Who Owns Which Answering Service in 2026: Parent Companies and Shared Contracts
Published . Updated . Prices checked October 12, 2026.
Key takeaways
- AnswerConnect, LEX Reception and AnswerForce are one company: each terms page is a contract with "AnywhereWorks, Inc. dba" that brand (read October 7, 2026).
- Nexa owns Alert Communications, and VoiceNation is now Moneypenny: voicenation.com redirects to moneypenny.com, and Moneypenny's US terms still name VoiceNation LLC.
- MAP Communications says it is 100% employee-owned. It shares a liability clause with Nexa, Alert, Posh and Ruby, but no document we read says MAP, Posh and Ruby share an owner.
- One owner, one hiding pattern: all three AnywhereWorks brands send the public to a form and keep a plan table on an unlisted /plans-direct page (read October 7 and 9, 2026).
In this guide
- Who owns which answering service
- Who owns AnswerConnect, LEX Reception and AnswerForce
- Who owns Alert Communications
- Is VoiceNation now Moneypenny
- Who owns MAP Communications
- Shared contract wording is not shared ownership
- Same company, two products: Go Answer and Moneypenny
- How to check who you are signing with
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
By their own contracts and announcements, read on October 7, 2026, 7 answering service brands belong to 3 companies: AnywhereWorks, Inc. runs AnswerConnect, LEX Reception and AnswerForce, Nexa owns Alert Communications, and VoiceNation is now Moneypenny. MAP Communications, Posh and Ruby share contract wording, but no document we read says they share an owner.
Who owns which answering service
Prices checked from October 12, 2026; each Source cell gives that vendor's read date.
| Service | Company named in its contract | Same company as | Entry plan | 100 calls/mo | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnswerConnect | AnywhereWorks, Inc. (dba AnswerConnect) | LEX Reception, AnswerForce | $350/month (200 minutes) | $395 | answerconnect.com/plans-direct, read Oct 9, 2026 |
| AnswerForce | AnywhereWorks, Inc. (dba AnswerForce) | AnswerConnect, LEX Reception | $349/month (200 minutes) | $389 | answerforce.com/plans-direct, read Oct 7, 2026 |
| LEX Reception | AnywhereWorks, Inc. (dba LEX Reception) | AnswerConnect, AnswerForce | $425/month (150 minutes) | $450 | lexreception.com/plans-direct, read Oct 9, 2026 |
| Nexa | Nexa Receptionists LLC | Alert Communications | Quote only | Quote only | nexa.com/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Alert Communicationslaw firms only | Affiliated Communications LLC, or a Nexa chat company | Nexa | $240/month (100 minutes) | $750 | alertcommunications.com/plans, read Oct 7, 2026 |
| Moneypenny (US) | VoiceNation LLC (dba Moneypenny) | VoiceNation, Moneypenny AI | $165/month (50 minutes) | $613 | moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-people, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| VoiceNationredirects to Moneypenny | VoiceNation LLC (dba Moneypenny) | Moneypenny | $165/month (50 minutes) | $613 | moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-people, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Moneypenny AI AnsweringUS | VoiceNation LLC in the definitions, Callitech US Inc in the footers | Moneypenny | $69/month (25 calls) | $199 | moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-ai, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Go Answer | 1888GOANSWER, LLC (d/b/a Go Answer) | Go Answer AI Receptionist | $175/month (100 minutes) | $345 | goanswer.io/pricing/live-receptionist, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Go Answer AI Receptionist | Go Answer (same Terms of Service as the live plans) | Go Answer | $95/month (100 minutes) | $270 | goanswer.io/ai-receptionist/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| MAP Communications | Map Communications, Inc., Alert, and Calling Inn | None stated; says it is 100% employee-owned | $49/month (pay per use at $1.37/min) | $403 | mapcommunications.com/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Posh | POSH Virtual Receptionists, LLC | None stated | $65/month (pay per use at $2.30/min) | $630 | posh.com/pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
| Ruby | Ruby Receptionists, Inc. (with subsidiary Pure Chat, Inc.) | None stated | $250/month (50 minutes) | $1,160 | ruby.com/plans-and-pricing, read Oct 12, 2026 |
Our arithmetic: each vendor'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.
The company names come from each vendor's own terms, read October 7, 2026, and the sections below quote each one with its URL. "Same company as" is filled only where a document says so. The prices show what one owner charges under each of its names for the same 100 calls. For every service at 50, 100 and 200 calls, see what an answering service costs.
