Comparison
AI receptionists for small businesses, compared
AI receptionist services all answer your phone, but they charge in very different ways — per minute, per caller, per call, or as part of a wider platform. Here is how the main options price their service, taken from their own pricing pages.
The short answer
An AI receptionist answers business calls, answers common questions, takes messages and can book appointments or transfer calls. Prices published in October 2026 start at $49/month for 250 minutes (Rosie), $79/month per 100 unique callers (Goodcall), $99/month for 200 minutes (My AI Front Desk) and per-call pricing at Smith.ai. GlobifyAI includes 200 AI phone minutes in its £29/month Starter plan alongside AI content, social publishing and an inbox, which suits businesses that want calls and marketing in one tool.
Competitor details were read from each vendor's own pricing page on . Prices are shown in the vendor's currency and change over time — confirm on their site before buying.
Side by side.
| Detail | GlobifyAI | GoodcallSource | RosieSource | Smith.aiSource | My AI Front DeskSource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Starter £29/month, Growth £59/month, Business £129/month. Includes 200 / 500 / 1200 AI phone minutes. Extra minutes: 100 for £12. 14-day trial with 10 minutes. | Starter $79/month (100 unique customers, then 79¢ each), Growth $129/month (500), Scale $299/month (2,000). | Professional $49/month (250 minutes), Scale $149/month (1,000 minutes), Growth $299/month (2,000 minutes). 7-day free trial. | Free (25 calls, then $3/call), Pro from $150/month (75–300 calls), Enterprise from $500/month. | Business-in-a-Box $99/month or $79/month billed annually (200 voice minutes), then $0.25/minute. 7-day free trial. |
| How you're charged | Monthly plan with a phone-minute allowance. No automatic overage — calls pause at the limit until you top up. | Charged per unique caller, not per minute — a long call costs the same as a short one. | Monthly minute allowance. Calendar booking and live transfers start on the Scale plan. | Charged per call. Enterprise can transfer calls to live North America-based receptionists. | Monthly minute allowance plus a credit pool that also covers SMS, web chat and email drafts. |
| Built for | Small businesses that want the phone agent together with AI content, social publishing, inbox and CRM in one workspace. | Service businesses that want predictable costs regardless of call length. | Solo operators and trades businesses; native iOS and Android apps. | Businesses that want an AI-first receptionist with a human receptionist option. | Small businesses wanting phone, SMS and web chat in one front-desk product. |
| Choose it if | You also want help with social content, customer messages or search visibility, and prefer one subscription to several. | Your calls are long and you'd rather pay per caller than per minute. | You only need phone answering and want a dedicated mobile app. | You need a live human receptionist available as a backup for complex calls. | Two-way SMS from the same number matters to you. |
Which fits you
When each option makes sense.
GlobifyAI
You also want help with social content, customer messages or search visibility, and prefer one subscription to several.
Goodcall
Your calls are long and you'd rather pay per caller than per minute.
Rosie
You only need phone answering and want a dedicated mobile app.
Smith.ai
You need a live human receptionist available as a backup for complex calls.
My AI Front Desk
Two-way SMS from the same number matters to you.
Before you choose
What to check in any tool.
How you're charged
Per minute, per caller and per call can give very different bills for the same business. Estimate your monthly call count and average call length first.
What happens at the limit
Some services keep answering and bill overage; others pause. Check which, so there are no surprise charges.
Keeping your number
Check whether you can forward your existing number or must take a new one, and whether your country needs regulatory approval.
Booking and transfers
Confirm which plan includes appointment booking and live call transfer — they're often not on the cheapest tier.
Call records
You should get a recording, transcript and summary of every call so you can check what the AI said.
FAQ
Common questions.
What is the cheapest AI receptionist?
It depends on how you're charged. Among the services above, published entry prices in October 2026 were $49/month for 250 minutes (Rosie), £29/month for 200 minutes plus marketing tools (GlobifyAI Starter), $79/month for 100 unique callers (Goodcall) and $99/month for 200 minutes (My AI Front Desk). Smith.ai has a free tier for 25 calls a month, then $3 per call.
Does an AI receptionist replace a human receptionist?
For routine calls — opening hours, prices, taking messages, booking — it can. For complex or sensitive calls, most services, including GlobifyAI, can transfer the caller to a person.
Can I keep my business phone number?
With GlobifyAI, yes: you can forward your existing number or buy a new one in the app. Some countries require identity or address documents first.
How were these prices checked?
Each price was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-10-10; the source link is shown next to each one. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's site before buying.
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