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Virtual receptionist services: live people vs AI, with real prices
A virtual receptionist answers your phone when you can't, so the caller doesn't hang up and call the next company. You can hire live people or use an AI voice agent. Here's how they compare on cost and on what they handle well.
| Live virtual receptionist | AI virtual receptionist | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A trained person at an answering company | An AI voice agent trained on your business info |
| Published price example | Ruby: $250/mo for 50 min, $395/mo for 100 min | Dialzara: $29/mo for 60 min; Rosie: $49/mo for 250 min |
| Cost per included minute | $5.00 (Ruby's 50-minute plan) | $0.19–$0.49 on the entry plans shown below |
| Hours | Ruby: 24/7 including holidays | 24/7 |
| Best at | Upset callers, sensitive intake, judgment calls | Routine questions, taking details, after-hours, booking, high volume |
| Watch for | Minute bundles run out fast | Booking, transfers and Spanish often need a higher plan |
Per-minute figures are entry price ÷ included minutes from each company's pricing page (checked 2026-10-14). They exclude overage, taxes and add-ons.
What a month of calls looks like
Say you get 100 calls a month that last about 2 minutes each, so 200 minutes. On Ruby's published plans, 100 minutes is $395/mo, and the 200-minute price isn't in our data ("higher minute bundles available", per Ruby), so you'd need a quote. On AI plans, 200 minutes fits Rosie's $49 plan (250 min) or Telyn's $97 plan (200 min). Try your own numbers in the cost estimator.
AI virtual receptionist entry plans
| Service | Entry plan | Per included minute | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-Receptionist.com | $14 / 75 min | $0.19 | 7-day free trial, no card |
| Rosie | $49 / 250 min | $0.20 | 7-day free trial |
| Dialzara | $29 / 60 min | $0.48 | 7-day free trial |
| ViFi | $49 / 100 min | $0.49 | 7-day free trial, no card |
All of them: AI receptionist pricing table · Picks by situation: best AI receptionist
Choose live if…
- Calls are sensitive or emotional (legal, medical, emergencies)
- You take payments or detailed intake by phone
- Your volume is low and every call is high value
Want AI first with a person as backup? Smith.ai AI Receptionist has a free plan (25 calls/mo) and can transfer to live receptionists.
Paid links: some links on this site may earn us a commission at no cost to you. It never changes which tools we pick or what we say. Disclosure.
Questions owners ask
What is a virtual receptionist?
A virtual receptionist answers your business phone from somewhere else, so callers reach someone instead of voicemail. It can be a live person at an answering company or an AI voice agent. Both can take messages, answer common questions and, on many plans, book appointments.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
For live answering, Ruby publishes $250/mo for 50 minutes and $395/mo for 100 minutes. Minute-based AI receptionist entry plans we track mostly run $14 to $99/mo for 60 to 250 minutes. See the full pricing table.
Is an AI receptionist as good as a person?
For routine calls (hours, prices, taking details, booking) AI can handle a lot, all day and night. For upset callers, complicated intake or sales conversations, a person is usually better. Some services combine both: Smith.ai's AI plan can hand callers to live receptionists.
Can I get both?
Yes. Smith.ai AI Receptionist offers AI answering with transfers to live North America-based receptionists, and Ruby uses live receptionists with optional AI enhancements.