Guide

Best AI receptionist for small business.

Short answer: 7 general-purpose AI receptionists publish a plan at or under US$150/mo. Cheapest: Smith.ai. Only Smith.ai adds human backup.

Top picks

1
Smith.ai
Free tier to start. Its free tier makes it easy to trial.
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2
Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
From $19/mo. A business phone system with AI answering (Sona) included.
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3
Dialzara
From $29/mo. The cheapest published entry plan we found, but 60 minutes doesn't go far.
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Same order as the shortlist below: lowest published entry price first. Affiliate links never change the order. Disclosure.

How to choose an AI receptionist.

Count last month's calls and average call length.
Match that to plan allowances: per-minute or per-call.
Check integrations with your booking or practice system.
Decide whether you need a human fallback.
Price the overage rate, not just the headline plan.

The shortlist.

Smith.ai

Free tier to start

Its free tier makes it easy to trial. Smith.ai also sells human receptionist plans, so you can move up to live staff if the AI isn't enough. Prices are per call, not per minute.

law firms · general · medical clinics · real estate · accountants · auto repair · human backup

Plans & source

Free: 25 calls/mo, then $3.00/call. Pro: $150/mo for 75 calls (~$2.00/call). Enterprise: $500/mo for 300 calls (~$1.67/call). Volume discounts on higher call packs.

Source: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist. USD unless noted.

Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

$19/mo from

A business phone system with AI answering (Sona) included. It makes the most sense if you'd use the phone system anyway.

general · medical clinics

Plans & source

Phone plans $19, $33 or $47 per user/mo. Sona AI credit tiers $0, $25, $49, $99 or $199/mo on top (1,000 free automation credits / ~10 calls included).

Source: https://www.quo.com/pricing. USD unless noted.

Dialzara

$29/mo from

The cheapest published entry plan we found, but 60 minutes doesn't go far. Four inbound tiers now; work out your monthly talk time first.

general · hvac · real estate · accountants · auto repair

Plans & source

Business Lite $29/mo (60 min, $0.48/min over). Business Pro $99/mo (220 min, $0.45/min over). Business Plus $199/mo (500 min, $0.40/min over). Business Elite $349/mo (1,000 min, $0.35/min over). Add-ons: AI SMS agent $19/mo + $0.05/message; website chatbot $39/mo. Separate outbound calling plans from $750/mo.

Source: https://dialzara.com/pricing. USD unless noted.

Rosie

$49/mo from

Three published tiers with no sales call needed. Aimed at owner-operators.

general · hvac · plumbers · real estate · accountants · auto repair

Plans & source

Professional $49/mo, Scale $149/mo, Growth $299/mo (two months free on annual billing). Website texting add-on $50/mo.

Source: https://heyrosie.com/pricingAffiliate link. What this means. USD unless noted.

Goodcall

$79/mo from

Tiers go up by team size and call-history length rather than minutes. Check the caller limits on each plan before you commit.

general

Plans & source

Starter $79/mo, Growth $129/mo, Scale $299/mo.

Source: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing. USD unless noted.

My AI Front Desk

$79/mo from

One main plan that bundles phone answering with chat and other AI tools.

general · medical clinics · real estate · accountants · auto repair

Plans & source

Business-in-a-Box: $99/mo, or $79/mo billed annually, with 200 voice minutes a month. Extra usage via credits ($10 per 1,000).

Source: https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/pricing. USD unless noted.

Beside

$99/mo from

Now sold as a credit-based 'AI operating system' for local businesses rather than a $29 receptionist. Older roundups still quote $29.

general · real estate · accountants

Plans & source

Part-time $99/mo (5,000 credits). Full-time $249.99/mo (12,500 credits).
Note: Older third-party roundups list $29/mo; Beside's own page now shows $99 and $249.99.

Source: https://www.beside.com/pricing. USD unless noted.

More: Cheapest AI receptionist · After-hours AI answering · Home services

Best AI receptionist for small business.

How to choose an AI receptionist.

The shortlist.

The future of answering calls, weekly.