13 ranked · data checked October 26, 2026
Best AI Receptionist for HVAC Companies 2027
NextPhone ranks first of the 13 AI receptionists we scored for HVAC companies, including one built for home services only, with 72.8 of 95 points from published prices and terms checked October 26, 2026. Upfirst is second (71.6) and Goodcall third (70.2). In a 300-call peak month, bills run from $129 (Goodcall) to $789 (Sameday AI).
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 | 300 calls (peak) | Live transfer | Urgent-call routing | Trade tools | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NextPhone | $199 | $199 | $199 | Included | Documented | Jobber native, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 72.8 /95 | getnextphone.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 2 | Upfirst | $69.95 | $159.95 | $159.95 | Included | Documented | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 71.6 /95 | upfirst.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 3 | Goodcall | $79 | $129 | $129 | Included | Not published | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 70.2 /95 | goodcall.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 4 | My AI Front Desk | $114 | $189 | $264 | Included | Documented | Housecall Pro native, Jobber and ServiceTitan through Zapier | 58.7 /95 | myaifrontdesk.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 5 | Phonely | $75 to $85 | $150 | $225 | On Starter and up, not the free plan | Documented | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 55.6 /95 | phonely.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 6 | Smith.ai AI Receptionist | $212.50 | $385 | $500 | Included | Documented | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro native | 52.8 /95 | smith.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 7 | Dialzara | $135 | $239 | $349 | Included | Documented | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 52.3 /95 | dialzara.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 8 | Rosie | $149 | $149 | $149 | On Scale and Growth, not Professional | Documented | Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro through Zapier | 50.2 /95 | heyrosie.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 9 | RingCentral AI Receptionist | $149 | $299 | $449 | Included | Documented | None documented | 36.3 /95 | ringcentral.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 10 | Simple Phones | $97 | not computable | not computable | Included | Not published | None documented | 33.1 /95 | simplephones.ai read October 26, 2026 |
| 11 | Moneypenny AI Answering (US) | $199 | $418 | $529.50 | Included | Not published | None documented | 26.4 /95 | moneypenny.com read October 26, 2026 |
| 12 | Go Answer AI Receptionist | $270 | $510 | $765 | Included | Not published | None documented | 21.0 /95 | goanswer.io read October 26, 2026 |
| 13 | Sameday AIhome services only | $449 | $789 | $789 | Not published | Documented | ServiceTitan native | 16.0 /95 | sameday.ai 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 (on this page: Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro), contract terms and spam billing; test-call scores are coming. How we rank.
An HVAC phone rings hardest when the weather turns, so this list prices a 300-call peak month beside the usual 100 and 200, and shows what each vendor publishes about getting an urgent call to the technician on call. It includes the home-services-only vendor in our data and weighs Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro.
Why each vendor ranks where it does
Each entry adds the bill in a 300-call peak month, with its arithmetic, and what the vendor publishes about getting an urgent call to a person.
Rank 1
NextPhone
72.8 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 1.3 points ahead of Upfirst: it gains 10 on bill predictability, 3.3 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 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $199 ($199 flat, unlimited inbound calls).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “Critical calls like active flooding or gas leaks transfer immediately to your on-call team.” (getnextphone.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 2
Upfirst
71.6 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 1.4 points ahead of Goodcall: it gains 6 on contract terms 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.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $159.95 (300 calls fit Pro ($159.95 for 300) = $159.95).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “Transfer the call if the caller is having an emergency.” (help.upfirst.ai, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 3
Goodcall
70.2 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 11.5 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 3.3 on integrations.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $50 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $129 (300 unique callers fit Growth ($129 for 500) = $129).
- Urgent calls
- A live transfer is documented; no urgent-call routing rule is. “By default it transfers the call to your business line” (goodcall.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 4
My AI Front Desk
58.7 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 3.1 points ahead of Phonely: it gains 5 on contract terms and 3.3 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.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $264 (Business-in-a-Box $99 for 240 minutes, that is 200 voice minutes plus 40 from its 1,000 monthly overage credits, + 660 extra minutes × $0.25 = $264).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “If it's an emergency, text the on-call manager.” (myaifrontdesk.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 5
Phonely
55.6 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 2.8 points ahead of Smith.ai AI Receptionist: it gains 22.8 on price and gives up 10 on integrations, 4 on contract terms, 3 on bill predictability and 3 on spam-call billing.
