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Buyer’s guide · 2026

The 10 best AI receptionists for small businesses in 2026

Our pick for the best AI receptionist in 2026 is InsertChat. It answers your calls from your own website and documents, books appointments into your calendar, and logs every call in one shared inbox with website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp, from $98 a month. Smith.ai suits buyers who want human backup; Goodcall suits voice-only lines.

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Our picks at a glance

  1. 1.InsertChat: Best overall AI receptionist
  2. 2.Smith.ai: Best for human backup behind the AI
  3. 3.My AI Front Desk: Best for fixed per-channel allowances
  4. 4.Goodcall: Best for long or repeat callers
  5. 5.Rosie: Best for low-cost minute bundles
  6. 6.Dialzara: Best for a cheap phone-first start
  7. 7.Marlie AI: Best for call transfer on a budget
  8. 8.Upfirst: Best for low call volume
  9. 9.RingCentral AI Receptionist: Best for RingEX phone customers
  10. 10.Newo.ai: Best for pay-as-you-go

Compare the AI receptionists side by side

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Compare the AI receptionists side by side: ranked picks with what each is best for, entry price, channels, and the source checked
PickBest forStarting priceChannelsChecked
1. InsertChatBest overall AI receptionistPro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seatsWebsite chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox Our pricing
2. Smith.aiBest for human backup behind the AIFree for 25 calls a month; Pro from $150 for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 for 300 callsAI call answering; custom SMS branding on ProOctober 13, 2026 Source
3. My AI Front DeskBest for fixed per-channel allowances$99 per month ($79 per month billed annually), with a 7-day free trialVoice calls, a web voicebot, web chat, two-way SMS, email drafts, website forms, and outbound callsOctober 13, 2026 Source
4. GoodcallBest for long or repeat callers$79 a month for 100 unique customers, with a free demo agent before you connect a numberPhone calls, answered by an AI phone agentOctober 13, 2026 Source
5. RosieBest for low-cost minute bundles$49 a month for 250 minutes, with a 7-day free trialPhone calls and a website chat widget on every plan, texts to callers, and website texting as an add-onOctober 13, 2026 Source
6. DialzaraBest for a cheap phone-first start$29 a month for 60 minutes, with a 7-day free trialPhone calls, an AI SMS agent, and a website chatbotOctober 13, 2026 Source
7. Marlie AIBest for call transfer on a budget$49 per month for 250 minutes, with a 14-day free trialVoice, with SMS and email notifications and reportsOctober 13, 2026 Source
8. UpfirstBest for low call volume$24.95 a month for 30 calls ($20 billed annually), with a 14-day free trialPhone calls, with texts sent during calls and call summaries by text or emailOctober 13, 2026 Source
9. RingCentral AI ReceptionistBest for RingEX phone customers$39 per month as a RingEX add-on; $49 per month standalone; 14-day free trial on bothVoice calls and textsOctober 13, 2026 Source
10. Newo.aiBest for pay-as-you-go$0 to start with 50 free units, then $1.75 per unit; AI Receptionist $299 for 200 units, then $1.50 per unitInbound voice, web chat, and social messaging on every plan; outbound voice on requestOctober 13, 2026 Source

Prices are in USD as each vendor lists them. Vendors change plans, so confirm current terms with the linked source before you buy.

The 10 best AI receptionists

1. InsertChat

Best overall AI receptionist

InsertChat is the most complete AI receptionist a small business can set up itself. It answers your number from your website pages, documents, and FAQs, books into Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Cal.com, or the built-in calendar, and saves a transcript and AI summary of every call to the shared inbox where website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp land too. Pro is $98 a month with 5,000 monthly credits, three AI assistants, and three team seats.

Why it’s our pick

  • Answers always, after hours, or only when your team doesn’t pick up within the 5 to 60 seconds you set.
  • Books, reschedules, and cancels appointments, automatically or after your team approves, with reminders 72 and 24 hours before.
  • One knowledge base and one credit allowance cover calls and written conversations, so a caller who texts later gets the same answers.
  • Keep your US or Canadian number by forwarding it, and test everything first with a 7-day free trial with 500 credits.

