AnswerConnect Pricing 2026: Plans, Fees and Contract Terms
Published . Updated . Prices checked October 12, 2026.
Key takeaways
- AnswerConnect starts at $350/month (200 minutes); 100 three-minute calls cost $395 (checked October 9, 2026).
- The public pricing path asks for contact details, but the direct plan page publishes prices.
- Its marketing promises no contract or notice period; the terms require a 90-day minimum and written notice.
- Whole-minute rounding includes hold, transfer and after-call work. Only the first 30 calls under 30 seconds each month are free.
- At 100 three-minute calls, AnswerConnect costs more than sister brand AnswerForce, but less than PATLive.
AnswerConnect starts at $350/month (200 minutes), and 100 three-minute calls a month cost $395 on its cheapest published plan for that volume (prices checked October 9, 2026). Its public pricing path asks for contact details; a separate direct plan page publishes the prices.
AnswerConnect pricing plans
Prices checked against AnswerConnect's own direct plan page on October 9, 2026.
| Plan | Price and allowance | Past the allowance | The math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $350/month for 200 minutes | $2.50 a minute | $350 ÷ 200 min = $1.75/min |
| Growth | $395/month for 300 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $395 ÷ 300 min = $1.32/min |
| Standard | $575/month for 400 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $575 ÷ 400 min = $1.44/min |
| 550 minutes | $795/month for 550 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $795 ÷ 550 min = $1.45/min |
| 750 minutes | $1,050/month for 750 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $1,050 ÷ 750 min = $1.40/min |
| 950 minutes | $1,325/month for 950 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $1,325 ÷ 950 min = $1.39/min |
| 1,200 minutes | $1,625/month for 1,200 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $1,625 ÷ 1,200 min = $1.35/min |
| 1,500 minutes | $2,025/month for 1,500 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $2,025 ÷ 1,500 min = $1.35/min |
| 2,500 minutes | $3,375/month for 2,500 minutes | $1.85 a minute | $3,375 ÷ 2,500 min = $1.35/min |
| 5,000 minutes | $6,650/month for 5,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $6,650 ÷ 5,000 min = $1.33/min |
| 7,500 minutes | $9,950/month for 7,500 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $9,950 ÷ 7,500 min = $1.33/min |
| 9,000 minutes | $11,950/month for 9,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $11,950 ÷ 9,000 min = $1.33/min |
| 15,000 minutes | $19,950/month for 15,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $19,950 ÷ 15,000 min = $1.33/min |
| 25,000 minutes | $33,150/month for 25,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $33,150 ÷ 25,000 min = $1.33/min |
| 50,000 minutes | $66,250/month for 50,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $66,250 ÷ 50,000 min = $1.32/min |
| 100,000 minutes | $132,950/month for 100,000 minutes | $1.75 a minute | $132,950 ÷ 100,000 min = $1.33/min |
Source: answerconnect.com/plans-direct, read Oct 9, 2026. AnswerConnect's direct plan page lists these plans. Its linked pricing PDF carries the same plan list and add-ons (both read October 9, 2026).
The public View Pricing page shows a form headed "Get your quote" with name, company, email and phone fields before the "View Plans & Pricing" button. The /plans page also shows the form. The separate /plans-direct page displays the plan table without it. AnswerConnect's terms say your plan terms "are shown in the confirmation email you received following sign-up" (terms of service, read October 7, 2026).
What AnswerConnect costs at 50, 100 and 200 calls
| Calls a month | Monthly cost | Per call | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $350 | $7.00 a call | $4,200 |
| 100 | $395 | $3.95 a call | $4,740 |
| 200 | $887.50 | $4.44 a call | $10,650 |
Our arithmetic: the cheapest published plan for each volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls. Taxes, setup fees and add-ons are excluded. How we price.
At 100 calls, Growth covers the modeled usage at $395/month for 300 minutes. At 50 calls, Entry costs $350. At 200 calls, the 550-minute plan plus overage costs $887.50. These figures assume each call uses exactly three billed minutes; rounding and after-call work can raise actual usage.
