The best AI receptionists for small businesses, compared
Updated 2026-10-29 · Facts checked against vendor websites on the date shown · How we compare
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Short answerFor most small businesses, start with a self-serve AI receptionist that has a free trial and books appointments: Upfirst (from $24.95/mo, 14-day trial), Rosie (from $49/mo, English and Spanish on every plan) or Frontdesk (from $99/mo with 200 minutes). If callers expect a human, look at hybrid services like Smith.ai instead. If you are a developer building your own agent, Retell AI and Vapi are platforms, not finished receptionists.
Prices and trials from each vendor's own website, checked 2026-10-29. Plans change often: confirm on the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
How to choose in two minutes
- Count your calls. Look at last month’s phone bill or call log. Plans are priced by minutes (Rosie, Frontdesk, Dialzara, Trillet), by calls (Upfirst, Smith.ai), by interactions (Nextiva) or by unique callers (Goodcall). The cheapest headline price is not the cheapest plan if you go over.
- Decide what the call must achieve. Taking a message is easy for every tool. Booking into your calendar, transferring to your mobile and answering in Spanish vary by plan.
- Check it fits your software. If you live in a calendar, a CRM, Clio or a field service tool, check the integrations list before you buy.
- Use the free trial with real calls. Ring it yourself from a different phone, ask awkward questions, and try to book a job.
The options in more detail
Upfirst: lowest entry price, pay per call
Upfirst’s Starter plan is $24.95/mo for 30 calls, then $1.50 per extra call ($20/mo billed annually). It lists 24/7 answering, overflow or after-hours modes, appointment booking, warm transfer and 35+ languages, with integrations including Google Calendar, Outlook, Clio Manage, Calendly, Square and Zapier. There is a 14-day trial with no card. Good fit if you get a modest number of calls and want to start small.
Rosie: Spanish on every plan
Rosie starts at $49/mo for 250 minutes, with Scale at $149 (1,000 minutes) and Growth at $299 (2,000 minutes). All plans answer 24/7 in English and Spanish. On the $49 plan, booking is by text link; direct calendar booking and live transfers start at $149. 7-day trial.
Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk): most built-in features
Frontdesk’s main plan is $99/mo for 200 voice minutes ($79/mo billed annually), with overage around $0.25 per minute. It lists booking, rescheduling and no-show follow-up, call transfer, 20+ languages and its own built-in CRM, plus integrations with Zapier, Yardi, AppFolio, Shopify and Klaviyo. 7-day trial with no card.
Dialzara: cheapest by the minute at low volume
Dialzara’s Business Lite plan is $29/mo for 60 minutes, then $0.48 per minute; Pro is $99 for 220 minutes. It lists unlimited simultaneous calls, booking, transfer, lead capture and spam screening, plus SMS and web chat agents. 7-day trial.
Trillet: low overage rate
Trillet’s AI Receptionist is $49/mo for 150 minutes with $0.20 per minute after that, and lists 32 languages and integrations with Google Calendar, ServiceTitan and GoHighLevel. It offers a 28-day money-back guarantee rather than a free trial.
Goodcall: billed per caller, not per minute
Goodcall’s Starter plan is $79/mo for 100 unique customers a month (about 150 calls), then $0.79 per extra customer. Because it charges per caller, long calls do not cost more. You can try a demo agent free and pay when you connect a number.
Nextiva AI Receptionist: from a big phone company
Nextiva’s AI Receptionist is $99/mo for 100 interactions, $1.50 each after that, covering calls, texts and web chat. It integrates with Housecall Pro, Google Calendar, Calendly and Zoho, with ServiceTitan, Salesforce and HubSpot on request. No free trial; 30-day money-back guarantee.
Quo is a business phone system from $19 per user per month. Its AI agent, Sona, includes 10 calls a month, with packs from $25/mo for 40 calls. Worth it if you want a new business number, texting and a shared team inbox as well as AI answering.
Phonely: phone payments
Phonely’s Starter plan is $50/mo ($33/mo annual). Its pricing page lists 200 minutes in one place and 250 in another, so confirm before buying. It lists phone payments and 50+ languages.
Smith.ai: when you want humans in the loop
Smith.ai is not AI-only. Its Starter plan is $300/mo for 30 calls ($11.50 per extra call), and you choose AI-first, hybrid or human-first handling with US-based live agents. Much dearer, but it does lead intake, screening and appointment booking with people behind it. See our Smith.ai review.
What about Retell AI, Vapi, Bland AI and Synthflow?
These are voice agent platforms: tools for developers and agencies to build their own phone agents, priced per minute (Retell from $0.07/min, Vapi from $0.05/min hosting plus model costs, Bland from $0.14/min). They are powerful but you build, test and maintain the agent yourself. Synthflow now sells annual enterprise agreements only. See Synthflow alternatives and Bland AI alternatives.
FAQ
What is an AI receptionist?
An AI receptionist is software that answers your business phone with a natural-sounding voice. It can answer common questions, take messages, book appointments into your calendar and transfer urgent calls to you. Unlike a voicemail menu, the caller has a normal conversation.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Self-serve plans checked on 29 Oct 2026 start at $24.95/mo (Upfirst, 30 calls), $29/mo (Dialzara, 60 minutes), $49/mo (Rosie, 250 minutes; Trillet, 150 minutes) and $99/mo (Frontdesk, 200 minutes; Nextiva, 100 interactions). Overage is charged per minute or per call, so match the plan to your call volume.
Is an AI receptionist better than a human answering service?
It is cheaper and never busy, and it can handle many calls at once. A human service is better for emotional or complex calls, legal intake and callers who refuse to talk to a machine. Many businesses use AI first with transfer to a person for anything urgent.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Most can. Upfirst, Frontdesk, Dialzara, Trillet, Goodcall and Nextiva list appointment booking. On Rosie, direct calendar booking starts on the $149 plan; the $49 plan sends a booking link by text.
Can I keep my existing business number?
Usually yes. Most services either forward calls from your existing number (all calls, after-hours only, or when you do not pick up) or let you port the number. Check the set-up page of the service you choose.