The AI Receptionist Software
AI receptionist software answers your business calls, collects caller details and can book appointments without staff. This page compares 6 ready-made products and 3 build-it-yourself platforms by published pricing, setup and fit. Every fact comes from the vendor's own pages, with the date we checked.
Last checked: (each tool shows its own date). Not affiliated with the companies listed. Based on public information — not tested by us. None of these listings is sponsored.
Ready-made AI receptionist software compared
These are made for owners who want to sign up and go. All six have self-serve signup.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Easy-Start | Pricing summary (vendor) | Our label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | Small businesses and law firms that miss calls and want them answered and booked automatically. | Yes | 8/10 | AI Receptionist: Free $0/mo (25 real calls/mo, $3 per extra call); Pro from $150/mo (75 calls); Enterprise from $500/mo (300 calls); billed per call, month-to-month, 30 days' notice to cancel. Human receptionist plans from $300/mo | Based on public information — not tested |
| Goodcall | Small service businesses that miss calls and want an AI receptionist. | No | 6/10 | From $79/month (Starter, 100 unique customers/mo); Growth $129/mo; Scale $299/mo; Enterprise volume pricing | Based on public information — not tested |
| Rosie | Small service businesses that miss calls and want them answered and booked. | No | 8/10 | Professional $49/mo (250 minutes, appointment links by text); Scale $149/mo (1,000 minutes, books directly on your calendar, warm and live transfers); Growth $299/mo (2,000 minutes, waterfall transfers, custom training, white-glove onboarding). Annual billing gives 2 months free; 7-day free trial. | Based on public information — not tested |
| Upfirst | Small businesses that want an affordable AI receptionist priced per call — law firms, real estate, property management, contractors, salons, vets and more. | No | 8/10 | Starter $24.95/mo (30 calls, $1.50 per extra call), Premium $59.95/mo (90 calls, $1/extra), Pro $159.95/mo (300 calls, $0.75/extra), Scale $299/mo (600 calls, $0.70/extra), Custom above 600 calls; annual billing 20% off. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. | Based on public information — not tested |
| MyAIFrontDesk | Small service businesses that miss calls and want appointments booked automatically. | No | 6/10 | Business-in-a-Box $99/mo billed monthly or $79/mo billed annually; Partner/Enterprise custom; 7-day free trial | Based on public information — not tested |
| CloudTalk | Small and mid-size businesses that want their phone system and an AI receptionist in one place, covering after-hours and overflow calls and handing callers to staff with context. | No | 6/10 | Prices on the vendor page are shown in euros (a USD switch exists; USD amounts not confirmed). AI Receptionist: first 50 minutes free (no card, no minimum term), then minute bundles €99/month for 200 min, €199 for 500, €299 for 1,000, €699 for 2,500, or pay as you go €0.50/min; rolling monthly; no phone-system plan needed. AI Specialist (built with a CloudTalk consultant): from €349/month for 1,000 minutes, 3-month minimum. Phone plans per user: Starter €25/month annual or €34 monthly, Essential €29/€39, Expert €49/€69. Prices exclude tax; US/Canada customers pay an 11% compliance fee. | Based on public information — not tested |
Prices change. Confirm on each vendor's own pricing page.
Build-it-yourself platforms
These give you voice-agent building blocks, not a finished receptionist. They suit developers or teams with someone technical.
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Easy-Start | Pricing summary (vendor) | Our label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vapi | Developers and product teams building custom phone agents into their own software. | No | 8/10 | Pay as you go from $0 with $5 free credits ($0.05/min Vapi hosting plus provider costs, 1 free inbound US number); Core $29/mo prepaid; Pro 10% of hosting fee, $999/mo minimum; Premier custom | Based on public information — not tested |
| Retell AI | Businesses and developers building custom AI phone agents for support, booking or outbound calling. | No | 6/10 | Pay as you go: $0.07-$0.31/min for voice agents, $0.002+/message for chat agents; $10 in free credits to start; Enterprise custom | Based on public information — not tested |
| Dapta | Sales teams and businesses that want AI to call or WhatsApp every lead quickly, qualify them, book meetings and log the result in HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Salesforce or Google Sheets. | No | 6/10 | Pro $99/month (100k credits, 5 users). Scale Up $499/month (500k credits, assisted onboarding). Prime $1,499/month (1.5M credits, dedicated account manager). Custom: talk to sales. Usage billed in credits. | Based on public information — not tested |
How we compare
We list a tool only after checking it on the vendor's own site. Prices and features are the vendor's, shown with a last-checked date. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say "see vendor site" instead of guessing. Paid placements are never mixed into this order and never change it.
The tools at a glance
Smith.ai
AI receptionist that answers calls 24/7, qualifies callers and books appointments, with optional live human agents. Fit: Small businesses and law firms that miss calls and want them answered and booked automatically.
Watch out for: Free AI plan is limited to 25 real calls per month; human escalation costs extra. Setup: About 15 minutes (vendor).
Goodcall
AI phone agent that answers business calls, captures leads, books appointments and texts call details. Fit: Small service businesses that miss calls and want an AI receptionist.
Watch out for: No free plan; you can test a demo agent free but pay once a phone number is connected.
