A full-time receptionist costs most small businesses between $2,800 and $3,600 per month when you factor in salary, benefits, and overhead. For a solo contractor or a three-person plumbing crew, that's not a line item — it's a second rent payment.
AI receptionists have entered the market as a fraction-of-the-cost alternative. But "fraction of the cost" can mean anything from $9.99/month to $500/month depending on the tool, the features, and the fine print. This guide breaks down exactly what businesses actually pay in 2025 — across human receptionists, virtual receptionist services, and AI-powered options — so you can make a real comparison.
If you're also evaluating AI agents for customer service more broadly, we cover that in a separate guide. This page focuses specifically on the cost question.
Quick Cost Comparison: Receptionist Options in 2025
| Option | Monthly Cost | 24/7 Coverage | Setup Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-House Receptionist | $2,800–$3,600 | No | 2–4 weeks | High-volume offices |
| Ruby Receptionists | $235–$1,640 | Business hours | 1–2 days | Professional services |
| Smith.ai | $292–$1,170 | Business hours | 1–2 days | Law firms, agencies |
| My AI Front Desk | $34.99–$164.99 | Yes | 30 min | Salons, clinics |
| Rosie AI | $49–$149 | Yes | 1 hour | Home services |
| GainWrk | $9.99–$29.99 | Yes | Minutes | Contractors, trades |
| Tidio | $29–$59 | Yes | 1 hour | Small eCommerce |
Pricing as of March 2025. Costs vary by plan, call volume, and features.
What a Traditional In-House Receptionist Actually Costs
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median salary for receptionists at around $36,000/year — roughly $3,000/month before you add employer-side taxes, benefits, and overhead. Once you factor in payroll taxes (7.65% FICA), health insurance contributions, paid time off, and workspace costs, the real number for most small businesses lands between $3,200 and $4,200/month.
That breaks down roughly as: $3,000 base salary + $230 FICA + $400–$600 health insurance + $250 PTO accrual + workspace and equipment costs. The total loaded cost is significantly higher than the advertised salary, and it catches a lot of first-time employers off guard.
And that only covers business hours. If a lead calls at 7 PM or submits a website inquiry on Saturday morning, nobody's there. For service businesses where speed-to-response determines who gets the job, those missed touchpoints add up fast. We dig deeper into this gap in our guide on live answering service pricing vs AI.
Virtual Receptionist Services: The Middle Ground
Virtual receptionist services like Ruby and Smith.ai use teams of remote, human operators to answer calls on your behalf. They're a meaningful step down in cost from a full-time hire, but they're still a significant expense for most small businesses.
Ruby Receptionists
Ruby is one of the most well-known virtual receptionist services. Their plans start at $235/month for 50 receptionist minutes and scale to $1,640/month for 500 minutes. Overage charges apply if you exceed your plan — typically $1.95–$2.50 per extra minute. The service is professional and well-reviewed, but the per-minute model means costs are unpredictable for businesses with variable call volume. Coverage is limited to business hours unless you pay for their after-hours add-on, which runs an additional $100–$200/month depending on your plan tier.
Smith.ai
Smith.ai offers a similar model with plans ranging from $292.50/month for 30 calls to $1,170/month for 120 calls. They also offer a chat service and a basic AI component. Smith.ai tends to be popular with law firms and professional services, and they're transparent about pricing. The per-call pricing model works well if your volume is predictable, but can get expensive quickly during busy seasons. At 80 calls per month — which is normal for an active contractor or realtor — you're looking at roughly $780/month.
AI Receptionist Tools: What They Cost and What You Get
AI receptionists sit at the other end of the cost spectrum. Instead of paying humans per-minute or per-call, you pay a flat monthly fee for software that handles inquiries 24/7 without breaks, overtime, or sick days. The trade-off is that AI can't handle every situation a human can — but for first-touch interactions like answering common questions, capturing lead details, and routing urgent requests, the technology in 2025 is more than capable.
My AI Front Desk
My AI Front Desk is built for appointment-based businesses like salons, dental offices, and clinics. Plans run from $34.99/month to $164.99/month depending on features and call volume. The tool handles phone calls with an AI voice agent and can book appointments directly into your calendar. Setup is straightforward, though it works best for businesses with structured booking flows rather than open-ended inquiries.