How AnswerConnect counts a minute
- Billing unit: Per minute
- Rounding: Whole minute, rounded up
- Billed beyond talk time: Hold, transfers and patches, after-call work; chat and outbound calls use the same minutes
- Spam and short calls: Only the first 30 calls under 30 seconds each month are free
The terms say: "You acknowledge that you will be charged in whole-minute increments, and that any partial minutes will be rounded up to the nearest whole minute." (terms of service, read October 7, 2026). The billing guide includes "any after-call work our receptionists complete to process your message." The terms also count "hold time and time spent patching a customer call forward." Queue time before a receptionist answers is not billed (same guide, read October 7, 2026). See per-minute vs flat-rate pricing.
Setup fees, add-ons and contract
- Setup fee: $49.99 on Entry and Standard; none on Growth
- Contract: 90-day minimum, then written notice; a partial month is billed in full
- Trial: None published
The direct plan page distinguishes Entry and Standard from Growth on setup fees. Its invoice guide says, "When we waive the setup fee, it still appears on your invoice." (read October 7, 2026). The PDF says larger plans include a one-time setup fee. Confirm the fee on the plan you choose.
The PDF lists paid Spanish answering, transcriptions, phone menu routing, outbound follow-up and live operator relay. The bilingual page calls Spanish routing "a small additional charge per month" (read October 7, 2026). These add-ons are excluded from the cost table. Compare bilingual answering service pricing.
The Why page says "No fixed contract. We don't need a commitment"; the PDF says there is no contract or notice period. The terms instead say, "This Agreement will be in effect for a minimum period of 90 calendar days." After that, either party may terminate upon written notice. They charge "for each whole or partial month during which this Agreement remains in effect" (read October 7, 2026). Ask for the minimum, notice procedure and final billing date in writing.
The catch
- Short calls stop being free. The first 30 calls under 30 seconds in a billing cycle are free. The wrong-number guide says additional short calls "will start counting toward your bill" (read October 7, 2026). Longer spam calls use minutes.
- Overage can hit before month end. The billing guide says the card can be charged before the cycle ends once overage reaches its stated threshold (read October 7, 2026). Overage rates vary by plan above.
- Coverage may shift regions. AnswerConnect says calls can overflow to the UK or Canada during peak hours (help center, read October 7, 2026).
See answering service hidden fees for the wider fee comparison.
AnswerConnect against other live services
| Service | Billing unit | Entry plan | 50 calls/mo | 100 calls/mo | 200 calls/mo | Overage | Contract | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnswerConnect | Per minute | $350/month (200 minutes) | $350 | $395 | $887.50 | $1.75 to $2.50 a minute | 90-day minimum, then written notice; a partial month is billed in full | answerconnect.com/plans-direct, read Oct 9, 2026 |
| AnswerForce | Per minute | $349/month (200 minutes) | $349 | $389 | $854 | $1.85 to $2.00 a minute | 90-day minimum (the help center says month-by-month) | answerforce.com/plans-direct, read Oct 7, 2026 |
| Go Answer | Per minute | $175/month (100 minutes) | $262.50 | $345 | $700 | $1.25 to $1.75 a minute | "Cancel anytime", but the FAQ asks for 30 days written notice; no proration | goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Specialty Answering Service | Per minute or per call | $44/month (pay per use at $1.54/min) | $231 | $384.20 | $783 | $1.09 to $1.44 a minute | Three cancellation rules on the site and a fourth in the terms; no proration | specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| PATLive | Per minute | $49/month (pay per use at $2.99/min) | $293.50 | $479 | $938 | $1.49 to $2.29 a minute | Month-to-month | patlive.com/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus | Per call | $35/month (pay per use at $2.99/call) | $135 | $260 | $505 | $2.99 a call | Month-to-month; email 3 days before renewal | receptionhq.com/service/live-call-answering/virtual-receptionist, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Ruby | Per minute | $250/month (50 minutes) | $620 | $1,160 | $2,125 | $3.30 to $5.40 a minute | 30-day contract that renews automatically | ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists | Per call | $300/month (30 calls) | $530 | $915 | $1,965 | $8.50 to $11.50 a call | Cancel 30 days before the cycle ends or the next month is billed; annual plans prepaid and non-refundable | smith.ai/pricing/receptionists, read Oct 12, 2026 |
Same model for each row: 3-minute calls and each vendor's cheapest published plan at that volume. Setup fees, add-ons and taxes are excluded. ReceptionHQ bills per call and can charge for transfers. How we price.
