Virtual Receptionist Cost: Human vs AI Pricing Compared
By Adam Sandler · 2026-10-18
Short answer: live virtual receptionist plans start at $49 to $300 a month, and a business taking 100 calls of 3 minutes pays $479 to $1,725 a month, based on each company's pricing page checked October 18, 2026. AI receptionists handle the same 100 calls for $49 to $212.50 on the entry plans we can price, using prices captured October 15, 2026.
What a virtual receptionist is (and how it differs from AI)
A virtual receptionist is a real person who answers your business phone from somewhere else. Companies like Ruby, Posh, PATLive and Smith.ai employ teams of receptionists who pick up under your business name, take messages, book appointments and transfer important calls to your cell. You forward your business number to them and pay for the minutes or calls they handle.
An AI receptionist does the same front-desk job with software. A voice agent answers, follows the script you give it, and texts or emails you a summary. It doesn't take breaks, none of the AI plans we track charges more at night, and it usually costs a fraction of a human plan. It's also worse at upset callers and unusual requests.
The line is starting to blur. Ruby says optional AI enhancements are included in all its plans, and Posh sells AI-enabled live receptionist plans. When someone searches "virtual receptionist," though, they usually mean a human service, so that's how we use the term here.
Live virtual receptionist prices
We read each company's own pricing page on October 18, 2026. These are the published plans, before taxes.
| Service | How it bills | Starter plan | Other plans | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PATLive | Per minute | $49 a month plus $2.99 a minute | $99 for 50 min, $189 for 100, $349 for 200, $479 for 300, $759 for 500 | $2.29 to $1.79 a minute, lower on bigger plans |
| Posh | Per minute | $65 a month plus $2.30 a minute | $130 for 50 min, $215 for 100, $420 for 200, $700 for 350, $975 for 500 | $2.20 to $1.95 a minute, lower on bigger plans |
| Ruby | Per minute | $250 for 50 minutes | $395 for 100 min, $720 for 200, $1,725 for 500 | Not listed on its pricing page |
| Smith.ai live receptionists | Per call | $300 for 30 calls | $810 for 90 calls, $2,100 for 300 | $11.50 a call on Starter, $10.50 on Basic |
Two things to watch. Smith.ai charges per-call add-ons on top, such as $1.50 per booked appointment and $0.50 per SMS or Slack alert. And because Ruby lists no overage rate, a busy month means jumping to the next plan rather than paying a little extra.
AI receptionist prices
These are entry plans from the AI services in our database, each captured from the vendor's pricing page on October 15, 2026. The full list of 16, with source links, is on the ReceptionistRank leaderboard.
| Service | Entry price / month | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | $24.95 | 30 calls |
| Dialzara | $29 | 60 minutes |
| OnCrew | $49 | 100 calls |
| Marlie | $49 | 250 minutes |
| Trillet | $49 | 150 minutes |
| Phonely | $50 | 200 minutes |
| Goodcall | $79 | 100 unique callers |
| Nextiva XBert | $99 | 100 interactions |
| My AI Front Desk | $99 | 200 minutes |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $150 | 75 calls |
| NextPhone | $199 | Unlimited calls |
Cost at 50, 100 and 200 calls a month
Same workload for every service: calls of 3 minutes each, each from a different caller. For AI plans we used the entry plan plus its published overage, the same math as our cost calculator. For live services we used the cheapest published plan for those minutes or calls, including that plan's overage.
| Service | Type | 50 calls | 100 calls | 200 calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnCrew | AI | $49 | $49 | $148 |
| Marlie | AI | $49 | $66.50 | $171.50 |
| Trillet | AI | $49 | $79 | $139 |
| Phonely | AI | $50 | $75 | $150 |
| Nextiva XBert | AI | $99 | $99 | $198 |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | $99 | $124 | $199 |
| NextPhone | AI | $199 | $199 | $199 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI | $150 | $212.50 | $462.50 |
| PATLive | Human | $293.50 | $479 | $938 |
| Posh | Human | $322.50 | $630 | $1,075 |
| Smith.ai live receptionists | Human | $530 | $915 | $1,965 |
| Ruby | Human | $720 | $1,725 | Not computable |
At 100 calls, the AI plans above cost $49 to $212.50 and the live services cost $479 to $1,725. Ruby isn't computable at 200 calls because 600 minutes is more than its largest published plan and it lists no overage rate. Human prices assume exactly 3 billed minutes per call, and services that round each call up can bill more. Smith.ai live prices are before add-ons.
What about hiring an in-house receptionist?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025. That's about $3,168 a month in wages alone, before payroll taxes, benefits, sick days and a desk. One person also covers only their own shift, so evenings and weekends still go to voicemail.
That's why most small businesses compare a virtual service with AI rather than with a hire. An in-house receptionist makes sense when there's real front-desk work beyond the phone, like greeting patients or handling paperwork.
Which one fits your business
Pick a live virtual receptionist when calls are high stakes or emotional: legal intake, medical offices, home emergencies, or any business where a warm first impression wins the job. A person can calm someone down and handle a request the script didn't plan for.
Pick an AI receptionist when most calls are routine: hours, prices, booking, directions and messages. It's the cheaper way to make sure every caller reaches something better than voicemail, day or night. Read our after-hours answering service comparison if night calls are the main gap.
Mix both if you want AI to answer everything and hand true emergencies or hot leads to a human. For a deeper side-by-side, see AI receptionist vs human answering service.
How to estimate your own cost
- Count last month's inbound calls from your phone provider's call log, and note the average length.
- Multiply calls by minutes to get your monthly minutes for per-minute services like PATLive, Posh and Ruby.
- Find the cheapest plan in the live price table above that covers those minutes, including overage.
- Put the same numbers into the AI receptionist cost calculator to see every AI plan side by side.
- Start a free trial on the top pick and forward only overflow or after-hours calls at first.
We recheck every AI pricing page daily and log verified changes on the price changes page.
FAQ
How much is a virtual receptionist?
Live virtual receptionist plans start at $49 a month plus $2.99 a minute (PATLive), $65 plus $2.30 a minute (Posh), $250 for 50 minutes (Ruby) or $300 for 30 calls (Smith.ai), per their pricing pages checked October 18, 2026. At 100 calls of 3 minutes, that works out to $479 to $1,725 a month.
Is a virtual receptionist AI?
Not always. Traditionally a virtual receptionist is a real person working remotely for a service like Ruby or Posh, while an AI receptionist is software that answers with a synthetic voice. Some human services now add AI features, and Ruby says its optional AI enhancements come at no extra cost on its pricing page.
What is a virtual receptionist service?
It's a company whose remote receptionists answer your business calls under your company name, take messages, book appointments and transfer callers to you. You forward your number to them and pay by the minute or by the call, for example $395 for 100 minutes at Ruby as of October 18, 2026.
Is a virtual receptionist cheaper than hiring one?
Usually, for a small business. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median receptionist wage at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025, which is about $3,168 a month before payroll taxes and benefits. A live virtual receptionist plan for 100 calls costs $479 to $1,725 a month.
How much does Ruby virtual receptionist cost?
Ruby's pricing page, checked October 18, 2026, lists $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100 minutes, $720 for 200 minutes and $1,725 for 500 minutes. It doesn't list a per-minute overage rate, so going past your minutes means moving up a plan or talking to sales.