Answering Service Cost Calculator 2026: Price Your Calls

As of October 12, 2026, the median live answering service costs $406 for 100 three-minute calls a month. Enter your monthly calls and average billed minutes per call to see each service's cheapest published plan, monthly cost, cost per call and yearly total.

Calculate answering service costs for your call volume

Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 12, 2026.

Calls a month

Average billed minutes per call

Billed minutes divided by calls, from your last three invoices. Rounding, time billed after the call, spam, taxes, fees and setup are not included.

Live answering services at 100 calls of 5 minutes

Service	Cheapest plan for this volume	Monthly or upfront	Per call	Yearly total
AnswerAmericaprepaid message taking, credits roll over	Prepaid credit packages	$150	$1.50	$1,430
ReceptionHQ MessageExpressmessages only, no transfers	MessageExpress 100	$170	$1.70	$2,040
ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus	ReceptionistPlus 100	$260	$2.60	$3,120
Go Answer	Virtual Receptionist 500	$550	$5.50	$6,600
Answering Service Care	Enterprise (500 minutes)	$639	$6.39	$7,668
MAP Communications	Premium (500 minutes)	$649	$6.49	$7,788
Specialty Answering Service	500 Minute	$649	$6.49	$7,788
AnswerForce	Growth (500 minutes)	$669	$6.69	$8,028
PATLive	500 minutes	$759	$7.59	$9,108
AnswerConnect	Standard (400 minutes)	$760	$7.60	$9,120
LEX Reception	Growth (500 minutes)	$775	$7.75	$9,300
AnswerFirst	Pay as you go	$830 to $1,005	$8.30 to $10.05	$9,960 to $12,060
Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists	90 calls	$915	$9.15	$10,980
Posh	Lavish (500 minutes)	$975	$9.75	$11,700
Moneypenny	500 minutes	$985	$9.85	$11,820
Alert Communicationslaw firms only	Alert Go (pay as you go)	$1,250	$12.50	$15,000
Abby Connectlive and AI	Growth (500 Abby Minutes)	$1,380	$13.80	$16,560
Ruby	500 minutes	$1,725	$17.25	$20,700

AnswerAmerica shows the upfront credit purchase needed for these calls. Unused credits roll over; its yearly figure prices the full year's calls from a new account. Quote only (live): Answering Legal, Nexa.

AI answering services at the same volume

Service	Cheapest plan for this volume	Monthly or upfront	Per call	Yearly total
Simple Phones	Entry	$97	$0.97	$1,164
Phonely	Starter	$125 to $155	$1.25 to $1.55	$1,500 to $1,860
My AI Front Desk	Business-in-a-Box	$174	$1.74	$2,088
Moneypenny AI	100 calls	$199	$1.99	$2,388
NextPhone	Pro	$199	$1.99	$2,388
Smith.ai AI Receptionist	Pro (75 calls)	$212.50	$2.13	$2,550
RingCentral AI Receptionist	Standalone	$249	$2.49	$2,988
Go Answer AI Receptionist	AI Receptionist 500	$425	$4.25	$5,100
Sameday AIhome services only	Launch	$449	$4.49	$5,388

Our arithmetic: each vendor's cheapest published plan for your volume plus its published overage. The calculator starts at five-minute calls. Taxes, pass-through fees, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.

The live and AI tables use the same inputs, but a call has a different billing meaning across services. A per-minute plan changes when you change billed call length. A per-call plan's base charge does not. The calculator gives the price of answering the entered calls, not a promise that every call type or feature fits a vendor's plan. Open the vendor's source before choosing a service.

How do I find my average billed minutes per call?

Add the billed minutes from your last three invoices, then divide by the number of calls those invoices charged. Use billed minutes, not the duration in your phone system. A receptionist may spend time after the caller hangs up, or a plan may round each call before adding the minutes. If your invoices split inbound calls, transfers and outbound dispatches, include every billed leg in the total.

If you have no invoices, start with the default five minutes and try a shorter and longer call. Compare the results as scenarios, not forecasts. A per-call service can limit how much intake it will do for one charge; a minute plan can bill for work outside the conversation. Per-minute versus flat-rate pricing explains where the billing models cross at named volumes.

What does the calculator's monthly cost mean?