Watch out for

  • It doesn’t transfer live calls. Your phone can ring first for 5 to 60 seconds; after that, the AI answers and flags anyone who needs a person, with the details attached.
  • Number porting isn’t offered. In the US and Canada you forward your existing number; elsewhere you answer on an InsertChat local or toll-free number.
  • SMS, WhatsApp, and extra phone numbers ($10 a month each) can carry charges beyond the plan.
Entry price
Pro at $98/month, or $81.67/month billed annually, with 5,000 credits, 3 assistants, and 3 seats Details
Pricing model
Pro, Growth, Scale, and Enterprise plans with monthly AI credits included. Annual billing costs ten monthly payments, paid upfront. Details
What is metered
AI credits from one monthly allowance. Use depends on the model, conversation length, knowledge processing, and tools; calls round up to whole minutes. Details
Channels
Website chat, phone, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one shared inbox Details
Human handoff
Your own team takes over in the shared inbox with the full conversation, on every plan Details
Booking
Books into the built-in calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, or Cal.com, automatically or after your team’s approval Details
Notable limits
Additional phone numbers, SMS, WhatsApp, and other connected services can carry their own charges; analytics and reports start on Scale Details

InsertChat facts come from our pricing and product pages.

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2. Smith.ai

Best for human backup behind the AI

Smith.ai prices its AI Receptionist per call and lists human-agent backup, so a person can step in when the AI can’t finish a call. It’s the closest thing on this list to a hybrid receptionist service.

Pick it if

  • You want live receptionists to take over transferred calls: Smith.ai routes them to its North America-based team, day or night.
  • You want to try AI answering on real calls for free: its Free plan covers 25 calls a month.
  • You prefer a per-call bill, and your calls run long enough that per-minute pricing would cost more.

Watch out for

  • SMS and email start on its paid Pro plan.
  • Per-call pricing charges a 30-second hours question the same as a ten-minute intake.
Entry price
Free for 25 calls a month; Pro from $150 for 75 calls; Enterprise from $500 for 300 calls Source
Pricing model
Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans priced by calls per month Source
What is metered
Calls: $1.60 to $2.00 per included call on paid tiers; extra calls cost $3.00 on Free and $2.10 to $2.50 on paid tiers Source
Channels
AI call answering; custom SMS branding on Pro Source
Human handoff
Transfers calls to a live North America-based receptionist, day or night Source
Booking
AI scheduling with Calendly and other calendars, from the Free plan Source
Notable limits
Every answered call counts, with up to 10% removable as spam; cancelling takes 30 days’ notice Source

Checked on from Smith.ai’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Smith.ai

3. My AI Front Desk

Best for fixed per-channel allowances

My AI Front Desk bundles voice minutes, chats, texts, and email drafts into one plan with published overage rates, so it’s easy to see what a month will cost.

Pick it if

  • You want AI outbound calls and website forms in the same plan: Business-in-a-Box lists 20 outbound calls a day and 300 form submissions a month.
  • You want fixed allowances per channel, with overage rates published in credits.
  • You want the built-in CRM and sequence automations on its plan.

Watch out for

  • Each channel has its own allowance, so a busy phone line can run into overage while chat allowance sits unused.
  • WhatsApp isn’t among its listed channels.
Entry price
$99 per month ($79 per month billed annually), with a 7-day free trial Source
Pricing model
Business-in-a-Box at $99 per month, or $79 per month billed annually, with per-channel allowances; Partner and Enterprise are custom Source
What is metered
Per-channel allowances: 200 voice minutes, 100 chatbot conversations, 400 SMS, and 500 email drafts a month; overage draws a 1,000-credit pool at 25 credits per minute and 4 per SMS (1 credit = $0.01) Source
Channels
Voice calls, a web voicebot, web chat, two-way SMS, email drafts, website forms, and outbound calls Source
Human handoff
Call transfer is one of its agent actions; Business-in-a-Box includes 2 of each Source
Booking
Booking and appointments; calendars connect through Zapier Source
Notable limits
Business-in-a-Box allows 2 editor seats, 3 notification recipients, 20 outbound calls a day, and the last 200 logs Source

Checked on from My AI Front Desk’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs My AI Front Desk

4. Goodcall

Best for long or repeat callers

Goodcall meters unique customers instead of minutes, so a caller who rings five times or talks for twenty minutes counts once. Businesses with long consultations get the most from that model.

