How Much Does an AI Receptionist Cost Per Month?

Q: How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?

It depends on the pricing model: a flat monthly fee, a per-minute rate, or a per-call rate. Multiply your monthly calls by your average call length and the vendor's rate to get your real number, then compare it with the profit on the jobs you currently miss.

The three ways AI receptionists are priced, how to turn each into a monthly number from your own call log, and the break-even math against a missed job.

An AI receptionist costs whatever its pricing model times your call volume comes to, and you can work out your exact monthly number in five minutes. Vendors price one of three ways: a flat monthly fee, a per-minute rate, or a per-call rate. Pull last month's call log (total calls and average call length), get each vendor's written rate, and plug them into the formulas below. Don't trust a headline price until you've done that.

The three pricing models

Flat monthly. Monthly cost = the fee. Check what's capped: minutes, calls, or features.
Per minute. Monthly cost = calls × average minutes × rate per minute (+ any base fee).
Per call. Monthly cost = calls × rate per call (+ any base fee).

A worked example you can check

Use your own numbers. These are placeholders to show the arithmetic: 300 calls a month, 3 minutes on average.

Per minute at $0.50: 300 × 3 × $0.50 = $450/month.
Per call at $1.25: 300 × $1.25 = $375/month.
Flat at $400 with 600 minutes included: you use 300 × 3 = 900 minutes, so you're 300 over. At a $0.40 overage that's $400 + $120 = $520/month.

Same calls, three different bills. The cheapest sticker isn't always the cheapest month.

The break-even

The cost only matters next to what it saves. Break-even jobs per month = monthly cost ÷ gross profit per job. If a typical job clears $300 gross profit and the receptionist costs $450, you need 450 ÷ 300 = 1.5 extra booked jobs a month to pay for it. Look at your log's unanswered and voicemail calls and ask whether two of them a month were real work.

Fees people forget

Setup or onboarding fees (spread them over 12 months to compare).
Phone number or forwarding charges.
Calendar, CRM, or text-message add-ons.
Contract length and cancellation terms.

What to do this week

Get your 30-day call count and average length, collect written pricing from two or three vendors (Bob is one we build), and run each through the formulas above. Drop any that can't clear break-even on your real numbers, then test-call the rest before you sign.