ReceptionHQ Pricing 2026: Per-Call Plans, Surcharges and Terms

ReceptionHQ starts at $25/month (pay per use at $1.99/call), and 100 calls a month cost $170 on MessageExpress, its message-only plans, or $260 on ReceptionistPlus, which transfers calls (prices checked October 12, 2026). Both bill per call, so call length does not change the price.

ReceptionHQ pricing plans

Prices checked against ReceptionHQ's own pricing pages on October 12, 2026.

ReceptionHQ sells two per-call plan families. MessageExpress takes messages: "call transfers are not available on this service" (receptionhq.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026). ReceptionistPlus adds "customized greetings, call transfers and instant messages sent to any team member" (ReceptionistPlus page, read October 5, 2026).

MessageExpress: messages only

Source: receptionhq.com/service/live-call-answering/message-taking, read Oct 12, 2026.

ReceptionistPlus: messages and call transfers

Source: receptionhq.com/service/live-call-answering/virtual-receptionist, read Oct 12, 2026.

ReceptionHQ's price cards add "Plus relevant sales tax." (pay-per-call page, read October 7, 2026) MessageExpress 150, 250, 350 and 450 and ReceptionistPlus 250, 350, 450 and 1000 are listed only in the price table of ReceptionHQ's terms (read October 7, 2026), which also say "Unused monthly call allowances expire each month." ReceptionHQ also sells per-minute plans (MyAssistant, MyDiary) and an AI plan (MyAI Receptionist) that our index does not price.

What ReceptionHQ costs at 50, 100 and 200 calls a month

Our arithmetic: each plan family'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.

Both families bill per call, so the 3-minute call length behind every number on this site does not move ReceptionHQ's cost. 100 calls fit MessageExpress 100 exactly: it charges $170/month for 100 calls, so 100 calls cost $170. ReceptionistPlus 100 charges $260/month for 100 calls: the option to transfer costs $90 a month more, before any transfer fee. Run your own volume in the answering service cost calculator.

How ReceptionHQ counts a call

• Billing unit: Per call
• Rounding: Per call; per-minute plans by the second
• Billed beyond talk time: Transfers $0.30 per call on ReceptionistPlus; failed transfers $0.15; after-hours surcharge $0.20 per call on MessageExpress ($0.30 on ReceptionistPlus) outside 5am to 7pm Phoenix time on weekdays, all weekend and on federal holidays
• Spam and short calls: Calls under 5 seconds free; telemarketing free only if ReceptionHQ identifies it; misdials billed

Very short calls are free: "Calls answered by RHQ that are under 5 seconds in duration will not be deducted from subscription allowances or incur the excess call rates" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026). MessageExpress collects "Up to 3 details" a call, against "Up to 5 details" on ReceptionistPlus (pay-per-call page, read October 7, 2026).

Fees, contract and trial

• Setup fee: None on per-call plans; from $50 or $99 on per-minute plans
• Contract: Month-to-month; email 3 days before renewal
• Trial: 7 days, no card (the trial runs on ReceptionistPlus)

ReceptionHQ's FAQ says "There are no set up fees for the ReceptionistPlus and MessageExpress services", and you cancel "by letting us know at least three days prior to your subscription renewal date" (receptionhq.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026). The terms also allow a deposit: ReceptionHQ "may establish the Prepaid Usage Credit by charging to Customer's Credit Card an amount of $50", stepping up "until the Prepayment Amount is set at the maximum value of $500" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026). When you leave, the unused credit stays with ReceptionHQ by default, and a refund on request carries "an administration fee of $30" (same terms).

