9 Best AI Receptionists of 2026

1. 1

   Upfirst

   An AI receptionist that answers calls and texts, books appointments and hands urgent callers to staff, billed by calls per month.

   8.6overall

   An AI receptionist that answers calls and texts, books appointments and hands urgent callers to staff, billed by calls per month.

   Best forSmall service businesses that want a low per-call price with booking and warm transfers on the entry plan.

   Adoption data

   6,000Upfirst says on its homepage, checked in November 2026, that more than 6,000 businesses use it to answer calls and texts.

   Upfirst, Upfirst AI receptionist homepage (2026): “Trusted by over 6,000 businesses to answer calls and texts”

   Upfirst prices by the number of calls its agent answers each month, which makes the bill easy to predict for a small office. Starter covers 30 calls for $24.95 monthly or $20 on annual terms, Premium covers 90 calls for $59.95, and Pro covers 300 calls for $159.95, with the extra-call rate falling from $1.50 to 75 cents as you move up. Every plan includes the same feature set: answering around the clock or only for overflow and after hours, two-way texting, warm and waterfall transfers, booking into calendars such as Google, Outlook, Clio and Calendly, call recordings, spam blocking and a Zapier connection. The agent switches among 35+ languages and translates the transcript afterward. Upfirst says more than 6,000 businesses use it. The main limit is volume: an office that misses 60 calls a month will pay overage on Starter, so Premium is the realistic choice there. Hands-on setup help is reserved for the Scale and Enterprise plans.

   Strengths

   • +Entry plan costs $20 a month billed annually for 30 calls
   • +Booking, warm transfers and texting are on every plan
   • +14-day free trial with no card required

   Limitations

   • −Starter charges $1.50 for each call beyond 30
   • −White-glove onboarding is limited to Scale and Enterprise
   • −No permanent free plan

   SummaryUpfirst is the best overall pick for a small business that misses a few calls a day and wants booking and transfers from the first plan. Move to Premium once you regularly pass 30 calls a month.

2. 2

   My AI Front Desk

   An AI front office that bundles a phone receptionist with web chat, two-way SMS, a CRM and automations in one plan.

   8.5overall

   An AI front office that bundles a phone receptionist with web chat, two-way SMS, a CRM and automations in one plan.

   Best forSmall businesses that want phone, chat and text handled by one AI system with a built-in CRM.

   Adoption data

   10,000My AI Front Desk says on its homepage, checked in November 2026, that more than 10,000 businesses use it.

   My AI Front Desk, Frontdesk AI receptionist homepage (2026): “Trusted by 10,000+ businesses”

   My AI Front Desk, which brands its product Frontdesk, sells a single self-serve plan called Business-in-a-Box at $99 a month or $79 on annual billing. That plan includes 200 voice minutes, 100 chatbot conversations and 400 SMS a month, plus 1,000 overage credits with auto-reload, a Zapier connection, a verified outbound number and three notification recipients. Beyond answering calls, the plan covers web chat, two-way texting, an AI-native CRM, ticketing and sequence automations, so the receptionist can follow up on leads after the call ends. The vendor lists 20+ languages and a setup time of about five minutes, with a 7-day trial. It reports more than 10,000 businesses served, the largest count among the dedicated AI receptionist startups here. Larger teams and agencies move to custom Partner or Enterprise pricing, which adds volume rates, API access and a dedicated account manager. The minute allowance is the main thing to check if your calls run long.

   Strengths

   • +One plan covers phone, chat, SMS and CRM
   • +Annual billing cuts the price to $79 a month
   • +7-day free trial

   Limitations

   • −Only one self-serve plan; anything larger is custom pricing
   • −200 voice minutes can run out for busy offices
   • −API access is reserved for Partner and Enterprise

   SummaryMy AI Front Desk is a strong pick for a business that wants calls, chat and texts in one AI system with a CRM attached. Busy offices should estimate minutes before committing to the annual plan.

3. 3

   Quo Sona

   Sona, the AI agent inside Quo (formerly OpenPhone), which answers calls and texts for businesses on a Quo phone plan.

   8.5overall

   Sona, the AI agent inside Quo (formerly OpenPhone), which answers calls and texts for businesses on a Quo phone plan.

