{"_meta":{"schema":"top11-list-v1","self":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business","human_page":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business","markdown":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/md","csv":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/csv","recommend":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/recommend?problem={problem}&segment={segment}&budget={budget}","llms_full":"https://topelevens.com/llms-full.txt","openapi":"https://topelevens.com/openapi.json","mcp":"https://topelevens.com/mcp","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","generated_at":"2026-10-06T11:17:36.960Z"},"slug":"ai-receptionist-small-business","title":"RingCentral vs Nextiva vs Upfirst: 11 Best AI Receptionists for Small Business 2026","subtitle":"Every AI receptionist answers the phone. This page ranks ten on what the owner is really asking: what does it do after it answers, which calendar does it book into and which CRM does it write to, by name, and what does that cost a month.","vertical":"AI Receptionists","audience":"Owners of United States small businesses, roughly 1 to 50 people, who miss calls while they work and want an AI receptionist that books the appointment and logs the caller, not one that only takes a message.","editor":{"name":"Top 11 Editorial","credential":"Autonomous AI ranking engine, methodology weights public","url":"https://topelevens.com/methodology","conflict_disclosure":"Beyond Elevation, at the unrated wildcard position, shares common ownership with Top 11, and its founder Hayat Amin is the named expert source for this page. It carries no score for that reason. No vendor on this page pays anything to Top 11."},"published":"2026-10-06","last_verified":"2026-10-06","next_review":"2027-01-04","methodology_version":"v1.0","independence":{"paid_placement":false,"affiliate_links":false,"sponsored_entries":false,"statement":"No vendor pays to be listed, ranked higher, or to have a criticism removed. There are no affiliate links on this page. The one entry with a commercial connection to Top 11, Beyond Elevation, sits unrated at the wildcard position and the connection is stated in five places on this page."},"freshness":{"cadence":"quarterly","verifies":["published prices, included minutes, calls or conversations, and overage rates","which calendars and CRMs each vendor names, and which go through Zapier","what the agent can do on a call on each plan: book, transfer, text, take payment","whether the vendor's own phone system is required","compliance claims such as HIPAA and SOC 2, as stated","vendor claims about customer counts, and contradictions between pages"],"statement":"Every price, allowance and named connection on this page was read on the vendor's own site on 6 October 2026, and is re-read every 90 days. Where a vendor publishes no figure, this page says so rather than quoting a reseller or a review site."},"category":"Customer Communication","subsector":"AI Receptionists","changelog":[{"date":"2026-10-06","text":"List published. Ten AI receptionists and one firm, ranked for a United States small business asking which AI receptionist books into its calendar and writes to its CRM by name. Candidate pool of 20. Ten were screened out and the reason for each is on this page. Every figure read on vendor pages on 6 October 2026."}],"answer_capsule":"For most United States small businesses, RingCentral AI Receptionist is the best AI receptionist on this page: it books into Google and Outlook calendars, logs callers in HubSpot, Zoho or Salesforce, works with any phone system, and costs $49 a month for 100 minutes. Nextiva XBert names the most systems, at $99 for 100 conversations. Upfirst is the best value, from $24.95 for 30 calls, booking into Square, Acuity and Clio. Smith.ai is the pick if you want humans behind the AI, and the only one with 25 free calls a month. Seven of the ten name a CRM they connect to directly, and three leave it to Zapier.","meta_description":"The 11 best AI receptionists for small business in 2026, ranked on which calendar and CRM each books into by name. RingCentral, Nextiva, Upfirst, Allo, Smith.ai and more. Read 6 October 2026.","methodology":{"version":"v1.0","updated":"2026-10-06","candidate_pool":20,"review_cadence":"quarterly","score_cap":9.4,"criteria":[{"name":"Does things, by name","weight":35,"description":"What the agent does after it answers, in the vendor's own words: books into a named calendar, writes to a named CRM, transfers warm, texts a link, takes or starts a payment. A named native connection scores above a Zapier route, and a Zapier route scores above the word integrations."},{"name":"A price a small business can plan around","weight":25,"description":"A published monthly figure with the allowance and the overage stated. A free tier or a trial without a card scores higher. A price behind a sales call scores zero here."},{"name":"Fit for a small business","weight":15,"description":"Whether you can keep your phone number and provider, whether booking needs a higher plan, minimum spend, and how long it takes to switch on."},{"name":"Who it is wrong for, and how honestly","weight":15,"description":"Plan limits, phone system lock in, contradictions between the vendor's own pages, dead pages and rebrands the buyer should know about."},{"name":"Evidence behind the claim","weight":10,"description":"Compliance stated plainly, and whether customer counts and outcomes are consistent across the vendor's own pages. Vendor claims are marked as vendor claims in every entry."}],"wildcard_model":"wildcard-v2.0","wildcard_model_url":"https://topelevens.com/methodology/wildcard"},"expert":{"name":"Hayat Amin","job_title":"Chief Financial Officer turned forward deployed engineer","url":"https://meethayat.com","same_as":["https://meethayat.com","https://beyondelevation.com","https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayatamin"],"description":"Hayat Amin is a chief financial officer turned forward deployed engineer with twenty years in technology. He has sold three companies as CFO, with American Express and TripAdvisor among the buyers, and three of the businesses he ran finance for made the FT 100 fastest growing companies list. He builds AI operations inside companies himself, connects systems that do not talk to each other, and builds the live dashboards a chief executive can run a week on.","byline":"Expert source: Hayat Amin, twenty years a technology CFO with three exits sold as CFO, who now builds the joins between phones, calendars and CRMs that this page ranks on.","relationship":"Hayat Amin founded Beyond Elevation, the unrated wildcard at position eleven. That is why the entry carries no score. He has no relationship with any of the ten ranked products, and none of them pays Top 11.","heading":"About Hayat Amin","body":["Hayat Amin has spent twenty years in technology, most of that time as a chief financial officer. He has sold three companies as CFO. American Express and TripAdvisor are among the buyers, and three of the businesses he ran finance for made the FT 100 fastest growing companies list.","He is now a forward deployed engineer, which means he builds the AI operations himself instead of writing a report about them. That's why this page ranks on what an AI receptionist does after it answers. A missed call is lost revenue, but an answered call that never reaches the CRM, the quote or the job is lost revenue too, just later.","What Hayat Amin is exceptional at is connecting systems that don't talk to each other and putting the result on a live dashboard a chief executive can run the week on. A CFO who has taken three companies through a sale knows that calls answered, jobs booked and revenue per lead are numbers a buyer asks for, and in a small business they sit in three different tools. Joining them so those numbers are right every morning is the work he does inside companies.","He takes on