AnswerForce alternatives and pricing
The short answer
AnswerForce doesn’t publish prices: its plans appear only after you submit a contact form. Its terms set a 90-day minimum, round partial minutes up and bill hold time. Alternatives that list prices include PATLive and Ruby for live receptionists, Smith.ai for per-call plans, and CoveDesk, a voice assistant set up and run for you by its own team.
AnswerForce is a live answering service built around service companies such as HVAC, plumbing and roofing. It won’t show a price until you hand over your contact details, but it’s open about how it counts minutes. Here’s what its public pages say, the side-by-side with CoveDesk, and which alternatives put their prices in the open.
Updated November 3, 2026. CoveDesk is one of the services on this page; other companies’ prices and features are from their own websites, linked below.
AnswerForce alternatives, by what you need
- PATLive: A close fit for trades: live receptionists, plan prices you can read without a form, and native connections to Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro. From $49/month: no minutes included, as published.
- Ruby: Live receptionists with its full price list public and no setup fees, though it names JobNimbus and FieldPulse rather than ServiceTitan or Jobber. From $250/month: 50 receptionist minutes, as published.
- CoveDesk (that’s us): if you want calls picked up, missed callers texted, and your Google profile and website looked after, all set up and run for you. Not live receptionists. Front Desk is $249/mo with 250 minutes. Free 14-day pilot.
- AnswerConnect: Its terms name the same company as AnswerForce’s, with the same 90-day minimum, but its plans are public and the first 30 interactions under 30 seconds in each cycle are free. From $350/month: 200 minutes, as published.
- Smith.ai: Charges by the call on published tiers, so you can total a month before you talk to anyone. From $0/month: 25 calls answered by software, as published.
- Dialzara: Software with its minute plans and extra-minute rates in the open, if you don’t need a person on the line. From $29/month: 60 minutes, as published.
AnswerForce doesn’t publish full prices
We couldn’t find plan prices on AnswerForce’s website (opens in a new tab) when we checked on November 3, 2026.
AnswerForce shows plans only after you enter your name, email, phone and company, and we didn’t submit that form. What its public pages do say: each plan has a set number of minutes a month, extra minutes cost a separate rate that depends on the plan, and evenings, weekends and holidays cost nothing extra. Scheduling software, integrations, live chat and a business line are described as part of the plans. If you see an AnswerForce price or setup fee quoted elsewhere, check it against the form, because its public pages don’t show one.
AnswerForce vs CoveDesk
| What to compare | AnswerForce | CoveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live receptionists, 24/7, with evenings, weekends and holidays at no extra charge. Source: AnswerForce, who answers (opens in a new tab) | A trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, in your business’s name, day or night. Not live receptionists. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call. |
| Published price | Not published. Plans appear after a contact form. Source: AnswerForce, published price (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk: $249/mo with 250 minutes. Text-Back alone: $99/mo. |
| How use is counted | Whole minutes, with partial minutes rounded up, counting hold time and time connecting a caller. Its support page adds after-call work, and says calls dropped within 30 seconds aren’t charged. Source: AnswerForce, how use is counted (opens in a new tab) | By the minute. Seconds are added up over the month and rounded once, not per call. Extra minutes $0.35 each. Alerts at 80% and 100% of your minutes. |
| Setup fee | Not stated on its U.S. pages. Source: AnswerForce, setup fee (opens in a new tab) | None. |
| Contract | Month to month after a 90-day minimum, then written notice, per its terms. Source: AnswerForce, contract (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk is month to month. See pricing for other plans. |
| Free trial | Not stated on its U.S. pages. Source: AnswerForce, free trial (opens in a new tab) | Free 14-day pilot. We set it up, it’s live within 48 hours, and you can start with just your after-hours calls. |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated on the pages we read. Source: AnswerForce, money-back guarantee (opens in a new tab) | 30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t working for you, tell us within 30 days of your first plan payment and we’ll end the plan and refund your first month’s plan fee. |
