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10 Best AI Answering Services for Small Business (2026)
February 28, 2026 · 12 min read
AI answering services have gone from novelty to necessity. In 2026, small businesses have more options than ever — from $25/month budget tools to $500+/month enterprise platforms. We tested and compared the top 10 to help you find the right fit for your business, call volume, and budget.
This guide covers pricing, features, pros, cons, and who each service is best for. We also include a side-by-side comparison matrix so you can see everything at a glance.
Quick Comparison: Pricing & Key Features
| Service | Starting Price | Included Minutes | Appt. Booking | Industry-Specific | Multilingual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Voxx | $250/mo | 1,000 min | Yes (live) | 14 industries | Yes |
| 2. Smith.ai | $292.50/mo | Per-call pricing | Basic | No | Limited |
| 3. Goodcall | $59/mo | Tiered | Via integrations | No | No |
| 4. Dialzara | $29/mo | Limited | No | No | Limited |
| 5. Rosie | $49/mo | Flat rate | Basic | No | No |
| 6. My AI Front Desk | ~$55/mo | Tiered | Basic | No | Yes |
| 7. AnswerConnect | $325/mo | Per-minute | Operator-assisted | No | Limited |
| 8. Synthflow | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Yes |
| 9. UpFirst | $24.95/mo | Limited | No | No | No |
| 10. Marlie.ai | $0.19/min | Pay-as-you-go | Basic | No | Limited |
1. Voxx — Best Overall for SMBs
Price: $250/mo (1,000 min included) | $500/mo (2,000 min) | Overage: $0.35/min
Voxx is purpose-built for small businesses that depend on the phone — HVAC companies, dental offices, law firms, property managers, and 10 other verticals. Each industry gets a pre-trained AI agent with a knowledge base built from thousands of real calls, not a generic chatbot with a phone number.
What sets it apart: Real-time appointment booking (checks your calendar, offers slots, confirms on the call), industry-specific call handling, and generous included minutes. At $250/mo for 1,000 minutes, per-minute cost is $0.25 — cheaper than every human answering service and most AI competitors at volume.
Pros
- 14 industry-specific agents with pre-built knowledge bases
- Real-time appointment booking during the call
- 1,000 minutes included at $250/mo — predictable pricing
- Sub-1-second answer time, unlimited concurrent calls
- Native CRM integration, lead scoring, multilingual support
- 5-minute setup
Cons
- Higher starting price than budget options ($250 vs. $29–$59)
- No white-label option on standard plans
Best for:
Businesses handling 100+ calls/month in service industries (HVAC, dental, legal, property management, med spa, veterinary, real estate, auto repair, etc.) who need more than message-taking.
2. Smith.ai — Best Hybrid AI + Human
Price: From $292.50/mo (30 calls) | $6–$12 per call or per-minute billing
Smith.ai combines AI with human receptionists. Calls are handled by AI first, with human backup for complex interactions. It's a premium service targeting businesses that want a human safety net.
Pros
- Human backup for nuanced calls
- Strong CRM integrations (Clio, Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Outbound calling available
- Chat widget included
Cons
- Expensive at volume ($1,200–$6,000/mo for 200–500 calls)
- Hold times during peak periods (10–20 seconds)
- Inconsistent quality across different operators
- Per-call billing makes costs unpredictable
Best for:
Law firms and professional services with low call volume who prioritize having a human available for complex conversations and are comfortable paying premium prices.
3. Goodcall — Best for DIY Customization
Price: From $59/mo
Goodcall gives you a visual workflow builder to design your AI agent's call flow from scratch. It's the most customizable pure-AI option for businesses that want total control over how calls are handled.
Pros
- Deep customization via visual workflow builder
- Affordable entry price at $59/mo
- Google integration (Google Business Profile, Google Sheets)
- AI-only, unlimited concurrent calls
Cons
- Requires manual workflow design (no industry templates)
- Limited appointment booking depth
- Feature tiers push costs up quickly
- English-only
Best for:
Tech-savvy business owners who enjoy building workflows and want full control over call logic at an affordable price point. Full Voxx vs. Goodcall comparison →
4. Dialzara — Best Budget Option
Price: From $29/mo
Dialzara is the budget entry point for AI answering. At $29/month, it offers basic message-taking and call screening with a quick 15-minute setup. It's designed for solopreneurs and micro-businesses testing the AI answering concept.
Pros
- Very low entry price ($29/mo)
- Quick 15-minute setup
- Simple, no-frills approach
- Good for testing AI answering
Cons
- No real appointment booking
- Limited integrations
- Generic AI (no industry knowledge)
- Limited at high call volumes
Best for:
Solopreneurs and very small businesses with under 30 calls/month who want basic message-taking at the lowest possible price. Full Voxx vs. Dialzara comparison →
5. Rosie — Best Simple SMB Option
Price: From $49/mo (flat rate)
Rosie (heyrosie.com) takes the simplicity approach — flat-rate pricing, clean interface, and straightforward AI answering for small businesses. No complex workflow builders, no tiered feature gates.