- Where it loses
- Its bill rises $75 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $225 (Professional $150 + 250 extra minutes × $0.30 = $225).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented; live transfer is on Starter and up, not the free plan. “smart escalation can make urgent calls bypass the queue.” (phonely.ai, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 6
Smith.ai AI Receptionist
52.8 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 0.5 points ahead of Dialzara: it gains 10 on integrations, 3 on bill predictability and 3 on spam-call billing and gives up 13.5 on price and 2 on contract terms.
- Where it loses
- At 300 calls it costs $500, the 9th lowest of the 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $500 (300 calls fit Pro (300 calls) ($500) = $500).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “Complex or urgent matters are routed. Transfer the call to your team or one of our Live Agents immediately when needed.” (smith.ai, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 7
Dialzara
52.3 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 2.1 points ahead of Rosie: it gains 3 on bill predictability and 2 on contract terms and gives up 2.9 on price.
- 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).
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $349 (900 minutes fit Business Elite ($349 for 1,000) = $349).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “immediately escalate via warm transfer to an on-call teammate's mobile” (dialzara.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 8
Rosie
50.2 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 13.9 points ahead of RingCentral AI Receptionist: it gains 6.9 on price, 5 on integrations and 5 on contract terms and gives up 3 on bill predictability.
- 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).
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $149 (900 minutes fit Scale ($149 for 1,000) = $149).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented; live transfer is on Scale and Growth, not Professional. “Perfect for emergency on-call rotations, urgent calls, and high priority leads.” (heyrosie.com, read October 27, 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 300 calls it costs $449, the 8th lowest of the 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $449 (Standalone $49 + 800 extra minutes × $0.50 = $449).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “It can answer questions, capture lead details, schedule appointments, send follow-up texts, or route urgent calls based on your rules” (ringcentral.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 10
Simple Phones
33.1 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 6.7 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.
- 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).
- Peak month, 300 calls
- not computable from the published prices.
- Urgent calls
- A live transfer is documented; no urgent-call routing rule is. “The agent can instead be programmed to forward to the call onto any other number.” (help.simplephones.ai, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 11
Moneypenny AI Answering (US)
26.4 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 5.4 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 and 2 on spam-call billing.
- Where it loses
- At 300 calls it costs $529.50, the 10th lowest of the 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $529.50 (the “250 calls” plan $435 + 50 extra calls × $1.89 = $529.50).
- Urgent calls
- A live transfer is documented; no urgent-call routing rule is. “either a Moneypenny Receptionist, available 24/7, or a member of your own team.” (moneypenny.com, read October 27, 2026).
Rank 12
Go Answer AI Receptionist
21.0 /95
- Why it ranks here
- 5 points ahead of Sameday AI: it gains 7 on contract terms and 3 on bill predictability and gives up 5 on integrations.
- Where it loses
- At 300 calls it costs $765, the 11th lowest of the 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $765 (AI Receptionist 500 $425 + 400 extra minutes × $0.85 = $765).
- Urgent calls
- A live transfer is documented; no urgent-call routing rule is. “Call routing and warm transfers (where applicable)” (goanswer.io, read October 26, 2026).
Rank 13
Sameday AI
16.0 /95
- Why it ranks here
- Last on this list by its order rule.
- Where it loses
- At 300 calls it costs $789, the 12th lowest of the 13 here.
- Peak month, 300 calls
- $789 (900 minutes fit Scale ($789 for 1,000) = $789).
- Urgent calls
- Urgent-call routing is documented. “applies your emergency criteria, and transfers true emergencies to your on-call plumber while scheduling everything else automatically.” (sameday.ai, read October 27, 2026).
The catch
- Built for home services only. It ranks only on lists for that trade.
Which one fits your situation
Lowest bill in a 300-call peak month
Goodcall costs $129 a month at 300 calls.
Why it may not fit: Its bill rises $50 a month when calls double from 100 to 200.
Smallest jump from a mild month to a peak month
Tie: NextPhone ($199) and Rosie ($149) cost the same at 300 calls as at 100.
