Go Answer Pricing 2026: Live and AI Plans, Fees and the Fine Print

Go Answer starts at $175/month (100 minutes), and 100 three-minute calls a month cost $345 on its cheapest plan for that volume (prices checked October 12, 2026). It bills by the second, and those seconds include work after the call and the gap after the caller hangs up.

Go Answer pricing plans

Prices checked against Go Answer's own pricing page on October 12, 2026.

Source: goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read Oct 12, 2026. Past each allowance Go Answer charges $1.25 to $1.75 a minute.

On taxes, the FAQ says "Go Answer customers will not be charged any taxes on their invoice." (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026)

Go Answer AI Receptionist plans

The same company sells an automated answering product on a separate price list.

Source: goanswer.io/ai-receptionist/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026.

The older price list on Go Answer's FAQ page

Go Answer's FAQ still carries a list headed "Go Answer Plans and Pricing" that opens with "0 Minutes: $50 per month $1.15/minute for overage" (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026). Its tiers and prices differ from the pricing page, yet Google's AI answer for "go answer pricing" repeated that list on October 8, 2026. We price the pricing page, where the signup buttons are.

What Go Answer costs at 50, 100 and 200 calls a month

Our arithmetic: Go Answer's cheapest published plan for that volume plus its published overage, at 3-minute calls. Taxes, pass-through fees, setup fees and add-ons are not included. How we price.

100 three-minute calls are 300 minutes. Go Answer charges $345/month for 300 minutes on Virtual Receptionist 300, so 100 calls cost $345, or $3.45 a call.

At 50 calls (150 minutes), our arithmetic puts you on Virtual Receptionist 100 plus 50 minutes at $1.75 a minute, for $262.50, against $300/month for 200 minutes on Virtual Receptionist 200. At 200 calls (600 minutes), Virtual Receptionist 500 plus 100 minutes at $1.50 a minute comes to $700, against $825/month for 750 minutes on Virtual Receptionist 750. Unused minutes are lost: "Go Answer does not offer roll over minutes." (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026)

The AI Receptionist at the same volumes

It costs less than Go Answer's live receptionists at 50, 100 and 200 calls, $75 a month less at 100. At 100 three-minute calls it is the dearest of the general-purpose AI answering services we can price, above Phonely, Simple Phones, My AI Front Desk, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Moneypenny AI Answering and Smith.ai AI Receptionist. Sameday AI serves home services alone and costs more; Slang.ai serves restaurants alone and does not publish enough usage detail to price 100 calls. What counts as a Go Answer AI minute is not published. More in live vs AI answering service cost.

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

How Go Answer counts a minute

• Billing unit: Per minute
• Rounding: 1 second
• Billed beyond talk time: Summary and disconnection minutes; voicemail and IVR $0.15/min; hold and ring time not billed
• Spam and short calls: Obvious spam and robocalls not charged (who decides is not published)

Go Answer's terms say: "Go Answer services are billed by the minute in one second increments. Go Answer do not round up." (goanswer.io/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026) A six-second call bills six seconds.

The seconds are not only the conversation. Summary minutes cover steps after the call, "emailing, setting up an appointment, or finalizing a form field." Disconnection minutes are "The time difference between the caller disconnecting their line and the call center disconnecting their line." Hold and ring time are free: "Charging commences when the receptionist answers the call." Voicemail is not: "automated minutes are charged at $0.15/minute." (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026)

On spam, the pricing page lists "Spam call filtering (we don't charge for obvious spam/robocalls)" (goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read October 5, 2026) without saying who decides what is obvious. Every service's rule is in which answering services charge for spam calls.

Fees, contract and trial

• Setup fee: Marketing says no setup fees; the terms say $50 or $75
• Contract: "Cancel anytime", but the FAQ asks for 30 days written notice; no proration
• Trial: Live trial described four ways; 30-day money-back guarantee vs "non-refundable" in the terms

Add-ons. The pricing page sells per-minute options under "Call Add-Ons /Cost per Minute": "AI Call Summarization & Transcription $0.05", "Dedicated Bilingual Receptionist $0.30" and "Dedicated Legal Receptionist & Extended Intakes $0.50" (goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read October 5, 2026). Our arithmetic leaves them out, so a law firm on the legal option pays more per minute than the plan table shows. See legal intake answering service pricing.

Extra numbers and dedicated agents. Extra numbers cost "$10 per line", and dedicated agents carry a "90- day minimum contract period." (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026)

The free trial. Go Answer states it four ways: "14 days or 200 minutes" on its free-trial page, "enjoy 30 days free" in the site menu, and both "30 days or after you have utilized two hundred (200) minutes" and "14 days or 120 minutes" in its terms (read October 7, 2026). If you stop after the trial, "clients will be required to pay for the extra minutes." (FAQ) Compare trials in answering services with a free trial.

The catch

1. The pricing page says no setup fee; the terms charge one. Pricing page: "No, we don't charge any setup fees." (goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read October 5, 2026) Terms: "Go Answer charges a $50 or a $75 set-up fee depending on the plan chosen by You for each Account" (goanswer.io/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026). The terms are the contract: expect the fee on your first invoice.
2. Per-second billing counts more than the call. "We charge for live receptionist minutes, as well as, summary and disconnection minutes." (goanswer.io/faq, read October 7, 2026) Neither has a published average, so our arithmetic understates calls with after-call work.
3. "Cancel anytime" needs written notice and is not prorated. The FAQ says "a 30-day written notice is mandatory upon cancellation", by "email or fax". The terms: "You will be billed for the current month plus any usage from the previous month", and "we won't prorate charges to the date of termination" (goanswer.io/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026).
4. A money-back guarantee beside "non-refundable". The pricing pages say "All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee" (read October 5, 2026). The terms in the signup flow say fees "are non-refundable except as required by law" (read October 7, 2026).
5. Your phone number stays with Go Answer. Numbers assigned to you or "transferred by you to Go Answer" "always remain the property of Go Answer", which "may reassign your Numbers to another Go Answer customer" after you leave (goanswer.io/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026).
6. Prices can change without notice. The terms let Go Answer "change Go Answer's pricing and/or billing practices in its sole discretion, without additional notice to You." (same terms) See answering service hidden fees.