Rosie
AI answering service that answers business calls 24/7, books appointments and sends call summaries. Fit: Small service businesses that miss calls and want them answered and booked.
Watch out for: No free plan (7-day trial only); plans are capped by monthly minutes. Booking directly on your calendar and live/warm transfers start on the Scale plan ($149/mo); Professional only texts appointment links. US phone numbers only.
Upfirst
AI answering service for small businesses that answers calls 24/7, books appointments, texts callers, transfers calls and sends instant call summaries. Fit: Small businesses that want an affordable AI receptionist priced per call — law firms, real estate, property management, contractors, salons, vets and more.
Watch out for: Priced per answered call with overage fees ($0.70–$1.50 per extra call). White-glove onboarding and custom integrations only on Pro and Scale plans.
MyAIFrontDesk
AI receptionist that answers calls, texts and chats, qualifies leads and books appointments for small businesses. Fit: Small service businesses that miss calls and want appointments booked automatically.
Watch out for: Plan includes capped usage (e.g. 200 voice minutes/mo); overage billed per credit. Setup: Vendor says: "Go live in under 5 minutes".
CloudTalk
Business phone system with a built-in AI Receptionist that answers calls 24/7, answers FAQs from your own information, books appointments into Google or Outlook calendars, and routes callers to the right person. Fit: Small and mid-size businesses that want their phone system and an AI receptionist in one place, covering after-hours and overflow calls and handing callers to staff with context.
Watch out for: Prices are published in euros; check the dollar price at checkout. After the 50 free minutes you pay per minute bundle, so busy lines cost more. The AI Specialist tier needs sales and has a 3-month minimum. Appointment scheduling via SMS links is marked 'coming soon'. Custom integrations take 1–2 weeks according to the vendor. CloudTalk bills in advance with no refunds for partial months. Customers billed in the US or Canada pay an extra 11% compliance and administrative fee on the software subscription. Annual phone plans have a 12-month commitment. The vendor's customer results are not independently verified. Setup: Vendor says self-guided setup in under 5 minutes for the AI Receptionist; custom integrations take 1–2 weeks.
Vapi
Developer platform for building, testing and deploying voice AI agents that make and answer phone calls. Fit: Developers and product teams building custom phone agents into their own software.
Watch out for: Needs developer setup; total per-minute cost adds model, voice, transcription and telephony fees on top of Vapi hosting. Setup: Under 5 minutes for a first test call (vendor).
Retell AI
Platform for building, deploying and managing AI voice agents that handle inbound and outbound phone calls. Fit: Businesses and developers building custom AI phone agents for support, booking or outbound calling.
Watch out for: No free plan (only $10 starter credits); per-minute cost varies with the chosen LLM, voice and telephony. Setup: Vendor guide: "Build your first phone agent in 15 minutes".
Dapta
AI sales agent platform: voice agents that make and answer phone calls, WhatsApp and text agents, and workflows that qualify leads, book meetings and update your CRM. Fit: Sales teams and businesses that want AI to call or WhatsApp every lead quickly, qualify them, book meetings and log the result in HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Salesforce or Google Sheets.
Watch out for: No free plan listed; all usage runs on credits (an answered call costs 333 credits per minute; a US number about 1,380 credits/month). Plan pages don't state minutes per plan. Numbers outside the US are quoted by support. '2 minutes to your first agent' is a vendor claim.
Software vs a done-for-you service
Software is cheapest if you are happy to configure the greeting, calendar and call rules yourself. If you would rather have someone build and test it for you, our AI receptionist service for small businesses offers a free demo. It is our own service, linked here for your convenience.
What to check before you buy
- What is capped each month: minutes, calls or unique customers? What does extra use cost?
- Can it transfer a call to a person, and on which plan?
- Does it write to your calendar, and which one?
- Are callers told they are speaking to an AI, and how is call recording consent handled?
- Is there a free trial, and does it need a card?
- What happens to your phone number if you cancel?
Frequently asked questions
What is AI receptionist software?
It is software that answers your business calls (and in some products texts or chats), collects the caller's details, answers common questions and can book appointments, without a person on staff. Some products are ready-made for small businesses; others are developer platforms you build on.
What is the best AI receptionist software for a small business?
It depends on your call volume and how much setup you want to do. Ready-made products such as Smith.ai, Goodcall, Rosie, Upfirst and My AI Front Desk are aimed at small service businesses. Compare the table above on plan limits (minutes, calls or unique customers), setup, and what happens when the AI cannot help.
Is there a free AI receptionist?
In our directory, Smith.ai publishes a free AI plan of 25 real calls a month. Rosie, Upfirst, My AI Front Desk and CloudTalk list free trials instead, and Vapi and Retell AI offer starter credits. Free plans and trials have limits, so read the vendor's page.
AI receptionist software vs an answering service?
Software answers with AI at a fixed plan price, often per minute, call or customer. A human answering service uses people and usually costs more. Smith.ai sells both, with human receptionist plans from $300 a month. Ask any vendor what happens when the AI cannot help.
Do I need technical skills to set one up?
Not for the ready-made products, which have self-serve signup. Vapi and Retell AI are built for developers. If you would rather have someone install and test it, see the setup service linked below.
See also: AI receptionists: how they work and what they cost, AI phone answering services compared and the Voice and Phone category.
