How much does an AI receptionist cost? Pricing models compared
Per-minute plans, per-call pricing, answering services and a hire, run through one office's real numbers, plus the costs no pricing page shows.
The ModPhone Blog: AI Receptionist Guides & Comparisons
Guides, comparisons and pricing breakdowns from the team that builds ModPhone.
Latest articles
AI receptionist vs answering service: which one fits your office
An answering service takes a message. An AI receptionist answers, books and routes. Where each wins, what they cost, and how to decide in an afternoon.
AI receptionist for city hall: trash, permits, hours and payments
A 24/7 line for trash pickup, permits, bills and meetings: what it answers, why it never takes a card, and how to keep it current on storm days.
AI receptionist for auto repair shops: calls, quotes and booking
Booking the work, handling price questions, and what to do about "Is my car ready?" calls when the advisor is busy with a customer at the counter.
AI receptionist for accounting firms: handling tax season calls
What clients call about from January to April, which calls an AI receptionist can handle, what stays with a preparer, and how to keep client data out.
Will callers know it's an AI receptionist? Should you tell them?
Whether callers can tell, what Maine and Utah require, how to word the greeting, and how to make asking for a person work every time.
How to forward your business number to an AI receptionist
Keep your number and forward missed calls, every call, or after-hours calls to an AI receptionist. Setup, testing and what to do when codes don't work.
What to teach your AI receptionist before it goes live
A checklist of the facts, policies, links and rules your AI receptionist needs before real callers reach it, and where each one goes.
ModPhone vs Smith.ai: AI receptionist or live answering service
Smith.ai bills per call for live or AI receptionists. ModPhone is an AI receptionist billed monthly by the minute. Prices, trade-offs and who fits each.
ModPhone vs Ruby Receptionists: an AI receptionist alternative
Ruby's live receptionists bill by the minute, from $250 for 50 minutes. ModPhone's AI receptionist starts at $49 for 200. When a human is worth it.
ModPhone vs Goodcall: two ways to price an AI receptionist
Goodcall charges by unique caller with unlimited minutes; ModPhone charges by the minute. Worked examples show which AI receptionist costs less for you.
ModPhone vs Dialpad: AI receptionist vs business phone system
Dialpad is a per-user phone system with separately priced AI agents. ModPhone is an AI receptionist that answers your calls. Costs and how to use both.
ModPhone vs Quo (Sona): AI receptionist or phone system add-on
Quo is a per-user phone system whose Sona AI agent bills by the call. ModPhone is a standalone AI receptionist billed by the minute. Costs and differences.
ModPhone vs Synthflow: a Synthflow alternative for small offices
Synthflow now sells enterprise contracts from $30,000 a year. ModPhone is a self-serve AI receptionist from $49 a month. Which one fits your office.
ModPhone vs Retell AI and Vapi: build a voice agent or buy one
Retell and Vapi charge per minute for the parts of a voice agent you build. ModPhone is a finished AI receptionist. What each costs and who should build.
ModPhone vs Bland AI: AI receptionist or voice AI platform
Bland is a per-minute voice AI platform for developers and enterprises. ModPhone is a ready-made AI receptionist. Costs, trade-offs and who fits each.
ModPhone vs Rosie: AI receptionist plans and features compared
Rosie and ModPhone both start at $49 a month. Rosie gives more minutes; ModPhone puts booking, transfers and documents on its entry plan.
Are your phones costing you customers? A missed-call audit
A one-afternoon audit of missed, abandoned and after-hours calls using the call log you already have, plus what to fix first.
AI appointment scheduling: booking calls into Google or Outlook
How an AI receptionist books callers into Google Calendar or Outlook: availability, what to collect, confirmations, cancellations and double-booking.
Stop missing after-hours calls: what AI can handle and what waits
What people call about after hours, what an AI receptionist can finish overnight, what should wait or go to on-call staff, and how to route it.
AI receptionist for small business: what it does, what it costs
What an AI receptionist does on a call, what it costs next to a hire or an answering service, how setup works, and when it's the wrong choice.
AI virtual agent trends in 2026: what changed on the phone
Sub-second replies, mid-call language switching, agents that finish the task, texted links and new AI disclosure rules, with a source for each.
Questions to ask before you buy an AI receptionist or phone agent
Pricing and overage, editable knowledge, transfers, languages, recordings, data use and contract terms: what to ask any vendor, and how to test it.
AI agents by industry: what callers ask and what to hand off
What callers ask tax firms, school districts, city offices and auto shops, what an AI receptionist should finish, and what belongs with a person.
Beyond the hype: what an AI receptionist can and can't do today
What an AI receptionist handles well, which calls it should transfer, where it gets things wrong, and how to set limits it will follow.
Switching to an AI receptionist: what the first 30 days look like
Forwarding your line, reading the first call summaries, adding the facts it didn't know and adjusting transfers: month one, week by week.
Omnichannel AI: one agent for phone, text, email and web chat
One AI agent, one knowledge base and one inbox across phone, text, email and web chat. How it works in practice and what differs by channel.
AI phone automation for school districts and local government
Back-to-school, enrollment, snow days, tax bills: how districts and city offices use an AI phone agent for peaks, after hours and bilingual callers.
AI web chat on your website: what it answers and when to hand off
A chat widget that answers from the same knowledge as your phone agent. What visitors ask, when to hand off, and how to tell if it helps.
SMS agents: how an AI receptionist answers business texts 24/7
What people text a business about, what an AI text agent can answer, texting callers a link mid-call, and the opt-out and consent basics.
AI receptionist vs traditional IVR: when a phone menu still fits
A phone menu works when callers know who they want and someone answers. When to keep one, when to replace it, and how to keep your routing.
Frequently asked questions
What does the ModPhone blog cover?
AI receptionists, phone answering, text and web chat automation, and head-to-head comparisons with tools like Smith.ai and Ruby. Most posts start from questions our customers ask: how to stop missing calls, what it costs compared with hiring, and which vendors fit which kind of business.
Where should I start reading?
The comparison posts, which cover pricing and trade-offs. ModPhone vs Smith.ai and ModPhone vs Ruby are good first reads. New posts also go out on the RSS feed.