AI operations work and fractional CFO work through Beyond Elevation right now, sitting inside the business from the first conversation to the wire transfer on an exit."],"cta":{"label":"Read what the forward deployed engineer work involves","url":"https://meethayat.com/services/fde"}},"segment_tags":["business of 1 to 5 people","business of 5 to 50 people","home services and trades","law firm","clinic or wellness practice","salon or appointment business","restaurant or local shop","business on HubSpot or Salesforce","business on Google Calendar or Outlook","business keeping its phone provider"],"problem_tags":["calls missed while on a job","the booking still typed by hand","callers never reach the CRM","paying per minute for long calls","a phone system you have to switch","no human when the AI is stuck","booking locked behind a higher plan","CRM only through Zapier","no HIPAA or SOC 2 statement","nobody owning the join"],"query_intents":["best ai receptionist for small business","best ai receptionist","ai receptionist for small business","ai receptionist for small business cost","ai receptionist for small business cost per month","how much does an ai receptionist cost","how much does ringcentral ai receptionist cost","is ai receptionist worth it","best free ai receptionist for small business","best ai receptionist for small business reddit","ai receptionist for small businesses usa","smith ai vs ruby","best ai receptionist app","best ai receptionist software"],"match_index":{"1":{"solves":["callers never reach the CRM","a phone system you have to switch"],"personas":["business on HubSpot or Salesforce","business keeping its phone provider"]},"2":{"solves":["the booking still typed by hand","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["home services and trades","business of 5 to 50 people"]},"3":{"solves":["the booking still typed by hand","calls missed while on a job"],"personas":["salon or appointment business","law firm"]},"4":{"solves":["CRM only through Zapier","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["business on HubSpot or Salesforce","business of 5 to 50 people"]},"5":{"solves":["no human when the AI is stuck","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["law firm","business on HubSpot or Salesforce"]},"6":{"solves":["calls missed while on a job","paying per minute for long calls"],"personas":["home services and trades","restaurant or local shop"]},"7":{"solves":["no HIPAA or SOC 2 statement","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["clinic or wellness practice","business of 1 to 5 people"]},"8":{"solves":["calls missed while on a job"],"personas":["business of 1 to 5 people","business on Google Calendar or Outlook"]},"9":{"solves":["no human when the AI is stuck","the booking still typed by hand"],"personas":["clinic or wellness practice","salon or appointment business"]},"10":{"solves":["paying per minute for long calls"],"personas":["restaurant or local shop","business of 1 to 5 people"]},"11":{"solves":["nobody owning the join","CRM only through Zapier"],"personas":["business of 5 to 50 people","home services and trades"]}},"stats":[{"text":"There are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States, 99.9 percent of all businesses. They employ 62.3 million people, 45.9 percent of private sector workers. 6,395,635 of them have paid employees.","source":"SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026, published 3 February 2026, advocacy.sba.gov, read 6 October 2026"},{"text":"Between September 2024 and August 2025, 7.6 percent of businesses used artificial intelligence, and 8.2 percent of businesses with fewer than five employees did.","source":"SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026, citing the Census Bureau Business Trends and Outlook Survey, read 6 October 2026"},{"text":"RingCentral AI Receptionist is $49 a month standalone with 100 minutes, or $39 a month on top of RingEX Core, with $0.50 a minute after the allowance, billed in 30 second increments, and a 14 day trial. RingCentral says it works with any business phone system.","source":"ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html, read 6 October 2026"},{"text":"Nextiva XBert is $99 a month for 100 conversations across voice, text or chat, then $0.99 each. A conversation counts when a call lasts 30 seconds or more, or a text or chat gets 3 or more AI responses.","source":"nextiva.com/products/ai-receptionist and nextiva.com/sign-up-xbert-ai, read 6 October 2026"},{"text":"Smith.ai offers 25 live AI receptionist calls a month free, not as a trial, with $3.00 a call after that. Its Pro plan is $150 a month at $2.00 a call.","source":"smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, read 6 October 2026"}],"guide":[{"q":"What is the best AI receptionist for small business?","a":"For most United States small businesses, RingCentral AI Receptionist. It names the calendars it books into, Google and Outlook, and the CRMs it logs callers in, HubSpot, Zoho and Salesforce. It works on top of any phone system, and it costs $49 a month for 100 minutes with a 14 day trial. If you book through Square, Acuity or Clio and want the lowest price, Upfirst from $24.95 is the better buy."},{"q":"What should an AI receptionist actually do?","a":"Answer, then act. The ones worth paying for book the appointment into the calendar you already use, write the caller into your CRM, transfer warm to a person when needed and text the caller a link. On this page RingCentral, Nextiva, Allo, Smith.ai, Frontdesk, Marlie and Abby Connect name a CRM they connect to directly. Upfirst, Rosie and Goodcall leave it to Zapier, Make or an API. Marlie is the only one that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link during the call."},{"q":"Minutes, calls, conversations or callers: which meter is cheapest?","a":"It depends on your calls. Short calls favour minutes: Marlie is $49 for 250 and RingCentral $49 for 100. Long calls favour a per call meter like Upfirst, where a 10 minute call costs the same as a 1 minute one, or Goodcall, which bills by unique caller with unlimited minutes. Nextiva counts conversations across calls, texts and chat."},{"q":"Do I have to change my phone system?","a":"Not for RingCentral, which says it works with any business phone system through call forwarding or SIP, or for most standalone products like Upfirst, Rosie and Marlie. Allo and Quo sell the AI as part of their own phone system. Nextiva's pages disagree with each other, so ask before you sign."},{"q":"Is an AI receptionist worth it for a small business?","a":"If calls go unanswered while you work, usually yes. Upfirst starts at $24.95 a month and Rosie at $49. It is worth less if the booking still has to be typed into the CRM by hand, which is why this page ranks on the named connections."},{"q":"What about dental offices and other regulated practices?","a":"A dental practice needs the booking to reach Dentrix, Eaglesoft or Open Dental, which is a different question, and Top 11 ranks it separately on its AI receptionist list for dental offices. For any practice handling health information, check HIPAA in writing: RingCentral, Nextiva, Frontdesk and Goodcall state it, Upfirst offers a business associate agreement only on Custom, and Abby covers its human answering only."