12 ranked · data checked October 26, 2026
Best AI Receptionists 2027
NextPhone ranks first of the 12 AI receptionists we scored, with 77.7 of 95 points from published prices and terms checked October 26, 2026. Upfirst is second (73.9) and Goodcall third (69.8). Its Pro plan is $199 a month with unlimited inbound calls, so 100 and 200 calls cost the same.
The ranking
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026; integrations checked October 27, 2026. Each row carries its own read date.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| # | Service | 100 calls/mo | 200 calls/mo | Per call at 100 | Plan at 100 calls | Integrations | Contract | Trial | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NextPhone | $199 | $199 | $1.99 | Pro: unlimited inbound calls | 9 of 11 native, 2 through Zapier | Cancel any time | 7-day trial, card terms not stated | 77.7 /95 | getnextphone.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 2 | Upfirst | $69.95 | $159.95 | $0.70 | Premium: 90 calls | 3 of 11 native, 7 through Zapier | Cancel any time | 14-day trial, no card | 73.9 /95 | upfirst.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 3 | Goodcall | $79 | $129 | $0.79 | Starter: 100 unique callers | 10 through Zapier | Monthly, notice not stated | None | 69.8 /95 | goodcall.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 4 | My AI Front Desk | $114 | $189 | $1.14 | Business-in-a-Box: 240 minutes | 4 of 11 native, 6 through Zapier | Cancel any time | 7-day trial, no card | 58.6 /95 | myaifrontdesk.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 5 | Phonely | $75 to $85 | $150 | $0.75 | Starter: 200 minutes | 1 of 11 native, 9 through Zapier | Not published | Free plan | 56.0 /95 | phonely.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 6 | Dialzara | $135 | $239 | $1.35 | Business Pro: 220 minutes | 1 of 11 native, 9 through Zapier | Cancel any time | 7-day trial, card terms not stated | 52.7 /95 | dialzara.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 7 | Rosie | $149 | $149 | $1.49 | Scale: 1,000 minutes | 3 of 11 native, 7 through Zapier | Cancel any time | 7-day trial, card terms not stated | 52.4 /95 | heyrosie.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 8 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $212.50 | $385 | $2.13 | Pro: 75 calls | 10 of 11 native | Monthly, 30 days' notice | Free plan | 51.4 /95 | smith.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 9 | RingCentral AI Receptionist | $149 | $299 | $1.49 | Standalone: 100 minutes | None documented | Not published | 14-day trial, card terms not stated | 36.3 /95 | ringcentral.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 10 | Simple Phones | $97 | not computable | $0.97 | Entry: 100 calls | None documented | Cancel any time | 14-day trial, card terms not stated | 33.1 /95 | simplephones.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 11 | Moneypenny AI Answering (US) | $199 | $418 | $1.99 | 100 calls plan | 1 through Zapier | Monthly, one calendar month's notice | Not published | 26.9 /95 | moneypenny.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 12 | Go Answer AI Receptionist | $270 | $510 | $2.70 | AI Receptionist: 300 minutes | 2 of 11 native | Cancel any time | 14-day trial, card needed | 23.7 /95 | goanswer.io read October 26, 2026 |
Ordered by score, highest first. Costs are each vendor's cheapest published plan for that volume plus its published rate past the allowance, at 3-minute calls; taxes, setup and add-ons are not included. The score weighs price, bill predictability, integrations, contract terms and spam billing; test-call scores are coming. How we rank.
The order is computed, not voted on. Every position traces to a vendor’s own pricing page, terms and integration pages, each read on the date printed in its row, and the score breakdown in each entry shows exactly where the vendor gains and loses points.
Read the 200-call column before the 100-call one. A plan that looks cheap at 100 calls can cost twice as much in a busy month, and a vendor with no published rate past its allowance leaves that month unpriced until you ask.
Why each vendor ranks where it does
Points per component from the published method, what separates each vendor from the one under it, where it loses, and the arithmetic behind its price. The catches are the clauses that change the bill, in the vendor’s own words where it publishes them.
Rank 1
NextPhone
77.7 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 3.8 points ahead of Upfirst: it gains 10 on bill predictability, 5.9 on integrations and 1 on contract terms and gives up 13.1 on price.
