AI receptionist vs human receptionist: cost, hours covered and calls a person should take

AI receptionist vs human receptionist: the difference

An AI receptionist is software that answers forwarded calls from the information you give it, and its vendors say it answers at any hour. A human receptionist, on staff or at a service, is a person who can weigh a call as it happens.

My AI Front Desk's Business-in-a-Box, its one self-serve plan, answers forwarded calls for $99 a month, billed monthly, as read on October 23, 2026. That includes 200 voice minutes (minutes the AI spends on calls). Its Hot Transfer, which plays a spoken summary to whoever answers, hands urgent callers to a person on your team. My AI Front Desk vs Smith.ai sets it against a human service plan by plan.

What each costs a month

Prices are billed monthly; the units differ. How much does an answering service cost prices the human plans tier by tier.

Here is the arithmetic from plan figures, which promises no saving. At 100 calls a month of about 3 minutes each, My AI Front Desk costs about $114 to $119, depending on how credits are bought: $99 plus 100 extra voice minutes. Smith.ai's human Basic plan costs $915: $810 for 90 calls plus 10 calls at $10.50.

No vendor page prices an in-house receptionist's wages, so this page compares services, not payroll.

Calls a person should still take

My AI Front Desk's own page lists calls an AI should not decide: a refund, legal or medical advice, or a rent concession. It adds that callers who ask for a human need a path: a transfer during hours, or a callback promised for after. On My AI Front Desk, a VIP list sends chosen numbers past the AI to a person.

If no one on your team can take urgent calls, pick Smith.ai's human plans or Ruby. Is AI receptionist worth it tests the price against your own calls.

Virtual receptionists and hybrid plans

A virtual receptionist is a person working remotely, as in Ruby's live service and Smith.ai's receptionist plans. Smith.ai also sells AI and hybrid modes: AI-first from $1.60 a call, Hybrid about $2.50 and Human-first from $7. Hybrid uses AI for routine calls and a live agent when a call needs more care. At 300 calls a month, its calculator shows $771, $951 or $1,131 for three hybrid presets, against about $2,100 for full human support.

Hours, holidays and busy lines

My AI Front Desk says it is always on, nights, weekends and holidays, per its marketing. Smith.ai says calls at 2 pm and 2 am cost the same, and Ruby says 24/7/365 service carries no extra charge, though the minutes you use can rise. For busy lines, ask about simultaneous calls on your plan. No My AI Front Desk page says what happens when the credit pool runs out with auto-reload off.

The My AI Front Desk pricing page words its offer "Start 7-day free trial". Terms section 12 say the subscription then starts automatically, charging the payment method you provided, and usage fees apply during the trial.