Answering Service Pricing in 2026: Per-Minute, Per-Call and AI Plans Compared

How much does an answering service cost per month?

The range is wide because the products are different. A live human service sells minutes of a person’s time. An AI service sells calls or minutes of software. Published entry points we found, all in US dollars:

• Upfirst (AI, per call): about $24.95 a month for 30 calls, up to $299 for 600 calls.
• Rosie (AI, minute bundles): about $49 for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000.
• Goodcall (AI, unique callers): about $79, $129 and $249 for 100, 250 and 500 unique callers.
• Davinci Virtual (live, per minute): reported at about $129 for 50 minutes on Business plans.
• AnswerConnect (live, per minute): reported at about $350 for 200 minutes.
• Ruby (live, minute bundles): about $250 for 50 minutes, up to about $1,725 for 500 minutes.
• Right On Call (AI that books, flat with included minutes): $199 CAD CAD, or $150 USD USD, for 200 minutes on Essential.

How the pricing models work

Per minute: you pay for talk time, usually in a bundle. It is easy to compare, but a long call costs more than a short one, and some services count handling time, not just time on the phone. AnswerConnect reviews describe minutes counted by handling time.

Per call: you pay for each call, in tiers. Short calls and spam cost the same as a real job unless the vendor excludes them. Upfirst, for example, says calls under 15 seconds and spam are not counted. Smith.ai reviews put its AI receptionist at roughly $1 to $3 a call depending on tier.

Per unique caller: Goodcall bills by the number of different people who call, with unlimited minutes. A shop with many repeat callers pays less than one with many one-time callers.

Flat with included minutes: you pay a monthly price that covers a set number of minutes, then a flat per-minute rate for anything over. Ours is $199 CAD CAD for 200 minutes, then $0.70 CAD a minute, billed to the second. An extra minute costs less than an included one works out to, and going over never moves you to a bigger plan.

What does an AI receptionist cost compared with a live service?

An AI plan usually costs a fraction of a live one for the same number of calls, because nobody is on the clock for the quiet hours. The tradeoff is what you get at the end of the call. A live service takes a message, and some can transfer. An AI that is connected to your calendar can book a slot, but it will not improvise, and it will not quote a repair price.

Live human services are still the better choice when you need a person to handle a call that falls outside any script, such as a long sales conversation or a sensitive call. Pay the higher rate for that, and use AI for the calls that follow a pattern.

What does 200 calls a month cost under each model?

This is a scenario, not a quote. We assume 200 calls, every one as long as our sample call (3:35), which is about 717 minutes. Real months have shorter calls, so treat these as the high end. Competitor figures are US dollars from the published tiers above.

• Right On Call Essential: $561 CAD CAD ($409 USD USD) with 200 minutes included and the rest at the overage rate. Setup is $699 CAD CAD once.
• Right On Call Managed: $579 CAD CAD with 500 minutes included. It costs more at this volume, and adds a connected job or property system, one extra language and a named contact.
• Upfirst: about $160 on the 300-call tier, or about $170 on the 90-call tier plus $1.00 for each call past 90.
• Smith.ai AI: roughly $200 to $600, at $1 to $3 a call.
• Goodcall: about $129 on the 250-unique-caller tier, if the 200 calls come from 250 or fewer different people.
• Rosie: about $149 for 1,000 minutes covers 717 minutes with room to spare. On these numbers it is the cheaper plan, and reviews place booking on that tier and up. Compare what each call ends as, a message or a booked job in your tools, not only the price.

Hidden costs: setup fees, overage and contracts

Setup: ours is $699 CAD CAD once on Essential and $1,299 CAD CAD on Managed, with no term. Paying for a year up front waives it. Some competitors charge nothing to start. AnswerConnect reviews report a setup fee near $50.

Overage: this is where bills move. Reviews of Rosie disagree on whether going over is a per-minute charge or a move to the next tier. AnswerConnect reviews list about $2.50 a minute past the plan. Davinci Virtual lists $1.75 on Business plans and $2.50 on Premium. Ask each vendor in writing.

Contracts: reviews of Upfirst note that annual prepayments are not refundable. Some Davinci Virtual reviews report 30 days of written notice to cancel.

Currency and tax: our CAD prices are before HST. The US dollar price list is before any sales tax. Most competitors price in US dollars only, so a Canadian shop pays the exchange rate on top. AnswerConnect has a Canadian page, and one comparison reports CA$325 for 100 minutes, which does not match its US plans. Ask for a written quote in the currency you pay in.

What is not in any plan: a language beyond English and French is $69 CAD CAD a month on Essential, and a connected field-service or property system beyond the Jobber connect is a scoped setup.

How to estimate your own number

Count your calls in a typical month, then the minutes each one runs. Multiply, add a margin for your busy season, and price that against each model. Include the calls you miss today, because the cheapest plan is the one that does not leave the 2 AM job to voicemail.

Our calculator takes your job value and close rate and shows both sides. Our own plans start at $199 CAD CAD a month, or $150 USD USD, and $449 CAD CAD on Managed.