   Best forSmall teams that want a low-cost business phone line with an AI agent for overflow and after-hours calls.

   Adoption data

   90,000Quo says on its homepage, checked in November 2026, that it powers conversations for more than 90,000 businesses; the figure covers its phone platform, not Sona alone.

   Quo, Quo business phone homepage (2026): “Powering conversations for 90,000+ businesses”

   Quo, formerly OpenPhone, is a business phone service that includes its Sona AI agent on every plan. Starter costs $15 per user per month on annual billing or $19 monthly, Business $23 and Scale $35 on annual terms. Each plan includes 1,000 automation credits, which equals 10 Sona calls, and more volume comes from credit tiers: $25 a month for 40 calls, $49 for 100, $99 for 250 and $199 for 600, with overage falling from $1.00 to $0.45 per call. Sona greets callers, answers questions from the business details you enter, captures messages and can be placed at specific points in your call flow, for example after hours or when nobody picks up. A beta feature follows up missed calls by text at no charge. Quo reports more than 90,000 businesses on its platform, though that counts phone customers rather than Sona users. The low headline price fits a small team; a busy office will need a credit tier on top.

   Strengths

   • +Lowest entry price here at $15 per user per month billed annually
   • +Includes a full business phone line, not just the AI agent
   • +Credit tiers lower the per-call rate as volume grows

   Limitations

   • −Only 10 AI calls are included before credit tiers apply
   • −Per-user pricing adds up for larger teams
   • −Booking and deeper handling need instructions you write

   SummaryQuo Sona is the cheapest way to get a business number plus an AI agent for occasional missed calls. Budget for a credit tier if you expect more than 10 AI-handled calls a month.

4. 4

   RingCentral AI Receptionist

   RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR), an AI agent that answers, routes and books calls and works with any business phone system.

   8.5overall

   RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR), an AI agent that answers, routes and books calls and works with any business phone system.

   Best forSmall and midsize businesses that want an AI receptionist from a large phone provider with HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance.

   Adoption data

   600,000RingCentral says on its company page, checked in November 2026, that more than 600,000 businesses worldwide use its products; the figure covers the whole company, not AI Receptionist alone.

   RingCentral, About RingCentral (2026): “Trusted by over 600,000 businesses around the world”

   RingCentral sells its AI Receptionist, known as AIR, as a standalone product for $49 a month with 100 minutes, or for $39 a month alongside a $30 RingEX Core phone plan. The standalone version works with any business phone system and sets itself up from your website content. It answers 24/7, routes callers by name, location or intent, hands calls to users, queues or outside numbers with context, captures leads, books appointments through calendar integrations or SMS links, and runs an SMS agent for text inquiries. Supported languages include English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese, with automatic switching. RingCentral lists HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance and integrations with WhatsApp, Calendly and Shopify. The company reports more than 600,000 business customers, though that number spans all its products. The weak spot for small offices is metering: at $0.50 per minute after the first 100, a business with long calls can pay more than on per-call plans.

   Strengths

   • +Backed by a vendor with more than 600,000 business customers
   • +Unlimited AI receptionists on the standalone plan
   • +Live handoff with context and call queue integration

   Limitations

   • −100 included minutes go quickly at $0.50 per extra minute
   • −Bundling with RingEX adds $30 a month for the phone plan
   • −Customer count is company-wide, not specific to AI Receptionist

   SummaryRingCentral AI Receptionist suits businesses that want a compliance-ready product from a large provider and can keep calls short. Check your average call length against the 100 included minutes first.

5. 5

   Smith.ai

   An AI receptionist with lead qualification and scheduling, offered alongside a live agent service, with a free tier of 25 calls a month.

   8.5overall

   An AI receptionist with lead qualification and scheduling, offered alongside a live agent service, with a free tier of 25 calls a month.

   Best forLaw firms and service businesses that want to test an AI receptionist on real calls for free before paying.

   Adoption data

   5,000Smith.ai says on its AI receptionist pricing page, checked in November 2026, that more than 5,000 businesses use it; its homepage reports more than 25 million calls handled over 11 years.

