Answering service, virtual receptionist or AI receptionist?
An answering service is people who take messages for you. A virtual receptionist is a remote person who also books appointments and puts calls through. An AI receptionist is software that answers by voice and books or takes messages. In the examples below, entry plans cost $99 to $300 a month with people and $19 to $150 a month with AI. People bring judgement and empathy; AI brings a lower price and no queue.
Prices read from each company's own page on 17 October 2026. They change; the sources are at the end.
- Damaruka$19 · AI receptionist, for 150 minutes
- Goodcall$79 · AI receptionist, for 100 callers
- PATLive$99 · Answering service, for 50 minutes
- My AI Front Desk$99 · AI receptionist, for 200 minutes ($79 billed yearly)
- Smith.ai, AI$150 · AI receptionist, for 75 calls (a free plan has 25)
- Moneypenny, people answering$165 · Answering service, for 50 minutes
- MAP Communications$179 · Answering service, for 125 minutes
- Ruby$250 · Virtual receptionist, for 50 minutes
- Smith.ai, people$300 · Virtual receptionist, for 30 calls
What each one is
- Answering service
- Live operators take your calls and pass on messages, often after hours. MAP Communications describes it as basic message taking and call forwarding at a lower cost.
- Virtual receptionist
- Remote receptionists who work like an extension of your office: they answer, book appointments, take intake details and put calls through to the right person.
- AI receptionist
- Software that answers by voice with no person on the line, and books, takes messages or puts calls through, depending on the product.
The first two names blur: some companies sell both under either name. These descriptions are the companies' own, not an industry standard.
How each is priced
Three units are in use, and they do not convert: minutes, calls and callers (one phone number, once a month). A price per minute cannot be set against a price per call without guessing how long calls are. A rate marked “worked out” is the plan's price divided by what it includes.
| Detail | Kind | Entry plan | Rate inside the plan | Past the plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PATLive | Answering service | $99 a month for 50 minutes | $1.98 a minute (worked out) | $2.99 down to $1.49 a minute |
| MAP Communications | Answering service | $179 a month for 125 minutes | $1.43 a minute (worked out) | $1.28 to $1.37 a minute |
| Moneypenny, people answering | Answering service | $165 a month for 50 minutes | $3.30 a minute (worked out) | $1.67 to $2.28 a minute |
| Ruby | Virtual receptionist | $250 a month for 50 minutes | $5.00 a minute (worked out) | Not published |
| Smith.ai, people | Virtual receptionist | $300 a month for 30 calls | $10.00 a call (worked out) | $8.50 to $11.50 a call |
| Smith.ai, AI | AI receptionist | $150 a month for 75 calls (a free plan has 25) | $2.00 a call (its page) | $2.10 to $3.00 a call |
| Goodcall | AI receptionist | $79 a month for 100 callers | $0.79 a caller (worked out) | 15¢ to 79¢ a caller |
| My AI Front Desk | AI receptionist | $99 a month for 200 minutes ($79 billed yearly) | $0.50 a minute (worked out) | $0.25 a minute (worked out from its credits) |
| Damaruka | AI receptionist | $19 a month for 150 minutes | $0.13 a minute (worked out) | $0.08 a minute, only if you turn it on |
What each does better and worse
- Answering service
- Does betterA person on every call, around the clock; scripted message taking; several offer English and Spanish and HIPAA options.Does worseBuilt around taking messages: booking and putting calls through are sold as the virtual receptionist's job. Entry plans above work out at $1.43 to $3.30 a minute.
- Virtual receptionist
- Does betterHuman judgement plus the receptionist's tasks: transfers, booking, intake, payments; long lists of integrations; HIPAA with a signed BAA at Ruby.Does worseThe highest unit price here: $3.45 to $5.00 a minute at Ruby, $7.00 to $10.00 a call at Smith.ai (worked out); extra charges for many tasks.
- AI receptionist
- Does betterThe lowest unit price here; answers many calls at once; you set it up yourself, often with a free way to try it.Does worseNo human judgement unless it hands the call to a person: My AI Front Desk says people are better for crisis lines and emotional calls. Languages and HIPAA claims vary widely.
| Detail | Does better | Does worse |
|---|---|---|
| Answering service | A person on every call, around the clock; scripted message taking; several offer English and Spanish and HIPAA options. | Built around taking messages: booking and putting calls through are sold as the virtual receptionist's job. Entry plans above work out at $1.43 to $3.30 a minute. |
| Virtual receptionist | Human judgement plus the receptionist's tasks: transfers, booking, intake, payments; long lists of integrations; HIPAA with a signed BAA at Ruby. | The highest unit price here: $3.45 to $5.00 a minute at Ruby, $7.00 to $10.00 a call at Smith.ai (worked out); extra charges for many tasks. |
| AI receptionist | The lowest unit price here; answers many calls at once; you set it up yourself, often with a free way to try it. | No human judgement unless it hands the call to a person: My AI Front Desk says people are better for crisis lines and emotional calls. Languages and HIPAA claims vary widely. |
Where Damaruka fits
Damaruka is an AI receptionist: it answers every call, books into Google Calendar and takes messages, in English in the US and in Hindi and English in India, from $19 a month for 150 minutes. It has no human staff and does not put calls through yet, and it makes no HIPAA claim. If you need a person on the line or a signed BAA today, an answering service or a virtual receptionist suits you better.
See Damaruka beside Smith.ai, Ruby, Goodcall and My AI Front Desk on Alternatives, or talk to Damaruka yourself.
Sources
- 1MAP Communications, answering service vs virtual receptionist, read 17 October 2026
- 2MAP Communications, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 3PATLive, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 4Moneypenny, pricing (US), read 17 October 2026
- 5Ruby, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 6Smith.ai, receptionist pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 7Smith.ai, AI receptionist pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 8Goodcall, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 9My AI Front Desk, pricing, read 17 October 2026
- 10My AI Front Desk, who we serve and who we do not, read 17 October 2026