How many potential customers have you lost simply because no one answered the phone?
Every missed call is lost revenue. When you’re on a job site, in a meeting, or closed for the day, potential customers don’t wait—they move on to the next number on Google.
Virtual receptionists solve this. They answer every call 24/7, capture leads while you work, and turn conversations into appointments—without the cost of full-time staff.
But the virtual receptionist market has evolved. Traditional services rely on human agents working remotely—effective, but expensive and limited by staffing.
The newest generation uses AI to deliver the same capabilities: answering calls, booking appointments, qualifying leads, and routing inquiries. The difference? AI receptionists cost 70-80% less, handle unlimited simultaneous calls, and never need breaks or training.
This guide breaks down the 10 best virtual receptionist services—including both traditional human-powered options and modern AI alternatives—so you can choose what fits your business, budget, and call complexity.
You’ll find detailed pricing, bilingual options, and exactly which service fits your business type, whether you’re a solo plumber, a dental practice, or a growing law firm.
Before diving into detailed reviews, here’s a snapshot comparison to help you quickly identify top virtual answering services worth exploring further.
| Service | Starting Price | Type | Free Trial | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Welco AI |
| $39/month |
| AI Receptionist |
| 7- Days |
| Instant set up in 15 minutes, overflow call answering, and call management |
 Ruby | $250/mo | Human only | 21-day guarantee | Premium personalized service |
 Smith.ai | $95/mo (AI)$293/mo (Human) | Hybrid AI+Human | 30-day guarantee | Tech-forward firms |
 Nexa | Custom | Hybrid | 21-day guarantee | Emergency dispatch |
 PATLive | $250/mo | Human only | 14 days | Budget reliability |
 Abby Connect | $329/mo | Hybrid | 14 days | Dedicated team service |
 AnswerConnect | Custom | Human only | None | Human-first, eco-conscious |
 Posh | $65/mo base | Human only | 7 days/250 min | Affordable 24/7 |
 Grasshopper | $14/mo | Automated | 7 days | Phone system only |
 Moneypenny | $165/mo | Hybrid | 7 days | Fast setup needs |
Now that you’ve seen the quick comparison, let’s dive deep into each virtual receptionist service. You need to understand what makes each platform unique, where it excels, and what trade-offs you’re making.
Before diving into individual services, it’s important to understand the two main categories you’ll encounter:
These services employ real people—typically working from call centers or remotely—who answer your business calls. They’re trained on your scripts, can handle emotional conversations, and provide the “human touch” some callers prefer. The trade-off: higher costs ($200-$500+/month), per-minute charges that make bills unpredictable, limited availability during peak times, and quality that varies by agent.
AI receptionists use conversational AI to handle calls naturally—understanding intent, answering questions, booking appointments, and routing calls. They’re not the robotic “press 1 for sales” systems of the past. Modern AI receptionist like Welco use advanced language models (GPT-4o) to hold genuine conversations that most callers can’t distinguish from humans.
AI receptionists perform every core function of traditional virtual receptionists:
The difference is execution: AI handles unlimited concurrent calls at flat-rate pricing, while human services charge per-minute and handle one call per agent.
Which Should You Choose?
| Factor | Human Virtual Receptionist | AI Receptionist |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Complex emotional calls, relationship-heavy industries | Routine calls, high-volume, after-hours coverage |
| Cost | $200–$500+ per month + per-minute fees | $50–$150 per month (flat rate) |
| Simultaneous calls | Limited by staffing | Unlimited |
| Setup time | 1–2 weeks | ~15 minutes |
| Consistency | Varies by agent | Identical on every call |
| 24/7 coverage | Premium add-on | Standard |
For most small businesses, 80-90% of calls are routine—appointment requests, basic questions, lead capture. AI handles these perfectly at a fraction of the cost. The remaining 10-20% of complex calls can still route to your team when human judgment is needed. For a deeper dive into this decision, see our complete AI receptionist vs human receptionist comparison—and if you’re still evaluating your options, this guide on how to choose a virtual receptionist breaks down what matters most for small businesses.
