Virtual receptionist cost
What a receptionist costs. Salary, service, or AI Employee.
A receptionist on payroll costs about $4,100 a month with benefits. A virtual receptionist service charges by the minute or by the call. An AI Employee answers every call, on your number, for a flat monthly plan. All three numbers are below, and the AI Employee is on this page.
In-house receptionist
$4,110a month
BLS mean wage plus 25% benefits
Virtual receptionist service
$99 to $1,725a month
50 to 500 minutes, published plans
AI Employee
From $99a month
190 minutes, phone, Zoom and web
Calculator
Your monthly cost, three ways.
In-house receptionist
BLS mean wage plus 25% benefits
$4,110
second shift needed
Per-minute service
at $3.45 a minute
$1,553
Per-call service
at $10.00 a call
$1,500
AI Employee
Scale plan, 575 minutes included
$299
The AI Employee answers at any hour for the same plan.
Talk to the AI Employee now
Receptionist salary
What a receptionist earns in 2026.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the mean annual wage for receptionists at $39,460 and the median at $38,010 (May 2025). That is about $3,290 a month in wages.
Add 25 to 30% for payroll taxes, benefits and paid time off, and the desk costs about $4,100 a month before training, cover for sick days, and turnover.
One receptionist covers one shift. Nights, weekends and two calls at once need a second person or a service.
| Coverage | A month |
|---|---|
| Business hours | $4,110 |
| Extended (7 a.m. to 9 p.m.) | $6,200 to $7,400, two part-time shifts |
| 24/7 | $12,000 or more, three shifts |
Estimates from the BLS wage and standard shift cover; your local wage may differ.
Published prices
Eleven virtual receptionist services, side by side.
| Service | Billing model | Entry plan | Overage | Hours of coverage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Per minute | $250 a month, 50 minutes | Not published | 24/7, weekends and holidays included | ruby.com |
| Smith.ai, human receptionists | Per call | $300 a month, 30 calls | $11.50 a call | 24/7, same price at any hour | smith.ai |
| Smith.ai, AI receptionist | Per call | Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 a month, 75 calls | $3.00 a call on Free, $2.50 on Pro | 24/7 | smith.ai |
| Abby Connect | Per minute; AI minutes count as half | $165 a month, 50 minutes | At the plan's minute rate ($3.30 on Starter) | Hours you choose, 24/7 available, no weekend upcharge | abby.com |
| PATLive | Per minute | $99 a month, 50 minutes | $2.29 a minute | 24/7, 365 days, nights and weekends included | patlive.com |
| Back Office Betties | Per minute, billed to the second, not rounded up | $369 a month, 100 minutes, after a $399 onboarding | Not published | Weekdays 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT only | backofficebetties.com |
| Posh | Per minute | $130 a month, 50 minutes (or $65 a month with no minutes, then $2.30 a minute) | $2.20 a minute | 24/7 | posh.com |
| Davinci Virtual | Per minute | $129 a month, 50 minutes | Not published | 24/7 | davincivirtual.com |
| Nexa | Per minute | Quote only (plans of 100, 300 and 500 minutes) | Quote only | 24/7, 365 days | nexa.com |
| AnswerConnect | Not published | Quote only | Quote only | 24/7 | answerconnect.com |
| Moneypenny | Per minute | $165 a month, 50 minutes | $2.28 a minute | 24/7 | moneypenny.com |
| DelegateWorker | Flat monthly plan | Operator $99 a month, 190 minutes, phone, Zoom and web | Add minutes in bundles | 24/7 | Pricing |
Per-minute services round differently. Some bill to the second, some round every call up to the next minute. It shows up on the bill.
AI receptionist vs human receptionist
Where each one wins.
A human receptionist
An AI Employee
- Hours
A human receptionist: One shift, weekdays
An AI Employee: 24 hours, every day
- Two calls at once
A human receptionist: The second caller waits
An AI Employee: Both answered, in parallel
- Cost when the phone is quiet
A human receptionist: The same salary
An AI Employee: The same plan, no wasted minutes on a quiet month
- Judgment on a hard call
A human receptionist: Reads the room
An AI Employee: Follows your script, then hands off to your team
- The record
A human receptionist: Notes, if there is time
An AI Employee: Transcript and summary on every call, into your CRM
Most small businesses keep the person for the front door and give the phone to the AI Employee.
How to work out what a receptionist really costs
Count the calls
One month of inbound calls, including the ones that went to voicemail.
Time them
Most business calls run two to four minutes; intake calls run longer.
Decide the hours
Business hours, extended, or 24/7. This changes the salary number more than anything else.
Compare the three
Salary with benefits, service at its published rate, and the AI Employee plan that covers your minutes. The calculator above does it.
How an AI Employee answers your phone
- Answers under your business name, in 32 languages, including Spanish
- Asks the questions you give it and books into your calendar
- Takes two calls at once and never puts anyone on hold
- Writes the transcript and summary into HubSpot or Go High Level
- Runs on your number, on Zoom, and on your website
Pricing
Start with the plan built for a real front desk.
Operator
$99a month
- 190 minutes a month
- 2 parallel calls
- Phone, Zoom and web
- HubSpot and Go High Level connected
Scale
$299a month
- Everything in Operator
- 575 minutes a month
- 3 parallel calls
- Priority support
Want to hear your own AI Employee first? There is an $8 test plan.
Questions
Questions people ask
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
Published plans run from about $99 a month for 50 minutes to about $1,725 a month for 500 minutes. Per-call plans start near $300 a month for 30 calls. An AI Employee on DelegateWorker starts at $99 a month for 190 minutes on the Operator plan.
How much does a receptionist cost to hire?
The BLS mean wage for a receptionist is $39,460 a year. With payroll taxes and benefits, about $4,100 a month for one shift. Nights and weekends need a second person.
What is the difference between a virtual receptionist and an AI receptionist?
A virtual receptionist is a person at a service who answers under your name and bills by the minute or the call. An AI receptionist is software that answers, asks your questions and books the time. On DelegateWorker it is called an AI Employee, and it works on the phone, on Zoom and on the web.
Is an AI receptionist good enough for a small business?
For the front door of the call, yes: it answers every time, asks the same questions every time, and writes the record. Hard calls it hands to your team with the transcript.
Does it work with my CRM?
HubSpot and Go High Level are connected today. The AI Employee creates or updates the record while it talks, and the transcript is attached.
What does it cost?
Plans for a real front desk start at $99 a month. Minutes are included; add more in bundles when you need them.