At 100 three-minute calls, AnswerForce costs $389, less than AnswerConnect's $395, despite sharing AnywhereWorks ownership. Go Answer, Specialty Answering Service and ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus also cost less at that volume. PATLive, Ruby and Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists cost more. The AnswerConnect alternatives page covers switching; PATLive vs AnswerConnect compares the two directly.
Comparison cost of each live answering service at 100 calls
Monthly plans or upfront prepaid credits, 3-minute calls, lowest first
No published price at 100 calls: Answering Legal (quote only), Nexa (quote only).
One owner, different plan terms
AnswerConnect, AnswerForce and LEX Reception each name AnywhereWorks, Inc. as their contracting company (AnswerConnect terms, AnswerForce terms, LEX terms, read October 7, 2026). ServiceForge's terms name the same company (read October 9, 2026). Changing brands within that group is not changing owners.
Their terms differ. LEX's US agreement continues month to month until either party ends it; AnswerConnect sets a 90-day minimum. AnswerForce's bilingual FAQ says bilingual answering is part of the monthly plan, and LEX says all plans include English and Spanish support (read October 7, 2026). AnswerConnect charges an add-on for Spanish routing. The ownership map lists related brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does AnswerConnect cost per month?
It starts at $350/month (200 minutes). At 100 three-minute calls, the cheapest published plan costs $395; at 200 calls, $887.50 (checked October 9, 2026). The public pricing path is a form, while the direct plan page publishes the list.
Does AnswerConnect have a contract?
Yes. Its terms set a 90-day minimum, then require written notice. A partial month is billed in full. Its marketing and pricing PDF describe the arrangement differently, so get the agreement and final billing date in writing.
Does AnswerConnect charge a setup fee?
Setup fee: $49.99 on Entry and Standard; none on Growth. A waived fee can still appear on the invoice with an offsetting credit.
Does AnswerConnect charge for spam calls?
The first 30 calls under 30 seconds each month are free, including spam and wrong numbers. After that, short calls count; longer calls are billed under its minute rule.
How does AnswerConnect round calls?
It rounds each answered call up to the next whole minute. Hold, transfer and after-call work can add billable time; queue time before an agent answers does not.
Does AnswerConnect offer a free trial?
Trial: None published. The AnswerConnect pages we read did not publish trial terms.
Is AnswerConnect the same company as AnswerForce and LEX Reception?
Yes. All three name AnywhereWorks, Inc. in their US terms. Their plan prices and some terms differ, including LEX's contract length.
Is this the same as CCH AnswerConnect?
No. CCH AnswerConnect is a tax research product. This page covers the answering service sold by AnywhereWorks, Inc.
How these prices were read
Every price on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page, on the date in its Source cell, and saved as a dated capture. Monthly plans use the cheapest published plan plus overage at 3-minute calls. AnswerAmerica shows the least upfront prepaid credit purchase covering that call volume; unused credits roll over. Vendors that hide prices stay in the tables as quote only. We do not test answering quality and publish no ratings.
Sources
Vendor pricing and terms pages, from the price index
- AnswerConnect: answerconnect.com/plans-direct (read October 9, 2026); answerconnect.com/termsofservice (read October 7, 2026)
- AnswerForce: answerforce.com/plans-direct (read October 7, 2026); answerforce.com/termsofservice (read October 7, 2026)
- Go Answer: goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist (read October 12, 2026); goanswer.io/terms-conditions (read October 7, 2026)
- PATLive: patlive.com/pricing (read October 12, 2026); patlive.com/terms-of-use (read October 7, 2026)
- ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus: receptionhq.com/service/live-call-answering/virtual-receptionist (read October 12, 2026); receptionhq.com/call-answering-service-terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Ruby: ruby.com/plans-and-pricing (read October 12, 2026); ruby.com/terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists: smith.ai/pricing/receptionists (read October 12, 2026); smith.ai/receptionists/terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Specialty Answering Service: specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing (read October 12, 2026); specialtyansweringservice.net/terms (read October 7, 2026)
Other pages quoted
- AnswerConnect direct plans, read October 9, 2026
- AnswerConnect pricing PDF, read October 9, 2026
- AnswerConnect public pricing form, read October 9, 2026
- AnswerConnect terms of service, read October 7, 2026
- AnswerConnect billing guide, read October 7, 2026
Changes to these prices
- Added AnswerForce published 1,200, 1,500, 2,000, 3,500, 5,000 and 10,000-minute plans from the pricing page JavaScript captured October 7, 2026. Each lists $1.85 per additional minute or chat. A prior pass missed these plans because its text capture stopped at 1,000 minutes.
