What a receptionist costs you, and what an AI receptionist costs
A full-time receptionist costs you at least the wage, and the median is $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the 2025 median pay in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which we read on bls.gov on 24 September 2026.
The wage is only the first line. As the employer you also pay payroll taxes, any benefits you offer, paid time off, and someone to cover the desk during lunch, sick days and vacations. Your own payroll provider can give you those rates.
An AI receptionist is priced like software. GreetKeeper starts at $49 a month for 200 answered calls, and it answers at any hour, including the 128 hours a week a 40-hour employee isn't at the desk.
The cost of one hire, line by line
| Cost line | Where the figure comes from | Median-pay example |
|---|---|---|
| Base wage | Your offer, or the BLS median | $38,010 a year ($18.27 an hour) |
| Employer payroll taxes | Your payroll provider | Your rate × wage |
| Benefits | Your plan documents | Your cost per employee |
| Paid time off | Your leave policy | Days off × daily wage |
| Desk cover | Whoever answers when the receptionist is out | Their hours × their rate |
| Hiring and training | Job ads, interview time, first weeks | One-off, repeats with turnover |
Median pay from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Receptionists, "2025 Median Pay" (bls.gov/ooh, page last modified 27 August 2026, read 2026-09-24). The other lines depend on your business, so we leave them as your inputs.
GreetKeeper plans, by the year
| Plan | Calls a month | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Each extra call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 200 | $588 a year ($49/mo) | $490 | $0.45 |
| Professional | 750 | $1,788 a year ($149/mo) | $1,490 | $0.35 |
| Scale | 2,000 | $4,188 a year ($349/mo) | $3,490 | $0.25 |
GreetKeeper pricing page. Annual billing gives two months free. No setup fee; every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no card.
What decides which one you need
- The hours your phone rings. A week has 168 hours, and a full-time shift covers 40 of them.
- Calls that arrive together. One person takes one call at a time, while GreetKeeper answers calls that arrive at the same moment.
- The work between calls. Greeting walk-ins, filing and handling the mail are in-person jobs a hire does all day.
- What the call needs. GreetKeeper books, captures the caller's details and transfers to your team when a caller asks for a person.
Worked example
A property management office pays the median rate for a front-desk hire and takes about 600 calls a month, a third of them after 5pm.
Receptionist wage at the BLS median
$38,010 a year, before payroll taxes, benefits and desk cover.
Hours covered
40 of the 168 in a week, so the evening and weekend calls still go to voicemail.
GreetKeeper Professional, annual
$1,490 a year for 750 calls a month, answered at any hour.
Both together
the hire keeps the front desk, and GreetKeeper takes overflow and after-hours calls for $1,490 a year.
At the median wage, a receptionist costs $38,010 a year before overhead and covers business hours. GreetKeeper Professional costs $1,490 a year on annual billing and covers every hour of the week.
Where our own price sits
GreetKeeper answers every inbound call, at any hour, and calls that arrive together are answered together. It books into Google Calendar or Outlook, reads the name, number and time back before it books, and every call arrives as a transcript and a short summary.
When a caller asks for a person, it transfers to your team, and it tries a second number you nominate if the first doesn't pick up. Starter is $49 for 200 calls, Professional $149 for 750 and Scale $349 for 2,000.
| 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 |
Running the numbers for your own desk
Start with the hourly rate you'd actually offer in your town, then multiply by the hours you'd schedule.
Pull a month of call logs and count the calls outside those hours. That's the part of the job no shift covers.
Put your receptionist's own number in as GreetKeeper's transfer target, so the calls that need a person still reach one.
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
How much does a receptionist earn in the US?
The median receptionist pay is $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 median pay in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (read September 2026). Half earn more and half earn less.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring one?
On price, yes. GreetKeeper's plans run $490, $1,490 or $3,490 a year on annual billing, against a median wage of $38,010 before overhead. You can also run both: the hire handles the desk, GreetKeeper handles overflow and after-hours.
What does it cost to cover the phones 24 hours a day with staff?
A week has 168 hours, so full coverage takes about four full-time shifts' worth of hours, each paid at your local rate plus overhead. GreetKeeper covers all 168 hours on any plan from $49 a month.
Can the AI receptionist hand calls to my staff?
Yes. GreetKeeper transfers to your team when a caller asks for a person or when it's unsure, and texts the on-call person with the caller's details. After the call, the caller gets one text with the booking link or confirmation.
Cover the hours no shift covers
Try GreetKeeper free for 14 days on your after-hours calls, with booking included and no card needed.