The four common pricing models
Quotes count minutes, calls, unique callers or a platform fee plus usage. Put them on one basis using your own call log, because the lowest headline price is often not the lowest bill.
Details
Every quote counts one of four things, and the thing counted matters more than the number beside it. Minutes bill talk time, so a law firm whose callers explain a whole case pays more per caller than a salon confirming times. Calls bill each conversation, so a two-minute call and a twelve-minute call cost the same. Unique callers bill the person: a tenant who rings a property manager five times about one leak counts once, while every new inquiry counts in full. Platform plus usage splits a fixed fee from a metered charge. Convert both quotes into one monthly cost from your own call log before you compare them. The cheaper headline often loses.
Minutes
Calls
Unique callers
Platform plus usage
Open Effective-cost formula cards
Effective-cost formula cards
- Minutes
- Multiply your calls by the average call length, then subtract the included minutes. Long calls, like a client explaining a whole case, push the total up fast.
- Calls
- Count every conversation in the month, short or long, then subtract the included calls. A two-minute call and a twelve-minute call cost the same.
- Unique callers
- Count the different people who called, not the calls. A tenant who rings five times about one leak counts once, while every new inquiry counts in full.
- Platform plus usage
- Add the fixed fee to the metered charge for one real month from your call log. Compare that total with the other quotes, not the headline fee.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Each provider's price sits next to its billing unit, its limits and the date we checked it. Prices change, so open the vendor's own page on the day you decide.
Details
Each vendor counts something different, so the table pairs every price with its unit and the date we checked it. Smith.ai bills per call, with included call tiers and overage, and it also lists a free tier3. Goodcall sells monthly plans with an allowance of unique customers, and extra customers bill at the plan rate4. Rosie's plans come with monthly included minutes5. Dialzara also includes minutes, plus a per-minute overage rate that differs by plan6. First AI Employee includes a monthly minute allowance, and overage stays off unless you turn it on1. We checked every page on 20 October 2026. Prices change without notice, so open each page on the day you decide.
First AI Employee
- First AI Employee offers a managed AI receptionist built around a business's call rules. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S01.
- The voice product answers inbound calls and does not place outbound or cold calls. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S04.
- The AI receptionist is for businesses operating in the United States. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02, S04, S09.
- The AI receptionist answers calls 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S01.
- It books appointments straight onto a connected Google, Outlook or Calendly calendar, or onto its own built-in calendar. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S01.
- It transfers urgent calls to a person by rules the business sets. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S01, S04.
- $99/month with 400 included minutes. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02.
- $199/month with 1,000 included minutes. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02.
- $349/month with 2,000 included minutes. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02.
- Essential has a seven-day trial with up to 400 voice minutes and no SMS. A card is required, the trial starts when the number is live, and it becomes Essential at $99/month unless canceled. Growth and Scale have no free trial. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S01, S02, S09.
- Overage is off by default. If it is turned on, extra minutes cost $0.20 each on Essential and Growth and $0.10 on Scale. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02, S09.
- Business Texting is a separate $50/month purchase on Growth or Scale, with 2,000 SMS segments a month on Growth and 4,000 on Scale. It is not available on Essential. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S02.
- Billing for a transferred call runs until First AI Employee's line drops, not until the other person picks up. Checked 2026-10-20; sources S04, S09.
Smith.ai
Smith.ai. Its own pages describe it as an AI receptionist with optional live-agent involvement, billed by per call with included call tiers and overage (stated on its own pages), last checked 2026-10-20. Whether it fits still depends on the jobs it must do for you and the limits you can live with.
Rosie
Rosie. Its own pages describe it as an AI answering service, billed by monthly included minutes (stated on its own pages), last checked 2026-10-20. Whether it fits still depends on the jobs it must do for you and the limits you can live with.
Goodcall
Goodcall. Its own pages describe it as a voice AI phone agent, billed by monthly plan with a unique-customer allowance; extra customers billed at the plan rate (stated on its own pages), last checked 2026-10-20. Whether it fits still depends on the jobs it must do for you and the limits you can live with.
