Moneypenny answering service alternatives and pricing
The short answer
Moneypenny’s US people plans run from $165 a month for 50 minutes to $985 for 500, and its software voice agent from $99 for 50 calls. Its terms ask for your first and last month up front, plus a setup fee. Ruby, AnswerConnect and Abby Connect are other live options, Smith.ai bills per call, and CoveDesk is a voice assistant our team sets up and runs.
Moneypenny’s US service runs two meters: people bill by the minute, and its software voice agent bills by the call. Which one you’re comparing changes every number. Here are both price lists, what its terms say that its pricing page doesn’t, how it lines up against CoveDesk, and what else owners look at.
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.
Moneypenny alternatives, by what you need
- Smith.ai: Per-call billing with written rules: on live plans wrong numbers don’t count, and spam isn’t charged if caller ID passes through. Moneypenny’s terms list no such exception. From $0/month: 25 calls answered by software, as published.
- Ruby: People on every call, with rounding rules spelled out and a 21-day refund for first-time users. It costs more per minute at each size. 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: Lower prices from 200 minutes up and an on-call calendar in its app. Spanish is a paid add-on. From $350/month: 200 minutes, as published.
- Abby Connect: Also people and software, but on one shared allowance, with Spanish on both and on-call paging for emergencies. From $164/month: 50 Abby Minutes, as published.
- PATLive: People only, at lower published prices at 50, 100, 200 and 500 minutes, with a 14-day free trial and native job software connections. From $49/month: no minutes included, as published.
- MAP Communications: Lower per-minute prices still and a 7-day trial, if you don’t need job software connections. Its terms add small per-call and other fees. From $49/month: no minutes included, as published.
Moneypenny pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Extra use |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Answering, 50 minutes | $165/month | 50 minutes with a person answering | $2.85 per extra minute |
| People Answering, 100 minutes | $265/month | 100 minutes with a person answering | $2.65 per extra minute |
| People Answering, 200 minutes | $422/month | 200 minutes with a person answering | $2.39 per extra minute |
| People Answering, 500 minutes | $985/month | 500 minutes with a person answering | $2.09 per extra minute |
| Software voice agent, 50 calls | $99/month | 50 calls | $2.39 per extra call |
People plans work out to $3.30 a minute at 50, $2.65 at 100, $2.11 at 200 and $1.97 at 500. Software plans continue at $199 for 100 calls ($2.19 per extra), $435 for 250 ($1.89) and $775 for 500 ($1.69), so each call comes to between $1.55 and $1.99 within the plan. The cost table counts its people plans only, since a person and software aren’t the same purchase. Its bilingual page says software plans start from $69 a month, while its pricing page says $99; we show the pricing page. Its terms let it raise prices once a year with 30 days’ written notice, and calling out from its app costs $0.10 a minute.
Moneypenny vs CoveDesk
| What to compare | Moneypenny | CoveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A software voice agent that it says goes live in days and hands over to your team or a Moneypenny receptionist, or receptionists alone, available 24/7. Source: Moneypenny, 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 | People: $165 a month for 50 minutes up to $985 for 500. Software: $99 for 50 calls up to $775 for 500. Source: Moneypenny, published price (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk: $249/mo with 250 minutes. Text-Back alone: $99/mo. |
| How use is counted | People: time with an operator, wrap-up of up to 180 seconds and dispatch attempts, each call rounded up to 30 seconds, then the month’s total to a minute. Software: by the call, and a call with no caller noise isn’t charged. Source: Moneypenny, 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 mentioned on its pricing page. Its terms call for an initial setup fee, non-refundable, with no amount given, while a 2026 blog post says no setup fees. Source: Moneypenny, setup fee (opens in a new tab) | None. |
| Contract | Month to month, renews automatically. Its pricing page says 30 days’ notice; its terms say one full calendar month, and cancelling after the 1st means another full month’s fees. Source: Moneypenny, contract (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk is month to month. See pricing for other plans. |
