What is a live answering service?
A live answering service is a third-party team of human agents who answer your business phone calls when you cannot. The agent greets the caller using your business name, follows a script you provide, takes messages, books appointments where they can, and transfers urgent calls to your phone. Live answering services are typically billed per minute — common rates are $1.50 to $3.00 a minute, with a monthly minimum that ranges from $50 to $300. The two largest US providers are Ruby (since 2003) and Smith.ai (since 2015). The main alternative in 2026 is an AI answering service, which holds a comparable conversation but is billed per call instead of per minute and runs 24/7 with no staffing constraints. Aira's AI starts at $24.95 a month for 30 calls. See live vs. AI answering services compared.
Cost example: 30 calls a month
A live answering service charges per minute. An AI answering service charges per call. Across an average month, the dollar difference depends on how long calls run.
| Scenario (30 calls/mo) | Live service ($2/min, $50 minimum) | Aira Starter ($24.95/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Average 2-minute call | $120 (60 min × $2) | $24.95 |
| Average 4-minute call | $240 (120 min × $2) | $24.95 |
| Average 8-minute call (long intake) | $480 (240 min × $2) | $24.95 |
Live answering wins on warmth and complex emotional triage. AI answering wins on cost predictability, hours, languages, and concurrent-call handling.
When live answering still wins
Live answering services are the right answer when callers expect a familiar human voice (high-end professional services, certain medical practices), when calls genuinely require complex emotional triage that AI can't yet handle, or when you only take a handful of calls a month and the per-minute math beats a flat monthly fee. Ruby and Smith.ai both offer integrations into legal CRMs (Clio, MyCase) that AI alternatives are still catching up on.
When AI answering wins
AI wins when call volume is unpredictable, when long calls are common (per-minute bills spike), when bilingual coverage is needed without staffing for it, when 24/7 availability matters, or when the sales math depends on speed-to-lead. Aira answers in 0.4 seconds, runs unlimited concurrent calls, and bills the same $24.95/mo regardless of how long any individual call runs.
Related questions
- How does an answering service work?An answering service picks up your business calls when you can't — agents take messages, book appointments, transfer urgent callers. Here's exactly how it works and what it costs.
- What is the best AI answering service?The best AI answering service depends on call volume, languages, and integrations. Here's how to compare providers by what actually matters.
- What is a good answering service?A good answering service answers in seconds, runs 24/7, books appointments, gives transparent per-call pricing instead of per-minute overages. Here's the full vetting checklist.