Jobber Receptionist alternatives and what it costs
The short answer
Jobber’s Receptionist costs $29 a month on Core, Connect or Grow, then $0.79 per extra conversation, and it’s included on Plus. Jobber’s own help pages give the allowance as both 30 and 100 conversations. You keep Jobber either way. Other ways to get calls answered: PATLive and Abby Connect with people, Rosie and Upfirst with software, and CoveDesk, run by a team for you.
Jobber is job software, and its Receptionist is an answering add-on you buy on top. You keep Jobber whichever way you get your calls answered, so the real question is the add-on against other services. Here it is priced at real call volumes, with the places it’s the better answer.
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.
Jobber alternatives, by what you need
- Rosie: Software that writes a note on the Jobber client record for each call and creates a client for new callers. It doesn’t create jobs or book in Jobber, and you set it up yourself. From $49/month: 250 minutes, as published.
- PATLive: People on every call, booking in your scheduling software, with Jobber named among its native connections. From $49/month: no minutes included, 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.
- Abby Connect: People, software or both from one allowance, and Jobber is on its list of native connections, at no extra charge on any plan. From $164/month: 50 Abby Minutes, as published.
- Upfirst: Also priced by the call rather than the minute. Its HVAC page says it can sync with Jobber through Zapier, which is a thinner link than the add-on’s. From $24.95/month: 30 calls, as published.
- Smith.ai: Billed per call with people, software or both. Its help center lists articles on Jobber, some through Zapier, which we didn’t read, so ask how far the link goes. From $0/month: 25 calls answered by software, as published.
- Allo: A phone system for your own staff with a paid software answering add-on that books from a calendar. Its site doesn’t name Jobber, so treat it as separate from your jobs. From $15/seat/month: One person, as published.
Jobber pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Extra use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptionist add-on | $29/month | Calls and texts answered by software. Jobber’s pages say both 30 and 100 conversations | $0.79 per extra conversation |
| Core | $49/month | 1 user. Receptionist is a paid add-on | Extra users $29/month each |
| Connect | $139/month | 1 user, up to $399 for 15. Receptionist is a paid add-on | Extra users $29/month each |
| Grow | $199/month | 1 user, up to $499 for 15. Two-way texting. Receptionist is a paid add-on | Extra users $29/month each |
| Plus | $499/month | 5 users, up to $699 for 15. Receptionist included with unlimited use | Extra users $29/month each |
The add-on needs Core, Connect or Grow underneath, and the cost table counts the add-on alone, because you’d pay for Jobber under any option on this page. Plan prices shown are month to month with no commitment. With a 12-month commitment the same sizes are $39, $119, $169 and $439; paid yearly they’re $29, $99, $149 and $399 a month. Jobber’s Receptionist help page, updated October 28, 2026, says 30 conversations a billing cycle. Its add-ons help page, updated August 13, 2026, says 100 a month. The pricing page gives no count. The cost table uses 30, the newer page and the higher bill; the worked month below shows both.