| Free trial | Its pricing page doesn’t mention one, but a 2026 blog post on its site offers 7 days free. It also offers a demo. Source: Moneypenny, 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: Moneypenny, 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 | Starts with an onboarding call. It says the account is set up right away and customized in about 24 hours. Source: Moneypenny, who sets it up (opens in a new tab) | Our team sets it up, writes your script and runs it. |
| Urgent calls | Call transfer on all plans. People forward calls when you’re available and take messages otherwise. Its software can escalate to your team or Moneypenny’s. Its call dispatch page describes following your on-call escalation process. Source: Moneypenny, urgent calls (opens in a new tab) | Urgent calls are put straight through to you. No on-call rotation yet. |
| Booking | People and its software schedule appointments in your calendar. Calendly is listed. Source: Moneypenny, 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 HubSpot, Pipedrive, Calendly, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, Jobber and Zapier, some native and some through Zapier or direct links. The pricing page lists CRM connections on people plans, not software plans. Source: Moneypenny, job software and crms (opens in a new tab) | None yet. Details arrive by text and in your CoveDesk account. |
| Spanish | English and Spanish receptionists 24/7 on people plans. Software plans don’t list it. Source: Moneypenny, spanish (opens in a new tab) | Not yet. |
| Text back after a missed call | Missed-call texts aren’t mentioned on its site. Its software plans list SMS follow-up. Source: Moneypenny, 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: Moneypenny, 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: Moneypenny, google profile care (opens in a new tab) | Done for you, $149/mo, or included in Front Office. |
| Website | Not mentioned on the pages we read. Source: Moneypenny, website (opens in a new tab) | Built and looked after for you, or included in Front Office. See pricing. |
Stay with Moneypenny if
- You want to choose between people and software. You can buy either from one company. CoveDesk sells only its voice assistant.
- You run Jobber, ServiceTitan or Housecall Pro. Its home-services page names all three, though some connections may run through Zapier. CoveDesk doesn’t connect to job software yet.
- You need Spanish from a person at any hour. English and Spanish receptionists work around the clock on its people plans. We have no Spanish yet.
- You want bookings made during the call. People and software both put appointments in your calendar. CoveDesk gets the caller’s details and leaves the booking to you.
- You get a lot of short calls with people answering. Each call rounds up to 30 seconds, not a full minute, and wrap-up is capped at 180 seconds a call. CoveDesk doesn’t offer people.
How much do you pay up front at Moneypenny?
Its terms ask for your first and last month’s fees plus an initial setup fee to process an order, and they don’t give the setup amount. Before that fee and tax, that comes to:
- People, 50 minutes. $165 twice: $330.
- People, 100 minutes. $265 twice: $530.
- People, 200 minutes. $422 twice: $844.
- People, 500 minutes. $985 twice: $1,970.
- Software, 50 calls. $99 twice: $198.
Its terms also let it ask for a security deposit at any time. Its pricing page mentions none of this, and a 2026 blog post says no setup fees, so ask for the total due at sign-up.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoveDesk | $249Front Desk | $249Front Desk | $336.50Front Desk + 250 extra minutes at $0.35 |
| MAP Communications | $179Business | $339Enterprise | $649Premium |
| AnswerConnect | $350Entry | $395Growth | $760Standard + 100 extra minutes at $1.85 |
| PATLive | $189100 minutes | $448.50200 minutes + 50 extra minutes at $1.99 | $759500 minutes |
| Moneypenny | $265People Answering, 100 minutes | $541.50People Answering, 200 minutes + 50 extra minutes at $2.39 | $985People Answering, 500 minutes |
| Ruby | $395100 minutesOr $250: 50 minutes + 50 extra minutes at a rate it doesn’t list | $1,725500 minutesOr $720: 200 minutes + 50 extra minutes at a rate it doesn’t list | $1,725500 minutesOr $720: 200 minutes + 300 extra minutes at a rate it doesn’t list |
Why owners look past Moneypenny
- Money up front. Its terms ask for your first and last month’s fees plus an initial setup fee before service starts. Its pricing page mentions neither and says there are no hidden fees, and a 2026 blog post says no setup fees, so ask.
