The best AI receptionist for small business in 2026
The best AI receptionist depends on what you want a call to become and how you want to pay. Per-call plans such as Upfirst suit low volume, per-minute plans such as Rosie and Dialzara suit steady volume, and Operator suits service businesses that want a call to end as a booked, paid job, from $49 a month.
How we ranked them, and who wrote this
Operator is our product, so read this knowing that. To keep it fair, every price comes from the vendor’s own pricing page with the date we checked it, and every description says only what the vendor’s own site says. We did not test competitors’ call quality, so we do not rank them on it. We compared 8 AI receptionists on:
- What a call becomes: a message, a booked appointment, or a booked and paid job.
- How it charges: by the minute, by the call, by the caller, by the conversation, or a monthly plan with credits.
- The entry price, and what happens when you go over.
- Whether it fits the software you already use.
The best AI receptionist for each need
There is no single best AI receptionist. Here is where each one fits, based on its own pages:
- Best for turning calls into paid bookings: Operator, from $49 a month. It answers every call, texts the caller a price from your own rates, books your calendar and takes a deposit to your own Stripe account.
- Best for very few calls: Upfirst, from $24.95 a month for 30 calls. It books into Google, Outlook, Clio, Acuity and Calendly, with a charge for each call over the plan.
- Best for Spanish-speaking callers: Dialzara, from $29 a month for 60 minutes. It answers in English and Spanish, with a text agent and website chatbot sold as add-ons.
- Best for a low monthly price with plenty of minutes: Rosie, from $49 a month for 250 minutes. It texts appointment links on its entry plan and books your calendar on higher plans.
- Best for long calls from few customers: Goodcall, from $79 a month, priced by unique customers with unlimited minutes.
- Best if you already use RingCentral phones: RingCentral AI Receptionist, from $49 a month, sold on its own or as an add-on to RingCentral’s phone system.
- Best if you run your business in Jobber: Jobber Receptionist, added to a Jobber plan and included on Jobber Plus.
- Best for larger trades companies on ServiceTitan: Sameday, from $449 a month for 500 minutes, with unlimited users and scheduling into ServiceTitan.
- Best for building your own automations: My AI Front Desk, from $99 a month, which bundles voice minutes with chat, texts and workflow automations.
Prices at a glance
Each plan’s monthly price, what it includes and the cost per minute, call or conversation if you use exactly what the plan includes. Every price links to its source.
| Service | Plan | Price a month | Cost per minute or call | Over the limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RubyLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Starter50 minutes. Includes 24/7 coverage; no setup fees stated | $250 | $5 per minute | Not listed |
| RubyLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Small Business100 minutes | $395 | $3.95 per minute | Not listed |
| RubyLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Standard200 minutes | $720 | $3.60 per minute | Not listed |
| RubyLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Growing Business500 minutes | $1,725 | $3.45 per minute | Not listed |
| Smith.aiLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Starter (human receptionists)30 calls. Month to month; appointment booking is $1.50 per call and payment collection $1.00 per call extra | $300 | $10 per call | $11.50 per call over 30 |
| Smith.aiLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Basic (human receptionists)90 calls | $810 | $9 per call | $10.50 per call over 90 |
| AnswerConnectLive answeringChecked Sep 24, 2026 | Entry100 minutes. Plus a CA$75 setup fee; calls rounded up to the minute | CA$325 | CA$3.25 per minute | CA$2.95 per minute |
| AnswerConnectLive answeringChecked Sep 24, 2026 | Growth300 minutes | CA$425 | CA$1.42 per minute | CA$2.75 per minute |
| ReceptionHQLive answeringChecked Sep 25, 2026 | MessageExpress (message taking)Calls by tier. Starting price; takes messages, does not book | $25 | Not listed | $1.99 per call |
| RingCentralAI receptionistChecked Sep 25, 2026 | AI Receptionist (standalone)100 minutes. 14-day free trial; $39 a month as an add-on to RingEX | $49 | $0.49 per minute | $0.50 per minute, billed in 30-second increments |
