An answering service can cost less than $50 a month or more than $2,000, and the published prices are hard to compare because every company counts something different: minutes, calls, unique callers or usage. This page puts every plan we could find on the companies' own pricing pages into one table with the same columns, then runs one worked example through all of them.
- Live services cost the most: from $250 a month for 50 minutes (Ruby) or $300 for 30 calls (Smith.ai).
- AI services start lower: $29 a month for 60 minutes (Dialzara), $49 for 250 minutes (Rosie), $79 for 100 unique callers (Goodcall).
- Overage is where bills grow. Check what each plan charges past its allowance in your busiest month.
- Koira Grow is $249 a month plus usage at cost, with the site, estimates, invoices and campaigns included and no per-person fee.
Every plan, the same columns
| Service and plan | Price a month | What is included | Past the allowance | Per-person fee | Card payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live answering services | |||||
| Ruby, 50 minutes | $250 | 50 receptionist minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Payment collection listed as a feature |
| Ruby, 100 minutes | $395 | 100 receptionist minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Payment collection listed as a feature |
| Ruby, 200 minutes | $720 | 200 receptionist minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Payment collection listed as a feature |
| Ruby, 500 minutes | $1,725 | 500 receptionist minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Payment collection listed as a feature |
| Smith.ai Starter | $300 | 30 calls | $11.50 a call | Not listed | $1.00 a call to take a payment |
| Smith.ai Basic | $810 | 90 calls | $10.50 a call | Not listed | $1.00 a call to take a payment |
| Smith.ai Pro | $2,100 | 300 calls | $8.50 a call | Not listed | $1.00 a call to take a payment |
| AI answering services | |||||
| Rosie Professional | $49 | 250 minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rosie Scale | $149 | 1,000 minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Not listed |
| Rosie Growth | $299 | 2,000 minutes | Not listed on its pricing page | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialzara Business Lite | $29 | 60 minutes | $0.48 a minute | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialzara Business Pro | $99 | 220 minutes | $0.45 a minute | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialzara Business Plus | $199 | 500 minutes | $0.40 a minute | Not listed | Not listed |
| Dialzara Business Elite | $349 | 1,000 minutes | $0.35 a minute | Not listed | Not listed |
| Goodcall Starter | $79 | 100 unique callers | 79 cents a caller | Not listed | Not listed |
| Goodcall Growth | $129 | 500 unique callers | 26 cents a caller | Not listed | Not listed |
| Goodcall Scale | $299 | 2,000 unique callers | 15 cents a caller | Not listed | Not listed |
| Koira | |||||
| Koira Grow | $249 | AI receptionist and text-back on a Koira number, booking by text, site, estimates, invoices, campaigns, referrals, QuickBooks | Usage at cost: texts, call minutes and emails, nothing added | None | Stripe 2.9% + 30¢, plus Koira keeps 1% |
| Koira Front Office | $499 flat | Everything in Grow, plus commercial outreach, outbound calls, maintenance plans, crew routes | Usage included | None | Stripe 2.9% + 30¢, plus Koira keeps 0.5% |
Ruby says there are no extra fees for activation, onboarding, setup, customization or coverage at certain times. Smith.ai lists a 30-day money-back guarantee, and also sells add-ons per call, such as $1.50 to book an appointment. Goodcall says it never meters minutes; it counts unique customers. Prices are from each company's own pricing page; check them before you sign.
Four ways answering services charge
- By the minute (Ruby, Rosie, Dialzara). Long calls cost more. Good if your calls are short.
- By the call (Smith.ai). Every answered call counts, long or short.
- By unique caller (Goodcall). The same person calling back five times in a month counts once.
- Flat plus usage at cost (Koira Grow). One monthly price for the whole office, and the texts, call minutes and emails at what they cost.
A worked example: 120 calls a month, 3 minutes each
Say you get 120 calls a month that need answering and they average 3 minutes. That is 360 minutes. Here is the plan that fits on each service's published pricing:
| Plan that fits | Price a month | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby | $1,725 | 360 minutes is past the 200-minute plan, so the 500-minute plan; Ruby does not list an overage rate |
| Smith.ai Basic | $1,125 | $810 for 90 calls + 30 more calls × $10.50 |
| Rosie Scale | $149 | 360 minutes fits in 1,000 |
| Dialzara Business Plus | $199 | 360 minutes fits in 500 |
| Goodcall Starter or Growth | $79 or $129 | 100 unique callers on Starter, 500 on Growth; 120 calls usually come from fewer people than that |
| Koira Grow | $249 plus usage at cost | The call minutes and texts at what they cost, with nothing added |
On price alone the AI services win for answering. What changes the comparison is what else the plan does: whether it books into your real schedule, texts back missed calls, and whether the same bill also covers your site, estimates, invoices and follow-ups. Koira Grow includes those; the answering-only services do not.
Price it against your busiest month
Most trades get their calls in waves: the first heat wave for HVAC, storm season for roofers, spring for landscapers. A plan that fits an average month can run far over its allowance in the busy one. Pull your call log for your busiest month last year, count the calls and minutes, and run those through the table. The free missed call calculator shows what the calls you are missing now are worth.
Answering service guides by trade
What each kind of caller needs, and how to set rules for emergencies, is different by trade: roofing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, painting, landscaping, cleaning, pressure washing, pest control, pool service, remodeling, auto detailing, handyman, tree service, junk removal, fencing, window cleaning, waterproofing, concrete, flooring, drywall, gutter, garage door, appliance repair, snow removal, moving, locksmith, chimney, solar, irrigation, general contracting, septic, carpet cleaning, commercial cleaning, lawn care.
Where Koira fits
Koira's AI receptionist answers on your number and texts missed callers back in about a minute with three open times from your day. One reply books the visit. It answers in English or Spanish and never invents a price. Koira Grow is $249 a month plus usage at cost: texts, call minutes and emails with nothing added. Koira has no per-person fee: the same price with one person or fifteen. On card payments, Stripe's processing (2.9% + 30¢ for a US card) comes out of each payment, and Koira keeps 2% on Office, 1% on Grow and 0.5% on Front Office. See pricing.
Questions contractors ask
How much does an answering service cost per month?
On their own pricing pages, live services start at $250 a month for 50 minutes (Ruby) and $300 for 30 calls (Smith.ai). AI services start at $29 a month for 60 minutes (Dialzara). Koira Grow is $249 a month plus usage at cost.
How much does an answering service cost per call?
Smith.ai charges by the call: $300 for 30 calls, with $11.50 for each call past that on its Starter plan. Most others charge by the minute or by unique caller.
Is an AI answering service cheaper than a live one?
On published prices, yes, often by a lot. Live services handle unusual calls better. Many contractors use AI for every call and a live service for overflow.
What is not included in answering service prices?
Look for overage rates, add-ons like booking or payment collection charged per call, and setup fees. The table above shows what each company lists.
Does Koira charge per user?
No. Koira has no per-person fee; the price is the same with one person or fifteen.
Sources
- Ruby: plans and pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- Smith.ai: pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- Rosie: pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- Dialzara: AI receptionist pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- Goodcall: pricing, checked October 9, 2026
- Koira: pricing, checked October 9, 2026