Who owns AnswerConnect, LEX Reception and AnswerForce
AnywhereWorks, Inc. Each brand's terms open with the same sentence and a different name:
- AnswerConnect: "a contract between you and AnywhereWorks, Inc. dba AnswerConnect" (answerconnect.com/termsofservice, read October 7, 2026)
- LEX Reception: "a contract between you and AnywhereWorks, Inc. dba LEX Reception" (lexreception.com/termsofservice, read October 7, 2026)
- AnswerForce: "a contract between you and AnywhereWorks, Inc. dba AnswerForce" (answerforce.com/termsofservice, read October 7, 2026)
AnywhereWorks' own tools page lists all three, plus a fourth answering brand for the trades, ServiceForge: "24/7 live answering, scheduling and payments. Made for the trades." (anywhereworks.com/tools, read October 9, 2026). ServiceForge's terms are "a contract between you and AnywhereWorks, Inc. dba ServiceForge" (serviceforge.com/terms-of-service, read October 9, 2026). This page does not price ServiceForge.
Shared contract template, different terms
| Term | AnswerConnect | AnswerForce | LEX Reception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing increment | Whole minute, rounded up | Whole minute, rounded up | Whole minute, rounded up per call (a 2 minute 28 second call bills as 3 minutes) |
| Time billed beyond the call | Hold, transfers and patches, after-call work; chat and outbound calls use the same minutes | Hold, transfers and patches, after-call work; outbound calls use the same minutes | Hold, transfers and patches, and other work on your behalf |
| Spam and short calls | Only the first 30 calls under 30 seconds each month are free | First 30 interactions under 30 seconds free each month | First 30 calls under 30 seconds free each month |
| Setup fee | $49.99 on Entry and Standard; none on Growth | $75 on the Intro plan, none from 300 minutes | $75 on Entry; none from 300 minutes |
| Contract | 90-day minimum, then written notice; a partial month is billed in full | 90-day minimum (the help center says month-by-month) | Month-to-month with written notice; a partial month is billed in full |
The minimum term is where the brands part. AnswerConnect's and AnswerForce's terms both say: "This Agreement will be in effect for a minimum period of 90 calendar days." (answerconnect.com/termsofservice, read October 7, 2026) LEX Reception's US terms have no such sentence, while its Canadian terms set "a minimum period of 30 calendar days" (lexreception.com/ca/termsofservice, read October 7, 2026).
The price pages follow one pattern. Each brand's public pricing path is a form, and each also has an unlisted page at /plans-direct with a plan table and no form: AnswerForce (read October 7, 2026), AnswerConnect and LEX Reception (both read October 9, 2026). At 100 three-minute calls, the table above prices AnswerForce at $389, AnswerConnect at $395 and LEX Reception at $450. Their AnswerForce, AnswerConnect and LEX Reception pages show the full plan lists and billing catches.
If you are leaving AnswerConnect to change companies, AnswerForce and LEX Reception keep you with AnywhereWorks. Their prices and some contract terms differ, so compare the actual plan and agreement. The AnswerConnect alternatives page prices services from other owners.
Who owns Alert Communications
Nexa. Nexa's own timeline lists, under 2020: "Nexa acquires legal industry leading intake service in Alert Communications, out of Camarillo, CA" (nexa.com/about, read October 7, 2026).
Alert's contract names a Nexa company as a possible party: "Affiliated Communications LLC dba Alert Communications and/or Nexa Receptionists Chat dba Client Chat Live" (alertcommunications.com/contract-terms-and-conditions, read October 7, 2026). Nexa's terms name the same chat company: "Nexa Receptionists LLC and/or Nexa Receptionists Chat dba Client Chat Live" (nexa.com/legal/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026). Both documents are marked "Last Updated: March 2026".
| Term | Nexa | Alert Communications |
|---|---|---|
| Billing increment | Whole minute, rounded up | Whole minute, rounded up |
| Time billed beyond the call | Hold, outbound ringing, after-call work, "system time" as a percentage of talk time, AI agent time | Hold, outbound ringing, after-call notes, "system time" as a percentage of talk time, AI agent time |
| Spam and short calls | Per-call plans may bill robocalls, telemarketing and dead air | Per-call plans may bill robocalls and dead air; no exemption on minute plans |
| Setup fee | Non-refundable, amount not published | Non-refundable, amount not published |
| Contract | Month-to-month; written notice one month before the next invoice | Month-to-month; written notice one month before the next invoice |
Nexa shows no price without a form (nexa.com/pricing, read October 5, 2026). Alert, which sells to law firms, publishes plans from $240/month (100 minutes). See Nexa alternatives for services from other owners.
Is VoiceNation now Moneypenny
Yes. Moneypenny announced "the acquisition of VoiceNation and Ninja Number" on March 2, 2020 (moneypenny.com news, read October 7, 2026). On February 24, 2025 it retired the name: "VoiceNation is now fully part of Moneypenny, uniting our teams & services under one global brand." (moneypenny.com news, read October 7, 2026)
Every voicenation.com address we checked redirects to moneypenny.com, and voicenation.com/pricing/ lands on Moneypenny's US pricing page (redirect chains read October 7, 2026). VoiceNation's price is therefore Moneypenny's: $613 for 100 three-minute calls.
