Compare nine AI receptionist services side by side: entry price, the real cost of a 500-minute month, overage, and trials. Every figure was manually verified against official vendor pricing pages on August 13, 2026, with direct source links and a clear methodology. JotLink starts at $5 per 100 minutes, or $25 for 500 minutes.
Entry plans side by side: what the first 100 minutes actually cost.
Entry plans as published on each vendor's pricing page, as of August 13, 2026.
Two scenarios, switchable above the card. Just to try it: you only want to poke the product, about 100 minutes (40 calls); we price the cheapest published way to get them on each service. A real month of calls: what a working small-business line actually burns, 500 minutes, roughly 200 calls at 2.5 minutes. Every competitor figure comes from the vendor's official pricing page, checked on August 13, 2026, and linked so you can verify it yourself.
| Service | Entry plan | Included in entry plan | Plan that covers a 500-min month | 500-min month | Effective $/min | Overage | Free trial | 100-min start | Cheapest way to get 100 min | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JotLinkThis is us | $5/mo | 100 minutes | $25 (the same $5 per 100 min, × 5) | $25 | $0.05 | same rate: $5 / 100 min | No trial (call the AI instead) | $5 | $5 (100 min included) | jotlink.net ↗ |
| Goodcall | $79/mo | unlimited minutes, 100 unique customers | Growth: $129 (250 customers ≈ 200 calls) | $129 | $0.26 | $0.50/customer | 14 days | $79 | Starter: $79 (unlimited minutes) | goodcall.com ↗ |
| Rosie | $49/mo | 250 minutes | Scale: $149 (1,000 min; the $49 plan does not cover 500 min) | $149 | $0.30 | not published | 7 days | $49 | Professional: $49 (250 min included) | heyrosie.com ↗ |
| Zoom AI Receptionist | $29.99/mo | 100 minutes | 5 blocks of 100 min at $29.99 ≈ $150 for 500 min | ~$150 | ~$0.30 | extra 100-min blocks | free trial | $29.99 | 1 block of 100 min: $29.99 | zoom.com ↗ |
| Jobber AI Receptionist | $29/mo + Jobber plan from $24 | 30 conversations | Add-on $29 + ~170 conv. at $0.79 + Core plan $24 ≈ $187 for a ~200-call month | ~$187 | ~$0.37 | $0.79/conversation | 14 days | ~$61 | Add-on $29 (30 conv.) + ~10 conv. at $0.79 + Core plan $24 ≈ $61 | getjobber.com ↗ |
| Nextiva XBert | $99/mo | 100 interactions | $99 (100 interactions) + ~100 more at $0.99 ≈ $198 for a ~200-call month | ~$198 | ~$0.40 | $0.99/interaction | 14 days | $99 | $99 (100 interactions) | nextiva.com ↗ |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | $49/mo | 100 minutes | $49 (100 min) + 400 min at $0.50 = $249 | $249 | $0.50 | $0.50/min, billed in 30-sec increments | not published | $49 | $49 (100 min included) | ringcentral.com ↗ |
| Smith.ai | $0 (free plan) | 25 calls | Pro $150 (~75 calls) + ~125 calls at $2 ≈ $400 for a ~200-call month | ~$400 | ~$0.80 | $1.67–3.00/call | free plan | ~$45 | Free plan (25 calls) + ~15 calls at $3 ≈ $45 | smith.ai ↗ |
| Abby Connect | $99/mo | 50 minutes | Growth: $690 (500 min) | $690 | $1.38 | not published | 14 days | $165 | Essential: $165 (100 min) | abby.com ↗ |
Methodology: We compare the cheapest published path to 100 minutes with the published plan or usage needed for a 500-minute month. Effective per-minute cost = cost of the 500-minute month ÷ 500. Where a vendor prices per call, we assume 2.5 minutes per call. Official vendor pricing pages were manually checked on August 13, 2026. Prices may change; we re-check monthly and correct reported errors within 48 hours.
Numbers are one half. The voice is the other.
A "free" AI receptionist trial is never free for the vendor: every minute costs real compute. Vendors recover that cost later, in the plan price, the overage rate, or the plan tier that finally unlocks the feature you wanted.
We would rather keep the price at $25 and prove the product a faster way: press the button and talk to the exact AI that would answer your line. Not a demo video. Not a sandbox. The production agent, right now.
After 500 minutes, extra usage costs the same $5 per 100 minutes. There is no penalty rate.
The same AI that would answer your business line. No signup, no card, no minutes deducted from anything.
Two minutes on the phone with the agent tells you more than any feature grid.
Your greeting, your FAQs, your transfer rules, set up the same day. No DIY building, no prompt engineering.
Forward or port your existing business number. Callers notice nothing except that someone finally answers 24/7.
Live transfer and appointment booking are included at $25. On some competitor plans, live transfers unlock only from the $149/month tier.
Pricing accuracy, overage, trials, and how switching actually works.
Every figure is taken from the vendor's official public pricing page. Each row links to its source, and the whole table carries its verification date: August 13, 2026. We re-check monthly and correct any reported error within 48 hours.
Because $25 for 500 minutes is not a promo: it is our standard $5-per-100-minutes rate in a monthly package. We sell software minutes at software margins. Most competitors price per seat, per call, or per plan tier, which is where the multiplication happens.
No, and that is deliberate. Trials hand out minutes that cost real money, and that cost comes back in the price. Instead, call our AI right now: it is the same production agent that would answer your line, not a demo.
Extra usage costs the same $5 per 100 minutes. There is no penalty tier and no surprise per-minute jump.
Yes. Live transfer to the right person with full context, appointment booking, and after-hours coverage are all part of the $25 plan, not features gated behind a higher tier.
Same day. If you are searching for a Rosie, Smith.ai or Goodcall alternative, this is exactly that switch: we configure your greeting, FAQs and routing rules, then you forward or port your number. There is no build phase because there is nothing for you to build.
A real conversation. The AI answers in natural language, resolves routine questions, and transfers callers live with the reason, urgency and context attached. No key presses, no menu trees.
Yes: full-time answering, after-hours only, or overflow when your team can't pick up. Your number stays yours.
Yes. Naming competitors with accurate, sourced, dated facts is lawful nominative use. That is also why every number links to the vendor's own page, so you never have to take our word for it.
No. JotLink is $25 per month and you can cancel anytime. No retainer, no annual commitment, no cancellation penalty. If you ever leave, your number goes with you.
Two minutes on the phone replaces every feature checklist on this page. If you like what you hear, we set you up today: 500 minutes a month, live transfer included, overage at the same flat rate.
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