Best AI Receptionists for Small Businesses (2026)
Every missed call can be a missed job. If you run a small business, you probably know the feeling: you're under a sink, with a client, or closing up for the night, and the phone rings anyway. An AI receptionist answers those calls for you. It greets the caller, answers common questions, takes a message or books an appointment, and sends you a summary.
This guide covers seven AI receptionists listed in the Tools & Agents directory. How we put it together: we didn't run hands-on tests of these products. Features and prices below come from each vendor's own website, checked on October 16, 2026. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy. No links on this page are affiliate or sponsored links. We don't earn anything if you sign up.
What an AI receptionist does (and doesn't do)
Most AI receptionists can:
- Answer calls 24/7 with a natural-sounding voice
- Answer common questions (hours, services, service area, prices you've approved)
- Capture caller details and send you a text or email summary
- Book appointments into your calendar or business software
- Transfer urgent calls to you or your team
What they usually can't do well is handle unusual, emotional or complicated calls without help. That's why some services, like Smith.ai and Ruby, keep human receptionists in the loop.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best fit | Starting price (vendor page) |
|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai | Most small businesses wanting AI with a human backup | Free (25 calls/mo); Pro $150/mo |
| Goodcall | Solo operators and busy shops wanting a predictable bill | $79/mo |
| Ruby | Businesses that want live human receptionists | $250/mo (50 minutes) |
| Slang.ai | Restaurants | From $399 per location/mo |
| Loman | Restaurants that take phone orders | Request pricing |
| Avoca AI | Home service businesses (HVAC, plumbing and more) | Book a demo |
| Sameday AI | Home service businesses | Not listed publicly |
The 7 AI receptionists
1. Smith.ai: AI-first answering with a human backup
Smith.ai offers an AI Receptionist that can hand complex calls to live, North America-based receptionists, according to its pricing page. It covers lead qualification, appointment scheduling (with tools like Calendly) and integrations such as Clio and Zapier.
Pricing (smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist): A Free plan includes 25 calls a month ($3.00 per extra call). Pro starts at $150/month for 75 calls ($2.00 a call), with bigger bundles at 150 and 300 calls. Enterprise starts at $500/month for 300 calls. Smith.ai's page says it filters known spam numbers and lets you remove up to 10% of calls as spam each billing cycle. It also openly says it's "a bit pricier than the competition."
Good for: law firms, agencies and service businesses that want AI with a human safety net.
2. Goodcall: flat, predictable pricing
Goodcall prices by unique callers, not minutes. Its pricing page says the same person calling five times in a month counts once, and spam and wrong numbers don't count.
Pricing (goodcall.com/pricing): Starter is $79/month for 100 unique customers (then 79¢ each). Growth is $129/month for 500 unique customers. Scale is $299/month for 2,000. Every plan includes a local phone number. Instead of a free trial, you can build and test a free demo agent and only pay when you connect a number.
Good for: tradespeople and local shops that get lots of calls and want a bill they can predict.
3. Ruby: live human receptionists
Ruby is different from the others: its receptionists are trained people, not AI. We include it because many owners compare the two before choosing. Ruby also sells a live website chat service.
Pricing (ruby.com/pricing): Receptionist plans are $250/month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500. Ruby says every plan has the same features; only the minutes change. Chat plans start at $143/month for 10 chats.
Good for: businesses where every caller needs a human touch, and the budget allows it.
4. Slang.ai: built for restaurants
Slang.ai focuses on restaurant calls: reservations, common guest questions, text links and confirmations, plus call recordings and summaries.
Pricing (slang.ai/pricing): Core starts at $399 per location per month. Premium starts at $599 per location and adds features like smarter routing, missed-call capture and support for 97 languages. Both tiers are "get a quote."
Good for: full-service restaurants with heavy reservation calls.
5. Loman: restaurant ordering by phone
Loman is also built for restaurants. Its pricing page lists a Starter tier (handling questions, call transfer, automatic menu updates, up to 50 calls at once) and a Premium tier that adds takeout ordering and reservations. It highlights POS and reservation integrations and says there are no per-minute fees.
Pricing (loman.ai/pricing): Not published. You request pricing or schedule a demo.
Good for: restaurants that lose takeout orders when the phone line is busy.
6. Avoca AI: for home service companies
Avoca AI aims at home service businesses. Its site describes an AI that answers calls around the clock, books jobs, syncs with your CRM and runs SMS and call follow-up campaigns.
Pricing (avoca.ai): Not published. You book a demo.
Good for: HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies with a real call center or growing call volume.
7. Sameday AI: an AI front office for the trades
Sameday AI describes itself as "the AI front office for home services." Its site shows AI that answers calls, texts customers, books jobs and updates your CRM, plus a phone system and win-back calling campaigns. Its examples show working with ServiceTitan.
Pricing (sameday.ai): We couldn't find public prices on the site.
Good for: home service teams that want phones, texting and booking in one place.
Already using field service software? Check its built-in option
If you run your business on Jobber or Housecall Pro, look at their built-in tools first. Jobber's pricing page lists a Jobber AI Receptionist at $29/month. Housecall Pro lists an "AI CSR" that answers calls and books jobs. Built-in tools can book straight into the schedule you already use.
How to choose
- Count your calls. Look at last month's call log. Per-call pricing (Smith.ai) and per-caller pricing (Goodcall) work out very differently at different volumes.
- Decide how much human help you need. If your callers are often upset or the questions are complex, a human backup (Smith.ai, Ruby) is worth paying for.
- Match your industry. Restaurants should look at Slang.ai and Loman. Home service businesses should look at Avoca AI, Sameday AI or the receptionist built into their field service software.
- Check integrations. The receptionist is most useful when it books straight into your calendar or CRM.
- Test it yourself. Call it as if you were a customer. Ask the awkward questions your real callers ask.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a small business?
From the vendor pages we checked, prices range from free (Smith.ai's 25-call plan) to $79/month (Goodcall Starter) to several hundred dollars a month for restaurant tools. Human services like Ruby start at $250/month for 50 minutes.
Will callers know they're talking to AI?
Often, yes. Voices have improved a lot, but being upfront is a good idea. Some services can transfer the caller to a person when needed.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments?
Yes. Most of the tools here say they can book appointments or jobs. Check that the tool connects with the calendar or software you already use.
What's the difference between an AI receptionist and an answering service?
An answering service uses human receptionists, usually billed by the minute. An AI receptionist is software that answers instantly at any hour. Some services, like Smith.ai, combine both.
Do spam calls count against my plan?
It depends. Goodcall says spam and wrong numbers don't count. Smith.ai filters known spammers and lets you remove up to 10% of calls as spam each cycle.
Is there a free trial?
Smith.ai has a free plan, and Goodcall lets you build a free demo agent. Restaurant and home service tools mostly start with a demo.
Sources (checked October 16, 2026)
- Smith.ai pricing: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist
- Goodcall pricing: https://www.goodcall.com/pricing
- Ruby pricing: https://www.ruby.com/pricing
- Slang.ai pricing: https://www.slang.ai/pricing
- Loman pricing: https://loman.ai/pricing
- Avoca AI: https://www.avoca.ai/
- Sameday AI: https://sameday.ai/
- Jobber pricing: https://www.getjobber.com/pricing
- Housecall Pro pricing: https://www.housecallpro.com/pricing
Information comes from vendor websites and may change. Tools & Agents hasn't tested these products hands-on. No affiliate or sponsored links appear in this article.