Here’s the honest math: For most small businesses, 80-90% of calls are routine—appointment requests, basic questions, lead capture, after-hours inquiries. AI handles these perfectly at a fraction of the cost. The remaining 10-20% of complex calls can still route to your team when human judgment is needed.
Ask yourself: Are you paying $400/month for human receptionists to handle calls that AI manages for $100/month? That’s $3,600/year in unnecessary costs—enough to fund marketing that actually grows your business.
Now let’s look at each service in detail.
Need Instant Call Handling Tool- Try Welco AI Now
Welco, an AI-powered receptionist to help you answer every call and capture every lead for your business — even during peak hours, or non-business hours.
We’re starting with AI receptionists because they represent the biggest shift in how small businesses handle calls. These aren’t the clunky automated systems you remember—modern AI receptionists hold natural conversations, understand context, and take action in real-time. For businesses prioritizing cost efficiency and 24/7 coverage, AI delivers capabilities that would cost $500+/month from human services.
Below, you’ll find detailed breakdowns of all 10 virtual receptionist services. For each, we cover who it’s best for, key features, specific pricing (including hidden costs), what makes it stand out, and one honest limitation to consider.
Welco AI is a next-generation AI phone receptionist that enables small businesses to manage calls without human assistance. While traditional services charge $250-$500/month for human agents handling one call at a time, Welco uses conversational AI powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o to deliver the same capabilities at a fraction of the cost: natural conversations, real-time appointment booking, lead qualification, and seamless CRM integration.
The difference? Unlimited concurrent calls, 15-minute setup, and flat-rate pricing that doesn’t punish you for growth.
The cost of an AI-powered receptionist is less than using the AI phone receptionist. It offers services that you need to manage and handle calls even after-hours.
Best for: Small businesses that need instant setup, 24/7 coverage, and intelligent call handling
Welco AI offers the fastest AI answering service setup in the industry— at under 15 minutes. The AI-powered answering system handles unlimited concurrent calls through overflow call answering, so you never get a busy signal even during peak times. The AI-powered answering system handles unlimited concurrent calls, so you never get a busy signal even during peak times. Check the demo that helps you understand how Welco works.
Like all AI receptionist systems, Welco AI works best for structured, predictable call types. Highly emotional or extremely complex situations may still benefit from human touch.
Traditional virtual receptionists employ real people who answer your calls remotely. They excel at emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving, and building caller rapport. The trade-off is higher costs—typically $200-$500+/month plus per-minute charges—and limited capacity during peak times. For a detailed cost breakdown, see our virtual receptionist cost guide.
For businesses where every call requires human judgment or relationship-building, these services justify their premium pricing.
How Welco compares on cost: A plumbing company receiving 150 calls monthly pays Ruby $250 base + ~$170 overages = $420/month. The same company on Welco AI pays a flat rate of $149/month. That’s $3,800+ in annual savings with equivalent 24/7 coverage and appointment booking. The math increasingly favors AI for any business with routine, predictable call patterns.
Ruby has earned its reputation through two decades of delivering exceptional caller experiences. Unlike competitors adding AI to cut costs, Ruby maintains a strict human-only approach with 100% US-based receptionists trained in conflict resolution and active listening. This commitment to quality has helped them serve over 15,000 businesses across legal, healthcare, and professional services.
Best for: Law firms, financial advisors, healthcare practices, and consulting firms where caller experience directly impacts revenue
Ruby’s receptionists undergo extensive training in soft skills and industry-specific knowledge. They’re W-2 employees, not contractors, which ensures consistent quality and accountability. This is one of the best answering services for real estate investors.
Premium pricing puts Ruby out of reach for budget-conscious startups and solo operators. The per-minute model can also lead to unpredictable monthly costs during busy periods. One limitation to consider—highlighted in many Ruby virtual receptionist reviews—is that premium pricing puts the service out of reach for budget-conscious startups and solo operators.
