Best AI receptionists for small businesses in 2026, compared
An AI receptionist answers your business phone in a natural voice, answers questions, books appointments and passes real customers to your team. Below are 10 of them, compared on what they cost and what they actually answer. Every competitor price was read on that vendor's own pricing page on ; prices change, so follow the links before you buy.
Disclosure: we make Greatvine, and it is in this list. We have tried to say plainly where each product is the better choice.
At a glance
| Product | Starting price | Billed | Channels | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatvine | Starter is $49 a month for 150 AI-answered minutes (about 100 calls), 300 AI text replies and 1,000 calling minutes for your team; Team $149, Enterprise $399. | Per account with unlimited users; extra AI-answered minutes are $0.25 each | Phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp and website chat, all answered by the same assistant | Small and growing businesses whose customers call, text and message, who want one assistant on every channel and unlimited users. |
| Smith.ai | A free plan with 25 calls a month ($3 per call after); paid Pro plans start at $150 for 75 calls, with larger call tiers and Enterprise from $500. | Per call | Phone calls (Pro adds custom SMS) | Firms that want a human receptionist on standby behind the AI, and legal or sales teams already on Clio, HubSpot or Salesforce. |
| Ruby | From $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes, up to $1,725 for 500; website chat from $143 for 10 chats. | Per receptionist minute | Phone calls and website chat | Businesses that specifically want a human voice on every call and can pay per minute for it. |
| Goodcall | From $79 a month for 100 unique callers, with $129 and $299 tiers. | Per unique caller each month, with a seat cap on each plan (1, 5 or 10) | Phone calls; texts are used for alerts and booking confirmations | A small business that wants a phone agent and gets a predictable number of distinct callers. |
| Rosie | $49 a month for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000. | Per minute bundle | Phone calls and a website chat widget; website texting is a $50/month add-on | Owners who mainly need calls answered and messages taken, at a low monthly price. |
| My AI Front Desk | $99 a month ($79 billed annually) for 200 minutes, 400 texts and 100 chats. | Per account, with 2 editor seats and unlimited view-only users | Phone calls, SMS, website chat, email and WhatsApp | A small business that wants the widest channel list, including email. |
| Dialzara | From $29 a month for 60 minutes ($0.48 a minute over), up to $349 for 1,000 minutes. | Per minute bundle, per business | Phone calls, with AI texting and website chat included up to set limits | Very low call volume, where the cheapest entry price matters most. |
| Upfirst | $24.95 a month ($20 billed annually) for 30 calls, $1.50 per call after; larger plans at $59.95 for 90 calls, $159.95 for 300 and $299 for 600. | Per call; each extra agent is $9.95 a month | Phone calls, with texting during calls | Low call volume, and businesses already booking through Calendly, Acuity, Clio or Square. |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | $49 a month for 100 minutes on its own, or $39 for 100 minutes as an add-on to RingEX; $0.50 a minute after. | Per minute bundle, overage billed in 30-second steps | Phone calls and SMS | Companies already on RingCentral’s phone system. |
| Quo (OpenPhone) with Sona | Phone plans from $19 per user a month ($15 billed annually); the Sona AI agent includes 10 calls free, then from $25 for 40 calls. | Per user for the phone system, plus Sona call bundles | Phone calls and SMS | Teams that mainly want a modern shared phone system, with light AI answering on top. |
How to choose
- How the bill scales
- Per call, per minute, per unique caller or per user. A per-user price punishes a growing team; a per-call price punishes a busy line. Work out last month’s calls on each model before you compare headline prices.
- Which channels it answers
- Customers call, but they also text, message on WhatsApp and use your website chat. Some products answer calls only, or charge extra for texting.
- Real booking or a link
- Some assistants book straight into your calendar; others text the caller a booking link and hope they finish it.
- What happens to spam
- Robocalls and telemarketers can eat a per-call allowance. Check whether spam is screened, and whether it is billed.
- Handing off to a person
- Live transfer to your team when a caller needs a human, and a text to anyone you missed.
- Your existing number and phone system
- Whether you can forward the number you already advertise, or have to move to the vendor’s phone system.
The 10 products
1. Greatvine
One AI assistant on your phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp and website chat. It answers in a natural voice, books into your Google or Outlook calendar, screens out spam calls and telemarketers before your phone rings, transfers callers to your team and texts anyone you missed. Priced per account with unlimited users, and it connects to monday.com. Starter is $49 a month for 150 AI-answered minutes (about 100 calls), 300 AI text replies and 1,000 calling minutes for your team; Team $149, Enterprise $399. See pricing.