Pros
- Simple flat-rate pricing
- Easy setup, minimal configuration
- Clean user interface
- SMB-focused feature set
Cons
- Limited scheduling capabilities
- No industry-specific knowledge
- Limited CRM integrations
- English-only
Best for:
Small businesses wanting simple, predictable AI answering without the complexity of workflow builders or tiered pricing. Full Voxx vs. Rosie comparison →
6. My AI Front Desk — Best for White-Label/Resellers
Price: ~$55/mo
My AI Front Desk's standout feature is white-labeling. If you're an agency, MSP, or service provider who wants to resell AI answering under your own brand, this is the most accessible option.
Pros
- White-label option for agencies and resellers
- Multilingual support
- Text-based follow-up
- Affordable entry price
Cons
- Limited real-time appointment booking
- Generic AI, no industry knowledge bases
- Limited CRM integrations
Best for:
Agencies and resellers who need a white-label AI answering product to offer under their own brand. Full Voxx vs. My AI Front Desk comparison →
7. AnswerConnect — Best Traditional + AI Hybrid
Price: From $325/mo (per-minute billing)
AnswerConnect is a traditional answering service that has added AI capabilities. Real human operators handle calls with AI assistance. It's the most established brand on this list, with decades of experience in the answering service industry.
Pros
- Human operators for sensitive/complex calls
- Established brand with decades of experience
- 24/7 live answering
- Broad integration support
Cons
- Expensive ($650–$3,250+/mo for 200–500 calls)
- 10–20 second answer times
- Inconsistent quality across operators
- 12–15% data entry error rate (human limitation)
Best for:
Businesses that specifically require human operators for emotional or highly complex calls and are willing to pay 3–5x more for the human touch. Full Voxx vs. AnswerConnect comparison →
8. Synthflow — Best for Enterprise Custom Builds
Price: Custom pricing (contact for quote)
Synthflow is an enterprise-grade AI voice platform. It's not an off-the-shelf answering service — it's a toolkit for building custom AI phone agents. Think of it as the "build your own" option for companies with engineering resources.
Pros
- Maximum customization and control
- Enterprise-grade infrastructure
- Custom voice models
- API-first architecture
Cons
- Requires engineering resources to implement
- No transparent pricing
- Not plug-and-play for SMBs
- Long implementation timeline
Best for:
Enterprise companies with engineering teams who need fully custom AI voice agents and have the budget and resources for a bespoke implementation.
9. UpFirst — Cheapest Entry Point
Price: From $24.95/mo
UpFirst is the cheapest AI answering service on the market. At $24.95/month, it offers bare-bones AI call answering for businesses that just need something to pick up the phone when they can't.
Pros
- Lowest price on the market ($24.95/mo)
- Simple setup
- Basic message-taking
Cons
- Very limited feature set
- No appointment booking
- No industry knowledge
- Limited integrations
- Minute limits on base plan
Best for:
Solopreneurs and freelancers who need the absolute cheapest option to catch calls they'd otherwise miss entirely.
10. Marlie.ai — Best Pay-Per-Minute Model
Price: $0.19/min (no monthly minimum)
Marlie.ai uses a pure pay-per-minute model with no monthly subscription. You pay only for the minutes your AI agent is on the phone. For businesses with unpredictable or very low call volume, this usage-based model eliminates the risk of paying for unused capacity.
Pros
- No monthly minimum — pay only for usage
- Competitive per-minute rate ($0.19/min)
- Good for businesses with variable call volume
- Simple pricing model
Cons
- Cost escalates quickly at volume (200 calls × 4 min = $152/mo)
- Limited features compared to subscription services
- No industry-specific knowledge
- Limited scheduling capabilities
Best for:
Businesses with unpredictable or seasonal call volume who prefer pure usage-based billing over monthly subscriptions.
How to Choose the Right AI Answering Service
The right choice depends on three factors:
1. Call volume. Under 50 calls/month? Budget options like Dialzara ($29/mo) or UpFirst ($24.95/mo) work fine. Over 100 calls/month? You need included minutes and features that actually convert calls into appointments — that's where Voxx ($250/mo for 1,000 min) delivers the best per-minute value.
2. What you need the AI to do. If you just need message-taking, any service on this list works. If you need real-time appointment booking, lead scoring, and industry-specific call handling, your options narrow to Voxx.
3. Your industry. Generic AI works for generic businesses. But if you're in HVAC, dental, legal, property management, or another specialized vertical, an AI that already understands your industry will handle calls significantly better than one trained on your FAQ page.
The Bottom Line
For most small businesses handling 100+ calls per month, Voxx offers the best combination of features, industry knowledge, and per-minute value. Budget options like Dialzara and UpFirst are fine for testing AI answering, but businesses that depend on the phone will quickly outgrow them. Premium services like Smith.ai and AnswerConnect justify their higher prices only for businesses that specifically require human operators.