- AnswerConnect and LEX Reception priced from their own /plans-direct pages, including setup fees and larger plans. PATLive added its 2,000 to 5,000-minute tiers. AnswerAmerica added with exact prepaid credit packages; comparison costs show the least upfront package purchase covering the call volume, with unused credits rolling over. Its terms charge wrong numbers and hangups, contrary to its price page. ReceptionHQ MessageExpress named in full. Specialty Answering Service cancellation summary and setup-fee summaries corrected. AI product terms added for Go Answer, Moneypenny and Smith.ai. The initial AnswerForce text capture appeared to stop at 1,000 minutes; the larger plans were later found in saved page JavaScript.
- Published plans that were on pages already read but missing here. ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus added as its own live row (messages and call transfers, no scope note; read October 5, 2026): from $35 a month plus $2.99 a call to $2,440 for 1,000 calls, from its ReceptionistPlus page and the price table in ReceptionHQ's terms (read October 7, 2026), with its own billing terms ($0.30 a call after hours, $0.30 per transfer). ReceptionHQ (MessageExpress, still message-taking only): 150, 250, 350 and 450 calls ($250, $395, $540 and $675) from the same terms table. Specialty Answering Service: 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 minutes ($2,929, $5,649 and $10,599, overage $1.19 to $1.09 a minute) from its pricing page (read October 5, 2026), and hold time added to what its per-minute billing covers, from its rates page (read October 7, 2026). Go Answer: 1,700, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 minutes ($1,870, $2,750, $5,500 and $11,000, overage $1.40 and $1.25 a minute) from its pricing page (read October 5, 2026). Ruby: 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 minutes ($4,945, $6,400 and $7,875, overage $3.50 to $3.30 a minute) from its help center (read October 7, 2026).
- Plans and rates that were on the captured pages but missing here: My AI Front Desk overage $0.25 a minute (25 credits at $0.01), Go Answer 750 minutes ($825), AnswerForce 800 minutes ($1,069), ReceptionHQ MessageExpress 400 and 500 calls ($610 and $725), and ReceptionHQ's $0.20 after-hours surcharge per MessageExpress call.
- Billing terms added for 18 providers from their terms, FAQ and help pages (read October 7, 2026): billing unit, rounding, time billed beyond the call, spam billing, setup fee, contract and trial. Alert Communications added (law firms only, kept out of the ranges). AnswerForce prices added from its /plans-direct page (Intro $349 for 200 minutes, Best value $389 for 300). VoiceNation now redirects to Moneypenny.
- Ruby: overage rates added from its help center ($5.40/min on the 50-minute plan down to $3.65 on 1,000 minutes), plus the 350, 750 and 1,000 minute plans published there. Ruby's pricing page still shows no overage rate. Abby Professional overage corrected to $2.99 per Abby Minute (its terms and help center), from $3.00 computed as price divided by minutes.
- Sameday AI added (home services only, read October 5, 2026): Launch from $449/month with 500 minutes, Scale from $789/month with 1,000 minutes. Like Slang.ai, it is listed but kept out of the category ranges because it serves one vertical.
- First edition: 30 providers read from their own pricing pages. AnswerConnect, AnswerForce, LEX Reception, Answering Legal and Nexa ask for a form or a sales call before showing a price, so they are listed as quote only. VoiceNation publishes the same plan table as Moneypenny (US), so that table is listed once, under Moneypenny.
Download the data
The first table on this page (CSV, 16 rows). The full price index (CSV), free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
How to cite this page
AnsweringPrices.com, AnswerConnect Pricing 2026: Plans, Fees and Contract Terms, prices checked October 12, 2026, https://www.answeringprices.com/answerconnect/pricing/