| Who sets it up | A welcome call sets up your script, and you forward your calls. Script customization is included. Source: AnswerForce, who sets it up (opens in a new tab) | Our team sets it up, writes your script and runs it. |
| Urgent calls | Receptionists take emergency details and can call your on-call technicians, and after-hours coverage costs nothing extra. Its terms cover connecting callers to numbers you give it. Source: AnswerForce, urgent calls (opens in a new tab) | Urgent calls are put straight through to you. No on-call rotation yet. |
| Booking | Receptionists book estimates and visits into your calendar during the call. Source: AnswerForce, booking (opens in a new tab) | Takes the details and sends them to you to call back. No calendar booking yet. |
| Job software and CRMs | Names ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, Workiz, QuickBooks, Zapier, FieldPulse, Salesforce and HubSpot, among others. It doesn’t say how each connects. Source: AnswerForce, job software and crms (opens in a new tab) | None yet. Details arrive by text and in your CoveDesk account. |
| Spanish | English- and Spanish-speaking receptionists. Source: AnswerForce, spanish (opens in a new tab) | Not yet. |
| Text back after a missed call | Not mentioned on the pages we read. A separate business line lets you call and text from a dedicated number. Source: AnswerForce, text back after a missed call (opens in a new tab) | Yes, included in Front Desk or on its own with Text-Back. |
| Review requests | Not mentioned on the pages we read. Source: AnswerForce, review requests (opens in a new tab) | Done for you with Google Business Profile Management, $149/mo. |
| Google profile care | Not mentioned on the pages we read. Source: AnswerForce, google profile care (opens in a new tab) | Done for you, $149/mo, or included in Front Office. |
| Website | No website building mentioned. It offers a live chat widget for your site and Facebook. Source: AnswerForce, website (opens in a new tab) | Built and looked after for you, or included in Front Office. See pricing. |
Stay with AnswerForce if
- You want a person and your job software connected. Receptionists answer, and AnswerForce names ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro and Workiz. CoveDesk has no live receptionists and no job software connection yet.
- You want estimates booked while the customer’s on the line. They go straight onto your calendar. CoveDesk takes the details so you can call back.
- You need a technician sent at 2 a.m. Receptionists can phone your on-call technicians. CoveDesk puts urgent calls through to the owner, with no on-call rotation yet.
- You get Spanish-speaking callers. It has English- and Spanish-speaking receptionists. CoveDesk has no Spanish yet.
Are AnswerForce, AnswerConnect and ServiceForge the same company?
Their terms of service say so. AnswerForce’s (opens in a new tab), AnswerConnect’s (opens in a new tab) and ServiceForge’s (opens in a new tab) each name AnywhereWorks, Inc., doing business under that brand.
- The contract wording matches. All three set a 90-day minimum, bill whole minutes with partial minutes rounded up, and count hold time.
- The price pages don’t. AnswerConnect lists its plans, ServiceForge shows $349 for 200 minutes, and AnswerForce needs a form. We can’t say AnswerForce charges the same as either, but they’re a useful yardstick when your quote arrives.
- Why it matters. Moving from one to another may land you on the same contract wording, so read the terms before you switch.
Why owners look past AnswerForce
- The first 90 days are a commitment. Its terms set a minimum of 90 calendar days before either side can end the agreement with written notice. Its sales pages don’t mention it.
- No price without a form. You can’t work out a month, or line it up against anyone else, until you’ve given your phone number and email.
- Partial minutes round up. A 1:25 call bills as 2 minutes, and the clock includes taking the message, hold time and connecting a caller, so the bill can run ahead of talk time.
- Going over is its own rate. Extra minutes cost a separate amount tied to your plan, not shown publicly, and its terms let it charge your card as soon as they build up. The pages we read don’t say whether unused minutes roll over.
- Its pages speak to service trades. HVAC, plumbing, restoration, roofing and landscaping get the attention. If you run another kind of business, Ruby and Posh write for a wider range of owners.
Where CoveDesk is different
- You see the price first. CoveDesk’s Front Desk price is shown on this page with no form to fill in. It’s month to month with no setup fee and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- A 1:25 call counts as 1:25. CoveDesk adds up seconds across the month and rounds once, instead of rounding each call.
