AI receptionist, answering service or chatbot: what each costs and who it fits
Yevhen Kurapov, co-founder · Updated Oct 19, 2026
It depends on how customers reach you. For calls, a live answering service costs $250 a month for 50 minutes (Ruby) or $300 for 30 calls (Smith.ai); an AI answering service, or voice AI receptionist, starts at $29 to $79 (Dialzara, Rosie, Goodcall). For website chat, Instagram and WhatsApp, ChatPal is free for 100 replies, then $20 for 500.
We make ChatPal, one of the tools below, and list its limits on the same terms as everyone else's.
If most of the customers you miss are phoning, you need something that answers calls: a live answering service, about $250 to $300 a month for a few dozen calls, or a voice AI receptionist, from $29 to $79 a month. If they write to you on your website, Instagram or WhatsApp, a chat assistant answers them for less: free to $20 a month at small-business volume. If you get plenty of both, you may need one of each.
We make ChatPal, which is the third kind: an AI receptionist for chats and DMs (website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram). It doesn't answer phone calls, so for calls this page points you to tools that do. We checked every price on 19 October 2026 on the vendor's own pricing page. All are in US dollars and billed monthly unless we say otherwise.
The three options side by side
| Live answering service | Voice AI receptionist | AI chat assistant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it answers | Phone calls; some add website chat | Phone calls; some add website chat or texts | Website chat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram |
| Who answers | A trained receptionist | An AI voice | An AI that writes back |
| How it's priced | Per minute (Ruby) or per call (Smith.ai) | Per minute (Rosie, Dialzara), per caller (Goodcall) or per call (Smith.ai) | Per reply (ChatPal) or per AI conversation (Tidio) |
| Entry price | $250 for 50 minutes; $300 for 30 calls | $29 for 60 minutes; $49 for 250 minutes; $79 for 100 callers | Free for 100 replies; $20 for 500 |
| Booking into your calendar | Ruby includes it; Smith.ai adds $1.50 a call | Rosie from $149; Smith.ai's free AI plan; Dialzara lists calendar integration from $29 | ChatPal on every plan, via Google Calendar, Calendly or Altegio |
| Best at | Upset callers, careful intake, judgement calls | Picking up every call, day and night | Repeat questions in writing, and booking from a DM |
| Weak at | Cost: about $10 to $15 for a three-minute call on entry plans | Callers who want a person, and requests nobody wrote an answer for | Anything by phone |
What each option costs at the same volume
Take a small business that gets 60 phone calls a month, averaging 3 minutes each (180 minutes), from 50 different callers. It also gets 150 written conversations on its website, Instagram and WhatsApp, each needing about 3 replies (450 replies). Swap in your own counts: the prices are the vendors', the arithmetic is ours.
Covering the calls
| Option | Plan that fits | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby (people) | 200 minutes | $720 |
| Smith.ai receptionists (people) | Starter: 30 calls, then 30 more at $11.50 | $645 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Free: 25 calls, then 35 at $3.00 | $105 |
| Dialzara | Business Lite: 60 minutes, then 120 at $0.48 | $86.60 |
| Goodcall | Starter, up to 100 callers | $79 |
| Rosie | Professional, 250 minutes | $49 |
| An in-house receptionist | US median pay, $38,010 a year | About $3,170, office hours only |
Booking changes the order a little. Rosie books straight into your calendar from Scale, $149 a month; on Professional it texts the caller a link. Smith.ai's receptionists charge $1.50 for each call they book. Dialzara lists calendar integration on Lite, so it stays at $86.60 here; past about 205 minutes a month, Business Pro at $99 for 220 minutes costs less than Lite.
The live services cost $540 to $670 more than a voice AI because a person picks up. That buys calm with an upset caller and a careful intake, which matters most when one new client is worth a lot. The receptionist figure is the BLS median for May 2025, before payroll taxes and benefits, for one person on one shift.