Cost reality: A business using 120 minutes monthly on Ruby pays $250 base + $103.50 overages = $353.50/month. During busy months with 200 minutes, that jumps to $537.50. AI alternatives like Welco handle the same volume at flat rates—often 70-80% less with no overage surprises.
Smith.ai pioneered the hybrid model that combines AI efficiency with human oversight. For detailed pricing, see our Smith.ai pricing breakdown.
Their phone answering system handles routine calls through conversational AI while maintaining 24/7 human backup for complex situations. This approach has attracted over 5,000 businesses, particularly in legal and IT sectors, who want cost efficiency without sacrificing quality.
Best for: Law firms, tech-savvy business and companies wanting to optimize costs while maintaining quality
The flexibility to choose AI or human handling for different call types gives you cost control without sacrificing service quality where it matters most. If you are running one of the services businesses like HVAC, then this is one of the best HVAC answering service providers is a wise choice.
The dual pricing structure between AI and human services can be confusing. You’ll need to carefully analyze your call patterns to predict actual monthly costs. By comparison, Welco AI’s flat-rate pricing eliminates this complexity—no per-call math, no overage surprises, no choosing between AI and human tiers.
Nexa brings 40+ years of answering service expertise with specialized training for specific industries. Their NexaMedical division has served 1,000+ healthcare clients, with receptionists completing 85+ hours of HIPAA training. Unlike generalist services, Nexa’s team learns your industry’s terminology and workflows whether you’re dispatching HVAC technicians or screening legal clients.
Best for: Home services businesses (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) and healthcare practices needing industry-specific expertise
Nexa’s industry specialization means receptionists speak your language. They understand the difference between a routine service call and an emergency, and they know how to handle each appropriately. This is also one of the best answering services for lawyers.
Higher pricing than generalist services reflects the specialized training. Smaller businesses may find it difficult to justify the premium unless they truly need industry expertise.
PATLive earned Forbes Advisor’s “Best Virtual Receptionist Service” recognition three years running (2023-2025) through consistent performance over their 38-year history. All receptionists are W-2 employees—not contractors—working in their facility with 80+ hours of training. Their 8-second average answer time reflects operational discipline.
Best for: Small-to-medium businesses wanting proven reliability at competitive prices
PATLive’s consistent recognition from Forbes Advisor reflects their operational excellence. The 8-second average answer time is among the fastest in the industry.
Bilingual support is limited to 7am-midnight, which may not cover after-hours needs for businesses serving 24/7 Spanish-speaking customers.Cost reality check: PATLive’s 75-minute base plan means most active businesses face significant overage charges. A contractor receiving 40 calls averaging 3 minutes each uses 120 minutes—that’s $250 base + $103.50 overages = $353.50/month. AI receptionists handle the same volume for under $100/month with no minute tracking.
Abby Connect differentiates through dedicated receptionist teams. Rather than random agent pools, you get the same 5-10 receptionists who learn your business over time. This Las Vegas-based, family-owned company (operating since 2005) positions itself as a relationship-focused alternative to transactional answering services.
Best for: Consulting firms, luxury services, and high-value B2B companies prioritizing consistent, personalized service
The dedicated team model means your receptionists truly know your business. They recognize frequent callers, understand your preferences, and represent your brand consistently.
Higher pricing reflects the dedicated team model. Budget-conscious businesses may prefer pooled receptionist services at lower rates.
AnswerConnect built its brand on a “People, Not Bots” pledge—a firm commitment to human-only interactions. Their distributed workforce (home-based agents across the US) provides redundancy against outages while reducing environmental impact. They plant a tree monthly for every customer and employee through their “1 Tree, 1 Planet” program.
Best for: Businesses prioritizing human connection and companies wanting eco-conscious operations
Connect with the customer support team to get the pricing structure of the Answer Connect and find out the best plans for your virtual receptionist service.
AnswerConnect’s absolute commitment to human interaction appeals to businesses where empathy and emotional intelligence are critical. Their environmental commitment differentiates them from competitors.
