What does an AI receptionist cost vs hiring one?

If your phone is costing you jobs, you have three ways to fix it: hire a receptionist, use a human answering service, or use an AI receptionist. They look similar on the surface. The cost and coverage are not.

The three options, priced out

• Hire in-house: roughly $30,000–$60,000 a year in wages before benefits and payroll taxes — and a single person still only covers business hours, sick days included.
• Human answering service: commonly $200–$600+ a month, usually metered by the minute or call, with overages when you get busy and premiums for 24/7.
• AI receptionist: a flat $49–$199 a month, answering 24/7 with no staffing premium and no busy signal.

The real comparison isn't the price

It's coverage and booked jobs. A receptionist who's off at 5pm can't answer the 8pm emergency; an AI that answers it — and books it — turns an after-hours ring into revenue. For most appointment-driven businesses, recovering a single job a month more than covers the entire cost.

That's the bar to hold any option to: not "what does it cost?" but "how many jobs does it save, and at what price?"