Guides · Checked October 17, 2026 · By Trades With AI
AI receptionist for contractors: what it costs per month in 2026
Short answer. Self-serve AI receptionists in our list start at $24.95 to $49 a month (Upfirst, Dialzara, Rosie, Trillet). Sameday AI and the Newo.ai monthly plan start at $449 and $299. Human answering services start at $165 to $300. Built-in options cost less to add: Jobber charges $29 a month for its Receptionist. Housecall Pro does not publish a price for CSR AI call answering.
We read 12 AI receptionist pricing pages on October 17, 2026. Each price below links to the vendor's page. We do not rank tools. The table is in alphabetical order, and paid placement does not change it.
Price table: entry plan for 12 tools
"Entry plan" means the lowest plan the vendor lists for inbound calls. Our AI receptionist pricing comparison has the quoted text from each page.
| Tool | Entry price | What the entry plan includes | Billed by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Connect | $165/mo | Starter: 50 Abby Minutes. Abby says you get double the minutes when you choose AI. Sells human and AI answering. | Minutes | pricing page |
| Dialzara | $29/mo | Business Lite: up to 60 minutes of talk time, plus $0.48 per extra minute. Blind transfers, Zapier and Make. | Minutes | pricing page |
| My AI Front Desk | $99/mo, or $79/mo on an annual plan | Business-in-a-Box: 200 voice minutes plus web chat, two-way SMS, and a CRM. | Minutes, plus credits | pricing page |
| Newo.ai | $0 to start, or $299/mo | Pay As You Go: 50 free units one time, plus $1.75 per extra unit. AI Receptionist plan: 200 units a month, plus $1.50 per extra unit. | Units | pricing page |
| Retell AI | $0.07 to $0.31 a minute | Pay as you go with $10 in free credits. A platform to build your own voice agent. | Minutes | pricing page |
| Rosie | $49/mo | Professional: 250 minutes a month, message taking, appointment links by text, spam detection. 7-day free trial. | Minutes | pricing page |
| Ruby | $250/mo | 50 receptionist minutes a month. Ruby sells live human receptionists. | Minutes | pricing page |
| Sameday AI | From $449/mo | Launch: 500 minutes, unlimited users, 3 locations, "Pro scheduling (ServiceTitan etc)". | Minutes | pricing page |
| Smith.ai | $0 (Free), Pro $150/mo | AI-first Free: 25 calls a month, plus $3.00 per extra call. Pro: 75 calls for $150. Human-first plans start at $300 for 30 calls on its receptionist pricing page. | Calls | pricing page |
| Trillet | $49/mo | AI Receptionist: 150 minutes, plus $0.20 per extra minute. Answers on your existing number and books into your calendar. | Minutes | pricing page |
| Upfirst | $24.95/mo, or $20/mo on an annual plan | Starter: 30 calls, plus $1.50 per extra call. Choose every call, overflow, or after hours. | Calls | pricing page |
| Vapi | $0.05 a minute hosting, plus model and voice costs | No package needed to start. $5 in free credits. A developer platform. The Core support package is $29/mo. | Minutes | pricing page |
Checked October 17, 2026. Prices in USD before tax. Ruby and the Smith.ai human-first plans use live people, not AI. Retell AI and Vapi are build-your-own platforms, so you pay a developer or spend your own time on setup.
One more option: Goodcall lists a Starter plan at $79 a month for 100 unique customers, then 79¢ for each extra customer. Growth is $129 a month for 500, then 26¢ each (Goodcall pricing page and FAQ, checked October 17, 2026). It counts people, not calls or minutes.
Per-minute vs flat plans
AI receptionists bill in one of four ways. The unit decides your real cost more than the sticker price.
- Per call. Upfirst and Smith.ai count calls. Jobber counts "conversations." A long call costs the same as a short one. This suits trades where callers describe a problem at length.
- Per minute. Dialzara, Rosie, Trillet, Ruby, Abby Connect, Sameday AI, and My AI Front Desk include a block of minutes. Past the block you pay per minute or move up a plan.
- Usage platforms. Retell AI and Vapi charge per minute for each part: hosting, the AI model, the voice, and the phone line. You build the agent.
- Other units. Newo.ai counts "units." Goodcall counts unique customers.
Worked example: 200 calls a month
Say you get 200 calls a month and each call lasts 3 minutes. These are example numbers. Use your own call log. That is 600 minutes. The published rates give these totals:
| Tool | Plan that fits | Math | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | Pro, 300 calls | $159.95 flat (Premium at 90 calls plus 110 extra calls at $1 would be $169.95) | $159.95 |
| Trillet | AI Receptionist, 150 minutes | $49 plus 450 extra minutes at $0.20 | $139.00 |
| Dialzara | Business Plus, 500 minutes | $199 plus 100 extra minutes at $0.40 | $239.00 |
| Jobber Receptionist | Add-on, 30 conversations | $29 plus 170 extra conversations at $0.79 | $163.30 |
Rates from Upfirst, Trillet, Dialzara, and Jobber help, checked October 17, 2026. A second Jobber help page says the add-on includes 100 conversations. See our Jobber AI receptionist cost guide for that conflict.
Must-haves for trades
A price table does not tell you if the tool fits a service business. Check these five things in the trial.
