# Best AI Receptionist

> AI receptionists for small businesses, compared on dated US prices, real plan limits and a scoring formula you can check. US English. 12 services compared, prices checked on November 11, 2026.

- Website: https://best-ai-receptionist.com/
- Language: English (US)
- Publisher: Mint Technology LLC, 4405 Jager Dr NE, Ste C4-4375, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA
- Contact: contact@best-ai-receptionist.com
- Full version: https://best-ai-receptionist.com/llms-full.txt

## Methodology

- [How we score](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/methodology/): score out of 10, weighted average of 9 criteria (cost of a 200-minute month 25%, entry price 10%, price of an extra minute 10%, appointment booking 12%, call transfer 10%, languages 8%, free trial or free plan 8%, setup effort 10%, integrations 7%). Every plan is priced on a 200-minute month. Criteria not stated by the brand score 2/10. Displayed score = 7.5 + 0.42 × (raw − 4), between 7.5 and 9.6.
- [Affiliate disclosure](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/disclosure/): some links are affiliate links; it never changes our scores.

## Rankings

- [Best AI receptionist for 2026](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 12 compared
- [Best AI receptionist for small business in 2026](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/ai-receptionist-for-small-business/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 11 compared
- [Best AI answering service in 2026](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/ai-answering-service/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 12 compared
- [Cheapest AI receptionist in 2026: the best under $100](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/cheapest-ai-receptionist/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 8 compared
- [Best AI receptionist for a medical or dental office](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/ai-receptionist-for-medical-office/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 8 compared
- [Best AI receptionist for plumbers, HVAC and home services](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/ai-receptionist-for-home-services/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 9 compared
- [Best AI receptionist for law firms in 2026](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/best/ai-receptionist-for-law-firms/): No. 1 Upfirst (9.5/10), 7 compared

## Reviews (overall score)

- [Upfirst review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/upfirst/): 9.5/10, from $24.95/mo, 200-minute month $59.95
- [CloudTalk review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/cloudtalk/): 9.2/10, from $99/mo, 200-minute month $99
- [My AI Front Desk review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/my-ai-front-desk/): 9.0/10, from $99/mo, 200-minute month $99
- [Phonely review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/phonely/): 8.9/10, from $50/mo, 200-minute month $50
- [Goodcall review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/goodcall/): 8.9/10, from $79/mo, 200-minute month $79
- [Dialzara review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/dialzara/): 8.7/10, from $29/mo, 200-minute month $96.20
- [Rosie review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/rosie/): 8.7/10, from $49/mo, 200-minute month $49
- [Smith.ai review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/smith-ai/): 8.7/10, from $150/mo, 200-minute month $162.50
- [Retell AI review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/retell-ai/): 8.4/10, from $0/mo, 200-minute month $30
- [RingCentral AIR review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/ringcentral-air/): 8.4/10, from $49/mo, 200-minute month not stated
- [Ruby review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/ruby/): 7.9/10, from $250/mo, 200-minute month $720
- [Sameday AI review](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/review/sameday-ai/): 7.5/10, from $449/mo, 200-minute month $449

## Head-to-heads

- [Rosie vs Goodcall](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/rosie-vs-goodcall/): winner Goodcall
- [Smith.ai vs Ruby](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/smith-ai-vs-ruby/): winner Smith.ai
- [Rosie vs Smith.ai](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/rosie-vs-smith-ai/): winner Rosie
- [Upfirst vs Phonely](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/upfirst-vs-phonely/): winner Upfirst
- [CloudTalk vs My AI Front Desk](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/cloudtalk-vs-my-ai-front-desk/): winner CloudTalk
- [Phonely vs Rosie](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/phonely-vs-rosie/): winner Phonely
- [Goodcall vs Dialzara](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/goodcall-vs-dialzara/): winner Goodcall
- [CloudTalk vs Dialzara](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/cloudtalk-vs-dialzara/): winner CloudTalk
- [Rosie vs RingCentral AIR](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/rosie-vs-ringcentral-air/): winner Rosie
- [CloudTalk vs Smith.ai](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/cloudtalk-vs-smith-ai/): winner CloudTalk
- [Rosie vs Retell AI](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/rosie-vs-retell-ai/): winner Rosie
- [Ruby vs Sameday AI](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/vs/ruby-vs-sameday-ai/): winner Ruby

## Blog

- [How much does an AI receptionist cost in 2026?](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/how-much-does-an-ai-receptionist-cost/): Most AI receptionists for small businesses cost $25 to $150 a month. For a typical month of about 80 calls (200 minutes), expect roughly $50 to $100 with a ready-made service, around $30 plus your time with a developer platform, and $700+ with live human receptionists.
- [AI receptionist vs human receptionist: which one should answer your phone?](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/ai-receptionist-vs-human-receptionist/): Choose an AI receptionist if your calls are routine (bookings, hours, quotes, messages) and you want 24/7 coverage for under $100 a month. Choose live receptionists if every caller must reach a person or calls are sensitive. A hybrid like Smith.ai gives you both, at a higher per-call price.
- [Is an AI receptionist worth it for a small business?](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/is-an-ai-receptionist-worth-it/): Usually yes, if you miss calls that turn into paid work: at $50 to $100 a month, one recovered job a month often pays for it. It is not worth it if you rarely miss calls, or if most of your calls need a human judgment call.
- [How to choose an AI receptionist: 9 questions to ask first](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-ai-receptionist/): Pick the billing model that matches your calls, make sure booking and transfers are on the plan you will actually buy, check languages and integrations, and test on real calls during a free trial before you commit.
- [Free AI receptionist: the options that are actually free](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/free-ai-receptionist/): Only one service in our comparison has a free plan you can keep: Smith.ai, with 25 calls a month. The best trials are Upfirst (14 days or 100 calls, no card) and CloudTalk (14 days with 50 minutes). Goodcall lets you build a demo agent for free, and Retell AI gives $10 in credits.
- [AI receptionist for a dental office: what to check before you sign](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/blog/ai-receptionist-for-dental-office/): For a dental office, shortlist only services that state HIPAA support and will sign a BAA on the plan you buy, then check booking, transfers to your front desk and languages. In our medical-office ranking, Upfirst and CloudTalk lead, with My AI Front Desk close behind.

## Tools

- [Comparison tool](https://best-ai-receptionist.com/compare/): up to 3 services side by side (?ids=a,b,c).