Pick it if

  • The phone is your only channel and you want a dedicated AI phone agent.
  • Your calls run long or callers ring back often: Goodcall bills each caller once a month and never meters minutes.
  • You want calls transferred to the people you choose during the call.

Watch out for

  • Voice only: website chat, email, and messaging aren’t included.
  • Each agent is priced separately, which adds up across locations.
Entry price
$79 a month for 100 unique customers, with a free demo agent before you connect a number Source
Pricing model
Starter $79, Growth $129, or Scale $299 a month, priced by unique customers; Enterprise is custom Source
What is metered
Unique customers (100, 500, or 2,000 a month), then 79¢, 26¢, or 15¢ each; minutes are not metered Source
Channels
Phone calls, answered by an AI phone agent Source
Human handoff
Transfers calls to the people you choose; transfers do not count toward limits Source
Notable limits
Plans cap workers (5 to 20), external tools (1 to 15), team members (1 to 10), and call history (30 days to unlimited) Source

Checked on from Goodcall’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Goodcall

5. Rosie

Best for low-cost minute bundles

Rosie sells phone answering in prepaid minute bundles with a low entry price and large top tiers, which suits owner-operators whose main problem is unanswered calls.

Pick it if

  • You want warm or live call transfers to your team: Rosie lists both from its $149 Scale plan.
  • Phone is your main channel and you want a $49 entry price for 250 minutes.
  • You want native iOS and Android apps, which Rosie lists on every plan.

Watch out for

  • Web chat is an add-on billed per conversation.
  • Its pricing page lists no overage rate, so ask what happens when a bundle runs out.
Entry price
$49 a month for 250 minutes, with a 7-day free trial Source
Pricing model
Professional $49, Scale $149, or Growth $299 a month by included minutes; annual billing gives 2 months free Source
What is metered
Call minutes (250, 1,000, or 2,000 a month); the website texting add-on counts conversations Source
Channels
Phone calls and a website chat widget on every plan, texts to callers, and website texting as an add-on Source
Human handoff
Warm and live call transfers from Scale; waterfall transfers on Growth Source
Booking
Texts appointment links on Professional; books directly on your calendar from Scale Source
Notable limits
No minute overage rate is listed; website texting is $50 for 25 conversations, then $1 each Source

Checked on from Rosie’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Rosie

6. Dialzara

Best for a cheap phone-first start

Dialzara’s smallest minute plan is among the lowest entry prices we found, and voice, SMS, and web chat share one knowledge base.

Pick it if

  • You get few calls and want a $29 entry price for 60 minutes.
  • You want published per-minute overage, from $0.48 down to $0.35.
  • You want AI outbound calling, which Dialzara sells from $750 a month.

Watch out for

  • SMS is a paid add-on with a per-message fee.
  • Email and WhatsApp aren’t among its channels.
Entry price
$29 a month for 60 minutes, with a 7-day free trial Source
Pricing model
Business Lite $29, Pro $99, Plus $199, or Elite $349 a month by included minutes Source
What is metered
Call minutes (60 to 1,000 a month), with overage from $0.48 down to $0.35 per minute; AI texts at $0.05 each Source
Channels
Phone calls, an AI SMS agent, and a website chatbot Source
Booking
Appointment booking with CRM and calendar integration, including in-chat booking Source
Notable limits
With a voice plan, the chatbot is free for 100 sessions a month, then $0.15 each; SMS carrier fees pass through at $0.0083 per segment Source

Checked on from Dialzara’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Dialzara

7. Marlie AI

Best for call transfer on a budget

Marlie AI adds call transfer from its second tier and lowers its per-minute overage as plans grow, which suits busy phone lines that still need a person on some calls.

Pick it if

  • Phone is your only channel and you want a low entry price: $49 for 250 minutes.
  • You want calls transferred to your team, which Marlie AI includes from Standard at $99.
  • You handle high call volume and want overage that falls to $0.25 per minute on Premium.