- Where it loses
- At 100 calls it costs $199, the 9th lowest of the 12 here.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $199 at 100 calls ($199 flat, unlimited inbound calls) and $199 at 200 ($199 flat, unlimited inbound calls).
The catch
- Trial card terms not stated: its pages do not say whether the trial needs a card or turns into a paid plan.
Rank 2
Upfirst
73.9 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 4.1 points ahead of Goodcall: it gains 6 on contract terms and 2.7 on integrations and gives up 4 on bill predictability and 0.6 on price.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $90 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $69.95 at 100 calls (Premium $59.95 + 10 extra calls × $1 = $69.95) and $159.95 at 200 (200 calls fit Pro ($159.95 for 300) = $159.95).
Rank 3
Goodcall
69.8 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 11.2 points ahead of My AI Front Desk: it gains 8 on spam-call billing, 7 on bill predictability and 5.8 on price and gives up 6 on contract terms and 3.6 on integrations.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $50 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $79 at 100 calls (100 unique callers fit Starter ($79 for 100) = $79) and $129 at 200 (200 unique callers fit Growth ($129 for 500) = $129).
The catch
- Billed per unique caller, not per call. Our arithmetic counts every call as a new caller, which is the most a month can cost; repeat callers bring it down.
Rank 4
My AI Front Desk
58.6 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 2.5 points ahead of Phonely: it gains 5 on contract terms and 2.7 on integrations and gives up 5.2 on price.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $75 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $114 at 100 calls (Business-in-a-Box $99 for 240 minutes, that is 200 voice minutes plus 40 from its 1,000 monthly overage credits, + 60 extra minutes × $0.25 = $114) and $189 at 200 (Business-in-a-Box $99 for 240 minutes, that is 200 voice minutes plus 40 from its 1,000 monthly overage credits, + 360 extra minutes × $0.25 = $189).
The catch
- Robocall filter blocks spam; billing of blocked calls not stated. We score that as unknown, not as free.
Rank 5
Phonely
56.0 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 3.3 points ahead of Dialzara: it gains 9.3 on price and gives up 6 on contract terms.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $75 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $75 to $85 at 100 calls (Starter $50 + 100 extra minutes × $0.25 to $0.35 = $75 to $85) and $150 at 200 (600 minutes fit Professional ($150 for 650) = $150).
The catch
- No published rule on spam calls. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- Time beyond the conversation can be billed. “Post-transfer minutes are the call minutes that happen after Phonely transfers a caller to a live person or another phone number” (phonely.ai, read October 5, 2026).
Rank 6
Dialzara
52.7 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 0.3 points ahead of Rosie: it gains 3 on bill predictability and 2 on contract terms and gives up 2.9 on price and 1.8 on integrations.
- Where it loses
- Past the allowance, it sends callers to voicemail unless auto-recharge is on. “so you can turn on auto-recharge or buy extra minutes a la carte. If it hits zero, callers go straight to voicemail.” (dialzara.com, read October 27, 2026).
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $135 at 100 calls (Business Pro $99 + 80 extra minutes × $0.45 = $135) and $239 at 200 (Business Plus $199 + 100 extra minutes × $0.40 = $239).
The catch
- No published rule on spam calls. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- Trial card terms not stated: its pages do not say whether the trial needs a card or turns into a paid plan.
Rank 7
Rosie
52.4 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 1 point ahead of Smith.ai AI Receptionist: it gains 16.4 on price and gives up 6.4 on integrations, 6 on bill predictability and 3 on spam-call billing.
- Where it loses
- Past the allowance, it moves the account up a plan, which stays until you downgrade. “Rosie will automatically upgrade the Subscriber to a higher Subscription Plan to cover the additional Services Minutes usage.” (heyrosie.com, read October 27, 2026).
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $149 at 100 calls (300 minutes fit Scale ($149 for 1,000) = $149) and $149 at 200 (600 minutes fit Scale ($149 for 1,000) = $149).
The catch
- Blocked numbers use no minutes; calls its spam detection hangs up on: not stated. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- Every call is rounded up to a full minute. “calls are rounded up to the next 60-second mark” (heyrosie.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 8
Smith.ai AI Receptionist
51.4 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 15.1 points ahead of RingCentral AI Receptionist: it gains 13.6 on integrations, 5 on contract terms, 3 on bill predictability and 3 on spam-call billing and gives up 9.5 on price.