   Smith.ai, AI Receptionist pricing (2026): “Smith.ai is trusted by 5,000+ businesses.”

   Smith.ai has run a receptionist business for more than a decade, and its AI receptionist now has its own price list with a free tier. The free plan answers 25 real calls a month around the clock, with recordings, transcripts, summaries, lead qualification, routing, AI scheduling through Calendly and native integrations such as Clio and Zapier. Its Quality Studio provides test and simulated calls so you can hear the agent before it takes live traffic. Pro costs $150 a month for 75 calls, or $2.00 per call, with larger bundles at 150 and 300 calls and dedicated onboarding plus live phone, email and chat support. Enterprise starts at $500 for 300 calls and adds custom prompting, unlimited custom integrations and multi-location support. Smith.ai reports more than 5,000 businesses served and 25 million calls handled. The trade-off is price per call: at $2.00 included and $2.50 for extras on Pro, it costs more than call-bundle rivals such as Upfirst.

   Strengths

   • +Permanent free plan with 25 real calls a month
   • +Test and simulated calls let you check the agent before launch
   • +Enterprise tier adds custom prompting and multi-location support

   Limitations

   • −Pro starts at $150 a month, or $2.00 per included call
   • −Calls beyond the free allowance cost $3.00 each
   • −Live phone and chat support start on Pro

   SummarySmith.ai is the safest way to try an AI receptionist for free on real calls, with deep legal intake experience. Expect a higher per-call bill than Upfirst once you pass the free tier.

6. 6

   Rosie

   An AI answering service for small businesses that learns from your Google profile and website and answers calls 24/7.

   8.1overall

   An AI answering service for small businesses that learns from your Google profile and website and answers calls 24/7.

   Best forSolo owners who want a generous minute allowance and simple message taking at a low monthly price.

   Adoption data

   2,000Rosie says on its homepage, checked in November 2026, that more than 2,000 small businesses use it and that it has answered more than 3.1 million calls.

   Rosie, Rosie AI answering service homepage (2026): “2,000+ small businesses trust Rosie to answer 3.1m+ calls and counting.”

   Rosie is built for owners who cannot always reach the phone. Its $49 Professional plan includes 250 minutes a month, custom message taking for two scenarios, booking links sent by text, automatic spam detection and a website chat widget, with a 7-day trial. All plans learn from your Google business profile and website, answer in English and Spanish, take multiple calls at once, offer more than 10 voices, and send summaries, transcripts and recordings by email and text. Native iOS and Android apps and a Zapier link to 1,000+ apps are included. The catch is that several features small offices expect sit higher up: booking straight into your calendar, warm transfers and live transfers start on the $149 Scale plan with 1,000 minutes, and waterfall transfers and custom document training need the $299 Growth plan. Rosie reports more than 2,000 small businesses and 3.1 million calls answered. For message taking and lead capture, Professional is good value.

   Strengths

   • +250 minutes for $49 is a large allowance at this price
   • +Website chat widget is free with every plan
   • +7-day free trial

   Limitations

   • −Direct calendar booking starts on the $149 Scale plan
   • −Live and warm transfers also require Scale
   • −Professional allows only 2 custom message scenarios

   SummaryRosie gives solo owners the most minutes for $49 among these vendors. Budget for the $149 Scale plan if you need calendar booking or call transfers.

7. 7

   Allo

   A small-business phone system with built-in AI summaries and an AI Receptionist add-on that answers, books and updates your CRM.

   8.0overall

   A small-business phone system with built-in AI summaries and an AI Receptionist add-on that answers, books and updates your CRM.

   Best forSmall teams replacing their phone system that want AI answering and CRM sync in the same app.

   Adoption data

   7,000Allo says on its about page, checked in November 2026, that more than 7,000 small businesses across three continents use its apps; the figure covers its phone system, not the AI Receptionist alone.

   Allo, About Allo (2026): “More than 7,000 small businesses across three continents pick up with Allo every day.”

