- Best for
- Local service businesses that want to set up an AI receptionist themselves.
- Pricing
- From $79/month for 100 unique customers (about 150 calls).
- Strengths
- No code, Google Calendar booking, transfers with a backup, HighLevel and Zapier.
- Watch for
- Outbound calling, WhatsApp and web chat are not stated.
Buyer's guide
AI receptionists for small businesses, compared.
Six options a small business is likely to weigh for answering the phone in 2026, from $49-a-month self-serve AI to human receptionists. Most of the difference comes down to price model, whether you want to set it up yourself, and how much the AI should do beyond answering.
Facts checked October 28, 2026. We make Grepiv; every claim about another product links to that vendor’s own site.
At a glance
The options, in one table.
| Product | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Goodcall | Local service businesses that want to set up an AI receptionist themselves. | From $79/month for 100 unique customers (about 150 calls). |
| Rosie | The lowest published entry price. | From $49/month for 250 minutes; 7-day free trial. |
| Frontdesk | Businesses that want calls, texts and web chat in one low-cost plan. | $99/month ($79 billed annually) for 200 voice minutes, 400 SMS and 100 chats; 7-day free trial. |
| Smith.ai | Businesses that want the option of a human receptionist. | AI plans from free (25 calls/month); human plans from $300/month. |
| Ruby | Businesses where a person must answer every call. | From $250/month for 50 minutes. |
| Grepiv | Businesses where calls are leads: called back, texted and tracked through a pipeline. | Quoted per account after a demo; no public price list. |
How to choose
What actually separates them.
- 01
Price model
Rosie and Frontdesk price by minutes, Goodcall by unique callers, Smith.ai by calls, Ruby by receptionist minutes. Estimate your monthly calls before comparing.
- 02
Self-serve or guided
Goodcall, Rosie and Frontdesk let you sign up and go live alone. Grepiv and the human services start with a conversation.
- 03
Beyond answering
Booking, texting, outbound call-backs and lead tracking turn a receptionist into a sales desk. Check which you actually need.
- 04
Keeping your number
Most work by forwarding or porting your existing number, so customers keep calling the number they already know.
The options
Each one, honestly.
- Best for
- The lowest published entry price.
- Pricing
- From $49/month for 250 minutes; 7-day free trial.
- Strengths
- Free web chat on all plans, calendar booking and live transfers on higher plans.
- Watch for
- Zapier is the only named integration; overage rate not stated.
Frontdesk
Self-serve AI front office (calls, SMS, chat)
- Best for
- Businesses that want calls, texts and web chat in one low-cost plan.
- Pricing
- $99/month ($79 billed annually) for 200 voice minutes, 400 SMS and 100 chats; 7-day free trial.
- Strengths
- Built-in CRM, 20 outbound calls a day on the entry plan, WhatsApp listed as a channel.
- Watch for
- Your own number as outbound caller ID is on higher plans only.
- Best for
- Businesses that want the option of a human receptionist.
- Pricing
- AI plans from free (25 calls/month); human plans from $300/month.
- Strengths
- AI with human backup, packaged CRM integrations, Calendly and Acuity booking.
- Watch for
- Per-call pricing; text follow-ups cost extra on human plans.
- Best for
- Businesses where a person must answer every call.
- Pricing
- From $250/month for 50 minutes.
- Strengths
- Real people, live chat, 24 named integrations.
- Watch for
- No AI receptionist; the most expensive per minute here.
Grepiv
AI receptionist, outbound caller and SMS/WhatsApp desk on your own numbers
- Best for
- Businesses where calls are leads: called back, texted and tracked through a pipeline.
- Pricing
- Quoted per account after a demo; no public price list.
- Strengths
- Inbound and outbound AI calls, two-way SMS and WhatsApp on the same numbers, custom capture fields, pipelines, booking, and webhooks before, during and after each call.
- Watch for
- No self-serve sign-up or trial yet, no human receptionists, and CRM integration is by webhook rather than packaged connectors. We make Grepiv.
Questions
Asked before buying.
01
What is the cheapest AI receptionist for a small business?
Of these six, Rosie has the lowest published entry price at $49 a month for 250 minutes, followed by Goodcall at $79 and Frontdesk at $99 ($79 billed annually). Smith.ai has a free AI plan for 25 calls a month.
02
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Yes, all the AI options here can book in some form: Goodcall with Google Calendar, Smith.ai through Calendly and Acuity, Rosie by link or calendar depending on plan, Frontdesk and Grepiv directly.
03
Can I keep my business phone number?
Yes with all six, either by forwarding calls or porting the number. With Grepiv you port it to your own Twilio account and it stays yours.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Vendors change plans often. Each was read on October 28, 2026; if something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.
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