How Much Does a Virtual Receptionist Cost? The Number Is Half the Bill Nobody Shows You
Ask how much does a virtual receptionist cost and the comparison tables answer with answering prices: $29 to $150 a month for the AI tools, per-minute meters for the human ones. What the tables quietly leave out is the phone number — every one of those services assumes you already have a business line, or makes you buy one separately. The honest total is two bills. This page adds them up, then shows the one offer where the number is free.
Bill one: the answering (published prices)
| Service | Published price | What that buys | Number included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dialzara | $29/mo | 60 minutes of AI answering | No |
| Rosie | $49/mo | 250 minutes | No |
| Goodcall | $79/mo | 100 unique callers ($129/mo for 500) | No |
| Smith.ai (AI) | ~$150/mo | 75 calls; Spanish costs $1 extra per call | No |
| Legacy human answering services | Base fee + per minute (e.g. $20/mo + $0.10/min) | Human operators, meter running on every call | No |
Prices are the providers' published plans as documented in our research files (November 2026). Plans and prices change; check the provider's site for the current figure before you buy anything — including ours.
Bill two: the number itself
None of the rows above includes a business number. Bring your own line and you are forwarding your personal number into a service — and still paying your carrier. Buy a business number separately and the meter starts again: Grasshopper from $14/mo, Quo at $15 per user per month, Google Voice for Workspace at $10 per user per month plus Workspace fees. That is the half of the bill nobody shows you: the receptionist comparison is really a comparison of half-packages.
The all-in alternative: the number is free
Second Line: claim your number for $0, with 1,000 credits included. Then $10/mo per 1,000 credits — or $49/mo with everything included. Alice answers the number in English or Spanish, included, with no per-call surcharge for Spanish. One product, one bill, and the bill starts at zero. You can also run your own numbers through the Receptionist Cost Calculator.
What the meter-free part is worth
Per-minute and per-call pricing punishes exactly the calls you want most: the long intake, the careful explanation, the customer who becomes a job. Flat credits flip the incentive — Alice can take the time the call needs, collect the complete details, and book the work, while your cost stays the number you chose at the start of the month. The full offer is on the free business phone number with answering service page.
Stated plainly
Credits are spent as Alice works your calls, so a very busy line on the $10 plan may need a top-up before the month ends — the $49 plan exists for owners who would rather never think about it. And no receptionist, ours included, replaces your judgment: Alice answers, books, and summarizes; you run the business. Prices above are published figures from the providers and our research files, not quotes.
¿Prefieres hacer las cuentas en español? Recepcionista virtual para negocios — el número es gratis y el español viene incluido.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a virtual receptionist cost per month?
Published plans for AI receptionists run from $29/mo (Dialzara, 60 minutes) to about $150/mo (Smith.ai's AI receptionist, 75 calls), with Rosie at $49/mo for 250 minutes and Goodcall at $79/mo for 100 unique callers. Traditional human answering services bill per minute on top of a base fee. And every one of those prices is for the answering only — the phone number itself is a second bill, or a line you already own and forward.
Why is the phone number a separate cost?
Because the receptionist tools do not sell numbers. You bring your existing line and forward it, or you buy a business number separately — Grasshopper starts at $14/mo, Quo is $15 per user per month, and Google Voice for Workspace is $10 per user per month plus Workspace fees. Add the two bills together and the real monthly cost is the number nobody prints in the comparison tables.
What does Second Line cost, all in?
Claiming your number is $0 and includes 1,000 credits. After that: $10/mo per 1,000 credits, or $49/mo with everything included. The number and the receptionist are the same product, so there is no second bill — and Spanish-language answering is included at no per-call surcharge.
Does Spanish answering cost extra?
With some providers, yes — Smith.ai charges $1 extra per call for Spanish. With Alice it is included: a Spanish-speaking caller gets the same answering, booking, and summary at the same price.
Can I hear what I would be paying for before I commit?
Yes. Call the live demo line, (272) 447-0013, and Alice answers exactly as she would for your business — in English or Spanish. Then claim your number free and decide with 1,000 credits, not a sales call.