Premium pricing for human-only service makes AnswerConnect one of the more expensive options. Businesses comfortable with AI assistance can find more affordable alternatives.
Posh positions itself as the value alternative to premium services like Ruby—delivering comparable quality at “half the price.” Based in Virginia Beach with 20+ years of experience, they built proprietary software in-house to maintain service consistency. Their tiered plans include all features at every level with no feature gating.
Best for: Cost-conscious legal and healthcare practices wanting live receptionists without premium pricing
Posh delivers professional receptionist service at prices that solo practitioners and small firms can afford. The all-inclusive feature set means you’re not constantly paying for add-ons.
Bilingual support is only guaranteed during weekday business hours. After-hours and weekend Spanish-language calls may not receive bilingual service.
Grasshopper is not a virtual receptionist service—it’s a virtual phone system. This distinction matters: you get professional phone features (business number, auto-attendant, voicemail transcription) but no live humans answer calls. For live reception, Grasshopper partners with Ruby, available as an add-on starting at $160/month.
Best for: Solopreneurs, freelancers, and new businesses wanting a professional business number without live answering
Grasshopper offers the most affordable way to establish a professional business presence. It’s perfect for businesses that don’t need live answering but want to appear established.
Grasshopper does not provide live receptionist services. You’ll need to add Ruby or another service if you want humans answering calls.
VoiceNation merged with UK-based Moneypenny in 2020 and fully rebranded in February 2025. The combined company brings global scale and AI-enhanced capabilities and features to the original service. Their “instant activation” capability—live same-day setup—differentiates them from competitors requiring 24-48 hours.
Best for: Businesses needing comprehensive features with rapid deployment, willing to pay premium pricing
Same-day activation is unmatched in the industry. When you need receptionist services immediately, VoiceNation delivers faster than any competitor.
The recent rebranding to Moneypenny may create confusion. Some long-term customers have reported adjustment challenges during the transition.
Comparing features and prices is only half the battle. The real question is: do you need human receptionists, or will AI handle your calls better and cheaper?
Here’s the honest answer: For 80-90% of small business calls—appointment booking, FAQs, lead capture, after-hours coverage—AI receptionists deliver equal or better results than humans at 70-80% lower cost. Human receptionists make sense when calls consistently require emotional intelligence, complex negotiation, or relationship-building that AI can’t replicate.
Use these steps to determine which category fits your business, then choose the best provider within that category. Along with that, you must understand what a virtual receptionist does and how they handle different call types.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best virtual answering service for your business:
Start by identifying requirements that immediately eliminate services from consideration.
Common deal-breakers include HIPAA compliance for healthcare and therapy practices, 24/7 availability for emergency services, bilingual English/Spanish support, industry-specific expertise like legal intake or medical scheduling or trade dispatch, and your budget ceiling.
Write down 3-5 non-negotiables. Cross off any service that doesn’t meet all of them.
Understanding when and why customers call determines which features matter most.
Track your total calls per day, peak times comparing business hours versus after-hours, call complexity from quick appointment booking to detailed consultations, and average call length whether 2 minutes or 10 minutes.
High volume plus short calls means AI receptionists will save significant money—often 70-80% versus per-minute human services. Complex calls requiring empathy may justify human receptionist costs—but be honest: what percentage of your calls truly require human judgment versus routine handling AI executes perfectly?
After-hours heavy traffic means 24/7 answering coverage is essential. Variable volume means month-to-month contracts prevent overpaying.
Track calls for a full week. Use this data to estimate costs across 2-3 services.
Your receptionist must work with your existing systems, not create extra manual work.
Check integrations for calendar tools like Google Calendar, Outlook, and Calendly. Verify CRM systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho. Confirm industry software like Clio for legal, ServiceTitan for trades, and practice management tools for healthcare. Check payment processors if collecting payments by phone.
Ask providers these questions: “Does it sync in real-time or with a delay?” “What data transfers automatically?” “Are there setup or ongoing fees for integrations?”
