In 2026, an AI receptionist costs between $25 and $350 per month. Per-minute plans start around $25–$99/month for 60–220 minutes, flat-rate unlimited plans run $149–$299/month, and done-for-you lead systems that bundle the receptionist with a website, review funnel, and automated follow-up sit above that. Even the premium tiers still cost a fraction of a human hire — and answer 24/7, without breaks.
AI receptionist pricing models in 2026
There are three pricing models on the market. Which one fits depends on how many calls you get and how much of your lead system you want to manage yourself.
| Model | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Per-minute (starter → high volume) | $25–$99/mo for 60–220 min; up to ~$349/mo for 1,000 min | Low-to-moderate call volume, predictable months |
| Flat-rate unlimited | $149–$299/mo | Businesses with spiky or unpredictable call volume |
| Done-for-you lead system | Bundled monthly (website + reviews + follow-up + receptionist) | Owners who want the outcome, not another SaaS to manage |
Per-minute and flat-rate ranges based on published 2026 pricing from dialzara.com and getnextphone.com.
What actually drives the price
- Minutes vs unlimited. Under ~200 minutes/month, per-minute wins. Above that, flat-rate is usually cheaper and removes the risk of a surprise bill in your busy month.
- Features. Basic answering is cheap. Prices climb with appointment booking, CRM sync, emergency routing, warm transfers, and bilingual (English/Spanish or Portuguese) support.
- DIY SaaS vs done-for-you. A DIY tool gives you a phone number and a dashboard — you become the integrator between it, your website, your CRM, and your calendar. A done-for-you system delivers the outcome (booked jobs) as one managed service.
The number that matters more than price
Focusing only on the monthly fee misses the point. The real math is what a missed call costs you.
- 62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered (Jack Graham, Medium).
- 78% of customers buy from the business that responds first (brandingmarketingagency.com).
If a $299/mo receptionist recovers one $400 job you would have missed, it's already paid for the month. Two jobs and you're profitable on the line item. Run your own numbers with our missed-call ROI calculator.
What's inside a done-for-you system
The Ofbox Growth System bundles the AI receptionist with the pieces that make it actually convert:
- AI receptionist that answers 24/7 and books into your calendar
- Lead-gen website built to rank on Google and be cited by AI search
- Missed-call text-back that fires within 60 seconds
- 5-star review funnel
- Automated follow-up so leads don't go cold
- 14-day free trial
About the author. Fernanda Arduini is the founder of Ofbox Solutions, where she builds AI lead systems for small business owners.