Question 1

How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?

Accepted Answer

An AI receptionist costs $24.95 to $300+ per month in 2026, with most service businesses landing in the $50–$160 monthly range. Aira plans run $24.95/mo for 30 calls (Starter), $59.95/mo for 90 calls (Premium), and $159.95/mo for 300 calls (Pro), with all features included on every paid plan and an Enterprise tier on custom pricing. Per-minute competitors like Smith.ai and Ruby Receptionists typically range from $97/mo for limited minutes to $400+/mo for fuller coverage — and per-minute bills are highly variable because long calls cost more. Per-call pricing caps the per-call cost regardless of duration, so the monthly bill is predictable. Volume is the biggest driver of monthly cost; pricing model is the biggest driver of bill predictability.

Question 2

How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?

Accepted Answer

Most small businesses spend $25–$160 per month on an AI receptionist in 2026. The typical service business — a contractor, salon, dental practice, or small law firm — handles 30–300 inbound calls per month. At Aira's per-call pricing, that's the Starter plan ($24.95/mo for 30 calls) for very low volume, Premium ($59.95/mo for 90 calls) for typical solo and 2–3 person businesses, and Pro ($159.95/mo for 300 calls) for growing teams or high-volume practices. Compared to hiring a part-time receptionist ($1,500–$2,500/mo) or a per-minute live answering service ($235–$400+/mo), the AI option lands at 5–15% of the cost. The break-even is fast: a single new customer captured from a call that would have hit voicemail typically pays for several months of service.

Question 3

What's the difference between per-call and per-minute AI receptionist pricing?

Accepted Answer

Per-call pricing charges a flat rate every time a call is answered, regardless of call length. Per-minute pricing charges by call duration. The difference shows up in bill predictability and total monthly cost. A 4-minute call on a per-minute plan at $2/min is $8; the same call on a per-call plan at $0.66/call (Aira Premium rate) is $0.66. Across a busy month with longer calls, per-minute bills routinely come in 30–80% above the listed plan price because of overage and long-call inflation. Per-call pricing caps the per-call cost at the plan rate, so the monthly bill is predictable. Aira uses per-call pricing on every plan; Smith.ai, Ruby Receptionists, and most traditional live answering services use per-minute. Per-minute is fine for very short calls or very low volume; per-call wins for any practice with calls longer than 2–3 minutes.

Question 4

What are the hidden fees in AI answering service pricing?

Accepted Answer

Common hidden fees in AI answering service pricing include per-minute overage rates, transfer surcharges, after-hours and holiday differentials, setup or onboarding fees, integration fees, and minimum monthly minimums that activate even on no-call months. The biggest hidden cost on per-minute services is overage on the included minutes — listed plan prices typically include only 30–100 minutes, and bills routinely come in 30–80% above the listed rate after a single busy week. Transfer surcharges (often $0.50–$2.00 per call transferred to a human or another phone number) add up. Setup fees range from $0 to $500. Aira has no setup fee, no transfer surcharge, no minimum minute commitment, and no after-hours differential — the per-call rate is the same on every call. Always request a sample bill from any vendor before signing.

Question 5

What is the ROI of an AI receptionist?

Accepted Answer

The ROI of an AI receptionist is driven by missed-call recovery. Research shows 62% of unanswered business calls do not result in a callback — those calls are lost lifetime customer value. The average service business loses approximately $1,200/mo to missed calls. Against an Aira monthly cost of $24.95–$159.95, the payback period is typically less than 30 days for any practice that loses 1–2 new customers per month to busy signals or voicemail. Specifically: if the lifetime value of a new customer is $200 (low-end services like nail salons) to $2,500 (high-end services like cosmetic dentistry), capturing one missed call per month covers 1–6 months of service cost. Payback is 1 captured call for most practices. ROI compounds because the AI receptionist also operates 24/7, captures spam-filtered legitimate calls competitors can't reach, and books appointments directly to the calendar without staff involvement.

Question 6

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?

Accepted Answer

An AI receptionist costs roughly 5–15% of hiring a human receptionist for typical small-business call volume. A part-time receptionist runs $1,500–$2,500/mo (15–25 hours/week at $15–$25/hr plus benefits). A full-time receptionist runs $3,000–$4,500/mo loaded. An AI receptionist like Aira runs $24.95–$159.95/mo for the same call coverage envelope. The math favors AI for any practice handling fewer than ~600 calls per month — below that volume, a human receptionist sits idle most of the day, which is what makes the per-hour cost so high relative to per-call alternatives. AI also runs 24/7 with no shift coverage gaps, no sick days, and no benefits or overtime. A human receptionist still wins on calls requiring deep clinical context, complex insurance pre-authorization, and high-touch in-person handoff — none of which Aira tries to replicate.

AI Receptionist Pricing FAQ

Monthly Cost

How much does an AI receptionist cost per month?

Small Business Cost

How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?

Pricing Model

What's the difference between per-call and per-minute AI receptionist pricing?

What are the hidden fees in AI answering service pricing?

ROI & Math

What is the ROI of an AI receptionist?

vs Hiring

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring a receptionist?