Specialty Answering Service alternatives and pricing
The short answer
Specialty Answering Service charges $44 a month for Economy, then $159 for 100 minutes, $269 for 220 and $649 for 500, billed by the second. Its terms say any number on your account stays its property when you leave. Alternatives include PATLive, MAP Communications and Moneypenny for live receptionists, Smith.ai for per-call pricing, and CoveDesk, a voice assistant that a team runs for you.
Specialty Answering Service sells live operators by the minute and counts those minutes by the second, so a quick call isn’t rounded up. The things to check are what its terms say about phone numbers and the add-on rates. Here’s what its pages say, the side-by-side with CoveDesk, and what else to 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.
Specialty Answering Service alternatives, by what you need
- PATLive: Live receptionists who book straight into your scheduling software, with Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro named on its trades page. From $49/month: no minutes included, as published.
- MAP Communications: Another live service sold by the minute, with a pay-as-you-go plan that plainly includes no minutes, and a free 7-day trial. 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.
- Moneypenny: People or a software receptionist from one company, with Jobber and ServiceTitan named on its home-services page. From $165/month: 50 minutes with a person answering, as published.
- Smith.ai: Priced per call rather than per minute, which can suit you if your calls run long, with live agents, software or a mix. From $0/month: 25 calls answered by software, as published.
- ServiceForge: Live answering aimed at trade contractors, with Spanish included and a free booking page, though its terms set a 90-day minimum. From $349/month: 200 minutes, as published.
Specialty Answering Service pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes | Extra use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | $44/month | its entry plan (included minutes not stated) | $1.54 a minute |
| 100 Minute | $159/month | 100 minutes | $1.44 a minute |
| 220 Minute | $269/month | 220 minutes | $1.44 a minute |
| 500 Minute | $649/month | 500 minutes | $1.34 a minute |
| 1,000 Minute | $1,199/month | 1,000 minutes | $1.29 a minute |
That works out to $1.59 a minute on the 100-minute plan, $1.22 on 220, $1.30 on 500 and $1.20 on 1,000, so the 220-minute plan costs less per minute than the 500. Larger plans run up to $10,599 for 10,000 minutes. Economy shows a price and an extra-minute rate, but not how many minutes come with it. The price table also marks holiday, weekend, line fee and tax, toll-free and local-number fees with an X, which reads as no charge, though its terms mention taxes, surcharges and recovery fees, so ask for those in writing.
Specialty Answering Service vs CoveDesk
| What to compare | Specialty Answering Service | CoveDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live operators, 24/7/365. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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 | $44 a month for Economy, then $159 for 100 minutes, up to $10,599 for 10,000. Source: Specialty Answering Service, published price (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk: $249/mo with 250 minutes. Text-Back alone: $99/mo. |
| How use is counted | By the second on all plans, with no rounding up. Its terms count work operators do for a call, not only talk time. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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 | $0 on its pricing page. Its terms treat any activation, phone number or programming fees as non-refundable, so ask whether any apply. Source: Specialty Answering Service, setup fee (opens in a new tab) | None. |
| Contract | Month to month, nothing to sign, no cancellation fees. Source: Specialty Answering Service, contract (opens in a new tab) | Front Desk is month to month. See pricing for other plans. |
| Free trial | 14 days or 200 minutes, whichever comes first, per its terms. Its pricing page says no credit card; its terms ask for a payment method at registration. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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, beyond the free trial. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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 | Steps aren’t listed. You can view your call script in its portal and ask the company for changes. Source: Specialty Answering Service, who sets it up (opens in a new tab) | Our team sets it up, writes your script and runs it. |
| Urgent calls | Operators reach your technicians by phone, text, email or pager, following on-call schedules you manage in its portal. Source: Specialty Answering Service, urgent calls (opens in a new tab) | Urgent calls are put straight through to you. No on-call rotation yet. |
| Booking | A free calendar in its portal. Its plumbing page says operators work in your scheduling software; its HVAC page lists confirmations as a call-center add-on. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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 | Free apps in its portal, with Salesforce, Google Calendar, Lexicata and Zendesk named. No job software named on the pages we read. Source: Specialty Answering Service, job software and crms (opens in a new tab) | None yet. Details arrive by text and in your CoveDesk account. |
| Spanish | Operators fluent in English and Spanish, with no extra charge listed. Source: Specialty Answering Service, spanish (opens in a new tab) | Not yet. |
| Text back after a missed call | Not mentioned on the pages we read. Operators can answer texts and emails. Source: Specialty Answering Service, 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: Specialty Answering Service, 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: Specialty Answering Service, google profile care (opens in a new tab) | Done for you, $149/mo, or included in Front Office. |
| Website | No website building mentioned. Its call-center service includes web chat. Source: Specialty Answering Service, website (opens in a new tab) | Built and looked after for you, or included in Front Office. See pricing. |
Stay with Specialty Answering Service if
- You want an operator on every call. People pick up at all hours. CoveDesk has no live receptionists.
- You run an on-call team. Its portal holds schedules, contact order and backups, and operators chase technicians by phone, text, email or pager. Its HVAC page adds that they can collect payment before dispatch. CoveDesk puts urgent calls through to the owner and has no on-call rotation yet.
- You’d like to try it free. The trial runs 14 days or 200 minutes, and its pricing page says no card is needed. CoveDesk’s free 14-day pilot starts with a talk with our team, since we set it up for you.
