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How much does an answering service cost?

The short answer

An answering service usually costs a monthly fee with minutes or calls included, plus a rate for each extra one. Among the ten services we compared, published entry plans are $49 to $99 a month for software voice assistants and $99 to $350 a month for live receptionist services, before extra minutes or calls (as listed October 27, 2026). Plans with 200 or more minutes cost several hundred dollars a month.

Answering service prices are hard to compare because every company counts differently. Here’s how the pricing works, what ten services publish, and the extra charges to ask about before you sign.

Updated October 27, 2026. CoveDesk is one of the services on this page; other companies’ prices and features are from their own websites, linked below.

The three ways answering services bill

  • Per minute: a monthly fee with minutes included, then a rate for each extra minute. Most live services and some software services. Ask how they round (by the second, or up to the next minute).
  • Per call: a monthly fee with a number of calls included, then a price per extra call. Good if your calls run long.
  • Per caller: a monthly fee for a number of different callers, however often they call.

To compare them, you need two numbers from your phone log: calls a month and average call length. The answering service cost calculator turns any plan into a monthly bill at your volume.

Published prices from ten services

Each company’s entry plan and a bigger plan, as listed on its pricing page. Plan names and units are theirs.

Answering service prices as published
ServiceWho answersEntry plan (as published)A bigger plan
RubyLive receptionistsLive receptionists, 24/7, including after hours, weekends and holidays.$250 /month · 50 receptionist minutes
50 receptionist minutes a month. Extra: Not listed.Ruby pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$720 /month · 200 receptionist minutes
200 receptionist minutes a month. Extra: Not listed.Ruby says there are no added fees for activation, onboarding or setup.
AnswerConnectLive receptionistsLive answering from real people, 24/7, on every plan.$350 per month · Entry
200 minutes. Extra: $2.50 per additional minute.AnswerConnect pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$395 per month · Growth
300 minutes. Extra: $1.85 per additional minute.Entry plan: $49.99 setup fee. Growth plan: no setup fee. Prices are from AnswerConnect’s plans page; its main pricing link asks for a quote, so prices may differ.
PATLiveLive receptionistsLive receptionists, 24/7/365. PATLive says it doesn’t answer calls with software.$99 · 50 minutes
50 minutes a month. Extra: $2.29 per minute.PATLive pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$349 · 200 minutes
200 minutes a month. Extra: $1.99 per minute.14-day free trial. Also a pay-as-you-go plan: $49 a month with no minutes included, $2.99 a minute. Bilingual receptionists 8 AM to 10 PM Eastern, per its home services page.
MAP CommunicationsLive receptionistsLive answering with 24/7 coverage.$179/mo · Business
125 minutes. Extra: $1.30 per additional minute.MAP Communications pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$339/mo · Enterprise
250 minutes. Extra: $1.28 per additional minute.Also Pay As You Go: $49 a month with no minutes included, $1.37 a minute. Its pricing page says custom scripts can cost extra.
Answering Service CareLive receptionists or software (you choose)Live operators on its Live plans (the prices shown here); it also sells software-answered plans.$179/ Monthly · Live Small Business
100 minutes. Extra: $1.70 per additional minute.Answering Service Care pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$329/ Monthly · Live Pro
250 minutes. Extra: $1.60 per additional minute.$50 one-time setup on Live plans. Also Live Starter: $40 a month, pay as you go at $1.75 a minute.
MoneypennyLive receptionists or software (you choose)Live receptionists on its People Answering plans (the prices shown here); it also sells software-answered plans.$165/mo · People Answering, 50 minutes
50 minutes. Extra: $2.85 per extra minute.Moneypenny pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$422/mo · People Answering, 200 minutes
200 minutes. Extra: $2.39 per extra minute.24/7 service.
Abby ConnectLive receptionists or software (you choose)Live receptionists, a software voice assistant, or a mix by type of call.$164/mo · Starter
50 Abby Minutes. Extra: Billed at the plan’s minute rate (no dollar figure listed).Abby Connect pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$599/mo · Professional
200 Abby Minutes. Extra: Billed at the plan’s minute rate.No setup fee, month to month. Free trial: 14 days or 500 minutes; a card is required. Software-answered calls use half as many Abby Minutes.
GoodcallSoftware voice assistantA software voice assistant that answers every hour of every day.$79 a month · Starter
100 unique customers a month (Goodcall says about 150 calls). Extra: 79¢ per extra unique customer.Goodcall pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$129 a month · Growth
500 unique customers a month (about 750 calls, per Goodcall). Extra: 26¢ per extra unique customer.Counts unique callers, not minutes or calls.
RosieSoftware voice assistantA software voice assistant, available 24/7/365.$49 per month · Professional
250 minutes. Extra: Not listed.Rosie pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$149 per month · Scale
1,000 minutes, calendar booking, call transfers. Extra: Not listed.7-day free trial. Call transfers start on the Scale plan.
DialzaraSoftware voice assistantA software voice assistant with 24/7 answering.$99/month · Business Pro
220 minutes. Extra: $0.45 per minute.Dialzara pricing page (opens in a new tab), as of October 27, 2026		$199/month · Business Plus
500 minutes. Extra: $0.40 per minute.No setup fees. 7 days free. Also Business Lite: $29 a month for 60 minutes.
CoveDeskCoveDesk’s phone answering service: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team, in your business’s name, day or night. Not live receptionists.$249/mo · Front Desk
250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute.CoveDesk pricing		No setup fee. Month-to-month, cancel any time. 30-day money-back guarantee. We set it up, write the script for your trade and run it.