Covering the messages
| Option | What it covers | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| ChatPal | Starter, 500 replies: website, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram | $20 |
| Rosie website chat | Included with any Rosie plan; website only | $0 extra |
| Dialzara website chatbot | 100 sessions free with a voice plan, then 50 at $0.15; website only | $7.50 extra |
| Ruby live chat (people) | Largest listed plan is 50 chats, a third of the volume; website only | $416 extra for 50 |
The chats bundled with voice tools cover your website. Their pricing pages list website chat and texting, not Instagram or WhatsApp DMs, so if your 150 conversations are mostly DMs, those chats miss them. If customers need 4 replies each instead of 3, ChatPal's 600 replies move you to the $50 Standard plan. Tidio, the other chat option below, prices its Lyro AI by conversation: from $32.50 a month for 50 on annual billing, with monthly quotas up to 1,000. Visitors from Europe see the same figures in euros.
For this business, a voice AI receptionist plus a chat assistant comes to $69 to $169 a month (Rosie Professional or Scale, plus ChatPal Starter). People answering the phone alone cost $645 to $720.
Which one fits your business
| Business | How customers reach you | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Plumber, electrician, HVAC, locksmith | Phone calls, often urgent, while you're on a job | A voice AI receptionist that takes the job details and books or transfers |
| Law firm, accountant, insurance agent | Phone calls where one new client is worth a lot | A live answering service, or Smith.ai's AI with a live receptionist behind it |
| Dental or medical clinic | Calls to book and reschedule; website questions about prices and hours | Voice AI or people for the phone, plus a chat assistant on the website. If callers share health details, ask each vendor about HIPAA; Ruby lists HIPAA-compliant services |
| Hair, nail or beauty salon, barber | Instagram DMs and WhatsApp, some calls | A chat assistant that books in the DM, while the front desk keeps the phone |
| Online store | Website chat, Instagram, WhatsApp; few calls | A chat assistant |
| Real estate agent | Calls from listing sites, then WhatsApp | Both: voice AI for the calls, a chat assistant for the messages |
| Fitness studio, tutor, coach | Instagram, WhatsApp, website chat | A chat assistant |
If your business isn't in the table, count last month. Go through your call log and each inbox and count new conversations by channel. If three in four came by phone, start with a voice tool. If three in four were written, start with a chat assistant. If it's closer to half and half, use one of each: at small volume, the two together cost less than the entry plan of a live service.
For a salon, what answering messages costs you works out the hours step by step. To see what a chat receptionist handles in a booking conversation, and how to set one up, read the AI receptionist guide for small businesses.
Seven tools, by type
We make ChatPal; it is in the chat assistants group. For calls, look at the first two groups.
| Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Calls, answered by people | 50 receptionist minutes for $250 a month, 100 for $395, 200 for $720 |
| Smith.ai | Calls, answered by people | Receptionists from $300 a month for 30 calls, then $11.50 a call; 10% off for 12 months |
| Rosie | Calls, answered by AI | Professional $49 a month for 250 minutes; Scale $149 for 1,000; two months free on annual billing |
| Dialzara | Calls, answered by AI | Business Lite $29 a month for 60 minutes, then $0.48 a minute; Business Pro $99 for 220 minutes; billed monthly |
| Goodcall | Calls, answered by AI | Starter $79 a month for 100 different callers, then 79¢ each; Growth $129 for 500 |
| ChatPal | Chats and DMs, answered by AI | Free for 100 replies a month; $20 for 500, $50 for 1,500 and $120 for 4,000, billed monthly |
| Tidio | Chats and DMs, answered by AI | Free plan; Starter $29 a month, or $24.17 a month billed annually; Lyro AI add-on from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations on annual billing |
Calls, answered by people
Ruby
Price: 50 receptionist minutes for $250 a month, 100 for $395, 200 for $720
Good at
- Live receptionists answer 24/7, including evenings, weekends and holidays, with Spanish and bilingual answering available
- Every plan has the same features, scheduling and client intake included; only the minutes change, and there are no setup fees
Keep in mind
