AI Receptionist Cost and Missed-Call Calculator
An AI receptionist costs CA$149 to CA$549 a month with Zolo plus a one-time CA$299 setup fee, and it pays for itself when the revenue from calls you miss today is larger than the monthly fee. Enter your calls, missed share and customer value below to see revenue lost per month and per year, and the payback period on each plan.
How this AI receptionist ROI calculator works
Missed calls a month equal calls per week times 52, divided by 12, times the share you miss. We multiply that by the share of missed callers who would have booked, then by your average customer value. The result is the revenue you lose each month, and the same figure times twelve is the yearly loss.
No receptionist saves every lost booking, so the calculator also asks what share it recovers. We start at 60%, which is our own estimate and not a benchmark, so adjust it up or down. Every starting value on the page is an example you should replace with your own numbers.
AI receptionist pricing: three Zolo plans
The plans cost CA$149, CA$299 and CA$549 a month, and each has a one-time CA$299 setup fee. The CA$299 plan includes AI chat on your website as well as phone answering. For each plan the calculator shows net gain per month (recovered revenue minus the fee), payback on the setup fee, and net result over the first year. Website chat enquiries are not modelled, so the CA$299 plan looks worse here than it may be in practice.
AI receptionist cost compared with human answering
Here is what the alternatives cost on published prices. Figures are in US dollars unless marked CA$, and we have not converted them.
| Option | Typical cost | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time in-house receptionist | About US$18.27 an hour at the median, which is roughly US$3,170 a month for 40 hours a week before benefits and payroll costs (our arithmetic) | US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data (page modified 29 October 2026) |
| Ruby, live virtual receptionists | US$245 a month for 50 minutes up to US$1,695 a month for 500 minutes | ruby.com plans page, viewed 14 November 2026 |
| Smith.ai, live receptionists | US$300 a month for 30 calls up to US$2,100 a month for 300 calls, with US$11.50 to US$8.50 per extra call | smith.ai/pricing, viewed 14 November 2026 |
| Zolo AI receptionist | CA$149, CA$299 or CA$549 a month, plus a one-time CA$299 setup fee | Zolo plans, 14 November 2026 |
Prices vary with call length, volume and plan, so check each provider before you decide. If you answer nearly every call live, you may not need one. A person is also still the better choice for sensitive or complicated calls, while routine booking and question calls suit automation.
Run the missed-call numbers another way
Prefer a simpler version with fewer inputs? Try our missed call cost calculator. If you also pay for clicks, our Google Ads cost calculator shows what each lead costs, and every call you miss is a lead you paid for. The rest of our free tools are on the tools page.
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Get your free Brutally Honest ReviewFrequently asked questions
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
Zolo plans cost CA$149, CA$299 or CA$549 a month, and each has a one-time CA$299 setup fee. The CA$299 plan also includes AI chat on your website. Other providers price differently, so compare the monthly fee, any setup fee and what happens when you go over your included usage.
How do I work out the revenue I lose from missed calls?
Multiply calls per week by 52, divide by 12, then by the share you miss. Multiply that by the share of missed callers who would have booked, then by your average customer value. The calculator does this for you and also shows the yearly figure.
How long does an AI receptionist take to pay back?
Payback is the CA$299 setup fee divided by your net monthly gain, which is recovered revenue minus the monthly fee. If you miss many calls from valuable customers it can be a matter of days. If you miss very few calls, a plan may never pay back, and the calculator says so.
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human answering service?
On list prices, yes. The live services we checked started at US$245 a month for 50 minutes (Ruby) and US$300 a month for 30 calls (Smith.ai), and a full-time employee at the US median wage works out to roughly US$3,170 a month before benefits. The services are not identical, though: a person handles sensitive or unusual calls better.
Do I need an AI receptionist if I answer most calls?
Probably not. If you answer nearly every call live, there is little missed revenue to recover. Check your phone log for a month first, and use the calculator with your real missed-call share.