Jobber vs CoveDesk
| What to compare | Jobber | CoveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Software, 24/7, on calls and texts. You can switch each on or off, such as only after hours or on weekends. Source: Jobber, 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 | $29 a month on Core, Connect or Grow, on top of the plan. Included on Plus, from $499 a month. Source: Jobber, published price (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk: $249/mo with 250 minutes. Text-Back alone: $99/mo. |
| How use is counted | By conversation. Spam and calls with no real interaction don’t count. A text conversation lasts up to 24 hours from the first reply. $0.79 past the allowance, or pause it at the limit. Source: Jobber, 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 | None listed on its pricing page. Source: Jobber, setup fee (opens in a new tab) | None. |
| Contract | Month to month, a 12-month commitment paid monthly, or a year up front. All renew. Source: Jobber, contract (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk is month to month. See pricing for other plans. |
| Free trial | 14 days of Jobber with no card, but add-ons can’t be bought during a trial. Source: Jobber, 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 | None listed. Removed add-ons aren’t refunded. Source: Jobber, 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 | You, in six steps in your dashboard, working from data already in Jobber. Source: Jobber, who sets it up (opens in a new tab) | Our team sets it up, writes your script and runs it. |
| Urgent calls | Keywords you pick can transfer a call to a team member or text them a call-back link. No on-call rotation described. Source: Jobber, urgent calls (opens in a new tab) | Urgent calls are put straight through to you. No on-call rotation yet. |
| Booking | Books jobs through your Online Booking settings. Rescheduling needs Online Booking turned on. Source: Jobber, 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 | It’s part of Jobber, so jobs and clients land there. It needs a dedicated Jobber number; your current number forwards in. Source: Jobber, job software and crms (opens in a new tab) | None yet. Details arrive by text and in your CoveDesk account. |
| Spanish | Not stated in its Receptionist help article. Source: Jobber, spanish (opens in a new tab) | Not yet. |
| Text back after a missed call | If a caller hangs up early, a text can go out, and it answers texts too. Source: Jobber, 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 | In Marketing Suite, a $99-a-month add-on. Source: Jobber, review requests (opens in a new tab) | Done for you with Google Business Profile Management, $149/mo. |
| Google profile care | Its Marketing Suite page says Google profile tools come with every plan. Source: Jobber, google profile care (opens in a new tab) | Done for you, $149/mo, or included in Front Office. |
| Website | A Jobber website comes with every plan, at no extra cost. Source: Jobber, website (opens in a new tab) | Built and looked after for you, or included in Front Office. See pricing. |
Stay with Jobber if
- You want a call to end with a visit on your schedule. It books through your Online Booking settings, and can reschedule or cancel. CoveDesk takes the details so you can call back.
- You want it to know your clients. It works from the services, client list and booking settings already in Jobber, and new leads land there on their own. CoveDesk can’t see Jobber at all.
- You’re on Plus. It’s already included with unlimited use, so paying a second company to answer means paying twice.
- Calls should reach your crew. Keywords can send a call to a team member’s phone or text them a link to call back. CoveDesk puts urgent calls through to the owner.
- You take few calls and want one bill. A quiet month inside the allowance is a flat $29 on the invoice you already get.
What does Jobber’s Receptionist really cost at 40, 100 and 200 calls?
Each figure assumes every call is a counted conversation, and adds the $49 no-commitment Core plan as the smallest thing it can sit on. Spam and calls with no real interaction wouldn’t count, but text conversations would, so your number can move either way.
- 40 calls. If 30 are included: $29 + 10 × $0.79 = $36.90, or $85.90 with Core. If 100 are included: $29, or $78 with Core.
- 100 calls. If 30 are included: $29 + 70 × $0.79 = $84.30, or $133.30 with Core. If 100 are included: $29, or $78 with Core.
- 200 calls. If 30 are included: $29 + 170 × $0.79 = $163.30, or $212.30 with Core. If 100 are included: $29 + 100 × $0.79 = $108, or $157 with Core.
At the limit you choose between paying the extra rate and pausing it. A paused Receptionist takes messages but doesn’t text or book. On Plus use isn’t capped, but Plus starts at $499 a month, so it’s a decision about the whole plan and not about calls.
Can you use CoveDesk with Jobber?
Yes, side by side. You keep Jobber and your plan, forward your calls to CoveDesk, and get each caller’s details by text. There’s no connection between the two yet, so nothing lands in Jobber by itself: a new client, a request or a visit gets there only when you or your office type it in. If you want the call to end with a visit on the Jobber schedule, the add-on does that and CoveDesk doesn’t.