- Spanish and scheduling matter now. Operators speak both languages, and the portal includes a free calendar. CoveDesk has no Spanish yet and takes details for a callback.
When does a bigger Specialty Answering Service plan pay off?
Worked out from its listed prices, here’s where each plan stops being the cheaper way to buy a month:
- Up to 176 minutes. The 100-minute plan plus extras at $1.44 beats paying $269.
- 177 to 483 minutes. The 220-minute plan plus extras at $1.44 beats paying $649.
- 484 to 910 minutes. The 500-minute plan plus extras at $1.34 beats paying $1,199.
- 911 to 2,341 minutes. The 1,000-minute plan plus extras at $1.29 beats paying $2,929.
Those minutes include work operators do for your calls, so go by your usage report, not your own guess at talk time. Its terms also let it move you up a plan if usage passes a threshold it sets, so ask where that threshold is.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Specialty Answering Service | $159100 Minute | $312.20220 Minute + 30 extra minutes at $1.44 | $649500 Minute |
| MAP Communications | $179Business | $339Enterprise | $649Premium |
| 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 |
Why owners look past Specialty Answering Service
- Your number may not leave with you. Its terms say numbers on your account stay its property, even ones you moved to it, and can’t be ported away. If you forward from a number you hold with your own phone company, leave it there.
- Charges beyond the minutes. Connecting a caller to you costs $0.10 a minute, voicemail $0.15 a minute and the auto attendant $0.15 a minute. Each sub account is $10 a month.
- Fees beyond the table. Its price table marks holiday, weekend, line fee and tax, toll-free and local-number fees with an X, which reads as no charge, and it describes a local or toll-free number as included. Its terms still mention taxes, surcharges and recovery fees, so ask what you’d really pay.
- It can move you up a plan. If your usage passes a threshold it sets, its terms let it charge you on the spot and switch you to a plan that fits. It also wants 10 business days’ notice of a spike in calls.
- Job software isn’t named. It names Salesforce, Google Calendar, Lexicata and Zendesk, but no job software on the pages we read. If Jobber or ServiceTitan runs your day, PATLive names both.
Where CoveDesk is different
- Short calls are close to a tie. CoveDesk also adds up seconds over the month and rounds once, so by-the-second billing isn’t a reason to switch in either direction.
- More than the phone line. Missed-call texts come with Front Desk, and our team can look after your Google profile and website, at extra cost or in the Front Office plan. Specialty’s site doesn’t mention those.
- What you give up. A trained voice assistant picks up instead of an operator, and callers hear a short notice first. You also lose technician dispatch, calendar booking, Spanish and job software connections, none of which CoveDesk has yet.
Switching from Specialty Answering Service
- Numbers stay with it. Toll-free and local numbers on your account remain its property, including ones you transferred in. Its terms say you can’t port one away when you leave, and it may give the number to another customer. Source: Specialty Answering Service’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- How to cancel. Send written notice by support ticket or email, and wait for the confirmation email. It says it acts within three business days. Cancel before your next billing date. Source: Specialty Answering Service’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- No partial refunds. Leaving partway through a month earns no credit, even on the first day. Usage already built up goes on a final bill due on receipt. Source: Specialty Answering Service’s terms (opens in a new tab)
- Collect your messages first. Once the account ends, it has no duty to forward unread or unsent messages. Source: Specialty Answering Service’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 Specialty Answering Service 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 Specialty Answering Service cost?
Its pricing page listed $44 a month for Economy, $159 for 100 minutes, $269 for 220, $649 for 500 and $1,199 for 1,000 on November 3, 2026. Extra minutes run from $1.54 down to $1.29 across those plans. It lists no setup fee.
What is the typical cost of an answering service?
At about 100 minutes a month, published live prices run from $159 at Specialty Answering Service to $189 at PATLive, $215 at Posh, $265 at Moneypenny and $395 at Ruby. Software voice assistants generally list less. Your own call length decides what a month really costs.
Does Specialty Answering Service round calls up to the minute?
No. Its terms bill in one-second steps, so a six-second call counts as six seconds. Billable time can also include work operators do for that call, not only talk time, and patching a caller through to you adds $0.10 a minute.
Does Specialty Answering Service have a free trial?
Yes, for 14 days or 200 minutes, whichever comes first, according to its terms. Its pricing page says it takes no card or billing details, while its terms ask for a payment method at registration, so check when you sign up. We found no money-back guarantee, and its terms call payments non-refundable.
Can I keep my number if I leave Specialty Answering Service?
Not one it gave you, and not one you transferred to it: its terms say those stay its property and can’t be ported away. That clause covers numbers assigned or moved to it, so keeping your number with your own phone company and forwarding it is the safer setup.
How do I cancel Specialty Answering Service?
Send written notice by support ticket or to its service email address, and look for the confirmation email. It says it acts within three business days. Do it before your next billing date, because partial months aren’t refunded and a final bill covers usage to date.
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 Specialty Answering Service comes from these pages of its website, read on November 3, 2026:
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) (plans and prices, contract, money-back guarantee)
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/ (opens in a new tab) (who answers, text back after a missed call, review requests, google profile care, website)
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/terms/ (opens in a new tab) (how use is counted, setup fee, free trial, switching)
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/software/ (opens in a new tab) (who sets it up, booking)
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/industries/construction/hvac-answering-service/ (opens in a new tab) (urgent calls, spanish)
- https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/features/ (opens in a new tab) (job software and crms)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
Prices and features change; check Specialty Answering Service’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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