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How much does an AI receptionist cost?
AI receptionist subscriptions cost about $150 to $600 a month, and a live human answering service starts around $250 to $300 a month for a small bundle of calls. A custom AI front desk for your website costs $2,500 once, then a few dollars a month to run, and you own it.
Which one is right depends on one thing: do your customers call you, or find you online first? Here is the honest breakdown, with prices checked in November 2026.
Updated November 14, 2026
Live demo, try it nowAn AI front desk for a heating and cooling companyAsk it about prices or hours. It answers only from the owner's notes, shows which note it used, and books the visit or takes a call-back.Open the demo
The prices, side by side
| Option | What it does | Cost | You own it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai, AI plan | AI answers phone calls | from about $150/mo (75 calls) | No |
| Smith.ai, human plan | People answer phone calls | about $300/mo (30 calls) | No |
| Ruby | People answer phone calls | from about $250/mo (50 min) | No |
| Podium | Texting, reviews, web chat, AI add-on | commonly reported $399 to $599/mo | No |
| Custom AI front desk | AI answers website chat from your notes, books visits, takes call-backs | $2,500 once + a few $/mo | Yes |
Subscription prices are what each company's pricing page or recent independent reviews listed in November 2026. They change often and some are not published, so check with the vendor before you decide.
The math over two years
A $300 a month service is $7,200 over two years. A $150 a month AI plan is $3,600. A custom front desk is $2,500 plus roughly $10 to $20 a month in running costs, so about $2,750 to $3,000 over the same two years, and it keeps working after that with no new contract.
The catch is real, though: the custom build answers your website and texts, not your phone. Compare like with like.
When a subscription is the better buy
- Most of your leads call. If the phone rings all day, a phone receptionist (human or AI) is what you need. A website assistant won't pick up the phone.
- You want a person on the line. Upset customers and complicated jobs go better with a human. Ruby and Smith.ai's human plans do that well.
- You need it this week and never want to think about it. A subscription is live in days. A custom build takes 1 to 3 weeks.
When a custom front desk wins
- People find you online first and message at night or on weekends, when nobody answers.
- You want it to say exactly what you'd say. It answers only from your own notes and shows which note it used, so it can't invent a price.
- You hate per-call billing. You pay once, then the running cost, with no bill that grows when you get busy.
- You want it wired into your booking, your quote form or your calendar, not a separate inbox.
What the $2,500 build includes
Half to start, half at launch. A demo every week while it's built.
Included
- Chat on your website, trained on notes you can edit
- Shows its sources and never guesses
- Booking hand-off or call-back requests to your inbox
- Your brand, your wording
- 30 days of free fixes, code is yours
Not included
- Answering phone calls (quoted separately)
- Monthly AI and hosting fees (usually a few dollars, paid to the providers)
- A new website (see website cost)
Questions
Is an AI receptionist the same as an AI front desk on my website?
No. Most AI receptionist services answer phone calls. A website front desk answers chat and text from your site. If most of your customers call, buy a phone service. If they find you online first, a website front desk catches them at 11 PM when no one picks up.
What does it cost to run each month?
For a small business, usually a few dollars to about $20 a month in AI and hosting fees, paid straight to the providers. The live demo on this page runs on a free hosting plan.
Can it make up prices or promises?
It is built to answer only from notes you write, to show which note it used, and to say it doesn't know and offer a call-back when the notes don't cover a question. Try asking the demo something odd.
Who owns it?
You do. Once the final payment clears, the code and the accounts are yours, with no per-call fee.
What happens after the first 30 days?
Fixes are free for 30 days after launch. After that you can keep me on a monthly plan for changes, or edit the notes yourself.