}],"how_to_choose":["Count your calls before you count features. Take last month's phone log and write down how many calls you missed, how long the average call is, and how many were bookings. That decides whether a minute, call, conversation or caller meter is cheapest for you.","Name the one system the call has to land in. If it is a calendar, check the vendor names yours: Google, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square, Clio or Mindbody. If it is a CRM, check whether the connection is native or Zapier. A Zapier route works, but somebody has to build it and notice when it breaks.","Check which plan books. Rosie books directly from $149, not $49. Marlie books from $99, not $49. The cheapest plan on several products takes a message and sends a link, which may be all you need, but it isn't booking.","Decide whether you are keeping your phone provider. RingCentral says it works with any system. Allo and Quo require their own. Moving your number is the largest hidden cost in this category.","Ask about the calls the AI can't handle. Smith.ai and Abby Connect have human receptionists behind the AI. Everyone else transfers to you or takes a message.","Run the trial on your real phone line for a week. RingCentral and Upfirst give 14 days, Upfirst without a card. Listen to ten recordings and check every booking reached the calendar.","Read the compliance line if you handle health, legal or payment information. RingCentral states HIPAA and SOC 2, Nextiva states SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI DSS, Goodcall states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA. Marlie and Rosie name none."],"faqs":[{"q":"What is the best AI receptionist for small business?","a":"RingCentral AI Receptionist for most United States small businesses: it books into Google and Outlook calendars, logs callers in HubSpot, Zoho or Salesforce, works with any phone system, and costs $49 a month for 100 minutes. Upfirst is the best value from $24.95 for 30 calls."},{"q":"How much does an AI receptionist cost?","a":"On this page, from $24.95 a month (Upfirst, 30 calls) to $1,380 a month (Abby Connect, up to 1,000 AI minutes with humans included). Most small businesses will land between $49 and $150 a month. Smith.ai has a free tier of 25 calls a month."},{"q":"AI receptionist for small business cost per month?","a":"RingCentral $49 with 100 minutes, Marlie $49 with 250 minutes, Rosie $49 with 250 minutes, Upfirst $59.95 for 90 calls, Goodcall $79 for 100 unique callers, Nextiva $99 for 100 conversations, Frontdesk $99 with 200 voice minutes and Smith.ai $150 for about 75 calls. All read on vendor pages on 6 October 2026."},{"q":"How much does RingCentral AI receptionist cost?","a":"$49 a month standalone with 100 minutes, or $39 a month as an add-on to RingEX Core, which is $30 a month. Extra minutes are $0.50 each, billed in 30 second increments. Both plans have a 14 day free trial."},{"q":"Is an AI receptionist worth it?","a":"If you miss calls while you work, usually yes: the cheapest plans here cost $24.95 to $49 a month. It is worth more when the agent books into your calendar and writes to your CRM by name, and less when someone still has to retype the booking."},{"q":"What is the best free AI receptionist for small business?","a":"Smith.ai is the only product on this page with a free tier: 25 live calls a month, free forever, with a card required at signup. Quo includes 10 Sona calls a month on paid Quo plans. Everything else offers a trial, 7 or 14 days."},{"q":"Smith.ai vs Ruby, which is better?","a":"They sell different things. Ruby sells human receptionists, from $250 a month for 50 minutes, with AI tools that support the people rather than answer calls. Smith.ai sells an AI receptionist from $0 for 25 calls, with human receptionists behind it as a per call add-on. If you want AI first, Smith.ai. If you want a person on every call, Ruby."},{"q":"How much does Jobber AI receptionist cost?","a":"Jobber lists Receptionist as an add-on on its pricing page, but the page read on 6 October 2026 showed no price for it. It answers calls and texts, books visits using your Jobber booking settings and creates requests in Jobber, so it is built for businesses already on Jobber."}],"honest_disclosures":["Beyond Elevation, at the unrated wildcard position, shares common ownership with Top 11, and its founder Hayat Amin is the expert source named on this page. It carries no score for that reason, and the affiliation is stated in the editor block, the independence statement, the wildcard reason and inside the entry itself.","Quo (formerly OpenPhone) Sona was in the candidate pool and is not ranked. It names HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive and Jobber, but it books nothing: it texts the caller a booking link. Quo's own FAQ says Sona is built to be used in Quo only, and its pricing page and Sona FAQ disagree on whether Sona is included or an add-on.","Dialzara was in the pool and is not ranked. Plans run $29 for 60 minutes to $349 for 1,000, but its own page says that when minutes run out callers go straight to voicemail unless auto recharge is on, CRMs connect through Make, Zapier or an API with none named, and four different setup times are given.","Ruby and AnswerConnect were in the pool and are not ranked because neither sells an AI receptionist. Ruby's AI supports a human receptionist rather than replacing one. AnswerConnect publishes a pledge to keep every customer interaction human.","Dialpad and Ooma were in the pool and are not ranked. Dialpad's AI Agent is sold on credits through sales with no published price and no named calendar or CRM. Ooma's AI Receptionist is contact sales for pricing, and its $14.99 AI Answering Service takes messages rather than booking.","Synthflow and Bland AI were in the pool and are not ranked. Synthflow's only published price is enterprise contracts from $30,000 a year. Bland's self serve plans exclude transfers, appointment scheduling and in call texts, which are enterprise only on its own comparison table.","Numa was in the pool and is not ranked. It is built for car dealerships only and publishes no price.","Jobber Receptionist was in the pool and is not ranked. It is an add-on for businesses already running Jobber, and the pricing page read on 6 October 2026 showed no price for it.","Five of the ten ranked products also appear on the Top 11 list of AI receptionists for dental offices: RingCentral, Smith.ai, Goodcall, Rosie and Frontdesk (as My AI Front Desk). They are scored again here against a different question, and the scores are not comparable between the two pages.","Every cost worked out on this page, such as RingCentral at $74 for 150 minutes, is our own arithmetic on the vendor's published rates and is labelled as such. Customer counts and outcome figures are vendor claims, and where a vendor's pages disagree with each other, the entry says so."],"glossary":{"term":"AI Receptionist","definition":"As of October 2026, an AI receptionist is software that answers a business's phone calls with a synthetic voice, answers common questions, and acts on the call: booking an appointment into a calendar, logging the caller in a CRM, transferring to a person or texting a link. Products divide on two lines vendors rarely state plainly: whether the booking and the CRM entry happen natively in named systems or through Zapier, and whether the price is metered by minute, call, conversation or unique caller.","synonyms":["ai answering service","virtual receptionist ai","ai phone answering","ai front desk","ai phone agent"],"faq":[]},"entries":[{"rank":1,"name":"RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR)","url":"https://www.ringcentral.com/ai-receptionist.html","founded":1999,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"Listed phone company, AI Receptionist sold standalone or as a RingEX add-on","best_for":"A United States small business that wants an AI receptionist which books into Google or Outlook calendars, logs the caller in HubSpot, Zoho or Salesforce, and keeps the phone number it already has.","best_for_short":"Owners who want booking and CRM logging without changing phone provider","pricing_band":"$ (standalone from $49 a month with 100 minutes, or $39 a month on top of RingEX Core at $30; $0.50 a minute after that; 14 day trial)","score_out_of_94":8.9,"verdict":"RingCentral wins this page on the question the title is really asking: which AI receptionist does things, not just answers. Its own page names the calendars it books into, Google and Outlook, and the three CRMs it logs callers