Low-cost answering services, and what you trade for the saving
Under $100 a month, one thing is true whichever option you pick: either software answers your phone, or you get a very small number of staffed minutes. PATLive's $99 buys you 50 minutes with a person on them, which is roughly seventeen conversations. Everything else you can buy at that price is AI.
That's your trade, stated plainly. The saving in this band comes from removing the receptionist rather than from a vendor being generous, so what you're really deciding at this price point is whether your calls need a person.
Within the AI options there's a second trade that catches people: what the low price excludes. Rosie's $49 excludes appointment booking. Goodcall's $79 covers one phone number. Dialzara's $29 covers 60 minutes.
Under $100 a month, what each buys
| Service | Price | Included | Who answers | What's excluded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dialzara | $29 | 60 minutes | AI | Nothing gated, but the next tier is $99 |
| GreetKeeper | $49 | 200 answered calls | AI | No human fallback on our side |
| Rosie | $49 | 250 minutes | AI | Booking and live transfer, from $149 |
| Goodcall | $79 | 100 unique callers | AI | Second phone number costs a second plan |
| PATLive | $99 | 50 minutes | People | Anything past 50 minutes, at $2.29 |
Read on each vendor's own pricing page, September 2026.
Where the saving comes from
- No receptionist wage. This is almost the whole difference between the $49 band and the $395 one.
- A smaller allowance. PATLive's $99 is a real staffed service at a real low price for 50 minutes, and 50 minutes goes quickly.
- Self-serve setup. The cheap AI plans expect you to configure the assistant yourself; the staffed services build your script with you.
- Gated features. Some of the saving is simply things moved to a higher tier, which is worth checking before you count it as a saving.
- One line rather than several, under per-number pricing.
Worked example
A mobile dog groomer takes 45 calls a month, mostly bookings, averaging two and a half minutes. That's 113 minutes.
Dialzara
$29 covers 60 minutes, then 53 at roughly $0.48. $29 + $25.44 = $54.44.
Rosie
$49 covers 250 minutes, so all 113 fit. $49, but bookings would need the $149 tier.
PATLive
$99 covers 50 minutes, then 63 at $2.29. $99 + $144.27 = $243.27.
GreetKeeper
45 answered calls with booking included. $49.
Smith.ai free tier
25 calls free, then 20 at $3.00. $60.
Her whole decision comes down to booking. Every option here answers the phone for under $60, and only two will put the appointment in your calendar without moving you up a tier. One of those two is a free tier that runs out on the 15th.
Where our own price sits
$49 for 200 answered calls, with booking, routing, transfers and transcripts on that plan rather than the one above it, and $0.45 a call after.
We aren't the cheapest. Dialzara's $29 is, and for a very quiet phone it's the better buy. What we'd argue is that $49 with nothing gated behind it is easier to plan around than $29 with a $99 step above.
| 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 |
Before you act on any of this
Every competitor figure on this page was read on that vendor's own pricing page in September 2026. Prices change. Check before you buy.
Questions people ask
Is a low-cost answering service worth having?
Compare it against what you do now. If your alternative is voicemail, ask whether one recovered job a month beats $49. If your alternative is answering it yourself, ask what an hour of your time is worth.
What's the cheapest service with a real person?
Of the published rate cards, PATLive at $99 for 50 minutes. Posh's $65 base is lower but gives you no minutes, so any real use pushes you past $99 quickly. Abby Connect charges you $165 for 50 Abby Minutes.
Do cheap plans have hidden fees?
Setup fees are the usual suspect, and in this band they're rare: neither Dialzara, Rosie, Goodcall nor we will charge you one. Your bigger cost is the tier step, which isn't hidden but is easy to overlook.
Will a cheap plan handle my busy month?
Only if the overage rate is published, so you can work it out first. Dialzara, Goodcall and we all print ours. Rosie doesn't, so your busy month on their $49 plan has no price you can know in advance.
Check what the cheap tier leaves out
Booking, a second line, the next tier's price. The saving is usually one of those three.