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Cost guide
What an AI receptionist costs, and what drives it.
The pricing models you will meet, the factors that move a quote and the questions that make any quote comparable.
The short answer
The price follows your phone, not a rate card
An AI receptionist costs what your call pattern costs to cover. A dental office with steady daytime calls and a property manager with a burst of maintenance calls on Monday pay for different things. So a single number printed on a web page can be a starting price for one kind of business.
Ours is quoted per front desk, in writing, after a 30-minute call. We print no price list, and this guide sets none. What it does is show you how to read any quote, ours or someone else's, so that two quotes can be set side by side.
Pricing models
Four ways providers charge
| Model | What you pay for | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per minute | Every minute a caller spends with the receptionist | Few, short, predictable calls | Long calls and spam calls raise the bill |
| Per call | Each answered call, often with a monthly allowance | Steady volume of similar calls | What counts as a call: hang-ups, transfers, repeat callers |
| Flat monthly | A fixed amount for a defined scope | Predictable budgets | A cap on minutes or calls, and what happens above it |
| Per seat or location | One charge per phone line, user or site | Teams sharing one line, or multi-site firms | Locations multiply the cost faster than calls do |
Each model is fair when it matches how your phone behaves. The risk is paying for a pattern that is not yours.
Cost drivers
Seven things that move the price
- Call volume. More calls need more capacity, and busy peaks matter more than the monthly total.
- Call length. A two-minute booking and a twelve-minute intake are different workloads.
- Channels. Phone alone is simpler than phone, text and web chat together.
- What it books into. A shared calendar is quick. A practice-management system or a custom booking tool takes more work to connect.
- Locations. Each site has its own hours, rates and rules to learn.
- Hours covered. Business hours only, overflow only, or every hour of every day.
- Special rules. Intake scripts, urgent-call routing and identity checks before private details are shared all add setup.
A worked example
How each model behaves in a spike
This is arithmetic, not a quote. Say a month brings 100 calls averaging 3 minutes, which is 300 minutes. Next month a promotion lifts it to 150 calls, or 450 minutes.
- Per minute. The bill rises by half, because every extra minute is metered.
- Per call. The bill rises by half too, unless an allowance absorbs the extra 50 calls.
- Flat monthly. A 300-minute cap is passed, and the overage terms decide what happens.
- Per seat. Nothing changes, because the charge never counted calls.
Ask each provider to run your own busiest month through the same test.
Beyond the headline price
Charges that sit outside the monthly figure
A low monthly figure can hide the real cost. Ask whether each of these is included, charged once or charged on top:
- Setup. Learning your business, writing it in, and connecting your calendar.
- Overage. What the next minute, call or message costs after the allowance runs out.
- Integrations. Connecting a booking system, CRM or payment tool.
- Number changes. Forwarding or porting your phone number.
- Support and changes. Who updates the front desk when your prices or hours change.
- Term. Minimum length, notice to cancel and what happens to your data on exit.
The other side
Set the price against what a missed call costs
Cost only means something next to value. A rough way to size it uses your own numbers:
Missed calls per month × the share that would have booked × what one booking is worth = what unanswered calls cost you each month.
Your phone system's call log gives the first number. Your own sense of how many callers book gives the second. The third is the average value of a patient, a stay, a lease or a repair. Compare the result with the quote. If the quote is a small fraction of it, the question changes from what it costs to how soon it can start.
Against the alternatives
How it compares with staff and with a live service
A full-time receptionist covers one shift, one call at a time, and the salary is paid whether the phone rings or not. A live answering service may charge by minutes or staffing, and the usual result is a message. An AI receptionist answers every call at once at any hour, and the price follows scope rather than headcount.
The side-by-side comparison sets out the trade-offs, and the buyer's guide lists what to check besides price.
Getting a comparable quote
Seven questions that make quotes comparable
- What exactly is included? List the channels, locations and hours covered.
- How is usage counted? Ask for the definition of a call or a minute in writing.
- What does the first month cost, in total? Include setup and any one-time items.
- What happens above the allowance? Get the overage rate or the upgrade step.
- Who makes changes? Find out how fast, and whether each change is charged.
- Can I hear it first? Listen to it answer for your business before you commit.
- How do I leave? Get notice period and data handling in writing.
How ours is quoted
How Vidhani AI quotes it
We price each front desk to the business that uses it. On a 30-minute call we learn your call volume, channels, systems and locations. You leave with a written quote that states what is covered and what it costs. See the pricing page for the process.
Questions
The short answers.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
It ranges widely, because providers meter different things and cover different scopes. Read the quote against the pricing models and cost drivers above, and ask each provider to price your own typical month.
Is a flat monthly plan cheaper than paying per minute?
It depends on your calls. A flat plan wins when volume is steady and above the allowance. Per-minute pricing wins when calls are few and short.
Are there hidden fees to look for?
Ask about setup, overage, integrations, number changes and the cancellation terms. Each can sit outside the headline figure.
What should a written quote include?
The channels, locations and hours covered, how usage is counted, every one-time charge and the terms for leaving.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?
The two buy different things. A hire covers one shift. An AI receptionist covers every hour and every simultaneous call. Compare the cost against the calls you miss today.