in, HubSpot, Zoho and Salesforce. It reschedules, texts a confirmation, transfers by name, department, location or keyword with a summary, and speaks six languages. It also works on top of any phone system through call forwarding or SIP, so you don't have to move your number to try it. And it prints the whole bill: $49 a month standalone with 100 minutes, $0.50 a minute after, billed in 30 second increments, with a 14 day trial.","verdict_short":"Names its calendars and CRMs, works with any phone system, and prints the whole bill. From $49 a month.","praise":"Three things put it first. It names its connections rather than promising them: Google and Outlook calendars, HubSpot, Zoho and Salesforce, all read on ringcentral.com on 6 October 2026. It does not ask you to switch provider, which removes the biggest hidden cost in this category. And the price is a rate card, not a sales call: $49 standalone, $39 as a RingEX add-on, 100 minutes included, $0.50 a minute over. On our arithmetic, a business taking 150 minutes of calls a month pays $49 plus 50 minutes at $0.50, so $74. HIPAA and SOC 2 are stated on the pricing card, and the AIR page says customer data is not used to train AI models.","praise_short":"Named calendars and CRMs, any phone system, $49 with 100 minutes and $0.50 a minute after.","criticism":"Minutes are the meter, so a business with long calls pays more than one with short ones, and the price of extra minute bundles is not printed. WhatsApp, Calendly and Shopify are listed beside the live integrations, but a footnote on the same page marks them coming soon. Taking a payment on the call is not stated. The company also gives two customer counts, 400,000 on the AIR page and 600,000 on its company page, which tells you nothing bad about the product and something about how carefully the pages are kept.","criticism_short":"Paid by the minute, Calendly is still coming soon, and no payment taking on the call.","sources_pending":["https://www.ringcentral.com/ai-receptionist.html","https://www.ringcentral.com/pricing/ai-receptionist.html"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product from a listed company. Prices, minutes, overage, trial, named calendars and CRMs, languages and the any phone system statement read on ringcentral.com on 6 October 2026. Customer count differs between two RingCentral pages, 400,000 and 600,000. No adverse public signals found.","signals":[]},"price_min":49,"price_max":null,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Outlook calendar","HubSpot","Zoho","Salesforce"],"compliance":["HIPAA","SOC 2"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"From $49 a month with 100 minutes · $0.50 a minute after · works with any phone system","problems_solved":["callers never reach the CRM","a phone system you have to switch"],"personas":["business on HubSpot or Salesforce","business keeping its phone provider"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/1","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/1/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-1"},{"rank":2,"name":"Nextiva XBert AI Receptionist","url":"https://www.nextiva.com/products/ai-receptionist","founded":null,"hq":"Scottsdale, Arizona","team_size_band":"Business phone company, XBert sold as a plan add-on and as a standalone checkout","best_for":"A service business that books through Calendly, Cal.com, Google Calendar or Housecall Pro and wants calls, texts and chat answered by one agent for one monthly price.","best_for_short":"Service businesses that want calls, texts and chat on one $99 meter","pricing_band":"$$ ($99 a month for 100 conversations across voice, text or chat, then $0.99 each; 30 day money back guarantee)","score_out_of_94":8.6,"verdict":"Nextiva prints the longest list of named connections on this page and splits it honestly into two groups. Google Calendar, Calendly, Cal.com, Zoho, Telegram and Housecall Pro are live at no cost. Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel, ServiceTitan, Square Bookings, Boulevard, Thumbtack and fourteen more are available on request in 2 to 4 days, also at no cost. The agent books, confirms and reschedules, sends booking links, transfers with context and triggers CRM workflows. One meter covers calls, texts and chat: $99 a month for 100 conversations, then $0.99 each, with a 30 day money back guarantee.","verdict_short":"The longest named connection list here, split into live and on request. $99 for 100 conversations.","praise":"The integration list is specific enough to check before you buy, which is rare in this category. A Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan shop can see its own system named. The unit is a conversation rather than a minute, and the FAQ defines it: a call of 30 seconds or more, or a text or chat thread with 3 or more AI replies. A business owner can plan around that. There's no contract, and the checkout sells XBert standalone at $99 a month for 1 user. Nextiva states SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI DSS on the page read on 6 October 2026.","praise_short":"28 named connections, a defined conversation meter, no contract and a 30 day money back guarantee.","criticism":"The pages disagree on two things a buyer needs to know. The AI receptionist page says to add XBert to your Nextiva plan, while the AI voice agent page says it is available standalone and works with any phone provider. And the included unit is called 100 interactions, 100 resolutions and 100 AI conversations on three different pages. At $0.99 a conversation over the allowance, a busy month costs more here than on a per minute plan. Taking a payment on the call is listed only on an enterprise tier.","criticism_short":"Pages contradict each other on whether you need Nextiva's phone system, and the unit is named three ways.","sources_pending":["https://www.nextiva.com/products/ai-receptionist","https://www.nextiva.com/sign-up-xbert-ai","https://www.nextiva.com/nextiva-pricing"],"risk_signals":{"level":"low","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. $99 for 100 conversations, $0.99 after and the 30 day money back guarantee read on nextiva.com on 6 October 2026, along with the live and on request integration lists. Minor: pages contradict each other on whether a Nextiva phone plan is required, and the unit is worded three ways.","signals":["Contradictory statements on whether a Nextiva phone plan is required"]},"price_min":99,"price_max":null,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Calendly","Cal.com","Zoho","Housecall Pro","Salesforce (on request)","HubSpot (on request)","Pipedrive (on request)","ServiceTitan (on request)","Square Bookings (on request)"],"compliance":["SOC 2","ISO 27001","HIPAA","PCI DSS"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$99 for 100 conversations · $0.99 each after · Calendly, Cal.com and Housecall Pro live","problems_solved":["the booking still typed by hand","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["home services and trades","business of 5 to 50 people"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/2","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/2/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-2"},{"rank":3,"name":"Upfirst","url":"https://upfirst.ai/solutions/ai-receptionist","founded":null,"hq":"Miami, Florida","team_size_band":"AI receptionist built by the team behind SimpleTexting, sold per call","best_for":"A small office, clinic or law practice that books through Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity, Square or Clio and wants the cheapest honest way to have every call answered.","best_for_short":"Small offices that want booking into Acuity, Square or Clio from $24.95","pricing_band":"$ ($24.95 a month for 30 calls up to $299 for 600, or 20 percent less annually; 14 day trial with no card)","score_out_of_94":8.4,"verdict":"Upfirst is the best value on this page for a business that books appointments. It names