Most small businesses pay $50 to $300 a month for an off-the-shelf AI receptionist app. A done-for-you setup built around your calendar, software and call rules usually costs $1,500 to $3,000 to set up and $350 to $1,000 a month. Both cost far less than a full-time receptionist. The right choice depends on how many calls you get and what each call needs.
Three ways to get your phones answered
There are three common ways to answer calls without hiring, plus hiring itself. The prices below are typical 2026 ranges from published pricing and agency quotes. Your number depends on how many calls you get and what those calls need.
1. A do-it-yourself AI receptionist app: about $25 to $300 a month
You sign up online, answer questions about your business and forward your phone line to it. Most small businesses on these plans pay between $50 and $300 a month. Plans are billed by the minute (roughly 25 to 50 cents), by the call, or as a monthly bundle of minutes or calls.
Good fit when your calls are simple (hours, directions, prices, taking a message), you book into one calendar, and you are comfortable setting it up and keeping its answers current yourself.
2. A done-for-you AI receptionist: about $1,500 to $3,000 to set up, then $350 to $1,000 a month
An agency builds it around your business: how callers are greeted, which questions it answers, how it books into your scheduling software, when it transfers a call to you and what it texts you afterward. It is tested on real scenarios before it goes live and adjusted after. The setup fee pays for that design and testing. The monthly fee covers the phone line, the AI usage and ongoing tuning.
Good fit when calls need to land in your real software (a field service app, a practice management system, a legal intake tool), you have transfer rules like "emergencies go to the on-call tech," you have more than one location, or you work in a field like law or medicine.
3. A live answering service: often $100 to $320 a month for a small bundle of minutes
People at a call center answer using a script you provide. Entry plans often include only 30 to 50 minutes a month, and extra minutes add up quickly. Most take a message rather than booking directly into your systems.
Good fit when your callers are often upset, grieving or in a complicated situation and need a person from the first second.
For comparison: hiring a receptionist
At $20 an hour, a full-time receptionist costs about $41,600 a year in wages alone, before payroll taxes, benefits, time off and someone to cover lunch. A great receptionist is worth it for in-person service. But one person takes one call at a time, and only during office hours.
What pushes the price up or down
- Call volume and length. Per-minute plans get expensive when calls run long or you have a busy season.
- Which calls it takes. Answering only after hours, or only when nobody picks up, costs less than answering every call.
- What it has to do. Answering questions is simple. Booking appointments, checking job status or collecting intake details takes more setup.
- What it connects to. Each connection to your software (calendar, customer list, practice or field service app) adds setup work.
- Transfer rules. "Emergencies go to my cell, everything else gets booked" is simple. Routing between several people or locations takes more.
- Languages. Many systems can answer in Spanish and other languages. Check that it is included rather than an add-on.
- Privacy requirements. Medical offices need a vendor that will sign a HIPAA business associate agreement. Law firms need to know where recordings and call notes are stored.
Hidden costs to ask about before you sign
- The overage rate, and what your busiest month would cost.
- Setup or training fees that are not on the pricing page.
- Whether you pay for time on hold or while a call is being transferred.
- Who updates the answers when your hours, prices or staff change, and whether that costs extra.
- Contract length and how to cancel. After setup, month to month is reasonable.
- Whether you keep your phone number. You usually can, because most setups use call forwarding from the number you already have.
Will it pay for itself? A five-minute check
Pull last month's call log from your phone carrier or phone system and count the calls you missed. Then run this:
Example: a heating and cooling company misses 40 calls a month. If a quarter are new customers and it would win half of those at an average of $450, that is 40 × 0.25 × 0.5 × $450 = $2,250 a month going to competitors. Use your own numbers. If the result is several times the monthly cost, it is worth a closer look.
Speed matters as much as answering. A Harvard Business Review study of 1.25 million sales leads found that companies that contacted a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as those that waited even one hour longer.
If you would rather click than multiply, try the savings calculator on our homepage.
Which option fits your business
- Under about 30 calls a month, simple questions: start with a do-it-yourself app, or just after-hours coverage.
- Calls that need booking into your software, transfer rules, several locations, or legal or medical intake: a done-for-you setup.
- Callers who are often distressed: keep people on the phone during the day and use AI for after hours and overflow.
For a side-by-side of all three, read AI receptionist vs. answering service vs. hiring someone.
How we price AI receptionists at Duman
We start with a free review of your calls: how many come in, when they come in, what people ask and which ones you are missing. Then we quote the setup and the monthly cost in writing before anything is built. Callers can always reach a person, and urgent calls go straight to you.
Common questions
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
For most small businesses, yes. AI receptionist plans commonly cover hundreds of minutes or calls for $50 to $300 a month, while live answering services often charge $100 to $320 a month for only 30 to 50 minutes. A live service can still be worth it for emotional or complicated calls.
Can I keep my business phone number?
Usually yes. Most setups forward calls from your existing number: every call, only after hours, or only when nobody picks up.
Can an AI receptionist transfer calls to me?
Yes. You set the rules, such as transferring emergencies, existing clients or anyone who asks for a person, and it texts you a summary of every other call.
Will callers know they are talking to AI?
They should. A short, honest greeting that says it is an AI assistant, with an easy way to reach a person, builds more trust than trying to pass as human.
Is an AI receptionist HIPAA compliant?
Only if the vendor signs a HIPAA business associate agreement and the system is set up to protect patient information. Get the agreement in writing before any patient calls go through it.