For monthly plans, it selects the cheapest published plan that covers your entered usage, including published overage. For AnswerFirst, the vendor publishes a rate range without the usage bands that select a specific rate, so the calculator displays a range. A quote-only vendor appears without a computed cost. A published plan with no rate beyond its allowance may also become impossible to price at higher usage. Neither result is an estimate.

AnswerAmerica works differently: one credit buys one message-taking call. Its $150 at 100 calls is the package cash needed from a new account, while $1,430 covers a full year at the same monthly call count. Unused credits roll over. The yearly total is calculated from a year's purchases, because twelve separate new-account package purchases would overstate a rolling credit balance. The package page says "Credits Rollover" (read October 9, 2026). Its price page calls a larger credit purchase the minimum for a new account even though the package page lists a smaller refill; the index applies the published initial purchase minimum.

For a three-minute worked example, Go Answer's published cheapest plan costs $345 for 100 calls, or $3.45 a call. That is $4,140 if the same monthly usage repeats for a year and its price stays the same. Change the call length in the tool to see the plan change. Its pricing page is the source for the plans.

Which billing model fits your calls?

Message taking: AnswerAmerica sells prepaid credits and does not transfer calls on that plan. At 100 calls, its new-account cash outlay is $150. Its terms say "All calls will be charged one credit including hangups, wrong numbers and marketing calls" (terms, read October 9, 2026). Its price page says wrong numbers are free, so ask which rule will govern your account before buying credits. AnswerAmerica's price page and spam-call billing show the conflict.

Per-call monthly plan: ReceptionHQ MessageExpress costs $170 for 100 message-taking calls at the three-minute example length. MessageExpress does not include live transfers. ReceptionHQ's terms state that calls under five seconds are not deducted from the allowance (terms, read October 7, 2026). The same terms add a charge outside weekday core hours, including weekends. See ReceptionHQ pricing before treating the calculator result as an after-hours bill.

Per-minute live answering: Go Answer costs $345 and MAP Communications costs $403 at 100 three-minute calls. MAP's terms say a partial minute is rounded up to the next whole minute and time after the caller hangs up can be billed (terms, read October 7, 2026). The terms do not specify whether that rounding is applied per call or to the monthly total. Enter the billed average from an invoice if you have one.

AI answering: Smith.ai's AI plan costs $212.50 for 100 calls. Its base charge is per answered call, while a live agent's involvement carries a separate charge. Use live versus AI answering costs to compare what the call includes before choosing by price.

What costs are left out?

The tool computes published base plans and published overage. It does not add setup, telecom, taxes, card charges, holiday rates, Spanish options, transfers or other add-ons. It cannot predict which callers a vendor labels spam, how long after-call work takes, or the invoice effect of rounding. The tool also cannot turn a quote form into a price. Hidden fees lists the clauses to check against a proposal, and the price index provides the underlying rows.

When you request a quote, give the vendor your monthly call count, the billed average and the mix of nights, weekends, transfers and intake calls. Ask for the final recurring amount, one-time charges, billing increment and the rule for junk calls in writing. Then compare that offer with the calculator's published-plan result at the same usage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an answering service cost for 100 calls?

The median published live answering service costs $406 for 100 three-minute calls, with prices checked October 12, 2026. Your bill depends on the calls' billed length, the service type, fees and any plan restrictions. The full pricing guide explains the range.

Should I enter talk time or billed time?

Enter billed time. Divide the billed minutes on your last three invoices by the calls those invoices charged. Talk time can omit rounding, transfers and work done after the caller hangs up.

Why does a per-call plan stay the same when I change call length?

Its published base price is charged per answered call rather than per minute. A vendor may limit the work or length included in one call, so check its terms before assuming a long intake costs the same. The calculator does not add unpublished charges.

Why is a vendor missing a calculated price?

Some vendors require a quote, while some publish a plan without enough information to price usage beyond its allowance. The calculator identifies those cases instead of estimating. Ask the vendor for the missing rate in writing.

Does the yearly figure include setup and other fees?

No. For monthly plans, it applies the computed monthly plan cost over a year at the same usage; AnswerAmerica's annual figure prices a year's prepaid call purchases with rollover. Setup, taxes, pass-through charges and add-ons are excluded.