What the same month costs
Worked out from each company’s published list prices: the cheapest plan or plan plus extras that covers the month, lowest first at 250 minutes. For companies that bill by the call we count one call as 2.5 minutes, which is the ratio PATLive’s own pages use. These are our sums, not quotes, and they leave out tax and one-time fees.
| Service | 100 minutes (about 40 calls) | 250 minutes (about 100 calls) | 500 minutes (about 200 calls) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie | $49Professional | $49Professional | $149Scale |
| Upfirst | $39.95Starter + 10 extra calls at $1.50 | $69.95Premium + 10 extra calls at $1 | $159.95Pro |
| Jobber | $36.90Receptionist add-on + 10 extra calls at $0.79 | $84.30Receptionist add-on + 70 extra calls at $0.79 | $163.30Receptionist add-on + 170 extra calls at $0.79 |
| Smith.ai | $45Software receptionist, Free + 15 extra calls at $3 | $212.50Software receptionist, Pro + 25 extra calls at $2.50 | $462.50Software receptionist, Pro + 125 extra calls at $2.50 |
| CoveDesk | $249Front Desk | $249Front Desk | $336.50Front Desk + 250 extra minutes at $0.35 |
| PATLive | $189100 minutes | $448.50200 minutes + 50 extra minutes at $1.99 | $759500 minutes |
Why owners look past Jobber
- The allowance isn’t settled. Two Jobber help pages give two numbers. The gap is $55.30 a month at 100 calls, so ask which applies to your account.
- You can’t try it in the free trial. Add-ons can’t be bought during Jobber’s 14-day trial, and a dedicated number can’t be set up then either. The first month on your own line is a paid one.
- It needs a Jobber number. Customers can keep dialing your current number, but it has to forward to a dedicated Jobber number, and once you pick that number you can’t change it.
- Languages aren’t listed. Neither its help article nor its feature page says which languages it speaks, so ask if you get Spanish calls.
Where CoveDesk is different
- Someone else runs it. Our team sets it up and looks after it, in place of the dashboard steps and the settings you’d keep up yourself. There’s no setup fee.
- Time, not conversations. We add up seconds over the month and round once. A wrong number costs almost nothing, though a long call costs more than one flat conversation on Jobber’s count.
- A way out if it’s wrong. A 30-day money-back guarantee, and Front Desk is month to month. Jobber doesn’t refund add-on charges. There’s a free 14-day pilot first.
- What you give up. No booking on the call, nothing written into Jobber, no Spanish, and urgent calls reach only you. Callers hear a short notice at the start of the call.
Switching from Jobber
- Dropping the add-on. You can remove it any time from Account and Billing. It keeps working until the billing period ends, and the charge isn’t refunded. Jobber itself stays as it is. Source: Jobber’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Your number. The dedicated number stays Jobber’s: its terms say you can’t transfer it, Jobber doesn’t have to port it to another carrier, and it can reclaim a number not tied to an active subscription. If customers dial your own number and it only forwards in, point the forwarding somewhere else. Source: Jobber’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- The 12-month commitment. Cancelling early doesn’t stop the payments. You owe the rest of the year and keep access until it ends. Source: Jobber’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Renewal. Monthly plans must be cancelled before the renewal date. Yearly plans need 30 days’ notice before renewal, or cancelling within 30 days of Jobber’s renewal notice. Source: Jobber’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 Jobber 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 is a jobber receptionist?
How much does a jobber actually cost?
Do I have to leave Jobber to use a different answering service?
Can I keep my number if I leave Jobber?
How do I cancel Jobber’s Receptionist?
Is CoveDesk a live receptionist service?
Sources
What this page says about Jobber comes from these pages of its website, read on November 3, 2026:
- https://www.getjobber.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) (plans and prices, setup fee, contract, free trial)
- https://www.getjobber.com/features/ai-receptionist/ (opens in a new tab) (who answers)
- https://help.getjobber.com/en/articles/receptionistpowered-by-jobber-ai/ (opens in a new tab) (how use is counted, who sets it up, urgent calls, booking, job software and crms, spanish, text back after a missed call)
- https://help.getjobber.com/en/articles/add-on-features-to-your-jobber-plan-subscription/ (opens in a new tab) (money-back guarantee, switching)
- https://www.getjobber.com/features/marketing-suite/ (opens in a new tab) (review requests, google profile care, website)
- https://www.getjobber.com/terms-of-service/ (opens in a new tab) (switching)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check Jobber’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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