The short answer: what an AI chatbot or AI receptionist costs in the US
The honest answer is a range, and it depends on whether you set the tool up yourself. The table below uses each vendor’s own published price page as we read it in October 2026. Almost every figure comes from a company that sells the service, so treat it as an asking price.
| What you buy | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Self-serve website chatbot subscription | about $19-$89 a month | Denser |
| Chatbot setup for a small business | $0-$2,000 | Denser |
| Custom rule-based chatbot build | $2,000-$10,000 | Denser |
| Custom AI-powered chatbot build | $15,000-$75,000 | Denser |
| AI agent billed per outcome | $0.99 per outcome | Intercom |
| Self-serve AI receptionist | $29-$349 a month | Dialzara, Rosie, Goodcall, My AI Front Desk |
| AI receptionist setup | $50-$200 basic, over $500 advanced, $250-$5,000 custom | ByVoice |
| Done-for-you AI receptionist | from $1,500 a month, custom quote | Dialzara |
| Human answering service | $250 a month for 50 minutes to $1,725 for 500 minutes | Ruby |
How much does an AI chatbot cost?
For a website chatbot, the main split is between a subscription you configure yourself and a custom build.
- Self-serve subscription. Denser, in a guide updated in September 2026, puts small-business plans at $19-$89 a month with setup of $0-$2,000. Tidio lists a free plan with 50 conversations, and its Lyro AI agent as an add-on from $32.50 a month for 50 AI conversations. Its Plus plan starts at $300 a month plus usage. The page offers monthly and annual billing and does not say which one the prices shown assume.
- Per-outcome pricing. Intercom lists its Fin AI agent at $0.99 per outcome. Used with another company’s helpdesk, a monthly minimum applies (the page gives 50 outcomes as an example). A low headline price can grow with volume.
- Custom build. Denser puts a simple rule-based build at $2,000-$10,000 and an AI-powered one at $15,000-$75,000, plus upkeep of 15-20% of the build cost a year. Custom integrations can add $5,000-$25,000 each, according to the same guide.
Our website chat and messaging is from $199/month. That is above a self-serve subscription, because we write the answers, set up the handoff, connect your tools and tune it after launch. See AI chatbot for your website.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
For phone answering, plans are mostly priced by minutes.
| Vendor | Plan | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Dialzara | $29 a month | 60 minutes |
| Dialzara | $99 a month | 220 minutes |
| Rosie | $49 a month (billing period not stated) | 250 minutes |
| My AI Front Desk | $99 a month | 200 minutes |
| Goodcall | $79 a month | 100 unique customers |
| Goodcall | $299 a month | 2,000 unique customers |
ByVoice, a vendor blog, groups monthly plans into $25-$49 for budget, $60-$150 for mid-range and $150-$300 or more for premium. It adds that connecting a CRM or electronic health record often needs a higher tier or a separate package at $50-$500 a month.
Our phone answering is from $299/month (about 300 minutes), plus setup (from $900). Again, that is above a self-serve plan, because a named person writes the answers, builds the call flow, connects your tools and tests it. If you are comfortable doing that yourself, a self-serve plan may be enough. See AI receptionist and phone answering.
AI answering service cost and AI phone answering service cost
AI answering service cost and AI phone answering service cost mean the same thing in practice: a monthly plan with a set number of minutes, plus any setup. The self-serve plans in the table above run from $29 to $349 a month. Ours is from $299/month (about 300 minutes), plus setup (from $900).
The price does not change with the situation you cover. A plan that answers nights and weekends costs the same as one that picks up when your line is busy, because you pay for minutes used. Each situation has its own page: AI phone answering, after-hours and 24/7 answering and overflow and busy-line answering. If the call should end with a booked time, see AI appointment booking. To call new leads back, see AI lead follow-up: AI calling uses the same setup and phone price, and text follow-up is from $99/month, after a one-time setup (from $500).
Human answering service cost compared
A human answering service costs more per minute. Ruby lists $250 a month for 50 minutes, $395 for 100, $720 for 200 and $1,725 for 500. Dialzara’s Done for You tier starts at $1,500 a month on a custom quote. For when each fits, read AI receptionist vs answering service vs voicemail.
What drives the price
- Minutes or conversations. Phone plans include a number of minutes. Chat plans include a number of conversations. Above that, check the overage rate. Dialzara lists $0.35-$0.48 a minute, for example.
- Channels. Each extra channel (SMS, Instagram, WhatsApp, email) adds setup and testing. Denser notes that WhatsApp, SMS and social channels often cost extra.
- Integrations. Connecting a booking tool, calendar or CRM takes time. This is where custom builds get expensive.
- Seats. Some tools charge per user.
- Who does the work. Setting up yourself costs your time. A studio costs money but takes the work off you.
- Texting costs. Texts need carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and cost a small amount per message. Twilio’s published US rate in October 2026 is $0.0083 per outbound segment plus a carrier fee of $0.0035-$0.005. That is roughly 1.2 to 1.3 cents a segment.
- Upkeep. Answers go out of date when your prices and hours change. Ask who maintains them.
How Magnet Mint prices the assistant
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Setup (website chat, texts or phone) | from $900 |
| Website chat and messaging | from $199/month |
| Phone answering | from $299/month (about 300 minutes) |
The first month is included in setup, and setup usually takes 2-3 weeks. Prices are as of October 2026. Scope, price and timeline are agreed in writing before work starts, and the first 30 days after launch include tuning and fixes within the agreed scope.
Not included in any price: domain and hosting, new photography, third-party software subscriptions (billed at cost), SMS carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and message fees, and AI usage above the plan allowance, which for phone answering means minutes above the roughly 300 included.
How to compare quotes
- What does the assistant answer from, and who approves it?
- What happens when it cannot answer? Is there a person, and how fast?
- What is included in the monthly price (minutes, conversations, channels)?
- What does overage cost?
- Who maintains the answers when your prices change?
- Does it say it is an AI on calls? Can callers reach a person?
- Are texting registration and message fees extra?
- For clinics, will the vendor sign a HIPAA business associate agreement?
This is not legal advice. Check your rules with a lawyer.
Who this is for
If you are starting out, a free or low-cost self-serve tool is a fair first test. If you want the assistant set up, tested and tuned by a person, and you work with a tool you already use, ask us. The best next step is a free demo to see what you actually need. See also the AI assistant and is an AI receptionist worth it.
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