Cost guide
What does an answering service actually cost?
“Answering service,” “virtual receptionist,” and “AI receptionist” get used almost interchangeably, but they’re priced differently and they do different jobs. Here’s how each one bills you, what actually drives the number, and where a flat-rate option like Opulentus fits.
Four ways phone coverage gets sold.
Same problem, four different products, four different pricing models.
Live answering service
A real person answers, and you pay by the minute or the call.
A trained agent answers your phone, takes a message or books an appointment, and passes it to you. You pay for a tier of included minutes or calls, then an overage rate once you go over. Ruby prices by the minute ($250/mo for 50 minutes up to $1,725/mo for 500, checked 2026-09-17); Smith.ai prices by the call ($300/mo for 30 calls, $11.50 per extra call, checked 2026-09-17).
AI receptionist
Software talks to the caller, and you pay by the minute.
A voice AI answers and holds a conversation with the caller. It's priced like a live answering service: a tier of monthly minutes, then overage. Rosie runs $49/mo for 250 minutes up to $299/mo for 2,000 minutes (checked 2026-09-17). Some vendors sell it as an add-on to a phone system instead of on its own, which changes what you're really comparing.
Phone system add-on
You buy seats first, then add the receptionist.
Field-service and phone-system platforms sell an AI receptionist as a line item on top of a per-user plan. Jobber's add-on is $29/mo on top of a $29 to $399/mo plan (checked 2026-09-17); Nextiva's XBert add-on sits on a $15 to $75/user/mo phone plan (checked 2026-09-17). You're paying for the platform whether you use the receptionist or not.
Missed call text back
Nobody answers. A text goes out instead, flat rate.
Your phone still rings. When you miss it, the caller gets a text from your business in seconds instead of a live answer. This is Opulentus's model: one flat monthly price, no per-minute or per-call charge, and no seats to buy first.
What actually drives the bill.
Minutes and calls
Live answering and AI receptionist plans are built around a tier of included minutes or calls. A busy month, a long-winded caller, or a slow front desk pushes you into overage, and overage rates are where the real cost usually lives, not the sticker price on the plan.
Seats and users
Phone-system add-ons charge per user, so the receptionist add-on rides on top of a bill that grows with your team, even if only one line ever needs it.
Setup and contracts
Some vendors add a one-time setup fee or ask for an annual commitment for their best price. Check both before you compare a monthly number against another vendor's.
What's included per plan
A flat monthly rate, like Opulentus's, doesn't have a minutes counter. The tradeoff is the other direction: it doesn't put a person on the phone with your caller either. Compare what each price actually buys, not just the number.
When each one is worth it.
A real person answering the phone is a different product from a text, not a worse one. Which one is worth the money depends on what your callers need.
A live answering service is worth it when
- Callers need an answer while they're still on the phone, not a text back later.
- Many of your callers use landlines or don't text.
- You want a live person representing your business on every call, every time.
- Your call volume is steady enough to predict which tier you need.
An AI receptionist is worth it when
- You want live coverage around the clock without paying a human team's rates.
- Your callers are comfortable talking to a voice system.
- Call complexity is low enough for a script to actually handle it.
Missed call text back is worth it when
- You miss calls because you're working, not because you're ignoring them.
- You'd rather reply yourself, when you're free, than have someone else speak for you.
- You want a flat bill that doesn't move with call volume.
- You want to keep the number your customers already call.
A phone-system add-on is worth it when
- You're already buying the platform for other reasons (dispatch, invoicing, CRM).
- You have several users who'd use the receptionist feature, not just one line.
The models side by side.
Every price below is what the vendor published on its own site, checked 2026-09-17. Some vendors (AnswerConnect) gate pricing behind a quote form, so only the model is shown for those, not a number.
| Model | How it's priced | Example, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Live answering service | Per minute or per call, in tiers, plus overage | Ruby $250–$1,725/mo; Smith.ai $300–$2,100/mo; ReceptionHQ from $25/mo |
| Live answering (quote-gated) | Per minute, plan details behind a sales quote | AnswerConnect: no price published on its own site as of 2026-09-17 |
| AI receptionist | Per minute, in tiers, plus overage | Rosie $49–$299/mo |
| Phone-system add-on | Flat add-on fee on top of a per-user plan | Jobber $29/mo add-on on $29–$399/mo plans; Nextiva XBert on $15–$75/user/mo plans |
| Phone system with auto-reply | Per user, auto-reply texts included, no answering | Quo $19–$47/user/mo |
| Missed call text back | Flat monthly rate, no per-minute or per-call charge | Opulentus $129–$169/mo, plans below |
Sources, checked 2026-09-17: ReceptionHQ, Ruby, Smith.ai, Rosie, Nextiva, Jobber, Housecall Pro, Quo, and AnswerConnect. Prices change. Confirm on the vendor's own site before you decide.
