How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?
By the Fullday team · Published
An AI receptionist for a small business is priced as a monthly plan with call minutes included, as a rate per minute or as a rate per call. Some add a setup fee, and plans can charge for usage past what's included. Your real cost comes down to how many calls you get and how long they run.
How are AI receptionists priced?
They're priced by the month, by the minute or by the call, and some products mix these. Which one you're on decides what a busy month costs, which matters more than the headline price.
- Flat monthly plan: one fee with a set number of minutes or calls
- Per minute: you pay for the time the AI spends on the phone
- Per call: each answered call is billed, so ask whether spam counts
- Setup fee: a one-time charge to build your script and connect your calendar
- Usage past the plan: what each extra minute, call or text costs
What else can add to the bill?
Extras outside the plan price can add up. Ask about each of these before you sign, and get the answers in writing, so your busiest month holds no surprise.
- A phone number of its own, if you need one
- Business texting registration, which US carriers require for texts from a new number
- Extra locations or staff calendars
- Add-ons such as booking, text replies or call recordings
- A minimum term, and the cost of leaving early
How do you work out what it would cost you?
Multiply last month's calls by the minutes a typical call runs, then price those minutes against each plan. Use your call log, not a guess: 200 calls of about three minutes is 600 minutes. Run it again for your busiest month, after a storm or in a heat wave, when usage past the plan shows up.
Then do the other side. Count last month's missed calls, decide how many of those would have booked, and multiply by what a typical job is worth to you. If that's more than the monthly cost, a trial makes sense. If it isn't, your phone may not need one yet.
How is Fullday priced?
Fullday uses flat monthly plans with usage included. Starter is $297 a month with 250 call minutes and 500 texts. Growth is $997 with 1,500 minutes and 1,500 texts, and adds the ads agent, ad studio and search agent. Pro is $1,997 with 2,250 minutes and 3,000 texts, plus more locations and priority support.
Each plan also includes AI credits; past what the plan covers, a call minute uses 4 credits and a text 1. Ad spend on Growth and Pro is billed to your card by Meta and Google. There's a 7-day free trial with a card up front, no contract, and prepaying 1, 2 or 3 years saves 20% with the price locked.
What Fullday sets up for this
- Voice agent. Answers your phone day and night, books the visit and puts urgent calls through to you.
- Text agent. Answers texts, Instagram and Facebook messages and website chat in seconds.
- Calendar booking. Books appointments into Google Calendar or Outlook while the customer is on the line, and texts the confirmation.
Plans start at $297 a month with a 7-day free trial, no contract.
A screen from the demo business. The people and numbers are sample data.
Related questions
Does an AI receptionist cost less than an answering service?
It depends on your calls. Both are sold per minute, per call or as monthly plans, so run last month's calls through each price sheet, then compare what you get: a message taken, or a booking made.
Do I pay for spam and wrong-number calls?
With per-call or per-minute pricing, you may. Ask whether spam is screened before it's answered and whether very short calls are billed. Your own call log shows how many calls are junk.
Should I pay a setup fee for an AI receptionist?
Some providers charge one to write your script, connect your calendar and set up your number. Ask what it covers, whether later changes cost extra, and how soon the first real call gets answered.
Every call answered. Every lead followed up.
Fullday answers calls, texts and DMs, books into your calendar and follows up every lead. Try it free for 7 days.