Extra fees to ask about

  • Setup or activation fees
  • The price of each extra minute or call once you go over
  • Per-call charges for scheduling, transfers, Spanish or connecting your software
  • Night, weekend or holiday surcharges
  • Whether spam, wrong numbers and hang-ups are billed
  • Minimum terms, notice periods and cancellation fees

What CoveDesk costs

Text-Back

For owners who answer most calls themselves and want the missed ones covered.

$99 a month

Or $990 for the year: 2 months free

  • No setup fee
  • Month-to-month, cancel any time
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

What you get:

  • Missed callers get a text from your business right away
  • Emergency words in a reply ring your phone
  • A weekly summary of what we caught
  • Review requests to customers after a job
Talk to us about Text-Back

Recommended

Front Desk

For owners who are on jobs all day and lose work to voicemail.

$249 a month

Or $2,490 for the year: 2 months free

  • 250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute
  • No setup fee
  • Month-to-month, cancel any time
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Everything in Text-Back, plus:

  • Every call answered, day or night, by a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team
  • Urgent calls put straight through to you
  • Call details texted to you, with transcripts and recordings
Talk to us about Front Desk

Front Office

For owners who want the phones and the online side handled together.

$449 a month

  • 250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute
  • No setup fee
  • 12-month term
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Everything in Front Desk, plus:

  • Google Business Profile cleanup
  • Monthly Google Business Profile care
  • A website with hosting and 30 minutes of edits a month
  • A “Text us” button on your website
Talk to us about Front Office

Paying for the year? Tell us within 30 days of paying and you get the whole year back. After that, the plan runs to the end of the year with no refund for the months left, then moves to month-to-month.

See every plan and add-on

Work out your own number

Common questions

What is the average cost for an answering service?
Among the ten services we compared, published entry plans are $49 to $99 a month for software voice assistants and $99 to $350 a month for live receptionist services, before extra minutes or calls. Busier plans with 200 or more minutes cost several hundred dollars a month.
How much does an answering service charge per minute?
On the per-minute plans we compared, extra minutes are listed at $0.40 to $2.99 each, as of October 27, 2026. Software voice assistants sit at the low end and live receptionist services at the high end.
Is an answering service worth it?
It is when the jobs it catches are worth more than it costs. Multiply the share of missed callers who would have booked by your average job to get what one missed call is worth, then compare a month of missed calls with the plan’s price. For a trade business that misses even a few calls a week from customers ready to book, it usually is; for a business whose callers happily leave a message, it may not be.
How much does an answering service cost per month?
Among the ten services compared here, published entry plans start under $50 a month for small software plans, and live receptionist plans with 100 to 200 minutes run a few hundred dollars a month. Your bill depends on your volume and the extra-minute or extra-call rate.
Is per-minute or per-call pricing cheaper?
It depends on how long your calls are. If most calls take a minute or two, per-minute pricing is usually cheaper; if they run long, per-call pricing can be. The cost calculator lets you try both.
Is an answering service cheaper than a receptionist?
For most small trade businesses, yes. A receptionist on payroll costs their wages plus payroll taxes and benefits, and only covers the hours they work. The calculator shows both side by side with your numbers.
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 about how it’s handled. Urgent calls are put through to you, and you get the details by text. If a live person on every call matters most to you, choose one of the live services on this page.

Sources

Prices, plans and features of other companies, as shown on their own websites on October 27, 2026:

Prices and features change; check each company’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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