2. Smith.ai
An AI receptionist from a company that also sells live (human) receptionists. A free plan with 25 calls a month ($3 per call after); paid Pro plans start at $150 for 75 calls, with larger call tiers and Enterprise from $500. Booking: through Calendly and similar tools, plus Clio, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zapier. Strong points: human backup receptionists available (an extra per-call charge); blocks known spam callers, and spam does not count toward the call quota; a free plan to try it on real calls. Greatvine vs Smith.ai · Smith.ai pricing
3. Ruby
A live virtual receptionist service: real people answer your calls, with AI as an optional extra. From $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes, up to $1,725 for 500; website chat from $143 for 10 chats. Booking: yes, appointment scheduling. Strong points: real people answer, which some callers and industries prefer; robocall filtering; a long-established service. Greatvine vs Ruby · Ruby pricing
4. Goodcall
An AI phone agent for small businesses, priced by how many different customers call. From $79 a month for 100 unique callers, with $129 and $299 tiers. Booking: yes, through a booking agent (Google Calendar). Strong points: spam calls are not billed, and the agent hangs up on them; a free demo agent before you connect a number. Greatvine vs Goodcall · Goodcall pricing
5. Rosie
An AI answering service for small businesses, priced by minutes. $49 a month for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000. Booking: the $49 plan texts the caller a booking link; booking straight onto the calendar starts at $149. Strong points: more included minutes per dollar on its entry plan; automatic spam detection; a 7-day free trial and monthly billing. Greatvine vs Rosie · Rosie pricing
6. My AI Front Desk
An AI receptionist covering calls, texts, chat and WhatsApp. $99 a month ($79 billed annually) for 200 minutes, 400 texts and 100 chats. Booking: yes, with its own AI calendar. Strong points: covers email as well as calls, texts, chat and WhatsApp; built-in text follow-up sequences; no contract and a 7-day trial. Greatvine vs My AI Front Desk · My AI Front Desk pricing
7. Dialzara
A low-cost AI answering service for small businesses. From $29 a month for 60 minutes ($0.48 a minute over), up to $349 for 1,000 minutes. Booking: yes, through calendar and CRM integrations. Strong points: the lowest entry price in this list; spam screening; monthly billing with no setup fee. Greatvine vs Dialzara · Dialzara pricing
8. Upfirst
An AI receptionist for small businesses, priced per call. $24.95 a month ($20 billed annually) for 30 calls, $1.50 per call after; larger plans at $59.95 for 90 calls, $159.95 for 300 and $299 for 600. Booking: google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Clio and Square. Strong points: the widest list of booking integrations here; spam and very short calls are not billed; a 14-day trial with no card, and no contract. Greatvine vs Upfirst · Upfirst pricing
9. RingCentral AI Receptionist
An AI receptionist from RingCentral, sold on its own or as an add-on to its phone system. $49 a month for 100 minutes on its own, or $39 for 100 minutes as an add-on to RingEX; $0.50 a minute after. Booking: google and Outlook calendars, with confirmation texts. Strong points: fits straight into an existing RingCentral phone system; calendar booking with confirmation texts; a 14-day trial. Greatvine vs RingCentral AI Receptionist · RingCentral AI Receptionist pricing
10. Quo (OpenPhone) with Sona
A business phone system (formerly OpenPhone) with an optional AI agent, Sona. Phone plans from $19 per user a month ($15 billed annually); the Sona AI agent includes 10 calls free, then from $25 for 40 calls. Booking: sends scheduling links by text. Strong points: a polished shared phone system for teams; automatic replies to missed calls on all plans. Greatvine vs Quo (OpenPhone) with Sona · Quo (OpenPhone) with Sona pricing
Questions people ask
What is the best AI receptionist for a small business?
It depends on how your calls arrive and how you are billed. For the lowest entry price with few calls, Dialzara and Upfirst start under $30 a month. For a human receptionist behind the AI, Smith.ai or Ruby. If customers call, text and message you and you want one assistant on all of it, priced per account with unlimited users, that is what Greatvine is built for, from $49 a month.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Paid entry plans in this comparison run from about $25 a month (Upfirst, 30 calls) to $250 (Ruby, 50 minutes with a human receptionist), and Smith.ai has a free 25-call plan. Watch the billing unit: per call, per minute, per unique caller or per user.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than an answering service?
Usually, by a wide margin. A live answering service bills per receptionist minute (Ruby starts at $250 for 50 minutes), while AI plans include hundreds of minutes for under $150.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Most can. The difference is whether it books straight into your calendar or sends the caller a link. Check the booking row in the table.
Does an AI receptionist work with my existing phone number?
Most work by forwarding your existing number. Greatvine also lets you keep your current phone system and forward only the main line.
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