The best live answering services, ranked on the cost of a conversation
GreetKeeper is our product, and it ranks first on the method below. Every call gets a live conversation the moment it arrives, $49 covers 200 of them, and each call past that is $0.45. Booking comes with every plan.
Live answering means your caller talks to someone who can act, instead of hearing a beep. PATLive, Posh and Ruby staff human receptionists and bill by the minute. GreetKeeper is an AI receptionist that answers, books the slot and hands the tricky call to your own team.
By-the-minute human answering adds up quickly. PATLive's $99 plan buys 50 minutes, Posh's Vogue plan buys 50 for $130, and Ruby starts at $250 for 50. On GreetKeeper a four-minute booking call counts once.
Abby Connect sells one currency for human and AI minutes from $165. Smith.ai puts a trained human team behind its AI on the $150 Pro plan. AnswerConnect quotes each business on request.
How this was put together
Disclosure: GreetKeeper is our product. We ranked seven services in September 2026 on what a live conversation costs and what it produces. Each rival's figures were read on that vendor's own pricing page.
What we compared
- Whether every call reaches a live conversation at any hour, with no voicemail in the path.
- The billing unit, and what a four-minute call costs on it.
- The published entry price and what its allowance covers.
- Whether the rate past the allowance is printed before you buy.
- Whether the call can end with a booked appointment rather than a note someone has to chase.
The shortlist at a glance
Billing unit first, because it decides more of the final bill than the headline price does.
| Charges by | Entry plan | After the allowance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreetKeeper | per answered call | $49/mo for 200 answered calls | $0.45 a call on Starter, published |
| PATLive | per minute | $49/mo pay as you go with no minutes included, at $2.99 a minute; $99 for 50 minutes | Published on every tier: $2.99 a minute pay as you go, $2.29 on the $99 plan, $1.99 at $349, $1.79 at $759, down to $1.49 at $6,899 (re-read on patlive.com/pricing 2026-09-24) |
| Posh | per minute | Chïc at $65/mo with zero minutes included, at $2.30 a minute | Published on every tier, from $2.30 down to $1.90 a minute |
| Ruby | per minute | $250/mo for 50 minutes | Not published on their pricing page |
| Abby Connect | per minute (half-rate AI) | Starter $165/mo for 50 Abby Minutes | Not published; one Abby Minute buys two minutes of AI handling |
| Smith.ai | per call | Free tier at $0 for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call | Published, and the per-call rate falls as the tier rises |
| AnswerConnect | per minute | Does not publish pricing | Does not publish pricing |
Read from each vendor's own pricing page in September 2026.
GreetKeeper
A live answer on every call, $49 for 200 calls, booking included and $0.45 a call past that.
Worth it for: A business that wants every caller to reach a conversation, day or night, with the appointment booked during the call.
Charges per answered call. Entry plan $49/mo for 200 answered calls. After the allowance: $0.45 a call on Starter, published.
PATLive
Human receptionists, with every per-minute rate on the page.
Worth it for: Low call volume with a staffed human answer and a printed rate card, from $2.99 a minute down to $1.49.
Not for: Long or frequent calls on a small budget. The $99 plan covers 50 minutes and charges $2.29 a minute past them, so a busy week moves the bill minute by minute.
Charges per minute. Entry plan $49/mo pay as you go with no minutes included, at $2.99 a minute; $99 for 50 minutes. After the allowance: Published on every tier: $2.99 a minute pay as you go, $2.29 on the $99 plan, $1.99 at $349, $1.79 at $759, down to $1.49 at $6,899 (re-read on patlive.com/pricing 2026-09-24).
Posh
A zero-minute entry plan with the per-minute rate printed.
Worth it for: An office with a handful of overflow calls a month that wants a person to take them, from $65 with every minute billed at $2.30.
Not for: Steady daily volume. The Chïc plan includes zero minutes, and the Vogue plan is $130 for 50.
Charges per minute. Entry plan Chïc at $65/mo with zero minutes included, at $2.30 a minute. After the allowance: Published on every tier, from $2.30 down to $1.90 a minute.
Ruby
Staffed human answering, priced as a premium service.
Worth it for: A small number of high-value calls where your clients expect a person every time, from $250 for 50 minutes.