1. Emergency transfer
A "no heat" call at 2 a.m. should reach a person. Jobber lets you pick keywords such as "burst pipe" or "no heat." The Receptionist puts the caller through or texts you (Jobber). Dialzara lists blind transfers on every plan and warm transfers from Business Pro ($99) up (Dialzara). Rosie lists warm and live call transfers on its Scale plan ($149, 1,000 minutes) (Rosie).
2. Booking into your field service software
A receptionist that books into Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan saves you from typing each job a second time. The built-in options do this: Jobber Receptionist books through your online booking settings, and Housecall Pro says CSR AI books jobs on your schedule (Housecall Pro). Among standalone tools, Sameday AI lists "Pro scheduling (ServiceTitan etc)" (Sameday AI), and ConvoForms says it books into Jobber (ConvoForms). See AI receptionists that work with ServiceTitan and tools that connect through Zapier.
3. After-hours rules
Many owners want the AI on nights and weekends and want to answer the phone during the day. Upfirst lets you pick every call, overflow, or after hours (Upfirst). Dialzara lists after-hours rules and escalation from Business Pro up (Dialzara). Jobber lets you set calls and texts on or off on separate schedules (Jobber).
4. Keep your number
Customers know your number from the truck and the yard sign. Jobber says you keep your number with call forwarding, though it needs a Jobber dedicated number behind the scenes (Jobber help). Trillet says it answers on your existing number (Trillet).
5. Spam does not eat your plan
Robocalls burn minutes. Jobber does not count calls it tags as spam (Jobber help). Rosie lists automatic spam detection on its entry plan (Rosie). Ask each vendor how spam counts against your allowance.
Which tools list each trade
This table comes from our directory data. A tool appears when its own site names the trade. That shows who the vendor markets to. It does not prove the tool fits your shop.
| Trade | AI receptionists whose sites name it |
|---|---|
| HVAC | Avoca, Dialzara, Rosie, Ruby, Sameday AI, Upfirst |
| Plumbing | Allo, Avoca, Dialzara, Goodcall, Rosie, Ruby, Sameday AI, Upfirst |
| Electrical | Allo, Avoca, Dialzara, Rosie, Sameday AI, Smith.ai |
| Roofing | Allo, Avoca, Dialzara, Ruby, Sameday AI, Smith.ai |
| Landscaping | Rosie, Ruby, Sameday AI, Smith.ai, Upfirst |
| Cleaning | Avoca, Dialzara, Rosie, Sameday AI |
| Pest control | Avoca, Dialzara, My AI Front Desk, Sameday AI, Upfirst |
For each trade, see the full list of tools in each trade: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing.
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost per month for a contractor?
Self-serve plans in our list start at $24.95 a month (Upfirst, 30 calls) to $49 a month (Rosie with 250 minutes, Trillet with 150 minutes). Jobber charges $29 a month for its built-in Receptionist. The Newo.ai monthly plan starts at $299 and Sameday AI at $449. Prices checked October 17, 2026.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human answering service?
At entry level, yes. Ruby charges $250 a month for 50 minutes of live receptionists, which works out to $5.00 a minute. Dialzara charges $29 for 60 minutes of AI answering, about $0.48 a minute. A human handles odd calls better, so test both on your real calls.
What is the best AI receptionist for HVAC or plumbing?
We do not rank tools. Our HVAC page and plumbing page list the tools whose own sites name each trade. Pick two, run the free trials, and call them at night with a real emergency script.
Does Housecall Pro charge extra for its AI receptionist?
Yes. Housecall Pro says CSR AI 24/7 call answering is a paid feature, sold apart from the plans. It does not publish the price on its pricing or AI pages, so you need a quote.
Can an AI receptionist book jobs into my software?
Some can. Jobber Receptionist and Housecall Pro CSR AI book into their own schedules. Sameday AI lists ServiceTitan scheduling, and ConvoForms says it books into Jobber. Others send call details through Zapier. Confirm the exact booking flow in a trial.
Sources
- Abby Connect pricing: https://www.abby.com/pricing/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Dialzara pricing: https://dialzara.com/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- My AI Front Desk pricing: https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Newo.ai pricing: https://newo.ai/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Retell AI pricing: https://www.retellai.com/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Rosie pricing: https://heyrosie.com/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Ruby plans and pricing: https://www.ruby.com/plans-and-pricing/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Sameday AI pricing: https://sameday.ai/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Smith.ai AI receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist (checked October 17, 2026)
- Smith.ai receptionist pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/receptionists (checked October 17, 2026)
- Trillet pricing: https://trillet.ai/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Upfirst pricing: https://upfirst.ai/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Vapi pricing: https://vapi.ai/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Goodcall pricing: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing (checked October 17, 2026)
- Jobber Receptionist page: https://www.getjobber.com/features/ai-receptionist/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Jobber help: Receptionist: https://help.getjobber.com/en/articles/receptionistpowered-by-jobber-ai/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Jobber help: add-on features: https://help.getjobber.com/en/articles/add-on-features-to-your-jobber-plan-subscription/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Housecall Pro CSR AI page: https://www.housecallpro.com/features/ai-team/csr-ai/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- Housecall Pro AI Team page: https://www.housecallpro.com/features/ai-team/ (checked October 17, 2026)
- ConvoForms home page: https://www.convoforms.ai/ (checked October 17, 2026)
Prices change. Check the vendor page before you buy. See a mistake? Send a correction.
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