- Help past the phone. Missed-call texts come with Front Desk. Google profile care and websites are done for you, at extra cost or in Front Office. AnswerForce’s pages don’t mention those.
- What you give up. Your callers get a trained voice assistant, not a receptionist, and hear a short notice as the call starts. If booking and dispatch by a person is what you need, that’s AnswerForce’s side.
Switching from AnswerForce
- 90-day minimum. The agreement runs at least 90 calendar days. After that it’s month to month, and either side can end it with written notice. Source: AnswerForce’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Partial months are billed. You’re charged for each whole or partial month the agreement is in effect, so leaving mid-month doesn’t shrink that month’s charge. Source: AnswerForce’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Your number. Its terms don’t address phone numbers. You forward your calls to it, so a number you hold with your phone company stays there. Ask about any number it issues you, such as its business line. Source: AnswerForce’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Prices can move. With written notice it can change your plan or pricing going forward, so get your rate confirmed before the 90 days are up. Source: AnswerForce’s terms (opens in a new tab)
Before you cancel anything, forward your calls to the new service and make three test calls of your own: a new customer, an urgent problem and a wrong number.
How we checked this
We make CoveDesk, so we’re not neutral, and this page isn’t a review. Everything about AnswerForce comes from its own website, read on November 3, 2026, with the pages linked below. We haven’t bought its service, and we don’t quote ratings or anyone’s opinion as fact. Where we couldn’t find a fact, we say so instead of guessing, and “not mentioned” means not on the pages we read, which isn’t a search of its whole site.
Common questions
How much does AnswerForce cost per month?
It doesn’t say publicly. Its plans page asks for your name, email, phone and company before it shows anything, and we didn’t submit the form, so we can’t give you a figure. Figures quoted on other sites aren’t from its public pages. Ask for the plan price, the overage rate and any setup fee in writing.
How much does AnswerConnect cost per month?
AnswerConnect’s site lists $350 a month for 200 minutes, $395 for 300 and $575 for 400. Extra minutes are $2.50 on the smallest plan and $1.85 on the other two, and a $49.99 setup fee applies to the 200- and 400-minute plans. Its terms name the same company as AnswerForce’s.
Does AnswerForce charge for short calls?
Its support page says calls that disconnect within 30 seconds aren’t charged, and its HVAC page words that as the first 30 such calls each month. Its terms say only that partial minutes round up to whole minutes, so ask which rule your plan follows.
Does AnswerForce work with ServiceTitan or Jobber?
Both are named on its home-services page, along with Housecall Pro, Workiz, FieldPulse, QuickBooks and Zapier. It doesn’t describe how each one connects, so ask what actually flows into your software from a call.
How do I cancel AnswerForce?
After the 90-day minimum in its terms, send written notice; they state no further notice period. You’ll still owe that month’s charge, even for part of a month, and any extra minutes. The U.S. pages we read mention no free trial or money-back guarantee.
Can I keep my number if I leave AnswerForce?
Its terms don’t cover numbers. Setup has you forward your calls to AnswerForce, so a number you hold with your own phone company stays there, and you simply stop forwarding. Ask what happens to any number it provides, including its separate business line.
Is CoveDesk a live receptionist service?
No. CoveDesk is a phone answering service: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, that picks up in your business’s name at any hour. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call.
Sources
What this page says about AnswerForce comes from these pages of its website, read on November 3, 2026:
- https://www.answerforce.com/plans (opens in a new tab) (plans and prices, free trial)
- https://www.answerforce.com/home-services (opens in a new tab) (who answers, setup fee, urgent calls, job software and crms, text back after a missed call)
- https://www.answerforce.com/termsofservice (opens in a new tab) (how use is counted, contract, switching)
- https://www.answerforce.com/ (opens in a new tab) (money-back guarantee, who sets it up, review requests, switching)
- https://www.answerforce.com/hvac-answering-service (opens in a new tab) (booking, spanish)
- https://www.answerforce.com/plumbing-answering-service (opens in a new tab) (google profile care, website)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check AnswerForce’s website before you buy. Company names are the trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify their services; none of them is affiliated with or endorses CoveDesk. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
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