Where Opulentus fits.
Opulentus doesn't answer your phone. It doesn't talk to callers, and it isn't AI. When you miss a call, the caller gets a text back from your business in seconds, answers the questions you set, and you get the lead. Your phone rings the way it always has.
One flat price
No minutes counter, no per-call overage.
$169/mo month-to-month, $139/mo on a 12-month plan billed monthly, or $1,548 a year on a 12-month plan billed annually. Prices in USD. Every plan includes the same features.
Two weeks free
Try it on your real calls first.
A card is required to start the 14-day trial. Cancel during the trial and you’re not charged. Billing starts on day 15, at the plan you picked.
Full plan details, the side-by-side plan table, and the FAQ on billing live on the pricing page.
Cost questions people ask.
What is the average cost for an answering service?
It depends on the model. Live, per-minute answering services published from about $250/mo for a low tier of minutes to $1,725/mo or more for a high tier (Ruby, checked 2026-09-17). Some price per call instead of per minute, from about $300/mo for 30 calls (Smith.ai, checked 2026-09-17). Entry-level message-taking plans start lower, around $25 to $35/mo, with a per-call overage once you're past the included calls (ReceptionHQ, checked 2026-09-17). There's no single average: the number depends entirely on your call volume and which model you pick.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
"Virtual receptionist" gets used for a few different products. Some are live, per-minute services priced like the answering services above. Some are AI voice receptionists, priced by the minute or bundled into a phone system as an add-on. ReceptionHQ's virtual-assistant tiers start around $49/mo with minutes included and a per-minute overage after that (checked 2026-09-17). Ask any vendor exactly what's included before you compare a number.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
AI receptionists are usually priced by the minute, in monthly tiers. Rosie runs $49/mo for 250 minutes up to $299/mo for 2,000 minutes (checked 2026-09-17). Some phone systems sell an AI receptionist as an add-on instead of a standalone product: Nextiva's XBert add-on rides on top of a $15 to $75/user/mo phone plan (checked 2026-09-17), and Jobber's AI Receptionist add-on is $29/mo on top of a Jobber plan (checked 2026-09-17). Opulentus is not an AI receptionist: it doesn't talk to callers. It sends a text.
Is there a free answering service available?
Not one worth trusting your calls to on an ongoing basis. Every vendor we checked, including Opulentus, is a paid product, though most offer a trial: ReceptionHQ (7 days, no card) and Rosie (7 days) both let you try before you pay. Opulentus is not free either. It's a 14-day trial, card required at signup, and you're not charged if you cancel during the trial.
Is there a free AI answering service for small businesses?
Not a real one. "Free AI receptionist" results are usually a trial period on a paid plan, a free tier of a broader tool with hard limits, or a lead-gen page for a paid product. Check the vendor's own pricing page for the actual terms before you sign up anywhere, including here.
What is the cheapest AI phone answering service?
Among the AI-specific vendors we checked, Rosie's $49/mo Professional plan (250 minutes) was the lowest published AI receptionist price (checked 2026-09-17). Cheapest isn't automatically best: check what happens once you go over the included minutes, since overage is where these bills grow.
2 weeks free on every plan
Skip the per-minute bill. Try the flat rate.
Your card isn’t charged for the first 14 days, and you can cancel during the trial. Billing starts after, on the plan you choose. The 12-month plans are yearly agreements: no cancelling mid-term and no refunds.
Monthly
$169USD/mo after your free trial
Month-to-month. No long-term commitment.
Card required. Cancel during the 14-day trial and you won’t be charged. Billing starts on day 15 at $169/mo.
12-month, billed monthly
$139USD/mo after your free trial
12-month agreement, billed monthly.
Card required. Cancel during the 14-day trial and you won’t be charged. Billing starts on day 15 at $139/mo.
12-month, billed annually
$129USD/mo after your free trial
12-month agreement, billed annually at $1,548.
Card required. Cancel during the 14-day trial and you won’t be charged. Billing starts on day 15 at $1,548/yr.