AI receptionist cost: next to an answering service and a hire
AI receptionists are priced per call, live answering services per minute, and a hire per hour. Prices below are from each provider's own page on November 14, 2026, in US dollars unless stated.
| Option | Listed price | Billed by | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI receptionist (Smith.ai AI plan) | Free for 25 calls a month; Pro $150/mo for 75 calls, $2.50 per extra call (Smith.ai) | Call | 24/7 |
| Live answering service (Ruby) | $250/mo for 50 minutes; $720 for 200; $1,725 for 500 (Ruby) | Minute | 24/7 |
| Hire, US | Median $18.27 an hour, $38,010 a year, May 2025 (BLS) | Hour | Shift only |
| Hire, Canada | Median CA$21.00 an hour, 2023–2024 (Job Bank) | Hour | Shift only |
Wages exclude payroll taxes, benefits and cover for breaks and sick days. On Smith.ai, "Every call answered by your AI Receptionist counts toward your call quota by default," with an allowance to remove up to 10% as spam (Smith.ai). Ask any vendor how it counts spam, hang-ups and transfers.
AI receptionist vs answering service vs hiring someone
| You need | Usually fits |
|---|---|
| Calls answered at 9 pm and weekends | AI receptionist or answering service |
| Under 25 calls a month | AI free tier or a small per-minute plan |
| Long or emotional calls (claims, complaints) | A person, live or on call |
| Front desk work beyond the phone (check-in, payments) | A hire |
| Bookings straight into your calendar | AI receptionist with a calendar link |
You can mix them: AI answers first, then transfers to a person for hard calls.
What an AI receptionist can't do alone
Test these before you go live. Call it ten times as a real customer would.
- Emergencies. A gas smell, a flooded basement or a tooth knocked out needs a person. Set a rule: these words, transfer or call the on-call phone.
- Questions outside its script. It answers from what you gave it. If it invents a price or a promise, you own it. Give it your service area, hours, prices you're willing to quote, and "I'll have someone call you" for the rest.
- Calling people back. The FCC ruled that calls made with AI-generated voices are "artificial" under the TCPA (FCC, 2024). An AI that places calls needs the consent the TCPA requires for those calls: written consent for marketing calls. The rule covers calls you place, not calls you answer (47 CFR 64.1200(a)).
- Texting afterward. Follow-up texts follow texting rules: missed-call text back.
AI answering service for plumbers and HVAC
The rules are the same; the stakes are higher at night. Home services businesses answered 52% of calls in Invoca's 2026 data, from 32% to 74% by trade (Invoca). Set up three things: emergency words that page the on-call tech, your service area so out-of-area callers hear no, and the after-hours fee if you charge one.
Call recording consent laws by state
Many AI receptionists record calls; Smith.ai lists "Recording, transcription & summaries" as a core feature (Smith.ai). Federal law allows recording when "one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent" (18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(d)). States can require more:
"About 11 states primarily have all-party consent requirements for recording." (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)
Those states: California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (for third-party recordings), Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington. Connecticut and Nevada also require all parties' consent for phone calls (RCFP).
Callers can be in any state. The simple rule: open every call with a notice. "This call is answered by an AI assistant and recorded so we can help you." This is general information, not legal advice.
Recording calls in Canada
The Criminal Code allows interception with the consent, "express or implied," of one party to the call (Criminal Code s. 184(2)). Federal privacy law (PIPEDA) asks more of a business; Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own private-sector laws (OPC):
"The organization must inform the customer that they are recording a call, clearly state the purpose of the recording and obtain consent." (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)
If the caller continues after hearing that and why, "their consent is implied" in most cases, and customers "must be given a choice" about recording (OPC). Offer one, such as a callback from a person, unrecorded.
Example
Plumber, 300 calls a month (US)
AI receptionist: Smith.ai's 300-call tier starts at $500 a month (Smith.ai). Answering service: at about 2 minutes a call that's 600 minutes, more than Ruby's 500-minute plan at $1,725 (Ruby). A full-time hire at the median wage is about $3,170 a month in pay alone, for 40 hours a week.
Solo contractor, 60 calls a month
AI Pro at $150 covers 75 calls. At about 2 minutes a call that's 120 minutes, past Ruby's 100-minute plan ($395); the 200-minute plan is $720. A hire doesn't fit this volume.
Calgary clinic front desk
A full-time receptionist at the CA$21.00 national median is about CA$3,640 a month before benefits. AI covers nights and overflow; the hire covers the desk. Recording notice and purpose at the start of each call.
Different for you?
- You run a dental or medical office (HIPAA changes the vendor contract): AI receptionist for a dental office.
- You only want to text missed callers: Missed-call text back.
- You want to know what missed calls cost first: Missed calls: what they cost.
- You run a law firm: Personal injury intake.
- Your leads come in by web form at night: Speed to lead.