Cost calculator · scenario
What AI receptionists really cost at 1,000 inbound calls a month
At 1,000 inbound calls a month, the cheapest AI receptionist is Goodcall at $79/mo effective, and the most expensive is PATLive at $5,970/mo — across 18 priced AI receptionists the median effective cost is $474/mo. Each figure normalizes per-minute, per-call and flat billing from the vendor's own sourced, dated pricing (as of 2026-06-10).
As of Jun 10, 2026 · figures linked to their source in the table below
Sticker prices hide the real bill: included usage, overage rates and billing model decide what you actually pay. Here is the effective monthly cost of every priced AI receptionist at this volume, ranked cheapest first — each figure linked to the vendor's own page and the date we verified it.
| # | AI receptionist | Effective / mo | On plan | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goodcall | $79 | Starter | 2026-09-02 |
| 2 | Vapi | $150 | Build (Pay As You Go) | 2026-09-02 |
| 3 | NextPhone | $199 | Pro | 2026-09-02 |
| 4 | Loman | $199 | Starter | 2026-06-10 |
| 5 | Retell AI | $210 | Pay As You Go | 2026-09-02 |
| 6 | Synthflow | $270 | Pay As You Go | 2026-06-27 |
| 7 | Slang.ai | $399 | Core | 2026-09-02 |
| 8 | Bland | $420 | Start (Free) | 2026-09-02 |
| 9 | Trillet | $447 | Studio | 2026-09-02 |
| 10 | Thoughtly | $500 | Flex | 2026-09-02 |
| 11 | Upfirst | $579 | Scale | 2026-09-02 |
| 12 | AIRA | $579 | Scale | 2026-09-02 |
| 13 | My AI Front Desk | $745 | Free | 2026-06-27 |
| 14 | Phonely | $825 | Pro | 2026-09-02 |
| 15 | Dialzara | $1,049 | Business Elite | 2026-09-02 |
| 16 | ReceptionHQ | $2,015 | MessageExpress | 2026-09-02 |
| 17 | Smith.ai | $2,423 | Starter (self-service) | 2026-06-27 |
| 18 | PATLive | $5,970 | Pro | 2026-06-10 |
Need a different volume? Try 100, 200, 300, 500 , or the interactive cost calculator for your exact usage. Method + provenance on the methodology page.