The old name survives in the contract. Moneypenny's US phone answering terms define the company as "VoiceNation LLC dba 'Moneypenny' whose principal address is 2915 Premiere Parkway" (Moneypenny phone answering terms, PDF, read October 7, 2026). Pricing and switching options are on the VoiceNation alternatives page.
Moneypenny's AI terms name two companies
Moneypenny's AI Receptionist terms define the company as "VoiceNation LLC dba 'Moneypenny'", but their page footers print "Callitech US Inc dba Moneypenny" at the same Duluth address (Moneypenny AI terms, PDF, read October 7, 2026). Callitech US Inc is the company in Moneypenny's terms for "Moneypenny clients before April 2025" (moneypenny.com/us/legal/terms-and-conditions, read October 7, 2026). If you sign an AI plan, check which company your order form names.
Who owns MAP Communications
MAP Communications says its employees own it: "We are proud to be a 100% Employee-Owned Company!" (mapcommunications.com/about-us/who-we-are, read October 7, 2026). That is the only ownership statement we found on its pages. No document we read names a parent company or an outside owner.
Its terms name three parties: "Map Communications, Inc., Alert, and Calling Inn, together with its affiliates and subsidiaries" (mapcommunications.com/terms, read October 7, 2026). The terms do not say which companies "Alert" and "Calling Inn" are. No page we read ties that "Alert" to Alert Communications of Camarillo, California, the service Nexa owns. For services from other owners, see MAP Communications alternatives.
Shared contract wording is not shared ownership
Five services cap what they owe you when a message goes wrong, in nearly the same words. MAP Communications, Nexa, Alert Communications and Posh limit it "to a maximum of fifteen (15) days or five hundred dollars ($500.00)", whichever is less (mapcommunications.com/terms, nexa.com/legal/terms-conditions, alertcommunications.com/contract-terms-and-conditions, posh.com/terms, all read October 7, 2026). Ruby's terms say "15 days or five hundred dollars ($500.00)" (ruby.com/terms, read October 7, 2026). All five give you 14 days from the problem to claim in writing.
Two documents also carry MAP's domain. Posh's data processing addendum gives its privacy officer's contact as "compliance@mapcommunications.com" (posh.com/data-processing-addendum, read October 7, 2026). Two links in Ruby's terms run through an email security service whose tracking string holds a mapcommunications.com address (ruby.com/terms, read October 7, 2026).
None of this states ownership. Posh's terms name "POSH Virtual Receptionists, LLC doing business as POSH" and Ruby's name "Ruby Receptionists, Inc., and our subsidiary Pure Chat, Inc"; neither names a parent. MAP names only its employees as owners. We report the wording and make no ownership claim the documents do not make.
What the shared clause means for you does not depend on who owns whom. Each of the five limits its liability to "a credit adjustment equal to your pro-rated monthly service charge" (MAP's wording), capped at 15 days or $500, and only if you claim in writing within 14 days.
Same company, two products: Go Answer and Moneypenny
Go Answer sells live receptionists and an AI Receptionist from one site. Both signup pages embed the same "Go Answer Terms of Service, Last Updated: January 2025" (live signup and AI signup, read October 7, 2026). Its full terms name "1888GOANSWER, LLC d/b/a Go Answer" (goanswer.io/terms-conditions, read October 7, 2026).
At 100 three-minute calls, Go Answer's AI Receptionist costs $270, which is $75 a month less than Go Answer's live plans at $345. The AI plans are sold by the minute, from $95/month for 100 minutes. Full plans are on the Go Answer pricing page.
Moneypenny's AI Answering is sold by the call, for example $199/month for 100 calls. At 100 three-minute calls it costs $199, which is $414 a month less than Moneypenny's live service at $613. The catch: its AI terms pass calls to Moneypenny's receptionists only if "the Customer maintains an active Phone Answering Service plan alongside the AI Receptionist Service" (Moneypenny AI terms, PDF, read October 7, 2026).
How to check who you are signing with
- Open the vendor's terms of service, not its About page. The first paragraph names the company you contract with; "dba" means "doing business as".
- Compare that name across your shortlist. Two brands can share a contracting company while charging different prices and using different terms.
- Read the minimum term and the liability clause anyway. The three AnywhereWorks brands quoted here disagree on the minimum term.
- Before you sign, ask which company your order form names. Moneypenny's AI terms print two.
For how notice periods and minimum terms compare across services, see month-to-month answering services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns MAP Communications?
