Updated October 2026
How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost?Real Prices, Side by Side.
Most AI receptionists cost about $49 to $300 a month. Human answering services cost about $250 to $2,100 or more a month, and hiring a receptionist costs a median $38,010 a year. The right choice depends on one question: do you only need the phone answered, or do you need what happens after the call handled too?
Jump to: The 4 options Real prices Hidden costs Is cheaper enough? What Lexi costs
Your Options
Four Ways to Get Your Phone Answered.
Small businesses have four ways to answer the phone: an AI answering app, a human answering service, a hired receptionist, or an AI teammate like Lexi. AI apps are the cheapest. Human services and hires cost the most. Lexi sits between them on price, and she’s the only one of the four that also handles the follow-through after the call.
AI Answering App
$49–$300/mo
Basic AI receptionist
- Answers calls 24/7
- Takes messages, answers simple questions
- Overages once you pass your plan
- Follow-up after the call is still on you
Human Answering Service
$250–$2,100+/mo
Live virtual receptionists
- A real person on the line
- About $3.45–$5 a minute or $10 a call, depending on plan
- Costs climb fast with volume
- Follow-up after the call is still on you
Hiring a Receptionist
$38,010/yr
Median U.S. wage, about $3,168/mo
- In person, knows your business
- Plus payroll taxes, benefits, training
- Set hours only: no nights or weekends
- Turnover means starting over
Lexi
$299/mo
Founder pricing + $100 setup + usage
- Answers every call, 24/7
- Books appointments and follows up with every lead
- Email and text campaigns, CRM included
- Nine roles in one teammate
Real Prices
What Popular Services Actually Charge.
As checked in October 2026, AI receptionist apps start between $49 and $150 a month, and human answering services start between $250 and $300 a month. Every one of them charges more as your call volume grows, so compare what’s included, not just the starting price.
| Service | Type | Starting price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie | AI | $49/mo | 250 minutes |
| Goodcall | AI | $79/mo | Unlimited minutes, 100 unique callers |
| My AI Front Desk | AI | $99/mo | 200 minutes, then $0.25/minute |
| Smith.ai (AI-first) | AI | $150/mo | 75+ calls, then about $2/call |
| Ruby | Human | $250/mo | 50 minutes |
| Smith.ai (human-first) | Human | $300/mo | 30 calls, then $11.50/call |
| Lexi | AI teammate | $299/mo | Calls at $0.15/min, plus follow-up, booking, campaigns, CRM |
Prices from each company’s own pricing page on October 3, 2026, monthly billing. Prices change, so check each site before you buy. Receptionist wage from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.
The Honest Answer
Is a Cheaper AI Receptionist Enough?
A basic AI receptionist is enough if all you need is your phone answered and messages taken. If your sales slip after the call, because nobody follows up, quotes go unanswered, or past customers never hear from you again, an answering-only tool won’t fix that. That’s the job Lexi was built for.
A Basic AI Receptionist Fits If…
You mostly miss calls, you follow up fast yourself, and you just need someone to pick up and take a message.
Lexi Fits If…
Calls get answered but the follow-up, booking, quotes, and past customers slip, because it’s all on you.
What Lexi Costs
More Than a Receptionist. A Fraction of the Cost.
Lexi costs $299 a month at founder pricing plus a one-time $100 setup fee, with calls at $0.15 a minute, texts at 3 cents a segment, and email at $0.002 each. A GoHighLevel CRM account and texting registration are included. For a business with 300 minutes of calls a month, that’s about $344 a month before texts and email.
| Lexi, founder pricing | $299 |
|---|---|
| 300 minutes of calls at $0.15 | $45 |
| Monthly, before texts and email | $344 |
What that buys: every call answered 24/7, appointments booked, every lead followed up, email and text campaigns sent, your CRM kept current, and a morning briefing with the one thing worth your time. If a new customer is worth more than about $350 to you, one extra job a month covers her.
The public price is $997/month. No contract, cancel any time.
Free 6-minute demo. No card. No sales call.
Common Questions
AI Receptionist Cost: Your Questions
Most AI receptionists cost about $49 to $300 per month for small businesses. Basic AI answering apps usually include a set number of minutes, calls, or customers, then charge for overages. Full AI teammates that also follow up, book, and run campaigns, like Lexi, cost more: Lexi is $299 per month at founder pricing plus usage. Human answering services run about $250 to $2,100 or more per month, and hiring a receptionist costs a median $38,010 per year.
Yes, usually by a wide margin. The median U.S. receptionist earns $38,010 a year ($18.27 an hour) before taxes and benefits, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Human virtual receptionist services charge about $3.45 to $5 per minute or about $10 per call, depending on the plan. Most AI receptionists cost under $300 a month.
AI receptionists are usually priced per minute, per call, or per unique caller, often as a monthly plan with an included amount. When you go over the included amount, you pay an overage rate. Some plans also charge setup fees or extra for texting, chat, or integrations.
Some AI receptionists charge setup fees, and most charge overages once you pass your plan. Also watch for per-call billing on short or spam calls, add-ons, whether texting needs its own registration fee, whether you need a separate CRM to store leads, and whether booking appointments costs extra. A low starting price can grow quickly once your call volume is real.
Human virtual receptionist services cost about $250 to $2,100 or more per month. For example, as checked in October 2026, Ruby starts at $250 a month for 50 minutes, and Smith.ai’s human-first plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls. Larger plans cost more and include more minutes or calls.
The median U.S. receptionist earns $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, as of May 2025. That is about $3,168 a month before payroll taxes, benefits, training, and paid time off, and one person covers set hours, not nights or weekends.
Lexi costs $299 per month at founder pricing plus a one-time $100 setup fee, locked for life. Usage is billed separately: calls $0.15 per minute, texts 3 cents per segment (about 160 characters), and email $0.002 per email. A GoHighLevel CRM sub-account and texting registration are included. The public price is $997 per month.
An AI receptionist answers your phone. Lexi answers your phone and does the follow-through after the call. Lexi answers calls 24/7, books appointments, follows up with every lead, writes and sends email and text campaigns, keeps your CRM up to date, and sends you a morning briefing. She covers nine roles in one teammate.
It can be, if all you need is calls answered and messages taken. If your leads slip after the call, because nobody follows up, quotes go unanswered, or past customers never hear from you, an answering-only tool will not fix that. That follow-through is what Lexi is built for.
No. Lexi is built for and sold to businesses in the United States. Pricing is in U.S. dollars, and her phone numbers and text messaging run on U.S. carrier registration.
Don’t Just Answer the Call. Close What Comes After.
Talk to Lexi for six minutes. Play your own customer and hear how she’d handle the call, and what she’d do next.
Talk to Lexi Now →No card. No sales call. U.S. businesses only.