   Allo is a business phone system for small teams that sells its AI Receptionist as an add-on rather than a standalone product. The add-on costs $32 a month per agent billed yearly and requires a paid plan; Business seats cost $32 a month billed yearly or $45 monthly, so a one-person setup with AI answering runs about $64 a month on annual terms. A $10 Solo plan is listed but marked as coming soon. The receptionist answers every call around the clock, takes several calls at the same time, books appointments, takes messages, sends an SMS follow-up and updates your CRM after each call. Every paid plan already includes AI summaries, transcripts, call tags and native CRM sync. Allo says it is GDPR compliant and ISO 27001 certified, and healthcare teams can add a HIPAA agreement for $50 a month per workspace. The company reports more than 7,000 small businesses on its apps. It makes the most sense if you want to replace your phone system too.

   Strengths

   • +AI answering, phone system and CRM sync in one app
   • +Business plan includes unlimited national calls and free number porting
   • +GDPR compliant and ISO 27001 certified

   Limitations

   • −Receptionist is an add-on, so the real entry cost is a seat plus $32
   • −The $10 Solo plan is listed as coming soon
   • −HIPAA agreements cost an extra $50 per workspace per month

   SummaryAllo suits teams moving to a new phone system that want the receptionist and CRM sync built in. If you only need answering on an existing number, a standalone receptionist costs less.

8. 8

   Goodcall

   An AI phone agent that bills by unique customers served each month instead of minutes, with a local number included.

   7.7overall

   An AI phone agent that bills by unique customers served each month instead of minutes, with a local number included.

   Best forBusinesses with long calls or repeat callers that want a bill unaffected by call length.

   Goodcall prices its AI phone agent by the number of different people it helps each month, not by minutes or calls. Starter costs $79 a month for 100 unique customers, about 150 calls by the vendor's estimate, then 79 cents per extra customer. Growth costs $129 for 500 customers and Scale $299 for 2,000, with overage falling to 26 and 15 cents. The same caller phoning five times in a month counts once, and spam and wrong numbers do not count. Every plan includes a local number, or you can forward your own. You build the agent from workers such as a booker, a message taker and a knowledge expert, and edit it in plain English through the Gabi assistant. Starter includes five workers, one external tool and 30 days of call history. Goodcall began inside Google in 2017 as CallJoy. It does not publish a customer count, so its adoption score is conservative here.

   Strengths

   • +Long calls cost nothing extra
   • +Repeat calls from the same number count once a month
   • +Overage rate falls to 15 cents on the Scale plan

   Limitations

   • −No published customer count
   • −Starter allows 1 external tool and 30 days of call history
   • −Higher entry price than call-bundle rivals

   SummaryGoodcall is the best fit when calls run long or the same customers call back often, because neither raises the bill. Shops with many short one-off calls will find call-bundle plans cheaper.

9. 9

   Dialzara

   An AI receptionist with low-cost minute bundles, message taking and call transfers, sold without contracts.

   7.6overall

   An AI receptionist with low-cost minute bundles, message taking and call transfers, sold without contracts.

   Best forVery small businesses with short, occasional calls that want the lowest monthly fee.

   Dialzara sells minute bundles with no contract and a 7-day trial. Business Lite costs $29 a month for up to 60 minutes of talk time, with $0.48 per extra minute, and includes a self-editable prompt, message taking with custom questions, blind transfers and Zapier or Make integrations. Business Pro at $99 raises the allowance to 220 minutes and adds warm transfers, while Plus at $199 and Elite at $349 offer 500 and 1,000 minutes, and Elite adds multi-location setup, API access and priority support. All plans include a US local or toll-free number, call recordings, email or SMS notifications, more than 50 voices, call summaries and 10 languages. A managed Done for You service starts at $1,500 a month. Dialzara does not publish a customer count, so its adoption score is conservative. The low entry fee is real, but 60 minutes covers only about 20 three-minute calls, so many offices will land on the $99 plan.

   Strengths

   • +Entry plan costs $29 a month
   • +No contract and a 7-day free trial
   • +Overage falls to $0.35 per minute on Business Elite

   Limitations

   • −No published customer count
   • −Business Lite has no warm transfer
   • −60 included minutes suit only light call volume

   SummaryDialzara has the lowest standalone entry fee here and works for a trickle of short calls. Plan on Business Pro if you need warm transfers or more than an hour of talk time.

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