PATLive vs AnswerFirst
PATLive and AnswerFirst both staff live receptionists around the clock and bill by the minute, but they package those minutes differently. PATLive sells monthly bundles, from $99 for 50 minutes up to $6,899 for 5,000, with a printed overage on every tier. AnswerFirst sells pure pay as you go: $30 a month, then $1.60 to $1.95 a minute, with no minute plan to commit to.
AnswerFirst also bills by the second, so a 40-second call costs 40 seconds. For a phone with lots of short calls, that counting rule matters as much as the rate.
AnswerFirst suits an uneven phone, such as a landlord's, where some months are quiet and one burst pipe fills a week. PATLive suits a steady phone that can fill a bundle, because its per-minute rate falls as the bundles grow. Both pages were read in September 2026.
Published pricing, side by side
What each vendor prints on its own site. The billing unit decides more of the final bill than the headline price does.
| PATLive | AnswerFirst | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Per minute | Per minute, billed by the second |
| Entry plan | $49/mo pay as you go with no minutes included, at $2.99 a minute; $99 for 50 minutes | $30 a month base, then $1.60–$1.95 a minute depending on usage |
| Higher tiers | $189 (100 min), $349 (200), $479 (300), $759 (500), $1,499 (1,000), $2,899 (2,000), up to $6,899 (5,000) | Pay as you go with volume discounts, no minute plans; one forwarding number included, extra numbers $3 a month each |
| Overage rate | 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) | No bundle to run past: every minute bills at $1.60–$1.95, counted to the second |
Read on each vendor's own website in September 2026. Prices move, so check before you buy.
What decides it
The dimensions that change the bill or the service, each as a fact read on the vendor's own site.
| PATLive | AnswerFirst | |
|---|---|---|
| How minutes are sold | Monthly bundles, 50 to 5,000 minutes | Pay as you go, no minute plans |
| Base monthly fee | $49 pay-as-you-go tier with no minutes | $30 a month |
| Per-minute rate | $2.99 pay as you go; overage from $2.29 down to $1.49 | $1.60 to $1.95, falling with usage |
| How a call is counted | Not stated on the pricing page | True one-second billing |
| Contract | Not stated on the pricing page | No long-term contract; 30 days risk-free |
| Nights, weekends, holidays | 24/7 live answering | 24/7, no extra fee for nights, weekends or holidays |
| Extra numbers | Not stated on the pricing page | One forwarding number included; more at $3 a month each |
PATLive: patlive.com/pricing, re-read 2026-09-24. AnswerFirst: answerfirst.com/pricing and homepage. Both read September 2026.
A landlord's phone on both services
Picture a landlord with 30 units. Most months bring about 60 calls: rent questions, showing requests and the odd maintenance issue, averaging two minutes. That's 120 minutes.
On PATLive, 120 minutes is past the 100-minute plan at $189 and inside the 200-minute plan at $349. On AnswerFirst, you'd pay the $30 base and 120 minutes at $1.60 to $1.95, with nothing unused left on the table.
Then a freeze splits pipes in three buildings, and one week brings 80 anxious calls. PATLive's bundle absorbs part of it and bills the rest at the plan's overage. AnswerFirst simply bills the extra minutes at its usage rate.
What PATLive's bundles give you
PATLive prints eleven tiers, and the per-minute rate drops as you climb. Overage is $2.29 a minute on the $99 plan, $1.99 at $349 and $1.79 at $759, down to $1.49 on the $6,899 top tier. The bottom tier is $49 a month with no minutes, at $2.99 each.
That full rate card is the strength. You can price any month from the page, and a steady business can pick the bundle that its usual volume fills. PATLive also builds your call script with you, which is worth asking to keep.
What AnswerFirst's pay-as-you-go model gives you
AnswerFirst has answered phones since 1998 with US-based staff. It lists appointment scheduling, order entry and dispatch among its services, plus API and Zapier options for sending messages into other tools.
Its pricing page says it's hard to show one online price because the rate adjusts with usage, so you'll call for your exact figure. What it does print is the $30 base, the $1.60 to $1.95 range, one-second billing and a 30-day risk-free start. A one-time customization fee can apply for complex setups.
What to ask each before you forward your line
Ask PATLive how it rounds a call and whether after-call work counts toward your minutes. Ask AnswerFirst where your volume lands in the $1.60 to $1.95 range and whether your setup needs the customization fee.
Then send each a test call with a real scenario, like a tenant reporting no heat at night. Read the message you get back and check it has the unit, the problem and a callback number.
Where GreetKeeper fits a landlord's line
Disclosure: GreetKeeper is our product, and this is its only mention on the page. It answers with an AI and bills per answered call, so a burst-pipe week costs calls, not minutes. Starter is $49 a month for 200 calls, then $0.45 a call. Professional is $149 for 750 at $0.35, and Scale is $349 for 2,000 at $0.25.
The 60-call month and the 80-call freeze week together fit inside Starter. GreetKeeper texts your on-call maintenance person with the tenant's details, and each number can keep its own hours and greeting if you run properties under different names.
Showings book into Google Calendar or Outlook, and the caller gets one text with the confirmation. Robocalls are screened out before the greeting and don't count toward the plan. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, every feature on and no card.
| 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 |
Questions people ask about this comparison
Is AnswerFirst cheaper than PATLive?
On a light month, yes: AnswerFirst's $1.60 to $1.95 a minute plus $30 sits below PATLive's $2.99 pay-as-you-go rate. On PATLive's larger bundles, overage falls to $1.49 a minute, so a steady, busy phone can come out lower there (September 2026).
Does AnswerFirst round calls up to the minute?
No. AnswerFirst's pricing page states true one-second billing, so a call is billed for the seconds it lasts, read September 2026. Ask PATLive for its rounding rule, since its pricing page doesn't state one.
Does AnswerFirst require a contract?
No. AnswerFirst describes itself as true pay as you go, with no minimum usage, no minute plans and no long-term contract, and offers 30 days risk-free (September 2026).
Which answering service is best for a landlord?
One that fits an uneven call pattern. AnswerFirst bills only the minutes you use, by the second. PATLive's bundles suit steady volume, with rates falling to $1.49 a minute on its largest plan.
Related reading
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