Where Go Answer is a good buy

At 100 and 200 calls. At 100 three-minute calls Go Answer costs $345, and at 200 calls $700. At both volumes that is less than PATLive, MAP Communications, Specialty Answering Service, AnswerForce and Answering Service Care. At 50 calls it loses that lead: MAP Communications costs $211.50 and Specialty Answering Service $231, against $262.50 for Go Answer.

Short calls. Go Answer has no per-call minimum; PATLive bills at least a minute: "All receptionist minutes are billed in six-second increments, with a one-minute minimum." (patlive.com/terms-of-use, read October 7, 2026)

Nights, weekends and Spanish. The pricing page lists "24/7 live answering" among what "All plans include", and we found no night, weekend or holiday surcharge on any Go Answer page. "Bilingual Agents" are included too, "English/Spanish receptionists available to support your callers" (goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read October 5, 2026).

Go Answer against alternatives at 100 calls

AnswerForce is one company with AnswerConnect and LEX Reception (AnywhereWorks, Inc.), and its terms set a 90-day minimum. ReceptionHQ bills per call and costs less than Go Answer at 50, 100 and 200 calls. At 100 calls its message-only MessageExpress costs $170, and ReceptionistPlus, which transfers calls, $260, before "$0.30 per call for ReceptionistPlus plans" on each transfer (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026).

Comparison cost of each live answering service at 100 calls

Monthly plans or upfront prepaid credits, 3-minute calls, lowest first

1. AnswerAmericaprepaid message taking, credits roll over$150AnswerAmerica at 100 calls: $150. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Prepaid credit packages.
2. ReceptionHQ MessageExpressmessages only, no transfers$170ReceptionHQ MessageExpress at 100 calls: $170. Cheapest published plan for that volume: MessageExpress 100.
3. ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus$260ReceptionHQ ReceptionistPlus at 100 calls: $260. Cheapest published plan for that volume: ReceptionistPlus 100.
4. Go Answer$345Go Answer at 100 calls: $345. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Virtual Receptionist 300.
5. Specialty Answering Service$384.20Specialty Answering Service at 100 calls: $384.20. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 220 Minute.
6. AnswerForce$389AnswerForce at 100 calls: $389. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Best value (300 minutes).
7. AnswerConnect$395AnswerConnect at 100 calls: $395. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Growth (300 minutes).
8. MAP Communications$403MAP Communications at 100 calls: $403. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Enterprise (250 minutes).
9. Answering Service Care$409Answering Service Care at 100 calls: $409. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Pro (250 minutes).
10. LEX Reception$450LEX Reception at 100 calls: $450. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Best value (300 minutes).
11. PATLive$479PATLive at 100 calls: $479. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 300 minutes.
12. AnswerFirst$510 to $615AnswerFirst at 100 calls: $510 to $615. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Pay as you go.
13. Moneypenny$613Moneypenny at 100 calls: $613. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 200 minutes.
14. Posh$630Posh at 100 calls: $630. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 200 minutes.
15. Alert Communicationslaw firms only$750Alert Communications at 100 calls: $750. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Alert Go (pay as you go).
16. Abby Connectlive and AI$898Abby Connect at 100 calls: $898. Cheapest published plan for that volume: Professional (200 Abby Minutes).
17. Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists$915Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists at 100 calls: $915. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 90 calls.
18. Ruby$1,160Ruby at 100 calls: $1,160. Cheapest published plan for that volume: 200 minutes.

No published price at 100 calls: Answering Legal (quote only), Nexa (quote only).

All services we price are in answering service pricing. Contract terms side by side are in month-to-month answering services.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Go Answer cost per month?

Go Answer starts at $175/month (100 minutes). At 100 three-minute calls a month it costs $345, and at 200 calls $700, on prices checked October 12, 2026.

Does Go Answer charge a setup fee?

Its terms do. The pricing page says "No, we don't charge any setup fees," but the terms say "Go Answer charges a $50 or a $75 set-up fee depending on the plan chosen."

Can you cancel Go Answer at any time?

Yes, with no cancellation fee, but its terms say "You will be billed for the current month plus any usage from the previous month", with no proration. Its FAQ asks for 30 days' written notice.

Does Go Answer charge for spam calls?

Not for spam it judges obvious. Its pricing page says "we don't charge for obvious spam/robocalls" without saying who decides, and its FAQ suggests the Do Not Call Registry to keep telemarketers off your minutes.

Does Go Answer bill by the second?

Yes, in one-second increments with no rounding up, but the billed seconds also include "summary and disconnection minutes": work after the call and the time before Go Answer's line disconnects.

Does Go Answer offer a free trial?

Yes, but its pages define it four ways, from 14 days or 120 minutes to 30 days or 200 minutes. Minutes past the cap are billed if you do not continue. The AI Receptionist trial runs 14 days or 500 minutes and needs a card.

How much does the Go Answer AI receptionist cost?

Go Answer AI Receptionist starts at $95/month (100 minutes), and 100 three-minute calls cost $270 a month. That is $75 a month less than Go Answer's live answering at the same volume.

Who owns Go Answer?

Go Answer is the trade name of 1888GOANSWER, LLC, based in Garden City, New York, according to its terms and conditions.