- Priced by the minute: the 50-minute plan works out to $5 a minute
- Website chat is a separate plan, from $143 a month for 10 chats, or $115 added to a receptionist plan
Smith.ai
Price: Receptionists from $300 a month for 30 calls, then $11.50 a call; 10% off for 12 months
Good at
- Billed per call, not per minute, and spam calls aren't charged when your line passes caller ID
- Its AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, and a complex call can be transferred to a live receptionist
- Month-to-month, with a 30-day money-back guarantee
Keep in mind
- Booking appointments on your calendar adds $1.50 a call
Calls, answered by AI
Rosie
Price: Professional $49 a month for 250 minutes; Scale $149 for 1,000; two months free on annual billing
Good at
- Answers in English and Spanish and learns your business from your Google profile and website
- A website chat widget is included free with every plan
- 7-day free trial
Keep in mind
- Booking straight into your calendar starts on Scale, $149 a month; Professional texts callers an appointment link
Dialzara
Price: Business Lite $29 a month for 60 minutes, then $0.48 a minute; Business Pro $99 for 220 minutes; billed monthly
Good at
- English and Spanish, call routing and calendar integration from the $29 Lite plan
- No setup fees, and a 7-day free trial on every voice plan
- Its website chatbot is free with any voice plan for 100 sessions a month, then $0.15 a session
Keep in mind
- Minutes past the plan cost $0.48 each on Lite and $0.45 on Pro, so a busy month costs more than the plan price
Goodcall
Price: Starter $79 a month for 100 different callers, then 79¢ each; Growth $129 for 500
Good at
- Billed per caller, not per minute: a repeat caller counts once a month, and spam and wrong numbers don't count
- A local number is included, or you forward your own; you can build and test a demo agent before you pay
Keep in mind
- Starter includes 1 team member and 30 days of call history
Chats and DMs, answered by AI
ChatPal
Price: Free for 100 replies a month; $20 for 500, $50 for 1,500 and $120 for 4,000, billed monthly
Good at
- Answers your website chat, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram, all on every plan, the free one included
- Books, moves and cancels appointments in the chat with Google Calendar, Calendly or Altegio, and sends reminders on every channel except Messenger
- Hands a chat to your team when it should and alerts you by email or Telegram; you reply from one inbox on the customer's own channel
Keep in mind
- Chat only: it doesn't answer phone calls
- On WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram the customer writes first, and voice notes get no reply
Tidio
Price: Free plan; Starter $29 a month, or $24.17 a month billed annually; Lyro AI add-on from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations on annual billing
Good at
- Website live chat with Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and email integrations
- A Lyro conversation counts once, however many times Lyro replies in it
Keep in mind
- The free plan's 50 Lyro conversations come once; a monthly allowance needs a paid Lyro plan of 50 to 1,000 conversations
What none of them takes off your hands
- Upset or confused customers. A person on the phone handles them better than any AI; that's the case for a live service.
- Questions you never answered anywhere. Every AI here answers from what you give it: services, prices, hours, rules. Gaps turn into a message or a transfer for you.
- The handoff itself. Each tool passes some calls or chats to you, and someone has to pick them up. ChatPal alerts you by email or Telegram, and you reply from its inbox on the customer's own channel.
- Starting the conversation. On WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram, ChatPal replies to the customer; it can't write first.
- Voice notes. ChatPal doesn't reply to voice messages, so a customer who only sends voice notes still needs you.
Try before you pay
Each option has a low-commitment way in. Smith.ai's AI Receptionist is free for 25 calls a month, and its receptionists come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Rosie and Dialzara have 7-day free trials. Goodcall lets you build and test a demo agent before you connect a number. ChatPal's free plan covers 100 replies a month on every channel.
Test each with last month's ten most common questions, asked the way your customers ask them, before you forward your phone number or connect a channel. To have ChatPal book as well as answer, see booking from Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram.