AI Concierge — Comparison
Best AI Receptionist for Small Business (2026): Honest Comparison
The right answering service depends on your call volume and whether you want AI, humans, or both. Here's how the leading options compare on current pricing — including who each one is genuinely best for.
Virtual receptionist services price three different ways: per call (Smith.ai), per minute (Ruby, AnswerConnect), or a flat monthly fee (FilterMyCalls). Which is cheapest depends entirely on your volume — there is no single winner for everyone.
Below, current public pricing for each, with the trade-offs that actually matter: AI versus human, how cost behaves as volume grows, and what each does beyond taking a message.
Smith.ai (AI Receptionist)
$95–$800/mo (self-service), ~2–15 calls/day; $2.40/call overage
Best for low-to-moderate volume; want AI with human backup
- +Lowest entry price of the group ($95/mo)
- +Transparent per-call pricing; no charge for spam or wrong numbers
- +AI-handled with live-agent backup, 24/7
- –Per-call overages ($2.40) add up quickly at higher volume
- –On month-to-month plans, unused calls expire each month
- –Per-call model gets unpredictable in a busy month
Ruby
$250–$1,725/mo for 50–500 receptionist minutes
Best for businesses that want a human on every call
- +24/7 live human receptionists
- +No setup, onboarding, or hidden fees
- +Well-established, polished caller experience
- –Priced by the minute — heavy months get expensive fast
- –No AI automation (booking/qualifying happens via the human)
- –Entry plan includes only 50 minutes
AnswerConnect
Custom quote (pricing not published)
Best for businesses wanting human answering at custom scale
- +24/7 live human answering
- +Established enterprise option
- –No public pricing — you must request a quote
- –Minute-based model, same volume-cost dynamic as Ruby
FilterMyCalls
Our pick$349–$699/mo flat, unlimited inbound calls
Best for steady daily volume; want predictable flat cost
- +Flat monthly fee regardless of call volume
- +AI books, qualifies, and routes — not just messages
- +Multi-line, multi-user dashboard with audit log
- +Cost doesn't spike in a busy month
- –No human-on-every-call option
- –Higher entry price than Smith.ai's starter tier
- –Brief setup to teach it your workflows
Competitor pricing verified against each vendor's public pricing page in June 2026 and may have changed since — confirm current rates via the source links below before deciding.
Our pick
For a business with steady daily call volume that wants predictable cost and AI that actually books and routes, FilterMyCalls' flat fee usually beats per-call and per-minute models — a busy month never changes the bill.
Best for: Practices and small businesses past a few calls a day, where flat pricing and a real dashboard matter and AI handling is acceptable.
Not for you if: You take only a handful of calls a week — Smith.ai's $95 starter tier will cost you less. Or you require a human voice on every single call — Ruby (or AnswerConnect) is the better fit, at a higher and more variable price.
Editor's pick: vetted AI Concierge services
We test and rank the AI concierge market continuously. These are the two products we recommend for this use case right now.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest for very low call volume?+
At only a couple of calls a day, Smith.ai's $95/month AI starter plan is the lowest-cost option. A flat-fee service like FilterMyCalls becomes more economical once you have steady daily volume.
AI receptionist or human receptionist — which is better?+
AI answers instantly, 24/7, at consistent quality and flat or per-call pricing. A human brings judgment on unusual calls but costs more and varies by agent. Many businesses use AI for coverage and escalate the rare complex call to a person.