Best answering service for small business: 15 compared, live and AI
For a small business taking about 40 calls a month, the cheapest published live answering service we found is ReceptionHQ at about $125 with call transfers, followed by Continental Message Solution, Specialty Answering Service and PATLive at $150 to $189. AI answering costs $45 to $109 for the same month. The best one depends on whether callers need a person, whether you need appointments booked, and how your calls are counted. Below: 15 services priced from their own pages on October 4, 2026, which fits which business, the free trials, and the fine print that changes the bill.
The short version
- Cheapest live answering for about 40 calls: ReceptionHQ about $125 with transfers ($79 for messages only), then Continental Message Solution $150 per 28 days, Specialty Answering Service $159, PATLive $189.
- Cheapest AI answering for the same month: Smith.ai's AI Receptionist at $45, Dialzara about $48, Rosie $49.
- Free trials: Specialty Answering Service gives 2 weeks or 200 minutes with no card; PATLive 14 days; ReceptionHQ 7 days; Dialzara and Rosie 7 days.
- Read how minutes are counted: per second, per minute, per call or per 28 days changes the bill more than the headline price.
What is the best answering service for a small business?
The one that answers the way your callers need for the least money at your call volume. We priced two real months on each service's cheapest published plan that covers it, before taxes and add-ons: 40 calls averaging 2.5 minutes (100 minutes) and 100 calls averaging 3 minutes (300 minutes). Live services first; prices were read on each vendor's own page on October 4, 2026. We have not used these services.
| Live answering service | 40 calls | 100 calls | Counts by |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReceptionHQ (ReceptionistPlus) | About $125 ($80 for 25 calls plus 15 at $2.99) | $260 (100-call plan) | Calls; messages-only plan from $49 for 25 calls |
| Continental Message Solution | $150 per 28 days (100 minutes) | $575 per 28 days (500 minutes) | Minutes, billed every 28 days |
| Specialty Answering Service | $159 (100 minutes) | $384.20 (220 minutes plus 80 at $1.44) | Minutes |
| PATLive | $189 (100 minutes) | $479 (300 minutes) | Minutes |
| AnswerFirst | $190 to $225 ($30 plus $1.60 to $1.95 a minute) | $510 to $615 | Minutes, billed by the second |
| Posh | $215 (100 minutes) | $630 (200 minutes plus 100 at $2.10) | Minutes |
| Abby Connect | $329 (100 minutes) | $1,380 (500 minutes) | Minutes; AI minutes go twice as far |
| Ruby | $395 (100 minutes) | $1,725 (500 minutes) | Minutes |
| Smith.ai Virtual Front Desk | $415 ($300 for 30 calls plus 10 at $11.50) | $915 ($810 for 90 calls plus 10 at $10.50) | Calls |
| AnswerConnect | Not published; a form asks for your details first | Quote | |
| AI answering service | 40 calls (100 minutes) | What the plan includes, per its page |
|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $45 (25 calls free, then $3.00 a call) | Free plan of 25 calls a month |
| Dialzara | About $48 ($29 for 60 minutes plus 40 at $0.48) | Message taking with custom questions; 7-day free trial |
| Rosie | $49 (250 minutes) | Message taking and appointment links by text; calendar booking starts on the $149 plan |
| Goodcall | $79 ($66 a month billed yearly) | Unlimited minutes, 100 unique customers a month |
| AgentZap | $109 (150 minutes) plus a $499 one-time setup fee | Appointment scheduling and lead qualification |
Our reading of the tables: on price alone, ReceptionHQ is the cheapest live service for a small month and Specialty Answering Service stays cheap as minutes grow. If callers are mostly asking hours, prices and availability, AI costs a fraction of any live plan. The 100-call AI prices, and how each AI plan counts calls, are in how much an AI receptionist costs.
What is the best live answering service for small businesses?
It depends on what the person on the phone needs to do. Messages only: ReceptionHQ's message plan or Specialty Answering Service are the cheapest published options. Transfers and screening: ReceptionHQ's ReceptionistPlus or PATLive, which both list call transfers. Booking appointments on your calendar during the call: Smith.ai charges $1.50 a booking on top of its per-call price, so compare that against a minute plan before you choose.
| Your business | Start by comparing | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 calls a month, mostly messages | ReceptionHQ, Specialty Answering Service, an AI plan | Lowest published prices for a small month |
| Calls need a person and a transfer | ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus, PATLive | Both list call transfers; about $125 and $189 for 40 calls |
| Calls should end in a booked appointment | AI with calendar booking, or a live plan plus a booking fee | Booking is where AI saves the most |
| Busy month, 100 calls or more | ReceptionHQ, Specialty Answering Service, PATLive | $260 to $479 on published plans |
| Law firm or medical practice | legal answering services or medical answering service pricing | Intake and HIPAA terms matter more than price |
How much does an answering service typically cost?
For a small business, about $125 to $415 a month for 40 calls on the live plans above, and $45 to $109 with AI. The cheap answering services are cheap in different ways: ReceptionHQ prices per call, Specialty Answering Service and AnswerFirst per minute, and Continental Message Solution per 28 days, which means thirteen bills a year instead of twelve. AnswerFirst says it bills by the second, and that typical minute plans round every call up to the next full minute. The full fine print, including setup fees and overage, is in our answering service cost comparison.
Is there a free AI answering service for small businesses?
Yes, for very small volumes: Smith.ai's AI Receptionist has a free plan of 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call. Most others offer a free trial instead of a free plan: Dialzara and Rosie each list a 7-day free trial. On the live side, Specialty Answering Service gives "2 weeks or 200 minutes" with no credit card, PATLive offers 14 days on any plan, and ReceptionHQ answers "FREE for 7 days." Use the trial to call your own line at the hours you are closed and hear what a caller hears.
LeadSixty, listed last because it is ours. We set up and run an AI receptionist for small businesses: it answers every call in your name, books appointments on your calendar, texts back missed calls and follows up on leads, done for you rather than set up yourself. First 30 days free, then $297 a month. The cons: it costs more than the self-serve AI plans above, and it is AI, so a business whose callers expect a person every time should pick a live service from the first table.
Not sure live or AI fits your calls? On a free 30-minute Where AI Fits call we look at your call log by hour and tell you which option costs least, ours or someone else's.
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- Live pricing pages, read October 4, 2026: ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus and MessageExpress, Continental Message Solution, Specialty Answering Service, PATLive, AnswerFirst, Posh, Abby Connect, Ruby, Smith.ai, AnswerConnect.
- AI pricing pages, read the same day: Smith.ai AI Receptionist, Dialzara, Rosie, Goodcall, AgentZap.
Published October 4, 2026. Every price and quotation was read on the vendor's own page and checked again before publishing; monthly totals are our arithmetic, before taxes. Prices change, so confirm before you sign. See how we research and write. Found an error? Email hello@leadsixty.com.
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