AZE ITIn the published prices we reviewed in October 2026, do-it-yourself AI receptionist apps ran from about $29 to $349 a month. Done-for-you setups from agencies and consultants usually charged a one-time setup of about $500 to $2,500 (some up to $6,000) plus roughly $200 to $1,000 a month. On top of that you pay for usage: phone minutes and AI, often a few cents to about 35 cents per minute.
Three ways to get an AI receptionist
Almost every option falls into one of three buckets, and the price difference between them is mostly about who does the work.
1. A DIY app (about $29–349 a month)
You sign up, forward your calls, and fill in your business details yourself. Plans are usually priced by the number of calls or minutes included. This is the cheapest route, and it works well if you have the time to set it up, test it and keep it updated when your hours, prices or services change.
2. Done for you (about $500–2,500 setup + $200–1,000 a month)
An agency or consultant builds it for you: writes the script, loads your real information, connects your calendar or booking software, sets up urgent-call forwarding, tests it and maintains it. You pay for the build up front and for upkeep monthly. Prices vary a lot; at the high end, some providers charged $5,000–6,000 setup and over $1,000 a month.
3. Build it yourself on a voice AI platform (usage only)
Developer platforms charge per minute, roughly 7 to 35 cents a minute all-in depending on the voice and AI model. It's the cheapest per call but needs real technical work, and you own every problem that comes up.
What you're actually paying for
- Setup: the one-time work of writing what it says and does, connecting your tools, and testing it. A cheap or free setup usually means you're doing that work yourself, or you're locked into a longer contract.
- Monthly fee: the software, plus (for done-for-you) monitoring, fixes and changes. AI models get retired and your details change, so someone has to keep it accurate.
- Usage: phone minutes, the phone number and the AI itself. A business taking about 150 minutes of calls a month might pay roughly $10–50 in usage, plus a dollar or two for the number.
What pushes the price up
- Booking into your software. Writing straight into Jobber, ServiceTitan, Dentrix or a CRM takes more work than taking a message.
- Call volume. More minutes means more usage, and app plans jump in tiers.
- Healthcare. Anything touching patient information needs platforms that sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement, which narrows the options. See HIPAA questions to ask first.
- Several agents or languages. A receptionist that also handles texts, chat or a second language is a bigger build.
Hidden costs to ask about
- Minute caps and overage. What happens in your busiest month?
- Contract length. Month to month, or a 6–12 month term?
- Who owns the number and the account. If you leave, can you keep your phone number, call recordings and setup?
- Changes. Is updating your hours or prices included, or billed per request?
- Usage billing. Is usage marked up, or billed to your own account at cost?
Is it worth it?
Compare the monthly cost against the jobs you lose to voicemail. If one missed call a week is a customer worth a few hundred dollars, even a done-for-you setup pays for itself quickly. If you get a few calls a week and always answer, it probably isn't worth it. Our guide on what missed calls cost a small business walks through the math with your own numbers.
What AZE IT charges
We publish our prices: an AI receptionist is $2,000 setup ($1,250 at the founding price for the first five Illinois businesses) plus from $300 a month, which includes monitoring, fixes, a monthly report and small changes. Phone and AI usage is billed to your own account at cost, usually $10–60 a month. It's month to month, and you keep everything that was built. Details on the AI receptionist page and the pricing page.
Market ranges are from providers' published pricing pages reviewed in October 2026. Prices change often; check the provider's current pricing before you decide.