Virtual receptionist services: what they do and what they cost
The short answer
A virtual receptionist answers your business calls from somewhere else, in your business’s name, then takes messages, books appointments or transfers callers. Some use live people, usually billed by the minute or call, and others use a software voice at a lower price. Among the services here, entry plans run $49 to $99 a month for software voice assistants and $99 to $350 a month for live receptionist services.
“Virtual receptionist” can mean a person in a call center or a software voice on the line. They answer your phone in your business’s name, but the price and the experience differ a lot, so it’s worth knowing which you’re buying.
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.
What a virtual receptionist does
- Answers in your business’s name, often around the clock
- Takes the caller’s name, number and what they need
- Sends you the message by text or email
- Transfers urgent or important calls to you
- On many plans, books appointments or answers common questions
The term overlaps with “answering service”. Traditionally an answering service takes messages, while a receptionist does more of the front desk’s job. Today most services do both, so compare what the plan includes, not what it’s called.
Services at a glance
- Ruby: live receptionists. Plans from $250 a month for 50 receptionist minutes, as published.
- AnswerConnect: live receptionists. Plans from $350 a month for 200 minutes, as published.
- PATLive: live receptionists. Plans from $99 a month for 50 minutes, as published.
- MAP Communications: live receptionists. Plans from $179 a month for 125 minutes, as published.
- Answering Service Care: live receptionists or software (you choose). Plans from $179 a month for 100 minutes, as published.
- Moneypenny: live receptionists or software (you choose). Plans from $165 a month for 50 minutes, as published.
- Abby Connect: live receptionists or software (you choose). Plans from $164 a month for 50 Abby Minutes, as published.
- Goodcall: software voice assistant. Plans from $79 a month for 100 unique customers a month (Goodcall says about 150 calls), as published.
- Rosie: software voice assistant. Plans from $49 a month for 250 minutes, as published.
- Dialzara: software voice assistant. Plans from $99 a month for 220 minutes, as published.
- CoveDesk: a phone answering service in your business’s name, day or night: a trained voice assistant, set up and run by our team (not live receptionists). Front Desk is $249/mo with 250 minutes included.
Live virtual receptionists
| Service | Who answers | Entry plan (as published) | A bigger plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Live 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. |
| AnswerConnect | Live 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. |
| PATLive | Live 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 Communications | Live 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 Care | Live 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. |
| Moneypenny | Live 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 Connect | Live 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. |
| CoveDesk | CoveDesk’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 business and run it. |
Software voice receptionists
| Service | Who answers | Entry plan (as published) | A bigger plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodcall | Software 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. |
| Rosie | Software 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. |
| Dialzara | Software 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. |
| CoveDesk | CoveDesk’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 business and run it. |
Compared with hiring
A receptionist on payroll costs more than the hourly wage. The employee cost calculator adds up payroll taxes, workers’ comp, benefits and paid time off, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports benefits at 30% of total compensation (opens in a new tab) for private industry workers in June 2026. A person at your front desk does things no phone service can, so compare the job you actually need done.
Answering service cost calculator
Work out a monthly bill from your calls and call length, and compare it with a receptionist on payroll.
Employee cost calculator
What an employee really costs: pay, taxes, insurance, benefits and time off.
Missed call calculator
See what the calls you don’t answer may be worth in a month and a year, from your own numbers.
Common questions
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
Among the services on this page, published entry plans run $49 to $99 a month for software voice assistants and $99 to $350 a month for live receptionist services. Your real cost depends on your minutes or calls, so run your numbers through the cost calculator.
What’s the difference between a virtual receptionist and an answering service?
The names overlap. An answering service traditionally takes messages, and a virtual receptionist also does things like booking and transfers. Most companies now offer both, so compare what each plan includes.
Are virtual receptionists real people?
Some are and some aren’t. Ask the company, and call its demo line to hear it for yourself.
Is a virtual receptionist worth it for a small business?
It is when the calls it catches are worth more than it costs, which depends on your missed calls and the value of a job. The missed call calculator gives you a starting point.
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:
- Ruby: https://www.ruby.com/plans-and-pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.ruby.com/industries/home-services/ (opens in a new tab)
- AnswerConnect: https://www.answerconnect.com/plans-direct (opens in a new tab) and https://www.answerconnect.com/industries/service-providers/residential-services (opens in a new tab)
- PATLive: https://www.patlive.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.patlive.com/industries/home-services-trades/ (opens in a new tab)
- MAP Communications: https://www.mapcommunications.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.mapcommunications.com/industries/contractors/ (opens in a new tab)
- Answering Service Care: https://answeringservicecare.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://answeringservicecare.com/industries/home-services/ (opens in a new tab)
- Moneypenny: https://www.moneypenny.com/us/pricing (opens in a new tab) and https://www.moneypenny.com/us/home-services-answering-services (opens in a new tab)
- Abby Connect: https://www.abby.com/pricing/ (opens in a new tab) and https://www.abby.com/industries/plumbing/ (opens in a new tab)
- Goodcall: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Rosie: https://heyrosie.com/pricing (opens in a new tab) and https://heyrosie.com/industries/home-services (opens in a new tab)
- Dialzara: https://dialzara.com/pricing (opens in a new tab)
- CoveDesk: our pricing page
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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