Rosie AI
Rosie AI focuses on home service businesses — HVAC, plumbing, electrical. Plans start at $49/month and go up to $149/month. Rosie handles inbound calls with a voice AI that can answer basic questions and capture caller information. The tool integrates with some field service management software, which is a nice touch for businesses already running ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro.
GainWrk
GainWrk takes a different approach — instead of handling phone calls, it puts an AI agent on your website that holds real-time conversations with visitors. Plans start at $9.99/month, making it the most affordable option on this list by a wide margin. The agent is trained on your specific business pages and documents, captures lead details (name, phone, intent), and sends you an instant SMS and email alert. It's designed specifically for small service businesses like contractors, plumbers, roofers, and realtors. The trade-off: it's web-based, not phone-based, so it won't pick up a ringing phone. If you're evaluating website chat widgets specifically, we compare all the options in a separate guide.
Tidio
Tidio is a more generalist chat and AI tool, popular with small eCommerce stores. Plans with AI features start at $29/month. Tidio covers the basics well — live chat, simple automation, a basic AI chatbot — but it's not purpose-built for service businesses. If you're running an online store and need a simple chat widget, it's a solid entry-level option. For contractors and tradespeople with specific lead-capture needs, the fit isn't as tight.
The Real Cost: What Most Businesses Miss
The sticker price of any receptionist option — human or AI — only tells part of the story. The cost that actually matters is the cost of missed leads. If a potential customer fills out your contact form at 9 PM and doesn't hear back until the next morning, there's a strong chance they've already called your competitor.
Research from Lead Connect found that 78% of customers buy from the company that responds first. For a plumber, that might be a $3,000 water heater installation. For a roofer, a $12,000 replacement. One missed lead per month can easily cost more than a year's subscription to any AI tool on this list.
This is also why automating your customer support — even just the first-touch interactions — can have an outsized ROI. The question isn't really "Can I afford an AI receptionist?" It's "How many leads am I losing by not having one?"
How We Researched These Costs
We pulled pricing directly from each provider's website or sales team as of March 2025. For traditional receptionist costs, we referenced BLS wage data and added standard employer-side costs (FICA, benefits, overhead). Where providers use per-minute or per-call pricing, we calculated monthly estimates based on a typical small service business receiving 40–80 inbound inquiries per month. We prioritized tools that are realistic options for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and monthly software budgets under $200.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an AI receptionist fully replace a human receptionist?
For first-touch interactions — answering common questions, capturing lead info, and routing urgent requests — yes. Where AI falls short is in complex conversations that require empathy, judgment, or nuanced negotiation. Most small service businesses find that AI handles 70–80% of inbound inquiries effectively, with the remainder requiring a human follow-up.
What's the cheapest AI receptionist option?
As of March 2025, the lowest starting price we found is $9.99/month for web-based AI agents designed for small service businesses. Phone-based AI receptionists tend to start higher, in the $35–$50/month range, because voice processing costs more to deliver.
Do AI receptionists work after hours?
Most AI receptionist tools run 24/7 by default — that's one of their biggest advantages over human alternatives. Virtual receptionist services typically only cover business hours unless you pay for after-hours add-ons, and in-house receptionists obviously go home at 5 PM.
Is it worth paying more for a human virtual receptionist?
It depends on your business. If your clients expect to speak with a human immediately — say, in legal intake or high-end consulting — a service like Ruby or Smith.ai may justify the cost. If your goal is to capture lead details and respond quickly, AI tools deliver comparable results at a fraction of the price.
Bottom Line: What Should You Spend?
For most small service businesses, the math points clearly toward AI. A full-time receptionist costs $3,000+/month. Virtual receptionist services run $235–$1,200/month. AI receptionists start under $10/month and run 24/7.
The right choice depends on your call volume, how complex your inquiries are, and whether your leads come in by phone or through your website. If most of your inbound interest happens on your site — and you're a contractor, tradesworker, or local service provider — a web-based AI agent is likely the highest-ROI option available right now.
If phone coverage is critical, voice AI tools like My AI Front Desk or Rosie are worth evaluating. And if your business absolutely requires a human touch on every call, Ruby and Smith.ai remain strong options — just expect to pay accordingly.