The best AI receptionist software for a small business is the one whose billing fits your calls. Upfirst and Smith.ai bill per call, Rosie and RingCentral by the minute, Goodcall per unique caller and Zanus AI in credits; entry plans run $0 to $99 a month. A managed setup costs more because someone builds and tests it.
We are not neutral: NetSys sells a managed AI receptionist service, and it appears below as one row, typically $150 to $300 a month. We have not tested the other products. Every vendor fact comes from the vendor's own pricing and product pages, checked October 7, 2026, and the list is in no particular order.
Which AI receptionist is best for your situation?
- Lowest cost to start: Smith.ai's AI Receptionist has a free plan for 25 calls a month, and Upfirst's Starter plan is $24.95 for 30 calls.
- Already on RingCentral: its AI Receptionist is sold as a RingEX add-on from $39 a month with 100 minutes.
- Long calls: per-call and per-caller plans (Upfirst, Smith.ai, Goodcall) cost the same however long a call runs, while minute plans charge for talk time.
- A live person behind the AI: Smith.ai can pass calls to its own North America-based receptionists.
- Calls plus chat, email and web forms: Zanus AI's AI Answer plan, $329 a month, adds those channels to the phone.
- Someone else builds and maintains it: a managed service such as ours, or a vendor's higher tiers: Upfirst includes white-glove onboarding on Pro and Scale, and Smith.ai's Enterprise plan includes full-service setup.
How do the AI receptionists compare?
Monthly prices on monthly billing, from each vendor's own pages, checked October 7, 2026. Annual billing is cheaper at several of them.
| Product | Billed by | Entry plan | Over the allowance | Booking | Reaching a person | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | Calls | $24.95 for 30 calls | $0.70 to $1.50 per extra call, by plan | Books into Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square and Clio Manage on every plan | Live, warm transfers on every plan | 14 days, no card |
| Rosie | Minutes | $49 for 250 minutes | No per-minute overage; you move up to the next plan (per Rosie's pricing FAQ) | Calendar booking from the $149 Scale plan; the $49 plan texts booking links | Warm and live transfers from Scale; waterfall transfers on the $299 Growth plan | 7 days |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | Minutes | $49 standalone or $39 as a RingEX add-on, each with 100 minutes | $0.50 a minute in 30-second steps, or minute bundles | Google and Outlook calendars | Routes by name, department, location or keyword, with a call summary | 14 days |
| Goodcall | Unique callers, per agent | $79 for 100 unique callers, unlimited minutes | $0.50 per extra caller | Calendar integrations for booking and rescheduling | Transfers to your business line by default, or to a person or department you choose | 14 days |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Calls | Free for 25 calls; Pro from $150 for 75 | $2.10 to $3.00 per extra call, by plan | AI Scheduling (Calendly and others) on every plan | Warm transfers, with Smith.ai's live receptionists as backup | Free plan; card required at signup |
| Zanus AI Front Office (AI Phone) | Per company, plus credits | $99 with about 100 minutes of calls in credits | Credits at 1 cent each; a phone minute is about 39 credits | Books from your calendar during the call | Transfers announce the caller, and staff press 1 to accept | 7 days, no card |
| NetSys managed AI receptionist | A managed service, quoted per business | Typically $150 to $300 a month | Usage allowance and overage set in the quote | Books, reschedules and cancels in your calendar or scheduling system | Warm transfer to your staff, or a text or email alert | A pilot in shadow mode before it takes your main line |
Our AI receptionist cost guide works through what a 200-call month would cost on these plans.
What do the pricing models mean for your bill?
Minute plans (Rosie, RingCentral) track talk time, so long calls and busy weeks raise the bill, and RingCentral rounds each call up to the next 30 seconds. Per-call plans (Upfirst, Smith.ai) charge the same for a 30-second question and a 10-minute intake. Goodcall counts each caller once a month, however often they call. Zanus AI meters calls in credits.
Spam handling changes the math. Upfirst says it does not bill spam or calls under 15 seconds. Smith.ai filters known spam numbers but counts other answered calls by default, with an allowance to remove up to 10% of calls each billing cycle. Goodcall does not count robocalls, blocked numbers or callers who never speak.
What do entry plans leave out?
- Call-flow design. Self-serve plans start from your website and FAQs; writing the approved answers and handoff rules is your job.
- Integrations. Upfirst adds custom integration help on Pro and Scale, Smith.ai keeps custom integrations for Enterprise, and Rosie books directly into your calendar only from its Scale plan.
- Testing. Smith.ai includes Quality Studio, with up to 50 simulated scenarios a month free. Whatever the tool, test transfers, unavailable staff and booking failures before it answers your main line.
- Compliance terms. A practice handling patient information needs a business associate agreement; at Upfirst, BAAs are part of the Custom plan.
- Upkeep. Hours, services and staff change, and the agent has to change with them.
What about developer platforms and human answering services?
Developer platforms such as Retell AI sell voice agents by the minute, $0.07 to $0.31 on its pricing page, for teams that will build the agent themselves. Human answering services price people's time instead: Ruby's receptionist plans start at $250 a month for 50 minutes. Our comparison of an AI receptionist and an answering service covers when a person on the line is worth it.
Where NetSys fits
We scope, build and run the agent for you. We start from your call log, script the call flows, connect your calendar and intake systems with least-privilege access and run the agent in shadow mode until the transcripts read right. It typically costs $150 to $300 a month, quoted month to month with setup, platform usage and allowances itemized. If you are weighing a specific product, our comparisons with RingCentral AI Receptionist, Smith.ai and Zanus AI set the details side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI answering service for a small business?
There is no single best one; it depends on your call volume, call length and who will set it up. Price the same month of real calls on each shortlisted plan, check how spam and transfers are billed, and test booking and handoffs before it answers your main line. Per-call and per-caller plans suit long calls; minute plans suit short ones.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Smith.ai's AI Receptionist has a free plan for 25 calls a month, with extra calls at $3.00 each. Most others offer a trial instead: 14 days at Upfirst, RingCentral and Goodcall, and 7 days at Rosie and Zanus AI. Prices and trials were checked October 7, 2026.
Can an AI receptionist transfer calls to a person?
Yes, every product here can hand a caller to a person, but how varies. Upfirst includes live warm transfers on every plan, Rosie starts transfers on its Scale plan, RingCentral passes a call summary with the transfer, and Zanus AI lets the colleague accept the call before it connects. Test what happens when nobody picks up.
Can I keep my business phone number?
Usually, yes. Upfirst, Goodcall and Zanus AI work by forwarding calls from your existing number, and RingCentral says its AI Receptionist works in front of other phone systems through call forwarding or SIP, so you keep your numbers. Confirm how forwarding behaves with your carrier before you go live.
Sources and further reading
- Upfirst plans and pricing, checked October 2026.
- Rosie plans and pricing, checked October 2026.
- RingCentral AI Receptionist plans and pricing and product page, checked October 2026.
- Goodcall pricing and product overview, checked October 2026.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing and product page, checked October 2026.
- Zanus AI Front Office pricing and AI Phone page, checked October 2026.
- Retell AI pricing, checked October 2026.
- Ruby plans and pricing, checked October 2026.
Discuss ai phone answering for your business.
Tell us about your current systems, the result you need and your timeline. We will discuss the work, responsibilities and pricing before you decide on an engagement.