Dialzara
Dialzara. Its own pages describe it as an AI receptionist, billed by monthly included minutes plus plan-specific per-minute overage (stated on its own pages), last checked 2026-10-20. Whether it fits still depends on the jobs it must do for you and the limits you can live with.
| Provider | What it is | Starts at | Billed by | How we know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First AI Employee | See the First AI Employee facts on this page | See the First AI Employee facts on this page | monthly allowance with optional plan-dependent overage | Stated on its own pagesChecked 2026-10-20 · sources S02 |
| Smith.ai | AI receptionist with optional live-agent involvement | Free tier; paid Pro shown at $150/month for 75 calls | per call with included call tiers and overage | Stated on its own pagesChecked 2026-10-20 · sources S11 |
| Goodcall | voice AI phone agent | $79 a month on the displayed Starter plan, with 100 unique customers a month | monthly plan with a unique-customer allowance; extra customers billed at the plan rate | Stated on its own pagesChecked 2026-10-20 · sources S13 |
| Rosie | AI answering service | $49/month for the displayed Professional plan | monthly included minutes | Stated on its own pagesChecked 2026-10-20 · sources S15 |
| Dialzara | AI receptionist | $29/month for Business Lite with 60 included minutes | monthly included minutes plus plan-specific per-minute overage | Stated on its own pagesChecked 2026-10-20 · sources S17 |
Open Dated pricing table · Source ledger
Dated pricing table
| What to enter | What to write down |
|---|---|
| First AI Employee | Write down the monthly minute allowance on the plan you would pick, and note that overage stays off unless you turn it on. |
| Smith.ai | Write down the included calls on each tier and the overage per extra call. Note the free tier on its own line, with what it covers. |
| Rosie | Write down the monthly included minutes on the plan you would pick. Ask how extra minutes are charged before you compare totals. |
| Goodcall | Write down the unique-customer allowance on each plan and the plan rate for extra customers. Count distinct callers here, not calls. |
| Dialzara | Write down the included minutes and the per-minute overage rate for the plan you would use, since that rate differs from plan to plan. |
How to compare, the same for every row above: Record a confirmed call outcome or assign the named human fallback. Do not count a fluent answer as completion.
Source ledger
Normalized pricing scenarios
Run every plan against the same three call profiles: quiet, typical and peak. These are worked examples, not quotes, and the cheapest plan often changes from one profile to the next.
Details
Take three made-up businesses and watch the ranking move. These are worked examples, not quotes. A solo accountant takes 60 calls a month at about 3 minutes each, which is 180 minutes. A busy HVAC contractor takes 300 calls at 4 minutes, or 1,200 minutes. A moving company in its peak month takes 600 calls at 5 minutes, or 3,000 minutes. Run each profile through every plan's unit. A per-call plan suits long calls and gets expensive when short calls pile up. A minute allowance suits short calls, and a long month depends on whether overage is on. A unique-caller plan barely moves when regulars ring again and climbs with every new inquiry. Take your inputs from your phone bill.
Low volume
Typical small business
High-volume peak
Open Three scenario tables
Three scenario tables
| Question | How to check |
|---|---|
| Low volume | Take a solo accountant at 60 calls a month of about 3 minutes, or 180 minutes in all. Price that month in each plan's unit and note the total. |
| Typical small business | Take a busy HVAC contractor at 300 calls of 4 minutes, or 1,200 minutes. Price it per call, per minute and per unique caller, then compare. |
| High-volume peak | Take a moving company's peak month at 600 calls of 5 minutes, or 3,000 minutes. Check whether overage is on and what each extra unit costs. |
Good enough when, the same for every row above: Record a confirmed call outcome or assign the named human fallback. Do not count a fluent answer as completion.
First AI Employee plans in plain English
First AI Employee sells three voice plans, Essential, Growth and Scale, each with a monthly minute allowance. Read the trial, overage and texting rules together before you pick one1.
Details
Essential
Essential is $99/month with 400 included minutes1. It is the only plan with a free trial, and Business Texting is not available on it. On a minute plan your bill follows talk time, not call count. Multiply your monthly calls by your average call length first. A salon taking quick booking calls stretches 400 minutes much further than a law firm taking long intake calls.
Growth
Growth is $199/month with 1,000 included minutes1. Texting is not part of the plan. Business Texting is a separate $50/month purchase on Growth or Scale, with 2,000 SMS segments a month on Growth. Growth has no free trial. Price the minutes and the texting separately against what you use, because you may need one without the other.
Scale
Scale is $349/month with 2,000 included minutes1. It also has the lowest overage rate: if you turn overage on, extra minutes cost $0.10 each, against $0.20 on Essential and Growth. With Business Texting added, Scale's pool is 4,000 SMS segments a month. Scale has no free trial. At this volume, compare your real cost per minute, not the headline price.
Trial and overage
Only Essential has a free trial: seven days, up to 400 voice minutes and no SMS1. A card is required. The trial starts when your number is live, and it becomes Essential at $99/month unless you cancel. Growth and Scale have no free trial. Overage is off by default. If you turn it on, extra minutes cost $0.20 each on Essential and Growth and $0.10 on Scale.