Why it may not fit: NextPhone: At 100 calls it costs $199, the 9th lowest of the 13 here. Rosie: Past its allowance it moves the account up a plan, which stays until you downgrade.
Documented urgent-call transfer
Rosie documents transferring urgent calls to a person, at $149 for 200 calls, the lowest of the 8 vendors that do.
Most Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro connections
Smith.ai AI Receptionist: Jobber, ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro native.
Why it may not fit: At 300 calls it costs $500, the 9th lowest of the 13 here.
Why HVAC call volume swings, and what it does to the bill
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that monthly home electricity consumption “peaks in July and August when temperatures and cooling demand are the highest” (May 2017). Its hourly analysis finds that load “peaks in the afternoon as households and businesses are using air conditioning on hot days” in summer (February 2020).
That is electricity use, not a count of service calls, but it is the pattern to test against your own call log: export a mild month and a July or August heat-wave month, and read both columns. The 300-call column is our stand-in for that peak month; on a metered plan it sets your real cost, and on a plan with no usage meter it matches the 100-call column.
Getting the emergency to the on-call technician
The table shows which vendors document a live transfer and which document rules for urgent calls. A documented feature is a claim, not a test: ask each vendor to show the escalation rules, the order it tries your numbers, what the caller hears if nobody picks up, and whether a failed transfer still bills as a full call or full minutes.
What to check before you sign
- Your call count in a mild month and in your busiest heat-wave or cold-snap month.
- How an emergency reaches the on-call technician, and what happens when the transfer fails.
- Whether bookings land in your scheduling software directly or arrive by email.
- What the plan does past its allowance: a published rate, an automatic upgrade, or voicemail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost an HVAC company in peak season?
For the 13 AI receptionists on this list, the cheapest published plan for three-minute calls costs $129 to $789 at 300 calls a month, prices checked October 26, 2026. Simple Phones publishes nothing that covers 300 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.
Can an AI receptionist transfer an emergency call to me?
NextPhone, Upfirst, Goodcall, My AI Front Desk, Phonely, Smith.ai AI Receptionist, Dialzara, Rosie, RingCentral AI Receptionist, Simple Phones, Moneypenny AI Answering (US) and Go Answer AI Receptionist document a live transfer to a person. NextPhone, Upfirst, My AI Front Desk, Phonely, Smith.ai AI Receptionist, Dialzara, Rosie, RingCentral AI Receptionist and Sameday AI also document rules for urgent calls, such as routing or alerting the person on call. Sameday AI publishes neither on the pages we read. Checked October 27, 2026; ask for a test transfer before you rely on it.
Which AI receptionists integrate with ServiceTitan?
Smith.ai AI Receptionist and Sameday AI document a native ServiceTitan connection, and NextPhone, Upfirst, Goodcall, My AI Front Desk, Phonely, Dialzara and Rosie connect through Zapier, per the integration pages we read (checked October 27, 2026). A logo on a vendor page with no stated mechanism does not count.
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.
Sources
- Pricing pages are linked in the table’s Source column, each with its read date. The other pages quoted here:
- NextPhone: product page, read October 27, 2026.
- Upfirst: help center, read October 27, 2026.
- Goodcall: home page, read October 27, 2026.
- My AI Front Desk: product page, read October 27, 2026.
- Phonely: product page, read October 27, 2026.
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist: home page, read October 27, 2026.
- Dialzara: pricing page, read October 27, 2026; FAQ, read October 27, 2026.
- Rosie: terms, read October 27, 2026; help center, read October 27, 2026.
- RingCentral AI Receptionist: product page, read October 27, 2026.
- Simple Phones: pricing page, read October 26, 2026; help center, read October 27, 2026.
- Moneypenny AI Answering (US): product page, read October 27, 2026.
- Go Answer AI Receptionist: pricing page, read October 26, 2026.
- Sameday AI: product page, read October 27, 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.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Air conditioning and other appliances increase residential electricity use in the summer (May 22, 2017), read October 27, 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Hourly electricity consumption varies throughout the day and across seasons (February 21, 2020), read October 27, 2026.
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 Receptionist for HVAC Companies 2027, data checked October 26, 2026, https://www.aireceptionistrankings.com/best-ai-receptionist-for-hvac/. The full dataset is on the data page (CC BY 4.0).