Watch out for

  • Document uploads and a knowledge base start on its higher tiers.
  • Voice only; SMS and email carry notifications and reports.
Entry price
$49 per month for 250 minutes, with a 14-day free trial Source
Pricing model
Basic $49, Standard $99, Pro $199, and Premium $399 per month by included minutes; Enterprise is custom Source
What is metered
Minutes: 250 to 2,000 included, then $0.35 down to $0.25 per minute Source
Channels
Voice, with SMS and email notifications and reports Source
Human handoff
Call transfer to one number on Standard; to multiple people and departments from Pro Source
Booking
Calendar sync, availability checks, and rescheduling from Standard; cancellations from Pro Source
Notable limits
Basic has no call transfer and one action per call; document uploads start at $199 Source

Checked on from Marlie AI’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Marlie AI

8. Upfirst

Best for low call volume

Upfirst sells calls in small bundles, so a business that gets a handful of calls a week pays for little more than that.

Pick it if

  • You get few calls and want a $24.95 entry price for 30 calls.
  • You want live, warm call transfers, which Upfirst lists on every plan.
  • You need a BAA and can use Upfirst’s Custom plan, where it is offered.

Watch out for

  • Voice only, with texting during calls.
  • A BAA is offered only on its Custom plan.
Entry price
$24.95 a month for 30 calls ($20 billed annually), with a 14-day free trial Source
Pricing model
Starter, Premium, Pro, and Scale plans by included calls; annual billing saves 20% Source
What is metered
Calls (30 to 600 a month), with extra calls from $1.50 down to $0.70; spam and calls under 15 seconds are not billed Source
Channels
Phone calls, with texts sent during calls and call summaries by text or email Source
Human handoff
Live, warm call transfers to you or your team on every plan Source
Booking
Books into Google, Outlook, Clio, Acuity, Calendly, Square, and more Source
Notable limits
Each additional AI agent is $9.95 a month; a BAA is offered only on the Custom plan Source

Checked on from Upfirst’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Upfirst

9. RingCentral AI Receptionist

Best for RingEX phone customers

RingCentral’s AI Receptionist adds AI answering to a RingCentral phone system, with routing and transfers that keep the call’s context.

Pick it if

  • You already use RingEX and want AI answering added to it for $39 a month.
  • You want callers routed by name, location, or keyword to people in your phone system.
  • You prefer per-minute billing in 30-second increments, with a 14-day free trial.

Watch out for

  • Minutes beyond the included allowance are billed per minute.
  • Website chat, email, and WhatsApp aren’t part of it.
Entry price
$39 per month as a RingEX add-on; $49 per month standalone; 14-day free trial on both Source
Pricing model
$49 per month standalone, or $39 per month as a RingEX add-on, each with 100 minutes included Source
What is metered
Minutes: after the included 100, $0.50 per minute, billed in 30-second increments Source
Channels
Voice calls and texts Source
Human handoff
Routes calls by name, location, or keyword, and passes complex requests to a team member with context Source
Booking
Schedules or reschedules appointments through a connected calendar Source
Notable limits
Usage past the included 100 minutes is billed at $0.50 per minute; extra minute bundles are sold separately Source

Checked on from RingCentral AI Receptionist’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs RingCentral AI Receptionist

10. Newo.ai

Best for pay-as-you-go

Newo.ai lets you start without a monthly fee and bills calls and texts from one pool of units, which suits seasonal or unpredictable call volume.

Pick it if

  • You want to start without a monthly fee: Pay As You Go includes 50 free units once, then $1.75 per unit.
  • Most of your calls are short: one unit covers a call of 30 seconds to 3 minutes, and spam and immediate hang-ups cost nothing.
  • You want social messaging handled by the same agent, which Newo lists on every plan.

Watch out for

  • Each plan covers one agent at one location.
  • Calls longer than three minutes bill in 3-minute increments.
Entry price
$0 to start with 50 free units, then $1.75 per unit; AI Receptionist $299 for 200 units, then $1.50 per unit Source
Pricing model
Pay As You Go from $0, AI Receptionist at $299 per month, and custom Enterprise Source
What is metered
Units shared by voice and text: 1 unit per call of 30 seconds to 3 minutes, longer calls in 3-minute increments, 0.5 units per 15 agent messages Source
Channels
Inbound voice, web chat, and social messaging on every plan; outbound voice on request Source
Booking
Books and updates records in connected tools such as Calendly, Square, Housecall Pro, ServiceM8, Open Dental, and Dentrix Source
Notable limits
One agent at one location per plan; unused units don’t roll over; white label is Enterprise-only Source

Checked on from Newo.ai’s public pricing page. Compare InsertChat vs Newo.ai

How we evaluated

We read the pages that rank for “best ai receptionist”, kept the products a small business can actually buy, and read each vendor’s own pricing and product pages, most recently on October 13, 2026. We don’t give star ratings or scores, and we didn’t buy every plan: these are documented facts, not hands-on test results. Anything a vendor doesn’t publish is left out rather than guessed. InsertChat is first because we build it for this job; the others are ordered by how well they fit the buyer this page is for.

