Answering service comparison
Answering service comparison (2026): Smith.ai vs Ruby vs AnswerConnect vs AI receptionists
Fifteen services that will pick up your phone, priced three different ways. One table, the same three call volumes, and the fine print read for you.
7-day free trial on every plan · No per-minute charges · Competitor facts verified September 2026
Answering services bill in one of three ways, and the model matters more than the headline. Per-minute services (Ruby, AnswerConnect, Posh, PATLive, Moneypenny's people plans) charge for receptionist time, so long calls, hold time and after-call work all cost money and short spam calls often do too. Per-call services (Smith.ai, Moneypenny AI, Goodcall's unique callers) charge the same for a 30-second message and a 40-minute intake. Flat services (Rosie's bundles, Slang.ai per location, Ody per user) charge a fixed monthly price. The other line that decides your real bill is 'phone system included'. Almost every service here sits on top of a phone bill you keep paying; the few that include a phone system replace it.
THE MASTER TABLE
Every answering service, one table.
Cost columns assume three minutes per answered call where a service bills per minute, so 50 calls is 150 minutes, 100 calls is 300 and 200 calls is 600. For each volume we use the cheapest plan plus overage that covers it, at the vendor's published rates as of September 2026. Figures exclude taxes, setup fees (AnswerConnect $49.99, AnswerForce $75-99, Moneypenny AI $99), per-call add-ons (Smith.ai booking $1.50, text follow-up $0.50, recording $0.25), number fees (Dialzara $3-5/mo) and any human-transfer charges on AI plans. Where a vendor hides prices (Nexa, AnswerForce) the figures are reviewer-reported and marked approximate. Ody's cost is its Starter plan for one user, $19/mo, at every volume, because the AI receptionist is included with no minutes or credits.
| Provider | Pricing model | Starting price | Overage | Coverage hours | Business phone system included | Books appointments | 50 calls/mo | 100 calls/mo | 200 calls/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ody | Per user, flat | $19/user/mo ($15 annual) | None | 24/7, included | ✓ | ✓ | $19/mo | $19/mo | $19/mo |
| Ruby | Per receptionist minute | $250/mo | $3.30-5.40/min, billed in arrears | 24/7/365 included; bilingual and outbound assists weekdays 5am-6pm PT | Hosted line + app; not a multi-user phone system | ✓ | $620 | $1,160 | $2,125 |
| AnswerConnect | Per minute | $350/mo + $49.99 setup | $1.85-2.50/min, charged as accrued | 24/7/365 included | — | Yes (Setmore native) | $350-395 | $395 | $888-945 |
| AnswerForce | Per minute | ~$349/mo (unpublished) | ~$1.85-2.00/min | 24/7/365 included | — | Yes (Setmore native) | ~$349 + $75 setup | ~$389 | ~$854 |
| VoiceNation | Per minute | $165/mo | $1.67-2.28/min | 24/7/365 included | — | ✓ | $371 | $613 | $1,152 |
| Posh | Per minute | $65/mo PAYG | $1.90-2.30/min | 24/7/365 included | — | ✓ | $323 | $630 | $1,170 |
| Nexa | Per minute, quote-only | Not published | 'Base rate', undisclosed | 24/7/365 included | — | ✓ | ~$113-225 + setup (reported) | ~$225-450 (reported) | ~$450-900 (reported) |
| PATLive | Per minute | $49/mo PAYG | $1.54-2.99/min | 24/7/365 included | Yes, a cloud phone platform is bundled free | ✓ | $294 | $479 | $938 |
| Smith.ai | Per call | $300/mo human; $150/mo AI | $8.50-11.50/call human; ~$2.17-3.00/call AI | 24/7 included at the same per-call price | — | Yes, $1.50/call add-on on human plans; included on AI | $530 human / ~$150 AI | $915 human / ~$270 AI | $1,965 human / ~$385 AI |
| Abby Connect | Per Abby Minute | $165/mo | At plan rate, ~$2.76-3.30/min | Business hours, extended, or 24/7, no upcharge | — | ✓ | $494 human / $165-329 AI | $899 human / $329 AI | $1,656 human / $599 AI |
| Moneypenny | Per minute / per call | $165/mo people; $69/mo AI | $1.67-2.28/min people; $1.69-2.39/call AI | 24/7/365 on both product lines | — | ✓ | $371 people / $99 AI | $613 people / $199 AI | $1,152 people / $418 AI |
| Rosie | Per minute bundles | $49/mo | Automatic tier upgrade, no published rate | 24/7, handles simultaneous calls | — | Appointment links (Professional); direct calendar booking (Scale+) | $49 | $149 (auto-upgraded) | $149 |
| Goodcall | Per agent, per unique caller | $79/agent/mo | $0.50 per unique caller | 24/7 | — | Yes, via calendar integrations | $79 | $79 (at cap) | $129 |
| My AI Front Desk | Per account + credits | $99/mo | $0.25/min voice via credits | 24/7 | — | Yes, native scheduling and reminders | $99 | ~$114 | ~$189 |
| Dialzara | Per minute bundles | $29/mo | $0.35-0.48/min by tier | 24/7, multiple concurrent callers | — | Yes, calendar sync on Pro+ | $72 Lite / $99 Pro | $135 | $239 |
| Slang.ai | Per location, flat | From $399/location/mo | None; re-tiered if usage exceeds the tier | 24/7 | — | Yes, native reservations in OpenTable, SevenRooms, Yelp | $399 flat | $399 flat | $399 flat |
Human receptionists
People answer in your business name, take messages, book appointments and transfer calls, 24/7 in every case here. You pay per receptionist minute, from about $1.85 (AnswerConnect overage) to $5.40 (Ruby), usually with whole-minute rounding and hold time billed. Ruby is the premium all-inclusive option, PATLive the transparent one that bundles a phone platform, Posh the lowest entry price; AnswerConnect, AnswerForce and Nexa gate pricing behind a form.
Human + AI hybrids
One subscription, both kinds of receptionist. Smith.ai bills per call with a separate AI tier and about $3 per AI-to-human transfer. Abby Connect counts an AI-answered minute as half an Abby Minute, so routing routine calls to AI stretches a plan up to 2x. Moneypenny sells human minute bundles and per-call AI Answering side by side. Hybrids fit firms that want people on sensitive calls and AI on the rest.
Standalone AI receptionists
AI answers every forwarded call, 24/7, with no human fallback. Prices start far lower: Dialzara from $29 for 60 minutes, Rosie $49 for 250, Goodcall $79 per agent with unlimited minutes, My AI Front Desk $99 for 200 minutes, Slang.ai from $399 per restaurant location. Watch the overage mechanics: Rosie auto-upgrades your plan, Goodcall counts unique callers, Dialzara publishes per-minute rates. None is a phone system for your team.
EVERYTHING INCLUDED
The whole phone system,
with the AI built in. One price.
Scroll through what every Ody workspace ships with: a number, calling and texting, a shared inbox, and a receptionist that never clocks out.
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