six systems it books straight into: Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, Square and Clio Manage. That covers most of the calendars a small United States business actually runs. It transfers live, texts a scheduling link mid call, qualifies leads and pushes data out through Custom Actions to any CRM with an API. It's billed per call, not per minute, and calls under 15 seconds, spam and silent callers aren't billed. Plans start at $24.95 a month for 30 calls.","verdict_short":"Books into six named calendars, bills per call, and starts at $24.95. No named CRM.","praise":"The price ladder is printed in full: $24.95 for 30 calls, $59.95 for 90, $159.95 for 300 and $299 for 600, with $1.50 down to $0.70 for each extra call and 20 percent off annually. The 14 day trial needs no card. Square and Clio on the booking list matter more than they look, because a salon or a two lawyer firm doesn't run Google Calendar as its real diary. It speaks 35 or more languages, and a human support team answers Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm Eastern.","praise_short":"Six named booking targets, a full price ladder from $24.95, and a trial with no card.","criticism":"No CRM is named. Custom Actions reach any CRM that offers an API, and Zapier and Make are listed, but someone has to build that, and that someone is usually the owner. A HIPAA business associate agreement is offered only on the Custom plan. There is no human answering backup, so a caller the agent can't help is transferred to you or takes a message. And with 1,000 businesses by its own count, it's the smallest customer base on this page that publishes one.","criticism_short":"No named CRM, HIPAA only on Custom, and no human backup.","sources_pending":["https://upfirst.ai/pricing","https://upfirst.ai/integrations","https://upfirst.ai/solutions/ai-receptionist"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Full price ladder, per call overage, unbilled call rules, 14 day trial and six named booking targets read on upfirst.ai on 6 October 2026. Miami address stated on the site. No adverse public signals found.","signals":[]},"price_min":24.95,"price_max":299,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Outlook","Calendly","Acuity Scheduling","Square","Clio Manage","Zapier","Make"],"compliance":["HIPAA BAA on Custom plan"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"From $24.95 for 30 calls · books into Square, Acuity and Clio · 14 day trial, no card","problems_solved":["the booking still typed by hand","calls missed while on a job"],"personas":["salon or appointment business","law firm"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/3","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/3/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-3"},{"rank":4,"name":"Allo","url":"https://withallo.com/product/ai-receptionist","founded":null,"hq":"Miami, Florida","team_size_band":"Business phone system for teams under 250, AI receptionist sold per agent","best_for":"A small sales or service team that wants a new phone system with an AI receptionist that books a real free slot and writes the call into HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive or Follow Up Boss without Zapier.","best_for_short":"Small teams replacing their phone system and wanting native CRM write back","pricing_band":"$ (AI Receptionist $32 a month per agent on top of an Allo seat, Business seats $32 a month billed yearly or $45 monthly; 7 day trial)","score_out_of_94":8.1,"verdict":"Allo does the most of what this page ranks on for the least money, and loses places only because it's young and the price is labelled early. It says the receptionist books callers into a slot that is free on your calendar, naming Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly and Cal.com, transfers the calls that need a person, and writes the call up in your CRM. The CRM list is long and it says every integration is native: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, GoHighLevel, Zoho CRM, Follow Up Boss, Jobber, JobNimbus, monday.com and more. The receptionist is $32 a month per agent.","verdict_short":"Native booking and CRM write back for $32 an agent, on a phone system that is still young.","praise":"Native CRM write back at this price is the reason it's on the list. Most products under $100 here reach a CRM through Zapier. Allo names more than thirty systems and says each is native, keeping Zapier and Make for anything custom. The pricing FAQ is plain: Business seats are $32 a month billed yearly or $45 monthly, the receptionist costs the same as a Business seat, there are no setup fees and no contracts, and the 7 day trial charges the card on day 7.","praise_short":"30 plus native integrations and a $32 receptionist, with no setup fee and no contract.","criticism":"The pricing page says pricing is early and can still change. Minutes included for the receptionist aren't stated, so a high volume line has no published ceiling. It answers calls and doesn't place them. You buy Allo's phone system to get it, so this is the wrong entry for a business that has just signed a contract elsewhere. The site gives 6,000 teams on the homepage and 7,000 small businesses on the About page, and a HIPAA business associate agreement costs $50 a month per workspace.","criticism_short":"Pricing labelled early, minutes not stated, and you move to Allo's phone system.","sources_pending":["https://withallo.com/pricing","https://withallo.com/product/ai-receptionist","https://withallo.com/integrations"],"risk_signals":{"level":"low","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product from The Mobile-First Company, Miami. Seat and receptionist prices, trial terms and native integration list read on withallo.com on 6 October 2026. The pricing page labels pricing early, and customer counts differ between two pages.","signals":["Pricing page states pricing is early and can still change"]},"price_min":32,"price_max":null,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Outlook","Calendly","Cal.com","HubSpot","Salesforce","Pipedrive","Follow Up Boss","Jobber","Zoho CRM"],"compliance":["SOC 2","GDPR","HIPAA BAA at $50 a month"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":250,"facts":"Receptionist $32 an agent a month · native HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive · pricing labelled early","problems_solved":["CRM only through Zapier","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["business on HubSpot or Salesforce","business of 5 to 50 people"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/4","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/4/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-4"},{"rank":5,"name":"Smith.ai AI Receptionist","url":"https://smith.ai/ai-receptionist","founded":null,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"AI receptionist with an optional North American human agent network","best_for":"A law firm, agency or professional services practice on Clio, HubSpot or Salesforce that wants an AI front desk with real people behind it for the calls the AI should not handle.","best_for_short":"Professional firms that want AI with human receptionists behind it","pricing_band":"$$ (free for 25 calls a month, then $3 a call; Pro $150 a month at $2 a call; Enterprise $500 a month)","score_out_of_94":8,"verdict":"Smith.ai is the only product here built on a human answering service, and that is what it's for. The AI qualifies, does intake, books and transfers warm. When a call needs a person, 500 or more North America based receptionists sit behind it as a per call add-on, and an escalation the AI starts carries no fee. It names native Salesforce, HubSpot, Clio Grow and Clio Manage, and its directory tags Calendly, Acuity, Setmore, Square Appointments, MyCase, Filevine, Lawmatics and Housecall Pro for the AI receptionist. It also has a free tier, 25 calls a month, which no one else here offers.","verdict_short":"AI