How much does an
AI receptionist cost?
A paid AI receptionist plan starts at $29 to $249 a month, going by the published prices of eight vendors we checked in September 2026, and two of them also offer free tiers. The sticker price is only half the answer, because vendors bill three different ways: by the minute (Voxgard, AgentZap, Dialzara, Rosie, Frontdesk, CloudTalk), by the call (Smith.ai) and by the unique customer (Goodcall). A plan with a low entry price and a high overage rate can cost more than a larger plan once a normal month of calls runs through it. Setup fees vary too: AgentZap charges $499 once, while Smith.ai and CloudTalk say they charge none. To compare fairly, count last month’s calls, multiply by your average call length, and price that number of minutes on each plan.
Updated 25 September 2026Published prices, side by side
Entry plans as each vendor publishes them. Prices change; the date on each row is the day we read the vendor’s page.
| Vendor | Billed by | Entry plan | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgentZap | Minute | $109/month for 150 minutes, then $0.85/min; $499 one-time setup | 25 September 2026 |
| CloudTalk AI Receptionist | Minute bundle | Free for 50 minutes; paid from $99/month for 200 minutes | 25 September 2026 |
| Dialzara | Minute | $29/month for 60 minutes, then $0.48/min | 14 September 2026 |
| Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk) | Minute | $99/month with 200 voice minutes ($79 billed yearly) | 14 September 2026 |
| Goodcall | Unique customer | $79/month per agent with 100 unique customers, then $0.50 each | 14 September 2026 |
| Rosie | Minute | $49/month for 250 minutes | 14 September 2026 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Call | Free for 25 calls, then $3.00/call; Pro from $150/month at $2.00/call | 25 September 2026 |
| Voxgard | Minute | $249/month for 300 minutes, then $0.55/min | 25 September 2026 |
Voxgard is one of the eight. We make it, and we say so wherever it appears.
The three ways vendors bill
- By the minute. A monthly allowance of minutes, then a rate per extra minute. Cost follows how long people talk. Most vendors use this.
- By the call. Smith.ai prices each answered call, whatever its length. Long calls cost the same as short ones, so this model favors businesses whose calls run long.
- By the unique customer. Goodcall counts each different caller once a month, with unlimited minutes. A steady list of repeat callers keeps the bill flat.
None of these is cheaper in general. Which one wins depends on how many people call and how long they stay on the line.
What a real month costs
Two per-minute vendors, priced on the same months. We assume a three-minute average call; change the length and the numbers move.
| A month of | Voxgard | AgentZap |
|---|---|---|
| 100 calls, about 300 minutes | $249 (Voxgard Basic) | $236 (AgentZap Starter) |
| 300 calls, about 900 minutes | $549 (Voxgard Standard) | $632 (AgentZap Professional) |
| 600 calls, about 1,800 minutes | $829 (Voxgard Standard) | $1,109 (AgentZap Business) |
At 100 calls AgentZap’s smaller plan costs less. From about 300 calls a month, Voxgard’s larger allowance makes its list price lower. AgentZap’s one-time $499 setup fee is not in the table. The full working, with Smith.ai and CloudTalk, is on our comparison pages.
Costs that are easy to miss
- Setup and training fees. From zero to $499 one-time among the vendors above.
- Text messages. Some plans include SMS; others charge per message or list it as coming soon. Voxgard charges $0.05 per SMS and $0.15 per MMS.
- Languages. English and Spanish are common. More languages can be an add-on or a higher tier.
- Calendar and CRM connections. Often limited to the middle or top plan.
- Spam calls. Smith.ai and AgentZap say filtered spam does not count against the allowance. Ask any vendor how robocalls are billed.
How to work out your own number
- Pull last month’s call log from your phone provider: number of calls and total minutes.
- Price that month on each plan, including the overage, not only the entry tier.
- Add one-time fees spread over twelve months.
- Run a trial on your real calls. Voxgard’s pilot is five days with no card; CloudTalk offers 14 days; Smith.ai has a free tier of 25 calls.
For the other side of the ledger, see what a hired receptionist costs and what live answering services charge.
Sources
- AgentZap pricing
- CloudTalk AI Receptionist pricing
- Dialzara pricing
- Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk) pricing
- Goodcall pricing
- Rosie pricing
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing
- Voxgard pricing
Written by Voxgard, which makes an AI receptionist. The figures describe the market, not Voxgard’s results. Found an error? info@voxgard.com
Questions.
Among the eight we checked, Dialzara has the lowest paid entry price at $29 a month for 60 minutes. Smith.ai and CloudTalk have free tiers of 25 calls and 50 minutes. The cheapest plan for your business depends on your call volume.
Usually. The median U.S. receptionist earns $38,010 a year in wages alone, according to the BLS. Paid AI plans in our list start at $29 to $249 a month.
Voxgard starts at $249 a month with 300 call minutes, then $0.55 a minute. Standard is $549 a month with 1,000 minutes. Every plan starts with a free five-day pilot, no card.
Try it on
your own calls.
Five days on your real line, free, no card. Our engineers set it up on your scripts.