How much does an answering service cost per month?

Based on published September 2026 prices, live human answering services such as Ruby, PATLive, AnswerConnect and Moneypenny (formerly VoiceNation) start between $49 and $350 per month and bill per minute beyond the included allowance. AI receptionists such as Dialzara, Rosie, Frontdesk and Voksha start between $14 and $99 per month.

Is it cheaper to pay per minute or per call?

Per-call pricing is usually more predictable because long calls, hold time and minute rounding do not change the bill. Per-minute pricing can be cheaper if most calls are very short. Check each vendor for rounding rules, since several round every call up to a full minute.

What hidden fees should I look for in an answering service?

Common ones are setup fees, per-minute overage, rounding each call up to a full minute, paid add-ons such as HIPAA or Spanish answering, credit card surcharges, automatic plan upgrades and notice periods to cancel. Each vendor page lists the gotchas we could source.

How were these prices checked?

Prices were checked in September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page, or against dated third-party reviews where the vendor does not publish a figure. Where a price is reported rather than published, or quote-based, the page says so.

How much does Voksha cost?

Voksha Starter is $14 per month with 15 calls, Premium is $99 per month with 150 calls, and Enterprise starts at $990 per month with custom volume. Extra calls on Starter and Premium are $1 each, with no per-minute charges.

Pricing Comparison

Answering Service Pricing,
Compared Honestly.

Published plans, per-minute rates, billing gotchas and real monthly cost at 50, 100 and 200 calls for ten answering services and AI receptionists. Prices checked September 2026.

See Voksha pricing ROI calculator

Prices checked September 2026

Starting Prices at a Glance.

Entry price and pricing model for each vendor. Open a vendor for the full plan table, cost math and sources. For comparison, Voksha starts at $14/month for 15 calls, $99/month for 150 calls, $1 per extra call.

Vendor	Type	Starting price	Pricing model
Ruby Receptionists pricing	Human answering	$250/mo for 50 minutesOverage rates reported, not published	Per minute, live receptionists
Smith.ai pricing	Human and AI	Free (25 AI calls); $150/mo Pro	Per call, AI or live receptionists
Abby Connect pricing	Human and AI	$165/mo for 50 Abby Minutes	Per minute, human or AI answering
PATLive pricing	Human answering	$49/mo pay-as-you-go; $99/mo for 50 minutes	Per minute, live receptionists
Nexa Receptionists pricing	Human and AI	Quote-based (reported from about $149/mo)Not published	Per minute, quote-based
Rosie AI pricing	AI receptionist	$49/mo for 250 minutes	Minute bundles, AI
Dialzara pricing	AI receptionist	$29/mo for 60 minutes	Minute bundles plus per-minute overage, AI
My AI Front Desk (Frontdesk) pricing	AI receptionist	$99/mo ($79/mo annual) for 200 minutes	Minute bundle plus usage credits, AI
AnswerConnect pricing	Human answering	$350/mo for 200 minutes	Per minute, live receptionists
VoiceNation (now Moneypenny) pricing	Human and AI	$165/mo for 50 minutes; AI from $69/mo	Per minute (live) or per call (AI)
Voksha	AI receptionist	$14/mo for 15 calls	Per call, $1 per extra call

FAQ

Answering Service Pricing FAQs.

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: Based on published September 2026 prices, live human answering services such as Ruby, PATLive, AnswerConnect and Moneypenny (formerly VoiceNation) start between $49 and $350 per month and bill per minute beyond the included allowance. AI receptionists such as Dialzara, Rosie, Frontdesk and Voksha start between $14 and $99 per month.
: Per-call pricing is usually more predictable because long calls, hold time and minute rounding do not change the bill. Per-minute pricing can be cheaper if most calls are very short. Check each vendor for rounding rules, since several round every call up to a full minute.
: Common ones are setup fees, per-minute overage, rounding each call up to a full minute, paid add-ons such as HIPAA or Spanish answering, credit card surcharges, automatic plan upgrades and notice periods to cancel. Each vendor page lists the gotchas we could source.
: Prices were checked in September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page, or against dated third-party reviews where the vendor does not publish a figure. Where a price is reported rather than published, or quote-based, the page says so.
: Voksha Starter is $14 per month with 15 calls, Premium is $99 per month with 150 calls, and Enterprise starts at $990 per month with custom volume. Extra calls on Starter and Premium are $1 each, with no per-minute charges.