MAP Communications says it is owned by its employees: "We are proud to be a 100% Employee-Owned Company!" (mapcommunications.com, read October 7, 2026). No document we read names a parent company or outside owner. Its terms list "Map Communications, Inc., Alert, and Calling Inn" as the contracting parties without saying which companies Alert and Calling Inn are.
Is AnswerConnect the same company as LEX Reception and AnswerForce?
Yes. The terms of all three are a contract with "AnywhereWorks, Inc.", followed by "dba AnswerConnect", "dba LEX Reception" or "dba AnswerForce" (read October 7, 2026). AnswerConnect's and AnswerForce's terms set a 90-day minimum; LEX Reception's US terms do not.
Does Nexa own Alert Communications?
Yes. Nexa's about page lists, under 2020, "Nexa acquires legal industry leading intake service in Alert Communications, out of Camarillo, CA" (read October 7, 2026). Alert's contract names "Nexa Receptionists Chat dba Client Chat Live" as a possible party, and both companies' terms are marked "Last Updated: March 2026".
Is VoiceNation the same as Moneypenny?
Yes. Moneypenny bought VoiceNation in 2020 and retired the name on February 24, 2025, saying "VoiceNation is now fully part of Moneypenny". Every voicenation.com address we checked redirects to moneypenny.com, and Moneypenny's US phone answering terms name the company "VoiceNation LLC dba 'Moneypenny'" (read October 7, 2026).
Are Ruby and Posh owned by MAP Communications?
No document we read says so. Posh's data processing addendum lists a mapcommunications.com contact address, a link in Ruby's terms carries one, and both share a liability clause with MAP (read October 7, 2026). Posh's and Ruby's terms name their own companies and no parent, and MAP names only its employees as owners.
Is Go Answer's AI Receptionist from the same company as Go Answer?
Yes. The live and AI signup pages on goanswer.io embed the same "Go Answer Terms of Service, Last Updated: January 2025" (read October 7, 2026). At 100 three-minute calls the AI Receptionist costs $270 and the live plans $345 (prices checked October 12, 2026).
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
- Alert Communications: alertcommunications.com/plans (read October 7, 2026); alertcommunications.com/contract-terms-and-conditions (read October 7, 2026)
- 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)
- Go Answer AI Receptionist: goanswer.io/ai-receptionist/pricing (read October 12, 2026); goanswer.io/ai-receptionist/pricing (read October 5, 2026)
- LEX Reception: lexreception.com/plans-direct (read October 9, 2026); lexreception.com/termsofservice (read October 7, 2026)
- MAP Communications: mapcommunications.com/pricing (read October 12, 2026); mapcommunications.com/terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Moneypenny (US): moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-people (read October 12, 2026); cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a06eb94845f8e1701b7e7f1/6aaa99366734be94e463cc1b_us-terms-and-conditions.pdf (read October 7, 2026)
- Moneypenny AI Answering (US): moneypenny.com/us/plans-pricing-ai (read October 12, 2026); cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a06eb94845f8e1701b7e7f1/6aaa9936e7318b5aa1048c25_us-ai-terms-and-conditions.pdf (read October 7, 2026)
- Nexa: nexa.com/pricing (read October 12, 2026); nexa.com/legal/terms-conditions (read October 7, 2026)
- Posh: posh.com/pricing (read October 12, 2026); posh.com/terms (read October 7, 2026)
- Ruby: ruby.com/plans-and-pricing (read October 12, 2026); ruby.com/terms (read October 7, 2026)
Other pages quoted
- AnywhereWorks tools page, read October 9, 2026
- ServiceForge terms of service, read October 9, 2026
- LEX Reception Canadian terms of service, read October 7, 2026
- Nexa about page, read October 7, 2026
- Moneypenny: Moneypenny joins forces with VoiceNation and Ninja Number, published March 2, 2020, read October 7, 2026
- Moneypenny: One brand, one future: VoiceNation is now Moneypenny, published February 24, 2025, read October 7, 2026
- Moneypenny US terms and conditions index, read October 7, 2026
- Moneypenny AI Receptionist terms, PDF, read October 7, 2026
- MAP Communications: Who We Are, read October 7, 2026
- Posh data processing addendum, read October 7, 2026
- Go Answer AI Receptionist signup page, read October 7, 2026
Changes to these prices
- Clarified Alert Communications and Nexa trial summaries from "None" to "None found": the reviewed public pages do not offer trial terms, but do not establish that no private offer exists.
- Clarified LEX Reception trial wording from "None" to "None found": the reviewed vendor pages publish no trial offer, but do not establish that the company never offers one.
- 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, 13 rows). The full price index (CSV), free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
How to cite this page
AnsweringPrices.com, Who Owns Which Answering Service in 2026: Parent Companies and Shared Contracts, prices checked October 12, 2026, https://www.answeringprices.com/who-owns-which-answering-service/