- Where it loses
- 30 days of notice to cancel. “If you ever cancel, we need 30 days' notice, and then you're done.” (smith.ai, read October 5, 2026).
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $212.50 at 100 calls (Pro (75 calls) $150 + 25 extra calls × $2.50 = $212.50) and $385 at 200 (Pro (150 calls) $270 + 50 extra calls × $2.30 = $385).
The catch
- Spam is free only under its conditions. Known spam numbers are filtered before the AI answers; answered spam is billed past the 10% allowance. “Every call answered by your AI Receptionist counts toward your call quota by default.” (smith.ai, read October 5, 2026).
Rank 9
RingCentral AI Receptionist
36.3 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 3.1 points ahead of Simple Phones: it gains 5.1 on price and 3 on bill predictability and gives up 5 on contract terms.
- Where it loses
- At 100 calls it costs $149, the 7th lowest of the 12 here.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $149 at 100 calls (Standalone $49 + 200 extra minutes × $0.50 = $149) and $299 at 200 (Standalone $49 + 500 extra minutes × $0.50 = $299).
The catch
- No published rule on spam calls. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- Trial card terms not stated: its pages do not say whether the trial needs a card or turns into a paid plan.
Rank 10
Simple Phones
33.1 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 6.2 points ahead of Moneypenny AI Answering (US): it gains 6 on contract terms, 4.7 on price and 2 on spam-call billing and gives up 6 on bill predictability and 0.5 on integrations.
- Where it loses
- Past the allowance, it releases your phone numbers. “If you cancel your plan, or you exceed the number of calls per month for your tier, your phone numbers will be released.” (simplephones.ai, read October 26, 2026).
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $97 at 100 calls (100 calls fit Entry ($97 for 100) = $97) and not computable at 200 (not computable from the published prices).
The catch
- No published rule on spam calls. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- Trial card terms not stated: its pages do not say whether the trial needs a card or turns into a paid plan.
Rank 11
Moneypenny AI Answering (US)
26.9 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 3.2 points ahead of Go Answer AI Receptionist: it gains 10.4 on price and 3 on bill predictability and gives up 6 on contract terms, 2.3 on integrations and 2 on spam-call billing.
- Where it loses
- Answered spam calls are billed. Only silent calls are free; any call where noise registers is charged, spam included. “If the caller does not speak to the AI Receptionist (i.e. no noise is registered), the call will not be charged.” (cdn.prod.website-files.com, read October 7, 2026).
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $199 at 100 calls (100 calls fit the “100 calls” plan ($199) = $199) and $418 at 200 (the “100 calls” plan $199 + 100 extra calls × $2.19 = $418).
The catch
- One full calendar month's notice to cancel. One full calendar month; cancelling after the 1st of a month adds another full month. “You may cancel your Services with Moneypenny at any time by giving one full calendar month advanced notice to Moneypenny.” (cdn.prod.website-files.com, read October 7, 2026).
- A setup fee applies. “A one-off setup fee is payable in advance before the Services are set up.” (cdn.prod.website-files.com, read October 7, 2026).
Rank 12
Go Answer AI Receptionist
23.7 /95
- Why it ranks here
- Last on this list by its order rule.
- Where it loses
- At 100 calls it costs $270, the most of the 12 here.
- Price at 100 and 200 calls
- $270 at 100 calls (300 minutes fit AI Receptionist 300 ($270) = $270) and $510 at 200 (AI Receptionist 500 $425 + 100 extra minutes × $0.85 = $510).
The catch
- No published rule on spam calls. We score that as unknown, not as free.
- The trial needs a card. The plan activates and the card is charged when the trial ends. “Your credit card is required to start the trial” (goanswer.io, read October 5, 2026).
Which one fits your situation
Lowest cost at 100 calls
Upfirst costs $69.95 a month at 100 calls.
Why it may not fit: Its bill rises $90 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
Lowest cost at 200 calls
Goodcall costs $129 a month at 200 calls.
Why it may not fit: Its bill rises $50 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
Steadiest bill when calls double
Tie: NextPhone ($199) and Rosie ($149) cost the same at 200 calls as at 100.
