A free AI receptionist exists, but only for about a call a day: Smith.ai and Phonely have $0 plans, Quo includes 10 calls with a paid seat, and nine offer free trials, most for 7 to 14 days. Here are the limits, the catches, and when free stops being enough.
Updated October 6, 2026. Every plan and trial below was checked October 6, 2026 on the vendor’s own pricing page, linked in each row. Dooza sells a done-for-you AI receptionist and doesn’t offer a free plan, so we have no stake in which free option you pick.
Yes, but only for low call volumes. Two AI receptionists have a $0 plan as of October 6, 2026: Smith.ai (25 calls a month) and Phonely (100 minutes a month, about 50 calls). Quo’s Sona agent includes 10 calls a month, but only on top of a paid Quo phone seat. Most other AI receptionists offer a free trial of 7 to 14 days instead of a free plan.
In practice a free plan covers about one call a day. That’s enough to test how an AI receptionist sounds to your callers, or to cover after-hours calls for a very small business.
| Service | What’s free | After the free allowance | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | 25 calls a month | $3.00 a call, or the $150 Pro plan (75 calls) | Highest per-call overage of the free plans |
| Phonely | 100 minutes a month (Phonely says about 50 calls) | No overage published; $50 Starter plan (200 minutes) | Minutes run out fast if calls are long |
| Quo (OpenPhone) Sona | 10 calls a month (1,000 credits) | $1.00 a call, or paid tiers from $25 (40 calls) | Needs a paid Quo seat: from $15 a user billed yearly, $19 monthly |
| Service | Trial or guarantee | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|
| Upfirst | 14-day free trial | $24.95 a month (30 calls) |
| RingCentral AI Receptionist | 14-day free trial | $49 standalone, $39 as a RingEX add-on (100 minutes) |
| Rosie | 7-day free trial; its terms say payments are nonrefundable | $49 a month (250 minutes) |
| My AI Front Desk | 7-day free trial | $99 a month (200 minutes) |
| Dialzara | 7-day free trial | $29 a month (60 minutes) |
| NextPhone | 7-day free trial | $199 a month (unlimited calls) |
| Allô | 7-day trial | $45 add-on plus a phone seat |
| Quo | 7-day trial | Seat from $15, Sona tiers from $25 |
| Goodcall | Free trial advertised; length not stated | $79 per agent (100 unique callers) |
| Trillet | 28-day money-back guarantee | $49 a month (150 minutes) |
| Nextiva XBert | 30-day money-back guarantee | $99 a month (100 interactions) |
| Ringly.io | 30-day money-back guarantee | $99 a month (50 conversations) |
A trial is the better test if you take more than a call a day: you see the AI handle your real volume before paying. Put a reminder in your calendar a day before the trial ends.
Partly. Developer platforms such as Retell AI give $10 in free credits and then charge $0.07 to $0.31 a minute, so the credits cover roughly 30 to 140 minutes of calls. You still have to design the conversation, connect a phone number, set up booking and maintain it when it gets things wrong. For most small businesses, the time costs more than a paid plan.
Once you pass about 25 to 50 calls a month, a paid plan is usually cheaper than free-plan overage. At 100 calls a month, AI receptionists cost about $64 to $225 at list price. Enter your own numbers in our AI receptionist cost calculator to see which option is cheapest for you, or read the full AI receptionist pricing comparison (21 services).
Dooza is an AI-native company that builds AI products and services for small businesses. Our AI receptionist is done for you: our engineers set it up on your existing number and tune it to your services, prices and calendar. It isn’t free: Every Dooza product starts with a refundable pilot — 100% refund within 14 days. The 30-minute call to scope it is free. Book a free 30-minute call to scope your pilot, and if a free plan fits your call volume, we’ll tell you.
Yes, for low call volumes. As of October 6, 2026, Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month and Phonely has a free plan with 100 minutes a month (about 50 calls). Quo’s Sona agent includes 10 calls a month, but only with a paid Quo phone seat. Most other AI receptionists offer a 7- to 14-day free trial instead of a free plan.
About one call a day. Smith.ai’s free plan covers 25 calls a month, Phonely’s covers 100 minutes (roughly 50 short calls), and Quo’s included tier covers 10 calls. Past that, Smith.ai charges $3.00 a call and Quo $1.00 a call; Phonely doesn’t publish an overage rate, so you move to its $50 plan.
Upfirst and RingCentral AI Receptionist offer 14-day free trials. Rosie, My AI Front Desk, Dialzara, NextPhone, Allô and Quo offer 7-day trials, and Goodcall advertises a free trial without stating the length. Trillet (28 days), Nextiva XBert and Ringly.io (30 days) offer money-back guarantees instead. All checked October 6, 2026.
Partly. Developer platforms such as Retell AI give $10 in free credits and charge $0.07 to $0.31 a minute after that, so the credits cover roughly 30 to 140 minutes of calls. You still need to build the agent, connect a phone number and maintain it.
When you get more than about 25 to 50 calls a month, need appointment booking or CRM integration that free tiers don’t include, or can’t afford missed details on calls. At 100 calls a month, paid AI receptionists cost about $64 to $225 at list price.
No. Dooza builds a done-for-you AI receptionist on your existing number. Every Dooza product starts with a refundable pilot: you pay for the pilot, and if you ask within 14 days you get a 100% refund. The 30-minute call to scope it is free.
Yes, for low call volumes. As of October 6, 2026, Smith.ai’s AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month and Phonely has a free plan with 100 minutes a month (about 50 calls). Quo’s Sona agent includes 10 calls a month, but only with a paid Quo phone seat. Most other AI receptionists offer a 7- to 14-day free trial instead of a free plan.
About one call a day. Smith.ai’s free plan covers 25 calls a month, Phonely’s covers 100 minutes (roughly 50 short calls), and Quo’s included tier covers 10 calls. Past that, Smith.ai charges $3.00 a call and Quo $1.00 a call; Phonely doesn’t publish an overage rate, so you move to its $50 plan.
Upfirst and RingCentral AI Receptionist offer 14-day free trials. Rosie, My AI Front Desk, Dialzara, NextPhone, Allô and Quo offer 7-day trials, and Goodcall advertises a free trial without stating the length. Trillet (28 days), Nextiva XBert and Ringly.io (30 days) offer money-back guarantees instead. All checked October 6, 2026.
Partly. Developer platforms such as Retell AI give $10 in free credits and charge $0.07 to $0.31 a minute after that, so the credits cover roughly 30 to 140 minutes of calls. You still need to build the agent, connect a phone number and maintain it.
When you get more than about 25 to 50 calls a month, need appointment booking or CRM integration that free tiers don’t include, or can’t afford missed details on calls. At 100 calls a month, paid AI receptionists cost about $64 to $225 at list price.
No. Dooza builds a done-for-you AI receptionist on your existing number. Every Dooza product starts with a refundable pilot: you pay for the pilot, and if you ask within 14 days you get a 100% refund. The 30-minute call to scope it is free.
Automate your business with AI employees that work 24/7. Start with a refundable pilot: 100% refund within 14 days.
We checked the pricing pages of 21 AI receptionist and answering services on October 6, 2026. Entry plans run $0 to $199 a month; 100 calls a month costs about $64 to $225 with AI, versus $915 to $1,380 with a human answering service.
RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR) is a voice AI agent that answers calls, handles FAQs, books appointments and routes callers. Here is what it costs per minute, how setup works, what real admins report, and when an alternative fits better.
Start with a refundable pilot — 100% refund within 14 days. A Dooza engineer scopes it with you on a free 30-minute call. Pricing depends on the product; see pricing.
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