List 2-3 critical tools and verify each shortlisted service integrates with them.
Use free trials to stress-test services with actual business situations.
During your trial, call yourself to test appointment booking, emergencies, and inquiries. Have colleagues call as mock customers. Check if appointments appear correctly in your calendar. Review call transcripts for accuracy. Test during business hours and after-hours.
Rate each call answering service on answer speed, professionalism and warmth, script accuracy, information capture completeness, and integration reliability and capabilities.
Run identical test scenarios on 2-3 services and rate each factor from 1 to 10.
Advertised prices rarely match what you’ll actually pay.
Include setup fees ranging from $0 to $1,000, base monthly fee, per-minute or per-call charges for your usage, add-on features like scheduling, bilingual support, and integrations, and overage charges for exceeding limits.
For example, Service A charges $250/month for 75 minutes plus $2.30/minute overage. Your usage is 120 minutes. Real cost equals $250 plus 45 minutes times $2.30, which is $353.50/month.
Service B AI charges $95/month for 50 calls. Your usage is 60 calls. Real cost equals $95 plus 10 calls times $2.50, which is $120/month.
The AI advantage at scale: A busy dental practice receiving 200 calls monthly could pay $600+ with per-minute human services or under $150 with AI—same 24/7 coverage, same appointment booking, 75% cost savings. The savings compound: as your business grows and call volume increases, human costs escalate while AI costs stay flat.
Get pricing sheets from top 3 choices. Calculate total cost based on your tracked volume.
Look for patterns in both positive and negative feedback.
Check G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Reddit r/smallbusiness, Better Business Bureau, and Google Business reviews from the last 6 months.
Red flags include billing surprises or hidden fees, frequent receptionist turnover, slow support response, and difficulty canceling service.
Green flags include specific examples of business impact like “captured 40% more leads,” long-term satisfied customers, responsive support, and reviews from businesses similar to yours.
Read 20+ recent reviews for each finalist. Note patterns.
You’ve done the research. Now give it a fair 30-day test.
Week 1 is for setting up scripts, integrations, and call routing. Weeks 2-3 are for monitoring every call and refining scripts. Week 4 is for evaluating results.
Good results look like 95%+ call answer rate, appointments appearing in the calendar within minutes through automated appointment booking, customers commenting on professional service, captured leads you would have missed, and time freed up for core work.
Choose one answering service. Track metrics weekly. After 30 days, decide based on data, not feelings.
The virtual receptionist market has split into two clear paths:
Choose human receptionists if: Your calls consistently require emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving, or relationship-building. Industries like high-end legal, executive consulting, or crisis counseling may justify premium human services.
Choose AI receptionists if: Most of your calls are routine—appointment requests, basic questions, lead capture, after-hours inquiries. This describes 80-90% of small businesses. AI handles these calls perfectly at 70-80% lower cost than human alternatives.
For businesses in the second category—and that’s most small businesses—Welco AI stands out as the clear choice. It delivers everything premium human services offer: 24/7 coverage, appointment scheduling, CRM integration, and call transcription. The difference? 15-minute setup instead of 2-week onboarding. Flat-rate pricing instead of per-minute surprises. Unlimited concurrent calls instead of busy signals during peak times.
For businesses seeking affordable AI-powered reception, Welco AI stands out as a compelling option. This AI receptionist system provides 24/7 AI answering training specifically on your business, with smart call transferring, appointment scheduling, and seamless integrations with tools like Cal.com and major CRMs.
Don’t let analysis paralysis keep you in voicemail mode. The service that captures even one additional customer per month pays for itself. Choose your virtual or AI receptionist today and start converting every call into an opportunity.
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Answering services simply take messages and relay them to you—essentially a live voicemail. Virtual receptionists handle complete interactions: they screen calls, schedule appointments, answer questions, qualify leads, and transfer calls based on your specific instructions. Think of answering services as message-takers, while virtual receptionists function as true extensions of your team.