Not for: Pricing a busy month in advance, since the rate past the allowance is not on Ruby's pricing page.
Charges per minute. Entry plan $250/mo for 50 minutes. After the allowance: Not published on their pricing page.
Abby Connect
One currency that buys human minutes or AI minutes.
Worth it for: A business that wants people on some calls and AI on the rest, since one Abby Minute buys two minutes of AI handling.
Not for: A tight budget. Starter is $165 for 50 Abby Minutes, and the rate past the bundle is not published.
Charges per minute (half-rate AI). Entry plan Starter $165/mo for 50 Abby Minutes. After the allowance: Not published; one Abby Minute buys two minutes of AI handling.
Smith.ai
AI first, a trained human team behind it, billed per call.
Worth it for: Law firms and consultancies that want staff behind the AI and can carry about $2.00 a call on the $150 Pro plan.
Not for: High volume on a budget. After the free tier's 25 calls each one costs $3.00, and Pro covers 75 to 300 calls.
Charges per call. Entry plan Free tier at $0 for 25 calls, then $3.00 a call. After the allowance: Published, and the per-call rate falls as the tier rises.
AnswerConnect
Staffed answering from a large operator, priced by quote.
Worth it for: A business that wants a big staffed operator and doesn't mind a sales call to learn the price.
Not for: Comparing on published figures, because the pricing sits behind a quote form.
AnswerConnect does not publish its rates, so the cost is whatever the sales call produces.
How to choose a live answering service
Start with the unit. The human services here bill by the minute: PATLive from $1.49 to $2.99, Posh from $1.90 to $2.30. GreetKeeper bills per answered call, so a caller who needs six minutes costs you the same as one who needs one.
Next, ask each vendor what a finished call leaves you with. A note in your inbox still needs someone to ring back. GreetKeeper books into Google Calendar or Outlook while the caller is on the line and reads the name, number and time back first. After the call, the caller gets one text with the confirmation.
Last, plan the hand-off. GreetKeeper transfers to your team when a caller asks for a person or the AI is unsure. If that line isn't picked up, it tries a second number you nominate. The people who know your customers still take the calls that need them.
Our own pricing, in full
Including the rate after the allowance, which is the number most of this list leaves off.
| Plan | Monthly | Calls included | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterFor a single location taking calls one line at a time. | $49 | 200 | $0.45 per call |
| ProfessionalBooking, routing and transfers included, not an add-on. | $149 | 750 | $0.35 per call |
| ScaleFor busy phones and longer opening hours. | $349 | 2,000 | $0.25 per call |
The short version
- Booking is included on every tier. Rosie keeps booking and live transfer behind its $149 plan.
- The overage rate is on the pricing page. Rosie, Ruby, Slang and AnswerConnect do not publish theirs.
- Calls are counted, not minutes, so a long useful conversation costs the same as a short one.
Questions people ask about this list
What is a live answering service?
A live answering service picks up your calls in real time, so the caller talks to someone instead of leaving a voicemail. Ruby, PATLive and Posh use human receptionists billed by the minute. GreetKeeper does it with an AI receptionist billed per call, from $49 for 200 calls.
How much does a live answering service cost per month?
Published entry prices checked in September 2026 run from $49 to $250 a month. PATLive's pay-as-you-go plan is $49 with no minutes included, Posh starts at $65 with none, and Ruby starts at $250 for 50 minutes. GreetKeeper's $49 Starter includes 200 answered calls.
Does an AI receptionist count as live answering?
Yes, in the way your callers judge it: the call is picked up and they have a real conversation. GreetKeeper answers at any hour, takes calls that arrive together so nobody queues, and transfers to your team when a caller asks for a person.
Why does PATLive rank above Ruby?
Because the method rewards a printed rate card. PATLive lists its per-minute rate on every tier, from $2.99 down to $1.49. Ruby lists plans from $250 for 50 minutes, and the rate past the allowance is not on its pricing page.
Can I try GreetKeeper before I move my forwarding?
Yes. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial with every feature on, and no card. Forward on no-answer first so it only takes the calls you miss. The ring count is set where the forwarding is set, and GreetKeeper answers the moment the call arrives.
Hear one of these handle your own call
Your scenario, your greeting, a couple of minutes.