charges | Entry plan | Larger plan | Extra usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby (live) | per minute | $250 for 50 min | $1,725 for 500 min | not listed |
| PATLive (live) | per minute | $99 for 50 min | $759 for 500 min | $1.49–$2.99 a minute |
| Smith.ai (live) | per call | $300 for 30 calls | $2,100 for 300 calls | $8.50–$11.50 a call |
| Goodcall (AI) | flat monthly, per agent | $79 (100 different callers) | $249 (500 different callers) | $0.50 per extra caller |
| My AI Front Desk (AI) | flat monthly, with minutes | $99 for 200 minutes ($79 billed yearly) | custom | 25 cents a minute |
| Jobber Receptionist (AI, add-on to Jobber) | per conversation | $29 for 30 conversations | unlimited on Jobber’s Plus plan | $0.79 a conversation |
Ruby and Smith.ai say on their pages that 24/7 coverage costs the same as business hours. PATLive notes that its prices don’t include taxes and fees.
Worked example: a plumbing or HVAC company
Take a company that gets 150 calls a month at 3 minutes each, so 450 minutes. That’s a realistic volume for a small shop with a couple of trucks. On the published prices:
| Service | Plan that covers it | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Professional, 500 minutes | $1,725 |
| Smith.ai | Basic, 90 calls + 60 extra calls at $10.50 | $1,440 |
| PATLive | 500 minutes | $759 |
| My AI Front Desk (AI) | 200 minutes + 250 at 25 cents | $162 |
| Jobber Receptionist (AI) | 30 conversations + 120 at $0.79, plus a Jobber plan | $124 + plan |
| Goodcall (AI) | Starter, 100 callers + 50 at $0.50 | $104 |
The gap is large, and it isn’t just about humans versus software. Per-minute plans punish long calls, and an emergency call with an address, gate code and symptoms is a long call. Per-call plans punish volume, which hurts most in a heat wave or a freeze, exactly when you can’t afford to miss calls.
What the price leaves out
Before you compare quotes, ask each service:
- What happens in a surge? In a storm, does every call still get answered, or do callers wait in a queue?
- Can it tell an emergency from a routine call? A burst pipe or a gas smell needs the safety step first, then your on-call person, at 2 a.m. A routine booking can wait until morning.
- What does it say when it doesn’t know? A receptionist that guesses a price or promises a time you can’t keep costs you more than a missed call.
- What does a call cost after your bundle runs out? Overage is where per-minute and per-call plans get expensive.
- What do you get after the call? The caller’s name, number, address and the problem, sent to you right away, not a voicemail to listen to.
Live receptionist or AI receptionist?
A live receptionist is better at the unusual call: the upset long-time customer, a complicated warranty question, a caller who needs reassurance more than information.
An AI receptionist answers every call at once, never puts a caller in a queue, and costs the same in a busy week as in a quiet one. Its risk is the opposite of a person’s: it can sound sure about something it shouldn’t say. Ask to see how it was tested on your trade’s emergencies before it answers your customers. That means a gas smell, carbon monoxide symptoms, a burst pipe, and a caller who pushes for a discount you don’t give.
Most trade businesses fall somewhere in between. If most of your calls are bookings, price questions and after-hours emergencies, an AI receptionist usually covers them at a fraction of the cost. Live receptionists remain the right choice when calls need judgement more than answers.
How AhoyDesk fits
AhoyDesk receptionists are set up and looked after by partner agencies, who agree the monthly price with you. Each one:
- is built from your own website;
- passes a test of difficult callers before it answers a real call (how the test works);
- sends you the caller’s details the moment the call ends.
You can hear one built from your website below before talking to anyone. There are pages for plumbing and HVAC companies too.
Questions business owners ask
How much does an answering service cost per month?
On the October 2026 price pages above, from about $80 a month for an AI receptionist to $250 to $2,100 for live receptionists, depending on minutes or calls. For a business taking 150 three-minute calls a month, live plans came to $759 to $1,725, and AI plans to about $104 to $162.
Is it cheaper to pay per minute or per call?
Per minute is cheaper when calls are short. Per call is cheaper when calls run long. Emergency and booking calls with full details tend to run long, so time a week of your own calls before you choose.
Do answering services charge more for nights and weekends?
Ruby and Smith.ai state that 24/7 coverage is priced the same as business hours. Ask any other service directly, and ask about holidays.
Can an AI receptionist handle emergencies?
It can follow the right order: the safety step first, then your on-call contact, then the details. It should never be the only safety net. Make sure the service shows you how it handles your trade’s emergencies before it goes live.