| JobberAI receptionistChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Receptionist add-on30 conversations. Added to a Jobber plan; included with unlimited use on Jobber Plus | $29 | $0.97 per conversation | $0.79 per conversation over 30 |
| RosieAI receptionistChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Professional250 minutes. Sends appointment links by text; calendar booking on higher plans | $49 | $0.20 per minute | Not listed |
| RosieAI receptionistChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Scale1,000 minutes | $149 | $0.15 per minute | Not listed |
| My AI Front DeskAI receptionistChecked Sep 25, 2026 | Business-in-a-Box200 voice minutes | $99 | $0.50 per minute | $0.25 per minute |
| GoodcallAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Starter100 unique customers, unlimited minutes. Priced per agent, by unique customers a month | $79 | Not listed | $0.50 per customer after 100 |
| GoodcallAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Growth250 unique customers, unlimited minutes | $129 | Not listed | $0.50 per customer after 250 |
| GoodcallAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Scale500 unique customers, unlimited minutes | $249 | Not listed | $0.50 per customer after 500 |
| UpfirstAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Starter30 calls. 14-day free trial | $24.95 | $0.83 per call | $1.50 per call over 30 |
| UpfirstAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Premium90 calls | $59.95 | $0.67 per call | $1 per call over 90 |
| UpfirstAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Pro300 calls | $159.95 | $0.53 per call | $0.75 per call over 300 |
| UpfirstAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Scale600 calls | $299 | $0.50 per call | $0.70 per call over 600 |
| DialzaraAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Business Lite60 minutes. 7-day free trial | $29 | $0.48 per minute | $0.48 per minute |
| DialzaraAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Business Pro220 minutes | $99 | $0.45 per minute | $0.45 per minute |
| DialzaraAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Business Plus500 minutes | $199 | $0.40 per minute | $0.40 per minute |
| DialzaraAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Business Elite1,000 minutes | $349 | $0.35 per minute | $0.35 per minute |
| SamedayAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Launch500 minutes. Up to 3 locations; overage and trial not stated | $449 | $0.90 per minute | Not listed |
| SamedayAI receptionistChecked Sep 26, 2026 | Scale1,000 minutes. Unlimited locations | $789 | $0.79 per minute | Not listed |
How to choose an AI receptionist
Start with what you want a call to become. If a message is enough, most of these will do, and the cheapest one that sounds natural is fine. If you lose jobs because callers book whoever answers first, pick one that books into your real calendar while the caller is still on the line. If no-shows cost you, pick one that takes a deposit when the customer books.
Then match the pricing to your calls. Per-call plans are cheap at low volume and climb quickly. Per-minute plans reward short calls. Per-caller plans suit a few customers who call often. A monthly plan with credits is the easiest to predict if your calls, texts and chats vary from month to month.
Finally, check the fit. You should be able to keep your number by forwarding it, hear a recording of every call, and take a call yourself when a customer needs a person. If you run your business in Jobber or ServiceTitan, a receptionist inside that software may be the simpler choice.
Questions to ask before you sign up
Call each one yourself during the trial, then ask:
- Does it book into my calendar, or only take a message or text a link?
- Can it take a deposit when a customer books?
- How is it priced, and what happens in my busiest month?
- Can I keep my number and forward only the calls I miss?
- Can it put a caller through to me when they need a person?
- How long is the free trial, and do I need a card to start?
Where Operator fits
Operator is built for service businesses that want calls to end as bookings. It answers in a natural voice, asks the questions that matter for your prices, texts a price from your own rates, books a time from your real calendar and takes a deposit to your own Stripe account. Calls, texts and website chat draw from one credit balance, and there is no booking fee. Plans start at $49 a month with a 14-day free trial. If you want a person on every call, a live answering service is the better fit.