The catch

1. Nights, weekends and holidays cost more, and the trial hides it. "Calls answered by RHQ outside of 5am to 7pm Monday to Friday local time in Phoenix, Arizona or on a United States Federal Holiday" carry a surcharge "of $0.20 per call for MessageExpress subscriptions" and "$0.30 per call for ReceptionistPlus subscriptions" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026). That window takes in all of Saturday and Sunday. The FAQ says the surcharge applies "except during a free trial" (receptionhq.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026), so a trial does not show what nights and weekends will cost.
2. "US-based" covers the day shift; overnight calls are answered in Australia. ReceptionHQ says its US team answers "between 5am and 7pm MST every day", and "overnight calls are handled by our equally skilled, English-speaking team in Australia" (receptionhq.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026).
3. Spam is free only when ReceptionHQ spots it. Its service pages say "We don't charge for calls under 5 seconds or telemarketing calls." (pay-per-call page, read October 7, 2026) The terms add that "RHQ makes best endeavors but takes no responsibility for the accurate identification of such calls", and that misdials and callers who leave no message "qualify as inbound calls and may result in Usage Charges" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026). Past the allowance on ReceptionistPlus 100, those calls bill at $2.99 a call.
4. Transfers cost extra, on top of the dearer plan. At 100 calls ReceptionistPlus already costs 1.5 times as much as MessageExpress, and its terms add "Call transfer to landline or cell phone $0.30 per call for ReceptionistPlus plans" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026).
5. A flat price per call, until calls run long. The price list says "Extended call durations will require a Plus Pack to be added", priced "starting from $0.27 per call" on every included call. If ReceptionHQ finds call durations "in any way excessive or unreasonable", it may, after at least 30 days' notice, require that you "transition to a MyAssistant subscription", which bills by the minute (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026).
6. ReceptionHQ keeps the number it gave you. When service ends, "RHQ will retain the assigned telephone number for such uses as RHQ sees fit (including assigning it for use by another customer)" (receptionhq.com terms, read October 7, 2026). Divert your own business number to ReceptionHQ's line instead, as its FAQ describes, so the number callers know stays yours.

More on these clauses across vendors: answering services that charge for spam calls, after-hours answering service pricing and answering service free trials.

Where ReceptionHQ is a good buy

At 50, 100 and 200 three-minute calls, MessageExpress costs less than every other row in the comparison table below, ReceptionistPlus included. ReceptionistPlus, which transfers calls, costs $135, $260 and $505, less than the five other services in that table. Across our index, live answering services cost $150 to $1,160 (low end AnswerAmerica, prepaid message-taking only, no transfers; unused credits roll over) at 100 calls.

• Spanish at no extra charge: "Spanish bilingual service is included with every account at no additional cost." (receptionhq.com/faqs, read October 7, 2026)
• Trial without a card: "7-day free trial with no credit card required" (receptionhq.com/pricing, read October 5, 2026), run on ReceptionistPlus.

MessageExpress fits a business that wants a message and returns calls itself. ReceptionistPlus fits callers who need to be put through, at a fee per transfer. Neither fits intake calls that run long.

ReceptionHQ against alternatives at 100 calls

The MessageExpress row takes messages only; ReceptionistPlus transfers calls.

At that volume, Go Answer costs $85 a month more than ReceptionistPlus, and less than Smith.ai, MAP Communications, PATLive and Ruby. Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists, the other per-call service, costs 3.5 times as much as ReceptionistPlus. At 50 calls, MAP Communications costs $211.50, less than Go Answer, PATLive, Smith.ai and Ruby. PATLive's pricing and every other priced service are in answering service pricing and cheap answering services.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does ReceptionHQ cost per month?

ReceptionHQ starts at $25/month (pay per use at $1.99/call). At 100 calls a month, MessageExpress costs $170 and takes messages only, while ReceptionistPlus, which transfers calls, costs $260.

Is ReceptionHQ month to month?

Yes. Its FAQ says plans can be "cancelled by letting us know at least three days prior to your subscription renewal date." It says there are no "lock-in contracts or cancellation fees".

Does ReceptionHQ charge for spam calls?

Only some spam is free. Calls under five seconds and calls ReceptionHQ identifies as telemarketing are not billed, but its terms say it "takes no responsibility for the accurate identification of such calls." Misdials and callers who leave no message count as billable calls.

Does ReceptionHQ charge extra after hours?

Yes. Calls answered outside 5am to 7pm Phoenix time on weekdays, or on a US federal holiday, carry a surcharge "of $0.20 per call for MessageExpress subscriptions" and "$0.30 per call for ReceptionistPlus subscriptions", which covers all of Saturday and Sunday. The surcharge is not charged during a free trial.

Are ReceptionHQ's receptionists based in the US?

During the day. ReceptionHQ says its US team answers "between 5am and 7pm MST every day", and "overnight calls are handled by our equally skilled, English-speaking team in Australia."