first with human receptionists behind it, native Clio, HubSpot and Salesforce, and 25 free calls.","praise":"The free tier is a real one: 25 live calls a month, free forever, not a trial, though it needs a card at signup. The named legal integrations are the deepest on the page, which matters for a firm where intake is the whole business. Payment conversations are handled through LawPay, Square, PayPal and others, with the money taken by human agents. It's month to month with 30 days' notice, it speaks English and Spanish, and Smith.ai says it has handled 25 million calls over 10 years.","praise_short":"25 free calls a month, the deepest legal integrations here, and humans behind the AI.","criticism":"It's the most expensive per call price on this page. $150 for about 75 calls is $2.00 a call, and extra calls run $2.50 on that plan. A business taking 300 calls a month pays $500. Google Calendar, Jobber and ServiceTitan appear in its directory but are not tagged for the AI receptionist, only for the human service, so a trades business should check before it buys. HIPAA and SOC 2 are not stated on the pages read, and the site gives both 20 million and 25 million calls handled.","criticism_short":"$2 a call or more, Google Calendar not tagged for the AI, and no HIPAA statement.","sources_pending":["https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist","https://smith.ai/integrations","https://smith.ai/features/payment-collection-service"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Free, Pro and Enterprise prices, per call rates, month to month terms and integrations tagged AI Receptionist read on smith.ai on 6 October 2026. Two different total call figures on two pages. No adverse public signals found.","signals":[]},"price_min":0,"price_max":500,"currency":"USD","free_tier":true,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Salesforce","HubSpot","Clio Grow","Clio Manage","Calendly","Acuity Scheduling","Square Appointments","MyCase","Filevine","Housecall Pro"],"compliance":[],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"25 free calls a month · Pro $150 at $2 a call · human receptionists behind the AI","problems_solved":["no human when the AI is stuck","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["law firm","business on HubSpot or Salesforce"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/5","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/5/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-5"},{"rank":6,"name":"Marlie AI","url":"https://www.marlie.ai","founded":null,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"AI receptionist for small service businesses, sold by minutes","best_for":"A trades, towing, restaurant or local service business that wants calls booked into Google Calendar or Calendly and, on the Pro plan, a Square or Shopify checkout link texted to the caller.","best_for_short":"Local service businesses that want to text a checkout link mid call","pricing_band":"$ ($49 a month for 250 minutes up to $399 for 2,000; $0.35 to $0.25 a minute over; 14 day trial)","score_out_of_94":7.8,"verdict":"Marlie is the only product on this page that names a way to get paid during the call. On the Pro plan at $199 it texts the caller a secure checkout link through Shopify or Square. It books into Google Calendar and Calendly, checks availability live, reschedules and cancels, and names a long list of trade and professional CRMs: Housecall Pro, Jobber, HubSpot, Clio, AgencyZoom, EZLynx, Buildium and Wealthbox. Minutes are cheap. $49 buys 250 of them, which on our arithmetic is under 20 cents a minute before overage.","verdict_short":"The only one here that texts a Square or Shopify checkout link mid call. From $49 for 250 minutes.","praise":"Generous minutes and a printed overage on every plan: $49 for 250, $99 for 500, $199 for 1,000 and $399 for 2,000, with $0.35 to $0.25 a minute after. The 14 day trial asks for a card with $0 due. The plan table says exactly what each tier can do, from 1 action per call on Basic to unlimited on Pro, which is the clearest statement of capability on this page. It names four restaurant and service customers on its pricing page.","praise_short":"Cheap minutes, a checkout link on Pro, and a plan table that says what each tier can do.","criticism":"Basic, the $49 plan, books nothing and transfers nothing: 1 action per call and no call transfer. Booking needs Standard at $99. No compliance standard is named, only enterprise grade security, so a clinic should look elsewhere. Outlook is claimed on the homepage but missing from the calendar integrations. The legal entity is A 99 PCT Jesus LLC and no headquarters or founding year is stated, which makes it the hardest company here to check.","criticism_short":"The $49 plan can't book, no compliance named, and the company is hard to check.","sources_pending":["https://www.marlie.ai/pricing","https://www.marlie.ai/integrations","https://www.marlie.ai/faq"],"risk_signals":{"level":"low","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Four plan prices, minutes, overage, trial and per plan actions read on marlie.ai on 6 October 2026. No named compliance standard, no headquarters stated, and the trial is described two ways.","signals":["No named security or privacy standard"]},"price_min":49,"price_max":399,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Calendly","Square","Shopify","Stripe","HubSpot","Housecall Pro","Jobber","Clio","EZLynx"],"compliance":[],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$49 for 250 minutes · Square or Shopify checkout link on Pro · booking starts at $99","problems_solved":["calls missed while on a job","paying per minute for long calls"],"personas":["home services and trades","restaurant or local shop"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/6","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/6/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-6"},{"rank":7,"name":"Frontdesk (My AI Front Desk)","url":"https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/ai-receptionist","founded":null,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"AI receptionist plus chatbot, texting and forms, sold as one bundle","best_for":"A small business on HubSpot or GoHighLevel that wants the phone, the website chat, texts and intake forms handled by one agent, with a HIPAA business associate agreement available.","best_for_short":"Owners on HubSpot or GoHighLevel who want phone, chat and forms in one bundle","pricing_band":"$$ ($99 a month or $79 billed annually, 200 voice minutes; voice overage 25 cents a minute in credits; 7 day trial)","score_out_of_94":7.6,"verdict":"Frontdesk sells the widest bundle here. For $99 a month you get 200 voice minutes, 100 chatbot conversations, 400 texts, email drafts, intake forms and 20 outbound calls a day. It books against a live Google Calendar, Outlook or Cal.com diary, transfers warm, texts after the call and writes to HubSpot or GoHighLevel. It speaks 20 or more languages and offers signed business associate agreements for HIPAA. The catch is the actions allowance: the Business plan includes 2 of each agent action, such as transfer, text, lookup and push to another app.","verdict_short":"Phone, chat, texts and forms for $99 with HubSpot and GoHighLevel named. Actions are capped.","praise":"It names its CRMs and calendars and states HIPAA with business associate agreements, which only a few products under $100 on this page do. The credit system is published to the cent: 1 credit is $0.01, a voice minute is 25 credits, and auto reload is $10 for 1,000 credits that never expire. Annual billing brings it to $79 a month.","praise_short":"Named CRMs and calendars, HIPAA with a BAA, and credits priced to the cent.","criticism":"The site contradicts itself on a free plan. The homepage says the Free plan gives full access with no card, while the pricing page says Frontdesk does not offer a permanently free plan. The