How Much Does an Answering Service Cost?

The prices below are from each vendor's own pricing page, checked on 9 October 2026.

Enterprise platforms such as Synthflow sell annual contracts that start at $30,000, so they are not comparable to monthly plans. Nextiva sells phone plans from $15 per user per month with an AI receptionist as an add-on. That is a discounted price with eligibility conditions, so check its page for the current figure.

Human services bill for operator time. PATLive's per-minute rate runs from $2.99 on pay as you go down to $1.49 on its 5,000-minute plan. The cheapest human plan with minutes included is PATLive at $99 for 50 minutes. Abby Connect and Ruby include 50 minutes for $165 and $250.

AI services bill by the minute, by the call, or by the customer, at lower unit prices. Prisma Voices charges $0.50 per answered minute on Pay as you go, $0.40 after the included minutes on Starter, and $0.35 on Growth. The rate is the same at 3am as it is at 3pm. Goodcall does not meter minutes at all and bills per unique customer.

Call volume is the main driver on any metered plan, so the cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest bill. Estimate your monthly minutes or calls, then price each service at that volume.

Prisma Voices is a simple example. Above about 138 answered minutes a month, Starter costs less than Pay as you go. Above about 625 minutes, Growth costs less than Starter.

Features can move you up a tier too. Rosie's calendar booking starts on its $149 Scale plan. Smith.ai lists appointment booking as a $1.50 per call add-on, and it includes 1 free transfer destination on Starter, 2 on Basic, and 10 on Pro.

Pay as you go is $30 per month plus $0.50 per answered minute. Starter is $99 per month with 250 minutes included, then $0.40 per minute. Growth is $249 per month with 700 minutes included, then $0.35 per minute. Enterprise is custom. The free trial runs 4 days with 100 minutes and needs no credit card.

Every paid plan, including Pay as you go, includes the knowledge base, done-for-you setup, booking into Google Calendar, and follow-ups by callback, SMS, and email, plus WhatsApp where approved. You keep your existing number and forward it. Prisma Voices serves small, medium, and large businesses. Full details are on the pricing page.

For costs by trade, see the pages for plumbers and HVAC companies. To see how the services stack up beyond price, read the best answering services roundup or compare Prisma Voices with other services.