- Handing a software call to a person can cost more. Its terms say escalated calls may carry added charges depending on your bundle, and reaching its own receptionists takes a phone answering plan alongside. Ask for a worked example.
- The small plan has the highest rate. 50 minutes comes to $3.30 each, and an extra one is $2.85. At 500 minutes the rate is $1.97. PATLive’s bundles cost less at each of the same four sizes.
- Its cancel terms differ between pages. The pricing page says 30 days’ notice, effective on your next billing date. The terms say one full calendar month, and cancelling after the 1st means another full month’s fees.
- Two starting prices for software. Its bilingual page starts software at $69 a month, and its pricing page starts it at $99. Check which one you’re being quoted.
Where CoveDesk is different
- A single meter. CoveDesk has one kind of answering, and seconds are added over the month and rounded once. There’s no question of which rate a call falls under.
- A money-back guarantee. You get 30 days, after a free 14-day pilot. We didn’t find a guarantee on Moneypenny’s site.
- Help outside the call. Missed-call texts are part of Front Desk, with Google profile care and websites available too. Moneypenny’s site doesn’t mention those.
- What you give up. The option of a person. Every caller reaches a trained voice assistant, after a short notice, and urgent calls go only to the owner.
Switching from Moneypenny
- Notice. Its terms ask for one full calendar month, by phone, and cancelling after the 1st means another full month’s fees. Its pricing page says 30 days, effective on your next billing date. Source: Moneypenny’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- After you leave. It can charge your card for any unpaid fees from services already performed. Credits go on your account rather than back to your card. Source: Moneypenny’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Non-refundable fees. Setup, custom programming and activation fees don’t come back. Source: Moneypenny’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Your number. Its terms don’t cover who owns a number or how to port it, so ask before you move it. Source: Moneypenny’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 Moneypenny 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 Moneypenny cost?
Its US pricing page lists people answering at $165 a month for 50 minutes, $265 for 100, $422 for 200 and $985 for 500. Its software voice agent is $99 for 50 calls, $199 for 100, $435 for 250 and $775 for 500. Its pricing page says there are no hidden fees and doesn’t mention setup, while its terms call for an initial setup fee and your first and last month up front.
How much does Ruby’s answering service cost per minute?
Ruby’s listed plans work out to $5.00 a minute at 50 minutes and $3.45 at 500. For comparison, Moneypenny’s people plans work out to $3.30 and $1.97 at the same sizes.
Does Moneypenny charge for spam calls?
Its pricing page doesn’t say, and its phone answering terms list no exception: time counts once a call connects to an operator, rounded up to 30 seconds. Its software terms say a call where no noise is registered isn’t charged. Ask how it treats spam, and get the answer in writing.
How do I cancel Moneypenny?
By phone, according to its terms, which ask for one full calendar month’s notice and charge another full month if you cancel after the 1st. Its pricing page says 30 days’ notice, effective on your next billing date. Ask which applies, and get it in writing.
Does Moneypenny work with Jobber or ServiceTitan?
Its home-services page names both, along with Housecall Pro, HubSpot, Pipedrive and Zapier, and says connections may be native, through Zapier or by direct link. Its pricing page lists CRM connections on people plans only, so check if you’re considering software.
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 Moneypenny comes from these pages of its website, read on November 3, 2026:
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/pricing (opens in a new tab) (plans and prices, money-back guarantee)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/ai-voice-agent/ (opens in a new tab) (who answers)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/terms-and-conditions/ (opens in a new tab) (how use is counted, setup fee, contract, switching)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/resources/blog/best-virtual-receptionists-in-the-us-2026 (opens in a new tab) (free trial)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/plumbing-answering-service (opens in a new tab) (who sets it up, urgent calls)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/home-services-answering-services (opens in a new tab) (booking, job software and crms, review requests)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/bilingual-answering-service (opens in a new tab) (spanish, text back after a missed call)
- https://www.moneypenny.com/us/ (opens in a new tab) (google profile care, website)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check Moneypenny’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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