Answers from your knowledge

Can it answer pricing, hours, and service questions from your website and documents, or does it only take messages?

Books appointments

Which calendars it writes to, whether it reschedules and cancels, and whether your team can approve bookings first.

Reaches a person

How a caller gets to your team: a live transfer, a callback, or a flagged conversation with the full transcript.

Covers more than calls

Whether website chat, texts, email, and WhatsApp share the same answers, or need separate tools.

Publishes its price

Whether pricing is public, and what is metered: minutes, calls, callers, units, or credits.

Keeps your number

Whether you can forward your existing number and set everything up without a sales call.

How to choose an AI receptionist

Start with your calls, not the feature list. Pull two weeks of call logs and note how many calls came in, how long they lasted, how many arrived after hours, and what callers wanted. Those four numbers tell you which pricing model is cheapest and which features you’ll use.

Match the pricing model to your calls

Per-minute plans favor short calls; per-call and per-caller plans favor long ones. Credit plans such as InsertChat’s share one allowance across calls and written conversations. Check the rounding too: InsertChat rounds each call up to a whole minute, RingCentral bills in 30-second increments, and Newo.ai bills longer calls in 3-minute steps.

Test it on your real questions

Give every trial the ten questions your callers ask most, plus two it shouldn’t answer. A good AI receptionist answers from your information, takes a clean message when it can’t, and never invents a price. Call at night and on a weekend, the way customers do.

Decide how a caller reaches a person

Some products transfer live calls; others flag the call for a fast callback. If live transfer matters, confirm which plan includes it. If you’d rather keep the context, look for a transcript and summary your team can act on, which InsertChat saves for every call.

Check how deep booking goes

Ask which calendar it writes to, whether it can reschedule and cancel, how it handles buffers and appointment lengths, and whether your team can approve a booking first. InsertChat supports all of that, plus reminders 72 and 24 hours before the appointment.

Count every channel your customers use

Callers text back, email photos, and message on WhatsApp. A receptionist that only answers the phone leaves those conversations to you; one front desk for every channel keeps the answers consistent.

Plan the number switch

Forwarding keeps your number with your phone provider; porting moves it. InsertChat uses forwarding in the US and Canada, and you can start with after-hours or unanswered calls before forwarding everything. The call forwarding guides list the steps for each carrier.

The 10 best AI receptionists for small businesses in 2026: common questions

Choosing, pricing, and switching

Get started

We rank InsertChat first, and we make it: it answers calls from your own knowledge, books appointments, and puts every call in one shared inbox with website chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp, from $98 a month. Smith.ai fits buyers who want human-agent backup, and Goodcall fits voice-only lines with long calls.

It depends on what the vendor meters. This list includes minute bundles (Rosie, Dialzara, Marlie AI), call bundles (Upfirst, Smith.ai), per-caller pricing (Goodcall), units (Newo.ai), and InsertChat’s credit allowance. InsertChat Pro is $98 a month with 5,000 monthly credits, and each pick above shows its sourced entry price.

Some can: RingCentral lists routing and transfers with context, and Marlie AI includes call transfer from its Standard plan. InsertChat doesn’t transfer live calls. Your phone can ring first for 5 to 60 seconds, and when the AI answers, it flags anyone who needs a person and confirms a callback by text or email.

Usually, by forwarding. With InsertChat, US and Canadian businesses forward their existing number for every call, missed calls, or after-hours calls; elsewhere you answer on a local or toll-free InsertChat number. Porting isn’t offered. Check each vendor’s number options before you switch.

Start a trial, add your website and FAQs, and place test calls with your most common questions. With InsertChat, the 7-day free trial with 500 credits lets you forward only after-hours or unanswered calls first, then compare the transcripts with how your team handles the same calls.

Keep researching

Build your AI front desk.

Start with the questions you answer every day.

Add your business information, test the answers, and connect your first customer channel.

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