Costs buyers forget to ask about
Setup, integrations, your phone plan, texting, human backup and annual contracts can all sit outside the headline price. Get each one in writing before you compare totals.
Details
Most headline prices leave six costs out. Ask about each in writing. Setup can be included, a one-time fee, or your own evenings. Integrations sometimes need a higher tier than the one you were quoted. Your phone plan stays, and so does its bill. Texting is often an add-on: on First AI Employee, Business Texting is a separate purchase on Growth or Scale and is not available on Essential1. Human backup, where offered, may bill per call. The advertised rate may need an annual contract. On First AI Employee, a transferred call bills until its line drops, not until the other person picks up1. In the Federal Reserve Banks' 2024 survey, 75% of small employers cited rising costs, wages included8.
Setup
integrations
phone plan
SMS
human backup
annual commitment
Break-even math
Work out how many extra jobs a service must win each month to pay for itself. Use the gross profit on one job, then test the answer again with a lower win rate.
Details
Divide the monthly cost by the gross profit on one job. The answer is how many extra jobs the service must win each month. Use profit, not revenue: an auto shop keeps only what is left after parts and labor. Then halve your win rate and check again. If the answer still works, you can decide. If it does not, you have found the guess the decision rests on. Compare people on the same basis. A receptionist's median wage was $18.27 an hour in May 20257, and a customer service rep's was $21.539. Wages were 70.0 percent of private employers' compensation costs in June 2026, so on that split an $18.27 wage implies roughly $26 an hour in total cost10.
Jobs needed
gross profit, not revenue
sensitivity
How to request a comparable quote
Send every provider the same call volume, call length, hours and required actions. Ask for one monthly total that names every add-on and what happens past the allowance.
Details
One data sheet, sent unchanged to every vendor, makes the quotes comparable. List your monthly call volume, average call length, share of repeat callers, opening hours and busiest month. Add the actions you need, such as booking onto your calendar or transferring urgent calls, and the tools it must connect to. If you need outbound calling, say so: some products answer inbound calls only, and First AI Employee is one of them2. Ask for one total monthly cost at your numbers, with every needed add-on included. Ask what happens when you pass the allowance. Keep each reply with its date. A vet clinic and a moving company will send sheets that look nothing alike.
One data sheet for every vendor
Open Quote-request template
Quote-request template
- 1. One data sheet for every vendorSend the same sheet, unchanged, to every vendor: monthly call volume, average call length, share of repeat callers, opening hours and busiest month.
- 2. What the caller needsList what callers need done, such as booking onto your calendar or transferring urgent calls, and the tools the service must connect to.
- 3. What the receptionist may doSay if you need outbound calling. Some products answer inbound calls only; First AI Employee's voice product, for one, does not place outbound or cold calls.
- 4. If it failsAsk what happens when you pass the allowance: whether it keeps answering, stops or bills extra, and at what rate.
- 5. Record that proves itAsk for one total monthly cost at your numbers with every add-on included. Keep each reply with its date so you can compare them later.
The table above is the accessible HTML version. Downloads contain the same blank prompts and no hidden scoring.
Frequently asked questions
Answers on billing units, allowances, trials and contracts. For a current price, check the provider's own pricing page, since the figures change without notice.
Details
Frequently asked questions
How much does First AI Employee cost?
Essential is $99/month with 400 included minutes. Growth is $199/month with 1,000 included minutes. Scale is $349/month with 2,000 included minutes. Business Texting is a separate $50/month purchase on Growth or Scale, with 2,000 SMS segments a month on Growth and 4,000 on Scale. It is not available on Essential. Verify the official pricing page because plans can change.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
Smith.ai's pricing page shows: Free tier; paid Pro shown at $150/month for 75 calls. First AI Employee has no free plan. Essential has a seven-day trial with up to 400 voice minutes and no SMS. A card is required, the trial starts when the number is live, and it becomes Essential at $99/month unless canceled. Growth and Scale have no free trial. Check both pricing pages before you buy.
Do AI receptionists charge per minute?
Providers bill per minute, per call, per customer, or a mix. On First AI Employee: Overage is off by default. If it is turned on, extra minutes cost $0.20 each on Essential and Growth and $0.10 on Scale.
What happens when I exceed the plan?
Overage is off by default. If it is turned on, extra minutes cost $0.20 each on Essential and Growth and $0.10 on Scale. Its pages do not say what happens when you reach the allowance with overage off, so ask before you buy.
Should I compare price per minute?
Only when the plans count calls the same way and include the same features. A cheaper minute that cannot book, route calls or work with your tools may cost you more in day-to-day work.