Why it may not fit: NextPhone: At 100 calls it costs $199, the 9th lowest of the 12 here. Rosie: Past its allowance it moves the account up a plan, which stays until you downgrade.
Most connections to the tools on this page
Smith.ai AI Receptionist: 10 of 11 native.
Why it may not fit: Cancelling takes 30 days of notice.
Easiest to try and to leave
Tie: NextPhone and Dialzara. Both allow cancelling at any time, charge no setup fee and offer a free trial.
Why it may not fit: Dialzara: Past its allowance it sends callers to voicemail unless auto-recharge is on.
Which AI receptionist is best for which business
There is no single best for everyone, which is why the site keeps separate lists. Each one uses the same score with the tools that buyer weighs, and adds the data its question needs: the peak month for HVAC, what happens when the allowance runs out for plumbers, the slow month for contractors, night calls for after-hours buyers.
What to check before you sign
- Your real call count: last month, your busiest month, and how many of those calls were spam.
- What the plan does past its allowance: a published rate, an automatic upgrade, or voicemail.
- Whether spam, wrong numbers and hang-ups count toward the bill, in the vendor’s own terms.
- Notice to cancel and what happens to your phone number when you leave.
- Whether the trial needs a card, and whether it turns into a paid plan on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are these AI receptionists ranked?
Each vendor scores up to 95 points from its own published pages: 35 for price at 100 and 200 calls a month, 20 for how predictable the bill is, 15 for documented integrations, 15 for contract terms and 10 for spam-call billing. Five more points are reserved for recorded test calls and stay empty until those recordings exist. No position is set by hand.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
For the 12 AI receptionists on this list, the cheapest published plan for three-minute calls costs $69.95 to $270 at 100 calls and $129 to $510 at 200 calls a month, prices checked October 26, 2026. Simple Phones publishes nothing that covers 200 calls. Each cost is the vendor's cheapest plan for that volume plus its published rate past the allowance; taxes, setup and add-ons are not included.
Which AI receptionists offer unlimited calls?
NextPhone is the only AI receptionist we rank that publishes unlimited inbound calls on every plan, with no per-minute charge or overage fee (checked October 26, 2026). Every other vendor meters minutes, calls or unique callers. Goodcall comes closest: billing per unique caller means repeat callers add nothing.
Did you call these AI receptionists to test them?
Not yet. Five points of the score are reserved for rubric scores from recorded test calls (greeting, intake accuracy, transfers, escalation), and every vendor holds zero until the recordings exist. Today the order rests on published prices, plan limits, integrations and terms.
Sources
- Pricing pages are linked in the table’s Source column, each with its read date. The other pages quoted here:
- Phonely: pricing page, read October 5, 2026.
- Dialzara: pricing page, read October 27, 2026.
- Rosie: terms, read October 27, 2026.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist: pricing page, read October 5, 2026.
- Simple Phones: pricing page, read October 26, 2026.
- Moneypenny AI Answering (US): terms (PDF), read October 7, 2026.
- Go Answer AI Receptionist: pricing page, read October 5, 2026.
- Integrations: the vendors' own integration pages and the tools' app directories, checked October 27, 2026. Every connection's evidence is on the data page.
Data changes for vendors on this list
- October 27, 2026: Upfirst: cancellation notice recorded as none. Its pricing FAQ says "You can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade anytime, no questions asked," the same strength as other cancel-anytime terms. Its setup-fee summary now reads "None stated": no page says there is no fee. No price changed.
- October 27, 2026: My AI Front Desk: the 1,000 monthly overage credits its pricing page lists as included ("Extra credits you get each month in case you go over your included usage") now count as 40 included minutes, so Business-in-a-Box covers 240 minutes before the $0.25 rate applies (was 200). Phonely: noted that its Professional plan card says 650 minutes and its comparison table 750; the card is used. Cost arithmetic: when two plans tie on their lowest cost, the one with the narrower range is chosen, so Phonely at 10 calls a day prices on Professional alone.
How to cite: AI Receptionist Rankings, Best AI Receptionists 2027, data checked October 26, 2026, https://www.aireceptionistrankings.com/. The full dataset is on the data page (CC BY 4.0).