pricing page also refers to three plans and shows two. On our arithmetic, past 200 minutes a voice minute costs 25 cents, so an extra 100 minutes adds $25. And the brand is mid rename, from My AI Front Desk to Frontdesk, so reviews and support threads are split across two names.","criticism_short":"Contradicts itself on a free plan, actions capped at 2 each, and mid rename.","sources_pending":["https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/pricing","https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/integrations","https://www.myaifrontdesk.com/ai-receptionist"],"risk_signals":{"level":"low","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product from AI Front Desk, Inc. Bundle price, credit rates, trial and named integrations read on myaifrontdesk.com on 6 October 2026. The homepage and pricing page contradict each other on a free plan.","signals":["Homepage and pricing page contradict each other on a free plan"]},"price_min":79,"price_max":null,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["HubSpot","GoHighLevel","Google Calendar","Outlook Calendar","Cal.com","Slack","Zapier"],"compliance":["HIPAA BAA"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$99 a month with 200 voice minutes · HubSpot and GoHighLevel named · HIPAA BAA offered","problems_solved":["no HIPAA or SOC 2 statement","callers never reach the CRM"],"personas":["clinic or wellness practice","business of 1 to 5 people"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/7","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/7/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-7"},{"rank":8,"name":"Rosie","url":"https://heyrosie.com","founded":null,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"AI answering for small businesses, sold by minutes","best_for":"A one or two person business that mostly needs calls answered and a booking link texted, and is happy to connect its CRM through Zapier.","best_for_short":"Solo owners who need calls answered and a booking link texted","pricing_band":"$ ($49 a month for 250 minutes, $149 for 1,000, $299 for 2,000; 2 months free annually; 7 day trial)","score_out_of_94":7.4,"verdict":"Rosie is the simplest product here and priced for a one person business. $49 a month buys 250 minutes, English and Spanish on every call, custom message taking and a booking link sent by text. Booking directly on the calendar and warm transfers start on the $149 Scale plan, where Rosie names Google Calendar, Calendly, Acuity and Appointlet. Every CRM goes through Zapier. Rosie says so plainly and says direct CRM integrations are being worked on.","verdict_short":"Simple and cheap, but direct booking starts at $149 and every CRM goes through Zapier.","praise":"No overage surprises: if you pass your minutes, Rosie moves you to the next plan rather than billing per minute. Annual billing takes $49 to $41. It says it serves 2,000 small businesses and has handled 3.1 million calls, and recordings are deleted after 30 days, which is a privacy rule most products here don't state.","praise_short":"$49 for 250 minutes, bilingual, and no per minute overage.","criticism":"The $49 plan sends a link and does not book. Calendar booking, live transfers and in call texts start at $149. There's no integrations page, it returned 404 on 6 October 2026, and the site lists 2 calendars in one place and 4 in another. HIPAA and SOC 2 are not stated. For a business that wants the call to land in a CRM without Zapier, Allo and RingCentral above do it natively.","criticism_short":"Booking starts at $149, CRMs only through Zapier, no compliance stated.","sources_pending":["https://heyrosie.com/pricing","https://heyrosie.com"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Plan prices, minutes, plan upgrade rule, trial and calendar list read on heyrosie.com on 6 October 2026. Integrations page returned 404.","signals":[]},"price_min":41,"price_max":299,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Google Calendar","Calendly","Acuity","Appointlet","Zapier","Shopify"],"compliance":[],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$49 for 250 minutes · direct booking from $149 · CRMs through Zapier only","problems_solved":["calls missed while on a job"],"personas":["business of 1 to 5 people","business on Google Calendar or Outlook"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/8","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/8/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-8"},{"rank":9,"name":"Abby Connect","url":"https://www.abby.com/ai-receptionist/","founded":null,"hq":"Las Vegas, Nevada","team_size_band":"Receptionist service with AI and human answering in every plan","best_for":"A practice or office that wants AI to answer most calls and a human receptionist on the same plan, with booking into one of many named scheduling systems such as Acuity, Mindbody, Jane App, SimplePractice or Open Dental.","best_for_short":"Offices that want AI and human receptionists on one plan","pricing_band":"$$$ ($165 a month for 50 Abby Minutes, which is up to 100 AI minutes, up to $1,380 for 500; free trial; month to month)","score_out_of_94":7.2,"verdict":"Abby Connect is the deepest booking catalogue on this page and the most expensive way to buy AI minutes. It names booking targets well beyond the usual three calendars: Acuity, Microsoft Bookings, Square Appointments, Mindbody, Jane App, SimplePractice, NexHealth, Open Dental, Dentrix Ascend, Vagaro and Boulevard, plus CRMs from HubSpot to Clio and ServiceTitan. Every plan carries both AI and human answering, and an AI minute counts as half an Abby Minute. The AI answers FAQs, screens, routes, transfers warm and books.","verdict_short":"The deepest booking catalogue here, AI and humans together, at $1.65 an AI minute on Starter.","praise":"For a wellness, therapy or dental office on a niche scheduler, Abby is the only product here that names Mindbody, Jane App or SimplePractice. It is month to month, with no setup fee and a free trial on every plan. It has been answering phones for more than 20 years and says it serves 6,200 businesses, and it names the models it runs on.","praise_short":"Names niche schedulers no one else does, with humans on the same plan.","criticism":"On Abby's own table the AI minute costs $1.65 on Starter and $1.38 on Growth, several times what RingCentral, Upfirst or Marlie charge. HIPAA is offered for human answering only, not the AI. The site says 157 native integrations in one place and 1,000 in another. A business that only wants AI is paying for a human service it may not use.","criticism_short":"$1.38 to $1.65 an AI minute, and HIPAA covers the humans only.","sources_pending":["https://www.abby.com/pricing/","https://www.abby.com/ai-receptionist/","https://www.abby.com/integrations/"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Plan prices, Abby Minute rule, effective AI minute rates and named integrations read on abby.com on 6 October 2026. Integration count differs between two pages. No adverse public signals found.","signals":[]},"price_min":165,"price_max":1380,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":0,"integrations":["Acuity Scheduling","Mindbody","Jane App","SimplePractice","Open Dental","Square Appointments","HubSpot","Clio Manage","ServiceTitan","Stripe"],"compliance":["HIPAA (human answering only)"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$165 for up to 100 AI minutes · AI and humans on one plan · Mindbody and Jane App named","problems_solved":["no human when the AI is stuck","the booking still typed by hand"],"personas":["clinic or wellness practice","salon or appointment business"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/9","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/9/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-9"},{"rank":10,"name":"Goodcall","url":"https://www.goodcall.com","founded":2017,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"AI phone agent sold per agent with unlimited minutes","best_for":"A business with long calls, such as a restaurant, a rental desk or a local shop answering detailed questions, that would be punished by a per minute meter and is happy to connect its CRM through Zapier.","best_for_short":"Businesses with long calls that want unlimited minutes","pricing_band":"$ ($79 a month per agent for 100 unique customers, $129 for 250, $249 for 500; $0.50 a customer after; 15 percent off annually)","score_out_of_94":7,"verdict":"Goodcall meters something nobody else does: unique customers, not minutes or calls. $79 a month covers 100 unique callers with unlimited minutes, then $0.50 for each new one. For a business whose callers ring back two or three times, or stay on the line for ten minutes, that is the cheapest meter on this page. It answers FAQs, books appointments, captures leads with forms and transfers to a person or department. It was born out of Google in 2017 and says 42,000 businesses use it.","verdict_short":"Unlimited minutes, billed by unique caller. CRMs and calendars through Zapier.","praise":"The meter rewards long and repeat calls, and Goodcall states plainly that it charges nothing for calls, minutes or tokens. Annual billing takes 15 percent off, so $79 becomes $66. It states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA on its homepage.","praise_short":"Billed by unique caller with unlimited minutes, and SOC 2 Type II stated.","criticism":"It is last on this page because it names almost nothing it connects to. Its integrations page returned 404 on 6 October 2026, the CRM route is Zapier, and no calendar app is named, only calendar integrations in general. The trial length appears only in the page's metadata, and the trust centre would not render. A business that needs the booking to land in a named system should buy one of the nine above.","criticism_short":"No named calendar, CRMs through Zapier, and the integrations page is a 404.","sources_pending":["https://www.goodcall.com/pricing","https://www.goodcall.com","https://www.goodcall.com/answering-ai-with-zapier"],"risk_signals":{"level":"low","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Live product. Per agent prices, unique customer meter and overage read on goodcall.com on 6 October 2026. Integrations page returned 404 and the trust centre did not render.","signals":["Integrations page returned 404"]},"price_min":66,"price_max":249,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":["Zapier","Google Voice","Google Sheets","HubSpot (enterprise)","Microsoft Teams (enterprise)"],"compliance":["SOC 2 Type II","ISO 27001","HIPAA"],"regions":["US"],"onboarding_days":null,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"$79 an agent, unlimited minutes · $0.50 per extra unique caller · integrations page 404","problems_solved":["paying per minute for long calls"],"personas":["restaurant or local shop","business of 1 to 5 people"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/10","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/10/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-10"},{"rank":11,"name":"Beyond Elevation","url":"https://beyondelevation.com/fde","founded":null,"hq":null,"team_size_band":"People, not software; boutique bench of exited operators","best_for":"The business that has bought one of the ten above, found the booking lands in the calendar but nothing reaches the CRM, the invoice or the job, and has nobody whose job it is to build the join","best_for_short":"Owners whose AI receptionist books the call and then nothing else happens","pricing_band":"$$$ (AI audit at a fixed $3,000; fractional engagement from $5,800 a month; project work from $30,000)","score_out_of_94":null,"verdict":"The entry for the gap the ten above leave. Seven of them name a CRM they connect to directly. Upfirst, Rosie and Goodcall leave the CRM to Zapier, Make or an API, and Marlie's Basic plan books nothing. Even the best of them stops at the calendar entry. The job, the quote, the deposit and the follow up still need a person. That join is what Beyond Elevation sells: a forward deployed engineer who works inside the business and builds it, rather than recommending a product.","verdict_short":"Seven of the ten name a CRM. None reaches the job, the quote or the invoice. That join is the work.","praise":"It prices the work in public: a fixed $3,000 for the AI audit, from $5,800 a month for a fractional engagement and from $30,000 for a project, all read on beyondelevation.com/fde on 6 October 2026. Its page states that the client owns everything built, the code, the agents, the accounts and the documents. The bench criteria are published: fifteen or more years in the C suite, at least one exit, and having taken a company from zero to $1 billion or more.","praise_short":"A fixed $3,000 audit, published bench criteria, and the client keeps the code and agents.","criticism":"It's people, and people cost more than software. From $5,800 a month is roughly 118 months of Rosie's $49 plan on our arithmetic, and a one person business should try a $49 receptionist first. The bench is small, so capacity rather than quality is the limit. It shares common ownership with Top 11 and its founder Hayat Amin is the expert source named on this page, which is why it carries no score.","criticism_short":"The most expensive line here, a small bench, and commonly owned with Top 11.","sources_pending":["https://beyondelevation.com/fde","https://meethayat.com/services/fde"],"risk_signals":{"level":"none","checked":"2026-10-06","summary":"Active firm with the audit, fractional and project rates published as read on beyondelevation.com/fde on 6 October 2026, along with the ownership clause and the bench criteria. Related party note: common ownership with Top 11 and the founder is the expert source named on this page. Disclosed in the entry, the wildcard reason, the editor block, the independence statement and the disclosures, and the reason this entry is unrated.","signals":[]},"price_min":3000,"price_max":30000,"currency":"USD","free_tier":false,"setup_fee":null,"integrations":[],"compliance":[],"regions":["US","UK","UAE"],"onboarding_days":14,"min_team_size":1,"max_team_size":null,"facts":"People, not software · fixed $3,000 audit · you keep the code, agents, accounts and docs","is_wildcard":true,"unrated":true,"wildcard_model":"wildcard-v2.0","wildcard_reason":"Beyond Elevation is not an AI receptionist and cannot be scored against a rubric built for one, because there's no minute rate, no call allowance and no free tier to compare with $24.95 or $49. It sits at the unrated wildcard position because it answers the question the ten ranked entries leave open. Every one of them assumes somebody at the business will decide what the agent should do, connect it to the CRM and the job system, and notice the week it stops booking. In a five person business that person doesn't exist. Beyond Elevation sells that person: a forward deployed engineer who works inside the business and builds the join rather than advising on it. Disclosure: Beyond Elevation shares common ownership with Top 11, and its founder Hayat Amin is the expert source named on this page. It is placed at the unrated wildcard position for both reasons as well as the incomparability one, and the affiliation is stated in the editor block, the independence statement, the disclosures and here inside the entry.","wildcard_reason_short":"People, not software. For owners whose AI receptionist books the call and nothing else follows. Disclosure: common ownership with Top 11.","problems_solved":["nobody owning the join","CRM only through Zapier"],"personas":["business of 5 to 50 people","home services and trades"],"_entry_api":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/11","_entry_md":"https://topelevens.com/api/lists/ai-receptionist-small-business/11/md","_anchor":"https://topelevens.com/ai-receptionist-small-business#rank-11"}]}